Streaming Run

Time: 57:23
Distance: ~8.6 miles

I'm a blogging machine, but my engine is overheating right now. Too many for one day already. When you run a lot, you have to log a lot of runs. Bad trade off. This is turning into a stream of consciousness post. I felt good on this run. It was getting dark. No deer tonight. Day light savings time makes it dark way too early. I wonder what my miles will total this week? Since I didn't run home from Old Bell this morning, I put in an hour later on after watching the marathon on the intertubes and tv. I also watch some of Marion Jones 30 at 30 special on ESPN. Waste of time so I turned it off and laced up the shoes. Hard not to run a little faster after watching an exciting women's finish and seeing the other Geb pull away in the final mile.

McAlpine Before NYC Marathon

Time: 97:57
Distance: ~14 miles

Meagan and I were a little late getting out the door this morning as I had to deal with some internet shenanigans. We arrived to Old Bell a few minutes late and just missed the group of Charlotte Running Club members. Instead of playing catch up, we ran comfortably to the Footlocker Course while keeping an eye out for the crew. We spotted them as we approached the hairpin and thought if we excluded the hill we might be able to catch them. However, when we got out to the pond they were nowhere in sight. We finished up the back section of the course and then made a pit-stop at the conveniently located bathrooms near the start of the course.

The Richmond Marathon trio of Jay, Aaron and Paul came trotting our direction so we continued back to Old Bell. It was a good chat about the soon to be run NYC Marathon during the two miles back to the parking lot. I think everyone was looking forward to tracking Spada, watching Geb and seeing how Shalane would do in her debut. I grabbed a quick drink at the lot before heading back out with Meagan for some more miles.

We ran the same loop, but tossed in the hill for good measure. We got back to the parking lot for the second time having run over a minute faster with the added distance. I had planned on running back to the house, but when I realized that the marathon was about to start in 10 minutes I bagged that idea. We hopped in the car and hurried home so that I could pull up all the forums, twitter, and live feeds to enable proper running nerd enthusiasm. I even downloaded an iPhone app that allowed me to track the top runners in real time. Somehow my former teammate at Brown, Nick Neely, made the app which meant I could see how much distance he had remaining and could calculate pace. It would have cost me $3.99 to track Spada so unfortunately he didn't make the cut.

Here is a short list of how those I know did at NYC:
Mark Olivier - 2:28:55 (Ran at Columbia)
Kim Smith - 2:29:28 (NZ legend and friend)
Nick Neely - 2:30:46 (Former college teammate)
Alissa McKaig - 2:37:29 (Runs at Zap)
Janeatte Faber - 2:39:41 (Married to volunteer coach when at Brown)
Sally Meyerhoff - 2:41:00 (Sister visited Queens last winter)
Jonathon Pillow - 2:42:43 (Used to race Jonathon in OK)
Stephen Spada - 2:48:17 (Representing the CRC)
Alexandra Brown - 3:04:39 (Ran at Brown)
Val Matena - 3:09:45 (Used to live in Clt)

Congrats to all those who ran. Sorry not to mention others. Good effort by Meb and Ritz. Sorry to see Geb go.

LetsRun Slander

I've finally made it as a runner! My name has been slandered across the LetsRun.com message boards. Oh yea, I'm legit now. The way I see it, I'm now in the same realm as Dathan Ritzenhein, Alan Webb, Galen Rupp, and Alberto Salazar. Next week my Nike contract will be inked which is all being worked out by my agent Ray Flynn. I will soon be taking the running world by storm now that I'm a bonafide running superstar.

In reality, some S(o)B felt the need to seek revenge on the public running forum in a thread entitled "The guy who just won ironman florida ran 2:43." Check it out while you can as I think it will be taken down soon.

I'll highlight some of the gems of the thread...

First post by Cool Guy 505:

not too shabby

bet not a single one of you poser dickhags could do well at an IM...

just sayin

There is some bantering back and forth and then I apparently decide to hype myself...

Tenth post by look me up dickhead:

My name is Jordan Kinley and I ran a 2:27 last year in Oklahoma (a tough course). That being said, 2:43 is f'ing slow.

This would be where, presumably, people start googling my name, find this blog and realize that I'm totally down with bashing triathletes' performances. I love belittling athletes' running times which is why I have chosen to pursue a career in the running industry. There's nothing like connecting with customers than by mocking their times, right?

Anyway, it should be noted that I had two friends compete down at the Florida Ironman. Both John Bruno (10:50 finish) and Ryan Kamp (10:11) were debuting at the Ironman distance and did exceptionally well. It would just be stellar for me to go on and criticize the winner's marathon time on LetsRun.com. Definitely not my style.

The really good stuff doesn't get written until 2:24 am when "STUCK IN THE MUD" decides to stir up the muck once more. He writes writes some incoherent rant about my DNA sucking, crawling up buttholes and coiffures. Given the hour of the post (a) the individual was drunk, came home from a bad night out and had the violent urge to slander my name or (b) the person lives on the west coast and just happened to be up at 11:24 pm to post when he knew most would be sleeping. I'll go for option (b) and make the assumption my poser had just finished shaving his arms and plucking his eyebrows. He's also recently done a google search to figure out the meaning of coiffure.

Again, check out the thread while it lasts...

Even More Miles

Time: 59:14
Distance: ~8.6 miles

I didn't have my partner in crime with me this afternoon so I was able to get in another hour of running. I went out while people were arriving to the bars on Montford. I spent part of my Saturday night running through Freedom Park and the Booty Loop and I enjoyed it very much. Tonight was the second night in a row that I saw deer in or near the park. Last night I saw a buck standing in the lawn of a home in Myers Park while tonight I saw a mother and her fawn in Freedom Park. I can't imagine where they go during the day, but it's weird seeing wildlife at a small park in a city.

I returned from the run to find OU playing and getting beat up on by Texas A&M. They effectively ruined their chances at the BCS title when they failed to score after 10 consecutive plays in the red zone. Meanwhile, TCU was taking it out on Utah to stake their claim at deserving a shot in the title game. The football action was fun to watch, but I was more excited to see the NYC Marathon shake out tomorrow morning.

Dowd YMCA 5k Recap

Time: 103:19
Distance: ~13.1 miles

W/u: 17:05 for ~2 miles
5k Race: 15:26 for 1st
C/d I: 22:19 for ~2 miles
C/d II: 25:10 for ~3 miles
C/d III: 23:19 for ~3 miles

Cold morning here in Charlotte. The temps had to be in the upper 30s when I arrived to the Dowd YMCA for Let Me Run's graduation race. My group of little guys would be competed in their big 5k and I hoped the best for all of them. I hadn't plan to race hard early in the week, but then my co-coach Melissa Bell told me the guys wanted to see me crush it. I came up with a race plan of going out hard for 10 minutes, relaxing for 3 and running hard again for the final 2 mins.

I showed up to the YMCA and there was a little confusion with my entry in the race. We got things worked out and I had an abbreviated warm up around the neighborhoods that he course would be run. I felt better this weekend than I did a couple of weeks ago when I raced twice in one morning. The triple digit mile weeks now feel like a relatively normal occurrence.

I lined up at the front of the race with Let Me Run kids asking me how fast I can run a mile. I diverted their questions to the New Balance rep Mike Moran who has run a 3:43 1500m. He was in attendance as his brand sponsored the race and was giving out shoes for the victory. He wondered why I came to this relatively small race and asked if I was running hard. I told him it was for the little fellas all around.

I shot off the line pretty hard and made the turn onto Morehead well in the lead. I wanted to fly the first mile and felt good racing down the hill. I looked at my watch around the 4:22 mark, but couldn't see a mile marker. I kept pressing and eventually rounded a turn just after the 5:03 mark which is when I realized there wasn't a mile marker or clock so I was just going to have to keep pressing. I struggled for a few blocks heading into Dilworth but tried to keep my foot on the gas. I crossed two miles in 9:47 which was well short of where I wanted to be, but I was fine with it. My lead was substantial and I soon relaxed both physically off the pace and mentally for 3 minutes. It was nice that during those relaxed minutes I crested a hill and it was time to press again for the remaining downhill. I took off just as I hit the final turn and tried to catch the lead bike and police car. The final 400m was all slightly uphill and I crossed the line just under 15:30 to win by over 2 minutes and 30 seconds.

I needed to get warm so I ran to my jacket and then headed back out on the course to shuttle in all the Park Road Montessori Let Me Run guys. First up was Jay who raced to the line in a new PR of 23:15. He was soon followed by triple-C: Craig, Clay and Colin. The others ran strong to the finish with big sprints at the end. The best moment came when Adam came shuffling toward the finish line and all the boys from my group started cheering his name. They even ran out onto the course and helped him the final 100m which got Adam sprinting all the way in. It was fun seeing their enthusiasm and hard work pay off on race day.

All of the jogging back and forth with the guys served as my first cool down. I got in a second one with Mike who was a little bummed with his 18:27, but he still took 3rd. Then I got in a third cool down with Billy and Bjorn because we were all cold after waiting around for the awards. It should be mentioned that Billy ran a great race to place 2nd overall in the Dowd Half-Marathon in a time of 76:08.

I'm pleased with my race considering the miles and lack of workouts. However, today was more about the LMR guys and making the event fun for them. I was glad to run hard and actually show them a good effort. At practice I just shuffle around giving encouragement on tired legs. It was great chatting with other coaches and parents whose children had a fun experience with the best sport in the world.

Splits:
9:47 (2 miles), 5:03 (14:50 at 3 miles), 35.5 for 15:26 finish time.

Park Road Montessori LMR. L-->R: Colin, Garret, Najee, Adam, Zac, Jay, Craig, Ezra, Clay
Who's the creepy dude in the back? (photo courtesy of Laura Meier)

Booty Loop Double

Time: 60:44
Distance: ~8.6 miles

I arrived back in Charlotte with just enough time to have Meagan pick up her car from Pep Boys and drop her off at the airport. The Friday evening traffic was thick so getting out the door for a run was delayed to after dark. I put in a medium loop wearing a pair of tights and jacket for the first time this year. The fall chill has arrived in the South which brings mixed emotions. On the plus side, all the humid, sweaty runs are over, but the freezing temps are right around the corner.

ATT in Bull City

Time: 76:08
Distance: ~10 miles

The morning run took place in Durham again with Meagan and Sarah Swiss. We hit up the paved section of the ATT for about 30 minutes before dropping Sarah off at home. I wasn't feeling fantastic early on, but steadily the body warmed up and I was able to fall into a groove late in the run. Meagan ran strong and stayed right on my hip on the few occasions I tried to drop her.

In the afternoon, before heading back to Charlotte, I got to meet up with Mr. Washburn for a quick lunch near Duke's campus. It was great hearing about the Colbert/Stewart rally that he attended. It wasn't great hearing about his bum knee. However, I think we were both excited to know that Lil' Wayne is free from Rikers and will start dropping albums any day now.

ATT in Cary

Time: 45:58
Distance: ~6 miles

After a busy day of account visits that included a trip to Performance Inc. HQ, Meagan and I hit up the unpaved section of the ATT near Cary. It is the same trail where I ran the Tobacco Road Marathon and I assume I ran over the same section that we ran this evening. I didn't recognize much as I believe the section was near miles 10 to 13 which was a blur on race day. The trail is ideal for long tempo runs and marathon based efforts. Charlotte desperately needs the surface and length here which is apparently under works. However, I will be a masters runner by the time all the creeks and bike paths are linked up so it won't do me any good.

My original plan was to drop Meagan off at the parking lot when we hit 6 miles and I would continue on for another 4 miles. When we got back to the lot all the other vehicles were gone and the bathrooms were already locked. A message read, "doors will automatically lock 15 minutes before park closing." Great. The ATT is seriously prompt. I was a little nervous to leave my car in the lot for 30 minutes beyond closing time, so I opted to just call it a day. I'll have to run long tomorrow, but that's better than spending the night in a parking lot.

Durham ATT in the Rain

Time: 35:18
Distance: ~4.5 miles

I ran with Meagan this morning from Sarah Swiss' pad in Durham. We hit up a new bike path near the ATT that took us a couple miles from the house. We weren't too keen on running far as the weather was crap and we were under the impression that it was going to be better in the evening. This made our morning run little more than a few miles on the feet so that our legs would be good in the evening.

Uptempo at McAlpine

Time: 90:19
Distance: 12.51 miles

W/u: 19:03 for 2.22 miles
Target: 60 min. tempo/cutdown with Meagan and Caitlin
W/o: 51:18 for 7.80 miles
C/d: 19:58 for 2.49 miles

It was an early morning in order to meet up with Ms. Chrisman out at McAlpine. The clocks don't get turned back until this weekend which meant despite the 6:45 start time, it wasn't light out until 20 minutes into the actual workout. We did see, however, the hardcore duo of Jay Holder and Paul Mainwaring cooling down from a workout just as we were getting to the parking lot. Those guys have a few screws loose.

Meagan was tagging along in Caitlin's workout that was to run hard for an hour, cutting each mile down in time. Since Meagan is just getting back to proper training I wanted some conservative early miles. We definitely were conservative at the start was we didn't break 7 minutes. We weren't even close. The following miles steadily declined in pace, but I could tell Meagan was not comfortable really at any point. We wrapped up the workout a few minutes early with a good effort, but certainly nothing to write home about.

I felt pretty good throughout and was happy to help out. Caitlin looked good and her breathing seemed relaxed for about 40 minutes.

Splits:
7:18, 6:52, 6:31, 6:23, 6:22:, 6:19, 6:20, 5:08 for .81 miles (6:23 pace)

I'll Have the Double with Strides

Time: 40:50
Distance: ~5.5 miles

Ran with Meagan this evening on "her" loop that incorporates the small trail near Myers Park HS. When we got back onto Woodlawn, I had us run four quick strides to fit in some turnover. I felt surprisingly fluid on the grass field despite not having done anything fast in about a week. Another run, more time on the feet.

McMullen to RFYL

Time: 76:56
Distance: ~11 miles

I had a quick meeting this morning for work to show the sandal line I rep. After the meeting I planned to park at McMullen and run the length of the greenway to make a quick stop at RFYL - Piper Glen. It was chilly out and I was lucky to have a long sleeve shirt in the back of the car otherwise I might have not enjoyed the run. When I got to RFYL - PG I got to chat with Sammy Davis Jr., not the one you're thinking of, but the one who also goes by Perry Davis. We had a nice chat about heading out to The Running Event in a couple of weeks. Eventually I had to get moving back to the other end of the greenway and finish up my run. I clicked off the final three miles in 18:05.

Brithday Girl Run

Time: 62:30
Distance: ~8.6 miles

The birthday girl and I met Caitlin this evening along the bike path through Freedom Park. We continued on our loop that brought us back to the house in just over an hour. I don't have much else to report so I won't.

Solo Morning

Time: 58:33
Distance: ~8.6 miles

I hit up my hour long run loop solo this morning. Meagan was given the morning off after the hilly long run in Kennesaw yesterday. I wasn't out to break any records, but I felt good over the last half of the run.