St. Jude Training Group

Time: 70:26
Distance: 10.07 miles
Pace: 6:59
Map

OK Runner and St. Jude Children's Research Hospital are pairing this fall for an effort to take a group to the Memphis Marathon. This morning was the first of a 16 week start to a training group that will meet from the store at 6:30 am. I was up early and out the door to meet up with all the other early risers. It was a great sight to see that Adam Cohen decided to join us for the run as I would have someone to run with. Adam and I ran through the neighborhood out to Tecumseh and then down to the flats. The pace was casual which is what I needed after yesterday's higher mileage effort.

Adam is currently writing an article for Runner's World that will conclude with his race at the Chicago Marathon. He is following the Hanson's training program which might not be for everyone but I think it will work for him. The longest run that will be completed is only 16 miles but the cumulative fatigued is viewed as being a more important factor. Adam is usually good for a 2:40 to 2:45 effort any day of the week, but I would put money down that he runs closer to 2:36 at Chicago based on his current workouts. I'll be sure to stay tuned as to how he performs in a few weeks.

On the Rocks Run

Time: 27:51
Distance: 4.01 miles
Pace: 6:56
Map

After work I thought I would stretch out the legs by running up to On the Rocks. Scotty was working up at the liquor store until close which gave me some time to bug him. I hung around the shop for a few minutes before becoming uncomfortable that I was shirtless in a public store. Luckily, the only customer that came in the store was a dude who I sold shoes to a week prior. My body was a little fatigued but overall I'm glad at how this week is turning out.

A Run Before Beers

Time: 30:14
Distance: 4.01 miles
Pace: 7:32
Map

Timbo Slice showed up at the store this evening with a Uhual truck of stuff for the Sidewalk Sale. It was our job to unload and stage the apparel and shoes for tomorrow morning. When we were done Meagan and I put the boots on and went for a short but hot run through Brookhaven. After the run we met up at Louie's for a few pints of the not so black stuff. I forget what was on special but it certainly wasn't Guinness.

A Double for Memory

Time: 30:40
Distance: 4.04 miles
Pace: 7:35
Map

It's time to update the blog. I got called out my Da Wee Man in an earlier post which means I'm really behind. Usually it's DeCoste who is all feisty about my posting.

So this was a run that I did last week through Brookhaven with Meagan. I don't remember anything about it that was particularly interesting which is fine. Gotta get posting...

About to Crash?

Time: 40:50
Distance: 6.13 miles
Pace: 6:39
Map

This evening after work I headed out for the exact same run as this morning. It's a standard 6 mile loop from the shop that runs through Brookhaven, down the hill at Rock Creek and out to 60th. The run is not all that exciting but it puts time on the feet. Since I was up at 5:40 this morning and had worked all day I was expecting to crash at some point.

A group of us headed to OKC for a sushi crawl that took us to Kang's and Sushi Neko. Two very good spots and a great night out. Hopefully Meagan explains in greater detail soon so I can link to her blog as I try to get caught up.

Goodbye Main St.

Time: 43:39
Distance: 6.05 miles
Pace: 7:12
Map

There was some frantic packing going on last night and early this morning. I was lucky to even get in a run before going to work but I did. Meagan and I made several trips to my storage unit and stuffed her car full before starting our run from Scotty D's sister's house. It's sad to be off Main St, but good to be moving on. I'll miss the train, Larry (homeless dude) and the action of the main drag.

Double Time

Time: 28:03
Distance. 4.00 miles
Pace: 7:01

I ran through Brookhaven this evening for some extra miles. The legs decent this time out there, but not as snappy as I would like. The pace was easy and I was able to click off a few sub-7s because Meagan thought her foot was irritated. I'm glad she decided to play it smart and not risk it.

Hot Double

Time: 28:32
Distance: 4.04
Pace: 7:04
Map

After work I set off from the shop with Meagan for some added time in Brookhaven. The pace was easy and the roads were boiling. It was easily in the high 90s at 7:00 pm. Early in the day John Alewine, our Adidas rep, dropped in and showed us the new kicks and threads. He gave me a pair of adizero Rockets that I tested out tonight. Like most flats they are light and flexible but the forefoot is a little mushy. I like them well enough to run in them during tomorrow's track/tempo session.

Elevated Temps

Time: 30:12
Distance: 4.00 miles
Pace: 7:32
Map

This afternoon I snuck in a few extra miles with Meagan through Brookhaven. I returned to work about an hour before close to hang out in the cooler inside temps. When we hit the streets it was about 100 degrees with a slight breeze out of the south which made the return trip almost enjoyable. The legs continue to feel good and there is some talk about running the Bethany Freedom Run in the morning. It's an 8k course for no money, just the love of the sport. Apparently, they have "unique" prizes, so hopefully I'll return with one of those.

Car by Foot

Time: xx:xx
Distance: 4.26 miles

I decided to flip when I did my 4 x 200m strides to this afternoon so I wouldn't have to worry about ending at a track with Scotty and Conor. The run began in Brookhaven Village and proceeded down Robinson St. to the GT. I snapped a photo of the field before turning for the Norman High track. I was feeling decent running to the track but knew the strides would be a chore.

Splits: (50.63) 31.43, (57.15) 30.57, (55.15) 30.55, (55.16) 30.11.

I can tell that my legs are a little beat up from the cumulative amount of work that I have run the last couple of weeks. Usually, I can rip off sub-30 second 200s with 50-55 sec rest. I understand the purpose of the 200s were to be strides designed to shake out some of the junk from my legs. After my strides I tried to help Meagan correct her Jen Rhines shuffle on her barefoot 100m pickups. She looked a little better and quicker on the last one.

Name Dropping

Time: 29:01
Distance: 4 miles

I ran with Scotty from Brookhaven Village this evening after work. The pace was leisurely through the neighborhood and the legs continued to feel great. I was able to take a bit of a nap this afternoon before heading in to work at the shop. I hope the extra rest will provide with a boost for tomorrow's workout. I'll be cutting 20 shapes in the morning on Norman High's track (for those of you who don't know the lingo, cutting shapes refers to running 400s).

Until recently, my buddy Tarpy had a great blog (cuttingshapes.blogspot.com), but has since taken it down. Tarpy and I first learned of the term "cutting shapes" back in '07 while in Providence on a run with Max Smith and Mark Carroll. Smith had just returned from the World University Games and he was explaining how the winner of both the 800 meters and 1500 meters was out "cutting shapes" prior to his races. He was running something like 52s looking completely effortless and was clearly the class of the field. Tarpy and I loved the term as it was clever, and, yet made complete sense.

Curveball

Time: 29:21
Distance: 4.01 miles
Pace: 7:19
Map

The run after work tonight was supposed to take me back to Main St., but it quickly turned into a run through Brookhaven. I exited to the shop through the back and ran around to the first intersection along Robinson to give Timmy a hard time when I noticed Scotty D had shown up to jog with Carrot Top. I bagged the idea of running down Robinson and opted for the standard loop in Brookhaven. The pace was easy, the weather hot, the run short.

Focused

Time: 33:25
Distance: 4.5 miles

Scotty and I jogged from his sisters house this evening through Brookhaven to put some miles in. Nothing too exciting to report right now. Jailhouse is in the process of writing the future month of training that will get me ready for the Boomtown Days Half-Marathon. Shhhh. Keep the race on the low down. Down low. No doubt.

The Champ is Back

Time: 27:32
Distance: ~4 miles

I'm back in Nompton. I stopped by the shop on my way home from the airport and then decided to help out. It was fun talking to customers who had run the marathon this afternoon. At the end of the day Scotty, Gus and I laced them up for a short run through Brookhaven. It felt good to shakeout the legs post flight.

Getting a Feel for It

Time: 19:37
Distance: ~2.5 miles

I got a few miles on my feet towards the end of the day at work. I wanted to go out and keep the legs loose after working during the day. We had lots of marathoners in the store asking silly questions about where to line up, what to eat and what to wear. The other purpose for my run was to test the air and to see how thick it really is. Pretty thick. If the weather report holds true and the mid 60s temps welcome us at the start, getting a deep breath is going to be tough.

OK Runner had the annual post-expo dinner at Chelino's this evening in Bricktown. We had a good crew of reps which included Jon from Adidas, Gabe and Mo from Brooks, Andrea and Len from New Balance, Cane from Mizuno and Marcus who is a director for White Rock in Dallas. I kept the streak alive with 3 Dos Equis Ambers with lime. I'm feeling ready to roll. Over/under is still Boston women's winning time.

Finding the Time

Time: 26:35
Distance: 3.5 miles+

I ran the standard "four" mile loop in Brookhaven this evening after work. To answer Mr. Neely's email about my doubling, I'm just trying to keep the routine and shake the legs out later in the evening. The weather has been really nice early in the week and the body could use the routine. I'm not too worried about having 50 miles on the legs before this Sunday.

I kept the streak alive this evening out at El Cerrito with Gustavo. He was a bachelor for the second time this week and invited me out for some leftover lasagna. I gotta start loading up on the carbs or something like that.

Insert Clever Title Here

Time: 28:14
Distance: 3.5 miles

This evening after work Scotty came by and we headed out for jog through Brookhaven. Since he was in the Brooks Cascadias we decided to make lots of loops at one of the small parks alongside Broookhaven Blvd. We chatted about Boston Marathon tactics among other things.

After the run I kept my streak alive at The Mont. I'm currently on a roughly two week drinking streak that has involved the consumption of at least 1 beer or glass of wine. You gotta go with what works. My liver meridians are fealing fantastic.

Brookhaven Double

Time: 35:03
Distance: 5.20 miles

This evening after work Gus and I costumed up for a jog through Brookhaven. The pace was easy on the standard 5+ mile loop. I didn't really need to get out there but I was looking to work on some form and breathing stuff. Blah.

I'm current now.

Mr. Garmin is Sucking

Time: 34:24
Distance: 5.20 miles
Map

I got picked up from the OKC airport by Ms. Cook and she took me promptly to work. I put in a few hours at the store before calling it a day. Gus and I suited up for a run through Brookhaven in the evening. We had great conditions and I was glad to be out there again with just a few extra miles. The body and legs were feeling recovered enough to do a workout tomorrow. For the second time today Mr. Garmin couldn't find a signal before I was ready to start running. As a result, he didn't give me the full distance but since I do this run all the time I know it's a little over 5 miles.

Double Double

Time: 35:11
Distance: 5.20 miles
Pace: 6:46
Map

Tonight I took a jog out in Brookhaven after work. The weather was in the 70s and the streets were quiet. Some guy yelled "Jorge!" at me just as I was crossing Robinson St. I think he was a bit slow. Like "caution slow children" type slow. It gave me a good laugh. That was the only excitement on the run. The bikers/cyclists were out again in their rainbow costumes for the Tuesday night ride. Why are cyclists the most unfriendly bastards out on the roads? Answer that accurately, and you my friend, are brilliant.