Davidson College Trails

Time: 76:23

Distance: 16.02k

Pace: 4:44

Map

Barefoot Running: 10:00 for 1.94k

Meagan is getting tired of running her long runs at McAlpine and I don't blame her. There are only so many loops that can be made out there especially when you just worked out at the park the day before. Earlier in the week she organized a crew to meet at the Davidson trails for a long run and post run breakfast. I saw on Facebook that my buddy George "Monk" Linney had been out at the White Water Center so I shot him a text. A few minutes later we had schedule a carpool up to Davidson for our run. Thanks Mark Zuckerberg and AT&T for providing such great social media and technology outlets.

A good sized group was in attendance for the run that included Ms. Barrett, Mike Moran, the Mayes bros, Mr. Strickland and a few others. We all started out together running alternate laps of the outer loop and inner loop. I was feeling pretty good but the pace wasn't all that fast. Eventually, Monk and I pulled ahead and ran an hour before heading to the parking lot to grab water. We decided to get in 30 more minutes on the road, but about 5 minutes later both of us were not feeling too great. He headed back to the parking lot while I toured a side neighborhood. I turned and ran back into town but decided once I hit Main St. that my day was done.

I headed back to the parking lot at 16k and grabbed some water. I knew that Meagan still had several miles to run and to be productive I ran barefoot laps around the groomed grass field with Monk. It was a nice way to end the run strengthening the feet and running some strides. This is how barefoot running is supposed to be done. We put in just under 2k worth of work which will amount to less than 5% of my weekly mileage. None of this Vibram or 100% barefoot nonsense will be tolerated on this blog.

Godiva Track Club & Bull City Running

Time: 56:11
Distance: ~7 miles

This evening I got to run with some members of the Godiva Track Club in Durham. Meagan was conducting a Craft baselayer and Karhu shoe wear test run. A handful of runners got to try out what Craft is all about and feel the ride of Karhu. I was able to tag along and run with the group through the hilly neighborhoods near the Tobacco Trail. The pace was quite brisk given the hour and weather. I believe it was in the low 40s but that didn't stop a few guys from pressing the hills and opening up small gaps on the group. I chatted with Jim who will be running at Club XC on a masters team.

Jason Page Jaunt

Time: 61:43
Distance: ~8.5 miles
Map

After the run this morning with Sarah I visited a few bike accounts, drank horrible coffee and ate way too much bread from Weaver Street Market. I had a successful showing at Fleet Feet Carrboro and a few Omega Sports locations. During this time I knew that I was going to visit Jason, George/Monk and Kim over at Bull City Running. However, I wanted to end my day there so I could run with the guys once they closed down the store. When I called though, Jason said that he was running at 3:00 pm which was fine, but it was 95 degrees out. Oh well. I manned up and joined him.

Mr. Garmin continues to give me a hard time as not only is the strap broken, but the attachment is busted. I won't even be able to buy a new strap now, I'll have to send it back to Garmin offices. And, to top it off the little bastard couldn't find satellites so the accuracy of the run is off. Jason and ran out, back and around an extra portion of the same trail that Sarah and I did this morning. It was good to catch up with him and hear how the training is going.

After the run I showered up and hit three last accounts out in Raleigh bringing this trips total to somewhere around 24. I killed time in downtown Raleigh making a few quick notes in my work journal and then Sarah arrived from her travels. We had a few pints post some local fashion show that neither of us were on time to view. It was a fun evening in an area of Raleigh that I'm not all that familiar with, but a somewhere I would definitely hang out again.

US National White Water Center

Time: 50:30
Distance: 5.80 miles
Pace: 8:42
Map

I put in a few too many miles with Meagan and Caitlin than I felt comfortable with knowing I was meeting George out at the White Water Center. A couple of weeks ago when I was in Durham, I agreed to run with George on the trails just outside of Charlotte. I'm embarrassed to acknowledge that I had never checked out the facility before this evening. I arrived a little early which allowed me to scope out the zip line, climbing wall, rapids and bar. Very impressive setting and relatively close to Charlotte.

George took me on some trails that he was familiar with. The pace was quite relaxed given the terrain and hour in the day. We didn't start until a little after 7:00 pm and I think both of us were a little tired. We warmed up nicely and locked into a comfortable rhythm. Martin Smith at the University of Oklahoma used to refer to such runs as "massaging trail runs" because there was no point in fighting the rocks, roots, and hills. You are forced to run slow and allow the body to recover much in the way a massage can be a painful beneficial despite the nagging discomfort.

The 50 minutes flew by and soon we were out of the woods and near the entrance where the run began. I was glad to have made the trip out to the WWC and it's something I will have to do more of. The $5 fee is a bit of a pain, but considering George told me that it takes something like $25k a day to run the facility, it doesn't seem unreasonable.

Bull City Double

Time: ~52 mins
Distance: 7.09 miles

The second run of the day was with the guys from Bull City Running in Durham, NC. I messed up my watch at a street crossing and don't have accurate numbers. Jason Page took George and me on a loop through a few neighborhoods near the store. I was happy to put in some extra miles this evening before my drive back to Charlotte. Good day of work and a solid day of training.

American Tobacco Trail

Time: 40:27
Distance: 6.02 miles
Pace: 6:43
Map

After visiting a few accounts today and ended my day at Bull City Running in Durham. I was hoping that I could get in a run with Jason or George who can hold there own out on the roads. Unfortunately, we weren't able to hook up, but I was able to find a few miles along the American Tobacco Trail. I started the run at dusk and finished when dark with an out and back along the ATT. I had a successful day at all my accounts and with pleased how I managed to get in a couple runs to start and finish the day.

Bull City Running

Time: 49:42
Distance: ~6.5 miles

I left on my first trip to visit stores in my territory this morning. I started with a quick visit to Off'n Running in Greensboro and then I was off to the Research Triangle area. I dropped in The Athlete's Foot Raleigh, Fleet Feet Carrboro, TrySports Cary and finally Bull City Running. It was a long day, but a fun and successful one. The objective of the trip was to meet the staff and check out the store.

I purposely went to Bull City Running last because they are a great account for me with inventory of Craft, Karhu, Balega, Fuel Belt and SweatVac. They carry nearly everything I represent and I'll be grateful to continue the already strong relationship between the store and The Genesis Agency.

I fit this run in with George who works at Bull City Running along a green way in the dark. He was planning to put in 30-35 minute, but we were having such a good conversation that we decided to go longer. I'm pleased that today's running didn't interfere with work and I know that training will be possible when on the road. George is an interesting guy as he graduated from Furman, attended the seminary and was ordained at Myers Park Baptist (across the street from Queens), and works part time at Bull City Running and R.E.I. His parents still live in Charlotte and his wife is from Norman, Oklahoma. Small world. I look forward to running with George in the future.