Long Slow Distance

Time: 120:28
Distance: 16.97 miles
Pace: 7:06 pace

Splits:
8:15, 7:34, 7:12, 7:10, 6:58,
6:41, 7:42, 7:22, 7:14, 7:05,
6:53, 6:50, 6:47, 6:49, 6:43,
6:42, 6:25 (for .97 miles or 6:36 pace)

I'm a little embarrassed that I couldn't manage the .03 to get to 17 miles, but it was a chore just getting to the 2 hour mark. Now that I see it on the screen I should have finished out the full 17 miles, but I wasn't feeling it at the time. Scott Hollingsworth and I put in some time on the feet in the early morning hours. I was out the door at 6:45 am and was hoping to put in 2+ hours so I started off with a trip out to the GT. Carrot Top was running some 1200s out there, but I didn't have much time to chat because I had to make the trip back to pick up the graduate.

I swooped by Holly's house and picked him up around the 45 minute mark. You can see from the splits that when I picked up Scott, who graduates later today, the pace slowed. I was glad to have company but I never felt great during the run. He was feeling a little sluggish too. Usually he's out the door feeling more chipper than both Scotty D and I. Today was not the case and it took him well over 20 minutes for his legs to start feeling good.

I started glancing at my watch constantly around 85 minutes and made the decision that 120 minutes would suffice on this day. It was getting windier about this time and I was glad to have put in 45 minutes before picking Holly up. We are supposed to be getting a cold front this afternoon and it could be nasty by the time the day is over. This partly is why I wanted to get in a longer effort because tomorrow's high is likely to be around 15 degrees. The loop around Irving Middle School was painful, but I was glad to get in the extra minutes. I'll take the recovery day at an easy pace and hopefully will remain on target to hit a hundo.

Irving Grass Loop

Time: 31:31
Distance: 4 miles

I woke up this morning not wanting to run after yesterday's effort, but I wasn't that sore either. So I crawled out of bed and laced up the shoes for a short and very easy run at Irving Middle School. The cross-country teams in Norman hold their high school meets on a course that goes around a pick open field. It is similar to the grass track but not as symmetrical. I made a few loops on the grass being careful not to turn my slightly sore right ankle. I completed the run feeling much better at the end than at the beginning. Great success.

OU Golf Course

Time: 65:06
Distance: 10 miles

Ran from the Lodge to campus on Brooks. Had a little boy point and say, "ooh belly and nipple." I'm pretty sure he wasn't referring to the ring but I gave him the glare of death mostly b/c his father was right there. Continued up to Jenkins and on to the OU golf course. Made a pretty simple loop of it before exiting and heading on to Constitution, over Hwy 77 and on toward the Hitachi campus on Imhoff. Tried to find this grass loop that everyone talks about, but I only came across an open field. Not the worst, but certainly not the best. Headed back 24th until Irving Middle School where I ran a partial loop of the XC course. Ended back at the Lodge making a loop around the pool for extra time. Legs felt about as rotten as they should after yesterday.