Double Down in Charlotte

Time: 65:55
Distance: 15.62
Pace: 4:13

I arrived in Charlotte and started the long process of packing up our remaining belongings. Little did I know that Meagan and I would be doing this until the moment we left town. It was great being back with MRN who had been in Texas for work and then flew directly to Charlotte. In the late afternoon I laced up the shoes and headed out to the familiar sights of Freedom Park. After a loop o' booty I finished up with some quicker k's now that my legs are starting to feel recovered from Sunday.

Distance Trend

Time: 66:39
Distance: 15.53k
Pace: 4:18
Map

I have no issues with running the same loop day after day. I used to be bored doing such things, but when the routine works it's good to stick to it.

Medium Loop

Time: 63:17
Distance: 13.87k
Pace: 4:34
Map

Trying to get caught up on the blog after a 3 week lack of posting. Here we go...

Medium Loop

Time: 63:26
Distance: 13.78k
Pace: 4:36
Map

I don't really remember this run, but based on the pace it was with Meagan. Based on the distance my foot was feeling better.

A Run with MRN

Time: 62:54
Distance: 13.82k
Pace: 4:33
Map

I picked up Meagan from the airport late last night and we didn't get started on this run until a little later. It is my first run with her in quite some time as it was nice to catch up. She just got back from Chicago where she was helping with the Chicago Half Marathon. We put in a Medium Loop together which was enough to take my mind off my foot. It was feeling pretty good today which no real irritation. I think the last 10 minutes were run pain free which I won't complain about.

Fitter Than I Think?

Time: 106:39
Distance: 25.74k

W/u: 24:39 for 4.52k
W/o: 16k (5k uptempo, 6k relaxed, 5k uptempo)
C/d: 24:57 for 5.22k

In an attempt to stick to my training schedule, I ventured out for a 16k uptempo run. I wasn't feeling creative so I came up with the bright idea of running 3 Loops o' Booty. In order to break up the run, I wanted to run the first 5k uptempo, the next 6k relaxed and the final 5k hard. I waited a little later into the morning before heading out so the final few kilometers were quite warm.

Splits:
3:39, 3:32, 3:37, 3:33, 3:29 (17:50 5k)
3:35, 3:35, 3:36, 3:38, 3:34 (17.58 5k)
3:43, 3:27, 3:33, 3:34, 3:33, 3:25 (17:32 final 5k) - 16k total in 57:03 and 3:34/k

I felt really good the first 8k and had a hard time holding back. I kept clicking off 3:30 kilometers when I wanted to be in the 3:40 range. The workout called for an average of 3:35 to 3:45 which I was able to hit. I struggled the final 2k as my body temperature was becoming undone. I only had slight discomfort with the foot which I'm clearly happy with. I have noticed that my right foot is landing on the outside of my foot more than it usually does. I also taped my lower leg with KT tape and wore a compression sleeve.

Rare Run with MRN

Time: 62:46

Distance: 13.88k

Pace: 4:31

Map

I picked up Meagan from the airport late last night which is the first time I've seen her in about 5 days. We got to run together this morning on a familiar loop. Her stride looked pretty good and my foot felt pretty good. Maybe things are looking up for us after all.

Medium Monday Loop

Time: 63:23

Distance: 13.75k

Pace: 4:36

Map

Meagan and I ran a Medium Loop this morning to start off the week. It was a fun to be out running with her again since she has returned from DC and hopefully fixed her ailing shin.

A Morning Run

Time: 68:23

Distance: 15.44k

Pace: 4:25

Map

I got in my run this morning according to my new training schedule put together by Jeff Gaudette. His online coaching business is becoming pretty successful and it's cool to see his athletes improve. Now I just need to be one of those athletes.

In the South. Again.

Time: 82:45

Distance: 20.01k

Pace: 4:08

Map

After returning around 11 am to Charlotte from the west coast, I had little interest to get out the door and run. Plus, I had to start firing off some emails to some of my stores. It wasn't until later in the evening when I got in my run around Myers Park. I had a goal of getting in 20k which included a few loops around the Earth Fare parking lot to complete the distance. Meagan, Caitlin, Kelly and Megan Fillnow and Mr. Allen "Road to Boston" Strickland were already present discussing the book Unbroken. (What is proper punctuation in a blog for books? Underline. "Quote." Color).

It was a good run that had me feeling good to be back in Charlotte. I was fortunate in that I got a relatively "cool" day as my introduction back in the south. I sweated quite a bit, but wasn't in danger of bonking like in previous runs. The book club was an interesting way to end the run. Honestly, however, I was more interested in being able to purchase a coconut water and a beer.

Happy days.

Bonk Monday

Time: 66:29

Distance: 15.46k

Pace: 4:17

Map

Let's start with the individual k splits for todays run:

4:49 - a little quicker out the door than usual

4:24 - body must be warmed up already

4:22 - settling into a rhythm

4:19 - not trying to run any faster

4:26 - must have run up a hill

4:05 - must have run down a hill

4:12 - settling back into a nice pace

4:06 - just maintaining

4:03 - maintaining pace but starting to get hot

4:10 - starting second loop of Booty. Definitely hot

4:04 - trying to just keep it together after stopping for water

4:14 - signs that I'm starting to struggle

4:14 - felt like I was walking approaching the trail near Myers Park HS. Took off my shirt as an excuse to stop.

4:41 - absolutely tapped running up to Selwyn

4:15 - struggling to get back to the house and immediately jump in the pool

It doesn't look like a typical bonk, but I was finished. I had no power left as I attempted to climb the slight hill up to Selwyn. I was shuffling along just hoping not to melt. I later learned the dew point was 74 which is up there especially when I'm not all that fit. I stopped multiple times during the run to get water which provided brief relief, but I knew the run was going to turn out ugly. The positive is that I got in my 15k and will gear up to do it all over again tomorrow. The negative is that tomorrow is supposed to be even hotter.

Caitlin's 3 x 3 Mile Workout

Time: 105:31
Distance: ~14.5 miles

W/u: 20:28 for ~2.5 miles
W/o: Help Caitlin with 3 x 3 miles w/ 4 mins rest
C/d: 22:53 for ~2.5 miles

I was up early to help Caitlin out with her 3 x 3 mile workout around the Booty Loop. I slowly ran over to the tennis courts in Freedom Park trying to get my legs wake up. I knew what the workout was but I wasn't sure of the pace or rest.

Once we got started I knew the pace was quick but since I wasn't wearing a Garmin I didn't know how fast the uphill mile would be. Turns out we came through in just over 5:50 when we were hoping for something more like 6:10. From that point forward, the workout was on and it was nice to see Caitlin respond each segment. She struggled during parts, especially the second mile, but was tough to keep clipping away. I'm not a big fan of working out on the Booty Loop but the route is definitely good at keeping the pace honest.

Splits:
17:36 - 5:52, 5:56, 5:45
(3:58)
17:41 - 5:51, 6:00, 5:47
(5:03)
17:47 - 5:59, 6:00, 5:42
Total of 62:10 and ~9.5 miles

It should also be noted that I hurdled a dog on the final 3 mile interval. Had this been my workout and not Caitlin's I would have probably tripped over the pup and taken the old woman out too.

Medium Loop

Time: 64:22
Distance: ~8.6 miles

I ran a slow Medium Loop with Meagan until she turned to cut the run a little short. Her knee was bugging her so I upped the pace until I caught her along the Sugar Creek Greenway. Nothing exciting to report here.

James Haycrap

Time: 50:20
Distance: ~6.8 miles

I'm running out of interesting titles for my posts so I just figured I would name the person I was running with. Today, Meagan and I joined up with James Haycraft for a 50 minute run. We had very strict orders from SlowTwitch.com to keep this run to 50 minutes. I sorta winged an alternate version of our Medium Loop that brought us back to the house right on time. I will call out the fact that when the watch hit 50 minutes James stopped and walked back to his car a mere 50 meters away. I, on the other hand, continued to run all the way back to the starting/stopping point.

Since Mr. Garmin is out of commission, I heard James say that each mile got a little faster. I think we started at 8:00+ and ended in a perfect cut down around 6:50. Booyah!

Miles Before the Road

Time: 63:33
Distance: ~8.6 miles

After working out two days in a row I was looking to put in some light recovery miles. Meagan and I ran around our standard 8 mile loop this morning. We had to hurry back as she was scheduled to get a massage and I needed to hit the road for a 3:15 appointment with an account in Charlottesville, VA.

Billy Shue in the Hood

Time: 66:03
Distance: ~8.5 miles
Weight: 141.4

Billy Shue is dogsitting over by our house so we had to meet up one morning for a run. He had done a track workout the night before and wasn't looking to run that fast. It was perfect considering I'm out of shape and Meagan is nursing a sore IT band. We took him on the 8 mile loop that we run frequently and chatted mostly about running and how the Panthers might be better off if there is a lockout.

I'm glad to report for the third or fourth post in a row that my achilles didn't bother me. Not one bit. I'm not glad to report that we ran over 66 minutes. Maybe I didn't stop it at some point in the run when we paused at an intersection or something. It's been so long since I've needed to use my watch that I have forgotten where some of the buttons are. Gotta fix that with some more running.

Super Distance: Summit: Day 2

Time: 75:41
Distance: ~10 miles

Today was the second day of the Super Distance Summit and speakers included Joe Vigil, Ronato Canova, Greg McMillan, Bill Arris and a Q&A panel to kick things off that included everyone. I was impressed with Scott Simmon's ability to bring such great speakers and have a sold-out auditorium. The majority of the audience were high school coaches interested in learning something from some of the best coaches. I knew several people including Mark Hadley, Ben Hovis, John Compton, Jenna Wrieden (High Point University), Amber Moran (Team Inov8), Meagan, Leo, Jennie and several others. Everyone had a big interest in the sport and could geek out for hours talking about training, form, diet, altitude, drills, strength, etc.

For the second day in a row, Leo and I skipped out when the high school coach was giving his presentation. I'm sure I would have learned something, but it wasn't going to be from that guy. Earlier in the morning, during the panel discussion, someone asked a question about eating disorders. The audience then spent 30+ minutes listening about how to prevent anorexia and bulimia. It sucked! I was about to rip my hair out. Every time you thought the discussion was going to end, the high school coach chimed right back in with some extra tidbits he's learned over the years. I was there to hear how Vigil coached an Adam State team to multiple national championships and how Renato Canova has fostered world beaters, not an issue that is already known to distance runners. How do you handle disordered eating? It's not rocket science, get help from a councilor, doctor, psychologist. Address it with the parents and at home, find the root cause, etc. I was borderline pissed at how much time we took on such an important, but basic issue. What does Renato Canova care about anorexia when he's trying to develop athletes capable of breaking world records and winning the Boston, Chicago, London, and New York Marathons. He looked bored even though I couldn't see his eyes because he wears sunglasses. Yes, sunglasses. Inside. I was bored. I'm getting all worked up just thinking about how we wasted time talking about an amateurish problem when other questions couldn't be answered in regards to specific workouts and races.

Leo, Meagan and I ran around the Booty Loop and added on through Freedom Park. We chatted mainly about marathoning and the upcoming Houston race. Meagan is making her "re-debut" at the distance and Leo is hoping to qualify with a sub-65 minute half marathon. We talked about the discrepancy between the men's and woman's standards. We talked about raising the bar and much of what Vigil had to say about hard work. It was a good run and I'm glad I was out there with a healthy achilles tendon.

Meagan Survived the Snow

Time: 61:00
Distance: ~8.6 miles

Meagan survived the snow and drive back from DC yesterday evening. She originally planned to leave a day earlier but was kept when DC got the flaky white stuff (not dandruff). Our run this morning was nice and relaxed. We caught up on our recent travels during a Medium Loop through Freedom Park and around the Booty Loop.

I wore the NB905s again. Around 40 minutes into the run I expressed how I thought my right achilles was bugging me. It wasn't a pain, but rather just a slight irritation. I wouldn't even call it an irritation at the time. I just noticed something was a little off. I had been noticing this sensation all week, but chalked it up to post marathon tightness. Not this time. I was pretty certain that whatever was going in my lower right leg was in part due to the shoe. At the time I wasn't concerned, but I told Meagan how the shoe just wasn't transitioning as smoothly as I would like. I was having a hard time at the final phase of my gait cycle, just as I went to toe off. This was simply the run that I started to think the shoe was a little off, but nothing more than that.

Getting Focused

Time: 60:57
Distance: ~8.6 miles

Just another standard run. I was sure to take it really easy and shuffled along. The legs are feeling good and I'm getting prepared to hurt during the marathon. I hope the legs have been hardened to the point of being able to withstand the beating over the final 45 minutes of the race. Only a few more runs left and it's go time.

Real Athletes with James Haycraft

Time: 61:14
Distance: ~8.6 miles

I got a text from Mr. Haycraft yesterday asking if I wanted to go for some morning miles. We started the run from my place and I showed him where legends are made on the Medium Loop. James tried to follow the official Booty Loop route, but I was sure to explain the "real man" long way. How come triathletes are always looking for the shortcut with their compression gear, carbon this, aero that?

The run was great despite another cold day in the Q City. We were both layered up nicely with some of the freshest threads you can find. I wore a new pair of GORE gloves and a goofy ass GORE pseudo-hat/beanie that came in the mail yesterday. James sported a quality Louis Garneau vest and some sleek orange shades. We looked like two clowns but at least we were warm when the wind wasn't blowing. How's that for alliteration!?

By the end of the run we were clicking off sub-7 minute pace and called it a day with about an hour of running on the legs. He ran off to Bicycle Sport and I geared up for run number two in less than 90 minutes.