Run to RFYL

Time: 49:24

Distance: ~11k

Mr. Garmin's battery life is pathetic right now which doesn't make any sense because I had it repaired a few weeks ago. They sent me a new watch, but I've noticed I can run for maybe 3 hours total before the battery starts getting under 20%. When I first got the watch I could run close to 8 hours before even thinking about charging the watch.

I had intentions of getting up to watch the Dilworth 4 Miler but that just didn't happen. Instead I rolled over to Run For Your Life around 10 am to hang out with Brooks Guru, Sarah Swiss. It looked fairly busy, but there were no signs of a race being held a few hours prior. The break down must have been quick!

I added on a little longer on the way back to bring my total to just over 10k. I'll be running a bit more at Beat the Heat tonight so I was just looking to get in some easy time on the feet. My right shin was a little sore today after being on the track.

Monday Morning Run

Time: 62:36

Distance: ~9 miles

I put in a little over 60 minutes this morning through Freedom Park and Dilworth. I dropped by Run For Your Life around the 40 min mark to check the buzz there. Time on the feet was the goal today.

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.

Forgotten Double Run

Time: 35:43
Distance: 5.30 miles
Pace: 6:44
Map

I also don't really remember this run but it couldn't have been exciting. I put in a short loop toward the end of the work day. I was hoping to get in a run with Nathan Stanford because he was in the area and looking for a running partner. But, it just didn't work out with our schedules. I had agreed to help out Melissa Bell over at Inside-Out Sports with their spike night. It was fun chatting with some high school runners that had raced at RFYL's Kickin' Grass XC Meet. I met Drew who raced in the track series 5k that I ran earlier in the summer when I went 14:59.

Mullet Miles

Time: 31:02
Distance: 4.14 miles
Pace: 7:30
Map

I guess I didn't get in enough miles this morning because I agreed to meet up with Jay, Caitlin and Matt Jaskot for a run from Run For Your Life. It felt good to get the legs moving this late afternoon. I was surprised that I didn't feel too exhausted from running 15:18 at Blue Points. The best part of the run was Mr. Jaskot's filthy mullet.

The embodiment of class: Elvis, PBR and a mullet.

Blue Points 5k Recap

Time: 72:24
Distance: 11.27 miles
Race: 15:18, 1st

W/u: 22:54 for 3.02 miles
Meagan's Workout: 18:55 for 3.14 miles (6:06, 6:15, 5:49)
C/d: 15:17 for 2.01 miles

I thought today might have been the morning for a sub-15 effort, but in the end I came up well short.

My day started off dark and early with a cup of coffee and some internet browsing. I was out the door with Meagan around 6:00 am because I knew parking might be an issue. We found a spot at the Dowd YMCA and walked the half mile to the Bank of America Stadium. There weren't too many people in attendance yet which made registering and picking up my chip pretty easy. Dr. Greenapple has been kind enough to cover my entry fees for the remainder of the Grand Prix Series. He's been a great (Dr. Duffy and Dr. Clay too) contact since moving to Charlotte and really helped Meagan stay healthy this spring during track.

I warmed up a full 3 miles on the race course. I wanted to see just how bad the final mile was going to be. All week I heard about the climb past the Y. Jogging the hill didn't intimidate me too much and given the cooler temps I had thoughts of running fast. The humidity was still off the charts and the oh so lovely dew point hovered in the low 70s.

Race time was a couple of minutes after the wheelchairs and babyjogging crew were released. I was told that Rocky Falcone would be one to go out hard and he didn't disappoint. I was also sizing up a couple of college kids that made an appearance in Charlotte. I was out fast, but Rocky was out even faster. He charged around the first turn and continued to up the pace. I followed about 10 meters behind and didn't completely close the gap until about 800 meters. We ran together to about 1,000-1200 meters and then I gained a bit of an advantage.

I knew the mile split would be quick and saw the clock tick off 4:43 or so. The downhill continued onto Kenilworth and I tried to maintain my momentum. I know the pace slowed going up to Morehead where I finally passed the lead babyjogger. He would definitely give Mike Beigay a run for his money as he finished in 17:45. I didn't catch the lead wheelchair until just before the two mile mark which I crossed in 9:40-9:41 (4:58 split). He also came back on me just before the final climb up to the Dowd YMCA.

After hitting the split for two miles I was still convinced I could go under 15:00. With a good final mile I'd have things locked up. Wrong. I started to struggle about a quarter mile beyond McDowell. I had a bad 3 minute stretch of running. It wasn't really a loss of focus, but a loss of strength. I just couldn't power my way up the hill and maintain pace. I took a good long look back about 50 meters from the top of the hill and could see the neon green singlet of Matthew Elliot (Winthrop grad with 3:43 1500m credentials). I felt the crosshairs on my back and I knew that the downhill needed to be quick.

Cresting the hill I tried to get a response out of the legs but they were slow to react. I never really got rolling on the descent and crossed 3 miles in 14:43 (5:02 split). I had little motivation to sprint to the line since I looked over my should and saw things were locked up. I brought things home in 15:18 which means my final 200m was a dismal 35 seconds. I think Meagan closed faster than me.

I was pleased to get the win and a little disappointed I couldn't sniff 15:00 today. After the race Meagan had to run another loop as part of a workout. I tagged along and dragged her through the course. Our splits were 6:06 (weaved through finish line traffic), 6:15 and 5:49 (as fast as Meagan's final mile split during the race).

The prizes were decent as I received a signed Panthers mini-helmet. I can't really read the signature but I think it's Matt Moore's. If the Panthers do well this year that thing is going up on E-bay. I also received some sort of bag that Leonard Hilliard joked with me about wanting a prize. I politely passed along the bag and hope it's used well by him.

There were good performances turned in by Jay Holder, Alice Rogers, Paul Mainwaring and Mr. Spada. Big congrats to Billy Shue who cracked 17-flat for the first time ever.

My cool down didn't occur until much later as I couldn't find a ride back home so I walked about a mile over to Inside-Out Sports and stashed my bag. I then ran two miles to Run For Your Life where I waited for Meagan to arrive so that I could drive the rest of the way home.

Dilworth Four Miler Recap

Time: 57:11
Distance: 8.26 miles
Race: 20:26, 1st (5:06 avg.)

W/u #1: 11:16 for 1.43 miles
W/u #2: 10:04 for 1.23 miles
C/d: 15:25 for 1.60 miles

Rough race.

The morning started with an early wake up and a quick preparation of some Starbuck's Via instant coffee. It's much better than the instant crap we used to drink in college. I milled around the house checking my RSS feed for anything of value. I came across a post from Tim Budic's blog about dew point and the effect it has on the body's ability to sweat. Tim makes the point that it might be in a runner's best interest to move a long run or workout from a day when the dew point is above 64 degrees. However, Tim was still running a track workout, and I was still going to have to run the Dilworth Four Miler. By the way, after reading I checked Charlotte's dew point which was 75 degrees. Awesome.

Meagan and I got to the RFYL parking lot fairly early because I wanted to do a mini-warm up prior to the hydration clinic I was giving. We ran the first 1,000 meters of the course before turning back. The clinic went well for the 6:30 am hour. I think people were more interested in getting to the start line than hear about how to keep one's body from being over/under hydrated.

After the clinic, I got in another 10 minutes of easy running a few strides. I spotted that Bert Rodriguez was in attendance for the first time since the first GPx race. We have raced three times before, each time he has kicked my ass. The first was at the Runway 5k, the second at the Shamrock 4 Miler and the third was up in DC at Cherry Blossom 10 miler. I come from a background where I believe if someone has beaten you three times, he/she, simply put, owns you. I was 0 for 3 versus Bert and I needed a victory against him. I had a feeling that he was coming off an injury because he hasn't raced down in Charlotte for a few months and today might just be my day.

My plan was to go out hard. Before previewing the course I wanted to be through the mile in 4:40. However, I backed off that time because of the hill and I should have adjusted it even more with consideration for the weather.

Splits:
5:01, 5:05, 5:19, 5:00

Race:
I got out relatively hard, but not all that fast. I attack the hill like I wanted. Burt was right on my shoulder for the first 800m before taking over the lead. I was impressed with his ability to run hills as I could tell he's strong on the incline. I battled back from a 2 step disadvantage on the downhill along Lyndhurst and we made the turn onto East just about stride for stride. I was running just off his shoulder for most of the way down East. The pace felt honest but not too ridiculous. I also wasn't feeling fantastic and never really forced the issue because it was early. About 200m from the turn onto Charlotte, I found myself with a few steps of a lead. The pace hadn't changed and Bert was starting to slow.

Frustrated after just missing the water cups.

The advantage grew heading back into the heart of Dilworth and I started pressing a little more to lengthen the advantage. I tried to grab water at the aid station but missed with the lady turned away from me and the guy didn't let go of the cup. It was a little discouraging as I could have really used that cold water on my head. I found Worthington to be cruelly long. Every intersection was a tease and the slight incline made my third mile the slowest of the day.

Nice downhill end to the race.

Getting back on Lyndhurst was a bit of a relief, but the hill up to McDonald wasn't kind. It wasn't very long or steep, rather it came at just the right time to make the body hurt. I took a few glances behind to see how hard I was going to have to push down and couldn't see anyone in sight. It was now a race against the clock knowing I had messed things up during the third mile. I finished well within myself and was a little hesitant to fly downhill. Again, I need to do something to open my stride up more.

Approaching the finish. Only a police officer in sight.

I crossed the line a few clicks under 20:30 which was about a minute slower than I wanted to run. I think most people ran slower today than they would have liked for various reason, number one being the dew point (not the heat and humidity). Ben Hovis was out snapping some photos of the Charlotte Running Club (see pics). He also said that I just missed his PR on the course by a couple of seconds. Next year.

Dilworth Four Miler Recon

Time: 35:04
Distance: 5.00 miles
Pace: 7:00
Map

I did a little recon this afternoon over the Dilworth 4 Miler course. I had heard the first mile was all up hill so I wanted to check it out for myself. The study of the race map must not have been good enough as right out of the gate I made a wrong turn. Take a look at the map to see how I turned left onto Ideal Way instead of running through the first intersection. Thus, my 4 mile recon mission turned into a 5 mile sweatfest.

The first mile was predominantly uphill like everyone had told me. It's not steep, just long. There is also a decent downhill and uphill on Lyndhurst which is a slight detour from year's prior. The construction on Euclid forced the alteration to the course. I found the stretch along East to be ridiculously long. It kept going forever before hooking a right on Charlotte. The good news is once back in the neighborhood it's shaded. However, it's also a slight uphill on Worthington and another fight up the hill on Lyndhurst before racing to the finish. I haven't been running downhill portions too well this summer and I hope to get back some time the final 1,000m of the race which is essentially all downhill. I think my left hamstring is a little tight which keeps me from really opening up during the descent.

I ran some strides near the start/finish line with flats on to wake up the legs and get them ready to run hard in the morning. I had dreams of running close to 19:00 on the course before previewing it. Now I'll back off to a goal of 19:30. I know the fitness is there to run 4:52 pace, now I just have to go out and do it.

Summer Series Track Meet

Time: 52:26
Distance: 8.02 miles
Mile: 4:38? for 1st
5k: 14:59 for 1st

W/u: 10:27 for 1.28 miles
W/u & C/d: 9:47 for 1.07 miles
C/d: 12:35 for 1.57 miles

Tonight's events kicked off when I headed over to the Myers Park HS track for the biggest meet of the year. All the hitters were lining up to hit fast times on the city's best track facility. I had a lot of doubts in my mind as to how fast I would be able to run this evening. I spent most of the day in the car visiting run and bike shops between Charlotte and Hickory. Plus, I had the opportunity to have lunch with Carol Amrani who is in charge of Balega's marketing. She knows this great little family owned restaurant called Youssef 242. It just so happens that her husband's name is Youssef and he has a taste for fine dining. I may have mentioned this in an earlier post, but if you're ever in Hickory at lunch or dinner time, look up their restaurant. Today I was tempted by the hamburger and the sweet potato fries. It definitely wasn't the best pre-race meal but I couldn't resist.

I began with some slow warming up around the neighborhood and track. I felt heavy as I tried to warm up the legs and open up the airways. I had qualified to run the championship mile from my race a few weeks ago when I ran 4:19. Tonight's focus was the 5k, but I didn't want to opt out of the mile. Most of the others with top times in the mile were absent so I felt a little obligated to toe the line.

Mile:
I had no interest in doing much work in this race. The main competitors were Brian McMahon and Greg Isaacs who have both run close to 4:40 this summer. My plan was to make a move with 600m to go so I wouldn't have to run hard the final 200m. Our splits were around: 75, 70 (2:25), 67 (3:32), 65 (4:38). I sat off Brian for the first 1,000m and then made a move to the front. I felt in control, though still a little heavy. I probably shouldn't have worn spikes for this contest, but I did anyway.

Between races I jogged several laps on the track watching the rest of the meet. It's cool watching some of the youngsters compete in the sprints and relays. There wasn't much time before the 5k, but enough to shake the legs out and prepare mentally for the effort. I wasn't sure how fast I was capable of running. Late last week I considered going for a PR (14:43 on the roads and track), but today wasn't the day to test my ability. On top of eating too much at lunch, it was really hot and humid. Nothing new for Charlotte this year.

5k:
I wanted to get out well and remain fluid during the middle section of the race. I would be lapping people as early as the mile mark which just gave me the incentive to go faster. I don't have official splits because I didn't wear a watch and nobody was calling out times. From memory I was: 2:55 at the 1k mark, 8:55 at the 3k mark, 13:52ish with a lap to go and finished in 14:59.4. I'll take the effort considering I was out front from the start. I never went to the well, but definitely gradually slowed over the course of the race. See the pics that Caitlin took from an earlier post.

The best part of the night was the showdown/throwdown between Tim Rhodes and Meagan. Her recap tells the story.

Great Harvest 5k Recap

Total Time: 59:37
Total Distance: 8.41 miles
Race: 15:44 for 1st

W/u: 24:01 for 3.01 miles
C/d: 19:52 for 2.31 miles

What to say about the Great Harvest 5k other than it had hills, a lot of turns and great prizes? That basically sums the race up right.

I was personally stuck in one gear mode the entire way as I split 5:04, 10:08, 15:10? and then finished in 15:44. It was warm and humid which didn't help the cause either. John Compton ran a great race as he pushed me through 2 miles just off my shoulder. I felt relaxed the entire way but I wasn't sure what was around the next corner. As a result, I was reluctant to really drop the pace because I didn't know if there was a large hill looming ahead.

On my warm up I ventured out in the direction of the course, but I didn't get great instructions. Somehow I ended up back on Pineville-Mathews road and just ran back to where I parked. Should I mention that I parked in the Piper Glen lot and didn't get ticketed or towed? Yea, I'm a badass.

This wasn't the best performance I could have asked for, but I'll take it. I was comfortable most of the way and in control at the front. I will say that I am having a hard time really letting go on the downhills. I can't seem to turn the legs over fast enough to take advantage of the easy section. I think it's that I'm using them to catch my breath and slow my heart rate rather than attacking again. Maybe I can get Jeff to toss in a downhill running workout.

Oh, I'm not sure if he reads my blog, but I'll give a shout out to Richard Harris Jr. who I believe broke 17 minutes for the first time. RHJ is also coached by Jeff.

Should Have Run Earlier

Time: 32:55
Distance: 4.54 miles
Pace: 7:15
Map

I'm not sure what happened this morning, but I didn't get started on time. I didn't stay out that late with Cinco de Mayo celebration because all the gueros at Cantina 1511 decided to leave exceptionally early. I think the party shut down around 10:30 pm which just isn't that crazy of a night. All the young professionals in attendance must have had to work in the morning because they wrapped things up way before necessary.

A few phone calls held me up in the morning, including one from Meagan at Run For Your Life where a police officer was requesting CarbBOOM! He and I had been exchanging emails about where to purchase the gels and I told him that I would give him a box while some orders shipped. He and a few of his buddies were riding from Charlotte to Washington DC to raise money for some organization. I delivered the goods and was almost able to run. First I reorganized the sock display at RFYL, picked up the bib numbers for the Let Me Run guys and then laced up my shoes.

I ran for just over 30 minutes at an easy pace around Dilworth. Nothing too exciting happened on the run, but it was hot. I stayed somewhat cool under the trees' shade. My loop brought me through Freedom Park and back to the store around 4.5 miles. Good run, time to get ready to race tomorrow night.

10 mile Tempo Run

Time: 127:09
Distance: 19.45 miles

W/u: 31:54 for 4.18 miles
W/o: 10 mile tempo at MP or faster
C/d: 42:00 for 5.27 miles

After getting CPR certified I spent a relaxing afternoon at home trying to get fired up to run this workout. I needed to run well to know that the legs are still feeling fresh and to confirm that the training is going in the right direction. I mapped out a route near the Dowd YMCA that I would loop several times. Essentially, it was a roughly 1.80 mile loop that provided some uphills and downhills, a few turns and little traffic.

I warmed up from the house with my flats in hand. The plan was to first run to RFYL so that I could ditch the tights and change the shoes. I would then continue on to the corner of my starting point down by Latta Park. I didn't realize that the warm up was going to put me over 4 miles. Oh well, these are the mistakes that I can make with marathon training.

Splits:
5:23, 5:22, 5:19, 5:22, 5:18,
5:25, 5:12, 5:24, 5:19, 5:12 for 53:15 total.

Man that was rough, but good. I felt very much in control throughout and fell into a nice rhythm along the loop. I focused on taking advantage of the downhills, and pressing on the uphill sections without losing form or going to the well. I was pleased at how I was able to maintain a consistent effort without letting the slow miles get to me. When I had a little more downhill on the section I split 5:12, when it was more difficult the split ended up being mid-5:20s. I had a good chat about this workout with Jeff and his comments reiterated that the training is going well.

I cooled down back to RFYL and then got lost as I attempted to find a shortcut back through Freedom Park. The miles really added up quickly this afternoon, but the body is still responding well.

Charlotte Sees Snow

Time: 46:26
Distance: 5.73 miles
Pace: 8:06
Map

I've had a pretty high volume week thus far and today I just wanted to relax. Meagan and I were greeted this morning with a few inches of snow. She thought it was fantastic, I thought it was going to work over my achilles. My days up in Providence taught me that running on uncleared, icy streets can be disastrous for training. The little bit of slipping at the end of each stride really adds up and causes extra stress to the achilles and calves. The marathon build up is going great so far and I don't want a little bit of snow to ruin things.

White stuff and ice make for a terrible running surface.

Ralphie's big sister?

Meagan and I ran to Run For Your Life and back for our route. We didn't expect there to be too much business, but evidently the snow didn't stop customers from needing shoes. The run turned into two, 20 minute runs as our break at the running store was at least 30 minutes. I needed a good day of recovery.

Easy Eight

Time: 53:04
Distance: 8.01 miles
Pace: 6:37
Map

After yesterday's long run at McAlpine I was looking for some recovery miles. I ran an easy eight miles this morning through Freedom Park ending at Run For Your Life. The splits for the first three miles were all over 7 minutes which told me that the legs were needing a day of recovery. However, when I came down past Queens University and through Freedom Park for the second time I felt a helluva lot better. I never pushed the pace, but started hitting low 6 min/mile. Again, the goal was just to recover today, but knowing that I could still rattle off 6:10 pace is encouraging.

RFYL Miles

Time: 37:09
Distance: ~5 miles

I didn't venture out and onto the roads until after dropping Meagan at work. I started the watch from RFYL's Dilworth location and made a loop that I've done in the past. When I was running down Euclid, I recognized that this was right near the halfway mark of Thunder Road. Just a week earlier, I received cheers from the group playing tennis at Dilworth Elementary. Today, they shot me a couple of glances but without the police escort, they paid little attention.

I ran through Freedom Park, entering from the opposite side and made my way back to the car at RFYL. I could tell that my legs are definitely fresh from the two days off. The calves are still a tiny bit tight, but a good stretch and self-massage will take care of that.