December 30

PM: 9 miles easy

I bounced around Memorial Park and Peachtree Battle in the early afternoon. Actually, "bounce" might be a tad generous. I felt stiff.

December 29

AM: 11 miles easy

Just a jaunt around the neighborhood: Peachtree Battle and Memorial Park. I felt a little stiff, but the weather was a little chillier than we've had in Atlanta.

Speedwork to come on Thursday. I'm planning on jumping in a 3k or 5k later in January, and I want to start some faster work that I need and haven't done since the spring.

December 28

PM: 4-mile tempo, 800 jog recovery, 2 x 800m @ goal 5k pace w/ 400 jog recovery, 4 x 200 strides, 12 miles

I took off for Westminster in the early afternoon. My legs initially felt like crud during the warmup. Fortunately, I seemed to wake up before the workout started, all of which was on the school's beautiful green Mondo-surface track. We have a cold wind in Atlanta today that's persistent yet bearable that had me shedding clothes during the workout only to scramble to put them back on the second I finished.

It feels great to get in another workout. The tempo was slightly faster than a similar effort about a month ago, so not only does it seem that I haven't lost much fitness from getting sick, I may have a net positive through this mess. I'm definitely on the rebound.

Splits: 20:47 (5:14, 5:09, 5:09, 5:13), 2:24, 2:25

December 27 (90 miles/week)

AM: 10 miles easy

PM: 4 miles easy

I met Fellows around noon with an easy run at the River. The rain left trails a bit soft in a couple of places.

In the evening, Valerie and I snuck in a run around Memorial Park before dinner.

Both runs were fairly relaxed, so I'm not sure how the dead legs are doing right now. I'm planning a workout tomorrow that should give me a better idea of how my minor setback is progressing.

December 26

AM: 17 miles easy/moderate

I felt better again this morning, sticking to the on/off day-to-day trend this week. The run took me to Memorial Park to Peachtree Battle, up to Westminster and down West Paces Ferry. I came home over the hills on Habersham while avoiding Tahoes and Escalades ripping through the neighborhoods and hugging the curves.

December 25

AM: 10 miles easy

Slow run on a soggy Bobby Jones golf course (per holiday tradition) before Christmas brunch. I felt bad but not quite as awful as earlier this week. My chain-smoker's cough is close to gone.

Merry Christmas!

December 24

AM: 10 x 2:00 on/1:00 off, 6 x :30 on/:30 off, 11 miles

PM: 5+ miles easy

Despite a crummy running day yesterday, I hadn't done any quality runs in almost two weeks and was dying for some uptempo work. I kept it to the Memorial Park loop, which is a mostly flat 3k loop with one gradual hill thrown in for good measure. I was definitely working but averaged a little under 5:40 pace for the entire workout, including the recovery jogs. The last few reps tested me, but I didn't feel like my legs were cinderblocks, either. Yesterday and Monday I wanted to trade my legs in for new ones. Today was significantly better.

After some holiday brunch and cheer, I took off for a run at Westminster with Fellows for an easy 40 minutes in the rain. It was pleasant to catch up with him for a little bit on our old high school stomping grounds despite the weather.

Lastly, to my friends who read the training log: Merry Christmas to you and yours. I will once again leave you the gift of a ridiculous but favorite holiday tradition. God I love the Yule Log:

December 23

PM: 10 miles easy, slow

Another garbage day. My legs felt like they were made of lead. I have a feeling it's going to be touch and go like this until I get healthy.

I'm going to attempt some sort of workout tomorrow. We'll see how that goes.

December 22

AM: 13 miles moderate

...annnnnnnnnd I'm back in the game. My running went on as normal today. I'd even venture that I felt good. I ran to Westminster for a couple of loops via the long way around Memorial Park there and back for about 90 minutes total. Somewhat importantly, the green goblins spewing from my lungs were kept to a minimum.

December 21

AM: 10 miles easy

I went to the River in the morning but felt like absolute trash: my legs had no pop, and I felt like I hadn't slept in days. I'm obviously experiencing a bit of a rough spot from being sick last week and am hoping like hell this passes soon. My running status tomorrow remains a question mark.

December 20 (53 miles/week)

AM: 11 miles easy

Ran through the Buckhead neighborhoods with tons of hills. I felt a little stiff and tired.

This caps off a paltry week of mileage caused by two days of no running and two days of five miles. I'm going to try to get back on the wagon next week as I'm feeling better, including workouts on Tuesday and Friday.

December 19

AM: 16 miles easy/moderate

Finally a real run again. I neither felt good nor horrible, just sort of meh? I stuck to the neighborhoods, Memorial Park, and Westminster.

December 18

AM: 1:30:00 elliptical

PM: 5 miles easy

Still fighting off the plague, I stayed indoors rather than run outside with the steady rain and 30-degree temperatures that hit Atlanta all day.

I broke for the door like Hobbes tackling Calvin the minute the rain stopped in the afternoon. I have raging cabin fever at this point from spending several days inside with little to no running. There's only so much The Wire can do to contain that.

December 17

AM: 5 miles easy

I kept it at one slow but successful run today. I've kicked the fever and did some core/strength work in the evening. I'm planning to get back on schedule tomorrow, but it'll probably be next week until I see any workouts. I just feel like I have a bad cold at this point, and that's 100% better than the flu.

December 16

DNR - sick

I woke up again with a fever and the black lung again this morning, so I went to the doctor in search of tamiflu because I was legitimately concerned that I had H1N1. Both my mom and my brother had it this fall, and I worried that because I was exhibiting similar symptoms that the virus was a big swine-flu Christmas present waiting for me to unwrap in in Atlanta.

Fortunately this wasn't the case. I have some sort of upper respiratory infection. The docs gave me antibiotics and some other stuff. I'm on the mend. If I wake up and don't have a fever, running is back on tomorrow.

December 15

DNR - sick

I woke up at 3:30 in the morning with a coal miner's cough and a 100-degree fever. I took some NyQuill and tried to get some sleep again. I'm praying that this isn't H1N1 because apparently that can linger for weeks.

No running on days with a fever. I've seen weeks and seasons of racing go into the toilet when I don't allow myself the proper recovery. So I didn't go out in the morning and cancelled my evening run plans. I want to nip this in the bud.

December 14

AM: 11+ miles easy

PM: 5 miles easy

I took off in the morning around Memorial Park with a loop around Westminster. After doing a little work (but generally feeling useless to productive society...), I got in a second run through the neighborhood at dusk. My legs still feel pretty rocked from Saturday's race, but no surprise there.

December 13 (82 miles/week)

AM: 14 miles easy

I drove back to the the XC course with the GRC team from our hotel in Lexington, where overnight rains had turned it into a mud bath. The long run was more of a shuffle that included the passing of a found football as we explored the park and surrounding neighborhoods and recovered yesterday's course. I added on a little bit afterward with PHuge and Mike Smith to make it 14 before saying farewells and driving the 6 hours to Atlanta.

December 12 - USATF National Club Cross Country Championships

AM: 2+ miles easy

PM: 10k XC race, 32:51, 134th place, 11 miles

In the morning I jogged easy around a horserace track next to our hotel with the other GRC guys. Appropriately, it was called the Red Mile. The cool, clear morning made for some pleasant running...

As for the race, it went about as I expected. I figured that given respectable conditions I'd run something in the 32s, and that's exactly how it played out. I seemed to get hammered on the uphills only to gain ground on the downhills where I could lock into a rhythm. Despite an uphill start, the race went out fast: I was in a sea of guys going through the mile in 4:55, and I'd guess I was in 100th place at that point.

I tried to stick with GRC teammate Karl as long as possible, but lost some ground in the final 2.2 miles, which is also where our 3-man Mike passed me as well. Klim went out hard as expected from the get-go, at one point being as high as 7th in the race. I tried to stay cool early on but felt like I was getting sucked into the pack. I should have held back more here but was too worried about losing position early, which I should have known wouldn't have mattered in a course as open as this one.

I still suffered in this race. It is after all cross country. I fought lactic acid from gun to finish. At one hill around 4.5 miles, my legs locked up like I were running the 800 as I crawled up the slope and tried to plug holes in the dam to keep it from bursting. I managed to rally a little, but my last mile felt pathetic and had me wishing we were running 8k (a rarity for me and good sign I took the first 800m out way too quickly). My eyes rolled to the back of my head when I made it to the finish line, and I felt like I'd inhaled mustard gas. The race was tough stuff and had all of the expectations of a cross country race: shuffling bodies, a little mud, and a shockingly early onset of discomfort and fatigue. The only splits I remember were 15:15 for 3 miles and 26:00 for 5 miles.

We finished as a tight group with a spread of 1:13 between our first (Klim) and fifth (Towpath) guys, coming in at 19th of 42 teams. The race didn't have a ton of big guns at the top (only a few guys were under 30:00), but what it lacked in star power it more than made up in depth.

Across the board, though Peter may have been the only guy truly psyched about his race (he nailed a big PR), I don't think any of us were really bummed about our performances, per se. We all ran reasonably well. I think I ran reasonably well. But I think we all know that we can get after this race next year if we really focus on this event. The rumor is USATF is holding it in Charlotte, NC. This could mean McAlpine Greenway? Personally, if I can get some more XC workouts in before next years race, I feel I can significantly improve my performance. While I admit that XC may not be my strongest event, that just means I have plenty of room for improvement. The little rolling hills murdered me out there, which shows that I could use some pace-changing work. I guess this isn't a total shocker coming off of a marathon cycle. If there's one thing an XC race can do is expose your weaknesses as a runner because you basically have to use every tool in your box to execute it well.

I'm in an OK place right now in terms of my fitness. I have more work in the weeks ahead and fortunately also have the time to do it. I'll be in Atlanta from now until the end of the year for the holidays with a stop in Florida to see some family. My work schedule is relatively light, so I should be able to get in some quality miles to start 2010 off strong. I have more PRs to chase in the spring.

December 11

AM: 7 miles easy

Easy run on the WaDuke trail just before driving to Lexington, KY.

December 10

AM: 10 miles easy

PM: 1:10:00 easy bike

I set out on my own in the morning after sleeping in for a little bit. I've been feeling fantastic lately and am officially psyched to race XC this weekend in Kentucky, even if it's not a "peak" race, per se.

In the afternoon, I made it out on the bike with a couple of friends from school. I love the weather this time of year: still, cool, and quiet.

December 9

PM: 13 miles easy/moderate

I worked in the morning and took off running after my last final exam of the semester, meeting Joey and Liam en route. We couldn't have asked for better running weather. Rain, thunder, and temperatures in the 30s gave way to the high 60s for the night run.

It's been a long week, so it felt great to get out. Plus, skipping the morning and running in the evening gave me a faux day off ™ (Copyright - J.A. Klim, Esq.).

December 8

AM: 2 miles hard, 5:00 jog recovery, 4 x 300 w/ 100 jog, 4 x 200 w/ 200 jog, 11 miles

Got in a quick workout with Liam in the morning before studying all day for my last final tomorrow. It was meant to be a tune-up and went better than I'd hoped. The 2-mile felt very controlled, and a 10k at that pace come spring doesn't seem unreasonable, especially on the track. The last 200 was the quickest pace I've run in a while.

Splits: 9:55 (4:59/4:56), :49, :49, :48, :48, :32, :32, :31, :28

December 7

AM: 10 miles easy/moderate

PM: 4 miles easy

Ran with Joey and Liam on the ATT in the morning, picking up the pace decently on the way home.

After school, I got in a night run with Valerie through the neighborhood.

And now I study...last final of the semester on Wednesday!

December 6 (90 miles/week)

AM: 17 miles easy/moderate

I met Liam at the WaDuke trail parking lot for a run through Duke Forest, which will soon be open during the week again. Thank god for that. Lately I've felt like Ben Stein running so many loops on that damn golf course trail: "Buehler...Buehler...Buehler..."

I felt a little tight until Liam and I split off about 12 miles into the run. By that point, Valerie had finished her run so I threw her the keys and ran home from the trail.

Next week should bring one workout on Tuesday before race day in Kentucky on Saturday. I'll also be bidding Durham farewell for a few weeks when I wrap up my last final on Wednesday and kick off winter break, getting some much needed recharging in Atlanta, Florida, and beyond.

December 5

AM: 7 miles easy

I met Fellows, who was in Durham for a weekend visit, for a run from my place. It was a great run to catch up and take in an easy recovery day. We had cold and light rain the entire time, but it was certainly bearable (and definitely not snow). Tomorrow should be 15-17 for me.

Once we finished up, I did some core work with VH. I've actually been pretty good about getting in core work and/or pushups and pull-ups lately, but I haven't been logging it in here.

December 4

AM: 4 miles easy

PM: 9 x Fitness Loop (.58) w/ 1:30 jog recovery, 11 miles

The morning run was just a shake-out before getting some things done at school.

In the afternoon, I jogged from the "SpacePickle Vista" (i.e. my apartment) to the side loop on the Al Buehler trail. I dithered around during the warmup trying to find a bathroom because I'd eaten lunch too late, but I had trouble finding one because the school has taken away all of the port-o-johns now that football season is over. I ultimately settled on the WaDuke Inn (a fancy hotel/country club that the trail encircles, which was funny because a guy in a tuxedo opened the door for me and addressed me as "sir" both entering and leaving the building. Given my sole purpose of entering the building was to take care of #2, the formality struck me as ironic.

As for the workout, it went well once I finally got going. I was strictly trying to run goal XC pace for the .58-mile loop (just short of 1k) with a shorter recovery period. I wanted to hit 3:00 for each lap, which would put me somewhere in the low-32s, a time which seems reasonable for a cross-country 10k for me right now (though this obviously varies a lot in either direction depending on course and condition).

The trail is a packed dirty surface with rolling hills. I honestly wanted to get on some grass because of the race next weekend, but I didn't have a great place to do it that I knew of, especially after heavy rains this week. I'd planned on doing 8 but added one bonus rep, feeling sharp throughout.

My XC spikes were happy to see daylight again...

Splits: 3:00, 2:58, 2:58, 2:59, 2:57, 3:01, 3:00, 2:56, 2:59

December 3

AM: 11 miles moderate

Running my ass off is easily the single-best stress relief for me.

December 2

AM: 12 miles easy

PM: 1:20:00 indoor bike

Ran with Liam in the morning on the ATT through some cold rain.

After school, I got on the indoor trainer for a little bit while waiting for a lasagna in the oven...good stuff.

December 1

AM: 9 miles easy

PM: 5 miles easy

I hit the Al Buehler trail and Duke Gardens in the morning, but cut my run a little short on account of fatigue and some lingering tightness in my quads and IT bands (both of 'em).

My run at Duke on West Campus after classes felt a little better, however. Somewhat counterintuitively, I seem to feel better opening up my stride and running faster than rather than slower.