AM: 11 miles easy
I met up with Reed for our first run in a few months. I felt a little sluggish but otherwise OK from yesterday.
8.31.2011
8.30.2011
August 30
AM: 4 miles easy
PM: 8 x ~400m hill repeats - 12 miles
After an easy jog in the morning, I met Alex at the WaDuke parking lot for some hill repeats on the trail. Today was a challenge because I encountered two conditions I haven't seen much of since May: hills and heat/humidity. I buckled down and got through it, chasing Alex for most of them but running fairly consistently between 1:21-1:25. While I don't know how long the hill actually is exactly, the effort and consistency were certainly there.
PM: 8 x ~400m hill repeats - 12 miles
After an easy jog in the morning, I met Alex at the WaDuke parking lot for some hill repeats on the trail. Today was a challenge because I encountered two conditions I haven't seen much of since May: hills and heat/humidity. I buckled down and got through it, chasing Alex for most of them but running fairly consistently between 1:21-1:25. While I don't know how long the hill actually is exactly, the effort and consistency were certainly there.
8.29.2011
August 29
AM: 10 miles easy
I got in a relaxed but hot and muggy run in my mom's neighborhood before hitting the road for Durham this afternoon.
I got in a relaxed but hot and muggy run in my mom's neighborhood before hitting the road for Durham this afternoon.
8.28.2011
August 28 (60 miles/week)
AM: 18 miles easy
Valerie, Wilson and I made it to Atlanta last night. I took off in the morning from my mom's place, running a challenging route through Westminster and northwest Atlanta's hills. I averaged slightly over 7:00 pace, but that's really fine over that terrain and the climbing heat and humidity. I needed to sleep in this morning, and I didn't get started until almost 11:00 as a result. I stuck to the shade but was still totally wiped out by the end.
Tomorrow, we're headed back to Durham after being gone since May.
Valerie, Wilson and I made it to Atlanta last night. I took off in the morning from my mom's place, running a challenging route through Westminster and northwest Atlanta's hills. I averaged slightly over 7:00 pace, but that's really fine over that terrain and the climbing heat and humidity. I needed to sleep in this morning, and I didn't get started until almost 11:00 as a result. I stuck to the shade but was still totally wiped out by the end.
Tomorrow, we're headed back to Durham after being gone since May.
August 27
DNR
No running today. We were in some godforsaken part of Tulsa, and I really wanted to get on the road at a reasonable hour after coming in late last night.
No running today. We were in some godforsaken part of Tulsa, and I really wanted to get on the road at a reasonable hour after coming in late last night.
August 26
 |
| Magnolia Road |
I put "easy" in quotations because Valerie and I started our morning with Tyler my running the famous/infamous Magnolia Road in Boulder, which isn't all that easy in itself. Tyler and I were going 10 out-and-back, and Valerie was going 5.
Unfortunately, it wasn't the greatest run in the world for me, but I tried to not let that spoil the beautiful setting and first company I've had running all summer. Topping out at above 7,000 feet, I felt a little lethargic on the constant, rolling uphills on the way out, with heavy arms and legs. Just when I started feeling better on the net-downhill on the way back, I had some GI issues that necessitated some stops in the woods, giving an unfortunate spin on the run's nickname, "Dirty Ol' Mags." Tyler was patient enough to hang with me throughout while I attended to my various side-businesses.
Overall I'm really glad we went. It's stunningly beautiful up there, and it's easy to understand how someone can get obscenely fit training there on a weekly basis because of the rolling hills and altitude. I didn't feel my best up there today, but I'm already itching to get back.
We capped our Boulder visit off eating at the Village Coffee Shop. Tyler pointed out that, like Magnolia Road, this diner was also featured in "Running with the Buffaloes": a distance-running classic that I tore through in college. The three of us ended up chowing down on pancakes while chatting with the friendly owner before Valerie, Wilson and I faced another long drive to Tulsa, OK.
August 25
AM: 3k cutdown, 3:00 jog, 2 x 200m with :30 recovery, 4:00 jog, 2 x 200m with :30 recovery, 3:00 jog, 3k cutdown - 11 miles
PM: 5 miles easy
Today's workout was a tall challenge but such a relief to run a workout with someone else. I'm staying in Boulder, CO for a couple of nights while Valerie, Wilson and I are driving back to North Carolina from California, and we're staying with our friend and my former college teammate, Tyler McCandless, who's moved out to Colorado to run professionally for Mizuno. He invited me to tag along this morning, and we were joined with Tyler's training partner, Pat Rizzo, which meant that I was going to try to hang with a 2:17 and 2:15 marathoner, respectively, at altitude.
After a warmup, we met their coach, Brad Hudson, on the Boulder Creek path for a measured loop near Flatirons Golf Course. The workout was 2 sets of a 3k cutdown, starting at marathon/half marathon pace for the first 1k and ending at 10k/5k pace, followed by 8 x 200m with :30 rest. I planned just to hang on as long as possible and adjust as necessary.
We immediately went out in :72 for the first 400m, and I jokingly asked if I was getting altitude hazing so I'd go into debt nice and early. We came through the mile in just under 5:00, and Tyler and Pat began moving away. I came in a 9:42, feeling by all accounts better than expected but still already gassed.
After just two 200s, I was left gasping for air after the short rest, so I opted to break it into smaller sets. During the next 3k, I only made it 1k with Tyler and Pat around 5:00 pace before falling off hard and struggling home to 10:10. Coach Hudson politely suggested that I call it a day given that I've been running at sea level--not just this summer, but really always--and I not-so-reluctantly agreed, watching Pat and Tyler cruise the last set of 200s.
Overall, even though the morning workout was undeniably tough, it was cool to get to workout with some guys who are running and coaching at a really high level.
Tyler and I went out for another shake-out on the Mesa Trail, offering outstanding views of the mountains in this seemingly endless open space.
PM: 5 miles easy
Today's workout was a tall challenge but such a relief to run a workout with someone else. I'm staying in Boulder, CO for a couple of nights while Valerie, Wilson and I are driving back to North Carolina from California, and we're staying with our friend and my former college teammate, Tyler McCandless, who's moved out to Colorado to run professionally for Mizuno. He invited me to tag along this morning, and we were joined with Tyler's training partner, Pat Rizzo, which meant that I was going to try to hang with a 2:17 and 2:15 marathoner, respectively, at altitude.
After a warmup, we met their coach, Brad Hudson, on the Boulder Creek path for a measured loop near Flatirons Golf Course. The workout was 2 sets of a 3k cutdown, starting at marathon/half marathon pace for the first 1k and ending at 10k/5k pace, followed by 8 x 200m with :30 rest. I planned just to hang on as long as possible and adjust as necessary.
We immediately went out in :72 for the first 400m, and I jokingly asked if I was getting altitude hazing so I'd go into debt nice and early. We came through the mile in just under 5:00, and Tyler and Pat began moving away. I came in a 9:42, feeling by all accounts better than expected but still already gassed.
After just two 200s, I was left gasping for air after the short rest, so I opted to break it into smaller sets. During the next 3k, I only made it 1k with Tyler and Pat around 5:00 pace before falling off hard and struggling home to 10:10. Coach Hudson politely suggested that I call it a day given that I've been running at sea level--not just this summer, but really always--and I not-so-reluctantly agreed, watching Pat and Tyler cruise the last set of 200s.
Overall, even though the morning workout was undeniably tough, it was cool to get to workout with some guys who are running and coaching at a really high level.
Tyler and I went out for another shake-out on the Mesa Trail, offering outstanding views of the mountains in this seemingly endless open space.
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