Oct24-30

S: 22,600 yds
B: 5h 11min
R: 6h 15min


Total: 17h 23min


I raced a 5k!  Saturday morning was the Spooktacular 5k in downtown Huntsville and, not having raced a 5k in almost 2 years, I decided to sign up. I wasnt really sure what to expect, but I was hoping I could at least break 16:30.


It was a chilly (=> cold) morning as we went to warm up and although I had already gone for a swim, it still took a couple of miles of jogging in warm-ups before I started getting comfortable. With our jog of the course having been completed, I knocked out a few strides and it was game time!

Josh Whitehead took off out of the gate, as expected, and after the first half a mile or so I was leading "the others".  We came through the first mile in 5:15, and I felt great.  I knew I still had company, but wasnt sure how many were there. I pushed on and by the time I got to mile 2, at about 10:29, I felt like I had created a little gap and wanted to make sure it would stick. I was still feeling pretty good, so it was time to open it up as much as possible.  A sprint up the bridge saw me reach the 3 mile in 15:43, leaving a quick roll down the hill for a 16:15 finishing time.

A mere 15sec later, there was a mad dash for 3rd, as George H cruised in ahead of Eric C:

Happy Halloween!

Athens Half Marathon

No, I didnt fly to Athens, Greece, for a half marathon.  And, to my knowledge, there isnt even a half marathon competed in Athens, AL.  Rather, last weekend I drove to Athens, GA for the 2nd annual Athens Half Marathon.

Heading into the race I wasnt expecting much, as I was coming off an injury and had just started a new job. So the race report will come but the real reason for the trip was to meet up with some friends and family.  My sister, Katie, her roommate, Walker, and their friend, Mike, drove up from Orlando, while my friend, Hunter (who also happens to be Walker's brother), made a surprise visit from Houston.  Even more of a surprise was Hunter's entrance into the race, as he is most definitely not a runner... not yet, anyway.

But here he was, ready to travel 13 miles by foot!

Minutes before the start it is still dark and terribly cold

The race started in the dark at 7AM. Thankfully the first few miles wove through the relatively well-lit campus of the University of Georgia.  Although not being able to see the road was mildly disconcerting, it was probably just as well that I couldnt see the ubiquitous 'G' everywhere, as that certainly wouldve enticed fury if not projectile vomiting.  By about the third mile, two guys had moved up the road and I was running with two others.  Although we were still in the early stages of the race, this course was hilly.  The relentless changes in elevation made splits a bit of moot point, so I simply tried to stay focused on a good tempo and stick with the guys around me.  I did until a bit before mile 7 when they started slowly pulling away during a long uphill stretch.  I kept them in sight for the next few scenic miles, but couldnt seem to close the gap.  Mile 11 contained a brutally steep downhill during which I lost a bit more time, but then just couldnt get my legs moving any faster on the mostly flat 12th mile.  The last, then, was all uphill and simply survival mode... one of those "just keep moving forward so you dont roll backwards" type situations.  I finally made it across the finish line (which, incidentally, was noticeably higher in elevation than the start) in 1:15:59 and 5th place. 

Considering the difficulty of the course, I wasnt too upset with the time, as it is certainly a step in the right direction compared with where I was a month ago. Meanwhile, Hunter and Walker both finished, and even were in good enough spirits to enjoy a couple of spirits courtesy of America's Oldest Brewery after the race. 

Oct10-16

S: 20,200 yds
B: 5h 48min
R: 5h 44min

Total: 16h 51min

So last week I was in California for some supplier reviews.  While travel always interrupts training, I was fortunate enough to get to stay on the beach for this trip.  As a consequence, I swam in the Pacific on Tuesday and ran down the beach every day I was there.  We were staying on Huntington Beach, and there is a nice path that runs parallel to the beach for miles, easily allowing for long, uninterrupted running.

With that having been said, the highlight of the week was the ride to Nashville on Sunday.  DV and I left Huntsville Sunday morning a bit after 7, heading north on 431.  A quick jot on 271 over to 31 and before you knew it, we were in Brentwood, a suburb just south of Nashville.  A more thorough report is on the way, but the ride was just a hair under 100 miles and the weather couldnt have been better for it.  So how'd we get home?  We drove the Edge back! Needless to say it was well worth the trip, and now I'll be able to take it to Athens this weekend.

Oct3-9

S: 23,400 yds
B: 5h 2min
R: 7h 10min

Total: 18h 21min

We're running a little behind schedule around here thanks to a work trip out to California last week.  Catching back but, the week before last was another step in the right direction towards a decent race this coming weekend.

Saturday the 8th was the Monte Sano 15km up on, you guessed it, Monte Sano Mountain.  It was a great day for racing and I was looking forward to seeing what I could do.  At the start Antoine Batiste and I quickly separated ourselves from the field and came through the first mile at around 5:40. I was feeling OK, and wouldve been happy to continue at that pace.  The next couple of miles were about the same as we continued to run side by side, but then I began to drop back a bit as the hills began to take their toll.  Around mile 7 I had still kept Batiste in sight, so I wanted to give him a run for his money.  A bit after mile 8 I caught him and went past, but didnt get more than a step or two before he latched on.  I came out a turn just after mile 9 and tried to start "sprinting", but by that point I was already working pretty hard.  He easily covered my move and kicked it in to kick my butt. Results are here, but I finished in 53:58.  Nowhere near a PR, but something I'm pleased with for my first race back on a hilly course.      

Sept26-Oct2

S: 28,800 yds
B: 5h 9min
R: 7h 6min

Total: 19h 50min

I actually had a couple of decent running workouts this week, so all hope isnt lost for a respectable showing in the half in Athens (GA, not AL) in a few weeks.  Correspondingly, the weather here has been pretty epic for running, so that certainly hasn't hurt.  We'll see how the workouts go over the next couple of weeks, but preliminary evidence suggests that a sub-1:18 time is entirely out of the question.