...And Where Did This Run Come From?

It was packed at RunTex this morning, as a giant group of Rogue Training folks spilled around the Annex, and we Gazelles gathered to the side. There were probably 30 Gazelles there today, all paces. Gilbert and Bernard were out of town, racing or book touring, so Rudy was the Assistant Coach of the day. We were to do the Scenic route, with an option to climb Bonnell if we wanted the extra distance. My group was all about "just" the Scenic route. Amy was off racing in Dublin, TX, so we were down a runner. However, with all the new folks, we had no problems making a pretty big pace group. Rich and Shannon went ahead and ran with Frank's bunch, so we wouldn't have them to chase for the "fast finish." As the first mile unfolded, slightly quicker than usual for a first mile, our group formed up as: Brian, Emily, Rachel, Leslie, Susan, Richard and new folks Jennifer, Jill and Lisa. Jan and Brad formed a groupetto slightly behind us.

We mixed in with the Rogue folks on Lake Austin Blvd after some good-natured repartie (also repartee) with them as we all started out. They peeled off on another route once we got close to the Scenic hills, so that was only an issue along Lake Austin Blvd. We were actually pretty efficient with the fuel/water stops all day, despite the size of the group. Water about 4 miles in, and then we toured the Scenic hills. I purposely ran in the middle of the pack for the opening 5 miles or so, just following the pace of the leaders. It was fun to hang out and let others do the pace work for a while, and I got to chat with the new folks a bit and get to know them a little. When we got close to the water/Powerade stop at the dry cleaners, I moved ahead and led that last half mile or so with Richard. Another efficient stop there (Rudy had left Clif Blocks there and at the first stop, so that was a treat for those who didn't bring a GU). I took a GU, just because I could, and we continued our journey.

On 35th, I moved to the front and led the way with Brian to Exposition. That hill always feels tougher than I think it should for some reason...who knows? Once we hit Exposition, Brian was feeling it, and pulled away by 30-40 yards. I ran with Rachel and we had some fun chatting...at least when the terrain permitted. We picked up the pace a good bit after that second water stop, and it turns out we were really getting it done today. I felt pretty good, but I was glad to see that last tough hill on Exposition come and go! Rolling into the O. Henry Powerade stop, we regrouped one last time before the "fast finish."

As usual, it was every runner for her- or himself in the "fast finish" from O. Henry back to RunTex. Gilbert doesn't really give pace guidelines for this exercise in mental toughness, except to say to run the last 3 miles "hard." For me, this is the most important part of the long runs. If I can pick up the pace significantly at the finish, that means I ran the rest of the run at an appropriate pace. If not, then it usually means I was too fast early in the run. Rarely, it just means I overheated or did not eat properly the day before, but that's a story for another day.

I took off from O. Henry and set a pace that felt challenging, but one that I believed I could maintain to the finish. Rachel, Brian and Leslie went with me, and the rest of the gang formed up behind us somewhere. I don't look at my watch for the fast finish, preferring to run by feel, but it seemed like a good pace. We flew across the Mopac bridge, and then settled in for the last couple of miles. Brian moved up to the front with me after Mopac, and we cruised along to the finish. They've finished the new corner at Point Neff, so that was really nice running around there. The slope is much more gradual, and there's a bunch more room to turn the corner. Anyway, once we crossed that last footbridge at the one mile mark, it seems that Leslie dropped back a bit, and Rachel locked in with Brian and me for that last push to Auditorium Shores. We were moving pretty strong there. Later, it turns out, Brian told me that he kept waiting for me to back off on the pace so he could slow down. Of course, while we were running those last two miles, I was waiting on him to back off so I could slow down. Sigh...

Brian pulled away a little on the last half mile, but we all three finished in a tight bunch anyway. What a run! It was a record Scenic run for me, and the fast finish was really fast. That's the best I've done for that stretch at the end of a long run, ever. Don't know what got into us this morning, but I suppose we were all just feeling it. 6 striders later, it was time to get our stuff together for the stretching session. We had fun with that, and the giant tribe of Gazelles all groaned and giggled through the whole thing. I had my post-run Endurox plus another full bottle of water to try and recharge my system, and I was really drenched at the end of the run. So, I'll give this run an "A+," and hopefully this is a sign that I've improved more than I had thought.

It's sure nice to have running friends who can help push and pull you through a workout like we do. I'm positive that we wouldn't have been able to turn in a performance like this on our own.

Splits: 9:26, 9:10, 9:39, 0.75 miles at 9:12, then Scenic at 8:49, 8:45, and a half mile at 8:29, 35th and Exposition at 8:42, 8:26, and then fast finish at 6:53 (some gentle downhill, but still fast!), 7:22, 7:24, and .35 miles at 7:20 pace. Crazy fast finish! Overall pace for 11.5 miles was 8:29/mile. With water stop time included, we were still sub-9:00 at 8:58/mile. Strong running for the Moderately Paced Gazelles. Maybe we need to change our name? :-)

After the stretching, I met up with Alex for a good cold soak at Deep Eddy, and that totally refreshed me. What a running day!

For the week, just over 30 miles (I missed that Tuesday recovery run), 3 out of 4 gym workouts, a good week. Tomorrow is a full day off from exercise, which will be great.