Brandi Snyder
I find as I run in attempt to meet a goal the deeper I get into the runs the more isolated I become. I understand that all my friends and me have different objectives when we run but the faster I run the lonelier I become.
Bob emailed on Sunday afternoon to ask me if I wanted to his tempo run with him this morning. Bob’s pace was 8 miles at an 8 minute pace. My objective for my run this morning was to be 10 miles at a 7 minute pace. I could have stuck with my plan and advised Bob that I was going longer and faster today and he would have to run it alone or, I could bag my objective and run with a friend. I choose the latter.
Sunday night was the Patriots vs. Colts at 8:30PM. I knew I do not have very many opportunities to watch my favorite football team play an 8-0 AFC rival. I decided to stay up and watch the game in its entirety. Well, at 11:35PM the Patriots lost to the dreaded Colts 35-34. Not only was I going to be sleep deprived but I ended up having a hard time falling asleep after that game.
4:55AM. The clock radio blared music that was incomprehensive to my brain. I lie there upon waking up in the same mood I had drifting to sleep last night about the game. I forced my arm over to turn off the clamorous sound that originated from the radio and got out of bed.
The room was cool as I shuffled across the bedroom to the closet. I felt a cool draft in the closet as I closed to the door to turn on the light not to awake Sarah. I knew the morning was going to call for layers of shirts, but until I went downstairs to let the dog out it was not apparent how many layers. The sky was atramentous with spots of tiny beams of light twinkling along its canvas. The air was still but there was an arctic feel on the deck that prompted me to gather more layers and a pair of gloves for the run.
Heading out the door with three thin layers of shirts, a pair of shorts and gloves on I made my way down the familiar paths of Suwanee and Alpharetta to LTF. Upon my arrival, I was astounded to see that the lot was populated with vehicles at 5:15AM. The coolness of Fall beckons the human spirit to remain in the confides of the warm sheets of the bed on days that bring a cool snap to morning. However, it seemed to be that the human spirit on a Monday morning was stronger than the warmth of the bed and people were up and out at the gym.
I met Bob in the lobby area as we set off into the dark, cold morning for his 8 mile tempo run. Right out of the parking lot we headed up Morris which is a light uphill. This portion of road jacks the heart rate up quickly and increases your breathing as you crest the first quarter mile before a decent into the MARTA parking lot. We were going too fast but with the chill in the air, I think we were concerned about warming up the core and we would settle in after the initial mile.
Rounding out of the MARTA lot and heading onto Northpoint then Windward we started to slow into a controlled pace as we made our way North. The next couple of miles were at or about the 8-minute mile pace that we needed to maintain as we headed towards the end of Windward to turn left onto HWY 9. Bob commented on this section of road as we ran up a slight grade turning right. He mentioned that this little stretch always seems difficult because you get into a pace on the flat portion of Windward, but to turn onto HWY 9 we need to head up a 2% grade for about 100 meters to turn left which has another 200 meters of incline to the light. I agreed with his opinion of this piece of road as we huffed and puffed up and over the mental obstacle.
Heading West on HWY 9 our paced dropped a few seconds as we sure stepped on the old sidewalks. The sidewalks had been shifted from tree roots making the run challenging especially when the street lit areas were covered by the shade of the trees. You footing has to maintain control due to the rises and holes scattered along the route.
Hitting the 4-mile mark I estimated that we were around 10-15 seconds off pace. I was not concerned because there are plenty of spots along the route to make up the time. At the junction of Academy and HWY 9 we took a right onto Academy and headed towards Old Milton HS. Bob had dropped two 10oz Gatorade bottles in a parking lot for us. We slowed picked up the bottles, took a few gulps of the refreshingly cold lemon-lime beverage and started the pace back up. We had some time to make up which would be achieved on Wills Road.
Turing left onto Wills the road flattened out and we increased the speed. The pace felt about 7:40’s but neither Bob nor myself were labored. We maintained this pace up Old Milton, down Canton and back onto Academy. By the time we hit Academy heading down we had about a 45-second cushion in our back pockets. I eased off a little to maintain form and cadence as we sailed down Academy. At the 7-mile mark, we still had 45 seconds in the bag and I attempted to hold the pace, but Bob was pushing a little faster than he had maintained. I figured we had a mile to go and he did want a negative split so I hung on his right shoulder as we finished Morris Road (yes start and finish going uphill) for a time of 1:03:02. The pace was 7:52’s, a little too fast but, Bob did look strong and I knew my presence would spur him to kick it a little more.
At the beginning of the run I advised Bob that I was going to complete 10 miles, but would do the remaining 2 on the hamster wheel upstairs. We headed into the lobby and I patted Bob on the back praising him for a good, decent run. As we parted, I headed for the mill to finish up.
I hopped on the treadmill and knocked the speed up to 6:53’s to finish the rest of the 10 miles I had planned. As I was running, Ann Marie came over to tell me about her run with Michele. The ran 8 as well at 8:19’s. I looked at her and gave her my status quo statement, “that was too fast!” Ann Marie’s goal was 8:25’s which is 6 seconds faster. I let it go since Bob and I ran 8 seconds faster than his prescribed pace. We chatted about her shoes she got over the weekend when I saw her at Fleet Feet. Ann Marie bought a pair of Brooks, in pink, at Totally Running on Saturday. When she went to put them on this morning, she said they felt odd. She inspected the sizes and one was a size 7 and the other a 7 ½! She ran in her old shoes this morning.
I need to get with Ann Marie and place a wager on the Half Marathon next week. I want Ann Marie to control her pace at her marathon pace of 8:23’s during the 13.1 race. I think with a little monetary wager on the table she will “try” to hold the pace she needs to hold. I think I will be a few bucks richer come Friday, the day after the Half.
I finished the 2 miles on the treadmill, which seemed longer than the 8 miles with Bob.
Lack of sleep, Pats loosing and a cold morning you would think that the morning was not pleasant, but with running with friends and conversing with friends before 7AM it is all worth it.
It makes my world complete to have friends that I can share their experiences with.
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