Sunday, March 13, 2011

Group Run in Allen, TX (2011-03-12)

 @ The Grove, Allen, TX
Did a group run with several folks from the Allen, TX area.  It was quiet a drive from Kennedale, but I happen to be dropping Michelle off in Sachse, TX.  The group run was organized rather quickly by  Libby.  Her friend was in need of a long run in the roads (she had been training on treadmills) before running her first half marathon, the Dallas Rock N Roll Half.  Libby, being the social running magnate that she is, attracted over 20-plus participants (via Facebook and Twitter invites) who were also looking for a local, long run. 
In the 3 years that I've been running, I've never participated in a group run.  I certainly enjoyed the social aspect; getting to know your fellow runners, learning new training methods, nutritional products, running gear, etc.

There was water/Gatorade stations provided by Libby, post-run recovery drinks provided by Honeymilk, and post-run ART (Active Release Techniques®) work from chiropractor, Dr. G from Spring Valley Spine and Sportscare.

I paired up with Keith, a local Allen runner.  Although Keith is much faster than I, we decided to pair up and keep the pace around 8:00-8:30 minute per mile.  Keith had to do another training run of 17 miles for a Run On group the next day.  For me this is going to be my long run before the Bearathon next Saturday.

It was a relatively flat course.  I usually warm up by mile 3, but not today.  I struggled all the way through the run.  Although there were some strong head winds, these were not much of a bother since we changed directions during the almost "out-and-back" course.  There were several major intersections that we had to "pause" our runs and timing devices.  I forgot to "un-pause" my CardioTrainer android app after pausing to cross E. Exchange Parkway, between mile 7 and 8.  I did not notice it until we crossed over Greenville Ave.  So I lost almost 2 miles.  Luckily Keith had his Garmin.  He clocked us @ around 1 hour and 20 minutes for the run.

If you're looking for local group to run with in Allen, TX, look up Libby and Keith.  I believe they will have several weeks of group/training runs planned throughout the week.

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Time: 1:20:12
Distance: 9.42 miles (actually ran 11 miles)

Pace: 8:30
Calories: 1363
Weather: 51.8 degrees, humidity 94%, winds 10.4 mph

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