@ 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
