13 miles 79:05
McAlpine Park
I went for a long run at McAlpine Park. McAlpine is one of those "holy" places for me to run as it was the site for every major race I cared about in high school. I won a team state title there as a senior and lost a state title my junior year in a tie breaker situation. That loss was in my first season running ever and it really lit a fire in me that I still can't seem to shake. Also at McAlpine I had my first good college xc race coming in 4th at the NC intercollegiate meet as a RS Sophomore in 25:04. And McAlpine also served for one of the biggest running disasters I was involved with the following season at Great American when I superman dove into a tree. They held the race at night and under lights which not too suprisingly turned out to be a bad idea. A bad idea was made even worse when a rain storm blew in knocking out some of the lights on the course. Then came the two duke guys I was a little behind who fell into a ditch and upon rising took my legs out from under me sending me hurling shoulder first into a tree. As I layed in the ditch I kept thinking "I hope I'm hurt enough to not have to finish." But I wasn't and after a little laying around in a daze I got back up and jogged pathetically in to the finish over the last half of the race. Good ole McAlpine. Anyway, I went for a long run, the first in a while, and felt pretty good. The foot held up very well during the run and felt fine afterwards as well. I ran the 8k course, added on 3 miles on an out and back, then ran the 8k course again. The problem with McAlpine for me is that it gives you markers for every 200 meters. And of course I always check my splits. The first 8k I did a good job of keeping things under control with the fear of the remaining 8 miles lingering in my head. I ran 31:30 for that bit. But things were getting progressively faster and with the last 8k to go I got moving pretty good and ended up running 28:41. It felt good though. | 