Mark tagged me this morning and suggested, in no uncertain terms, that I fill out this running survey, courtesy of Brent. Normally I stay away from these things but, hey, when yer tagged, yer tagged.

1. What is your favorite long run pace?

Hmm. My favorite pace would have to vary. I like doing a little under 9:00 on the flats, maintaining a constant effort on the hills. My coach said that I should be averaging closer to 9:30 for ideal training with my marathon goal pace, and made the point that most people do their long runs far too fast. I don’t stop my watch during the run though, and I often end up with around that pace overall, including water stops and red lights.

2. What is your favorite — or typical — pre-run meal?

Oh, dear. If I’m really on the ball, I’ll have a granola bar. Actually I’ve been pretty good about that lately. No more to eat, although I will try to wash it down with some PowerAde. Not exactly the same level of effort as Gelindo Bordin getting up 4 hours early to cook a measured serving of pasta.

3. What was the distance of your first official race?

That’d be 5K there, Brent - specifically one out in Fredericksburg at which I "ran" (and walked) to something like a blistering 36 minute finish. I still remember watching the people running before the start and wondering how the hell they could do that and remain upright by the finish.

4. Do you typically run in groups or run alone?

In groups, whenever possible. Even when running alone, I prefer to run in a crowd. Town Lake is good for that.

5. Name the one or two new running experiences (occurring within the past year) that you have grown the most from.

Since I have the whole year to pick from, I’d go for my recovery last fall from a nasty MCL sprain. I did my Freescale marathon training basically solo, and didn’t do too bad a job while learning a fair amount. Still, I much prefer what I’m doing now with the Gazelles. You can read all about it if you feel like backtracking a few months.

6. What is your least favorite structure to run on/over?

Least favorite structure? I don’t really think I have one - anything noticable is interesting. If I had to pick, I’d probably go for the dam on Austin’s 10 mile loop, since I don’t much care for heights, but its really not a big deal.

Now, to pass this along… Tracy! Come on down! You’re the next contestent on the answers are right!

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