Submitted by: Brian Lankford
Thanksgiving morning was a great, and very foggy, day for the Inside Out Sports 8k Turkey Trot in Cary. Yes, this is the continuing saga of Ashley and Brian: The Beasts from the East, running the 2nd Empire Grand Prix Series. On a chilly and very foggy Thanksgiving morning, 670 runners braved the weather to burn some calories before they stuffed themselves with Tom Turkey.
The write ups are redundant but impressive for us both. Ashley, running like a Turkey on Thanksgiving Day (a very fast turkey) claimed a 5th place overall finish and 1st masters with a 28:50, or 5:49 pace. That's haulin some drumsticks baby. Brian had a very good race also but this turkey may end up on someone's dinner table. Perhaps he could use a little more meat on his drumsticks. Anyway, Brian placed 11th overall and 1st in his age group with a 30:16, or 6:06 pace. Again, a pretty good showing for the RMEC boys.
There are 2 races left in the series, the Jingle Bell Run on Dec. 5th and the Jolly Elf Trail Run on Dec. 12th. These are both 5ks so I'm expecting blistering results. Right now Ashley sits #1 in the series points and Brian is #2. Or should I say 2nd.
Amazing guys. . . absolutely amazing! You two may honestly be some of the top Masters runners in the state of North Carolina!
ReplyDeleteYou two guys are "kickin' some NC butt!" Can't wait to see how this story end!!!
ReplyDeleteFrank
Ashley is definitely one of the top. He holds the NC 1 mile record for his age group 50-54 and according to the USATF his times are considered "ALL AMERICAN"! The way I see it, I have 5 yrs to grow up and be just like him.
ReplyDeleteBrian
I am very impressed by the performance of both you guys during the series - keep it up!
ReplyDeleteHow many miles do you run per week to achieve/maintain such a high level of performance? And were both of you fast runners (xcountry) in high school or college, or have you developed this speed during the past several years? thanks -
ReplyDeleteYo James,
ReplyDeleteNever ran until I was 40 yrs old. I've been asthmatic all my life, but since I started running I have been symptom free. Crazy huh? Now I run about 30 to 35 miles a week with a long run of 10 to 11 miles and one good speed work session a wk (800 or 1 mile repeats or tempo run) and regular racing. That's my story. Now Ashley, he's just a beast!
Brian
James,
ReplyDeleteI have always been active and had pretty good endurance but didn't start keeping a log or any attempt at training until Aug '07. Used to play basketball at the Y weekly with some buddies but I found that for me running was easier to do on my own for consistant workouts. When I started running races and was doing well in my own age group I was hooked. I usually run 3 or 4 times a week at a total of between 19 to 27 miles per week. I would guess my speed got faster with the better training, the increased aerobic capacity. I'd be happy to give you some more specific ideas.
Ashley
WOW, that is FAST! What commitment. Keep up the good work.
ReplyDeleteJeff
Thanks for the feedback to my questions, what you say is encouraging. I'm in a similar age bracket and had considered 7:00 splits to be completely out of reach, for me (I'm at 8:00 now, down from 9:00 last year). I'm thinking maybe 7:00 is not so far away after all, if I can keep up the mileage this winter, and get some speed work in, as Brian described. thanks again -
ReplyDelete