The girl in blue...

So, the humidity was soupy (76%) but the temperature wasn't bad for my first attempt at the US Naval Academy bridge challenge I discussed earlier. As you may recall, the 5k run requires crossing the bridge four times and there is an uphill climb each of those four passes. The first couple crossings were fine, the third started to burn and I had to prod myself to continue upward, and I took a short break during the fourth...like one minute. All in all it was a good run, though I think I spent the next several hours sweating as a result. Yeah, gross, I know.

Finishing the task is definitely the point of doing the challenge, but would be relatively boring to write about again and again. Let me tell you about the girl in blue last night...

On my first pass over the bridge I ran into a girl wearing turquoise blue running clothes just watching the sunset with her ipod at the crest of the bridge. As I passed, she looked over and smiled. You would expect that of anyone you pass running, at least in the friendly town of Annapolis.

That same girl in blue was still there when I made the second pass over the bridge. This time, however, she had climbed over the edge of the bridge and was sitting on the concrete under the railing with her feet dangling over the river. I wanted to say "Girl, do you know how high it is? And oh by the way, the threat of gusts up the river." The crest of the bridge is 75 feet above the Severn River navigation channel. That is really high.

So during this pass, the girl looked back over her shoulder at me once, maybe twice. I looked over my shoulder many more times than that wondering just what the heck she was doing. Was she a jumper? A thrill seeker? Casual observer looking to get off the bridge walk path? Each time I looked back she was still there showing no signs of climbing back over the railing.

On the third pass she was gone. Now, I'm not going to speculate about what happened to the girl in blue (okay, maybe just a little). When I crested the bridge again I didn't see her running down the other side or even up Routes 450 or 648. Nor did I see any police action which would indicate she had an accident (though I was passed by the same county police cruiser three times and that cruiser ended up going down into Jonas Green Park below the north side of the bridge but without any lights on). I guess we'll never know what happened to the girl in blue, though since there was no police report about a jumper we can safely assume she made it home last night.

Outdoors enjoyment....

While the weekend didn't come off exactly the way I would have liked, physical fitness speaking at any rate, this weekend was definitely not about being a counch potato. A) We had fantastic weather and B) we just had to be outside in it.

Saturday started with a great three-mile walk with the dogs. If you know my dogs, you know Jimmy Dean refuses to be the last dog ob the porch though his legs are only an inch long, and he's overweight. I'm surprised that his heart didn't burst fronm overexertion, but he would not walk at a slow pace. Duncan, on the other hand just enjoyed being out and about at whatever pace...though we did discover horses aren't really his thing. So, we made it home, mostly in one peace though slightly traumatized (there was a dead snake in the road, and I don't care if they are alive or dead, they cause me panic), and got ready for our afternoon out to see Wicked at the Kennedy Center.

The evening exercise just couldn't be helped. We had evening reservations at Chart House to celebrate my birthday (yes a few months late) but we were early and decided to walk around Market Square and City Dock before dirving over to Eastport. After trying on all the hats at Hats in the Belfry (that's exercise isn't it?) the weather was too good not to walk to Eastport, regardless of whether stilettos make great walking shoes. The roundtrip to where the car was parked added about another three miles to the day's tally.


Sunday just begged for sailing. We hustled up a few crew (read Elizabeth, David and Emma) and rented a Rainbow out at NSA Annapolis. We spent a few great hours cruising the Severn and the bay, zigging and zagging with the other sailors looking to take advantage of the fantastic winds. Jay got some very unique exercise while we were out. Emma wanted to swim - DESPERATELY - but we weren't about to let her jump out with the boat traffic, so Jay grabbed hold of the straps on the back of her lifevest and held her over the edge. She looked a bit like a dolphin skimming the surface of the water. Rather amusing if you ask me. Good thing he didn't drop her. While we definitely didn't add to the cardio tally, we did get that upper body workout. All's well that ends well, and we managed to fish an American flag out of the river while we were at it.

All in all, a weekend well spent. Onward ho....

Setting some goals....

This week I've managed to lay down a bit more than 13 miles so far. It's been a bit of a rough week because I'm currently taking medication that makes me drowsy...but I haven't let it keep me at home. Depending on what time I get home from work today, it could be a rest day. I need one and so do my muscles for recovery, but I'd rather take a rest day Friday if I can manage.

So what's with the goal setting headline? Didn't I set a goal in my last post? Of course I did, but I managed to leave something out - battling my nemesis. I hate hills. I'm not bad at running hills, but I absolutely abhor running any hill I don't have to. To that end, I choose training routes that are relatively flat or with minor rolling hills. This may be fine for first time runners, but I can do better.

Time to step up to the plate. Relatively close to my house I have a fantastic long climb on the Naval Academy bridge. Those of you who have run the Annapolis Ten Miler or Zooma Annapolis have had the pleasure of tackling this beast - twice per race. It looks relatively gentle, but by the time you are ascending either side, you wish you were cresting the top. So. I'm going to run this bridge more often.



I could set an outrageous goal like "I will run the Naval Academy bridge every week or twice a week." Let's be honest, my schedule is pretty much a moving target. So instead, I will work my darndest to run a pre-determined route at least twice per month that includes the Naval Academy bridge.

Here's the pre-determined route - Start at the Perry Circle parking across from Gate 8 at the Academy. Run north across the bridge. Cross the road just before the right side ramp onto 648 and run south back across the bridge. When outside the gate on Longshaw and Wood Road, cross the street and repeat the bridge returning to the parking at Perry Circle. The distance is a 5k and crosses the bridge span 4 times.

That ought to do it.

My next edition of uphill running? It may actually include what I refer to as Bastard Hill....but let's not go crazy just yet.

Turning over a new leaf...

Well friends, it has been more than one year since my last ramble on this blog. It's not a result of laziness, nor is it a result of lack of interest. I haven't felt inspired. So, I'm turning over a new leaf. While I'm certain to interject a political rant, rave about the glory of being a marine spouse or insert an advertisement to support this or that cause from time to time, the rest of this year will be devoted to journaling about my fitness progress.

That's right, you will be privvy to my workout log (or blog as it were). Between now and December 31, I hope to regain my ability to lay down 50k on trails. Since my sacroiliac joint injury about a year ago I have been unable to race any further than 16 miles. This has been a point of massive frustration and during the Northface Endurance Challenge in early June (where I have previously run in the 50k distance) I have been feeling the need to challenge my body physically once again.

So here I go. I'm starting from the beginning and will rebuild my mileage from scratch. You can cheer, you can jeer, or you can just grimace. You may even choose to join me in a run or two. I appreciate your support and look forward to meeting you on the trails.