Taking it in stroll...

I'm taking it mostly easy this week.  I've got less than two weeks before my next 50k and I've got to get my ankle back up to snuff...or at least not injure it more. 

So life handed me the perfect way to keep it low key and spend time with the best running buddy in the world.  Tonight I had to handle daycare pick up for the diva.  Dad was working late.  And now that the sun is staying out until closer to 7, that means if I do pick up, there is time to play outside.

Thank goodness the diva loves watching her mom run...or at least knowing her mom is running.  When I asked her if she wanted to help me on my run tonight, she willingly jumped into warmer clothes and climbed into the jogging stroller with her fruit snacks gripped tightly in her little hands. 

With that, we headed down Bay Head toward the preserve to do the cloverleaf before heading home.  No major mileage today.  A) my ankle hurts with each step.  B) its super windy so the diva was getting a little cold.  And, C) I was hungry and wanted to make dinner.  But, hey, any mile run is a mile you don't regret missing later on. 

We played a bit as we jogged.  The diva likes swerving around and making car noises with the stroller.  I just like watching her smile and enjoy spending time with me this way, so I will do whatever keeps her happy to be strolling along with me.

As we were finishing, the wind kicked up pretty good and we picked up the pace to get back inside.  It wasn't long, it wasn't speedy, it wasn't artistic, but it was a run with my favorite running buddy.  Happy trails!!!

Stats -
Miles:  2.26
Time:   22:22 (average pace of 9:54 per mile)
Feeling:  very sore ankle, will have to sort this one out


  

No room at the inn...

Er, rather, no public restrooms.  Today being the Epiphany Sunday, and therefore the last day of the Christmas season, forgive me a final seasonal reference.  It was one of the first things that popped in my mind as I realized just how unfriendly many of the businesses are on the Broadneck Peninsula.

Last year I recall devoting space in a post to  reminding myself that, because one of my best running buddies was pregnant, that all running routes must contain access to restrooms.  I paid heed to this for all those long runs with her, however I have been less diligent on my own runs. 

Inevitably, a runner from time to time finds desperate need for a restroom during a training run.  That was me today about 2.5 miles into a long run....with no restroom in the vicinity.  There was a strip mall about a mile from where I was, I figured I could find one there.  No way.  Just about every business had a sign out that said "no public restroom"...including the motel.  I was miserable.  Finally I arrived at the McDonald's and have never been so happy to see the golden arches.

Once I was a happy camper again, I still had about 5.5 miles to go in my planned distance.  I had an enjoyable (new) route planned down through Amberley, which abuts some beautiful creek fronts.  The afternoon was warm, the vistas were inspirational and I was ready to get a moving.  The only thing that would have made it a better day would have been a couple of running buddies to share (the good parts) with.  Perhaps I can drag one of them out next week.

All things considered, the run ended on a high note and my ipod reminded me that I really am living, as One Republic says, "The Good Life."  I liked the route, my hamstrings are only moderately crabby and I hit my target miles for the week.  (Incidentally, my math was a bit off yesterday...I don't need 28 miles per week, I need 26 miles per week...so I'm now ahead).  Happy trails!!!

Stats -
Miles:  9.2
Time:   1:26:58 (average pace of 9:27 per mile)
Location:  Bay Head, College Parkway, Skidmore, Amberley
Feeling:  relieved...after a certain point

Other:  push-ups: 10/3600; squats: 25/3600; sit-ups: 80/12,000

Recapping 900...

Sandy's rolling out and, aside from massive cabin fever, we fared the storm really well.  That cabin fever, though, drove me out into the chilly sprinkles to stretch my legs and breath some fresh air this evening.

First off, on Saturday I passed the 900 mile mark.  Why didn't I talk about this on Saturday?  Because I crossed the mark while participating in the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society Light the Night.  Saturday was about the survivors, the fighters and the families grieving.  Actually, hitting the 90% mark on my goal during that event really brought so much more meaning to it than just hitting 900 on an average jaunt around Capitol Hill or down Bay Head Road.  Nothing wrong with those...every mile counts...but it just seemed more meaningful. 

So now I'm truly "running" the home stretch and am actually targeting a finish one full month ahead schedule, so long as my shin hangs in there. 

Today was not a record breaking day, or even noteworthy in the grand scheme of the past year.  It was merely a short run to stretch the legs as the diva slept in the car with my husband after a great afternoon of playing at the indoor playground in the mall. (whew...that was quite a sentence) It was a couple miles to cement my October achievement and to test my shin.

What was noteworthy about the run is that, in the aftermath of Superstorm Sandy, you can't take for granted those sunny days where running is easy....and you shouldn't discount the value of having a treadmill in the basement to provide moments of sanity when stuck inside (perhaps I should finally consider making the investment).  Happy trails!!!

Stats -
Miles:  2.53
Time:   22:03 (average pace of 8:43 per mile)
Location:  Bay Head
Feeling:  my shin is a little painful, but bearable

Home opener excitement....

Today is the Navy football home opener against VMI....and gymnastics class for the diva, and brunch with the parents of one of our midshipmen, so time was short when everyone got up and moving. That's why I had to be up and moving before everyone else.  And why not, it was a fantastic morning for a good run.

The rest is history.  It was a bit humid out...read super drippy sweaty by the time I was done...and the heat was just coming on.  The hamstring is holding up and everything else seems to work.  I wish there was something interesting to say about this run but, let's be honest, the route hasn't changed and the deer I see almost every time are pretty common place.  Really, how many times can you hear about the deer that pop out of the woods and attempt to run me down while I'm innocently pursuing physical fitness?

The diva enjoying the game with our buddy!

Regardless of the less than interesting, though quite pleasant, start to the day, a Saturday during football season is never boring.  And today was the diva's first big time football game, so all was pretty exciting.  It also doesn't hurt that Navy brought home the win.  All in all, one darn good Saturday.  Happy trails!!!

Stats -
Miles:  4.25
Time:   36:11 (average pace of 8:30 per mile)
Location:  Broadneck Peninsula, Bay Head Road, Log Inn Road
Feeling:  decent, I'm not going to complain

Hydration is important, duh....

Remember how yesterday I indicated that we were set to have a few hot and humid days this week?  Yeah, today would be one of them.  Has that ever stopped me from running outside when my heart is totally set on getting away from the treadmill?  Uh, no.

It was beautiful outside.  Absolutely blue and sunny.  How could I justify heading into the gym for today's run?  Well I couldn't, so I tied on the shoes, turned on the ipod and headed out the door for a late morning meditation session with the pavement.  Only one problem, I wasn't hydrated enough to take on the heat and humidity today.  Ooops. 

It didn't take too long for my body to let me know I screwed this one up.  By halfway through the run I could really feel the lack of fluids in my legs (or was that the fact that I was pushing out a pace too fast for my lack of hydration?).  All I know is that I was wilting...super fast.  I even took a short break in the middle of the run to try to stop my head from spinning, which sort of worked.

It's too bad I wasn't smarter.  Overall the run was good.  Aside from my hamstrings, the general weight of dehydration and the head spinning, my body felt okay and I was able to keep a decent pace up.  Had I prepared better for this run and taken in the right fluids in advance, I may have been able to hang in there for another five miles....however, I may have needed a second shirt because you could have totally wrung a ton of sweat out of the one I was wearing. 

Lesson learned?  We'll see.  Happy trails!!!

Stats -
Miles:  5.21
Time:   43:39 (average pace of 8:22 per mile)
Location:  Bay Head to Log Inn
Feeling:  clearly not spectacular, but the pace was strong

Singing in the rain...

Today's plan included a long run with Brie over at Greenbury Point.  Plans change, and sometimes in very pleasing ways. 

The plan changed because it was raining steadily.  At least for the time window we had set aside.  So I planned instead to run at home after dinner.  Well that changed too when the rain really started coming down.  I almost scrapped the whole thing for the day, but then the rain almost completely stopped...only a light drop here and there.  So I decided to take the diva out for a short post-dinner run with the new rain cover on the new jogging stroller.

We also made another small adjustment to the way we run.  I found and changed the batteries on my mini-speaker so I could hook it up to the ipod.  With our music blaring, the diva and I took off toward Chesapeake Preserve.  We weren't a quarter mile down the road before the diva started singing to the music at the top of her lungs and dancing in the stroller.  It was quite a show...she can't sing in tune yet...or English for that matter.  She just sort of yells along with the music and has a grand old time.

What could be better than hanging out with my little bug, doing one of my favorite activities and knowing everyone has something to enjoy?  Oh, sorry to the lady we passed while Maroon 5 was blaring and the diva really was crooning in the opposite tone.  While she looked amused, all the noise probably hurt her dogs ears :)

Things trucked along and the ride was smooth for about 2.75 miles before it began misting in earnest.  The diva, who wouldn't allow me to completely close up the rain cover without fussing, really began fussing when she started get a little mist in the face.  Luckily we were close to home.  I picked up the pace and turned toward our community.  Half a mile later, we shut down our strange concert, jumped out of the stroller and went back to playing in the house until next time.  Happy trails!!!

Stats -
Miles:  3.26
Time:   31:33 (average pace of 9:40 per mile...still getting used to the extra weight)
Location:  Bay Head to Chesapeake Preserve
Feeling:  even if my hamstrings were still a little tight, my heart was singing

Eating and running...

Blah.  Those two things don't mix.  Does that stop me from doing it however?  That would be a big fat no.  Of course not.  I rarely learn from past mistakes.  In this case, though, I was semi-limited in my choices.  Oh yeah, I still had choices, but I chose the one that appealed more to my brain than my physical being.  Yep, I scarfed down my dinner and immediately ran out the door to pound the pavement rather than waiting a little while, missing the sun and hitting the treadmill.  I just couldn't help myself.

Here's what happened.  I really wanted to be outside for today's run - no, needed to be outside to feel the fresh air in my lungs, smell the slightly salty air running along the shore of the Chesapeake and not be confined by four walls.  Today I spent the day working (the kind that pays the bills) while running after a toddler, cleaning up after dog spills and a chocolate milk spill all over the dining room table and dining room...and then some.  It was a stressful day and running relieves my stress, so I didn't listen to my body when it reminded me I can't run immediately after eating.

Even though my stomach was less than happy with me, my legs were ecstatic.  I ran and stretched with glee along the roads of the Broadneck Peninsula and revelled in the late afternoon view of the haze building over the bay while clearing my mind and my muscles of more than a day of build up.  It was fantastic, if not horribly fast.  The roads were quiet, few sounds but the birds overhead and the thunder rolling across the bay as a storm dumped rain on the eastern shore.  It was my time.  Well, mine and the three deer that nearly scared me to death (or did I nearly scare them to death?) as they crunched through the woods. 

Tomorrow I must hit the trail with the little diva and the jogging stroller to add more road miles.  Today was really much better than last week's treadmill workouts.  I can suffer one more run with the bad jogging stroller before the new one comes in, can't I?  Happy trails!!!

Stats -
Miles:  6.26
Time:   54:23 (average pace of 8:41 per mile)
Location:  Broadneck Peninsula - Bay Head to Log Inn
Feeling:  My legs were singing with joy

Keeping up...

There are only so many hours in the day...and by the time I find at least one for myself, I'm just about passed out on my bed.  That's what it's like trying to find time to blog.  Oh well, at least I can get the runs in...I can catch up on the blogging of the runs later.  That's why I'm writing about two runs today - yesterday and today.

Yesterday can be summed up with one word....HOT!  Maryland has been under heat advisories for the last few days, and I can't seem to get up early enough to beat my early riser for a run that doesn't occur at 4am.  After nearly killing myself with the heat on Wednesday's run, I promised to limit to just a couple miles.  That's enough to help get my body back into the groove of running on the pavement every day.  So, prepped to sweat my rear end off, I headed up to run the cloverleaf at Chesapeake Preserve for this one.  I like running through that neighborhood, though admittedly there are no trees to provide shade.  It wasn't bad, but I was dripping for the rest of the day.

Today was equally hot and I needed to put in a good run, so I headed back inside to the dreadmill at the gym over at the Naval Station.  Ahhh, they had the air on just right for a good several miles.  If I hadn't started to get bored looking at the wall, I probably good have run for an hour.  Alas, the wall can only offer so much entertainment and so I called it quits at 4 miles and then rowed for a bit.  On my way back out, my car was streaked by one of the biggest red foxes I've seen in this area.  At any rate, I'm proud of the running I've been able to accomplish with the change in my life. 

So, as I head into our second weekend at home with the little one (and am anxiously looking forward to getting back in the groove with my fave running partner), this will be my last midweek nap time run.  Next week we'll be trying something new.  Happy trails!!!

Thursday Stats -
Miles:  2.52
Time:   21:22 (average pace of 8:28 per mile)
Location:  Bay Head to Chesapeake Preserve
Feeling:  Hot, sweaty, a little tight

Friday Stats -
Miles:  4.01
Time:   33:41 (average pace of 8:24 per mile)
Location:  Fitness Center at Naval Support Activity Annapolis
Feeling:  comfortable...finally

Building a routine...

The last couple weeks has been anything but usual for me.  I'm spending a lot of time playing with my new daughter and less time resting...that makes for one tired mama.  (To all my mom friends out there, I'm sorry if I ever had complained about you being tired.)  So what does all this mean for running?  It means I have to find a new groove, a new routine, that works for me, work, and more importantly my daughter.  In no way does this change my running goals.  They are very important to me and my physical and emotional health.  So 1000 miles...I'm still staring you down and on target to hit the mark a whole month early. 


Today I logged another nap time run.  Almost as soon as my little girl was sound asleep I tied on those running shoes and hit the pavement.  It was a tough one.  I've not done a lot of outdoors running this month (again, the dreadmill was the machine of choice in China) so I've got to get my lungs used to running in the humidity and pollen again.  To that end, I probably went out to hard and fast today for what I had hoped would be a six mile run, but ended up as a five and a half miler.  Oh well, close enough.

I took off in the usual "at home" direction.  I don't normally run at home in the middle of the day, so how was I to know my route is nothing but blazing sun at noon?  It's shady all other times.  Also, the smell of that dead deer from June is back.  Ewwww.  But hopefully this is the start of getting everything back in working order for the road.  August and September are busy racing months for me...October and November also for that matter...so just a couple weeks left to make sure I'm still in fine racing shape.

On another matter, the nap time run will only work as long as I've got Jay home to monitor the house.  That ends Monday.  So, we're going to have to get that jogging stroller in good working order by next week.  Happy trails!!!

Stats:
Miles:  5.4
Time:   47:24 (average pace of 8:46 per mile...slow)
Location:  Bay Head, Log Inn
Feeling:  sluggish and hot

Mom on the run...

Yuexiu Park with the latest family addition.  It was one of
the greatest moments of my life to bring her into the
family.  Perhaps someday she'll be a runner too.

It's been two weeks since my last post, but that does not mean that I've been resting.  No siree.  This has been one super active woman, and though today was the first time since leaving for China that I put hard pavement under my running shoes, I did manage to log more than 35 miles while I was overseas (which is impressive - if I may say so - because I hate jogging on the dreadmill for any length of time).  I'm just now blogging, however, because I did not take a laptop with me and it cost almost $10 to use the hotel computers for twenty minutes.  I quickly decided I would lump all the workouts together once I got home.  So here's a short recap of how things went and I'll finish up with today's run.

Proof that those were treadmill miles.

Two extremely short weeks ago my husband and I boarded a plane to China to adopt our daughter.  We spent the whole two weeks in the city of Guangzhou in Guangdong province, which is very near Hong Kong.  That means tropical, which means SUPER steamy.  In fact, most days we were there the "feels like" temperature exceeded 100.  That is not conducive to running and surviving (though I did see many Chinese who seemed to survive running in it..more power to them) so I relegated myself to the China Hotel fitness center for my two weeks of running.  At least those are the only miles I counted.  We actually walked all over the city and so I probably logged several more actual miles in the blistering heat...but oh well.  I can hardly complain because it was one of the most special times of my life, and, oh yeah I crossed another milestone - 60% of my goal in the books! :)

China Hotel pool

Guangzhou Zoo

So along with logging the treadmill miles (done mostly during nap time or before my husband and daughter were awake), we spent a lot of time at the pool (my daughter loves the pool), walking through Yuexiu and Liuhua Lake Parks, through the zoo and around random neighborhoods.  We exercised ourselves and got to know each other as a family.


Fast forward after two days of rest between the trip and my next run and we come to today.  I wasn't looking to break any land speed records or log a gazillion miles.  I just wanted to feel the pavement, get out of my head and relax for a few minutes during nap time (both my daughter and my husband).  So I tied up my shoes and just headed out to stretch my legs and enjoy.  It felt good and I'm looking forward to my next run...hopefully with the jogging stroller once we get the tires pumped up and ready to go.  Happy trails!!!

Stats (only today's are below...while in China I logged 35.55 miles)
Miles:  4.05
Time:   35:00 (average pace of 8:38 per mile)
Location:  Bay Head to Log Inn
Feeling:  Nice and smooth, a little tight in the knees but that's par for the course after long flights

The jogging stroller moms...

Today I leave for China.  Actually I leave in a couple of hours.  The bags are packed, all the details are taken care of and the boarding passes are printed (well sort of...we are checked in, but since its an international flight we have to show passports before getting the actual boarding passes).  Only one thing still needed to be done...I needed to hit my mini-goal for the week with my running.  So I strapped on the shoes (trail shoes, but I'll get to that) and headed out into yet another scorching early morning.

Since I already packed my running shoes, I ended up wearing one of my newer pairs of trail shoes this morning.  Big mistake.  I wasn't running on trails.  Not only are they not broken in, but the soles just don't mesh with pavement running.  My arches were killing me in the first mile.  By the third mile I think they gave up and just fell down with the shoe, or at least the muscles in my foot stretched a little differently.  By the end, I wasn't paying much attention to my arches because I was trying to keep the sweat from blinding me.

But who can talk about running right now?  I thought relatively little about it during the hour I was outside doing the deed.  My mind was in China, where in two days I will meet my child for the first time.  It's been a long wait and I'm excited/anxious/nervous/happy/scared/ecstatic/joyful.  This is what I thought about. Now, I'll still be running in China, but probably back on the treadmill.  And I won't be taking my laptop, so my blogging may be less regular.  But once I get back, I will be joining a new group of runners - the jogging stroller moms - and I can't wait.

Oh, yeah, and I did hit this week's mini-goal of 15 miles before jumping on the plane :)  Happy trails!!!

Stats -
Miles:  6.52
Time:  57:48 (average pace of 8:52 per mile)
Location:  Broadneck Peninsula, Bay Head, Sandy Point
Feeling:  Aside from the arches it was a good run

Broadneck at dawn...

The alarm starting beeping at 5:05am.  That's early, for sure, but insane for running (read back to my thoughts on morning runs).  At 5:30am, when Jay's alarm starting going off so he could join me, he just turned it back off.  Here's the exchange that followed:

Me:  (flicking him on the back)
Him:  owww, why did you do that?  Why are you waking me up before 5:30?  The alarm hasn't even gone off yet.
Me:  Yes it did, you just rolled over and turned it off.
Him:  (rolling over to look at the clock and realizing I was right) Oh, I guess it's okay then.

Roughly ten minutes later we hit the road to put in the first of (hopefully) 20 miles before we get on a plane Friday afternoon.  The air was still humid, but the temperature was below 80 degrees, so I'll take it.  There were actually a couple of cold spots on the road that down right gave you goose bumps.  We headed on up toward Log Inn Road and the roads were eerily clean after all the downed limbs and leaves that littered them after Friday's storm...almost like the street sweeper had come our way.  Even the beheaded snake was gone.  Weird, but at least we didn't have to add hurdling to today's adventure.

For those of you still without power, I do want to let you know that BGE is on it and working over time (at least you get to sleep in your bed).  When we turned up Log Inn Road, there sat one of the BGE trucks on a little turn around with the driver asleep behind the wheel (mind you its only about 6am and again you are sleeping in your bed rather than on the next street you are trying to bring power back to).  I will give them credit.  Its been a difficult few days and they are really working hard to undo mother nature's fury. 

The rest of the run started to warm up a bit, so I'm glad I ignored the temptation to turn off the alarm (like Jay) and get my run in early.  Only three more days of these early mornings (hopefully) and then I will probably be relegated to the treadmill the next two weeks in China (because it's flipping hot in Guangzhou...lows in the 80s).  Happy trails!!!

Stats -
Miles:  5.5
Time:   47:22 (average pace of 8:36 per mile)
Location:  Broadneck Peninsula - Bay Head to Log Inn
Feeling:  Not back to 100% but feeling more normal

Let there be light...

Late Friday night mother nature visited our area and left an unforgettable calling card...winds gusting to 95mph, tons of lightning and ultimately no power.  When I woke up to head out for my run on Saturday morning I thought little of the fact that the power was not yet back on, afterall electricity on the Broadneck Peninsula can be very tempermental.  I figured it would just be a few more hours and then back to normal.  Boy was I wrong and that is why this entry will cover my runs for both Saturday and Sunday (a non-fantastic weekend of running).

As I was saying, Saturday morning the lights were still out but the sun was rising steadily and it was full light out at 6:00am.  I had every intention of putting in some extra miles since I had nothing pressing on the schedule for the day.  Well, I ignored my best running buddy's wise advice...particularly when running first thing in the morning...never head out on a run without reliable access to a restroom or port-o-john within a mile-ish of where you are.  Minus those things, you should have an easy place to jump off the path for a break.  Neither of those are along my typical 5-8 mile running route near home.  It makes for a long, slow run.  Lesson learned.  That less than pleasant experience aside, I'm sure I did amuse several cars that passed as I did my "OMG that was so gross, disgusting and I hate snakes more than a root canal with no novocaine" dance as I trotted passed a recently beheaded snake on the side of the road.  Man I hate those things dead or alive.  The run, however bad, also gave me the opportunity to assess the storm damage in the local area.  And no, the lights did not come back on at any time during Saturday.  Lights aren't bad to lose once in a while, but air conditioning is during 100 degree days.  It was steaming in the house as we cleaned like fiends before our upcoming  trip.

Sunday was a bit of a different experience.  After more than three weeks I finally got my weekend running partner back.  We met up at 6:00am at the B&A trail to head out for about an hour.  Brie is still having some IT band issues (only aggravated by our showing at North Face at the beginning of June) so the goal was to get in some miles without injury.  We went for a jog 5 minutes, walk 1 pace to keep from over stressing Brie's leg (she's got a triathlon coming up and we want her in tip top shape!)  It was a nice steady jog that was VERY conducive to catching up on personal gossip and all the important happenings.  We got turned around a little earlier than planned, though, when a tree blocked the whole path.  The tree we would have climbed around if there hadn't also been wires tangled up in  the tree.  Why tempt fate?  So we turned it around, jogged back to the cars and headed into town for coffee at City Dock.  I've missed my mornings with Brie.

The weekend continued with super hot temps throughout Sunday, but thankfully our power came back on late Sunday morning.  I love air conditioning almost as much as I love running.  All other things aside, I did hit 550 miles by the end of the weekend (not quite the end of the month...missed it by one day but still).  Now let's bring these temps back to normal (or at least remotely tolerable) so that I can get in another 15-20 miles before jumping on an airplane on Friday afternoon for a great two week journey.  Happy trails!!!

Stats -
Miles:  11.95
Time:   1:58:12 (the average was around 9:50ish, but don't know for certain)
Location:  Broadneck Peninsula (Saturday) & B&A Trail (Sunday)
Feeling:  I've definitely had better, but all the running related muscles were working alright

No ponies under the hood...

Today we are under an "excess heat" advisory (that means too hot to think, let alone do anything else), so I was prompted to do the unthinkable and rise at 5:30am to get in my run before the heat set in and became too dangerous to run.  Who was I kidding?  It was hot at that time of day too...83 degrees at 5:30am!  Are you kidding me!?!?!  Well, it was better than the 90 degrees at 9pm last night, right?

The answer would be no.  Add in the humidity and I could barely get my legs to move.  It was oppressive, sticky, icky (what other words can I add in here to adequately describe the weather this morning).  But, I needed to run regardless.  So I headed in the general direction of Sandy Point State Park to try to hit five miles without wilting.  Getting my body to put one foot in front of another was a challenge.  This was not a pretty run. (And oh by the way, while the dead deer from last week may be gone the smell is not...ugh).

At any rate, I can feel accomplished that I put this one on the books, after all, I got up at 5:30am (I hate doing that for a run), I hit the goal for distance (which didn't look particularly feasible at the outside) and I did not sweat so hard as to flood the road.  I see ever so slightly cooler temperatures coming in tomorrow, maybe they won't be as bad.  Happy trails!!!

Stats -
Miles:  5.15
Time:   46:04 (average pace of 8:56 per mile)
Location:  Bay Head, Sandy Point State Park
Feeling:  Not quite like death, but I imagine pretty close

Short and sweet...

Short and sweet is not how I would describe tonight's run.  More like short and SWEATY.  I waited until well after dark so the temperature would drop a bit and the heat advisory would expire.   Okay, let's be honest, I was waiting for after dark because I needed it to coole down and then I decided to wait some more after I ate my second ice cream cone of the day.  Let's just say waiting until after dark cannot possibly have helped me in the temperature department.  In fact, writing this post just two hours after the run at 11:25pm, it is still more than 87 degrees outside.  It was so hot and humid when I ran  that my Garmin was fogged up the whole time.  Thank goodness this weather is just an anomaly or I may be forced to do one of two things - (a) run on the dreadmill all summer or (b) learn to get up and run at 3am.  Yeah, neither of those is happening, my friends.

So as I'm trudging along, cutting the air with a knife, and trying to find some air that wasn't too thick to choke into my lungs I had a couple interesting things happen.  First, I had a fox streak across the road in front of me.  That is the second fox that has appeared during one of my runs this year.  (S)he was very pretty...almost a strawberry blonde.  Okay, there's a slim possibility (s)he could also have been a cat, but I'm calling it a fox and sticking to it. 

Second, I thought good driving etiquette is to turm off your brights when approaching another car, am I right?  Now I know I'm not the equivalent of a car (at least I hope not) but I know that car saw me, then turned his brights on blinding me and never turned them back off.  So rude.  I'm certain I was seeing stars the next half mile.

So aside from a foggy Garmin, no breathable air, streaked by a fox and blinded by a rude driver, tonight was great.  Happy trails!!!

Stats -
Miles:  2.07
Time:   17:36 (average pace of 8:30 per mile)
Location:  Bay Head and Revell Downs
Feeling:   Like I was trying to breath heavy metals into my lungs....holy humidity and heat

Rhythm is gonna get you...

If you are a runner, you know getting into that rhythm during a workout really matters.  If you can't find that pace that keeps you steady, the whole run will feel off kilter.  That's how it felt tonight.  I just could not find my rhythm.  What caused that?  Could be anything, or it could just be a mediocre run.  Back in the day when I was just getting back into running about 7-8 years ago, I would have just ended a run like this before it could drive me to burn out - got out before it could feel like a chore.  These days I am a more mature runner and can handle the not so good days along with the good days.

Here's how it went...first off, I made the good decision not to run in the high sun and heat of the day, opting for an evening run when I got home from work (I've really got to learn how to run in the morning before I head into the city...it could just solve some of my problems).  So yay for me on that account.  That's about the only good part.  Well, that and my running partner.  My husband joined me tonight.  He needs to build base miles so he can trim his 3 mile time for work.  Second, it was still really warm and super humid when we ran.  The air was so thick it made breathing difficult, so no rhythm there.  Third, my hamstrings were still tight, also breaking up the rhythm. 

What were the high points?  Or at least the interesting stories?  There were a couple.  For one, there was the really stiff rustle in the grass as I ran in the trail next to the road.  I have no idea what it was (let's hope it wasn't something slithery or I'm bound never to run that route again...very limiting).  And then, perhaps one of the most interesting sights I'll see all week, was when I turned around to see my husband jogging alongside a car giving the driver directions to get back onto route 50.  Uh, here's my question...why not just stop to give directions instead of continuing to jog breathless and speaking?  Let's suffice it to say, it was Jason. Ha.  Here's hoping to find my rhythm tomorrow.  Happy trails!

***P.S.  I just signed up for my first 5K to benefit an organization combatting brain cancer this coming Sunday in my hometown.  Let's beat these diseases!
Stats -
Miles:  5.51
Time:   48:14 (average pace of 8:45 per mile)
Location:  Broadneck Peninsula, Bay Head, Log Inn
Feeling:  Rough, but got it in

Rebel runner...

Today I broke my own rules - multiple, as in more than one...actually more than two.  I've developed the rules to respond to my own deficiencies, not out of some moral obligation to be a disciplined athlete (because, let's be honest, I run for myself and enjoyment not because I'm any good).  Today I ran in high temperatures in the middle of the day, I ran after dark and I literally ate and ran.  At least two of those seem to be contradictory...yep, I also did two runs today, which I also try not to do because the second is always tight in the legs.  Why would I do all this, and in a single day?  Being within arms reach of a goal has a way of making a person do crazy things.

I am so hell bent on getting to 500 before I leave for Newport that I will hush that cautious voice in my head that tells me I'm not being smart.  I'll brave sweating buckets (oh yeah, I know that one was less than intelligent because I did not pass a single other jogger, and I've never not passed another jogger in DC).  I'll brave a rebelling stomach (there's a reason they say don't eat and then do something active right away...it sucks if you can't get blood moving to the critical muscles because it's distracting with digestion).  I'll brave injury (if you've read my blog in the past you know I don't run at night because I can't see - and often turn my ankle - rather than because of the dangers lurking down dark alleys).  I'll brave the tight muscles of the second run because it means I can add more miles to the tally.  Yee haw.

All that said, I did have to add an extra leap over the mouse that ran out of the weeds at me and then endure multiple head on collisions with the unsuspecting lightning bugs.  Poor lightning bugs.  Happy trails!!!

Stats -
Miles:  6.09
Time:   54:44 (average paces of 9:08 per mile on the first run and 8:50 on the second)
Locations:  Capitol Hill/Lincoln Park, Broadneck Peninsula/Bayhead Road
Feeling:  my body was heavy and hot, not cycling through well enough

Home turf...

Happy National Outdoors Day!!!  While I did not make it to one of the state and national parks that were free today, I can truly say I did this one up in style.  Starting out with my morning run. 

This may be the first Saturday that was entirely mine, with no specific obligations or things I absolutely had to do before sundown.  So then what was I doing up at 6am?  I did not want to waste the beautiful day. After walking the dogs and eating a bit of breakfast, I hit the pavement on my home turf for the first time in, oh, probably at least a month - basically I started my run from home.  Since I was looking for a longer (though not ginormously long) run (yeah, still got that 500 mile goal in my sights), I headed toward Podickory Point to watch the sun rise over the bay and cruise by the waterfront homes picking out my next house (assuming I finally win that megamillions lottery).  Too bad I'm not rolling in the money yet, I found at least a half dozen that were just waiting for my couch to grace the living room and my feet to perch on the porch railing with a glass of wine.

The bay is meditative, and makes a run move by quickly, but this particular route - up Log Inn Road - is like running through a private tunnel formed by the trees.  Its quiet and perfect for thinking, or in my case, run dancing to the tunes flowing out of my ipod in relative privacy.  It was early enough that I wasn't even competed with boaters heading out to the yacht club yet to hit the water.  Goodness I love running on my home turf.

The rest of the day was equally productive and relaxing.  After my run, I spent about an hour trying to find the garden I know I have in the backyard under the weeds...success!  And then I spent more time outside with the dogs before heading out to my friend, Ann's, house to head out on the water for the afternoon.  It was fantastic on the water - snacks, conversation and Margaret Mitchell's house.  What a wonderful day!  Happy trails!!!

Stats -
Miles:  8.04
Time:  1:11:58 (average pace of 8:57 per mile)
Location:  Broadneck Peninsula - Bay Head to Sandy Point
Feeling:  Loose and good, though really sweaty

Must never use the newer insoles...

Today I had no intention to run.  While Saturday was a little shorter than I would have like to go, I hit my target miles for the week.  No reason to run Sunday.  That said, I couldn't stop myself.  Here's how it went...

After church, Jay and I went to lunch at SaladWorks with Ryan and then to Home Depot to get a buttload of mulch for the front gardens (they look ragged and overrun by weeds..definitely time to make them company ready).  When we got home, I devoted the next three hours to sweating away pulling weeds, laying new topsoil and planting a few new additions.  Covered in soil and mulch, I thought I might as well engage in one more sweaty activity before hitting the shower.  That's how I ended up hitting the road.

Since I only planned to do a short run at this point, I decided I would throw in the newer insoles I only wore once before they caused me to have back pain when combined with new shoes that also had not been broken in (this was all back in February or March when I bought the two together at Fleet Feet).  My reasoning?  Well, I've broken in the shoes with the Lycos insoles now, so maybe with broken in shoes, the newer Super Feet insoles would be better this time.  Uh, no.  No such luck.  This run hurt, even for a short run.  I'm going to have to give up trying to wear those insoles.  Too bad, they cost a good bit of money and are custom cut for my shoes.

It felt like pulling teeth to finish the run with uncomfortable insoles, but I did it anyway and hit a little more than four and a quarter miles.  Hopefully it ultimately helps in hitting my goals early...that would make it worth the time and pain.  Better luck tomorrow with the Lycos back in safe and sound.  Happt trails!!!

Stats -
Miles:  4.3
Time:   37:05 (average pace of 8:37 per mile)
Location:  Broadneck Peninsula
Feeling:  Feet and legs not so good, but I know the cause

 

Into the mist....

It's been a really foggy week in Annapolis. I mean SUPER foggy. Every day. When I wake up and look out my back window, I can barely see the edge of my bedroom balcony. Today was more of the same, except I was running in it. I headed out the door around 6:30 this morning to get in a quick run before the real start to the day My musical backdrop was the fog horn sounding with regularlity out on the bay warning errant ships of the shallows. It was a nice solitary run. I could only see about 15 feet in front of me.

All that said, the fog does provide some advantages. It closes you in and provides a bubble to think. It challenges to remember the terrain so you don't trip. And it keeps you cool on a 60 degree morning. Yes, I was soaking wet when I returned home, and I know only a portion of it was sweat. The rest was certainly a little bit of the moisture I soaked up from the air. The run felt really good though. I fact, I didn't really want to stop running, so I tacked on one more mile than I planned when I set out.

I have to say, the rest of the day was absolutely gorgeous. I got a bit of sun on my arms walking through Annapolis, so you won't have to hear about my pasty whiteness for a little. Perhaps tomorrow will be more of the same, though I suspect we are actually in for a random thundershower. Well, good muddy luck to all my friends running Hat then. Happy trails!!!

Stats -
Miles: 4.76
Time: 42:08 (average pace of 8:51 per mile...nice and easy)
Location: Broadneck Peninsula
Feeling: restful