Spiking the football...

My end zone dance looks a bit like Ickey Woods, but who the heck cares...I hit 1000 miles today!  Slam dunk!  Goal!  Move over second rate college quarterbacks, I'm taking home the Heisman this year.  Did I get a little too carried away?  I don't think so, after all I took down my new year's resolution a whole month early.

It wasn't easy today, that's for sure.  Due to a crazy work schedule, I lost two days of running this week.  Getting home from work after midnight and getting back up at 5am meant I was tired to begin with.  It took a lot of drive to get out the door and put in enough miles to cross the finish line, but the pull to claim victory over one month earlier than I calculated as doable last January was greater than the exhaustion...and the blisters forming on my feet.

It seems fitting to put to bed the goal around the city that has played such an influential role in many running firsts for me...Though several years ago, it's still the first city in which I ran a 10 miler and a marathon...several since both those.  It's also provided me with the routes to shed my stress through running when life becomes too much.  On this particular run I headed for some familiar sites and some new pavement.  From Stanton Park, to Lincoln Park, to RFK Stadium, to Eastern Market, past many Smithsonian museums - dodging a gazillion tourists - to the Washington Monument and finishing up near the US Capitol, it was a beautiful day, beautiful weather, and the run felt awesome.  To cap it off, I finished while Colbie Caillat's "Brighter than the Sun" was blasting through the ipod....kindof perfect.

As I was running, and knowing I was going to pass this milestone, I began thinking about what I learned over the past 11 months of pushing myself out the door on days I couldn't wait to run, and days I needed a bit more motivation than seemed to be available to me.  This really was a journey of self-discovery.  Here are just some of things I learned this year, the good, the bad and the ones that need more work:

• I am capable.  Capable of setting a goal and figuring out what I needed to do to finish it.
• I am strong.  Strong enough in body to muscle through the weak days and strong enough in mind to push myself when necessary.
• I am committed.  Committed to making sure I know the value of goals.  Committed to keeping myself fit in mind and body.  Committed to setting a positive example for my family and friends, but most importantly my daughter.
• I am crazy.  Yes, I am willing to do some things that others deem crazy - crazy distances, crazy times of day for runs, crazy to get up and go out for a jog in a blizzard.  I am crazy to ignore injuries in pursuit of goals, when those injuries could become so much worse.
• I am sensitive, but bullet proof.  I am sensitive enough to get my back up when people flippantly say to me "1000 miles?  I bet I've done that.  That's pretty easy."  But bullet proof because I've learned to let the silly comments of others roll off.
• I am self-conscious.  I have body image issues and I recognize it.  It's hard to listen when a friend tells me I look strong, when inside I'm telling myself I need to lose 15 more pounds and tone up this and that muscle group.
• I am thankful.  Thankful for my own perseverence.  Thankful for all those who helped me throughout the year by putting in the miles with me and always willing to provide moral support.
• I am blessed.  Blessed with good health.  Blessed with great friends and blessed with great family.
• I am awesome.

Who knows what I'll be able to achieve in the next month, but I'm looking forward to it. Happy trails!!!

Stats -
Miles:  11.02
Time:   1:39:46 (average pace of 9:03 per mile)
Location:  all about the greater Capitol Hill neighborhood
Feeling:  VICTORY!!!

Stttrreettcchh.....

It's been a couple or three days since the 50K.  Honestly my body feels really great.  There is no soreness, perhaps a little stiffness but I can't tell if that is race or lack of movement during my self-imposed three day rest period.  It's been tough to slow down and give myself some time to recover rather than run this week. Grrr....

So today I could sit still no longer and headed out for a short, muscle stretching jog to loosen up anything that collected around my joints and start getting back in my groove.  Wow is something stiff in there.  I could not find any speed whatsoever.  I felt like I was working hard, but any time I checked my pace I was woefully short of where I usually am on your average Wednesday.  Actually, I could feel a little reluctance to open up in my hip flexors and as the hamstring inserts at the back of my knees.

All that aside, it was a pleasant day for a jaunt around Capitol Hill.  Me, the dog walkers and the nanny brigade all jostling for sidewalk space...never fear, I forced no babies into the busy streets of Washington, DC. 

Here's to hoping this whole body thing works itself out soon (I can't take these slower runs too much).  Happy trails!!!

Stats -
Miles:  3.2
Time:   28:52 (average pace of 9:01 per mile)
Location:  Capitol Hill, Stanton Park, Lincoln Park
Feeling:  stiff and slow

Running for office...

Oh no, not me, at least not today.  While I run for fitness and to achieve personal goals, though, there were some minor elections occurring today in the US (said with a bit of understatement).  Since today is kind of a big day, I decided to shake it up a bit and take my run through Washington, DC for a little bit of a lesson in elections.

First and foremost, I will preface this post with the fact that I work in politics.  That's right, if you didn't already know or hadn't figured it out, I work in the Senate so I've watched these elections up close and personal for the past decade.  Therefore, you may get a little coloring throughout this lesson. 

So, from my starting point on Capitol Hill, I took off toward the National Mall (yes, I set aside my personal dislike for running the Mall in order to bring you today's post) to capture a shot of the memorial to the man who won the first election....You got it.  The Washington Monument.  This man declined to be the King of the newly independent United States (well it was a few years later, but you get the idea) and so launched the legacy of an elected head of state and government.  Thank you George for ensuring we didn't have a system based on hereditary succession or dictatorship.

Next on the run is the great house where that fine document establishing our system of government, the powers of the three co-equal branches of government (the President forgets this part quite regularly), and the Bill of Rights resides permanently - The Archives of the United States.  If you haven't been there, you should make a point of it once in your life.  It is a sight to behold putting your own eyes on the guiding document of modern democracy and the system for which so many fight today.

So onto the real meat of it....on the front of many minds are what will happen to the White House.  Obviously, this House is up for grabs. There are really only two primary candidates duking it out to lay their heads on the pillows in the President's bedroom (which incidentally is housed on the second - or residential floor).  Here's a bit of trivia for you...did you know that there is also a Queen's bedroom in the White House?  Yep, and its on the very opposite end of the hall from the President's bedroom.  Today there were no snipers on the roof, meaning the President isn't in residence.

After squeezing through the slew of tourists all lollygagging in front of the White House hoping they'll get a view of the man who isn't there, I turned back up the National Mall towards Capitol Hill (which really is on a hill that tends to kick my butt, especially on the back end of a run).  Next stop, the House that isn't up for grabs today....the illustrious Capitol building.  While earlier this year control over the two Houses of Congress looked to be in the works, we don't really anticipate any changes when it all shakes out tonight....or rather over the next several days (God willing it won't take months like one unnamed Senate election in 2008).  Most of the same folks with the plum offices in this building, will still be residing in those offices come January leading the same majority and minority...albeit somewhat tighter margins.

So what was my take away from today's run?  Well, I got a great workout with no pain, and I learned that you can run through all the important National Mall sites with a Park Ranger free of charge.  Isn't that cool?  Maybe I'll try it out in the Spring if its still going on by then.  I don't really need a tour guide down there after twelve years of roaming this town, but it seems like a great program to take advantage of.  Who doesn't like learning history while burning calories?  Well, maybe only a sliver of America, but I'll take what I can get.  Happy trails!!!

Stats -

Miles:  5.65

Time:   49:07 (average pace of 8:41 per mile)

Location:  Capitol Hill, the Elipse, Stanton Park, National Mall

Feeling:  all the muscles, bones and tendons are feeling pretty good...the rest has helped

Getting my Army Ten Miler on...

Today I hit the pavement for my sixth or seventh running of the Army Ten Miler.  (I'm still trying to figure this one out....through all the runnings under other names, I've truly lost count.  But I like this race!  It's one of the few races I will venture into DC for time and time again.  It celebrates the heroes, it celebrates the survivors, it celebrates running and it celebrates achievement.  Who wouldn't want to be a part of that?


The start of the race was slightly different from previous years.  The race coordinators doubled the number of corral starts, which I think was a good idea.  If you've run this race, you know that there is a tendency toward a crowded course, jockeying just to maintain a reasonable pace.  With the added corrals, it was a little better.  Folks still ran with faster corrals, but they were few and far between.  It was easy to hit my pace and maintain it.

Let me backtrack....I didn't hit my pace, really, until the second mile.  Why?  Well shortly after the start, I ran into Patty Schloesser walking on behalf of the Fisher House Foundation.  Who, might you ask it Patty?  Only one of my favorite wife's of a former commanding general of the 101st Airborne Division at Fort Campbell.  I had the great pleasure of working with Patty for a couple of years while her husband was the commander.  I've rarely known a milspouse to work so tirelessly and take more of the stress of the military families on her own shoulders than Patty.  So of course I had to walk with her for a little bit to catch up.  That was awesome.

That was probably the high point of the race.  Much of the remainder was typical Army Ten Miler.  Bands at regular intervals, people with their motivational signs spread throughout the course, lots of water stops.  There was a funny new jiggle on Capitol Hill.  It was rather sad not to run in front of the Capitol building for the first time on this course, not sure why the change.  But it did make up for it by stretching the distance on the other side of the bridge to regain motivation after the life sucking bridge crossing.

Another strange occurance....in my humble opinion....the crowd seemed quiet.  This is usually a loud race with spectators pushing you through even the toughest sections.  Not the case this year.  Usually roaring sections were so quiet you may have been able to hear a pin drop.  It wasn't too quiet to break concentration, but still notable.

Anyway, when the finish line finally appeared, I pushed forward and dug deep to find the burst that would get me across the finish line for a new ten miler PR. So what were the results?  Overall I finished 6536 out of 21,912 runners.  Among all women, I finished 1436 out of 9747 runners and within women age 35-39, I finished 249 out of 1806.  My best Army Ten Miler finish yet.  I can't wait to make it even better next year.  Happy trails!!!

Stats -
Miles:  10.11
Time:   1:26:58 (average pace of 8:35 per mile)
Location:  throughout Washington DC, Pentagon
Feeling:  everything worked well, no pain

A glutton for punishment...

Alright, I'm going to share a secret.  I'm not fantastic at taking a break when I need to.  What?  You already knew that?  Huh...I thought I hid it well.  Today was one of those days I needed to take it easy, but I'm racing this weekend in Florida, and I've not been putting in the number of miles I usually shoot for as a minimum.  So I laced up the shoes to head out for a lunch time run.

Washington is Washington.  The nanny brigade walks the children through the park for the afternoon fresh air, the dog walkers ply there trade throughout the side streets and the suits look important as the hurry toward whatever important meeting they have with important people.  And I just keep on running.

What's interesting about today, however, is not the scenery or the goings on around the Capitol, its the change in my physical condition.  My hamstring has bothered me, well, basically since college.  So when it is tight or screaming, it doesn't mean a whole lot except provide me with a reminder to replace the empty tube of Icy Hot (yes, I swear by that stuff...it should be in every gym bag).  That said, my hamstring actually feels decent today.  Instead I have intense pain radiating up my shin.  Shin splints?  Stress fracture?  Totally random?  Who knows.  All I know is I have no time for this and will just have to push through for the foreseeable future.

Minor injuries don't get me down, but I'll have to watch this one.  After all, the back injury a couple years ago that sidelined me for most of 2011 started out as just a minor injury.  I'm not about to go there again.  Happy trails!

Stats -
Miles:  4.03
Time:   34:09 (average pace of 8:28 per mile)
Location:  Capitol Hill, Lincoln Park, Stanton Park
Feeling:  my hamstring is okay, but I've got pain radiating up my shin

Half marathoning it....

This morning started early...maybe too early.  As in, before the crack of dawn early.  Ugh.  That said, Washington DC is beautiful with dawn breaking over the monuments.  And, today is the Navy-Air Force Half Marathon and Five Miler.

Okay, let's back up and start with the pick ups.  Hi, my name is Stacie and I'm today's driver.  That meant I needed to hit up the Naval Academy to pick up our two mids running the five miler at 5:15 and then grab my best running buddy, Brie, at 5:30 because the race committee said to be at the start no later than 6:45 for a 7:15 start.  Did it end up being necessary?  No, we had tons of time and with a smaller race field it was no trouble walking up to the start right before the gun went off.

The running crew....
Stacie, Lucy, Caroline and Brie

The start was at the base of the Washington Monument.  Pretty cool, especially with the sun just having risen.  The stone glowed pink.  The star bangled banner rang clearly through the crisp air, and then we were off.  The course started out snaking past the tidal basin before zooming over to Haines Point.  Normally I don't like the sections of DC races that go around Haines Point.  It's too quiet.  No crowd to cheer on the runners.  Today it wasn't so bad.  I had my running buddy next to me and a good conversation brewing.  The leg was feeling good and all was well.

After leaving Haines Point, we had a long stretch of the Rock Creek Parkway.  A really long stretch...like forever.  I did see a few folks I knew as we headed out past the Kennedy Center (Hi Margaret and Steven Cook!  Thanks for the photos!), and we looped past Jen Bornemann at one point, but it was boring.  Don't get me wrong, the scenery was beautiful.  Sort of that last vivid green before fall starts bursting around the corner.  But there are no sidewalks for spectators and the running crowd was also unexpectedly quiet.  So quiet you could hear the birds and your running shoes on the pavement.

We crossed the finish line is a little more than 2 hours.  Slower than Brie and I generally finish a half marathon by about 10 minutes, but considering her knee and my hamstring, we'll take it.  After all, how can you complain about spending the morning with a good friend, getting exercise and coming closer to my goal all in one fell swoop.  Would I run this race again?  It was kind of expensive, there was only water and gatorade on the course and there were not many spectators to keep you going.  I could get all of that and not pay the entry fee by running on the B&A trail, so I guess we'll have to see.  Happy trails!!!

Stats -
Miles:  13.31 (plus 2.66 to and from the race festival)
Time:   2:06:16 (average pace of 9:29 per mile)
Location:  Washington, DC - National Mall, Rock Creek Parkway, Haines Point
Feeling:  Pretty decent, could have done another 13 miles even though the hamstring is rough

Fashion critique extraordinaire...

Washington, DC is not exactly the fashion capitol of the world.  That said, the city is at least noted for its conservative suit and tie turn out.  Not high fashion, but suitaby neat and formal in its appearance...or so they want the rest of the world to believe.  Since today's run was slightly sprinkling, and I needed something to cut through the work-related thinking that threatened to plunge me into a new level of crazy, I checked out the fashion roaming the DC streets near Capitol Hill.

I could start with the girl whose cut off denim shorts were baggy enough to share with another human and her striped socks that clashed with the colors of her shirt, or I could start with the lady whose running skirt had seen better/less see through days, but I'll start with the lobbyist whose skirt was so short and tight (and she did not boast the appropriate physique) that it left little to the imagination.  Ugh, did no one remember to tell her this is a conservative town when it comes to clothing?  She looked a lot like the interns that give late teen fashion a bad name.  Oh wait, and how about the guy wearing white shoes that had royal blue soles with black pants?  Really?  At any rate, it provides a diversion from the serious thinking.

Now how was the actual run? :)  It was a good one.  The hamstrings (both of them) started out tight and the left calf muscle reared its ugly head at about the two mile mark, but it was no where near as sluggish as yesterday and almost back to normal with the body.  I enjoyed the run, sweaty as it was (the temperature was deceiving...it was chilly, but very humid).  It was the perfect start to what I hope will turn out to be a 25 miles week (yeah, I'd like to hit 550 before the end of June).  Happy trails!!!

Stats -
Miles:  4.14
Time:   33:14 (average pace of 8:01 per mile)
Location:  Capitol Hill, Lincoln Park, Stanton Park
Feeling:  Open and loose except the hamstrings and left calf

Owning it (the 50% mark)...

Do you ever feel like a plastic bag, drifting through the wind wanting to start again?
Do you ever feel, feel so paper thin like a house of cards, one blow from caving in?

Do you ever feel already buried deep? 6 feet under screams but no one seems to hear a thing
Do you know that there's still a chance for you 'Cause there's a spark in you
You just gotta ignite, the light, and let it shine Just own the night like the 4th of July

'Cause baby you're a firework Come on, show 'em what you're worth
Make 'em go "Oh, oh, oh" As you shoot across the sky

These are the words I heard today streaming out of my ipod as I crossed the 500 mile mark in my quest to log 1000 miles this year.  The words reminded me that sometimes we set really lofty goals and we feel only moments from failure, that we may have lost direction somewhere along the way.  But baby I'm owning this one and shooting as far across the sky as I can go.  That's right, I am now more than half way there and less than half of the year behind me! 

This is what 500 looks like! Yes, I stopped to take a photo...

Today felt monumental.  Yeah, I know that there are still about 499.25 miles to go to really take down my goal, but man did 50% feel good.  I've never been great about keeping a log of my miles, but I'm fairly certain I've never laid down this many miles in a half year in my past.  There were days I didn't feel like running, but the call to reach for my goals was too great.  There were rainy days, but achievement had a greater pull.  And there were days when there wasn't enough time to breath, let alone run, but carving out time kept me going.  I'm keeping my eyes on the prize and I feel fantastic about it!  If you've got a goal, stick with it, you'll feel so amazing in the end and along the way!

So, what was the run really like?  Well I don't remember a whole lot about the route, or the people I passed (well there was that accident on Maryland Avenue that shut down several blocks for the police activity), or even the temperature, but I do remember feeling light enough to dance into the air and happy enough to sing at the top of my lungs (don't worry, I spared Washington that joyful encounter).

As I started, so I shall finish.  Just after Katy Perry bounced me across that momentous mark, I was struck by words from the next song that came through my earphones (...someone must have stacked the playlist for today).  While taken slightly out of context, all that I care about is the strength I felt and the absolute connection to "I am bulletproof, nothing to lose....I am titanium."  Here's to holding onto that feeling for the next 500 miles!  Happy trails!!!

Stats -
Miles:  3.54
Time:   29:14 (average pace of 8:15 per mile)
Location:  Capitol Hill, Lincoln Park, Stanton Park
Feeling:  HELL YEAH!!!

DC at night...

I love Washington DC at night. If you've never experienced, you are really missing out. Washington looks quiet and majestic by night. All the white

marble glowing against the dark sky is inspiring and cleansing. It's even better when you've got the adrenaline pumping on a fast, hard run.

That said, I violated one of my own rules - don't run outside after dark. This rule isn't about safety from the bad guys...6pm is certainly not the time of day you have to worry about the muggers who may occasionally target Supreme Court Justices, the random member of Congress or just your average Joe. No, this rule is about my own clumsiness, my own inability to effectively put left in front of right once the sun goes down and not trip. Now, DC is decently lit at night...I wouldn't go running through dark alleys. But my night vision suffers something horrible, and tonight was no different. I managed to trip over roughly three tree roots (at least) while traversing the edge of Stanton Park...and the ground was lit. Yes, I am my own worst health problem...but boy were the results worth the effort (and momentary twisted ankle) tonight...check out the pace per mile below! Happy trails!

Stats -
Miles: 3.14
Time: 25:35 (average pace 8:09 per mile)
Location: Capitol Hill and Stanton Park
Feeling: Totally on!!!