Up, up and away...

Lining up at the start line near the break of dawn, looking out over the bay, maybe taking a selfie or two, and planning the best strategy for a swift 10k....those are all the characteristics of the beginning to the 2nd Across the Bay 10k.

Many a driver finds the Chesapeake Bay Bridge intimidating.  In fact, it has been called one of the scariest bridges in the world.  Spanning the 4.3 miles across the Bay from the Broadneck Peninsula to the Eastern Shore and soaring 189 feet above the water, even my own mother refuses to drive across this bridge.  So why run over?  Why the heck not?  And now I've done it twice.

First things first, I need to recap the parts of this race that leave a lot to be desired.  I admire the race team's ability to secure the Navy-Marine Corps Stadium for packet pick up, but they don't use the space efficiently.  While you go to one side to pick up your bib (with plenty of blank space left on that side), runners are then directed to the other side of the stadium for the crowded and not very useful expo....then must walk up to the second deck to pick up the race shirt.  Carrying a 21 month old the whole time did not leave me feeling warm fuzzies for the race team.

Then there's race morning.  I get why runners can't park at Northrop Grumman.  There is literally no where to put cars.  That said, if you live just a mile or two from the start (like I do) it is a bit of a pain to have to travel 6 miles in the opposite direction to park at the community college and catch a bus back to the start near my house.

Ok, rant over.

So, beautiful morning, fresh legs, a fantastic day break and thousands of my closest friends gathered for the singing of the Star Spangled Banner and the official start to the race.  Technically I was supposed to run in wave two, but as I arrived, no one was stopping folks from joining wave one.  When the gun went off, I settled in for the 10k run. 

The start is crowded and narrow, so it's hard to hit your pace right of the bat.  But once you clear the Northrup property and reach route 50, it became smooth sailing.  I could choose my path up and over the bridge and happily settled into a swift pace.

I planned to really run this race....see what I had in me at this point in the season.  What I never expected was just how everything worked together to deliver my best 10k ever.  My legs felt strong, my lungs felt open, my muscles were loose, and the temperature was right.  Combine those factors and you've got one hell of a good race ahead of you.

The first mile was smooth, and then came the incline up the bridge beginning at mile two.  That's when I started to feel myself pull back a bit...grrr and why?  I've got no answer.  Perhaps I felt like I didn't have enough to maintain the pace all the way up to the top of the bridge.  Or maybe I just had a mental break in my confidence.  Mile two took me 8:34.

After that, however, just try to stop me.  Something fell into place and I started to see the pace tick lower and lower as I crossed the top span of the bridge (fantastic views....and it barely feels like you're at the top of a bridge).  As we began to pass the Athletes Helping Athletes teams, I felt even stronger for the grit these kids show in just coming out for the event.  I was re-energized every time I passed one of those teams and cheered for the athlete in the jogging stroller.

As the road leveled out on the other side of the bridge, I had to keep my head in the game and maintain pace.  It was a war between one side saying I was slower on a flat stretch and the other side screaming "YOU GOT THIS."  Luckily, the enthusiastic side, and legs that still felt like they had miles in them, won out.

I was cruising into the finish for a 49:10 finish when....whoops, it happened.  I had to turn around and go back to pick up my iphone, which went flying out of the back pocket of my running belt (my fault totally since I had just unzipped it for easier access after crossing the finish).   And hey, wouldn't you know the race photographer caught that delovely race snafu for me to cherish for all eternity :)

Blooper aside, I had an amazing race.  Crossing the finish at 49:17 (averaging 7:56/mile) still put me at my fastest 10k finish ever.  Overall, I finished in the top 6% of all runners and in the top 2.5% of all female runners.  Sorry for the personal back patting, but I've got to be proud of that one.

Now, as I cruise into the Richmond marathon this weekend, my last scheduled race of the season, I've got two new pr's in my pocket (10K and marathon), a good base of training, and one of my best running buds alongside me to look forward to.  Nothing's stopping me from finishing 2015 on a high note and blazing into 2016.  Happy trails!!!

2015 miles to date:  1130.3 miles

Observations: Though my training early this year had fits and starts, getting into a strong rhythm and incorporating a variety of different activities (mostly paddleboarding with the diva and yoga) to take the focus off my running muscles, seems to be the right combination to ensure results.

Continuing with the cross training...

I had every intention of getting in 4-5 miles over lunch and then hitting the yoga class at the gym tonight. Well, it was for very good reason that the lunchtime run was shelved, or rather it wasn't shelved but I had zero breathing space in the schedule to accomplish it. I'm actually fairly excited about the why of it. If you have an interest in foreign policy, tune in to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee mark up tomorrow afternoon.

So the best daytime intentions aside, I needed to maximize very limited time this evening since I not only wanted to get in the yoga class, but also need to pack to leave the country again on Friday (I'm already behind in this regard. If you know me, you know I have a very detailed packing plan for every trip and the bag is usually ready to go several days ahead of time in case the schedule gets messed up). I made it to yoga.  I already feel more bendy.  It was more of a gentle yoga class, which I need for stress and recovering from Monday night's tough class, but still contained a series of more challenging balance poses and an abs series. With the bikini season around the corner I can use all the abs help I can get. After all, while I'm no heifer, I'm definitely not the chick of 7 years ago with 10% body fat. Come June you'll be able to tell if I've stuck to pushing a greater number of abs exercises into my routine...that is also assuming I'm still not blazing white and you're are blinded by my skin tone so can't see whether my middle is toned...on second thought...:)

I ended the night with a brief jog on the treadmill just to tick off a couple more miles and get my heart rate up.  Don't get excited, it really was nothing to jump up and down over, but it was movement.  I hope to get in 7ish miles tomorrow so that at least I hit the monthly goal before getting on a plane Friday morning, because if my next location doesn't believe in air conditioned fitness centers like the Emirates, then the next week is guaranteed to be less than inspired.  Trust me though, I've already started working on a back up plan.  Happy trails!!!

Stats -
Miles:  2.52
Time:  22:01 (average pace of 8:44 per mile)
Location:  24 Hour Fitness treamills and group ex room
Feeling:  I'm glad I won't be back to yoga for a week and a half, the wrist needs a break...still hurts pretty bad

Plyowhoa...

I know athletes should cross train - mix it up to maximize. Problem is, I'm basically a one-trick pony that dabbles elsewhere. I do like yoga, I do like kayaking, I'm a pretty decent swimmer, occasionally I try something else and I definitely skimp in regular strength training, but I only tend to find consistency in running. That's why I'm going to try to readjust myself a little and get back on the yoga mat a couple times a week (gets that strength training without having to drag myself into the weight room) and maybe toss in some other activities here and there.

Tonight I hit up the yogalates/plyo/ab attack/arm weights class - better known as mind/body bootcamp, at the gym. I used to be a regular in this class, but then Mondays became crazy town and I just could not get back to Annapolis in time. I remember why I love to hate the class now. Erica is one tough cookie. Aside from my wrist still killing me (yeah, that's an embarassing foray back into strength training that I'll save for another day...or never) so having to be very deliberate about moving through that joint, I am fairly certain my abs will join the screaming tomorrow. God bless it running 10 miles is easier than an hour in that room. All that said, it feels great to move the body in that way and hopefully I can get it to pay off for me again.

I also could not totally take the day off from running since I am going to lose at least one, if not more days, this week. Now, granted, I can't really call a couple miles on the treadmill before having to hit the mat for bootcamp a real run. But hey, the miles add up in the end and if all I can accomplish in the time I have is two miles, then its two I may not otherwise have added to the total this year so no complaining. Anyway, I'm looking forward to a nice session with the pavement tomorrow. Happy trails!!!

Stats -
Miles: 2.01
Time: 16:54 (average pace of 8:24 per mile)
Location: 24 Hour Fitness Treadmill Zone and Group X Classroom
Feeling: Good tonight, I expect to remember muscles I've ignored by Wednesday