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| It's true...I did eat that bowl of goodness. |
Oh yeah, traveling often means not running outside, either because it's not particularly safe, or I don't want to risk getting lost. So, I spent two sessions on the dreadmill this week. That's about all I can take before I have a flair up of my good old buddy - lower back pain...excruciating lower back pain. And a little bit of boredom, that comes into play too.
But today, what a breath of fresh air. Sometimes you find that spot on a business trip that gives you the freedom to stretch your legs and catch the sites in a beautiful city after a long day of meetings. Today I got to run through The Hague - or Den Haag if you're a local.
My hotel offered a decently (we'll get to this in a minute) outlined map of several running routes based on distance. Though none of them went through the section of town with the Parliament and Prime Minister's offices (some really cool buildings architecturally that sit along a canal as if built into the water...I got to see them during lunch), I did get to cruise through some residential areas and a couple of parks along canals.Have I mentioned the weather yet? Oh boy what a treat! If you've been slogging through a central Maryland summer, you will understand the sigh of relief I released when I walked outside the hotel to run in 60 degree weather (and a slight sprinkle for the first part) with a nice stiff breeze coming in off the North Sea. It felt like fall already, but with sunlight until 9pm.
While Den Haag isn't the tourist destination that Amsterdam is, it isn't without some pretty cool sites of its own, like a few museums, the OPCW and all the embassies/ambassador's residences. Though honestly?, I wish the street signs were a bit easier to follow. Yeah, that map the hotel handed out may have included street by street directions, but the map only included major streets, most streets turn into other streets, the signs aren't in obvious places and often only on one side of the road. That said, I successfully fumbled my way along the route.
Ultimately, toward the end of my journey, I deviated from the route offered by the hotel so that I could plod along the narrow paths of one of the canals. The canals provide a pretty break from the buildings and rowhouses, and are soothing in a way I don't have the words to describe. I'm glad I made the detour to capture some of the spaces tucked away in one of the parks.In other news that I like to categorize under "awesome," I've finally broken through whatever barrier sat between me and increasing my speed again. I'm feeling like I'm finding my stride and it's all downhill from here (not really, actually I should say uphill because I'm a better uphill runner). If this keeps up, I'm on the right path toward achieving one of my big speed goals. So, I'm going to add today's fun run through Den Haag, to last week's two great races (including pacing the Annapolis 10-miler and conquering the brutal hills at Dreaded Druid) and the fact that I am caught up on my mileage for the first time this year (logged 145 miles running in August) and call it a win.
I'm hoping to ride this tidal wave of great running vibes through the fall racing season and come out on top. Happy trails!!!
2015 miles to date: 824.77 miles
Observations: Not to beat my own drum, but I feel like I'm killing it. Aside from that dreaded back pain as a result of treadmill runs, everything else is holding together. The added strength training sessions are also paying dividends. I just may make it out of my overzealous fall racing schedule unscathed. The one thing I need to do soon is buy new shoes. I can feel this current pair beginning to give and I'll need time to break in another pair before the race season kicks into high gear.
