Bayootiful....

Credit goes to my buddy Lara for this photo.  I didn't have my
phone with me, but she recently posted a photo from this
particular route through Bay Ridge...beautiful, right?
 

Can a Saturday get better than spending it do all your favorite things?  No.  Especially when the weather is in the 60s and the sun is shining.

After taking the diva to her gymnastics class today I offered to take her for a long run in the jogging stroller so that I could get in a few sunny miles.  My husband counteroffered.  He recommended we go to Quiet Waters Park so the diva could ride her bike and expend vast amounts of energy on the playground while I expended vast amounts of energy pounding the pavement.  Who can argue with that? 

So, dressed with my best "I can't wait for this" smile, I waved as I left them in the parking lot and hit the perimeter trail leading for the front gate to the park.  Oh no, no running in circles around the perimeter trail for me today.  With the sun shining, this running gal was heading out to Bay Ridge to enjoy the sun sparkling on the bay.  Yes, it was a totally zen day for running.

My goals for the day were to see if I could slow my pace down.  Just last night I agreed to volunteer as a pacer for the Zooma Annapolis half marathon in June.  I'll be pacing the 2:10:00 group.  How hard can it be to slow down?  Ummm, a lot harder than you think.  I set off thinking to myself that I was ambling along, only to look down at the Garmin and realize I needed to slow down by about 45 seconds per mile to hit the right pace. 

That's going to take practice, so instead I just decided to slow down a little and enjoy the scenery (I like window shopping the houses in the Bay Ridge neighborhood and imagining myself sitting on my front porch looking out to the Bay Bridge or the eastern shore over my morning cup of coffee) over the next 11 miles...a lot of it stretching out along the bay.  People were out and about prepping lawns for spring, walking their dogs, riding their bikes, enjoying a glass of wine on the picnic tables lining parts of the beach.  It was that kind of day.

I was both happy and sad to turn back toward the park to complete my run.  Happy to play in the sun on the playground with my kid, feeling awesome from my run.  And sad that there wasn't more time in the day to enjoy the serenity of my thoughts and my running shoes.

I reached the park to see a smiling face swinging high above the playground on her swing.  We played a little longer, letting the diva show me her new found rock climbing skills, before heading off to buy preschool safety scissors so she could cut her way through all the construction paper her little heart desired.  Yeah, I could take days like this everyday.  Happy trails!!!

Stats -
Miles:  11.01
Time:   1:43:25 (average pace of 9:23 per mile)
Feeling:  Completely at home

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

Adding to the jogging pleasure...

I have been looking forward to today's run for several days.  Why?  Well, today Brie and I switched up the routine and took along the kids.  Yep, my second run with the jogging stroller (see more on the jogging stroller saga below) and the added pleasure of new running partners, or rather spectators.  All around an enjoyable effort.


We started out a little late, but since the weather was cooler than it has been, it actually wasn't an issue.  We headed downtown toward City Dock and the playground on Newman Street.  This is a really cool playground if you have kids.  It's got just about everything you could imagine for the kids.  The diva still enjoys swings and slides over most other playground elements, but she is curious about tunnels.

After the playground, we headed over to City Dock to feed the ducks...feeding frenzy doesn't quite do justice to the melee in ego alley.  And took in the farmer's market to buy some great heirloom tomatoes to make BLTs for lunch (also got some zucchini to make bread, but that will have to wait a couple days).

Following the downtown events, we headed back up to Franklin Street - quieter and more shade covered than West Street, and then shimmied over to Poplar Trail.  I don't want you to get the idea that this was an easy run.  No way, I'm no where near accustomed to a jogging stroller, but it was great fun...especially with new jogging partners.  We ended with one smily boy and one rather tuckered out little girl.  I hope these two will grow up to be great friends...there mamas certainly are.

Now for the jogging stroller drama....wellnot so much drama as just determining that I really dislike my jogging stroller.  Sure its heavy, the combined weight with the diva means I'm pushing around 60 pounds.  That's not a big deal.  What I don't like is that I have no maneuverability, which is crummy on windy trails.  The seat sits too far back, so the diva has to lean forward to see around her.  And that means if we hit a bump her head is bumped against the unpadded side rails.  All in all, sucky.  So what's the solution?  I researched jogging strollers and reviews and will be the proud owner of the Joovy Zoom 360 by the end of the week.  I should have improved maneuverability, good suspension, better seat position...and a cup holder for me :)  I'll be sure to review the stroller after using it.

Finally, I logged this morning's run only to discover I was 0.07 miles from hitting my target for the week.  So what did I do?  I went out and ran a couple more miles.  It was warmer than this morning, and certainly less shade covered running the cloverleaf in Chesapeake Preserve, but felt decent and got the job done.

I'm hoping for more opportunities to get outside this week, as opposed to my treadmill running of the past two, though this will mean time with the dreaded Baby Trend jogging stroller.  Perhaps I can find a long straight road.  Happy trails!!!

Stats -
Miles:  6.11 in the morning, 2.26 in the afternoon
Time:  Not sure about the morning (forgot the watch) but the afternoon was 19:20 (average 8:33)
Location:  All around Annapolis & Chesapeake Preserve
Feeling:  Hot and sweaty, but the muscles were working well