The nanny brigade...

It must have been that time of day. The perfect hour between lunch and the parents coming home from work. When the parks are populated by the under 5 crowd and their paid caretakers...and the sidewalks are clogged with strollers. That's when I was running and had to swerve and leap in order to find my few inches of pavement without being run over by an errant stroller wheel. But you know what? It's kind of cool. Whatever the reason, these kids get some outside play time. Fewer kids today are getting the real kid time they need and we thrived on when growing up.

Aside from that, day's like today are becoming more rare as we inch our way to summer. Sun shining high in the sky, the azaleas bushes glowing with color, the temperatures manageable. That said, I have come to a recent conclusion - the air in Washington is heavier and more pollen-ridden than that in Annapolis. Lately I feel like my lungs are clear when running at home, but I'm breathing harder at work. Here's my theory...Annapolis is surrounded by water, yes, but has a very wide bay that gathers and pushes air through town and cleans out the rough stuff. DC on the other hand, while flanked on both sides by water, is also a bowl that holds the air in place. Sounds about right doesn't it? Perhaps, in the meantime I'm going with it.

In two days though, the strollers and the heavy air won't matter. I'll be dodging the raindrops falling from the sky during the Mulligan Metric Marathon along with my great running pal to celebrate my 36th birthday. Happy trails!!!

Stats -
Miles: 4.53
Time: 37:37 (average pace of 8:18 per mile)
Location: Capitol Hill, Lincoln Park, Stanton Park
Feeling: A little tight across my back from yoga, but otherwise good

Pollen exposure causes insanity...

Rather than being smart and running after dark tonight - you know, when the sun has gone down and the temperatures are a little easier on the system - I fell victim to the chemical in pollen that makes you do crazy stupid things, like run in wilting heat and blazing sun. If the universe was sadistic, it would have caused me to pass out on the sidewalk as punishment...and then it would have laughed. After all, I had the option to wait, right? Perhaps not, especially if my theory is proven that pollen actually causes you to do insane things...momentary insanity if you will.

Here's my internal dialogue prior to running this afternoon: "It's really not that bad. And if you run now you can go to yoga tonight (which I still plan on hitting, thank you). Run now, get it over with. You can just stay on the shady side of the streets, under the tree cover, and it won't be so bad." Wouldn't you know, I had a hard time finding the shade that those beautiful trees provide. I guess when the sun is at high noon, not even the trees are willing to protect you. This idea to run was getting worse by the 100 meters. I swear every other stupid person I passed who was also jogging looked ready to call for an ambulance. I'm fairly certain I even saw the Capitol dome sweating. So, what started out as an effort to try to get in 5 miles fell 1.5 miles short, because all I wanted was a cold shower. Oh yeah, did I also mention I failed to adequately hydrate this morning? I was so desperate, that this kiddie pool on East Capitol Street looked very inviting. Next time folks, I don't care if its trespassing, I'm diving in.

So, here's to lessons learned. While technically its going to get much much hotter this summer, and I'll eventually get used to it, you should always approach a drastic swing in weather with respect...or at least make sure the pollen count is really low. Happy trails!!!

Stats -
Miles: 3.5
Time: 30:31 (average sluggish pace of 8:43 per minute)
Location: Capitol Hill, Lincoln Park, Stanton Park
Feeling: While the muscles felt good, the brain really needs checked

Ghastly glow....

No doubt you saw those two glowing sticks from your flight above DC. No, they weren't glow sticks...they were my winter pale legs peeking out from shorts while I ran through today's 70+ degree weather! Yes, shorts season may be here to stay, which means I need to either get some natural sun or invest in a good self tanner. I mean, I don't want to scare people with these things right? And I'm certainly not going to stuff them in pants, not when I can feel the warm sun beating down on them. Woohoo.

Too bad the quality of the run didn't match the quality of the day. We need a bit of strong rain to clear out some of this pollen. It makes it challenging for someone like me - who suffers seasonal allergies - from getting those deep breaths that make the run seem like a breeze. It was fine though, I just enjoyed getting out at cruising through Capitol Hill and Lincoln Park. The trees are really blooming like mad and the sun just sparkled. The legs felt good (after 16 miles over the weekend, I wasn't sure if I'd get a bit of stiffness, but not a bit). Dare I shoot for another 25+ mile week? Well, I've got the drive, so let's get it done. Happy trails!

Stats -
Miles: 3.39
Time: 29:46 (average pace of 8:47 per mile)
Location: Capitol Hill and Lincoln Park
Feeling: tight lungs good legs