Working on the run...

Warmer temps have arrived.  Green is bursting from the trees.  Flowers are blooming.  Spring is in the air!  That means it's no excuse time for getting outside for a nice run. 

Today for the fitness challenge, we were asked to post a picture of ourselves outside...breaking free from the walls that have penned us in throughout the winter.  What better way to celebrate Earth Day!  So I decided it was time for a semi-annual "Stacie in front of the Capitol" pic.  Enjoy!

As you can tell, this was a "worktime" run.  Sometimes this is the only way to get it done if you work full time and have a family.  I'm often asked how I manage to exercise during the work day.  Tongue in cheek, but total reality, my response is "with my blackberry in hand."  I run during my "lunch break" so I'm not missing the real action.  But I do stop at red lights to keep current with what's happening on the blackberry.  And, rest assured, I am responding throughout my runs to any incoming actions. 

Doesn't that make it hard to get in a worthwhile workout?  Well, no.  My lunchtime runs are almost always base miles.  I save the effort workouts (when I get them in) for a time when my training can be uninterrupted by the outside world.

Base miles are important building blocks for all runners.  There is a training progression that every runner goes through with each new cycle. 

Base miles always on the front end...and throughout.  Which is lucky for me.   Because my work also has me on the road a lot, I tend to spend those weeks focused on base miles.  It can be difficult to schedule much more than that when you are worried about making it from one location to the next or the weather or altitude causes physical changes to your body (like my recent travel through New Mexico, Nebraska and North Dakota where we had altitude, high heat and low heat all in a course of hours).  The one thing that keeps these runs fresh is the every changing scenery.

So, if you are like me and don't like to use work or family as an excuse for not taking care of your training needs, then embrace the base miles.  Happy trails!

Stats -

Miles:  3.1 (Thursday); 4.11 (today)
Time:  26:00 (not a road run); 43:06 (average pace of 10:29)
Location:  Minot North Dakota; Capitol Hill
Feeling:  a little tired

Onward ho...

All good things must come to an end.  The last bit of an ice cream cone.  The last page of a great book.  The final chord of a favorite hymn.  The final steps across the finish line of an amazing race.  And yes, even maternity leave.

This past week has been a celebration of my time at home with Baby K.  We’ve spent more time physically active together.  We had two great power walks this week.  Wednesday was the usual trip to the library.  The day was bright and sunny.  I actually had to take off my track jacket halfway through because (a) it was warm and (b) I was working hard enough to generate a good lather. 

On Friday, Baby K and I had Striders business over at Quiet Waters (mark your calendars for the Anniversary Run 15K on December 14).  While we were there, and since it was an amazing day, we decided to get in our power walk there.  The trail that rings the park was surprisingly bustling with walkers, joggers and strollers for mid-day during the work week.

I’m not much of a walker, but one of the interesting things I’ve learned while power walking these past several weeks with Baby K is that walking can be a great glute workout – especially when you focus on your foot strike, speed and stead movement.  I can’t tell you the number of times I’ve finished and felt like I’d done a workout especially focused on that particularly troublesome muscle for women.  While I’m happy to be moving back into full-time running (not as a function of time or fitness, but because I’ll be going back to my lunch time runs at work), I’ve learned a bit about the benefits of walking.

In addition to the two power walks, I also logged three runs.  Wednesday and Thursday I took on my usual 4 mile route out College Parkway to Log Inn Road and back.  You can tell spring sports season is upon us because I had to play chicken with a number of soccer mom vehicles all rushing to get their kids to practice at Bay Head Park.  Car dodging aside, finding the rhythm that works for my feet, my heart and my head has been invigorating.  You don’t realize how much something is part of you are forced into a bit of a vacation.  This particular route is familiar enough to help me regain that rhythm.

Saturday found me back on the streets of DTA (that’s downtown Annapolis for you non-Annapolitans) with my bestest of best running buddies, Brie.  I was so happy to be hitting the pavement with her.  It’s been months…at least since October.  It’s funny, at the end of 2012 and into 2013 I was getting faster and she was slowing down as she advanced in her pregnancy.  Then this past year she was getting faster as I was slowing down as I advanced in pregnancy.  For the next future period of time, I think we’re both moving forward and eventually I will regain my speed so I don’t slow her down anymore.

Sun and warm spring temperatures propelled us through DTA, across the Naval Academy and back through her neighborhood to browse the yard sales as we made our way back to her house.  It was slow, but improving.  Give me another month and I bet I can bring my average pace down to 9-10 minutes per mile. 

As for the weight loss challenge – week one saw me with an overall body percentage loss of nearly 2%.  I’m not going to lie, ensuring I put down 100 ounces of water a day was tough but the daily booty blast workout was tougher.  Oh yeah, and then I learned that I was doing more than necessary…in fact double on those exercises that should have been alternating legs not the rep number per leg.  Who knows, maybe as a result my booty will be that much more irresistible come bikini season.

So as I return to a more normal routine, back to work, back to normal, I will look back on maternity leave fondly for what it taught me and the time it gave me to be with Baby K but I will look forward to really getting that rhythm back – or maybe even a better rhythm.  Happy trails!!!  

Stats – (There’s a week worth of backlog here, so bear with me)

Miles:  4.01 (Wed), 4.1 (Wed power walk); 4.25 (Thurs); 4.22 (Fri power walk); 7.15 (Sat)

Times:  42:12 (10:31); 1:03:47 (15:33); 45:40 (10:44); 1:10:00 (16:35); 1:19:30 (11:07)

Location:  Broadneck Peninsula and Quiet Waters Park

Feeling:  everything works, despite the exhausted glutes from the booty blast workouts
 

Spring, glorious spring...

Capitol Hill is beautiful in the springtime.  That's why after a week of no running (husband was out of town and I haven't quite figured out how to juggle two kids, my schedule and their schedules on my own...I'll be wonder woman next time), I was more than thrilled to be in DC running on this beautiful evening.

The air is warm, the trees are budding, the parks are full of people and dogs.  Perfect.  Though my legs felt heavy, my heart felt light and the 3.65 miles was very worth it.  I even made this an effort run and pushed a bit harder.

Here's to great running days, and the blooming of the cherry blossoms, ahead!  Happy trails!!!

Stats -
Miles:  3.65
Time:  40:05 (average pace of 10:59 per mile)
Location:  Capitol Hill to Lincoln Park
Feeling:  happy

Go Speed Racer...

Tonight I was feeling peppy. I had a limited amount of time after work for my run tonight, about enough time to do a 4 miler, before I had to cruise back out to Annapolis to check in my stuff for the spring Wee Sale (if you aren't from the Annapolis area, you should check it out...pretty cool kids consignment sale held twice a year). So I hit the pavement as soon after 6pm as I was able.

I decided to do one of my regular routes (sort of) backward, by heading across the East front of the Capitol before heading up to Lincoln Park. Since I was feeling so peppy, I decided to run my first mile (which is usually my slowest) for speed...well wouldn't you know, good ole Stacie turned in a 7:32 mile! That felt pretty good. While I haven't run many single miles to see just how fast I could do it without over-exerting (I probably could still have carried on a decent conversation), I know I haven't put forth a mile this fast in several years.

On to the rest of the run - I generally choose my route based of where the lights are green and tonight this led me toward Tortilla Coast. Since I had a friend in town, and I knew she was going to be hitting the happy hour at Tortilla Coast, I prowled the outside to see if I could find her through the windows....no luck, so off we go. The remainder of the run was fairly par for the course. Great weather, lots of other joggers to smile and nod at, dog hurdling, trash can weaving and even waving at a few work colleagues strolling in the sunshine. Why would anyone complain about that though? Certainly not me, I love it! Happy trails!!!

Stats -
Miles: 4.07
Time: 33:18 (average pace of 8:10 per mile)
Location: Capitol Hill and Lincoln Park
Feeling: Peppy and super fast!

Sights and smells of spring...

What do I love about today? 65 degrees and daffodils (crocuses, flowering trees, etc.) everywhere! The flowers were in abundance (and boy do my allergies feel it), nannies could be seen on every corner with their young wards, and time seemed to be moving slower. Spring has been sprouting for a couple weeks now, but today I truly felt it. There are many things in this world that make me smile, but I truly love the first flowers of spring. So, I was overjoyed to cruise through the neighborhoods of Capitol Hill on a "garden tour" while getting in a couple mile leg stretcher. What a fantastic way to spend the lunch break - exercise, fresh air and a clear mind.

Everything seemed brighter, fresher, and while my run wasn't spectacular (or long...just stretching the legs) it would have been a real shame to miss a day like today. I've also been lagging behind a little bit in reaching my goal for the year, but I'm very glad that we are "scheduled" to have several more days like this in the next week. That should help motivate me to rack up the miles. It makes running that much easier and that much more enjoyable. Next up - cherry blossom season in DC. Happy trails!!!

Stats -
Miles: 2.65
Time: 22:38 (average pace of 8:32 per mile)
Location: Capitol Hill
Feeling: elated for the spring, but the back is still hurting