7 Miles - Hains Point and the Mall

Today was another unseasonably warm day.  It was in the 50s when I ran during lunch... slightly overcast but no wind.  I ran to the end of Hains Point and was still feeling strong so I went for the loop down to the Lincoln Memorial and up Constitution Avenue and back to work.  Still a slight twinge in my left knee after 5 or so miles, but not too bad.  We'll keep an eye on that!

10K Once Around the Herndon Parkway (again)

I ran the Herndon Parkway loop again, but this time in a clockwise direction.  I was slower, but I can't say how much since my Garmin apparently wasn't charged by my PC over night.  It was approx. 60 minutes for the 6.4 mile loop.  I was a bit tired out from Handan's birthday dinner the night before, and also I had eaten too much for lunch before the run.

10K Once Around the Herndon Parkway

As long as I've lived in Herndon I've never once ran (or walked for that matter) around the Herndon Parkway.  It's a nice enough road that circles the town of Herndon.  It has a sidewalk on both sides and well marked road crossings.  I've run parts of it during the Herndon 10K last summer but never made it all the way around.  I didn't even know exactly how far a round trip would be.

So today I ran one lap of the Herndon Parkway.  Turns out it's just a little longer than 10K.  It's not a bad run except for the occasional car exhaust and about three or four traffic crossings at major roads.  And some hills.

10K on a Hilly Loop

I mapped out a 2.1 mile loop through the local hilly streets today. I'm lucky in that I live within a mile of both the highest and lowest points in the town of Herndon. My loop course takes in both those points. I ran the loop three times to make a 10k run. I felt good but I think I developed a blister on my left foot (ball of the foot behind the big toe). Also my left knee twinged a bit on the last loop during the downhill sections.

2.5 Miles Treadmill

I guess my legs were still tired from the 10 mile run two days ago.  I tried to run 30 minutes using the hill program, level 10.  But after 20-something minutes I had no energy left in my legs and I bailed out.

10 Miles on the W&OD Trail

It was 38 degrees outside, but not too windy, so I decided to run outside today instead of on the treadmill. I wasn't sure how far I wanted to run, but as I approached the 4 mile mark I was feeling pretty good so I decided to continue to 5 miles out before I turned around to come back. By the time mile 8 rolled around I felt a little twinge in my left knee so I took a 30 second break to stretch and then continued on. I took another short (15 second?) break at mile 9 at the traffic light on Elden Street. Other than that I ran non-stop with my mid-foot strike and liked it.

Excluding my short breaks I duplicated my time in the Army Ten-Miler from last October. I think that's pretty good considering the temperature today and the fact that I'm new to this running style.

3.3 Miles on the Treadmill

Today I ran 3.3 miles in 30 minutes (6.5 mph with a little sprint of 8 mph at the end) on the Herndon Community Center treadmill.  I ran the hill program at level 10 (out of 20).

6 Miles on the Treadmill

I ran the hill program for 6 miles at level 4. Alas this will be my last run in Saucony Kinvara 2s. I've come to the conclusion that the toe box just isn't big enough for my wide foot.

3.5 Miles on the Treadmill

Today I tried out a pair of Saucony Kinvara 2s which I picked up yesterday after work.  These have been highly recommended to me as a good shoe for my new mid-foot striking gait.  They're lightweight without a lot of heel-to-toe drop.  They don't come in wide widths though, and I was worried that they might not be good for my wide foot.  I bought a pair of size 12s which felt pretty good in the store.

I should mention that I also tried on a pair of Brooks TrueGrit lightweight running shoes at the store and LOVED the way they felt on my foot.  But at $100 a pair I thought I'd try the $60 Kinvaras first (especially since they'd been so highly recommended).

I set the treadmill for 1.0 incline and started at 6.5 mph.  Then I increased the speed by 0.2 mph each 5 minutes until the last 5 minutes where I increased by 0.1 mph every minute.  I ended up running an average of 7.0 mph over 30 minutes.

The shoes felt pretty good.  No blisters and a nice snug fit.  They may be too narrow however.  I'm still on the fence about that.  Maybe one more run tomorrow to see if I can convince myself either way.  Stay tuned...

8 Miles on the W&OD Trail

Wow... it's Jan 12th and it was in the high 50s when I came home for work (maybe even 60). What a day for a run! I set out to run 8 miles and this time I did it, even with some digestive complaints near the 7 and 8 mile marks. Running a few hours after lunch is NOT a good idea.

3.3 Miles on the Treadmill

I ran the hill program at 6.5 mph.  I started at level 9 for the first 20 minutes but I got tired and dropped to level 1 to finish.  Not a great workout, but I think I was tired after the 6 miles on the Mall yesterday plus a full day's work with not enough sleep.

6 Miles on the Mall

After work today (around 2:30) I ran from the Smithsonian Castle building to Virginia via Memorial Bridge.  I went as far as the Arlington Cemetery visitor's center and then turned around to come back.  I came back up the Mall as far as the East Wing of the Art Museum and then turned back to the Castle building.  That made a nice 6 mile loop.

I felt very good... comfortable with my mid-foot strike.  My legs were feeling strong until the last mile.  I'd like to build my distance endurance back up and this (along with Saturday's 7 mile run) are a good start. 

I hope that tomorrow I can run 8 miles at a slower pace.  The weather is not promising (rain) so I may have to do this on the treadmill which is not an appealing prospect.

5 Miles Around Fredericksburg, VA

Today Handan and I ran with a few members of the online running group I belong to.  Most of them live in the Fredericksburg area and have run together before.  This was new for the two of us.  I have almost always ran alone when training (except for runs with Handan) and the group run 'thing' was really enjoyable.  Everyone ran at a pace that matched the slowest runner and we all talked about different subjects and it was very social.  Good times!

7 Miles on Lee Drive in Fredericksburg, VA

Handan and I had a long weekend's vacation in Fredericksburg, VA to visit with my online running club.  On Saturday Handan went to the hotel gym while I drove out to Lee Drive to run.  I'd heard about this road from the running club and wanted to see what it was all about.  I parked at the first parking area I found and proceeded to run.  I figured I could run 4 miles out and 4 miles back.  The first mile was mostly downhill and I realized I would be hard-pressed to run the last mile all uphill on the return trip.  But I still went out the 4 miles before turning around at the site of the Union Army's break through the Confederacy's ranks (go North!).

Lee Drive is a road with little shoulder, but it's freshly paved and there is VERY little vehicular traffic.  Also there are long sight-lines so the cars can't really sneak up on you.  I never felt in any danger and I really enjoyed the scenery.  Plus the temperatures were spring-like... high 40s to start and peaking in the 60s later that afternoon!

I'd love to run this route again and complete the full loop.  As you can see from the elevation chart (below) I did not run the hill in the last mile and stopped after 7.

4 or 5 Miles on the Treadmill X 2

On Tues and Wed of this week I ran on the treadmill at the Herndon Community Center.  Tues was for High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) and on Wed I ran the hill program.  Each day was 4 or 5 miles (I didn't really pay attention enough to remember).  In general I felt good and they were good workouts (although on the treadmill's hill program I should chose a harder level than Level 8).

3 Miles With My Wife on New Year's Day

I lost my wedding ring on my last run of 2011 when, at mile 6, I took off my gloves and the ring popped off.  So I went out for a slow run/walk with Handan on New Year's Day to go look for it on the trail.  I wasn't sure that it was actually one the trail or not.  It's fallen off once before when I was shopping and on the 30th I'd also been in 4 or 5 stores.  So it could have been anywhere!

But, as luck would have it, I found the ring by the side of the trail.  As I grabbed it I couldn't help but feel a little like Gollum finding "his precious". :)

This was a great start to what I hope to be a great new year of running.  Bring it on!!!