10K Once Around the Herndon Parkway (clockwise)

For my last run before the Cherry Blossom 10 Miler on Sunday I felt like running 6 miles.  That's once around the Herndon Parkway, so off I went...

I chose clockwise because it starts with a wicked hill and then a gentle downhill for the first mile or so.  Then it's 4 miles of steady but gradual uphill running and then, finally, the last mile is downhill which is a great way to finish.

I have to admit, I have a little pain in my ankle. It's not stopping me from running.  It's just there.  After the 10 Miler I have to take a week off and rest it and then see how it feels.  I think it's a tendon issue which usually recovers with time off.  I can afford to take a few weeks off but no more (if I'm going to be ready for the MCM Historic Half on May 20th).

7 Mile Loop... W&OD to Runnymead to Folly Lick trails

After a particularly poor night's sleep and an especially stressful day of meetings there's nothing like a run to unwind. My intention was to run interval miles... marathon pace for one mile and then 10k pace for one mile.  I pounded miles 2 and 4 with everything I had but when mile 6 came around (and I was heading uphill mostly) I didn't have anything left.  Still, considering the night and day I had, I'm pretty damned happy with how I ran!

10 Miles on the W&OD Trail

I recently told a friend of mine "bad runs are better than no run at all", and this is a run that proves that point. I'm happy I did it, but just about everything that can go wrong in a run happened today. It started with rain after the first mile. Then a round of diarrhea at mile 1.6 (thank goodness for the Reston Town Center public bathrooms), then bloody nipples at mile 4 (crappy bandages sweated off), and finally I had some ankle pain during the return trip (icing it now, we'll see how it feels tomorrow).

But I did what I wanted... I ran 10 miles at approximately a 9:00 pace. This confirms to me that I'm ready for the Cherry Blossom Ten Miler next weekend. Bring it on!

8 Mile Loop : DC-VA-DC, Two Bridges and Three Trails (again)

I ran the same basic loop as I ran last Tuesday, but instead of following the C&O Canal trail in Georgetown I decided to head down to the Georgetown Waterfront development's trail instead.  I did this to avoid the Canal path's gravel which gets in my shoes, and is also prone to puddles and has a few street crossings as well.  The Waterfront trail is level and has nice views of the Potomac River and Rosslyn, and it hooks up with the Rock Creek Parkway trail.  This route does take about a quarter-mile off of my loop so when I got back towards the Mall I opted to run around the Potomac River side of the Tidal Basin instead of heading up Independence Avenue as I did last time.

Funny thing, my run was the exact same time (within a few seconds) of my run last Tuesday.  I guess I'm getting good at maintaining a steady pace.  I've been focusing on running at a consistent "PLE" (Perceived Level of Exertion) rather than focusing just on pace.

8 Mile Loop : DC-VA-DC, Two Bridges and Three Trails

Today I left work at 9:00 to go running.  The morning rain had stopped but the clouds were still providing good cover.  Temperatures were comfortable in the high 50s (maybe low 60s).  I'd had coffee earlier as well as my morning oatmeal at 6:30.  Right before I left I had a ClifBar and I brought water with me.

This time I focused on keeping my pace closer to 9:00 than before when I tried (and failed) to complete this 8 mile loop.  The first mile, though, I had to rush to get out of the higher-traffic/touristed areas of DC.  Once I got to the bridge over the Potomac I brought the speed down.

I felt really good on this run and will enjoy doing it again and again this summer.

5 Miles DC-VA-DC Loop

Today I went over the 14th Street Bridge again but came back over Memorial Bridge. That cut the loop down to 5 miles which was manageable for today's warmer weather. It's getting to the point where I'll have to do my runs earlier in the day to avoid the heat. And the Cherry Blossom gawkers were out in full force today which made the first mile difficult. But still, it was a great run today all things considered.

7 Miles DC-VA-DC... Two Bridges and Three Trails

After work I ran the new loop trail I ran last Wednesday, this time with more success.  I'm enjoying this new route a lot.  It's scenic and not terribly crowded and once I get to the 14th Street Bridge it has very few road crossings.

Today the weather was cool and by the time I was finishing the 7th mile there was a slight drizzle.  But it was perfect running weather and I think that's why I was able to run further than the last time I ran this route.  However I ran about 2 hours after eating lunch and that didn't sit too well (not that there were any problems, but I felt the food still sitting in my stomach for the entire run).  Also I ran too fast a pace for this distance.  If I'd taken 15 seconds a mile off my pace I might have completed the loop (maybe).  I'll try that next time.

6 Miles from DC into VA and back.

I'd planned an 8 mile loop to run during lunch.  The loop is very scenic and interesting, going through the Tidal Basin area, the Mt. Vernon Trail by Roosevelt Island, and then by Georgetown and the C&O Canal before coming back on the Rock Creek Parkway Trail next to the Kennedy Center and finally the Mall and all the monuments.

I felt good to start, but by mile 5 I had a little pain in my ankle.  I rested a bit and finished the 6th mile but then figured I shouldn't push myself too hard.  I had to walk 2 miles back to the office.

6 Miles on the W&OD (non-consective)

I was not prepared for 80 degree weather!  After a hard and frustrating day of work I thought a nice run would make me feel better.  But the temperature shot up to 80 and I wasn't really prepared for that.  My body hasn't adjusted and after 3 miles I felt like I was dehydrated (I brought my two-bottle hydration belt and finished both bottles) and I was feeling sluggish and weak.  Maybe the fact that I ran a fast 5 miles on Sunday contributed a bit to this feeling.  Anyway...  after 5 miles I stopped and walked for a while.  Then after maybe 8 or 10 minutes I ran one more mile at 9:00 / mile. 

St, Patrick's Day 8K in Washington DC

This was my first race of the 2012 season and I feel like I ran it very well. I had negative splits, and I exceeded my goal of approx. 8:00 miles. Correction: the official results were posted.  My pace was 8:05.  The problem?  The Forerunner recorded extra distance for my run (approximately one tenth of a mile) which lowered my average.  The actual distance was 4.97 miles (8K) but my data shows I ran 5.1 miles.  Ah well... maybe I can break the 8:00 mile barrier on my next race.

As usual with races, the first mile was crowded and I really wish people would respect the corral system (grrr!). And I wish I'd managed my fluid intake better... the last mile or two was tough. But really... these were small complaints on an otherwise amazing race day. Whoop!!!

I met up with a couple of my on-line running club buddies (Mynor and Shawn) before the race and that was a nice bonus.  The weather was crisp and clear and hardly any wind at all.  The course has a number of turnarounds which was annoying (people crowd up taking the inside track) but it goes past the Capital building and also the Air &Space Museum which is nice.  And it's very level too.

Next up... The Cherry Blossom 10 Miler on 4/1/2012.  Whoop! (again)

A fun 6 miles to Hains Point with Tammy K

Today I went for a fun run with my online running buddy Tammy.  She's a bit slower than I am but that made for an enjoyable, stress-free run for me.  The only issue were the 40mph gusts out at Hains Point that slammed us all the way out to the point.  Thankfully the wind was at our back for the return!

This is probably my last run until the 8K race I've signed up for this Sunday.

10K On the Mall, Around the Tidal Basin and into Virginia's Mt. Vernon Trail

It was a gorgeous day with temperatures in the low 60s.  There was a bit of a wind but not too bad (I kept my hat on).  The only real problem I had with today's run is that I had to run after lunch and that didn't go well; I developed cramps after mile 4 and that slowed me down a bit.

Still, the running was good and I felt pretty strong and fairly fast.  I liked this path which I ran for the first time.  Once you get over Memorial Bridge (which is about 2 miles from my office) the Mt. Vernon Trail is very pretty and pretty level too.  I think that there's a way that I could make a loop out of it by coming back across the 14th Street Bridge, but I'm not sure (1) how to get there, and (2) if running on that long, busy bridge would be very enjoyable.  But I may try it one day just to see.

You can see in the chart how I started out fast and slowed down as the miles went by.  I think I'll focus again on pacing and running negative splits.  I definitely need to get control over my pacing if I'm going to meet my new goal of running a 4 hour marathon.

Oh, and by the way, today I registered today for the 2012 Marine Corps Marathon.  Yes... I did.

Intervals on the W&OD Trail (7.75 miles)

I programmed my Garmin Forerunner with a custom workout.  One mile of warm-up followed by 8 intervals of .5 miles between 8:00 and 8:30 / mile followed by .25 miles of rest at 9:00-9:30 mile.  Then a short cool-down run.  It was fun, but I need to tweak the rest speed (lower) and tighten up the speed interval (there's a 30 second variance which is too big).  Here's the graph...

7 (non-continguous) Miles on the W&OD

Thursday after work I went out to run 8 miles, but I've been enjoying running a fast pace (my last 10k run was so fast).  So I went out too fast and couldn't keep pace for 8 miles.  I quit after 5.3 and walked a bit, then ran another mile and then walked and then finally ran one more mile.

Here's the chart of the first 5.3 miles.

In the future I'll plan my runs and run my plans.  Promise.