6+ miles at lunch in 49:38.
Thursday, September 8, 2011
Wednesday, September 7, 2011
Grey and Stormy
Started this post this morning but got distracted. I'll splice in some thoughts now that it's 10:30 pm, with my morning draft between the asterisks.
***
Grey and stormy, more or less in tandem with my mood today. Taking it in stride, as Lee will surely pass and maybe it'll be a little cooler and dryer at the other end. Hanging on to the fact that despite the bad weather I've somehow managed to get 3 more or less dry runs in the past 24 hrs.
Yesterday morning, double branch commute in 54:34. Felt slow and turned out to be slow. Romanticized the fact that I had three letters in my pack. One for New York City, one for Wisconsin, one for Colorado. Followed up with a mile of barefoot and some light strength work at the gym.
Took a more direct route on the way home for 6 miles in 49:00. Pretty blah run.
***
I suspected this morning's commute would be work, and it was. This coincided with the mid-run thought this is no longer utility, or fun, or exercise. Feeling creaky, and took me a good half of the run to get into a rhythm. Found a second wind at halfway and motored the 5 uphill CCT miles in a negative split. Can't help but wonder if I'm in a little over my head this time around. I know these thoughts are a product of my gloomy mindset, so I'm taking this with a grain of salt.
11 miles, 1:28:28. Looking forward to a couple of low key days before the weekend.
***
Grey and stormy, more or less in tandem with my mood today. Taking it in stride, as Lee will surely pass and maybe it'll be a little cooler and dryer at the other end. Hanging on to the fact that despite the bad weather I've somehow managed to get 3 more or less dry runs in the past 24 hrs.
Yesterday morning, double branch commute in 54:34. Felt slow and turned out to be slow. Romanticized the fact that I had three letters in my pack. One for New York City, one for Wisconsin, one for Colorado. Followed up with a mile of barefoot and some light strength work at the gym.
Took a more direct route on the way home for 6 miles in 49:00. Pretty blah run.
***
I suspected this morning's commute would be work, and it was. This coincided with the mid-run thought this is no longer utility, or fun, or exercise. Feeling creaky, and took me a good half of the run to get into a rhythm. Found a second wind at halfway and motored the 5 uphill CCT miles in a negative split. Can't help but wonder if I'm in a little over my head this time around. I know these thoughts are a product of my gloomy mindset, so I'm taking this with a grain of salt.
11 miles, 1:28:28. Looking forward to a couple of low key days before the weekend.
Monday, September 5, 2011
Unmappable
Have a lot on my mind today but unfortunately not a whole lot of time to write about it here. Had a pretty great run with Rob in the park this morning along some trails that are becoming more familiar with each pass. Had today not been a holiday I would have done the run commute both ways, but I've opted to save that for tomorrow. Feel good enough to want to go out again this afternoon but I'm redirecting my desire for more work into a few other things I've needed to get done.
One of the themes of the conversation this morning was social perceptions of authority, along with expectations of the behaviors and attitudes that go along with persons in positions of power. Kind of a vague summary but the talk was spurred in part by mention of some family and acquaintances in the law enforcement and corrections fields. The Stanford prison experiment was referenced. Not sure where we ended up besides agreeing that individual behaviors are often not simply a reflection of one's character (although that's an important part), but a product of many personal and social factors that are fairly interwoven. Life's complicated, in other words.
Ran into Stewart and his gang briefly. Only know him from the few times I've crossed paths with him on the trails, and he's a pretty amicable guy. Frequently wears gaiters and talks about 50 mile training runs. I'll save that kind of run for life and death, thank you. Today he joined us for a mile or so before splitting off. The Rock Creek trails are unmappable, but I'm calling the 1:05 effort 8 miles today.
One of the themes of the conversation this morning was social perceptions of authority, along with expectations of the behaviors and attitudes that go along with persons in positions of power. Kind of a vague summary but the talk was spurred in part by mention of some family and acquaintances in the law enforcement and corrections fields. The Stanford prison experiment was referenced. Not sure where we ended up besides agreeing that individual behaviors are often not simply a reflection of one's character (although that's an important part), but a product of many personal and social factors that are fairly interwoven. Life's complicated, in other words.
Ran into Stewart and his gang briefly. Only know him from the few times I've crossed paths with him on the trails, and he's a pretty amicable guy. Frequently wears gaiters and talks about 50 mile training runs. I'll save that kind of run for life and death, thank you. Today he joined us for a mile or so before splitting off. The Rock Creek trails are unmappable, but I'm calling the 1:05 effort 8 miles today.
Sunday, September 4, 2011
Go Grandma's!
Just a quick one this morning. Refreshing, nice morning although muggy. Lots of folks out there today. Was wearing my Grandma's finishing tee, which is one of those fitted synthetic types. Decided I don't care much to run in it, as I'd rather have something looser fitting. 5 separate people said "Go Grandma's!" to me as I passed, which was strange. 4 of them were on bikes. Weird. DC does have a disproportionate number of Minnesotans, but otherwise I can't explain it.
A hair under 4 miles in 31:46. Pretty much exactly what I was looking for. Followed up with a 1/2-mile of barefoot on the trail.
A hair under 4 miles in 31:46. Pretty much exactly what I was looking for. Followed up with a 1/2-mile of barefoot on the trail.
Saturday, September 3, 2011
15 minute rule
I've instituted a 15 minute rule for this post. More on that in a minute (or 13).
Late night yesterday, and I didn't sleep very well (humidity does that to me) so it was a little tougher than usual to pop out of bed early this morning. Met Rob down in RCP for some company on my long run. This is somewhat of a weekend routine now, and it's nice to have someone to consistently run with.
Started out on what we call the Zoo Loop, which heads down Beach Drive (Rock Creek Trail) and cuts out of the valley through the zoo. That means the zoo path (which is conveniently open beginning pretty early in the morning, when there's no crowd) is uphill the whole way. The hill doesn't stop there, but continues up Connecticut Ave up to Chevy Chase Circle. At that point it becomes a rolling course until you ultimately drop back downhill into the park and back to the start.
It's exactly 10 miles, which is great because you can do a loop during the week and be satisfied. Or, like I did back in May, you could string two of the loops together for a Double Zoo Loop and get all you ever wanted out of a long run.
Today I peeled off as Rob called it a day at 10 miles. That's where his training runs end these days, on account of not really needing to run any further and also some knee issues. The stretch went by at about a 7:40 clip, which was tough to start but felt great after a couple miles.
I half-heartedly said before the 10-mile loop ended that I would "see how fast I could cruise the last 8 miles." I'm not really one to go back on a dare, so of course I picked up the pace a little for the rest of the run. Started the same zoo loop, but turned back at Connecticut Ave and retraced my steps.
I lost a little bit of momentum with a couple miles left to go, but I solidly maintained my pace and feel pretty good about the way the run turned out. I guess it was one of those "fast finish long runs" I read about. Covered the final 8.8 miles at a 7:12 clip.
All in all, 18.8 miles in 2:19:56. Great long run, definitely a harder effort, but feeling good.
And now I'm left with one minute to explain my first sentence. Sometimes I feel like I take too much time and filter too many of my thoughts before getting them out here. It's easy to spend needless time pondering what to write when really I should just be reflecting, or that's what I want anyway. So now it'll be a race against the clock, as my running, to lay it down. Gotta go, outta time.
Late night yesterday, and I didn't sleep very well (humidity does that to me) so it was a little tougher than usual to pop out of bed early this morning. Met Rob down in RCP for some company on my long run. This is somewhat of a weekend routine now, and it's nice to have someone to consistently run with.
Started out on what we call the Zoo Loop, which heads down Beach Drive (Rock Creek Trail) and cuts out of the valley through the zoo. That means the zoo path (which is conveniently open beginning pretty early in the morning, when there's no crowd) is uphill the whole way. The hill doesn't stop there, but continues up Connecticut Ave up to Chevy Chase Circle. At that point it becomes a rolling course until you ultimately drop back downhill into the park and back to the start.
It's exactly 10 miles, which is great because you can do a loop during the week and be satisfied. Or, like I did back in May, you could string two of the loops together for a Double Zoo Loop and get all you ever wanted out of a long run.
Today I peeled off as Rob called it a day at 10 miles. That's where his training runs end these days, on account of not really needing to run any further and also some knee issues. The stretch went by at about a 7:40 clip, which was tough to start but felt great after a couple miles.
I half-heartedly said before the 10-mile loop ended that I would "see how fast I could cruise the last 8 miles." I'm not really one to go back on a dare, so of course I picked up the pace a little for the rest of the run. Started the same zoo loop, but turned back at Connecticut Ave and retraced my steps.
I lost a little bit of momentum with a couple miles left to go, but I solidly maintained my pace and feel pretty good about the way the run turned out. I guess it was one of those "fast finish long runs" I read about. Covered the final 8.8 miles at a 7:12 clip.
All in all, 18.8 miles in 2:19:56. Great long run, definitely a harder effort, but feeling good.
And now I'm left with one minute to explain my first sentence. Sometimes I feel like I take too much time and filter too many of my thoughts before getting them out here. It's easy to spend needless time pondering what to write when really I should just be reflecting, or that's what I want anyway. So now it'll be a race against the clock, as my running, to lay it down. Gotta go, outta time.
Friday, September 2, 2011
Sleeping In
Not a whole lot to report today. Planned easy day where I even let myself sleep in. I also happened to fall asleep a bit earlier than usual last night. The net result was a long, hard night of restful sleep. I don't know how I convince myself it's OK to do this only once in a while. What a difference.
Hopped on the treadmill for a short 3 miles in 25 minutes after the bike commute. Catch you on the flip.
Hopped on the treadmill for a short 3 miles in 25 minutes after the bike commute. Catch you on the flip.
Thursday, September 1, 2011
Beach Drive Tempo
Short quick one this morning. Warmed up, then had a goal of splitting the 3 miles between the Zoo and Taylor St on this route in 20-21 minutes. Hit the split in exactly 20 minutes, which surprised me as I had no pace feedback along the tempo course. My pace varied with the terrain, and the feared Mathewson hill, where I've done hill repeats in the past, definitely made me burn. Happy with the effort, and it was nice to run short. 5.9 miles in 43:22.
My right forefoot was bugging me again and I suspect it's related to my footwear, which has gone from supportive to fairly minimal in a short amount of time over the summer. Yesterday seemed better and I was wearing some more traditional padded shoes. I'll continue to sub in the beefier shoes and maybe try a metatarsal pad (had luck with them in the past) and see what happens. I'm definitely into the lighter shoes but there is a transition rate that I'm probably slightly exceeding.
In other news, it seems I may have the opportunity to do some international travel for work in October. It's unclear how this will affect my marathon plans, but it's likely that if the dates conflict (MCM is Oct 30) I'll probably take the work opportunity. Sort of highlights my lack of true commitment to this marathon in that I could go either way, and I'm not sure what that means. It definitely makes me less apt to push through any nagging injury issues should they fail to improve, and that's kind of a good thing, but it still feels like a cop out. For now I'll continue to build up the longer runs and just wait and see.
My right forefoot was bugging me again and I suspect it's related to my footwear, which has gone from supportive to fairly minimal in a short amount of time over the summer. Yesterday seemed better and I was wearing some more traditional padded shoes. I'll continue to sub in the beefier shoes and maybe try a metatarsal pad (had luck with them in the past) and see what happens. I'm definitely into the lighter shoes but there is a transition rate that I'm probably slightly exceeding.
In other news, it seems I may have the opportunity to do some international travel for work in October. It's unclear how this will affect my marathon plans, but it's likely that if the dates conflict (MCM is Oct 30) I'll probably take the work opportunity. Sort of highlights my lack of true commitment to this marathon in that I could go either way, and I'm not sure what that means. It definitely makes me less apt to push through any nagging injury issues should they fail to improve, and that's kind of a good thing, but it still feels like a cop out. For now I'll continue to build up the longer runs and just wait and see.
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