Heat Wave Continues

Today I went for a run in 100% humidity and 78 degrees starting temps. Despite my somewhat early start (only 7am) the air was thick and muggy from the previous day’s thunderstorms and current 4 day heatwave. I laced up for a run early because I was unable to get a run in yesterday due to the afternoon storms, so I gave up my chance to sleep in. Luckily the sun was rising, but a few clouds hung around giving me a partly cloud run with some shade. There have been a lot of article posted online lately about the effects of heat/humidity on training runs and the best advice I have found is: drink water before, during, after and listen to your body. In this heat if your body is just not that into it – stop! There is always another day, so don’t risk it!

Turn Up the Heat Tuesday

Today I went for a run on a tempo Tuesday morning! This week is the start of heat advisory weather. There is no way I was going to get any runs in late in the afternoon this week, so I started out early. My goal was to pick up the pace and try out a tempo like run by adding in some intervals. This is similar to a training run I used last year from my NYRR NYC Marathon training. Overall it was a great run, but the bad news – it was garbage day. There is nothing worse than the smell of garbage on a humid morning.

More importantly tonight is book club and I’m looking forward to hanging out with the girls and taking our meeting on the road to Georgetown!

BWI Long Run

Today I went for a run around the BWI airport for my long run. I have been looking forward to getting in new runs around the Baltimore area, even though running around the harbor is always a great course. The NCR Trail, Ma & Pa Trail, Gunpowder Trails are all great options; as well as, the BWI bike loop.

The paved path loops around the airport and is surprisingly scenic. There are rolling hills, shaded paths through wooded areas, bridges over streams and highways and lastly a great view of planes. We started our run as the sun was beginning to rise and was welcomed by another runners advice about what direction to head and a few other course tips.

At first we were amazed that the path had so many rolling hills (aren’t airports flat?) and second, who knew the path would be so scenic, yet planes were rumbling overhead!? We continued along the path taking in the scenes and greeting bikers who were racing around the loop.

As we continued on it was surprising to see the path at first following roadside before abruptly turning into country fields. And when I say country fields a highlight of the run was running straight through a horse farm!

As we made our way to the east side of the loop, the sun had risen and was becoming stronger. We stopped to refill our water just before the path loop into a shaded area. The trail was 11.5 miles, so once we hit the car we backtracked until we finally made it to 15 miles. Overall it was a great – hot and humid – adventure that I was happy we were able to take that morning. This was a great course to check off the list and definetly one that I would like to do again!

Friday the 12th – Just Another Day

Today I went for a run with the guys around Honeygo. Its Friday, summer, early morning and just an average run before work. Yesterday we had terrible storms blow through the area causing flash flooding. Despite the massive storms, 100% humidity remained and we ran through some sticky air. I’m pretty excited about the upcoming weekend. Tomorrow is the Barre Block Party and I hope to take in two thirty minute classes at the outdoor party. I also hope we get a trip in to DC! Something really exciting is that I found a new running adventure I want to run!

Why did I sleep through my alarm?

Today I went for a run in the mid 80’s, strong sun and just before dinner. It pretty much felt like I was running on an empty tank after returning to work after two weeks off, working through my lunch and not drinking enough water. My alarm went off at 5am, but I just was not motivated to get up and honestly for no good reason!? Well lesson learned! I hit the road around 4:15pm right when the sun starts to lower to that strong ‘in your face’ angle. I turned on my tunes and Van Halen got me moving. I pushed through the hills, busy road with cars cranking AC and strong exhaust fumes and finally made my way home. I didn’t give up, I stayed strong and pushed through on an empty tank.

15 Miles in Lava

Today I went for a run in Lavallette before heading back to Maryland on our last day of vacation. After a terrible attempt at my long run the previous day due to heat and humidity, I set my alarm and was out the door by 4:45am. For the first eight miles the only company I came across were seagulls that were picking through garbage cans that had been left out by tenants the night before. My 15 mile journey began along the boardwalk which provided a preview of the early morning sun beginning to stream through the clouds on the horizon. Next I came up along the sleepy bay where the usual swans were waking and making their way towards the inlet in hopes of a carb breakfast from eager children. I turned back to the main drag and headed north on 35 in the empty bike lane. My mind immediately began to wander as I thought about not only my thirty eight years visiting this town, but the older generations whom lived here.

Fruit bathing suits were all the rage in the 80s… right!?

The town was always an outdoor wonderland for me and my siblings. I learned to bike on sidewalks, swim in the bay, boogieboard in the ocean, and I even convinced my parents to sign me up for a tennis camp! (It really wasn’t a camp, but an hour to hit tennis balls with other kids and give parents a break.) As I made my way north on my run scenes of new, refurbished beach bungalows (that Superstorm Sandy destroyed) came into view and new superstores like Wawa were crammed in odd spaces. The last time a storm caused major damage was back in the 1980s when I was maybe nine. The ocean destroyed the boardwalk and the town decided sand dunes were necessary. These dunes would never stopped the devastating force of Sandy.

Today as the town rebuilds after Sandy and modernizes it is both exciting and frightening. I think back to pictures from my grandmother’s album that show a different time – one that was simple and an adventure.

My Great Grandmother Z behind the wheel.

My grandparents house that would later be demolished due to Superstorm Sandy.

My polish family has been taking crazy adventures ‘down the shore’ since the early 1900’s and eventually established a home there. When my grandparents retired they built their home next to my great grandparents house in 1954 when most of the peninsula was still underdeveloped and actually had WWII bunkers that had been built for protection. Two things continued to replay in my mind as I looped south and enjoyed the wind on my back. First – adventure and challenge is something you shouldn’t shy away from. Thoughts of a crazy polish family making trails up to the beach and riding along dirt roads to a deserted beach is a pretty impressive adventure. (Clearly me running on the newly created bike path – not as adventurous, but that brings me to my second thought…) Development and change brings benefits with costs. We’ve rebuilt with hurricane proof structures, new fancy stores and replaced family owned businesses and changed my childhood sights. I hope to keep coming back for years to come and I hope the area never loses its charm. I’m glad to be able to run up and down the strip with time to reflect on how awesome the area is and the cool adventure my family took to get here. I hope me and the kids have many more adventures and memories here.

To Long Run or Not?

Today I went for a run, but didn’t complete my long run as planned because it was just too humid outside. The last few days the temperatures have been high and humidity full blast. Although the late morning and afternoon were plagued by thunderstorms, the morning consisted of oppressive heat and humidity. I woke up hoping to get out the door at 5:30am, but instead it was closer to 6am and the sun was already bright. I completed a six mile loop and called it quits. Sometimes a run like this is defeating because you gave up on yourself and didn’t have the courage to step out of your comfort zone and persist. It reminds me of one of my favorite quotes about courage – something that helped me in my personal life, in working towards my masters in leadership, in conversations with students and in running:

And that’s what I will do – try again tomorrow. I’m happy to report that despite my crash and burn run we still got out for a great six mile bike ride up and down the island before the storms blew through the area. It was a solid morning and a great way to finish up my vacation that went too fast!

4th of July

Today I went for a run to Seaside Heights and did our own “4 on the 4th” run! It was a pretty warm morning, but Shawn and I planned to do our own 4th of July four mile run and plotted out a route that took us to the end of the Seaside Heights boardwalk. We headed out and made our way south along the bike lane before jumping on the already filling up boardwalk. Despite the 8:30am start, lines to enter the beach were already forming on the boardwalk and creeping into the path of morning bikers and runners. Usually we don’t make our way down to the Seaside Heights boardwalk; however, the patriotic bike parade was taking place on the Lavallette boardwalk, so this was a great new route to try out on a pretty awesome holiday. The rest of the day was filled with perfect weather, the beach, ice cream, a great bbq and great family time.

Long Run Sunday!

Today I went for a run with Amanda and completed our famous Taco Bell Harbor Half! Due to the terrible heat and humidity that has plagued the area, we decided to meet downtown at 5am at the Taco Bell. We snaked around the harbor while catching up about the past few weeks and before we knew it we were at the entrance to the Domino Sugar Plant. At this point the sun had begun peaking through the buildings and we both needed to stop and refill our water bottles. We made our way back to the Canton and luckily felt the long run tiredness, but not overly achy! Running solo is great to clear the mind and get lost in the scenery; however, sometimes a solid long run with a friend is just plain ol’ fun!

Back Home and Humidity is Still in Full Force

Today I went for a run near my house! We arrived back in town yesterday in time for me to squeeze in a barre class before dinner because it was just too warm to run in late day heat. Today I tried to get up early to beat the heat, but it was already warm at 6:15 am when I stepped outside. Even though I was able to fit in runs during my trip to Williamsburg, the heat was really a defeating element and I was not setting any record paces. Even today I started out slow in order to conserve energy, yet the air remained stuffy, and I continued to just feel sluggish. But then I remembered this tip I read in the June Women’s Running Magazine:

Duh! I mean I’m running my 10th Marine Corps Marathon – an achievement ten years in the making when I crossed my first marathon starting line in 2010. The exciting thing about marathon training is the journey – overcoming your own self doubt and running crazy marathon miles! The new adventure of starting a new training cycle is awesome, but not something that defines your running. Completing a run in 100% humidity with the satisfaction that you still got off your butt and ran is just as important as completing 8 x 800’s at a fast pace. Running is a balance of fun, strength and being honest with elements you can’t always control.

(Above photo from: Life in the day of a runner Facebook page)