“You’re a shining star….”

Today I went for a run fueled by an epic friends playlist! I’m going to be honest, despite new tunes and an early start, this run got tough! However, it would have been over before it started if I had not enlisted my awesome friends and their tunes.

At the beginning of the week I knew I was going to tackle the hilly roads around my home for my 18 mile long run. What better way to start building momentum and motivation for this run than to ask my friends for their favorite songs. One of the my Run 40 Throw Down challenges was to run to new tunes. Now, I could have just randomly picked a spotify list, but the purpose of this challenge was for me to get ideas from my friends and hopefully pull from my friends during my run. Well I’m glad I did!!!

Throughout the week friends shared songs with me – generating a very eclectic list. (I even had “motivational” themed music with famous inspirational quotes included like my favorite Rocky quote!!!) Friday night I sat down and downloaded my lists, loaded it up and was very tempted to try it out on my easy run on Saturday. I held off thinking this soundtrack was special, made for this Sunday long run. So I waited.

Sunday I planned to get out by 6am, but 6:20 was the start. A rain/cold front blew through the night before making the temperature pleasant, but once the sun came up a heatwave was arriving. I was hoping to complete twelve easy paced miles before pushing the last six miles. I started my loop and included a few new roads, looped the park and went by a few familiar stretches I had not traveled for a while. Luckily the morning miles were in covered shade (as if I was Molly Seidel searching for shade in Japan) which made running comfortable. I listened to my tunes. A few I had not heard since college, others were classics that I couldn’t help but want to stop and have a dance party and some were just cruise control songs! Zac Brown came on just as I moved towards a few open fields with goats grazing in the distance. It was odd how perfect the music aligned with my run.

I got back to my car hitting twelve miles ready to take on my uptempo miles. Instead, I realized I needed to hit a bathroom. I had grabbed a lime gel, not checking the expiration date, and it was hitting me. Could it have been something else? I guess, but the chances seem very likely that I need to check expiration dates on gels. I can’t be the only one that neglects that!?

After a quick stop at home I was back out the door and lined up ready for my last six miles. I was hoping to do interval style. Once I picked up the pace I realized the sun was no longer hiding and it was HOT. I paused a few times to catch my breath and I felt my heart racing. Was it the heat, my stomach or just a bad run? Either way I was driving that struggle bus as I pushed through those six miles. And what helped me most – my music. Shining Star by Earth Wind and Fire was just what I needed to keep me moving and get me back on track. I thought about each of my friends that had requested music on my list. I could not let them down and bail on this run. So they “ran” with me in spirit. I distracted myself by thinking about how each were a part of my life. They really came through for me. The tunes kept the beat and my friends gave me a lift.

18 miles done! I battled, but in the end I finished my run with more appreciation for my friends and their music.

DC Scavenger Hunt

Today I went for a run in Washington, DC and completed my bucket list scavenger hunt. When I created my bucket list I wanted to include my running friends. Things they liked, places they have run, speedwork they loved and all things they would share. Sometimes motivation can be found in your friends near and far. I decided I needed to turn my upcoming long run into a scavenger hunt for two reasons. First, it was going to be hot and second I wanted to explore DC in a new way. I posted on my social media asking for scavenger hunt suggestions and my friends did not disappoint!!! Run 40 Throw Down Challenge Accepted!

I compiled my list, printed it out and was set to take on DC. I got into town and was ready to run by 6:30am. I began not really knowing where I was going, but started searching for items on my list. My first find was the new WWI memorial, something I put on the list and have been eager to see. I walked around, read and continued on my way. Next stop an abandoned scooter and a Civil War memorial. I turned towards the Mall and looped towards the Capitol Building. The fence had finally been taken down! I snapped a quick shot before heading towards the Esienhower Memorial. I walked through and was amazed by the tapestry of Normandy Beach that was the backdrop for the memorial.

It was clear this run was going to take a bit of time if I was going to keep stopping, but miles are miles and time on my feet is good training. I looped the mall before heading towards Hains Point where I found a golf course. I looped back towards the Lincoln Memorial and across the bridge to Arlington checking off more on my list as I made my way to Georgetown.

As I made my way back to the mall it was nearing 9am and I was running low on water. Due to Covid, water fountains were still turned off. I walked the steps of the Lincoln Memorial and took in the view. Next, I found the Eisenstein statue just off the mall and made it back towards the mall in order to be the first customer in line at the snack shop. After taking a gel and downing my water I looped the Reflecting Pool, WWII Memorial and MLK Jr Memorial.

With one last loop of the mall I headed towards the White House and was able to snap a shot from the famous black gates. With that I looped back to the car, catching the executive symbol in a small gift shop on my way.

Fifteen miles done with one to go. I drove north east on Rhode Island making my way to the Cathloic University of America. My sister graduated there many years go and this was my last mile for her around campus.

This was a great run. Epic in my book. Not because I love running in DC, but because all the people who were with me cheering me on to find their item. In return, I searched for items in order to not let down my friends. My last mile was tough. My sister is with me in so many ways, but her physical presence is missing. There are too many future moments, experiences and words that should happened with her. And that’s when being “choked up” can stop you in your tracks or hault your run as you try to gasp for a breath to calm your grief. Running has helped and I like the time it gives me to work through things, but the newness of this loss is still heavy.

Despite spending over three hours elapsed time to run sixteen miles, I’m happy to complete this challenge for my friends and with my sister always nearby.

Segment Chase

Today I went for a run with crazy wind and a segment chase! Our route started with the normal loop out and back, up and down rolling hills, with wind smacking us in the face on the way out. It was definitely a sigh of relief once we turned around and the wind eased. As we made our way towards our final stretch, we instead took a detour and decided to take on a segment that we had previously discussed.

This segment was a fun one! There was an initial hill (nothing to cry about) and a long steady down towards the finish. So the game plan – as long as we clear the hill, we can lay into the downhill and coast. Soooooo, off we went. The first hill just kept going and just when you thought you hit the crest, you climbed higher. We made it to the down hill portion and it felt like a few seconds later my breath caught up to me. Overall it was a fun stretch and I’m glad we did it. The initial burn made me feel like Fred Flintstone in his car, pedaling super fast, yet not going very far. But once we hit the hill, we embraced the burn and went with it. Talk about a fun Thursday challenge just in time for the weekend!

Ladder Run and Sun

Today I went for a run and completed my first ladder run and a new speed workout off my Run 40 Thrown Down List. Was that a fun run or what!?!?! I am no expert in speedwork and this year to challenge myself in becoming more consistent with speedwork, I chose to expose myself to as my different types of workouts as possible. Enter my running friends and this awesome running community! When I asked what were some of their favorite speed workouts, so many options came flooding in! I compiled my list and here I am starting to make my way through it.

Today I went for a quick ladder run based on something I found on the nike run app. I planned for 200, 400, 800, 400, and 200. Sure I could have added a 1600 maybe repeated it twice and played with the recovery times between, but for my first exposure to this type of workout – I kept it simple. I also had no clue what pace to try for so I guessed.

Overall I think I did an ok job with planning this out! The pace was consisted, but lowered by time I got to the 800s; however, matched the original 400 and 200 as I came back down. It was really a great thing to see on my garmin after my run! So what did I think about this “ladder” run workout – I would totally do this again! I think I have to do some research to see what some others do, how often they repeat, how many steps, recovery time, etc. But at the end of the day I really enjoyed this run and it was a great way to get some speedwork in on a beautiful day!

Harbor 12

Today I went for a run in the Inner Harbor and got in twelve great miles. It seems like forever since I’ve been downtown – at least early December. Today I did my longest consecutive miles since my marathon. I’m not going to lie, I was slow moving towards the end, but nonetheless happy to be out there! I met up with the guys downtown and we immediately got moving. We were on a mission to get to Fells Point around 8am to meet up with two other friends. Perfect timing! We looped around Bond Street Warf and towards the Sandlot where we met up with our tag alongs. It was great! We continued along the harbor towards the downtown area before looping back out towards Key Highway. The sun was up and it warmed things up quickly!!! We chatted about trivia, tv series, netflix and all things funny.

Once we made it to the Domino factory we took a quick photo before heading back on the same route. We dropped off our friends around 9am and made our way back finishing at 9:30am. Perfect timing for me to get back, cleaned up and off to Barre. It was great running with a few new people and back in a familiar route. I was also pretty impressed that I was still able to do my lunges, squats and band work after those miles. We all agreed, these miles were a lot more enjoyable together than solo. This pandemic has been tough and human interaction limited. Although running with face coverings in the city was a challenge, it was worth it to be able to interact with others again. I even got to check off running with someone new from my Run 40 Throw Down list!

New Trail and a New Year

Today I went for a run on New Year’s Day 2021!!! Today I started my #Run40ThrowDown by hitting a new trail with a friend. My quest to work on trail running is mainly to help vary my runs away from my normal routes, but also to try to increase my confidence on uneven terrain allowing me the ability to take on new runs. Today was a great start exploring a new Gunpowder Trail route. Instead of heading straight towards the tunnel, we remained on the east side of Bel Air Road and made our way north towards Mt Vista Road. The flat path along the river was a great way to start the run and gave us a clear view of the Gunpowder River. Next, we headed north and continued the trek on more leaf covered paths with rocks and waterfalls.

The views were great, but I still struggle being able to take them in during the run. My toes grabbed a few stumps and rocks, but I remained on my two feet the entire time. I am embarrassed to say instead of my arms moving in their regular motion, they were extended and flapping as if I might take flight. Despite my awkward balance and motion I completed the run, a full six miles, on the trail!!! I’m hoping as I continue to practice more trail runs, I’ll be able to take in the views as I run, instead of pausing every so often to take in the scene. Not to mention it was great to tag along with my

I can successfully check off my first accomplishment from my list! It feels good to start this new year with a new outlook!