Washington DC sigh

Today I went tor a run in Washington DC for a half marathon plus three miles. Earlier in the week a friend had mentioned they were running a local run to remember for 9/11. I did a quick search and saw there was a half marathon in DC on the C&O canal this weekend. The 9-11 Memorial Half, sponsored by Wear Blue: Run to Remember. I’ve been trying to get down to DC to do a run, but it hasn’t worked out until now. The kids had sports this weekend, but at later times! So I jumped on board to run the half marathon and then add a loop to the Lincoln Memorial to get a 16 mile total.

The race was pretty fun. We traveled 6.55 miles up the C&O and then returned. At 7:30am it was a little chilly, but I knew the 63 degree weather wouldn’t last long. The first half was great with the shade and low sun; however, the way back started to warm quickly and the uneven ground was wearing on my right hip. I finished with a solid 1:48:27. I ran in intervals, picked it up for four miles then recovering for five minutes. I repeated this three times and it made the run go pretty quickly. After I finished I refilled my water and headed towards the mall at an easy pace. I passed along the Potomac River on the path I always saw during races, but have never explored on a run. I passed the Watergate Hotel and the newly refurbished Kennedy Center. Canoes, SUP and boats cluttered the Potomac River. The path turned and suddenly I was moving through a bunch of volleyball games before finally rounding the circle towards the Lincoln Memorial.

This sight will never get old!!! I made my way up the stairs to visit Abe, read the inscriptions and gazed over the reflecting pool. It was a pretty perfect day and I took it all in. I looped back around the memorial and headed back to my car in Georgetown. What a great way to spend a Sunday morning. I’m glad I had a morning to explore and relax.

Let Soccer and Field Hockey Begin

Today I went for a run and squeezed in four miles after soccer. Crazy Fall has begun!!! Parents are so excited for school to start, but quickly forget the hours spent running kids around to practice, school and games. Today my son had his first soccer game at 9am, which was great for us to have a lazy morning. After the game I decided to get in my run while the other half went food shopping. The ideal 50 degree temperature from earlier in the morning had disappeared. Nonetheless it was a beautiful day to run, perfect sunshine and like Joe Cocker said, “I’m feelin’ alright….”

An Amazing Sunrise

Today I went for a run for the last time during this amazing summer at the shore. What a summer this has been and it seems fitting that my last, longest – long run of this training season should be down at the shore.

Because the temperature was cooler and there was a 10-12mph wind, I decided to head out around 5am. I wanted to run 20 miles, but I talked myself into being happy with 16-18 miles. I mimicked my last long run and headed towards the dimly lit boardwalk. I headed north and was immediately hit by the wind. The water was crashing loudly and I ran up the path on the dunes to see if I could see the tide. Nope.

I continued up the boardwalk passing a few other runners and walkers – something I hadn’t seen earlier this summer. On my way back I paused again to watch the sun spill over the dunes – originating from the water.

It was pretty amazing. I paused, took a few deep breaths and tried to memorize every detail of this moment. This is the memory I need to pull out during that, “when life gets crazy in a moment,” and remember the calmness that was embracing me. This brought me satisfaction as I continued to loop around Lavallette, next towards the bay and stopping again to say a farwell to the iconic water tower.

By time I reached Seaside early sunlight had now begun to flood the streets. The sun; however, had not yet made its appearance on the horizon. As I came down the boardwalk I was joined by a dozen who were hurrying towards the railing to watch the exact moment the sun made its appedance in the horizon.

I couldnt help but joined the group on the railing. It was pretty amazing to be sharing this moment with a bunch of strangers who hadn’t been around much the earlier mornings during the summer. I looped through Seaside thinking about the fun we had on the boardwalk this summer winning prizes and playing in arcades.

All things must come to an end, but this summer was filled with such amazing, quality family time – it reminds me how tough it is to be apart from them. After ten miles I stopped back at the house to refill my water, to take a gel and to see if anyone else was awake. My sister and family had begun to move around, but my kids were no where in sight. I headed back out to finish my last half. Despite the sun being up, the shore breeze helped to keep me cool. In no time eight miles were done and I arrived back at the house. I felt great, so I asked my huband to bike next to me for two more miles and with his company I finished twenty. Now the only thing left to do was enjoy one more beach day.

First 20 miler!

Today I went for a long run and finally completed a 20 mile run for this training cycle! Amazingly the temperature has cooled off, making our 4am start an amazing 67 degrees! We completed a new route by doing ten miles first around the harbor and second meandering downtown streets for the last ten miles. It was a great change of scenery and overall strong run!

Later that day we drove up to Philly to drop the kids off for Grandparent vacation. What better way to refuel after a long run than by having a Philly cheesesteak! It’s always tough parting with kids, but after a great lunch at Pat’s I know that nothing can replace the love from a mom…. with cheesesteaks.

Selfie Saturday

Today I went for a run along Honeygo with Paul in pretty amazing weather! The temperature dropped after the soaking showers and weather front hit Friday. Paul and I laced up and took to Honeygo and the backroads of Perry Hall. I was only going to do five miles, but continued on because the weather was too amazing not to keep going!!! Later in the morning I packed up Shawn and Abigail and we headed downtown to complete the #beerme challenge.

Team Ultra pulled together another challenge which was pretty fun. We are passing the beer around to all our teammates. I wanted to find a cool location to film my short clip that represented the streets of Baltimore that I run. Well, I think it would frowned upon to have open containers in the Inner Harbor, so I searched to find a cool area unique to Baltimore. I came across Graffiti Alley, a unique space in the art district of Baltimore that allows anyone to display their artistic talents. It was pretty cool!

Every inch of this space was filled with art. We took in the unique space, searched for our favorite corners and filmed my #beerme challenge.

It was a pretty fun morning complete with a run, a #beerme challenge, a great beer, exploration and family time.

Wednesday Tempo

Today I went for a run and picked up the pace after two weeks of easy running and recovery. Humidity has hovered in the area and made running a little bit difficult the last few days. Team Ultra did speedwork yesterday, so I picked it up and did four – ten minute intervals today. I started out with the guys and then split to do my intervals solo. The first two intervals were hot, third my legs started to feel like lead and my last was running on fumes. I really thought about cutting it short and only completing three, but then reconsidered – because why not finish? How often do we start something and then cut it short because of a made up excuse or because we stay in our comfort zones. I could have easy cut it short and it was justified due to heat, but I stuck with it and I’m just a little bit more confident in myself because I didnt give up.

Feelin Alright

Today I went for a run and felt almost back to normal!!! I got up and took to the streets at 5:15am, which was not an easy feat. With only a few more days of summer – staying in bed, watching the morning news and enjoying my coffee is always the best option. I took the pace easy, did the regular Honeygo route and completed 7 miles. Despite my legs feeling loose and at ease with the pace, the humidity consumed most of my energy as I struggled to regulate my breathing. It was just plain hot and humid out! But I completed 7 miles, felt 97% better and was happy to see a beautiful sunrise on a Tuesday.

Tough Week

Today I went for a run after taking it easy for the week due to a calf/achillies issue. Last Saturday I went for a 15-18 mile run and called it quits after 16. After only one mile my achillies balled up and a tense muscle pain overcame my lower leg for the entire run. It was a tough run because I felt fine all week and there was nothing new about this run that could cause this discomfort.

Overall we did two out and back loops to make 16 miles with a few walk breaks to help provide comfort when possible. Oddly enough we spotted a bat along our journey which was quite surprising to see in the Inner Harbor.

After we finished the run I iced, rolled and compressed my leg in hopes something would allivate the pain – it didn’t. On Tuesday things seemed better and I tried running again only getting a quarter mile into my run before the pain returned. Feeling defeated I cut the run short.

I guess this was a sign to take it easy this week. I’ve had a great summer, new runs, new places, and new miles. I’ve only started hitting 40-42 miles a week due to increasing long runs. My body must be longing for the spring weekly average of 25-30 miles. So I embraced it. (Something really hard for a runner – acceptance) Every runner fears being side-lined. Instead of ignoring my body, I listened – and thought I’ll try again later. I took the week to stretch, roll, take barre, and cycle at the gym. By Friday I gave it a whirl and ran with the guys at an easy pace. Although my leg was tight, it didnt ball up and cause pain. I took Saturday off and Sunday woke up eager to take on my long run!

Despite the intense humidity, we headed out and completed 13 miles around the harbor. By 13 miles humidity was taking its toll, yet I still felt good. The compression sleeve provided support and the easy pace kept my muscles from triggering pain. After we reached the car I headed up and decided to finish the run to get 15 done. After two miles I kept going and completed 5 miles to get a total of 18 miles done. The last 5 miles were hot, humid and felt like weights were dragging from my feet keeping them close to the ground. This is when your mind hits the wall. I thought about mile 23 in a race, when you’re near the finish with only a 5k to go – no sweat, right!? A 5k is nothing, but after 23 miles it feels like an eternity. I pushed through – thought about how much better I felt than the previous week and how lucky I am to be moving again. 18 miles done, my leg was sore, yet pain free and my mind battled the long run wall. Bring on a new week!

Last Seashore Long Run

Today I went for a run for my last summer long run down at the Jersey shore. It is amazing how quickly summer months fly and just like that we are in August gearing up for back to school shopping. Today I planned a 15-18 mile run. I started at 5am and took to the boardwalk to catch the sun beginning to rise over the ocean.

What a sight!!! The blue, pink and purple hues flooded the horizon to the northeast. When you turned south the untouched sky blurred into the ocean making it difficult to see where the ocean began and the sky ended. I moved to the bay and looped towards the inlet where the swans were still out in the bay, but the sunrise colors reflected off the water in their place.

At this point I was only at mile five and I was beat partly due to humidity and partly because I was just not motivated. I took my gel and pumped myself up to complete five more miles and then I would call it quits. How often do we give up when we lack interest or when we start to feel uncomfortable. My legs felt like lead as I plugged away between a 9:40 – 9:10 pace through Seaside Heights. I made it to the end of the Seaside Boardwalk and paused to take in the foggy haze that had settled on the pier.

I turned around and made my way back on the 35 bike lane to my parents house. I had completed ten miles and stopped at the house ready to throw in the towel. I was greeted by a quiet house where everyone was still asleep, no hot breakfast or coffee was ready, and I could easily devour an entire Bavarian creme crumb cake without a witness. I refilled my water and settled on four more miles. I rationalized I could make it two miles on the flat northbound road, knowing I would miss this next weekend in the swampy, hilly Maryland terrain. I took my gel and was off to finish my run. I made it two miles and instead of turning around I went one more mile and then another. I turned around after four miles and paused to take a quick break. I made it! The next four miles I kept thinking, “never give up” and “earn it.” I made it back happy to see the my family was up, breakfast was cooking and I was greeted by Shawn happy to see me return at an early hour.

Every run you start at zero with nothing except optimism and will. I really became comfortable only training for half marathons in the spring! I’m glad I carry two reminders that are more than just running mantras – they are great reminders that life is tough, but you keep going.

Sweaty Six Miles

Today I went for a run with Shawn and the heat won in the end. After enjoying breakfast with the family we got a late start thinking the cooler temperatures that blew in after the previous thunderstorms would hold… it did not. We did our regular six mile loop along the bay and up to the boardwalk. The shore has stunning views, a light breeze and absolutely no shade. We enjoyed our last run at the beach before heading back to Maryland. This has been a fun, restful summer and it always seems to amaze me how quickly the time drifts away.