Muggy Monday

This morning's weather was pretty deceptive.  It was in the 60s and there was a slight chill in the air as I walked to my car, but as soon as we started warming up at La Casa, the 89% humidity was noticeable.  It was like running in chilled soup.

We got in a nice 3-miler at a pretty quick pace.  I started out at the front of the pack, but at least half of our team passed me before the end of the run!  5:45 is a pretty amazing time to run - as you take off, most of the city is still asleep, but as you finish your run you start to see a lot of other people out and about starting their days.

I laid low and took time off after last Monday's run because my left calf was bothering me.  Given my history with shin splints I figured being conservative was the way to go.  I'm feeling pretty good now and hope things hold - between two more Back on My Feet runs, softball playoffs, and run club I've got a busy week ahead of me!

A Great Way to Kick Off the Week

This morning I rose before sunrise, hopped in the car, and headed to La Casa for my first run with my Back on My Feet team.

It was amazing.

I've never encountered a more positive environment or supportive group of people.  Everyone was sincerely happy to be there and excited to see one another and go for a run.  I'm not usually a morning person, but everyone's energy and enthusiasm was infective.

We kicked things off with a series of stretches, introductions, and the serenity prayer.  For those of you unfamiliar with it, it's a non-denominational prayer often used in 12-step programs, and the message is very congruent with BoMF's mission:

"God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change
The courage to to change the things that I can
And the wisdom to know the difference."

After that it was time for a run.  We chose an out-and-back route and had the option to run two or three miles.  Nearly everyone ran three, including a resident who was on his second run with BoMF.  Since we were both (relatively) new, I ran with him.  The "out" portion of our run was a brisk jog; however, on the "back" portion of our run he surprised me with a walk/sprint.  As it turns out, he ran track in high school - keeping up with him turned an easy morning jog in to an intense interval workout!

After the run we circled up and closed out with the serenity prayer and a cheer.  A few of us stuck around after to chat for a few minutes and catch up.  As it turns out, some of the other non-residents do long training runs on Saturday mornings - I'm excited to have some new training buddies!

The more I get involved with Back on My Feet, the more strongly I believe in what we're doing.  It's an amazing organization and I encourage everyone to check it out and get involved.  If you're interested in how you can help, click here.

Sneaks Come Out at Night 15K

Yesterday I ran the inaugural Sneaks Come Out at Night 15K benefitting Back on My Feet Baltimore.

I haven't run many evening races and was hoping it wouldn't be too warm when the race began at 6pm.  Unfortunately, there's no respite from the August heat, regardless of the time of day.  Storm clouds gave us shelter from the sun, but there was no escaping the high temperature and humidity.

The course was three 5K laps through Druid Hill Park (yes, the Druid Hill that these guys named themselves after).  The first half each lap was a bit hilly and loopy, but the second half was a gorgeous run around Druid Lake.

The start line - not too crowded

One of my friends, Matt, ran the first loop with me.  One thing to know about Matt is that he's incredibly fast.  Even though he was making a significant effort to slow down and pace with me, he kept pulling ahead.  I'm not sure how fast we ran the first lap, but it was far too quick to be sustainable for me.  Once we finished the first 5k, I waved him on to go ahead without me.

The second loop was difficult for me.  I hadn't drank much water that day and was extremely dehydrated.  I had to slow down and walk some of the uphills as I was beginning to get light-headed.  Luckily, my car was parked on the course and I had a bottle of Gatorade in the trunk.  As I passed my car I grabbed the Gatorade and downed it.  About a mile later, I was good to go.  I have my doubts I would have been able to finish the race without that Gatorade.

As I was moving a bit slower during lap 2 I was able to take some photos of the course.

Approaching Druid Lake

Rounding the far end of the lake

Storm clouds rolling in over Druid Lake

The third lap was a lot easier for me - as I said, the Gatorade helped a lot - and the increasingly ominous-looking clouds were motivation to keep moving.  Matt met me at the 9 mile sign and ran in with me.  He raced me to the finish and got me to sprint the last third of a mile, which I wouldn't have done on my own.

The race didn't have chip timing, but I finished in about 1:33.  I wasn't running the race for time, so I didn't mind.  My main objectives in running the race were to have a good time and support BoMF, both of which were met.  I had the added bonus of exposing Matt to the organization and meeting a few BoMF volunteers.

I wish I'd taken photos at the finish line as there was ice cream, popsicles, and sno-cones.  The line for ice cream was really long and it was starting to storm, so I grabbed a sno-cone and headed back to the car.  The race was well worth the trip up to Baltimore and back, and I got this super-bright singlet as a race shirt:

Apparently it's made out of Scotchlight, so I'll have to try it out one evening and see how reflective it is.

This race was incredibly well-run for a first-year race, the volunteers were super-friendly and positive, and the ice cream, etc at the finish was a great treat.  The only down side to the race was the weather, which I would have experienced on a solo training run.  I'll definitely be back next year.

Since I Can't Be There...

Tomorrow morning one of my dearest friends will be running her first half marathon.

I couldn't be prouder.

She went from being completely uninterested in running to trying it out for shorter distances, to finally saying "why the heck not?" and committing to 13.1 miles.  Sound familiar?

We crazies tend to run in packs.

I remember standing at the start line of my first half.  I was terrified.  This lady is a much cooler cucumber than I am - I know she doesn't need any reassurance.

But I'm going to give her some anyway.

Lady, you've got this.

You've trained for this for months and, if all else fails, your drive and dedication will carry you across that finish line.  Regardless of how tired your legs are, when you cross that line you will feel amazing.  Months of getting up at sunrise and skipping happy hours to go on training runs will be worth it.

People may call you crazy for running this far.  Maybe you are.  But if this is what "crazy" is, let me be the first to tell you, it's really freaking fun.

Big News, Short Post

I've said before that Back on My Feet is a great organization that I look forward to getting more involved with.  Yesterday I took my first step in doing so by attending an orientation session for all volunteers.

Next week I'll be joining the La Casa team at least twice a week for their morning runs.  I couldn't be more excited!!  I'm really looking forward to being a part of an organization that's doing so much for the DC community and helping other people benefit from running.

Want to get involved yourself?

If you live in any of the following cities you can volunteer to lead runs at shelters:

• Washington DC
• Baltimore, MD
• Philadelphia, PA
• Indianapolis, IN
• Boston, MA
• Atlanta, GA
• Chicago, IL
• Dallas, TX
• New York, NY

If you're not an early riser, travel a lot for work, or would rather not be directly involved, each chapter has multiple opportunities to "fundrace" for them.  How this works is Back on My Feet provides you with registration for a race (most of these are popular races that sell out quickly) and you commit to raising a certain amount of money for them.

If you live in DC and are a Nationals fan, you can support BoMF by using the code "BOMF" the next time you buy tickets to a game.

If you don't live in any of these cities but would still like to support Back on My Feet, you can click here to donate directly to BoMF.

Lunch Run: Hill Edition

It's been a while since I've written about a run... probably because I haven't gone on many lately.  Work has kept me extremely busy and the lack of sleep has made it hard to find the motivation to go on training runs.

Today I decided "enough is enough" and dragged my poor, stressed, tired body on a lunchtime run.

Huge mistake.

DC humidity is no joke.  Just because it was "only" 88 degrees out does not mean it felt like 88 degrees.  I started sweating the second I walked out of the gym.  I should have known better than to attempt a hill run, but I hope you know by now that once I get an idea in my head I can't seem to give it up.  I wanted an outdoor run and there was no way I would settle for a treadmill session.

As I've mentioned before, I work on the top of a hill.  The beginning of any run is a delightful downhill stretch, and today was no exception.

Unfortunately, once I hit the 1.5 mile mark I encountered this:

I call this my favorite hill in DC.  It's terrible to run - steep and long - but I used to sled down it when I was little and once you get to the top you're rewarded with some pretty nice views.

Not the most picturesque view on cloudy day, but on a clear day you can see across the Potomac to Virginia.

I was incredibly tired after cresting this hill, but I still had 2.5 miles to go.

This hill was the kickoff of a cruise down memory lane.  I ran past soccer and softball fields I played on when I was little, homes of childhood friends, and my elementary school.

At one point, I realized I was only a few blocks from my childhood home and decided to run by it.  I was rewarded by the observation that the current (and, perhaps, prior) owners have maintained my mother's rose garden on the side of the house, which made me incredibly happy.

As I passed the house and ran though the park I played in when I was little, an ice cream truck drove by.  I wish I'd had some cash to buy a popsicle.  No, I'm not joking.

The last few miles were pretty tough - the heat and humidity got to me and I had to walk a bit.  I really hope it was due to the conditions and not because I'm out of shape, but only time will tell.  I haven't done many hill workouts lately because of my shin splints, so maybe that's to blame.  I can only hope that I'm good to go for Sneaks Come Out at Night on Saturday.

Pack it Up, Pack it In...

A few weeks ago I bought myself a post-race treat in the form of a hydration backpack.  Sort of a weird choice, but not only am I trying to get in to hiking, I'm playing softball once a week and the field is a 4-7 mile run away.

I needed something big enough to fit my glove and an extra shirt, but small and secure enough that it wouldn't bounce around and drive me crazy while I was running.  After a few trips to sporting goods stores where I jumped up and down and slow-jogged through the store with packs on, I settled on the North Face Women's Torrent 8.

(photo courtesy of backcountry.com)

While I wasn't buying it based on color, it's nice to know it's cute!

I've only taken the pack out on a couple of runs, but so far it's performed really well.  It takes a good 2-5 minutes for it to settle in to the right spot on my back, but once it does I don't really feel it.  I haven't had any problems with chafing and, because this pack is designed specifically for women, all of the straps fasten in comfortable places.  I'm really happy with the performance of the "bladder" that holds the water - it stayed perfectly sealed, the mouthpiece was easy to lock and unlock to drink out of, and it's surprisingly simple to clean.  Truth be told, I don't have any complaints about this pack... except for the price.  Hydration packs are surprisingly expensive and this was no exception.  $110 is a lot to spend on a tiny backpack, but it has a lifetime guarantee and I have a feeling I'm going to be using it a lot.