My legs wrote a check my lungs couldn't cash

Friday morning came and I stayed in bed. That evening I did a Steelers loop, pretty easy.

I had hoped to do a Spider workout Saturday morning at the outdoor track at the PG County sports complex's outdoor track before watching some indoor races, but overnight snow and ice denied me that. Instead I sat inside and watched our boys (and girl) run the 5k and hang out with McGrath, Tender, Coach Jerry and the guys who raced. I went home and took a two-hour nap, then headed out in hopes that the ice had melted enough for me to do a workout. I tried to sneak onto George Mason's track, but though better of it. I ran over to the Greenwich Mile, which I had long neglected, but major portions were dangerously slick. It was getting dark, and it wasn't going to get any better. I tried out McLean, but the track was a downright bad idea, even for an easy quarter. So, I headed back on Sea Cliff and finished up a Westmoreland, then added a bit on the W&OD before heading home for a 12 mile run that gave me a chance to demonstrate my flexibility with making contingency running plans.

The next morning I woke up early (but after four hours of sleep) to do my long run, an 18-mile CBR. Ice still covered a lot of the side roads, so miles two and three were a frustrating ordeal, but once I got onto Idylwood, my footing improved dramatically. There were few cars on the road, the norm for Sunday mornings in northern Virginia, so I took advantage of the empty lanes. I came through eight miles in 50:30, averaging a little under 6:20, which surprised me, given how slowly I had to run before Idylwood. Chain Bridge Road was delightfully empty most of the time, and I never really felt too taxed by the climb up Glebe. Richmond Street was kind of rough, but once I got on Old Glebe, I was rolling again. I almost went the wrong way on Dittmar, but turned out to be okay, then went after the hills on Williamsburg. Heading south is a little harder, because the steep downhills hurt in a bad way.Once I got to West, I jumped on the W&OD to take to Shreve, which ended up being mostly ice, and turned around on the gravel parallel trail and headed back home for 18 miles, averaging 6:21.

It warmed up Monday and a lots of the ice melted, so I headed out to Vienna on the W&OD, did a loop, then came back for 11 miles. There was ice on the bridges, but otherwise, it wasn't too bad. Definitely came back faster.

I got up to run a Steelers loop before work Tuesday, and for the first time in a while, I felt awful during the run. Maybe it was the short rest after the run the night before, but I just felt like garbage.

I was feeling kind of tight for Wednesday's workout, but I ended up being okay. We did 2x1.5 miles, then 3x1200. Dangerous Dave and I alternated the lead and kept it pretty consistent. 1.5 mile repeats in 78s and 77s, then 1200s in 75s, 74 and 73s. Intestinal distress made the last ones uncomfortable, but I succeeded in spite.

When I left the house to run to work Thursday, I felt downright awful. I even wondered if I should go back. Once I got to Route 29, I was feeling better. I checked a few splits and realized I was going 6:30 on the Custis Trail. While passing the White House, I saw Sarah Morgan and Sarah Burnham within 15 seconds, which was funny. That evening, Karl wanted to run in Vienna, so I joined him for a while, we ran to the east, and he turned around at Virginia St and I went home for a total of 19.5 miles.

I slept in Friday and did a fartletk after work around Hains Point, one-minute intervals and rests. The wind was favorable on the west side, adversarial on the east side, and pleasant on Independence. Did a total of 11.5.

The next morning, I joined Elyse and Will and the Girls on the Run training program. I ran eight miles slowly with them, from Logan Circle through Dupont and Georgetown to the waterfront and Memorial Bridge, over the 14th street bridge and back to Logan, so I could stick to 90 miles.

I was exhausted Saturday, so I vowed not to set an alarm when I went to sleep and let my recovery dictate when I would do my long run/workout. I kept putting it off, until almost 2 in the afternoon. I headed out on Great Falls to Swinks Mill, the first time I had given that road a shot. It was a steep down and up, but pleasant. On the way back on Old Dominion, I managed to catch Mawflower this time, and I was glad I did- it was a nice quiet neighborhood with rolling hills that were a pleasure to run. Dolley Madison was clear when I crossed, so that was a nice touch, and I rolled up to McLean's track with time to spare before 50:00, meaning I averaged faster than 6:15 for the eight mile warmup. I was a little tired, but ready to go. It was pretty windy on the back stretch, and the flags on the goalposts were pretty much horizontal. My pacing was pretty much right on early on- 5:24 for the first mile, 5:22 for the second, 5:26 for the third and I was on my way to another 5:26 when I hit 20 minutes. I jogged the recovery very slowly at first, but felt better quickly. As rough as it felt during the first segment, I thought back to the same workout in October at BCC and how I felt a lot better in the second segment, so I hoped for that to happen. I also realized I was pretty tired, but this is what I wanted- to get 12 miles into the workout, feel beat and have another hard 20 minutes to go- this is where I would break down the mental barriers and push myself. I started out alright, 80 seconds for the first lap, but when I hit the wind on the back stretch, I had to push an awful lot- I hit 600 in 2:00 and realized I was breathing way too hard for the pace I was trying to go, and gave up. I was disgusted that I only lasted two minutes and missed most of the point of the workout- running at my goal half marathon pace when I was tired. I also though back to doing a similar workout without the 8 miles of fast warmup and that I fared better this time, so at least I am improving. I just wasn't at the somewhat arbitrary point where I wanted to be. I felt a little better after I added some distance to my "cool down" by heading out Old Chesterbrook to Old Dominion and back through New Virginia Manor, up the hills, to run 19 miles, my longest run since October. Coming up Massachusetts, I started to feel the cumulative effect of the mileage, but I also felt like I earned the sensation of submerging my face in a basin of cold water afterward to wash off the salt that had collected.

Monday evening, Karl and I ran out to Sunrise Valley on the W&OD and back for 12.5 miles.

Tuesday, I went back to Old Meadow, which I hadn't run in months. 11.25 miles at 6:47 pace.

I skipping my morning run Wednesday in favor of making steak and eggs for breakfast. I had been toyign with doing the faster workout paces, but ultimately decided to wait until after my 5k next weekend to judge if I am ready. This week, I wasn't. I felt great as we did 1.5 miles at 5:12 pace, 2k at 5:08 and a mile at 4:56, but two laps into the 1200 in 72s I started to feel my lose my feel for my lungs, so I dropped. Same thing after half of an 800, splitting 69. I was okay running 65 for the 400, but was dejected to not be able to push though the last lap of two of the intervals. It was the same feeling as Sunday, that I just wasn't as comfortable running those paces as I would like to be.

I wisely cancelled my morning run with JARRIN, then managed to sleep through two alarms, so whatever run I would do would have to be after work. I got home and headed out on a Rose and Fern and promptly ran it too fast. 5:55 pace through five miles, 6:01 through 10 and 19:59 for 5k after that.

I need to replace my camera, so I can include actual photos in these posts, and not just screen captures of Google Streetview scenes of places I run.

Late October, early November

I let this go for a while, so I'll hold off on most of my elaboration.

Tuesday I did another Annandale loop for 13. I didn't enjoy it as much as last time, but I didn't dislike it, either.

Wednesday's workout was 2x2k and 4x1k, which I did in 5:04, 5:00, 3:00, 2:55, 2:55 and 2:52. It was pretty damp and cool, and everyone had steam pouring off of their bodies, which added to the light fog on the track.

Thursday night I ran a Thomas for 13. The weather was still great. Friday I ran up to and around Catholic after work.

Saturday morning, I woke up at 6:45 to get a ride from Dangerous Dave up to BCC to run. I stumbled around and tried to tie my shoes, but to no avail. I was too tired to even get dressed. I told Dave to leave me, and I went back to sleep for 4.5 hours. I woke up to what Dave, Dart, Michelle, Sam and Scott ran their workout in- freezing rain. After waiting it out, I bundled up and ran a Park Plus for seven miles and was cold for hours. The rain turned to snow halfway through, but I was already soaked.

Sunday morning, I woke up to Fishstick's voice in the hallway as I lied on the floor of the unfurnished apartment above the GRC store on M Street. I slept there after going out for Halloween in Georgetown, though I just stayed at one party. Chicken neck and Murphy were outside, ready to go, so we jogged across the Key Bridge and waited for the throngs to come along. I jumped in with Breezy in the second mile and tried to keep him under control in the mid 6:00s through the nine mile mark. I headed back to the store to drop off his gloves and hat, then caught Caitlin and ran with her to the 11 mile mark. I then chilled out with Brian Quinn and his parents while we waited for Larry to come through 16 miles. I ran over to the Smithsonian building and waited until the Notorious E.L.I. came through with Emily in tow. I ran with her to the finish, then back to the store for 19 miles total. I felt a little weird when I crossed under the bridge where I sat down and dropped out last year, but didn't mention it to Lauren at the time, she had another mile to run and her calves had been cramping since 16. Both she and Breezy PRed by a minute, so I was pleased to have accompanied them on their runs.

Monday night, I took care of the track work I delayed from Saturday. I had a zipcar for the evening and drove out to McLean to pursue a 10 mile progression, starting at 6:00 and getting five seconds faster per mile. I thought about doing it on the road, the W&OD, the CCT or the towpath, but opted for the consistency and feedback I would have with splits I could check as frequently as I wanted.

I wasn't feeling terribly spry when I started, I think I had heartburn, for some reason. It was dark by the time I started, and the track was practically empty. There were two people jogging, but they were gone a little more than a mile into my workout. I knew I was a little fast on each lap, but rather than slow down I just tried to stay consistent. I wound up generally running five seconds faster per mile than I had planned. I ran six seconds per mile faster for my last three, and the way I did it pleased me. My posture and form petty much the whole time was upright and "distance run," no lean into the curve, I didn't hug the inside, I just sped up. When I got to my eight mile and I went under 5:20, I felt really good about the way the workout was turning out. To finish it off under 5:10 felt great. Although it would have been a bigger mental boost to have done this in the freezing rain Saturday morning, I'm glad I did it this way

My splits were as such: 5:54, 5:52, 5:44 5:38, 5:35, 5:30, 5:25, 5:19, 5:14, 5:09.

The next day I did an Oak loop, I think. Wednesday I started the track workout with two miles at 5:16 with Karl. We got started slow because we talked too much on the first lap, but after adjusting, we came through right on pace. Then I did 800s in 2:24, 2:23, 2:21 and 2:20. While waiting for anyone to finish the last two 800s before moving onto 400s, I did another mile at 5:16 on my own. After that, I was kind of cooled down and decided to just run easily and skip the quarters.

Thursday night I did a Scott's Run for 11.5.

Friday I ran a little bit around Capitol Hill, but with no real focus, and just kind of passed 25 minutes.

Saturday was a cross country workout at the Cell Phone Tower field in Bethesda. We did the fartlek workout in flats, and the frosted grass was a little slippery. I would fall off the pace Sam and Witters would set, but most of the time kept fighting, though my quads went numb during the two-minute segment. They're both ready to go. After it was over, I discovered that my right nipple had bled like crazy through two white shirts. It was fairly embarrassing.

Sunday I did an Irvin, with some adjustments to keep me off Maple too much on the way to Crossing Creek. I wasn't terribly engaged through all of it, averaging 6:30s.

My department had a retreat on Monday that ended early, so I was able to get home and run in the daylight, so I did 8.5 miles on the Pimmit Run trail.

Tuesday night I went out to do an easy 13 on the New Virginia Manor loop. I was a little peppy early on, but wanted to just run relaxed. I knew I was moving when I split 24:46 for my first four-mile loop, but just kept cranking it up and did the second loop in 24:12. I ended up averaging 6:14.

Wednesday I did a 30 minute progression- 10 at 6:00, 10 at 5:40, 10 at close to 5:00, and wound up averaging 5:55, 5:35 and 5:08. I might have been a little worn out from my run the night before.

Thursday I managed to get up and rung before work- a Westmoreland. Friday I did a Park Plus, also early.

100% chance of slush, 200% chance of wind

Last week's snow has overstayed its welcome, though to be honest it had done so the second the Office of Personnel Management declined to issue a delayed start on Friday.

I headed out to George Mason on Saturday morning to watch the Spider track team in action.

I went out to start my run around the neighborhoods near GMU with York and Kyle, then I kept going and did 10x1 on the slush-covered streets once they headed back to the fieldhouse. My long pants were soaked and heavy by the end, and I never really felt comfortable running fast.

I got to see Steve, Lori and a bunch of the younger Spiders. I learned the difference between Kyle Reagan and Adam Owens, saw a bunch of guys PR or come close to it, and watched Amy VanAlstine run what would have been a school record in the 3k if she wasn't redshirting this season. She and Nicol Traynor looked about as smooth as I've seen anyone race indoors.

I thought York looked flat in the mile, but I didn't even have a watch on it when I came into the fieldhouse in the middle of the race, so I had no idea he was about to PR by 10 seconds.

Steve put together a great set of photos from workouts recently, including from two of my favorite places to work out in Richmond- Belle Isle and Bandy Field. I was spoiled to have a park like Bandy nearby.

Workout on Belle Isle

I tried a new long run loop Sunday afternoon -- Brook -- with great success. It was in the low 40s, warm enough to wear shorts, which felt great, even with the slush. The close-fitting long-sleeved shirt was a little too warm, but I lived with it. Three miles in 18 flat, 10 miles in 6:11 pace, rolling hills throughout. I slowed a bit in the next five miles because of increased traffic on Old Dominion and the brewing storm in my intestines, which convinced me to walk in from 15.2 miles, averaging 6:22. Not too bad! The loop took me farther out on Great Falls, enough that I got to the point where people were building garishly big houses with no mature trees around them. As sickening as that was, I liked feeling like I was getting away, even though I wasn't far from Route 7 to the southwest. I love crossing over the beltway for some reason.

Monday I was about to head home to run when Outlaw requested I join him for an easy 10 in Alexandria. That ended up being a huge boost for my motivation, because I really wasn't feeling up to running by myself. We ran about 6:55 pace.

Tuesday the boss told us to stay home, in preparation for impending freezing rain, so I used my extra 80 minutes that I wasn't spending commuting to double. I ran Park Plus at 7:00 pace in the morning, worked, then an Idylwood Filler for 4.8 miles at 6:50 pace in the afternoon.

Wednesday promised temperatures in the high 40s and sunshine, and we got it, until the work day ended and I headed over to Lafeyette Park for the alternate workout, despite YF's attempt to change the workout venue right before everyone was due to meet. Dickson, Anonymous Cotterell and Outlaw and I ran "miles" on Pennsylvania Avenue between the park and the White House, measured with a GPS watch, the accuracy and precision of which I did not entirely trust. It was getting colder by the second and the winds were picking up, and it was certainly not easy. I ran the first two in 5:19 and 5:24, before Dickson said he was finding them to be a bit long and more like 10 seconds fast. Great, because I was working my ass off trying to run what I thought was 5:20 pace or faster. I lasted a quarter mile of the third one before my legs and lungs shut down. I know I should have taken it easier when the wind started savagely whipping the second we started, and from the very start I should have just run for time rather than distance. Part of the beauty of being away from a track was that I wasn't a captive to the constant feedback from the watch, and I forgot that. 2x10 minutes would have been perfect, just run at about 90% and it would be great, but no, I pushed foolheartedly into the wind, bound to be disappointed by whatever time I ran for these "miles." Did I think it was just going to beat myself into shape?

I left feeling a bit dejected.

Thing were complicated further by a group of Egyptian protesters. If only Mubarak had come to power a week later, they, and the obligatory police cars, would not have been in our way.

That all said, it was a good place to work out, as would be the ellipse on the other side of the White House.

It was a little darker... and windier...

I slept in the next morning and didn't run to work. Instead I took a break in the afternoon and ran the ever-extending Catholic loop. This time it was 10.86 miles and I ran 6:14 pace.

Chills and sweats

We had a stretch of three cold days that shook my resolve and, to some extent, my dedication. Friday was pretty rough, but running in the morning in January means getting a bit chilly now and then. Saturday morning I woke up to 16 degrees and a metro delay between me and Georgetown, so I opted to skip the store run, sleep in, and head out on my own in the afternoon. It was 25 by the time I left, around 3:30, so I headed off on a loop I hadn't done much since the summer. At some point, however, I lost my way, and ended up off my course, about two miles in, which isn't that great because the first mile is a straight line. I was feeling pretty chilly, and decided to go home, so I got a little more than four miles for 70 that week.

Sunday, I again waited for an early afternoon long run, and went off on an altered Presidents' loop (lengthened to make it 15 miles). The loop added little bits all over to a loop I knew pretty well, but not enough to know the mileage markers. I didn't feel like the run was going well, and by 60 minutes I was really cold, despite a temperature near 32, so I headed back. When I mapped my splits, though, I found that at 9.25 (which I thought to be less than 9 miles in) I was averaging 6:28s, so I was better off than I thought. I ended up doing a little less than 12. After the prior week's successful long run, this was disappointing, though I was clearly doing well when I looked back. I realized as much as I like long (15+) runs, perhaps will like them (and run them) more consistently if I do them less frequently. This was a huge issue in the summer, when the humidity usually got me and wore me out psychologically. I kept doing them, and usually started pretty well before crashing after 13. Plus, I'm mainly running 5ks this spring, I doubt I will need weekly long runs.

Plus, what is a seven-day cycle to the human body, anyway? I mean, it's just an organizational ploy and weekends are just considered long run days because there's more free time. This country was founded, it was founded by people who were into aliens, man. George Washington, man, George Washington was in a cult, and that cult was into aliens, man. Did you ever look at a dollar bill? There's a lot of spooky stuff going on on that dollar bill, man...

That brings me to my next subject- for someone who's not into drinking beer, smoking grass or living (or being) in Texas, I really love Dazed and Confused. It is, perhaps, the greatest cultural one-hit wonder I have come across. Career high performances from Jason Landon, Sasha Jensen, Matthew McConaughey, Joey Lauren Adams and Ben Affleck. Parker Posey might have been the only actor to sustain a career I appreciated after this film. Adam Goldberg certainly

didn't, an opinion that my college girlfriend's emotional disaster of a friend could not handle when I voiced it while watching a movie I am too embarrassed

to admit seeing. Back to running...

Late weekend nights in high school usually led to my friend Lindsay's mom's house, which was usually the place to go to party, where someone was invariably watching this movie.

The next day, it was warmer and I tried out a new loop in Pimmit Hills. I missed a turn and ended up taking stabs at the streets trying to find Wilson, and after about a mile of experimentation I found it, and was rewarded with wide, long streets in an office park, largely empty of cars. I loved it. It's prime moderate run real estate. In the end, I added and extra mile to the run for 11, which I did in 6:45 pace, but I revised the loop for the future.

I moved my workout ahead to Tuesday to avoid what the forecast said would be freezing rain on Wednesday night. With George Mason's track both painfully close to my home and ridiculously scheduled, I gave Washington-Lee a shot. I put on some racing flats and started on 4x mile, but it did not go well. Despite checking my splits regularly, I ran very unevenly, 5:13 for the first mile, 5:16 for the second, and feeling my shoes not do the job for me. After a 2:40 first half, I cut the third. The traction was gone on my shoes. They felt like I was wearing slippers, and my stride was suffering from the unreliability. I realized I had owned the shoes since April 2007, and raced in them more frequently than not for three years, only occasionally breaking the races up with other pairs. Despite those shoes carrying me under 15 and on the best race of my life a few weeks later, it was time for them to go. I tossed them in the trash and headed for a long cool down and HMDs.

Impending snow sent people home early on Wednesday, and while I was inside changing and stretching in my apartment, it had snowed three inches. I headed out to run to Vienna, but it became apparent within two miles that I would not make it there. The snow was driving violently, and cars were driving slowly, if at all. It made the roads my playground, but I could barely keep my left eye open. I tried to consider the stinging snow to be a challenge to keep my head up and into the pain, but I soon acquiesced and looked ahead where I could. After a half hour, I figured I could keep it up as long as I needed. By the time my wanderings ended, I was soaking wet, half from melted snow, half from my profuse sweat. I averaged 7:20s through the driving snow, which wasn't too bad.

Thursday night I thought about doing a fartlek on a Presidents' loop, but I was wary of changing my pace too much on the inconsistently-icy ground. I was fine running on it, I think my form is efficient enough that it's easy to run consistently on slippery surfaces because my feet don't break my movement before pushing off. I was a little under 7:00 pace through seven miles, then I slowed down toward the end to average 7:05 for 10.

I planned to run to work on Friday morning, but slept in, and didn't really want to run that much after work, so I figured now would be a good day off.

Scheduling, distracted film criticism

I'm more than two months away from my first race, which is great, because I certainly don't have the speed endurance to run an actual race any time soon. Aerobically, I'm doing pretty well. I went out Monday night and did a 10 mile Presidents' loop and kept a consistent 6:28 pace at 4.5, 8.25 and 10 miles.

In terms of racing, I don't see that happening anytime soon. That said, it's never too early to spend time hypothetically looking at a racing schedule. I have a few races nailed down- the Fred Hardy Invitational 5k, Cherry Blossom and the BAA 5k and the Pittsburgh Half Marathon before finishing up the spring at the Laywers Have Heart 10k. I started to think about where I really want to go this year, and doing a bunch of 5ks then a half marathon seems a little unwise now. So I cut Pittsburgh, first to the relay and now possibly entirely, so I can justify traveling back instead on Memorial Day weekend and running the Kevin Gatons 5k instead. Cherry Blossom even seems a little out of place, but at least I have two weeks before the BAA 5k. So, I will still do Cherry Blossom, but as a 5k runner trying something longer, not a half marathoner running something shorter.

The Pikes Peek 10k ended up to be the same day as the BAA 5k, but I don't have a problem with that. Racing in suburban Maryland doesn't strike me as gangs of fun, anyway.

Then the Pittsburgh Marathon published its new course and I'm finding it hard to stay away for one silly reason. Although my suggestions were afterthoughts in 2009 when changing the course meant little, I still tossed out a loop through the West End, and that is what happened. Unless there's some other interest in a Pittsburgh relay, I'll probably skip this year's race. It never was kind to me, anyway.

The Swathmore Last Chance meet seems like a great opportunity for a fast 5k, after a few races to get me back into "short" distances this spring.

Though Jake and Ernst have promoted the Falmouth Road Race, Towpath tells me it can be brutally hot, and my thoughts wander to Jonny Wilson's encouragement to run the Beach to Beacon 10k in Maine a week earlier. I am open to that, if for no other reason to run a cool race and visit Maine.

I did a bit of a fartlek on Tuesday afternoon on a shortened (7.5 miles) Hains Point loop. It was windy.

I saw the Hood to Coast documentary Tuesday night and though I enjoyed the cinematography and the fact that there was the option to see a running movie in the theater, I wasn't exactly floored. It was entertaining if you kept your expectations within the event's parameters.

Many people were disappointed elite teams didn't get much attention, but the truth is it really isn't an elite race. You get three or four highly-competitive teams to show up, but after that it's an orgy of age-group competitive teams. What do you expect when Google is among the top teams? Personally, I would have liked to have seen the Bucknell Alumni team featured, probably at the expense of the Dead Jocks in a Box, but that is more of a matter of personal preference having heard their legends from Scott Sehon over the years. the Ryan Bowe team hit some of the college cross country team marks by bringing in a few Washington and Lee guys, some of whom I raced my freshman year.

I actually enjoyed the group of non-runners, a the dude's obnoxious pink hair got old immediately, but his insight was refreshing, and his effort-laced kick to the finish was inspiring, insofar as it makes me want to follow a decent diet.

Although the older woman who had the heart attack the year before was pretty narcissistic and grating, I guess including her and her gang was representative of the mid-pack teams in the race.

Ultimately, the interest in elite runners would not have supported the majority of people who would have paid to see the movie in a one-night engagement. It took forever to get home from Chevy Chase, but I guess I am glad I saw the movie in the theater, rather than wait for it to come out on Netflix -- which currently is streaming the Spirit of the Marathon (good enough, I guess) and Run for Your Life (great enough that it made me want to run the New York Marathon, and I hate New York, and marathons).

But again, the cinematography, wow... Good God, I can't wait until I get to spend nine days in Oregon this summer.

I ran at lunch Wednesday again, adding to my Catholic University loop. It's now 10 miles. I averaged 6:49 for it.

Thursday night, I eventually got going for my road workout, one which I had planned for a while and ended up coinciding with what Jerry's kids were doing- 5x mile. Unfortunately, some work got in the way Wednesday, so I did it alone after all, on the Greenwich mile loop. I tried out a new three-mile warmup loop that turned out to be perfect, then got to work. I was initially planning to average 5:30, running somewhere within five seconds. I ended up outperforming that comfortably. Though I love the Greenwich mile because it's not a track, it's exactly a mile and it has varying topography, it's hard to gauge your effort, because the first quarter is the only flat stretch, but I somehow managed to run very evenly- 5:21, 5:23, 5:21, 5:21. I hit the same splits throughout, with a slight slowdown in the second quarter of number two when a car forced me onto some ice. I didn't feel the cumulative loss of breath that had had recently at the end of longer intervals, either a result of better rest or easier breathing, but I think that had a lot to do with my consistent running. After my first mile, I thought I would plummet back down and run 5:3x, but I just ran a hard effort and came up with the same splits. I'd like to keep that going...

I started the last mile over-my-head fast, though, hoping to blow away what I had done in my previous miles. I disregarded my rationality telling me to save it for the uphills in the second half, especially the turn at the end, and instead went out in 72 seconds for the first quarter, I eased up, possibly taking myself out of it, but finished the half at 2:30, which was slow, given the downhill in the second quarter, then jogged a quarter and finished up in 76. It was a good workout and has me ready to start speeding up my work once I get back on a track with people.

Slipping on my hubris

I tried my first track workout in about a month Wednesday night. It wasn't terribly taxing, a seven-mile tempo at the American University track with Jake Marren, but it was significant that I hadn't run anything much faster than six minute pace for a long time, mainly because of the condition of the ground.
The track was mostly clear, by my mind was not when I arrived. I fancied myself a young WASPy Amerigo Vespucci in trying to navigate a shortcut to the American track from the Tenleytown Metro stop. Given my lack of familiarity with the area, this was ill advised. I ended up taking a street I thought to be parallel to Nebraska, which would take me to the east end of the campus, but this proved to be incorrect- the street was actually perpendicular. As I applied my geometry skills practically, I noticed my bag smelled rather sweet. Upon opening one of the end compartments, I found my travel shampoo bottle had opened and deposited its contents into the bag, ruining a plethora of matchboxes I can ganked from the eponymous restaurant the night before and failed to remove. Suffice to say, I was flustered when I finally showed up at the track.
After a warmup when we were joined by Dirk De Heer, Jake and I switched into road flats and started on our run. Most of the track was clear, except for some snow encroaching on the inside lane on one turn. Smatterings of ice decorated the surface, but the beauty of running laps on a track is how quickly you familiarize with the landscape and adapt. We planned to start off slow, but I naturally brought myself to ruin with a 5:31 second mile, after which I lost my composure and tried to recover from a speed I had not approached in a month, with five miles left. Around the second lap, two young man walked out to the track and up into the bleachers and smoked marijuana like cigarettes. I'm not sure why they chose the track for their doobie smoking, nor did it feel like we had spectators for the workout. Dirk had talked about hearing in his head the last song he heard on the radio, but after smelling that cheeba, I kept hearing Rick James' Mary Jane while I ran.
When I realized the remaining miles were destined for disaster, I cut off the tempo at three miles- 16:56- a shade under 5:39 pace. I immediately recovered for a mile and went back into a second three mile interval, hoping to maintain an even 5:40 pace. I did so, with some company from Chuck Kacsur in the second mile. I finished with an 81- the fastest lap of the 24 I ran harder, and ran 16:55, a second faster than the first, fresh interval.
The large piles of snow on the edges of the soccer field gave the track an odd feel, similar to the cinderblock walls on the insides of the turns on indoor tracks. It did not make me wistful for Pitt's indoor track, though.
After my cooldown, I was pretty lightheaded and ravenous. I demolished an apple and wandered to Dirk's car with the other guys. Stopping for snacks, Jake said I looked pretty "sad," mainly because the line at Subway was way too long and I couldn't seem to read the menu.
In one regard, I am disappointed that I let one mile ruin my workout, and that I let that mile happen because of my unbridled enthusiasm. I was feeling great through two miles, but I hadn't been running that fast for a while and my rust caught up with me as I got in over my head. I am happy, however, that I salvaged the workout and managed to run an even-paced second three miles with just a short recovery. It's a little step, and even though my mileage is "up there," for me, I feel like I am behind my usual fitness in Pittsburgh. I haven't done any other tempos and have done limited speedwork, but at the same time I am not racing the Spring Thaw this year, in fact I won't be racing until the Monument Ave 10k in late March, so I need not compare the two schedules. I am also building a sturdier base. Either that, or I'm old, fat and over the hill (See photo, right).

Nothing to read here, folks

I planned to do the same two loops around the Mall that I did Snow Day Saturday for 10.5 miles, but the sidewalk along the reflecting pool and Constitution were ridiculously icy, so I cut that section out of my second loop and did another loop around the capitol reflecting pool for 9.5.

Saying goodbye to the old normal

Tuesday I go back to a regular work schedule, which I haven't had in 12 days. I planned to try to emulate a normal schedule, but once I woke up and saw it was 14 degrees at 7:30, I decided to embrace the freedom that a day off gave me and skip my plans to run from the Line. I slept in until 9:30 and later went off on a 6.1 mile loop, mainly a Pimmit 6, with a few modifications, at about 6:45 pace. More ice, in fact, most of the northward trip through Pimmit Hills was icy.
I took a nap and at 5 went out with Alex for a classic Park 6, though it was a little shorter today, 5.9. Alex said on the way back we were inching close to six minute pace, which I was happy with. Not much ice on that loop, except for the trail and stretch through Falls Church Park.
Back to work tomorrow, but I have 27 miles is so far this week.
No more naps...

75 and feeling alive or something stupid along those lines

I ran a lot later than I had planned. Coming home from Patrick Murphy's excellent Olympic opening ceremonies party, I missed an orange line train by about 15 seconds. Luckily it wasn't the last train of the night, but I still had to wait 18 minutes for one. Once on the train, we got to Metro Center and proceeded to sit there for about 28 minutes, so the other last trains of the night could converge. I appreciated the forethought, but seeing as how I was exhausted from jerking my sleeping schedule out of whack for one day of work that week, I got a little irate, though I kept it to myself. Then a middle aged gentleman who wreaked of cigarettes sat next to me. Just splendid. Anyway, by the time I got home- 1:15, I had a feeling waking up for the Haiti charity run in Chevy Chase was unlikely. When I woke up at 7:45 and knew it was decision time, I was positive. I slept until 11:30, then just kind of lied around for a few more hours, had some food, and finally got going around 5. The Presidents' Loop, named for the several streets named after American presidents, was an icy mess in several places and and snowy where it wasn't icy, so what was a good pace was frequently interrupted by having to jog to enhance safety. I ended up running 6:30 for 9.8 miles, so it wasn't too bad, but I was hoping for something a little closer to 6:00 pace. Granted, I slowed down considerably in the hazardous stretches so I very well may have managed close to six minutes the rest of the time. Anyway, I made it to 75 miles this week, mostly on top of and through snow and ice, so I am pretty happy. I just can't wait to train on solid ground consistently.

Snow Day 4

Relatively boring. I ran 6:40 pace for 5.5 out and back on Park and Columbia in the morning, took a three hour nap then ran a 5.7 mile loop with Alex in the evening. It was mostly on dry roads, and after being cautious all week with my footing I was excited to let loose and Alex was kind enough to indulge me. I had a great time climbing some hills and forgot I was surrounded by snow, until I crossed the bridge over I-66 and stepped in a pothole full of water. That shook me out of my pleasant cocoon and reminded me, rather violently, that I was running part of my first 75 mile week in almost six months. Then I got really tired. Then a guy forced me into a snowbank with his car, so I punched the rear window. A few seconds later, he emerged from his car to chase me. For a few seconds, I sped up, wondering if I could keep him out of his car long enough for the light to turn green and for him to mess up the flow of traffic. Then I decided to have some fun, and abruptly turned around and ran right at him. That changed his attitude, and we both went back on our ways. Luckily for me, he didn't know I have never been in a fight.

Snow Day 3

After two days of doubles, I held out for one run today- a fartlek in the Metro parking garage. Alex and I went over there are around 7 and planned to do 10 x 3 minutes hard, but upon arriving, we saw the savage winds had turned what should have been a clear 1200 meters or so of dry land into an inch or so of snow with ice here and there. We scrapped the workout and just took care of some distance going and up and down the garage, noticing each time we passed that the wind had caused our footprints to fill with snow, rendering our previous trips a less-empirical memory. After a few miles of that, we hit the road for a loop in the snow, only passing a few cars but not really facing awful headwinds until the last stretch. I guessed it at 9.5, Alex told me later it was 9.55. I guess I'm not as bad at estimation as I thought.

Snow Day 2

More of the same, two runs, the same loop, no more fulfilling than before. In the morning, I tried to do a multiple loop of Park- two laps through the trail, but after one, I was tired enough of running through the snow that I just ran back and forth on Columbia, and wound up doing eight miles.

After doing some work, I went back out around 9 or so and ran out to Van Buren on Columbia and back for five.

Snow Day 1

Upon hearing Sunday night that I would not have work Monday, I decided to sleep without an alarm, which was marvelous. I woke up, alerted Alex and we went out on a six-mile Park loop. It was mostly clear, except for the uphill on Mt. Daniel Road and the obvious trail section in Falls Church Park. I was so happy to be on solid ground that I ran a little faster than I should have if I wanted to truly run with Alex, so I felt a bit dickish, but it was hard to bridle my enthusiasm for being able to touch the ground.
I had some pancakes and cream of wheat and took a nap, then went out planning for another 6, but found Pinecastle hopelessly snowy and after one loop headed back and ran around the plowed but vacant road from the metro station to route 7. I did happen to run into a block of ice sticking out of the snow and bruise my shin miserably, but I cut the run at about 5.5 miles.
I liked the double, but I wish I had kept going in the morning, maybe eight miles. The poor conditions in the afternoon were a real pisser.
Another snow day tomorrow- I'm shooting for six more in the morning, probably another loop on Park- because it's reliable- and then a fartlek in the metro parking garage, though now that above-ground service is back there might be cars in there. With the federal government shut down again, maybe it will be relatively empty... Yeah, this will be a disaster...

Acquiescence

After a day or so, I began to tire of the snow, mostly because I continued to be "stranded" in the city because the Metro wasn't working above ground and I hadn't been home for a while. I spent Saturday night at Sarah and Melissa's, after going to a party for Sarah's coworker and to Bohemian Caverns. I don't care much for dancing, and after my run in the snow, I tired out pretty quickly. Also, the amount of physical contact in that club, though some people may welcome it, wore on me very quickly. I fell asleep watching highlights and lowlights from the past two Super Bowls, the exhilarating Steelers win last year and the gutwrenching Patriots loss in 2008. Melissa's boyfriend wandered by on his way to church in the morning and I tried to say hi, but my words weren't working. When I woke up and everyone came downstairs, we enjoyed a few hours of laziness and tricks from Melissa's cat Shira before I decided it was time to go home.


Rather than take the Metro to Ballston and finish the journey on foot, I chose to run the route between my office and home that I frequently planned to run in better conditions. As I left, I started to feel a weird pain in my left hip, but after shortening my stride and running on as much cleared sidewalk as I could find, I wamred it up and it was fine.
When I reached Rosslyn, I debated between running on the cleared roads of Route 29 or braving the off-road Custis trail. Still wearing the sweatpants Rob lent me, I found Route 29 too slushy to bear, given the cotton. I opted for the trail and started one of the hardest portions of a run. Over the next 5.5 miles, which took me about an hour, I struggled through two feet of snow. Some parts were driven by walkers and skiers, but none were packed down enough to support 170 pounds coming down one foot at a time, so every step meant plummeting about a foot down into the snow. I came across a few people on the trail, but most of the time was faced with a lot of snow- white almost everywhere I looked. For the most part, I looked down to try to find the best path, but around an hour in, I began climbing a long hill into the gradually setting sun. It was a transfixing experience, and I started to drift away from the conscious act of running and exist more in the state of movement and survival. I was getting tired from the aggregate vertical motion I was putting into my form to step over the snow, and I was hungry. I just wanted to end the run. More than four miles into the trail, when I turned onto the W&OD trail, I began to wander off the trail, instinctively looking for some plowed residential streets so I could have some traction and resume my normal form. I found a street but it was worse off than the trail and I started to run aground emotionally. I realized I had no idea how the streets connected in that part of Arlington, so I got back on the trail and continued on my way. I thought more about how much easier and more fun running will be when the streets are clear, and I stopped minding. I also knew I was close to the end.
When I reached eastern Falls Church, I scrapped the rest of the route on the trail and found the second half of the Park loop plowed. Overjoyed, I picked up speed, making the slogging on the trail that much more dramatically slow. I felt pretty good at that point, and had time not been running out until the Super Bowl started, I would have extended the 12.25 mile run to hit 15 and do a true long run. As I saw my stopwatch inch closer to two hours, I realized I had probably put my body through enough, and that running more after I was exhausted was an invitation for injury and burnout, I decided to finish up when I got home. I stopped at a 7-11 to buy chocolate milk and reached home, my shoelaces too frozen to untie and extract my keys.
The game ended up being a good one, with the game turning on the Saints outplaying Peyton Manning, which I enjoyed. Alex had cooked red beans and rice, which instantly warmed my stomach. The shower, my first with warm water since Friday, felt amazing, and I guzzled the chocolate milk with flourish. The federal government is closed on Monday, which means my office is too. I shall sleep without an alarm and run twice, planning for some sore hips when I wake up. With 75 miles on the schedule for this week, I am starting at a deficit because I planned for 15 on Sunday, but with 12.25 already and 12 in two runs on Monday, I'll be able to average 10 most of the rest of the week. I am mentally enjoying the longer runs, so I don't worry about burnout at this point. In fact, I am looking forward to being able to explore more when my runs are longer and the sun is out later.

It has been brought

Well, how about that snow? Comparatively, my part of northern Virginia and DC didn't get as much over Friday night and Saturday, just about 16 and 17 inches, respectively. Some parts of Maryland toward Baltimore had 30 inches. Anyway...
My friends Mary and Rob persuaded me to come to a party in Clarendon Friday night, with the promise of a place to stay that night when the metro stopped operating above ground. I don't know why I didn't pack running clothes with me when I left, but I didn't. In the morning, the reality of having to somehow get in 10 miles struck. Luckily, Rob lent me sweatpants and a shirt, and I remembered I had a pair of shoes in my office. As it turns out, I also had a short sleeved shirt. I bought some cheap shorts and socks at City Sports and walked to north Capitol Hill and got into my office, then ran two loops around the Mall for 10.5 miles at 7:20 pace. I stuck to the quasi-plowed streets, and while running along Constitution caught up to and passed a group of five plows. When I finished and got back to the office, the showers in the gym did not manage to produce any hot water, which was a problem.
Despite the lengths I took to run, it never seemed silly to me to spend my time like that. In following through, I had my first 70 mile week since August, and I am pretty happy to be back there. I'm feeling fitter and if I keep adapting to the workload, I can see myself making some big gains.
I'll get a taste of 75 miles next week before I come back down to 70, though it's going to be hard to get 15 tomorrow, what, with all of this snow all over the place...

Bring it on

I'm fine with the snow now. I'm up for the challenge and relish the chance to get tougher in awful running conditions.
The federal government let employees out at 1, so my office followed suit and I welcomed the chance to go home and have a mid-afternoon nap. It turned out to last 3.5 hours and I had an eerily prescient dream about trying to get home from somewhere far away, perhaps Prince George's County.
I woke up and ran another Park 6, returning Extract to the Giant. Decent enough movie, but not great. The snow, which had been falling for about 6 hours by the time I started out at 7:30, was pretty significant, and I only passed a few cars. Park St was pretty clear, as were the back roads I hit.