If you don't succeed at first...

I was so pumped for my long run on Tuesday.  I had enough carbs on Sunday and Monday that I was actually getting tired of bread and pasta.  I routed a run starting at Union Station in the District, finishing at the Franconia-Springfield metro station near my home.  I even set everything out the night before.

Socks in the shoes, body glide at the ready!

Breakfast too.  I should add that there's more to "breakfast" before a long run than just the breakfast.  I set out everything that goes into my body before I make my way out the door, all in one place, so that I'm sure I wont forget anything.

Left: Dry oatmeal plus craisins, dried coconut, crushed pecans
Top Left: Glass with pre-measured scoop of chia seeds
Top Center: Vermont maple syrup for oatmeal
Top Right: Pre-measured water for oatmeal
Bottom row: Coffee mug (timer set to autobrew), ibuprofen, banana, oatmeal bowl

I got dressed as I ingested each of the things on my breakfast tray, and then drove over to Franconia-Springfield metro, leaving a towel in my car for the ride back.  Then I was off to Union Station.

Union Station, taken just before I started.

From Union Station I went straight to the Capitol, and then started west towards the Lincoln Memorial, taking a break for a few photo ops along the way:

This is that building where nothing gets done.

Taken from the front of the Capitol, in the background here you can see the crane at the future site of the National Museum of African American History and Culture

Welcome to DC.  Please excuse our renovations.

That monument.

World War II Memorial

Again.

Right after I took this photo, I saw another runner sporting this year's Parkway Classic tee.   I ended up running the length of that race later on in the week.  

Lincoln is hiding in there somewhere.

Reflecting pool, again.  This one is prettier I think.

This is the Korean War Veterans Memorial.  I didn't know it existed until I nearly ran through it.  Oops.  

You should know if you ever decide to do a running tour of DC's monuments that you are not supposed to run through this memorial.  The (very polite) park service person will probably ask you to walk until you get to the other side.   My bad. 

I'm still trying to figure out exactly what it was about this sign that made it so encouraging.

Teddy Roosevelt Memorial Bridge!

Taken From the bridge, facing south.  DC on the left, Arlington on the right.

Ronald Reagan's rear end.  Alternatively, National Airport, taken from the Mr. Vernon Trail.

Shortly after National Airport, I passed a marina and made my way into Old Town Alexandria.  Just as I was getting to Founder's Park I realized that I hadn't eaten anything, or taken any salt pills.  I was about 10.5-11 miles into the run, and I typically try to eat something and take a salt pill every hour or so.  Oops.  I guess the excitement of my running monument tour caught up to me, because I was starting to feel pretty gross.  I slowed to a walk and ate my granola bar, along with a pepto chewable to try and settle my stomach.  Nope.  I tried to run a few steps and was met by a wave of nausea.  For the record, I did not puke.  Instead I ran into this lady and her matching dogs right outside the Torpedo Factory:

The dogs all had on the same kind of harness, each in a different color!  

I walked around for a bit until I felt better.  I still had nearly 10 miles to go to get home, so I considered my options.  I could try to tough it out, even if it meant feeling like hell for the rest of the day, and probably tomorrow too.  That would probably also mean that I would really struggle to finish and end up doing lots of walking, meaning any hope for maintaining a consistent pace was gone.  The other option was to take the metro back to Franconia-Springfield, and make a second attempt at the 20 miler later in the week.  Hmmm.  Tuesday is early enough in the week to make this plan work.  So I called my mom and said hi to her before walking up to King St. metro.  I also decided to hit up Five Guys on the way there.  I felt much better after walking a mile or so, and scarfed down this delicious burger, no problem.

I regret nothing.

So I did two easy 5 mile runs on Wednesday and Thursday.  Friday I set out to make my second attempt at the 20 mile run.  This time, I set out to run from my apartment to my parent's house, via Old Town and the other end of the Mt. Vernon Trail.  I figured that maybe it would help not having to worry about navigation, especially since I've found it to be a bit of a confidence booster to run on trails that I'm familiar with.  My ForeRunner ran out of juice mid-run, but luckily I was using my phone as well since I knew my watch battery was low.

Friday's route (via RunKeeper)

As you can see I hit the 10 mile mark in Old Town yet again on Friday, but I felt much better this time around.  It may have also helped that I wasn't goofing around taking pictures the whole first half of the run.  Something about momentum and inertia and science stuffs makes me think that I had a better time finding some rhythm without the distraction of pictures and monuments and navigation.  Still, running through DC was fun.  I plan on doing it again.

At the end of my run on Friday, my mom met me at the 0 mile marker of the Mt. Vernon trail.  The way I routed it, I would have ended up running 22 miles if I had gone all the way to her house, or an even 20 if I quit at Mt. Vernon.  I decided to pass on the extra credit this week.  Mom took me home for a minute and fed me before driving me back through Old Town again to pick up Becka on the way back to our apartment. (Wasn't that sweet of her?)  I realized on the way home that we sort of accidentally ended up retracing the run, which was the perfect way to end to a really fantastic run.

As promised!

I love shopping for gear.  I can't say that I've tested a huge variety of brand names and styles when it comes to most of my running stuff, mostly because I just can't afford to buy stuff that I'm not sure I'll use on a regular basis.  This means I have a good bit of research to do when I decide to make running purchases, and so far, I'm happy to say that most of the junk I've bought gets used pretty regularly.

I'll start by contradicting myself with a purchase that I use much less frequently.  My FiveFingers.  I have the Ladies' Bikila LS in blue and gray.

Still a little embarrassed that I own these.

I should start by saying that I have probably run less than ten miles in these shoes and I've had them for nearly a year.  I've walked in them a bunch, and they feel great, but I'm just too worried about injury to put any significant miles on them.  Still, they're fun to run in if I have the patience to change my shoes after a run to cool down for another half-mile.  Most vendors will warn customers when trying on these shoes that if you run in them with little to no barefoot running experience, you're very likely to hurt your feet, legs back, etc.  Shod running has shaped our form over the years and to try and switch to a barefoot style takes a lot of time and patience.  I don't have that right now, so instead I have a pair of funny looking shoes that sit in my closet.  A waste?  Maybe.  I'll get over it.

My favorite running shoes that I have now or that I've ever had also happen to be my newest.  The Brooks PureCadence.  These shoes feel great.  They are super light, they keep my feet dry, and for me they are supportive enough while still feeling very lightweight.

I think they're pretty fly, too.

In my opinion, what's even more important than than the shoes is what goes in them.  I have about a million pairs of running socks but my favorite by far would definitely have to be my Injinji Lightweight Toesocks.

They even come in fun colors!

I have several pairs of these now and they're the only socks I'll wear for long runs.  I know toe socks might seem a little silly for distance running, but they are the best at keeping my toes happy and blister-free.

Speaking of blisters and skin irritation in general, let's talk about chafing.  It's an unfortunate reality.  I swear the folks at Body Glide are not paying me to tell you this: they've figured out how to make it stop.  I don't know how it works but this little deodorant-stick-style lubricant has kept me from developing sore spots since I trained for my first marathon in 2010.

Thank you, Body Glide!

Now this may be hard to believe, but my outfit when I run is the part I'm least picky about.  Running shorts are running shorts in my mind.  As long as they've got a liner and a pocket I'm a happy camper.  I use leggings in the winter, but it's not winter, so here you go.  Running shorts:

Bright colors are always a plus.

My only requirement is a pocket for my house key.

As far as tops go, any tech-shirt will do.  I try to stick with sleeveless during the summer to avoid the farmer's tan, but as long as it's not cotton I'm not really one to complain.  My favorite running shirts are the free ones that they give you with your bib at races.  If it's a bigger, more expensive race, then they usually even give out shirts that are made of synthetic moisture-wicking fabric instead of the hanes-style cotton tee.  These are my two favorites:

Left: 2012 GW Parkway Classic
Right: 2010 Baltimore Running Festival

So now that I've figured out what to wear, how will I monitor my run?  Two ways.  First is my Garmin ForeRunner 310XT.  This little gadget tells me the time of day, the time I've been running, how far I've gone, my current pace, average pace, distance and time ahead of/behind my goal pace, steps per minute, elevation, split times per mile, and about a million other things that I haven't yet figured out how to program.  Believe it or not, the features I just listed are features that I ACTUALLY USE on a somewhat regular basis.  The watch itself is a bit big.  Still, it tells me everything I could want to know.

Like a computer, only for my wrist.

My favorite part of the ForeRunner is that it automatically uploads all of my run data using a little wireless USB device and then logs it all for me on Garmin's website where I can track everything and set goals.  I hit a major benchmark yesterday, even though I have some catching up to do if I want to hit my goal of 1000 miles in 2012.

Woohoo!  500 miles!

I also use my iPhone from time to time if I forget to charge my watch.  I have the RunKeeper app which is a little underwhelming after being spoiled by all of Garmin's fun features, but it does the job.

This took a lot longer than expected.  I think I need to take a break and I will update with more goodies about fuel for long runs, and what I like to put into my pack.  Until then.