Baltimore!

Two weeks until the big day!  Tomorrow I will start to taper, and this past week I did my last very long run before the race.

I made a first shot at it on Tuesday and literally got scared off the trails by a pack of deer.  Most close friends and family already know this unfortunate detail about me: I am absolutely terrified by deer.  Some people are scared of spiders or snakes or clowns.  I'm scared of deer.  When I see them while driving I usually have to stop and collect myself before I can continue, especially if they do that creepy thing where they stand there in the middle of the road staring for a few minutes before they finally decide to bounce away (and then just when you think it's safe to continue driving their friends that were lurking in the shadows bounce across your path as well.) 

You know what I'm talking about.

Anyways, I was six miles into my run on Tuesday and feeling good.  I was heading down a trail I frequent almost daily, totally in the zone, and all of a sudden I come up on a doe.  She was right in the middle of the trail staring right at me, maybe 15 to 20 yards away.  At first I couldn't breathe.  I found myself gasping for air.  The gasps turned into little whimpers and I  shrunk to the ground in kind of a squat, and started to cry.  She stood there staring at me for a minute or so before she bounced over some brush into the woods, and it wasn't until then that I realized there were 5 or 6 more deer in the brush on either side of the trail.  They all took off as soon as she jumped, and I stayed there for a few more minutes, nervous that another one would come galloping at me from out of nowhere.  Up until that point I was feeling strong, fast, and unstoppable, but when I finally got up from my pathetic crouch, I was still struggling to breathe normally, I was still crying, and I knew I was done for the day.  I walked the mile back to my house, still feeling rattled even when I got home.  According to a friend of mine, it's mating season, and I should expect to see them on the trails with some regularity.  Great.  The next day I made another attempt at the 20 miler.  I didn't see any beasts while I was out, and I did okay, but still the wheels sort of fell off at mile 19.  My legs just couldn't take any more.  I walked the last mile, not really feeling all that disappointed since I had run about 34 miles in 3 days.  Since I usually rest after my long runs, I had ended up doing an extra six miles the day I ran up on the deer.

Yesterday I decided to drive up to Baltimore for the Baltimore Running Festival. Before yesterday I had never been to a race as a spectator, and I really enjoyed the experience.  This race in particular was the first marathon I ran back in 2010, and this year my friend Laura was running in the half-marathon.  It was her first race at that distance, so I figured I'd go cheer her on and see the race from the other side of the tape.  It was exhilarating to relive the experience of finishing my first marathon, and to be there to support my friend as she finished her first half.  At the finish line I saw more than a few runners getting misty-eyed and I remembered how emotional I felt when I finished the race myself.  I had started crying as soon as I saw the tunnel at the finish line and when I finally found my dad after the race, he saw that I had been crying and got so worried.  Right away he started asking if I was hurt, what was wrong, why I was crying, and I couldn't find the words to explain.  I was overcome with so many different emotions that I hadn't really prepared myself to experience.  I was sad that it was over, proud that I had finished, thrilled to be done, and anxious to be able to go home and rest.  Plus my stomach was in knots from both the mental and physical aspects of the race.  This doesn't begin to sum up the sensational whirlwind that had consumed me that day.  At yesterday's race, I could see the bewilderment on the faces of some of the runners, especially the obvious first-timers, and it was a welcome reminder of the experience that I had two years ago.
The only disappointing from yesterday's race was that I was so in the moment that I forgot to take a single picture the entire time I was there.  Doh!  Luckily, Laura's dad was running with her and took this when I first spotted them by the lake:

Some comic relief for struggling runners.

I also had a less offensive message on the reverse side for when the kiddos were around:

Lots of runners smiled at me or proudly thanked me when I had it flipped to this side.

After I had my fill of post-race excitement I decided to head over to the Lexington Market to get a taste of what Baltimore does best.  

Tastes like Maryland.

I love love love any kind of open market atmosphere, and to put crabcakes and Natty Boh on top of that was the perfect end to a splendid trip.  Maybe next year I'll enjoy some crabcakes as a finisher, although I don't know if I could afford the amount of crabcakes it would take to fill me up after running 26 miles.

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.

New shoes!

I have good news and bad news.  The bad news is that my Brooks Pure Cadence shoes are starting to fall apart.  The heel is fraying, causing the fabric to bunch up, and it's starting to lose little pieces of the sole.  This is a bit disappointing since I've only put 293 miles on this pair (I can usually get 500-600 out of a pair of shoes) but according to the website, 250-300 is around average for this shoe.  Oh well.  I don't really have time to break in a completely new model, and I do love this shoe, so I went back to Pacers and asked for another pair.  The clerk went and got the last pair that they had in my size, and apologetically explained to me that they didn't have any left in the purple/black color scheme that I was wearing.  "Oh man,"  I thought to myself, "I hate white shoes, but I should stick with what I know works for me."  Then she opened the box:

This image does not do justice to the shade of pink.  They are blinding really. 

To say that I was thrilled is an understatement.  I love me some neon, and I love me some running gear, so any disappointment that I was feeling about buying another pair of running shoes that I knew wouldn't last too long was quickly forgotten.  

Thirteen miles later, they felt just as good as the old pair. Another perk is that my family will have an easier time picking me out in the crowd on race day.

My long run for this week was also exciting because I found a new trail near my house.

It was woodsy enough to feel secluded, but still well-maintained. 

There was a little stream to the right of the path here that opened up into a lake a bit further down the path. 

The lake, with power lines running along the opposite side.

It was a great run Tuesday, and it made me feel good about my new purchase.  This week I have my first of two 20 milers coming up, and these will be my longest runs until race day.  I'm hoping to get up early enough on Tuesday to take the metro into the district and run home from there, passing some of the landmarks that I'll see on the day of the race.

What a great long run I had this week

It was just the right mix of fun and challenging.  I ran a route that was completely new to me, and I didn't get lost!  It was also the longest run I've been on since my first marathon, nearly two years ago.  The best part is, I felt great afterwards.



I decided to put off my gear review post until next time.  I had so much fun during my long run on Tuesday, that I'd rather just do a recap.  Still, I'm a pushover, so here's a preview of me in some of the gear you can look forward to hearing about.

Bathroom mirror shot.  This has myspace written all over it.

My run on Tuesday felt sort of like an urban expedition since I was exploring routes that were new to me.  I started north up Van Dorn out of Kingstowne and the traffic was moving slow enough for me to keep up with some of the cars for a few minutes at a time.

Approaching the Capital Beltway!

The sidewalk/path/whatever you want to call it that runs along Van Dorn is sweet.  It's asphalt, which apparently is much easier on the joints than concrete, and it's got some nice views too.

Traffic, Alexandria, 495, wildflowers.  What more could you ask for?

As I got a little closer to the 495 overpass, I noticed something genius about the path.

Notice how some stairs are longer than others?

Now I don't know if the stair-making people did this on purpose, but I like to think that they did.  I might be the only person to have noticed this, or maybe every slightly OCD runner is thankful for this detail as they trot down these stairs.  Anyways, I think it's marvelous.  These stairs are spaced out so that each there's a break after each little series of quick steps, making it so that while running, you naturally end up leading off the next series of quick steps on the alternating foot.  (I keep typing and deleting and re-typing this sentence trying to make it less confusing, but it's just not happening.  Trust me.  The stairs are great.)

Another cheers to these stairs.  That's how brilliant they are.

 And then the 495 overpass.  Here's the little bridge for pedestrians crossing underneath the beltway.

This is also where traffic started to thin out and where I cut past the Van Dorn metro, down Eisenhower. 

The walkway under 495 was pretty neat, and well lit, but I still think I'd be a little creeped out to take this route after dark.

I'm glad it was daytime with plenty of cars out.

After heading down Eisenhower for a bit, I took a bike trail that cuts through to Rose Hill, my old neighborhood.

These stairs coming up from the Eisenhower Connector were much less forgiving than the first set I came across.

From Rose Hill, it was a straight shot down Telegraph to get home.  Then it was time to watch some Olympics while I ate everything in sight.

So my fridge wasn't quite that empty at the end of the day, but it felt like it.

A nice break from the heat!

I went for a nice cool run this morning right after it rained.  How refreshing.

The stretch that runs along Telegraph Rd had been trimmed recently of the poison ivy that had been dominating the area, and looked beautiful after getting some water.    

Still a little misty from the rain.

The less-pretty part of today's run.  Looks like they're "developing" near the Huntley Meadows  entrance by Telegraph and South Kings.  

I have a thing about bridges.  They terrify me.  This one isn't so bad when it's dry, but I was pretty nervous crossing it today.

Today's run was a good time.  Funny how much easier this is when it's cool out.

Lost in the woods.

Quickest way to turn an "Easy 4 Mile Loop" into a disoriented stumble through the woods for more than 9 miles?
Don't take a map.

That's what I did yesterday.  I had planned to do the loop twice to total an 8 mile run but I got very lost, and running a little more than I planned to. But before I get into that, I'll update on the discovery that I mentioned last week when I found the pieces to a doll:


That was a Thursday.  I took Friday off.  That Saturday, the morning after the big storm hit this area, I ran by the scene where I had seen the doll pieces to find the torso still lying in the area with a few other pieces, only now the torso was turned over: 

"UR Next"

I tried to call the police, but because of the storm it took me a while to get in touch with anybody.  They ended up sending someone out Sunday morning and the guy collected the pieces to check them for fingerprints.  Haven't heard anything about it since.  I've promised my roommates and parents to keep my phone with me when I run and to avoid this area, especially if I do any night runs soon.

Sunday I ran at my parents house again.  I forgot to turn my watch on until I was already a mile into the run, so the stats are a little wacky:


It was nice to run by the potomac after  not seeing it for a while.

My watch lost some data last time I tried to upload some of the recent runs, but I'll get back to yesterday's treck through the forrest in Springfield.

I started at Lake Accotink Park:

"The Orange and Alexandria Railroad Trestle"

DAM!

Lake Accotink

Lake Accotink Marina

I will need to return soon to check rental prices on these bad boys.

So, like I said in the beginning, Lake Accotink Park features a lovely four mile loop that sounded really inviting.  I ran through part of this park during the 15k that I ran in the beginning of June and thought it would be nice to go back especially since it offers a lot of shade and it was so hot yesterday.  I got lost almost immediately.  

What's so unfortunate about this is that the gps data from this run was lost during the last transfer I did, so I wasn't able to use that to figure out where exactly I was.  What IS lucky is that I took these photos with my camera, so I was at least able to use the GPS part of photostream to locate on a map,  where each of these were taken:

This is where I took this first photo and it's where I was when I finally admitted to myself how lost I was.  

I had run five miles and was nowhere near where I started, so I was obviously not on this loop that I had planned on running.  I found myself in this maze of mountain bike trails behind Wakefield Park.  The trails didn't show up on the maps on my phone, so finding my way from there back to the trail that I had been on was very tricky.  As I got more tired and disoriented, I somehow managed to convince myself that the trail I was looking for was just on the other side of this creek:

Now to find somewhere I can actually cross,  while still
keeping my feet dry... 

So once I crossed what turned out to be Accotink Creek, I found myself completely off the trail, just searching for a way to cross back.

SO lost!

Finally I just used the map on my phone to point me towards a road and ended up stumbling out of the woods into a field behind this person's backyard, right near Braddock Rd

Once I got back to Braddock Rd, I used the map on the phone again to find my way back to the park and back to my car.

It was a beautiful run, and I really enjoyed the park, I just wish I had the map tracking where exactly I went, and how many times I doubled back and forth through the mountain bike maze.  I will definitely be heading back to this area again, but next time with a map.  (Today I bought a book at REI with maps of local trails that included the "Easy 4 Mile Loop" at Accotink.)