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.

Remember when we were kids and we had summer reading lists?

I've found reading about running to be a good motivator, so I thought I'd share.  Hooray, book club!

This week it's books, and I was thinking next week I might do gear.  We'll see.  Maybe you want to run a marathon one day.  You'll be able to find out all of your required reading and all of your recommended gear right in one place.  For now we'll stick to just a few books.

Everyone who has stepped foot in a running store in the past couple of years has heard of Christopher McDougall's Born to Run.  As far as adventure books go, I never really imagined that a book about running would be all that exciting.  The activity is pretty redundant, we've all done it, and there's really not a whole lot to it, right?  This book has stirred up a lot of discussion in the running community, especially about ultradistances and barefoot running.  A lot of runners say it paved the way for the barefoot movement.  While I still haven't completely bought into the whole barefoot thing, I found the book to be a great story about runners from a variety of backgrounds coming together to enjoy the sport out in the elements.  If you've read it already you may want to follow up on the sad story of Caballo Blanco.  

Like I said, I haven't completely bought into the whole barefoot thing, but I'll admit that it's mostly because I just don't have the patience.  I dabbled.  I started with Barefoot Ken Bob's Barefoot Running Step by Step and even got myself a pair of the goofy shoes.  The thing is, barefoot running can be pretty dangerous if you don't take it super slow.  It works all sorts of different muscles and it's been responsible for a lot of injuries because let's face it: runners like to run.  If you do it too much in a way that you're not used to you're probably gonna get hurt.  Barefoot Ken Bob suggests starting with as little as 100 yards or so a few times a week and very gradually building barefoot distance from there.  I'm training for a marathon.  I don't have time for that.  Maybe later.  Still, I think a lot of what he has to say about proper form is still relative, and I think it's been super helpful in my speed training.

Next is The Lure of Long Distances: Why We Run by Robin Harvie.  I think I found this most appealing because this guy was an amateur runner when he decided to take on the challenge that he covered in this book.  He trained for what is considered by many to be the toughest footrace known to man - a 150 trek from Athens to Sparta.  I enjoyed it more for the reflection on why distance runners put themselves through hell day after day, to compete in races that they're happy to finish let alone win. This book was particularly motivating when I hadn't started my strict running calendar yet, but was still trying to increase my mileage.

You might know A. J. Jacobs from his 2008 New York Times Bestseller, The Year of Living Biblically: One Man's Humble Quest to Follow the Bible as Literally as Possible.  I'll start by saying that I didn't read that book.  The book I did read, Drop Dead Healthy: One Man's Humbe Quest for Bodily Perfection is similar to the first in that both follow Jacobs as he turns his life into an experiment and then retells it to the reader in a way that is both hilarious and informative.  Drop Dead Healthy isn't a book about running, but as I learn more about how my diet, my rest, and pretty much everything else can affect my performance, I figured this book couldn't hurt.  I've picked up a few habits after reading it, to include flossing and *trying* to sleep more.

One of the body parts that Jacobs didn't cover as much as I had hoped was feet, but I figured for a runner they're important enough for me to pay them special attention.  I haven't finished it yet, but currently I'm working on Fixing Your Feet: Prevention and Treatment for Athletes, by John Vonhof.  I'm in the lucky minority when it comes to runners in that I rarely ever get blisters of any sort.  *Knocks on wood.*  I need to be careful though, because this luck is bound to run out eventually, and there's more to foot care than just preventing blisters.  When I tried to do the whole barefoot thing for a minute last winter I was a little overzealous and ended up with a bone bruise on the ball of my foot.  It still looks a little funny, but it doesn't hurt when I run and that was enough to win the "okay" from my podiatrist.  After worrying about this little hiccup and seeing some really nasty blisters at the races I've been to, I downloaded this to my kindle mostly as a "just in case" read, so that I know what to do if I run into problems again.

Next on the list is Eat and Run: My Unlikely Journey to Ultramarathon Greatness by Scott Jurek.  He's probably the most well known ultramarathon runner, and he was one of the lucky few that got to run with the Tarahumara in the race featured in Born to Run.  According to amazon.com he recently completed a race that was equal to six and a half marathons in less than 24 hours.  I'm really looking forward to this book, and the fact that I've already downloaded it on my kindle is helping to get be through "The Foot Book" which is admittedly a bit dry.

This was so much fun, I think I will follow up with gear next week.  And I promise pictures.  I would have added some this week, but pictures of a kindle would be a little repetative, no?

I'm sweaty.

If you don't believe me, ask my friend here:

I found this sexy beast right by the stairs to my apartment.

Love these colors!

For an iPhone camera, I can't complain.

I'm still surprised it didn't fly away when I got this close.

And for perspective, those little circles on the ground are where I dripped sweat while I took those pictures.  

It's embarrassing.  When I pass people on the more narrow sidewalks on really hot days I get so anxious.  I try to smooth my hair down and ball my hands into tiny fists.  It hasn't happened yet, but I'm so nervous.  I fear it's only a matter of time before I accidentally flick sweat onto a fellow pedestrian.

\

EWW!  Gross!  I know.  Forgive me.

This is why I've been making sure to follow up each run with a full bottle of this stuff per every 2 pounds lost during the run:

Splashguard is a must!

Anyways, it's hot.  We've all noticed.  Still, I feel like it's been a good week for running.  Last week on my long run I got to swing by my favorite mailbox in the area.

Last time I was in that neighborhood, I ended up hitting the wall later in the run.  Hooray, progress!

I've been experimenting with the RunKeeper app on my iPhone.  This app tells me all about how fast I'm running, like my watch does, but it actually tells me these things.  Like out loud.  And it plays music!  I'm very close to getting the timing just perfect, but I've nearly perfected the timing of my playlist so that my RunKeeper "coach" tells me my time/pace/distance/etc right when the dialogue about falling out the window starts in "Home" by Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros:

Okay I think that's enough playing around on the internet for the day.  Here's the stats from today's run:

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.)

This is why I started taking photos while running...

I'm still a little hesitant to post these photos.  Some of what I saw yesterday really creeped me out.  These were taken less than a quarter of a mile from my front door:

Can't really make out what it is yet, but you can see a few objects in the grass.

Is that the shaved head to a doll?  Yes.  It is.

"She
was
Practice
+
RIP"

I didn't notice a second leg.

Or a second arm.

Took one last shot after I had passed the scattered doll parts.  You can see there was another  walker approaching the "scene."  I found comfort knowing that yesterday was a crowded day for this path.

I don't really know what to think about these photos.  I'm hoping it was just some kids being kids and playing a joke, but it was still pretty dark stuff.

Anyways stats for yesterday, and Wednesday:

Surprise long run and a jog down memory lane...

Before I start on today's run, I'll get the last few runs from the second part of last week out of the way:

Thursday:


Friday I was supposed to run, but didn't so I had to make up for it on Sunday (usually my rest day.)

Saturday:


And Sunday:

The exciting part about running on Sunday was that I made plans to spend most of the day at my parent's house, so I decided to run in their neighborhood.  I was living there for most of the training for my first marathon, so it was nice to run an old but familiar route.

Today was supposed to be an easy day.  I planned on running 7, but after 5 miles I was still feeling fantastic so I decided that I might as well get the long run for the week out of the way while the weather was nice and pleasant.  I ended up finishing 11 and I'm really happy that I made that call.  I finished about two hours ago and I feel much better now than I did after either of the recent 10 mile races that I did.  Success!  AND I got a few pictures today.  (I apologize for quality - I was using my iphone today since my garmin watch was dead, and skipped the digital camera.)

I saw a sweet bird in the lake behind Kingstown Center.

Yeah, poor quality, but I was stoked.

My best guess is that it was a great blue heron, but I'm no expert.

I also got to see not one, but TWO baby bunnies!  I couldn't get to my phone in time for the first but here is the second:

Too cute! 

Cotton-tail hopping away.

This happened to be on my favorite mile-long stretch.

It's a series of rolling hills along a paved path.  The path runs underneath these powerlines that create a convenient clearing with woods on either side.

Stats for today's run.

(Like I said, I had to use my phone today since the garmin was dead.)

There are plenty of lessons to be learned from distance running. Today's lesson: Humility.

Hitting the wall, bonking, falling apart, running out of steam, shutting down -- call it whatever you want.  That was me today, right near the end of mile nine.

I spent the rest of the walk home kicking myself and trying to figure out which of the many factors could have been the culprit that kept me from finishing the eleven miles that I set out to run today...  

Could it have been the heat?  Two summers ago when I was training for my first marathon I was in Paraguay, enjoying the perfect running weather of the Paraguayan mild winter:

This heat, on the other hand, is brutal.

Could it have been the three big hills that I climbed in the first half of the run?  My total elevation for today was 600 ft:  

First climb, 100ft

(Taken from top of first peak)
Second climb, 150ft 

Turned around to take a pic from the top of the second peak.

The third hill (not pictured because of length/windy roads) stretched over a mile and climbed over 250ft.

Was it too much that I logged six miles yesterday?  Did I run them too fast? 


Or was it the chili-mac that I had a little too much of, a little too late, when we had guests last night?

Worth it.

It could have been any of these things, probably a combination of all of the above, but mostly I think I was just far too cocky on my way out the door this morning.  

This isn't the first time for me to bonk on a long run, and I'm sure it wont be the last.  I need to learn from my mistakes and accept that there will be days when I find myself two miles from home with nothing left, and that's okay.  I made it home safe.  I'm still injury-free (knock on wood.)  And I'll be ready to tackle whatever's on the calendar for tomorrow.  Most importantly, the geese were there to cheer me up shortly after I slowed to a walk:

Lots of them.

!!!!

There were even a couple mallards.

I even got to see a gosling, but by then my camera had died.

Anyways, stats for today:

(the map is a little wonky because I stopped my watch for the stretches where I walked.)