What goes with me for a long run...

When I gear up for my long runs every week it feels a bit like I'm getting ready for some kind of expedition.  When I was on vacation my family gave me a hard time for how long it took me every morning to actually get my foot out the door.  I'd get up to run at 7 (yes, even on vacation!) and I wouldn't start running until 9 or 10.  I'm not so bad about stalling when I'm at home, but at home I don't have my parents, my brothers, the beach or a cute pug to distract me.  So between all these distractions and getting my pack ready, it takes a while.  Here's what I pack before I leave:

On the left is my SpiBelt.  It's sort of a mini-fanny pack for running.  It holds some of the things I like to be able to grab quickly - My phone, Clif Bloks, Gu, and my apartment key.

In my backpack goes the rest of the stuff.  The pack is a Kelty Big Basin.  True to the amazon reviews, the reservoir that it came with leaked terribly, so I got a new one from Camelpak and now I can say that the combination meets my needs.  You might notice in the picture there I've got my handy sweat rag tied to the chest strap and the waist strap is tied up behind the pack.  It took me way too long to figure out that for me this is the only comfortable way to run with a pack.  

In the pack:

-Pepto Bismol Chewables (gotta be chewables!)

-Toilet Paper (just in case)

-Wallet

-Extra Socks

-Mini Body Glide stick

-Clif Crunch Bar

-Payday 

(I rarely eat both the crunch bar and the payday, but it makes me happy to have options to choose from when I need fuel.)

My long run at the beach was a little rocky.  I bonked at mile 12 out of 14, but I got to run through some new trails and nearly got the piss scared out of me by ... a butterfly.  Go ahead and laugh, but I had run through a few too many spiderwebs and was feeling VERY jumpy after not having seen any other humans for about an hour, and it startled me.  I shrieked like there was an axe murderer after me, and then laughed my way down the trail, relieved there was nobody around to see or hear my response to the very scary butterfly.

These are the only two pictures I took during that run.  The trail I was on opened up to a view of the beach.

Same part of the same trail, just a little closer.

Even though my long run that week was embarrassing and disappointing, the rest of the week went really well.  I managed to get all of my runs in, plus a trip to the gym to lift, and - AND! - (you may want to sit down for this part) - I beat my brother in a four mile race.  Gasp!  All three of my brothers are very athletic, and being the tomboy that I was when I was growing up, that meant losing a lot whenever we played sports together.  So this was big.  He might have beat me by one stroke the day before in mini golf, but I smoked him in our race and I couldn't have been happier about it.  Now that I think about it, we put a bet on that race.  That jerk still owes me ten dollars.

Stats from my long run at the beach:

Okay so the stats aren't working.  But I'm gonna go ahead and leave that there to show you I tried.  It's garmin's fault.  I think.  I'll repost later in the week to see if it's fixed.

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.

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: