got the runs

noon: 3-mile out and back on the WOD near work.  A very gusty spring day with constant threat of showers.  Smells/feels/sounds wonderful!  I was a bit groggy, pulling out ~7:45's.  I haven't been achieving stellar mileage lately, but I feel great about the cross-training.  Everything just feels a bit more solid and happy, and i'm building strength in my legs, so I think it's a great option for the spring season.  I'm excited to step it up this sunday at the Cherry Blossom 10-miler (running under the alias of Jonathon Strong for money-related reasons)! 
 

Noon: 6 miles on the WOD for a lunch break.  Everything felt pretty darn good, including this sunny, breezy, low 60's weather.  Ran ~7:40's.

Noon: Six miles on the WOD at lunch today. Started nice 'n strong and ended a bit slower than I started, but stuck it around 7:30's. Everything's feeling fine, except for a small twinge in the groin. I've been trying to stretch it robustly, but it's still a bit of a bother. We'll see if i can kick it before the race on saturday...and no, i don't need help with that.

pm: ~ one somewhat sleepy hour in the gym.  Not the best energy state for flinging steel. 

Half hour lapswim...felt fantastic!

The weather was dramatically better than the forecast, so Great Falls beckoned for a good hike.  A few walkin' miles seemed appropriate the day before the race.

Ok.  Finally time for the full report!

The Cherry Blossom 10 miler rolled around at a very busy time of year once again.  I had company in town and was a bit strung out about some presentations I would be giving for work the following week.  This, coupled with the fact that I was running under the alias of my roommate (free entry!), made it rather difficult to take the race too seriously.  When I came home saturday night under rainy skies and saw a weather report that promised no change, I seriously considered bagging it and having a lazy, rainy sunday morning.  But alas, the alarm sounded at 6:00 and I jumped right up, despite a measly 4.5 hours of sleep.  I downed a bit of oatmeal and a banana and started the long, sleepy metro ride to the race with my roommate, Roger, and a couple friends. 

The race start was partitioned off from elite -> yellow -> red -> blue -> green.  Jon Strong (I) was placed in the "blue" group, which started ~5:00 after the actual race start.  I went out rather hard with Roger, running just over 6:00 for the first mile.  But I had to pee.  Badly.  So I stopped at some porta-potties, waited about a minute in line, and then realized that they were all pad-locked except one! (jerks)...so I ran another mile or so and ducked behind a large electrical box, where I stepped in ~5" standing water.  Soaked.  I left the puddle and some curse words behind with super-saturated shoes.  I almost gave up the race attitude at this point, but then laughed at the whole scene and decided to push through a bit longer.  Problem is, I was still basically asleep.  I think I was asleep until I was well into mile 4.  But then something happened at around mile 5 (I woke up??), and I felt my groove.  I pointed my shoulders forward and decided to push it.  I have no idea what my miles were like, as I couldn't find my watch in the morning chaos, but I must have been doing a pretty fast pace for me.  This course double-backs on itself a couple times, so I could see Roger ahead of me on two different occasions.  I knew I couldn't catch him, but I played with the idea in my mind and used it as a game/tactic to push a bit harder.  I whizzed past the blues (squeek squeek), infiltrated the mass of reds (squeek squeek), and then started to pass some yellows.  The final ~1.5 miles were bordering on anaerobic (there's some racing jargon for that, i'm sure...) and it felt good to punch it.  I ended in 1:15 flat, which translates to 1:10 for the blues.  Interestingly enough, it wasn't raining at all during the race, and the rain resumed exactly when i got my raincoat back. 

I was very pleased not only with this race, but also with my body's response to it.  I wasn't completely pooped afterward, and I never felt any soreness or fatigue worth mentioning.  I took a solid nap, but this was due more to sleep deprivation than anything else.  Oh...and the breakfast burrito.  I think that was the finest breakfast burrito I've ever had in my life. 

Just a short lil' leg-stretching 4 miles to stretch the legs.  I'm feeling remarkably good following yesterday's race, and tonight I averaged a very relaxed 7:40 after a steak and a baked potato without really trying.  Usually I'm pretty much worthless for a day or two following a race, so I'm quite pleased.

noon: I went out for my standard lunch-time run into a beautiful drizzly day.  The only two miles I can measure accurately came out to 7:09 (with the wind) and 7:23 (against the wind).  I took some time during this run to survey my body for any sort of pain or fatigue, and am happy to report no peculiarities.  My legs are feeling strong, my back straight, and my feet happy (ie. void of PF).  I don't know why I'm so shocked at my health; I guess I should just be happy and drop it.  But right when my running gets good is when the poo usually hits the fan.  I s'pose I'll just keep doing what I'm doing.

day off.  meeting in Cambridge, MD.

pm:  4 mile out-and-back on the WOD close to home.  After skipping wednesday and then eating lots of food and sitting in a conference on top of it, I was ready to run.  These 8 miles were pure enjoyment.  I averaged around 7:30, did some strides in mile 7, and then pulled a 6:45 for mile 8.  There are a few things that feel a bit out of whack in my back and right shoulder.  One of these days I just may consider the ol' chiro route, even though it freaks me out.

Took today off to spin some miles on the mtn bike.  Peddled ~2.5 hours and was completely wasted by the end...stumbled into my car right at dusk.  

6 miles on the WOD close to home.  Felt strong and averaged 7:15's.  I decided to do a couple smaller runs this weekend rather than one long one...seemed more enjoyable.

6 rather sleepy miles.  My sleep has been a bit erratic and I think it's throwing my energy levels off a bit.  Averaged 7:45 and was happy to come home and eat a breakfast burrito.  My one true love. 

Cross-training day.

50-minute lapswim followed by ~45 minutes in the gym.  I was letting the core/upper body slowly dwindle away...

Off for field work for a couple days now.  It may be tough to get out there this week.

My boss graciously waited to go out for dinner while I logged somewhere between 5 and 6 miles out in Cambridge, MD. It felt great to stretch the legs!

I wanted a mini biathlon today.

3.5 mile run on the WOD at a good clip directly followed by a solid 35-minute lapswim.  A great way to prepare for a visit from my bro!

No miles...just a full day of climbing out at Great Falls.

Walked and did touristy stuff for hours and hours.  Walking is tough!

Casual 4-mile run to stretch the legs and get back into the swing of things.  The April showers have officially started, and I was happy to run under overcast skies in a slight drizzle.  ~7:30's

The same 4 miles today, equally as drizzly.  I'm feeling strong, but I just found out today that I leave tomorrow for 10 days of field work down in North Carolina.  We'll see how these guys work and what the area is like.  There is potential for anything from piss-poor mileage to great mileage during this time, and we'll see what happens.  I may not have a computer til late next week...so I guess I'll just peace out and log some runs when I get the chance.  Cheers!

Approximately 3-3.5 miles to stretch the legs after ~6 hours driving to southern North Carolina.  Followed by lots of food.

A perfect 7 mile round-trip run around White Lake near Elizabethtown, NC.  Didn't quite know where I was going, as I hadn't looked at a map of the area at all.  Turned out to be the perfect run!  Field work is substantially easier than expected, and I have time for a small nap and 7 miles before going to dinner.  Way cool!

The same 7 miles as yesterday, and feeling strong as ever. 

yyyyep.  still on white lake....

Ok, so this time i was a bit tired.  fewer trucks full of stinky pigs today...a huge relief.

Day off!  Had a nice saltwater swim and a walk on the beach.  Podunk NC is kind of a drag, but the beaches and small beach towns are nothing to spit at.

Seven miles seemed a pretty solid distance to run following field work last week, so I decided to continue the trend in the new town.  Good ol' country roads out here where cattle stare and people wave...good times.

Today I found an even better route than yesterday where I can run on gravel with a touch of grass on top--perfect!  I had increased motivation to run hard today and it went quite well.

My quads were feeling it a tad today, but not a problem at all.  I'm a bit worried about tomorrow, but I should be able to push on through and then take a break Friday to hit a pool for a bit.