Category Archives: Fitness

Haunting Workouts

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I’ve done my last couple of interval speed workouts at Hains Point rather than the track. It’s pancake flat so I’ve found it to be a pretty good substitute for the track if you can deal with the winds that always seem to be strong there. It’s a nice change of pace for me too since it’s close to my office because I can sleep in but still have my speed work done at a decent time – either on my lunch break or I plan to run home on my cool down as soon as I’m done with the repeats so I’m still finished before dinner time.

Speed Intervals around Hains Point

Speed Intervals around Hains Point

I’ve made myself do all of my interval workouts outdoors this training cycle primarily because I just can’t get myself to take the time to warm up and cool down properly on the treadmill. By about three minutes in I’m ready to speed things up on those things and get going, and forget about a cool down, I’ll just walk it out for a few minutes after my last repeat. Also, even though I can run faster on a treadmill, I feel like I push myself harder outside and get a better measure of where I’m at since I’m not forced to keep up with the speed of the belt.

I was all smiles (at least when I was done) after the last two week’s repeats around Hains Point.

All smiles after I finished!

I couldn’t help but think back to my last speed workout on Hains Point when I headed out last week though. It was last summer. I normally love the heat and would rather sweat than shiver any day, but that particular day I headed out on a late lunch break around 3 p.m. on a 98-degree, 90 percent humidity day. I was dehydrated, hadn’t had the healthiest lunch and downed a coke with lunch instead of a water. You might say I wasn’t all that well prepared.

I had eight 600-meter repeats on tap that day and it seriously felt like I stepped into a wall when I walked out of my office into the heat. It was hard to even breathe. Somehow it was still windy along Hains Point, but it was by no means a nice breeze coming from the water – it was just more hot air. I pushed my way through a very ugly and not so speedy speed workout. I was proud of myself for not giving up early and calling it a day, but it was not fun and I definitely was not smiling afterwards. I still shudder when I think about that workout.

How about you – do you have any workouts that haunt you?

Race Calendar Updates

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At the beginning of the year I wrote a post with a calendar of my races for 2013. The problem with trying to plan things out a year in advance as I like to do is that I often have to make changes. I’ve already had to do some rearranging due to conflicts this month. I was extremely bummed to miss the Four Courts Four Miler since I’ve never been able to do it, but it coincided with a noon Syracuse game against Georgetown at the Verizon Center that I was going to. I knew with the 9 a.m. start time there was no way I could get back down the hill to Rosslyn, showered and ready in time for enough pre-game fun. Turns out there were not enough pre-game drinks to make that game watchable, but at least we got our revenge in the Big East Tourney.

Before I digress too much, which tends to happen when I talk Syracuse hoops, I did find a replacement race this month for the Four Courts Four. I’m running the Rev3 Run Rogue 5k in Fairfax this Saturday. It’s a fun race that I also ran last year and it supports an awesome cause – brain and breast cancer research.

I’ve also made a couple other additions. I added a sprint triathlon in June because I finally found one that lets me do the swim in a pool! I also added my first-ever track race in July. After reading about the Bring Back the Mile Campaign and seeing one of their events was right here in Arlington, I decided why not give it a shot. I have no idea how to run in a track race so I’ll probably get smoked, but I’m still pretty excited! Any advice you all have would be appreciated.

One final tweak is more of a hope at this point. During the first week of January, I impulse-registered for the Honolulu Marathon on December 8. They had a one-week only $55 entry fee deal for the normally very expensive race. Looking at last year’s Hawaii travel packages offered through Marathon Tours, it might be more affordable than I originally thought, so this may actually happen! It’s too soon after the Marine Corps Marathon to actually race it. I raced two marathons in October of 2011 and don’t have any desire to take on that pain again, but sounds like it’d be a breathtakingly beautiful run.

I also might throw in a 10k around Hains Point (either the Run for the Parks 10k in October or the Veterans Day 10k in November) to try and reach my goal of breaking 44 minutes on a nice flat course. I’m hoping to volunteer at packet pick ups or race day for a few others like the Crystal City 5k Fridays and the GW Parkway 10 Miler, so hopefully I’ll see some of you out there. Let me know how your race calendar is shaping up as we finally (hopefully) start to get some spring-like weather soon.

2013 Race Calendar

February 10 – Love the Run You’re With 5k

March 9 – Four Courts Four Miler

March 23 – Run Rogue 5k

April 7 – Cherry Blossom 10 Miler

*April 28 – Nike Women’s D.C. Half Marathon*

June 2 – Reston Sprint Triathlon

July 24 – DC Road Runners 1 Mile Track Championships

July 27 – Crystal City Twilighter 5k

*October 27 – Marine Corps Marathon*

December 8 – Honolulu Marathon

December 8 – Jingle All the Way 8k

*Goal Races*

Running Views: NYC Skyline Edition

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I’m pretty fortunate to live where I do right outside of Washington, D.C., and have so many amazing views to take in while I’m out on my everyday runs. Few things can beat the sun setting or rising over the monuments, memorials, museums and other great sights this city has to offer.

It’s always fun to run while I’m traveling and check out some new sights as well though and one of my favorites is the New York City skyline. Whenever I visit my brother and his fiancée in Hoboken I make sure to fit in a couple runs along the Hudson River so I can take in the skyline for a few miles.

What’s the best view you’ve ever had on a run? Tell me your favorite city to run in too!

NYC1

 

NYC2

 

NYC3

 

NYC4

Footprints: Monday Morning Recap

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Last week was week 6 of my training program for the Nike DC Women’s Half Marathon and it was also a fall back week so it would be a bit easier. Admittedly I should have done a little more this week, but I did get some quality workouts in as well, so I felt good about those. I ran 14.87 total miles this week. Here’s the day by day training breakdown…

Monday: Spin Class in the morning followed by a strength workout.

Tuesday: I didn’t make it to the track in the morning so I did my speed workout around Hains Point. Battling the wind there made for a tough workout, but it felt great. Altogether I ran just under 7.5 miles with roughly a 2 mile warm-up, 8 400-meter repeats with 100-meter recovery jogs, and about a 3-mile cool down.

Speed Intervals around Hains Point

Speed Intervals around Hains Point

Wednesday: Early morning endurance spin class.

Thursday: Rest Day.

Friday: I took my tempo run outdoors this week in Hoboken since I was staying up there with my brother for the Big East Tournament. The wind was brutal, but the views were awesome running with the New York City skyline in sight for most of my route. I did 4.3 miles for an average 8 minute pace including my warm up and cool down, so it was a bit slower than I’d like and my legs were feeling very heavy, but I was glad I pushed through and did it.

Saturday: I had great plans of getting up early and meeting up with the Hoboken running club, but I let a late night out after watching Syracuse beat Georgetown in OT at Madison Square Garden foil those plans. I still got myself out for another run along the river and put in an easy 3.1 miles followed by a strength workout before getting ready to go back into NYC for another game at the Garden.

Sunday: Rest Day.

Fueling on the Run

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Figuring out the right way to fuel along the way during your races can be tough. For my first few marathons, I honestly had no clue and no plan. I just drank the water and Gatorade along the course, and well, there was that Kit Kat Bar I basically stole from some guy at mile 18 of my first marathon!

Eventually, I smartened up and got a better understanding of how important it was to give yourself some fuel along the way. What a difference! My stomach is usually pretty strong, but I still had a tough time figuring out what to eat since I can be a bit picky. I remember just taste testing a Gu once that came in a bag of post-race goodies and thinking it was the grossest thing ever. That was probably in 2003, but I wasn’t about to give it a second chance so I started looking elsewhere.

I tried breaking a peanut butter Powerbar into pieces, but it could be really dry and tough to get down, especially later in the race. When various gummy type energy bites started to come out I got very excited. I used the Gu Chomps at first, but they could also be tough to chew through. PowerBar blasts were my savior. They were a lot easier to take since they are juicy in the center.

In my last two marathons though I haven’t taken my last set of planned bites around mile 21. The first time I felt sick to my stomach and the second time I just couldn’t stomach the idea of eating more of them. My plan this time is to have some variety so I’m not eating the same thing. That means trying something new though.

I’ve been practicing with things during my long runs and I noticed Gu has flavors like chocolate and peanut butter, so I thought it might be time to drop my decade long grudge against them. I’ve tested out the chocolate Gu twice now, and not only does it taste alright, but my stomach handles it well and it’s actually easier to down the Gu then fumble with 5 or so PowerBar blasts. I have some Honey Stinger gummies to try out soon too, and I’m going to keep experimenting till I’ve found just the right combinations.

How do you fuel your long runs and races?

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Just be sure to take your Gu with water, not Gatorade!

Birthday Fun

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Yesterday I wrote about all the things I want to do over the next year before I turn 30, but for today I wanted to take a step back and share how awesome of a day my b-day was! I started celebrating early over the weekend since my parents came into town for the Syracuse game – more on that disappointment later – and despite having my actual birthday fall on a Monday I managed to have a really good day.

I started things off with my favorite food bar for breakfast and a P90X ab ripper session before 5:30 hit.

Discovered these in a prize pack I won at the 2011 MCM Expo

Discovered these in a prize pack I won at the 2011 MCM Expo

Then I got ready to head up to Revolve for my usual Monday morning spin class. For me this was the perfect way to start off my birthday. How about you? Do you give yourself the day off from working out on special days or seek it out?

Sleepy but ready to sweat!

Sleepy but ready to sweat!

Ian made the morning even better by cooking up some sausage and cheese omelets for us for breakfast. Delicious. Breakfast is my absolute favorite meal, but most mornings I’m in such a rush to get out I just have my usual Cheerios or piece of toast and a banana, which gets pretty boring day after day.

I was so excited to eat this I got halfway through before taking a pic!

I was so excited to eat this I got halfway through before taking a pic!

I still had to go to work since I’m already taking Thursday and Friday of this week off, but Ian made it a bit easier and gave me a ride in. Phone calls and Facebook birthday wishes throughout the day kept me smiling. While it beats a new car payment right now, I still get pretty sick of metro so it made my day that it was the first day since winter that it was warm enough and bright enough thanks to daylight savings to bike/walk home after work. Once it gets a touch warmer this becomes a daily activity for me even once the summer heat and humidity hits. It’s just a few miles and it’s a nice change of pace after sitting in an office all day.

BikeShare is the best for days I ride home on a whim

BikeShare is the best for days I ride home on a whim

And I get to take in awesome views the whole way like this…

Passing by the Lincoln before leaving D.C. behind to cross the bridge in NoVa

Passing by the Lincoln before leaving D.C. behind to cross the bridge in NoVa

Ian said he’d make anything for dinner that I wanted and I requested chocolate chip waffles. Like I said, breakfast is my favorite meal!

So good!

So good!

He even made dessert and sang happy birthday to me. Knowing me as well as he does, he cut out the middle brownie from the batch since I don’t like the end pieces and added a candle.

Birthday Treat

Birthday Treat

To top things off Ian surprised me with my gift – a wind and rain-resistant Nike running jacket. I was so excited. It looks great and is also the one piece of running gear I don’t have. I usually just wear the big outer shell of my Columbia winter jacket on rainy/windy days which is a bit cumbersome and also too warm for early spring or late fall days.

New Jacket!

New Jacket!

Such a great day! Thanks to everyone who made me feel so special on my birthday this year! I have a feeling 29 is going to be pretty good to me.

 

 

 

 

30 Before 30

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Yesterday was my 29th birthday! I had such a great day after a fun weekend with my family, and since I love birthdays figured why not just make this my whole birthday week. When I was in high school I thought it was the best time ever until I got to college and thought what could top that. Since then each year has only been better and better. Last year was probably my best yet, so I can’t wait to see what 29 brings. With 30 right around the corner as a pretty big milestone birthday I thought it’d be fun to create a 30 Before 30 list of things I want to do this year before the big 3-0.

I broke my list into several categories in no particular order below. Seeing as this is a fitness blog a lot of them are based around that, but I threw a few others in there as well. My categories are Racing, Fitness Challenges, Around Town, Getting Certified, Social Stuff and Grown Up Things. I’d love to hear your thoughts on my list. Did you or will you do something similar before hitting a milestone birthday? What would be on your list?

Rocking My I Run This Body Shirt!

Rocking My I Run This Body Shirt!

Racing

  • Boston Qualifying Time
  • Race in Hawaii
  • Break 21 in a 5k
  • Break 44 in a 10k
  • Run another race back in my hometown (Syracuse!)
  • Set a PR in a race I’ve done before
  • Run a track race
  • Do a triathlon

Fitness Challenges

  • 50 consecutive push-ups
  • 100 consecutive burpees
  • 5-minute plank
  • 8-minute wall sit
  • Bike for 30 miles

Around Town

  • Go hiking around Virginia
  • Go to 3 D.C. museums or sights I’ve never been to before
  • Eat out at 3 D.C. restaurants I’ve never been to before
One of my favorite views into D.C.

One of my favorite views into D.C.

Getting Certified

Social Stuff

  • Do 30 group or partner runs this year
  • Volunteer for races at least 10 times
  • Go for a run in 3 new cities
  • Watch 3 movies on the AFI top 100 list

Grown Up Things

  • Try 3 new foods
  • Cook a turkey dinner
  • Attempt to make homemade pasta
  • Buy my parents dinner (they make this harder than you may think)
  • Find a new place to move into and learn how to rent current condo

Footprints: Monday Morning Recap

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I got back on track last week after being slowed by some blisters the week before and felt like it was a great week of training. I also got myself a deep tissue massage midweek, which left my legs feeling recharged and ready for the rest of the week. I ran 27.38 total miles this week. Here’s the day by day training breakdown…

Monday: Spin Class in the morning followed by a strength workout.

Tuesday: Today’s speed day included hill work. I put in 6.1 miles total with 8 sprints up the hill next to Arlington Cemetery by the Iwo Jima Memorial and Netherlands Carillon Bell Tower.

Wednesday: I hit up an early endurance spin class at Revolve followed by a strength workout. I had a snowday today since the federal government closed and tried to go to my gym at the apartment after calling into a conference call only to find it too was closed even though we hadn’t gotten any actual snow. I guess you can’t be happy about getting out of one things and upset about another being closed over the same reason though! I don’t think the 30 or so minutes I planned to spend on the elliptical will make or break my training!

Thursday: After last week’s disastrous tempo run I was a bit nervous about this one. I also just really didn’t feel like working out. I almost got back into bed even after getting into my gym clothes, but instead dragged myself to the gym and figured I’d see how far I could get. I’m sure glad I did. I ran 7.31 miles starting out with a mile warm-up at an 8-minute pace, then started the tempo portion at a 7:35 pace working my way up to 7:30 before cooling down back at my 8-minute pace. I left feeling great and ready to take on anything that day. You’ve gotta love workouts like that!

Friday: Rest Day.

Saturday: I got up bright and early Saturday to get my long run in before the day’s festivities started. My parents were in town and we had tickets for the Syracuse – Georgetown game which turned out to be a bit of a disappointment, but I knew I’d have to get that run in before the drinks started pouring at the noon game! It was an absolutely beautiful day for a run. It was still in the 30s when I set off, but the sun was shining and it felt warmer. I ran through Georgetown onto Rock Creek Parkway and looped around Hains Point before heading home over the Memorial Bridge. I came in just shy of 11 miles at 10.72 miles in 90 minutes for about an 8:24 pace and felt great the whole way.

Sunday: I only had a 3-miler on tap today, but I ended up splitting it up around my personal training session. I ran 2.5 easy miles up to my client’s house and then 3/4 of a mile back to a bike share dock to ride the rest of the way home after our session for a total of 3.25 miles. I did this as a progression run making each mile a little faster than the next, but it was mostly an easy uphill run.

 

Seminar: Running Your Best Race

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On Saturday, the DC Capital Striders hosted a seminar  at Lululemon in Georgetown called Successful Race Execution – Preparation, Fueling, and Pacing Strategy to Run your Best Race featuring RRCA certified running coaches Lisa Reichmann and Julie Sapper. Lisa and Julie are both experienced runners themselves and are also co-founders of local running company, Run Farther & Faster, coaching everyone from those doing their first 5k to runners looking to PR in a marathon.

They covered the right way to taper, nutrition both while your training and racing and pacing strategies. Some of it was new and some was info I’ve heard before, but it’s always great to be reminded. They highlighted the importance of the taper, which is good for me to keep hearing because like most runners I go a little stir crazy during that time and have trouble trusting that I won’t lose all my fitness in the week and a half or so before the race.

Their info on fueling was great. They talked about avoiding sugary foods so you don’t crash, embracing carbs and making sure to eat a protein/carb snack or meal within 20 minutes of finishing a run. They also gave some good advice on in-race nutrition including the invaluable – don’t ever mix Gu with Gatorade!

Gatorade and Gu - Do not mix!!

Gatorade and Gu – Do not mix!!

The top takeaway for me came when I asked Julie about her long runs. I have a tough time doing them one to two minutes slower than race pace as most training plans recommend. I always worry that there is no way I’ll be able to run the pace I want to come race day if I do that despite what a lot of the science says on the subject.

She said she used to have similar concerns at a point where she was about a 3:45 or so marathoner before hooking up with a coach and a running group and following the long-slow distance method. (You can run the last few miles of some of these slower runs at race pace as a confidence booster too.) That helped bring her down into the 3:20s. Since I’m just under the 3:40 mark now and the 3:20s is where I want to be, this was exactly what I needed to hear. Granted the same things don’t work for everyone, but hearing it form someone that it worked for as opposed to reading it in a book makes a big difference for me.

I’d love to hear about your training – what plans do you follow? How do you fuel along the way? Does the taper drive you crazy? Let me know in the comments!

 

Pacers Meet and Greet with Ed Moran

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Last week Pacers hosted a Q&A session with professional runner Ed Moran at their Clarendon store. He gave some great training tips and running advice in a conversational format allowing all of us that showed up to ask any questions we had and dictate where the conversation went. It was a really enjoyable, info-filled event.

Pacers

Ed was a four-time All-American at William & Mary College and a seven-time U.S. National team member. He won a gold medal in the 5000m at the Pan-American Games and ran a 2:11 in his debut marathon. It was really cool to get running advice from someone who has raced at this level.

Having dealt with many injuries over his career he talked about the importance of cross-training in our training plans and discussed ways to incorporate speed training among many other topics. One of the pieces of advice he gave that I found most interesting was on fueling during races and how to practice. He suggested looking at the water/aid stops on the course map and only allowing yourself to drink at those same points on your training runs. I think this makes so much sense and will try to put it into practice when I train for the Marine Corps Marathon this year.

Check out the Pacers calendar for more upcoming events like these and fun runs.