6 miles, easy
70 degrees, sunny and humid
I met with the guys for a run at the store, but kept it short so I could go to the gym and do leg strength work.
5.22.2010
Thursday, May 20th
5 miles, easy
65 degrees, sunrise
I met with Dickson in the morning for an easy run around the Mall and Tidal Basin. I felt REALLY sore from the PT yesterday.
65 degrees, sunrise
I met with Dickson in the morning for an easy run around the Mall and Tidal Basin. I felt REALLY sore from the PT yesterday.
Wednesday, May 19th
10 miles, easy
70 degrees, sunset
I met with Dylan and Reaves for a run after work around the Mall. The knee felt better, particularly since I saw a PT today and began to learn more exercises to strengthen and stabilize the muscles around my knee.
70 degrees, sunset
I met with Dylan and Reaves for a run after work around the Mall. The knee felt better, particularly since I saw a PT today and began to learn more exercises to strengthen and stabilize the muscles around my knee.
Saturday, May 15th - Journey to the End of the Night
10.5 miles, moderate
70 degrees, sunset/dark
Dylan and I teamed up for the third edition of Survive DC: Journey to the End of the Night. This event has grown immensely since Reaves and I won it two years ago, and now over 1,100 participants showed up.
I had been nervous about my ability to run this race given my knee pain, but the run yesterday made me much more confident. I was in it to win it.
Dylan and I began the race conservatively, departing Dupont Circle in the opposite direction of the first checkpoint. We weren't alone this year... hundreds of blue arm bands were already ahead of us. We snaked around to Pennsylvania Ave, trying to maintain a comfortable pace... most of these people were excited and wouldn't be able to keep up the pace for long. That is, until we recieved a tweet that a competitor had already left the SECOND checkpoint! Now it was doubletime.
Dylan and I jetted to the first checkpoint at the Bolt Bus Stop, and then through a busy Chinatown on our way to GW Law. Eventually, we got past the masses of runners.
Departing the second checkpoint, we encountered the first serious threat from the chasers. Dylan and I split up and outsprinted the orange armbands, but at least one chaser was on a bike! That seemed against the spirit of the game, but I didn't have time to debate. I sprinted up the slightly uphill NJ Ave as the bike closed in on me, but made a sudden turn and jumped over a median. The chaser was apparently focused only on me and not the median, because I heard a big crash behind me as I darted away. Still, Dylan and I were chased for another block before we figured out the cycling chasers couldn't actually tag us out.
On to checkpoint three, which was the finish the first year of the race. We ran through a sketchy part of DC, but arrived at the third checkpoint without any serious threats. When we asked about our status (thinking about that tweet 15 minutes earlier), we were shocked to find out that we were in the lead! Alright... time to catch our breath. The hosts had set up an Alice In Wonderland Tea Party theme, with water and snacks, and a game of croquet with a lawn flamingo and a furry vibrator. Entertaining stuff.
When we walked back out to the street, the cyclist had caught up to us, and another orange arm band was waiting across the street. We waited for them to be distracted and sprinted into the neighborhoods to the fourth checkpoint. We arrived at the next stop before the hosts were even ready, but they improvised and tested us. They were, after all, DC Improv. Again, the chasers had caught up to us, and again we duped them and got a head start on the way to the next stop.
The fifth checkpoint was actually in Mt. Pleasant, my old hood. I knew these streets and hoped to use it to our advantage. When Dylan and I arrived, something seemed off. We found a Waldo-dressed man and passed his challenge, but he didn't have the stamp or stamp pad. Somebody else in the square did, and we had to find them. As more and more chasers assembled around the square, and as tweets went out alerting chasers to assemble between us and the finish, it became obvious the organizers were stalling us.
Still, we got away while the chasers weren't looking (how didn't they figure out our MO by now?) and ran a round-about route to Adams Morgan. We planned to attack the finish from behind, hoping the chasers would all be in the most direct route. Unfortunately just yards from the finish Dylan and I were ambushed and caught. We replayed the final moments of the game over and over, but there was little we could have done differently.
We were exhausted and disheartened, but we definitely had a fun and adventurous night. I'm glad I got to share a memory with Dylan before he heads off to grad school.
70 degrees, sunset/dark
Dylan and I teamed up for the third edition of Survive DC: Journey to the End of the Night. This event has grown immensely since Reaves and I won it two years ago, and now over 1,100 participants showed up.
I had been nervous about my ability to run this race given my knee pain, but the run yesterday made me much more confident. I was in it to win it.
Dylan and I began the race conservatively, departing Dupont Circle in the opposite direction of the first checkpoint. We weren't alone this year... hundreds of blue arm bands were already ahead of us. We snaked around to Pennsylvania Ave, trying to maintain a comfortable pace... most of these people were excited and wouldn't be able to keep up the pace for long. That is, until we recieved a tweet that a competitor had already left the SECOND checkpoint! Now it was doubletime.
Dylan and I jetted to the first checkpoint at the Bolt Bus Stop, and then through a busy Chinatown on our way to GW Law. Eventually, we got past the masses of runners.
Departing the second checkpoint, we encountered the first serious threat from the chasers. Dylan and I split up and outsprinted the orange armbands, but at least one chaser was on a bike! That seemed against the spirit of the game, but I didn't have time to debate. I sprinted up the slightly uphill NJ Ave as the bike closed in on me, but made a sudden turn and jumped over a median. The chaser was apparently focused only on me and not the median, because I heard a big crash behind me as I darted away. Still, Dylan and I were chased for another block before we figured out the cycling chasers couldn't actually tag us out.
On to checkpoint three, which was the finish the first year of the race. We ran through a sketchy part of DC, but arrived at the third checkpoint without any serious threats. When we asked about our status (thinking about that tweet 15 minutes earlier), we were shocked to find out that we were in the lead! Alright... time to catch our breath. The hosts had set up an Alice In Wonderland Tea Party theme, with water and snacks, and a game of croquet with a lawn flamingo and a furry vibrator. Entertaining stuff.
When we walked back out to the street, the cyclist had caught up to us, and another orange arm band was waiting across the street. We waited for them to be distracted and sprinted into the neighborhoods to the fourth checkpoint. We arrived at the next stop before the hosts were even ready, but they improvised and tested us. They were, after all, DC Improv. Again, the chasers had caught up to us, and again we duped them and got a head start on the way to the next stop.
The fifth checkpoint was actually in Mt. Pleasant, my old hood. I knew these streets and hoped to use it to our advantage. When Dylan and I arrived, something seemed off. We found a Waldo-dressed man and passed his challenge, but he didn't have the stamp or stamp pad. Somebody else in the square did, and we had to find them. As more and more chasers assembled around the square, and as tweets went out alerting chasers to assemble between us and the finish, it became obvious the organizers were stalling us.
Still, we got away while the chasers weren't looking (how didn't they figure out our MO by now?) and ran a round-about route to Adams Morgan. We planned to attack the finish from behind, hoping the chasers would all be in the most direct route. Unfortunately just yards from the finish Dylan and I were ambushed and caught. We replayed the final moments of the game over and over, but there was little we could have done differently.
We were exhausted and disheartened, but we definitely had a fun and adventurous night. I'm glad I got to share a memory with Dylan before he heads off to grad school.
Friday, May 14th
5 miles, easy
75 degrees, sunny
After going to the gym twice since Tuesday and doing light leg exercises, I decided to see how the knee felt. Was it actually a problem with the knees? Or was it really just a matter of my unstable quads/IT bands putting stress on my knees? Thankfully, it turned out to be the former. I was able to run 5 miles slowly and without (much) pain. I'm headed in the right direction.
Friday night we had a black-tie-optional going-away party for Dylan, who is about to move west in pursuit of higher education. Jarrin was gracious enough to host, and it was great to get together with a large group of GRC people outside of a run.
75 degrees, sunny
After going to the gym twice since Tuesday and doing light leg exercises, I decided to see how the knee felt. Was it actually a problem with the knees? Or was it really just a matter of my unstable quads/IT bands putting stress on my knees? Thankfully, it turned out to be the former. I was able to run 5 miles slowly and without (much) pain. I'm headed in the right direction.
Friday night we had a black-tie-optional going-away party for Dylan, who is about to move west in pursuit of higher education. Jarrin was gracious enough to host, and it was great to get together with a large group of GRC people outside of a run.
Tuesday, May 11th - Injured?
3 miles, easy
65 degrees, cloudy
I met with Dylan after work to attempt my first run since Broad Street, and had a rough transition back. The very first step of the run, I felt the pain in my knee(s) that plagued me after my first marathon. Still, I pressed on hoping that a softer surface and warming up would loosen up my knees. No luck. After a single lap of TR Island, I was forced to walk back to Dylan's.
My instincts told me a few things, thanks to my previous experience with this pain:
65 degrees, cloudy
I met with Dylan after work to attempt my first run since Broad Street, and had a rough transition back. The very first step of the run, I felt the pain in my knee(s) that plagued me after my first marathon. Still, I pressed on hoping that a softer surface and warming up would loosen up my knees. No luck. After a single lap of TR Island, I was forced to walk back to Dylan's.
My instincts told me a few things, thanks to my previous experience with this pain:
- Don't force the run. Just stop and you won't do any (more) damage.
- Get new shoes. Looking back, I think I honestly ran over 700 miles on the last pair. Rediculous.
- Get back to the gym and work on my leg strength. I had let it go while tapering, and riding my bike to/from work in the past 24 hours actually seemed to exacerbate the problem.
Sunday, May 2nd - Broad Street Ten Miler
12 miles, hard
80 degrees, sunny and humid
This race just wasn't meant to be. I already felt somewhat burned out in the days leading up to it, but the weather gods made sure I wouldn't have a performance to be proud of. This year's Broad Street Ten Miler was one of the hottest - if not THE hottest - race in three decades. And I don't run well in the heat (see: Summer 2009).
I told myself to go out conservatively, but the majority of the change in elevation on the course occurs in the first 2 miles. I clocked two sub-5:20 miles before the heat got to me, and I quickly fell behind. By the 5 mile mark I was running a minute slower than at Cherry Blossom, and I felt a lot worse. Fire hydrants on every other block were open for the runners to cool off through, and I poured water over my head at every water stop, the cool water rapidly warming up as it trickled down the back of my neck. I had just clocked a 6:23 mile. Shoot me. I just wanted to get to the finish and end this miserable race; I just wanted to get to the finish and end this underwhelming season.
Then, with about two miles to go, after I had been surpassed by the 3rd place female and several males wearing gym shorts, I had a Philly moment. I heard that cliche Rocky theme song and found a second wind. Really, it wasn't a second wind as much as it was a new determination to not let my season end like this. I worked too hard and ran too many miles for this. I even ran through a blizzard every day for a week (mmmm.... blizzzardddd...)! I closed out the race with a 5:4x and a 5:30 mile, overtaking the female runner and the gym short all-stars. 57:38.
On a positive note, the weekend was a blast. I rode up to Philly with Wiggy, Klim, and Dickson, and stayed at Wiggy's home. His mother cooked us a fantastic Italian dinner the night before the race, and her hospitality was truly appreciated. Plus I got to see my old teammates DOC, Moceri, Cavanaugh, and Fuller (who all ran much better than I did), and even Mr and Mrs Askey. When we got back to DC, we kidnapped Klim and brought him to a surprise picnic with the GRC team and friends, and closed out the weekend on a definite high note. Now, for some much deserved time off.
80 degrees, sunny and humid
This race just wasn't meant to be. I already felt somewhat burned out in the days leading up to it, but the weather gods made sure I wouldn't have a performance to be proud of. This year's Broad Street Ten Miler was one of the hottest - if not THE hottest - race in three decades. And I don't run well in the heat (see: Summer 2009).
I told myself to go out conservatively, but the majority of the change in elevation on the course occurs in the first 2 miles. I clocked two sub-5:20 miles before the heat got to me, and I quickly fell behind. By the 5 mile mark I was running a minute slower than at Cherry Blossom, and I felt a lot worse. Fire hydrants on every other block were open for the runners to cool off through, and I poured water over my head at every water stop, the cool water rapidly warming up as it trickled down the back of my neck. I had just clocked a 6:23 mile. Shoot me. I just wanted to get to the finish and end this miserable race; I just wanted to get to the finish and end this underwhelming season.
Then, with about two miles to go, after I had been surpassed by the 3rd place female and several males wearing gym shorts, I had a Philly moment. I heard that cliche Rocky theme song and found a second wind. Really, it wasn't a second wind as much as it was a new determination to not let my season end like this. I worked too hard and ran too many miles for this. I even ran through a blizzard every day for a week (mmmm.... blizzzardddd...)! I closed out the race with a 5:4x and a 5:30 mile, overtaking the female runner and the gym short all-stars. 57:38.
On a positive note, the weekend was a blast. I rode up to Philly with Wiggy, Klim, and Dickson, and stayed at Wiggy's home. His mother cooked us a fantastic Italian dinner the night before the race, and her hospitality was truly appreciated. Plus I got to see my old teammates DOC, Moceri, Cavanaugh, and Fuller (who all ran much better than I did), and even Mr and Mrs Askey. When we got back to DC, we kidnapped Klim and brought him to a surprise picnic with the GRC team and friends, and closed out the weekend on a definite high note. Now, for some much deserved time off.
5.03.2010
Sunday, April 18th - Penn Relays 20K
17 miles, hard
65 degrees, sunny
I ran my 5th Penn Relays 20K this morning, the 4th under Coach Groves. In celebration of Groves' 80th birthday and 65th Penn Relays, a team of PSUXC Alumni gathered in Philadelphia to run at his favorite event. It was great toeing the line again with Artie, Munro, and others with a shot of earning yet another wheel for the G-Unit.
I had worried about the short recovery time between Cherry Blossom and this race, and it wasn't unfounded. I was not at my best going into this race, but I had done all the right things this week to regroup. I knew that the only way to contend in this race is to go out hard and try to hold on. Unfortunately, this was the most competitive of my 5 races here, and I wasn't alone. By 5K, I was just trying to hang on to Artie and the eventual winner, with the second place runner quickly catching up. I fully admit that I allowed a mental lapse to allow me to drop off the pace. Could I have hung on and contended for the watch? Almost definitely no. But I could have tried harder.
Instead, I began to let Artie's already small frame shrink over the horizon, and was subsequently passed by my new Philly "rival," Brian Lang. I didn't even try to keep up. I ran a decent effort, but certainly not my best, for 7th in 1:08:44. It was only a minute off my collegiate best, which offered some solace.
Artie had a fantastic day and finished 3rd overall in just 66 minutes, and Dave Moore followed me in 70 minutes, which helped us eeke out a team win over Bucknell. Another year, another contested team title. Thankfully, I was able to redeem myself for allowing another team to win the wheel in Groves' last year as coach.
I cooled down extra long with friend-of-GRC Luke Holman and Brian Lang, and ran barefoot for the first time in a while on the Franklin Field infield. After cleaning up, I stopped by Pat's for the requisite steak sandwich "wit-out" and headed back to DC.
65 degrees, sunny
I ran my 5th Penn Relays 20K this morning, the 4th under Coach Groves. In celebration of Groves' 80th birthday and 65th Penn Relays, a team of PSUXC Alumni gathered in Philadelphia to run at his favorite event. It was great toeing the line again with Artie, Munro, and others with a shot of earning yet another wheel for the G-Unit.
I had worried about the short recovery time between Cherry Blossom and this race, and it wasn't unfounded. I was not at my best going into this race, but I had done all the right things this week to regroup. I knew that the only way to contend in this race is to go out hard and try to hold on. Unfortunately, this was the most competitive of my 5 races here, and I wasn't alone. By 5K, I was just trying to hang on to Artie and the eventual winner, with the second place runner quickly catching up. I fully admit that I allowed a mental lapse to allow me to drop off the pace. Could I have hung on and contended for the watch? Almost definitely no. But I could have tried harder.
Instead, I began to let Artie's already small frame shrink over the horizon, and was subsequently passed by my new Philly "rival," Brian Lang. I didn't even try to keep up. I ran a decent effort, but certainly not my best, for 7th in 1:08:44. It was only a minute off my collegiate best, which offered some solace.
Artie had a fantastic day and finished 3rd overall in just 66 minutes, and Dave Moore followed me in 70 minutes, which helped us eeke out a team win over Bucknell. Another year, another contested team title. Thankfully, I was able to redeem myself for allowing another team to win the wheel in Groves' last year as coach.
I cooled down extra long with friend-of-GRC Luke Holman and Brian Lang, and ran barefoot for the first time in a while on the Franklin Field infield. After cleaning up, I stopped by Pat's for the requisite steak sandwich "wit-out" and headed back to DC.
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