Crazy Week

Pictures are finally up from our Twilight 4 Miler race. Apparently I ran so fast the camera shutters could not catch me except for once:


My Photo:
Matt's Photos: (few more pics of him)

I have missed a few of my runs this week due to being extra busy. 2 new Grad classes started this week, one of which only last 5 days and is extra intense. Wednesday I didn't feel good and decided I would do my run Thursday morning. Well that was before my nice cohort informed me that we had class starting at 9am Thursday morning. So Thursday was out due to being in class 9am - 9pm. Friday I was gonna run when I got home from class (around 5pm) and then decided I would meet up with a friend for dinner and ended up spending the night. Sure has been a long time since I've had a Girls Night Sleep Over. It was fun: dinner at the Sunflower, talking, watching a girly movie, laughing, killing fast moving big black spiders.

Finally had a chance to run today. Still didn't feel the best, but decided I'd go for my 4 miles anyways. This means I have run 22 miles this week (and in only 3 days!) I got a huge cobweb in my face today as the sun was streaming through the trees, yuck.

Today's Run
4 miles
45 minutes
11:17 pace
161 avg hr
562 calories

It has been a productive day but have a long way to go before I feel less stressed over my work. At least most of it has to be done by Wednesday! Time to go read & hope I don't fall asleep too early.

Until tomorrow...

6 more miles under my belt

It is spring time and the babies are coming out! Near the end of my run I saw 4 adult deer and 2 fawns! (Along with 3 chipmunks).

My legs were a little stiff today on my run. I went 6 miles in 1 hour 6 minutes. I ran/walked a 1 mile:0.1 mile ratio. The hills were rough as my left ankle would pop on some of the steps. I was definitely very thirsty on my run as I left without my water.

Time to run to the bank, babysit, and then German food for dinner. (Yum...bratwurst, sauerkraut, wiener schnitzel) ;-)

Sunday's Long Run

I ran 12 miles today!! Now that I am getting into the longer distances I am really having to think about where I am going to run. I decided for today's run I would go and explore on the trails down by Franklin Farm Rd. It took me 3 miles to get to the road. Thankfully (after the late start) it remained overcast as there are no trees for shade along Reston Parkway. Soon after turning onto Franklin Farm Rd there are some nice paved trails. I paid attention at the intersections so I would know how to get back! Interesting, I still did not get back the same way as I never came across the "y" again. They were some very nice trails with friendly people out walking.

I was able to maintain for the majority of the run a 2 mile: 0.1 mile run:walk ratio. Around 7.6 miles I had to walk to eat some Shot Bloks. These are great for mid-run energy boots. I was so thirsty I drained my water bottle but came across a gas station where I filled it up again.

I am learning what my current mental blocks are and more importantly what to do to overcome these. My main method is to run out 1/2 the distance of my run because then I have to run home the other half. (If my run is supposed to be 10 miles I run out 5.1 miles and then turn around and run the other 4.9 back). Today I ended back by the house at 11.2 miles and contemplated stopping. But then I decided I would be annoyed with myself for giving up, especially because I was not (surprising) dying at that point. I definitely feel better for finishing my last mile.

In March I did a 9 mile run that took me an 1hr 46 minutes. Today to go the same distance I was about 10 minutes faster!!! My average heart rate was lower and I did not have to walk nearly as much! (I love that I can upload my info into my computer and see my progress!) I think I need to start using Body Glide on my arms as I have some chafing from my skin rubbing on my shirt/sports bra.

Today's Run:
Distance: 12 miles
Total Time: 2 hours 9 minutes
Average Pace: 10:42
Average Heart Rate: 169
Max Heart Rate: 181
Calories Burned: 1770
Walk Breaks: 6

For lunch we headed to Chipotle and were surprised to learn the Calories were lower than expected. My Steak Fajita Burrito with Guacamole came to 1020 calories! (I was only able to eat 1/2 my burrito as the tiredness started to kick in so this means I still have the other 1/2 to enjoy!) Chipotle Nutrition Calculator: Now we wonder, when they calculate the total calories, do they take into consideration how much you burn just eating this humungous thing?

Time to enjoy my personal concert (as Matt & Matt are jammin') and get some grad work done.

Thrusday, Friday, & Saturday

First, this must be the year of the Fire Fly as there are tons of them! Things have been so busy that I haven't taken the time to update. Here is the run down.

Thursday was supposed to be rest day, but I was short some of my other runs, so I did a short 2 miler. My right foot cramped up a bit. I almost ran into a deer. So nice of the male to let the female go first and see if it was safe to cross....

Friday I ran 5 mile in 57 minutes. It was a bit rough, but thanks to Matt's encouragement I got out there. Definitely feel better after running.

Saturday we got a bit of a late start, but I did my 4 miles in just over 43 minutes. It is surprisingly how much adrenaline you get from being in a race. (Still waiting on race photos, I have even e-mailed them....no reply yet)

7.5 miles + Tennis

Tuesday after class I went out for a 6-8 mile run. I ended up going 7.5 miles. It felt nice. I ran: through the golf course, down Wiehle Ave, W&OD back towards the town center, down Reston Parkway, U.S. Geological, down Pinecrest, turned down Glade Dr, and back to Reston Parkway and home.

The golf course was nice, there were parts that it was very fragrant. This helped make it a relaxing run. Along with the flowers there were a few minutes of rain drops. This was the perfect temperature for a run.

It took me 1 hr 23 minutes to go 7.5 miles. This was around an 11:06 min/mile. My average heart rate was 169 bpm and I burned 1144 calories. I divided my run: 3 miles running, 0.1 mile recovery, 2 miles running, 0.1 mile recovery, 2.3 miles running. It felt good at the time, but I was definitely sore later that night.
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Wednesday Matt & I biked out to play tennis. Of course as we hit the peddles (as we bike to the courts) the rain drops started to fall. We decided to stick it out and see if they would stop, which they eventually did. I have improved thanks to the lessons but I still have a ways to go. I should look for the foam balls and practice at the wall. Also a big basket of balls would come in handy working on my serve. More practice and patience will help...

I burned around 550 calories total while biking (for about 12 minutes) and playing tennis (about 1 hour).

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Time to go out for my morning run before I head off to babysit. :)

Short Early Morning Run

Once again I got up in the am and went for a run before class. This is all good, except I can't get a long enough run in. I had done a decent job of running, however, it just happens to be the long ones I miss....need to fix that. Now I have run a race recently & successfully, it will hopefully keep me motivated.

I have realized how some of the long slow runs have helped me overall. I need to remember this. Walking is okay.

My morning run was 3.5 miles long, which took me 38 minutes (10:54 pace). I ran a route with several hills. I kept my average heart rate down to 157 even though I ran the whole thing.

Longer runs this week. My longest one lately was 7 miles, not good enough. Apparently all I need to do is learn how to run faster & then I can still get the long ones done in the morning. ;)

PR @ Twilight 4 Miler

Last night was the Twilight 4 miler in Ashburn, VA.

My Results:

Net Tim	Gun Tim	Net Pace	2 Mile
38:51	39:32	9:42	20:13

I started off trying to maintain a 10:00 min/mile. I found a few people along the way I could pace myself with. The one I stayed with the longest (until I passed him) was a NYC Triathlon shirt guy. He made running look easy and I think that helped calm me down. At some point near the end I saw Matt on the sideline looking for me. He jumped in and cheered me the last bit of the race. Even though I couldn't talk at the time and tell him thanks, it really helped! He cut back out just before the finish line and I propelled myself forward to make it in under my goal!


Matt had a great race as well:

Net Tim	Gun Tim	Net Pace	2 Mile
26:50	26:58	6:32	13:34

After finishing we walked around a little. Got some food and drinks and stayed to hear the awards. I saw the guy (when I was only 1/2 way) finish the 4 miler in under 20 minutes! We met some old guys who were crazy fast. Everyone was nice and I look forward to more great races!