Donation Totals

Tuesday, June 30, 2009

Running the test bike route.

So once again I am revisiting my search for a bike commuting route, unfortunately to this point it is appearing to be more like the northwest passage. So I drove test route #343 this morning, but the last little bit down by the national harbor requires me to get out of the car to figure it out. So I decided despite the 80 degree weather and high humidity that I was going to head over to the Harbor and do a nice 5 mile run, heading out the trail to finish off what my bike route should be while fitting in the hill in the Oxon Hill Farm in an additional loop. Felt great, putting in an average pace of 7:55 min/mile over the 4.5 mile route, including two significant hills (climbing out of the National Harbor to Oxon Hill Road and then the standard Oxon HILL). Finished miles in 8:12, 7:49, 8:10, 7:32 and then finishing the final 1/2 mile at a pace of 7:22 min/mile. I then did a cool down jog at about 9 min/mile. Tomorrow is my first time out on the Mtn bike this year (except for Muddy Buddy), should be fun!

Monday, June 29, 2009

Lunchtime run at NRL.

Started off a bit late, but got out with Ronan, Steve, Mike and Bill for the usual 10k. My GPS wouldn't find where I was until about 1/3 of a mile in, but picked it up after that. It was fairly humid, but still felt fairly decent and finished in a pretty decent time. Got out slow, with an 8:49 warmup mile, but then settled into an 8 min/mile pace for the rest, putting out miles in 7:59, 8:08, 7:50, 7:55 and 7:47 before finishing the final 0.2 miles at a 7:26 min/mile pace. Good run overall.

Saturday, June 27, 2009

Long run with the family.

In our now growing tradition, Betsy and I took Cole over to the Belle Haven Marina to start our long run on the Mt Vernon Trail. This time we started out running north, down to the Torpedo factory and then turned around and found the new trail along the water to the Jones Lighthouse and from there we ran on back to the Belle Haven Marina. After taking a couple min in the bathroom we got going again, but Betsy was really feeling terrible, so we cut our original 10 mile run short to 8.5 miles. Overall it was a decent run, but because of sleeping in it was really hot and humid, so I am sure that played a great deal into Betsy's trouble. Overall, we finished in 1:10:10, with miles in 8:26, 8:80, 8:24, 8:14, 8:10, 8:08, 8:21, 8:17 and then finishing the final 1/2 mile at a 8:07 min/mile.

Friday - Hiking Mt. Nittany

Well Josh and Amy Robinson both told us that there was a great hike near PSU with a wonderful view of the University and surrounding valley. This was the hike up Mt. Nittany. After the conference ended on Friday, Betsy and I put Cole on my back, grabbed the camera and hiked to the top. Unfortunately it was a bit overcast, so the view wasn't as good as it might have been, but we could definitely appreciate it after the hike! It was very steep climb, with areas approaching 35% grades! Overall, it was about 1000 feet of climbing and 2.6 miles and was a really nice break before hitting the road to drive back home.

Thursday - Running at Penn State!

We got into PSU Wed afternoon, after a long night (we took Cole to the Red Sox Nationals game). I went to a couple talks in the afternoon then we went over to our friends Amy and Josh's for dinner. After a great night out, a relatively easy night with Cole, I got up early for a six mile run before heading out to the conference for the day. Unfortunately the route I had planned caused me to run on a highway for an extended period, which wasn't the greatest of course, but I did get to run through campus, passing by both the colliseum and the Stadium, before heading back. I felt ok, not great, but ok and got in the 6.35 miles done in 51:39, with miles in 8:29, 8:06, 8:14, 8:21, 7:54, 7:47, and then completed the final 1/3 of a mile at a 8:01 min/mile pace.

Wednesday, June 24, 2009

Morning run before ROAD TRIP!

So I am presenting a talk at the EMC at Penn State and Betsy and Cole came with me, so I had to get out for a quick run this morning before leaving for Penn State. Got out for a short 3 miler, and despite being really tired from the late night at the game last night, I got out to a nice steady pace, feeling good the whole way. I finished with 3.2 miles in 25:23, with miles in 8:17, 7:56, 7:40 and the final 0.2 miles at a 7:52 min/mile pace. Good time overall considering I was just taking it easy. I am now looking forward to some runs in the local area!!!

Monday, June 22, 2009

Morning run before work.

SOOOOO exhausted this morning. Actually got up at 6 am to get ready for work and it took almost all my energy to just get up and eat breakfast. I had pretty much decided that I was going to wait until lunchtime to go, but then realized I had practice talks at 1, so a lunchtime run wasn't going to happen. Anyway, I decided to get out and just go. Oddly, my run went fairly well, with me finishing miles in 8:07, 8:00, 7:57 and 7:49 min.

Sunday, June 21, 2009

Hiking at Calvert Cliff's on Father's Day!

Left early this morning to head out to go hiking this morning at Calvert Cliff's in southeast, MD across the Patuxent River. Walked out the red trail, which was well shaded and led out to the beach area, where you can 'hunt' for fossils. We had a great hike out, but it started raining just as we were about to get to the beach! UGH!!! But we waited it out on the beach and oddly enough watched as the rain passed right by, literally raining 10 yards away, but keeping the beach almost completely dry! What luck! After that brief interlude we got a good 30-40 min handing out on the beach before heading back on the red trail, then finishing with a little extra loop out the blue trail before heading back home. It was a great Father's day trip and now get to head over to our friends' Joe and Tracy's for a cookout this afternoon!

Saturday, June 20, 2009

Rough running in the rain at Belle Haven.

Had a rough night with Cole so Betsy and I woke up late so we got caught in the rain. Ugh... Started running north, turning around at Jone's Point Lighthouse then heading back down to just past the 5 mile mark to turn around and head back to the car. We hHad to stop multiple times to put on and take of the rain shield from Cole's stroller and neither Betsy or I really ever got comfortable. BUT, we did finish the 9 mile run, putting in the miles in 8:38, 8:19, 8:26, 8:25, 8:32, 9:16, 8:20, 8:04 and then 8:08 min, with an overall finish time of 1:16:58 for an average pace of 8:32 min/mile. Not great, but considering how crappy we both felt, not as terrible as I would have thought.

Friday, June 19, 2009

Afternoon bike ride.

Well the Honda wouldn't start this morning, apparently the battery was finally dead, so I had to leave work early to get the car back to Betsy and to head down to get a replacement. After getting it installed (and dealing with a wierd radio issue), I got out for a nice bike ride. I decided to try a new route, starting off towards Indian Head and then back out the new rail trail to 225. Originally I figured I would turn back at the end of the trail and call it a day, but I was really feeling great, keeping my average above 20 mph, so I decided to keep going and head back via Bumpy Oak (my favorite Hill), finishing with a 29 mile route. Later on during the ride, my average dropped a bit below 20mph and I was starting to have trouble, but I got it back in gear and pushed at the very end to get the average back up to 20 mph even! First ride at that speed of the year, sad, but still felt pretty good. Finished in 1:27:42.

Wednesday, June 17, 2009

Evening Family Run!

Got home and went for a run with the family. Decided to go for a short 4 miler, kept a good pace, finishing the miles in 8:17, 8:12, 8:12 and then put in a sprint for the final mile and finished in 7:51. Good run overall and nice to get out together again!

Monday, June 15, 2009

Early morning run

Heading over to NIST today, so I had to catch an early morning bus to use the metro. Therefore, I had to get up at 5:45 AM to get out and get on the road if I was going to get a run in. I decided to use my mizuno's again, big mistake, I really don't like those shoes. Anyway, because of time constraints I only got 3 miles in and felt tight and pretty crappy during all of that anyway. Finished with miles in 8:08, 8:03 and 8:06 min. Hopefully tomorrow will be better.

Sunday, June 14, 2009

Afternoon ride!

Got out for a good late morning, early afternoon bike ride, leaving the house around 11 am. It is a beautiful day, nice breeze, temp somewhere between 75-80, bright sun with some cloud cover, just a gorgeous day! Anyway, left the house and headed down towards Chicamuxen Rd (Rt 224) south of me, but after starting down the big hill on that road realized that the road had been torn up for construction and actually had to slow down to somewhere around 5-10 mph for a couple miles!!! UGH!!! However, once turning onto Rt 225 and then back onto 224, the road was much better and the ride really got to be a lot of fun. Road out to Gen. Smallwood State Park and then did a quick loop out Smallwood Road to Bicknell and then back via 224 to 225, until I saw the entrance for the new rail trail that is being built and decided to give that a go. There is only 3 continuous miles or so, but the route was beautiful. Eventually it dropped me next to the Indianhead Naval Base, where I started to bonk, so I made a quick piot stop before riding the rest of the way home. Overall I finished the 30 mile route at a 18.8 mph clip, not bad considering the slow stretch due to construction...

Saturday, June 13, 2009

Morning run over the Wilson Bridge Bike Path!

They just opened the new bike/run path on the new Woodrow Wilson Bridge (for those of you not in the DC area, that is the primary bridge over the Potomac River on the Beltway), which effectively connects the Mt. Vernon Trail in Virginia with the new National Harbor and Oxon Hill Farm in Maryland/D.C. Anyway, Betsy, Cole and I decided to try it out. So Betsy and I started at the Belle Haven Marina (out typical starting point for weekend runs) heading north for about a mile and then hopping on the WWB path, which extends for about 1.5 miles then hit the trail into the Maryland side, running out into the National Harbor, stopping at the end of one of the piers for the Baby Boy to take in the view before heading out for a bit more before turning around and heading back. After getting back to the Marina, Betsy and Cole got into the car while I headed back into the city for a couple more miles, eventually meeting at the Farmer's Market in Alexandria to get a couple of Scones and Coffees! Great early morning day and going to go swimming at Bolling later today! Finished the miles in 8:36, 8:17, 8:14, 8:24, 8:30, 8:31, 8:15, 8:06, 8:01 and then finishing with a 8:00 mile.

Thursday, June 11, 2009

Lunchtime run with Julie.

Went for a run with Julie, one of our summer students. We planned on going four miles, and did just that. My GPS didn't work due to the heavy cloud cover and the ridiculous humidity certainly didn't help, so overall it was an ok run, but not great.

Wednesday, June 10, 2009

Early run...

Knowing my day wasn't going to lend itself to a mid-day run and since last night I missed out on track practice due to the torrential downpours we had in the area, I decided to get up and get an early morning run in. This meant 5:30am wakeup, 6:00am start to my 5 miler. Got going ok, but didn't really feel great, not terrible, but not good either. Overall it was just ok, but my times were still pretty decent with me finishing miles in 8:06, 7:49, 7:47, 7:56, 7:45 and then the final 0.4 miles at a 7:42 min/mile pace.

Monday, June 8, 2009

What a crappy-ass run... ugh...

Got home to an 80 degree, stiflingly humid evening and really did NOT want to get out an run. However, after a few mins of internal arguments with myself I got the boy in the stroller and hit the road. And yup I regretted it. Horrible run, felt crappy, couldn't get into a rhythm and just felt terrible in general. Oh well, glad I went for the run just so I could get something in. Got a swim workout and maybe track tomorrow night... Hopefully that will be better!

Sunday, June 7, 2009

Early morning ride.

We had outdoor church services today at a later time, so I decided to get up very early and get going on a bike ride before church. I decided to do the 28 mile Mt. Carmel loop. I felt ok, not great, but ok, with my allergies really bothering me and still being a bit sore and tired from the long run and late night yesterday. However, I still finished in under 90 min and averaged 19.3 mph for the ride, nothing to sneeze at considering. Glad I got out for the ride on such a gorgeous day before it got too hot!

Saturday, June 6, 2009

Running at Belle Haven with Cole and Betsy!

Betsy and I decided last night that we were going to get up early and head over the Mt. Vernon Trail to go for a long run, with Betsy deciding to do 7 and me wanting to do 10. So we figured we would run 7 together, then she and Cole would drive up to the Farmer's Market in Alexandria while I ran there. I figured this would be about 3 miles. We started off pretty quick, with the first two miles in 8:19 and 8:18, but then succeeded in dropping our pace to the 8:30 range, with us finishing the next miles in 8:33, 8:30, 8:33 and 8:29, before finishing the final mile together in 7:56. Betsy and I both felt pretty good, which was great considering this was my longest run yet pushing the jogging stroller and Betsy's longest during her comeback. So at this point, she and Cole headed for the car and I continued on, now with my ipod. It wasn't so bad, but apparently it was only 2 miles to the Farmer's Market and with me feeling a blister starting on my big toe, I decided I would call it there. I finished the final two miles in 8:05 each, for a final time of 1:14:50.

Friday, June 5, 2009

Afternoon 5k

It has been a busy week. Between the trip to NIST, long days at work, excessive rain and going to see Terminator 4, I haven't gotten to get out for a workout since my swim on Tuesday. Betsy and I originally were going to do a 5k at Bolling AFB, but of course it rained. So after getting home from work we went over to get some new fish in Waldorf. When we got home Betsy fed Cole while I went out for a run, trying to do the 5k that I missed out on this morning! Got out quickly and finished the 5k in 22:50, or an average of 7:21 min/mile. I then got out a short cool down (0.3 miles at 8:16 min/mile). Finished miles in 7:18, 7:34 and 7:15 min with the final 0.1 mile at a pace of 6:52 min/mile.

Tuesday, June 2, 2009

First swim effort of the year!

Mike P and I went over to Bolling today to get in a swim. Since it was my first swim workout in over a year, I figured I would take it easy and just get in 10 x 100m easy, although I did try to press on the last length of each of the 100's. I finished the 100's in 2:02, 2:13, 2:17, 2:18, 2:20, 2:19, 2:23, 2:27, 2:24 and 2:31.

Monday, June 1, 2009

Running at Bolling.

Took a break from work around lunchtime and headed over to Bolling to get in a 5 mile run. Felt ok most of the way, but did haved a bit of a twinge in my back on the left side about 1/2 way up. However, my time was really good, keeping a sub-8:00 min/mile pace the whole way, with miles in 7:58, 7:49, 7:58, 7:55 and 7:56 min.

2010 Efforts!

This year, like last year, I will be riding for Mary Payton's Miracle - My friend Steve Kogos from Trigators informed me that his friend Joe's daughter, Mary Payton, was diagnosed a number of years back with Late Infantile Batten Disease. This is a disease with no cure, however, there are special experimental (and extremely expensive) treatments which have shown some significant signs of success! In order to assist with the costly treatments and research, Mary Payton's Miracle was created to raise money to find a cure, hopefully in time to save little Mary Payton as well as the many others affected by this terrible disease!

Total Mileage

Current Challenges

Valid 2/1-12/1/2009