Running with the Boy on Mt Vernon

Betsy has been in dire need of a massage for awhile now, and with her now pregnant, she knew that pretty soon she wouldn't be able to lay on her stomach to get one. So we planned to meet at Mt Vernon so Cole and I could go running while Betsy went and got her massage. Had a reasonable run, Cole eating lunch while I ran, but had to stop a couple times to make sure he ate and then stopped to stretch at the half way mark since I was so tight. Did get to enjoy a fun 20 min or so watching the ducks with Cole afterwards though!

Saturday Morning Ride

Saturday Ride with Josh A! After planning a couple times for a weekend ride that fell apart, Josh A and I finally got together for a morning ride. I got started with a flat tire on my front wheel that I had to fix before we got going, but other than that things went pretty well. Headed down and did Mitchell Rd, Rose Hill, Bumpy Oak and then the Indian Head Rail Trail before heading home. Felt really good the whole way, despite a pretty stiff breeze. Great ride.

Lunchtime Run with Mike P at Bolling.

Two days in a row for Bolling, and with the showers closed I believe this is going to become a new trend! So I have officially added it as a favorite route and today was a PR. Overall, we set a good pace in the light rain, finishing in 49:18 for the 6.33 miles, finishing with a 7:47 min/mile pace. Good run, great company and good fun...

Lunchtime run with Mike P at Bolling

Well NRL officially has closed the shower room in the gym, so no more running from NRL until it reopens. Still wanting to get a run in, Mike and I went over to Bolling for our lunchtime run. We did the six mile loop that I have been doing the last few times I went to Bolling and it went pretty well, finishing the 6 1/3 mile loop in 50:43 for a 8 min/mile average. Super windy and fairly chilly, but otherwise great weather for running!

Trying out the new trail!

Last time I went mountain biking over at Rosaryville State Park I found a flier lying on the ground that outlined a connection between Chapman's Landing's Marsh Trail over by Mt Aventine Mansion, the Indian Head Rail Trail and Power Line Rd over by Rt 224. It looked really interesting and it was supposed to be 8 miles, but it wasn't the most ideal trail for running, with lots of trenches missing from the trail due to erosion, tons of gravel and then 1/3 of the course being on paved roads, but it wasn't terrible by any stretch of the imagination either! Throughout the run I came across a turkey, 3 deer and two hawks as well! Had to dip out of the way a number of times to avoid tree limbs, but not too shabby... Overall I ran an 8:20 min/mile pace.

Family Morning Run!

Well as the first installment of Betsy's mother's day present, I was taking Cole for the day while Betsy was going out with friends. But before starting we all went out together for a family run for the first time in months. We took it pretty easy, having to stop a couple times for Betsy to catch her breath (pregnancy takes a bit out of you I hear!), but overall finished keeping the pace in the vicinity of 8:20 or so. At one point I ran out a side street while Betsy took a breather and walked, but for the most part we were together the whole way. After finishing the 4.25 miles together, Cole decided he was done, so I kept on going by myself finishing with a total of 6 miles, speeding up a bit so that I finished with an average of 8:10 min/mile. Afterwards Cole and I took the metro to the Mall and he got to sit in a bunch of military vehicles, from helicopters to humvees and I found out that a picture of me is being used for promotional purposes by NRL! How cool!

Lunchtime run with the Mikes.

Got off to an easy start, and the after Mike #2 turned around after the bridge, we only picked it up slightly, despite it feeling like much faster. It was really hot, much hotter than it seemed or I thought it was supposed to be, which certainly added to the issue. Overall it was a good recovery run, nothing to complain about.

Mountain biking at Rosaryville

Got up early this morning and drove over to Rosaryville to find I had the park to myself! Had a great ride, getting in the extension and having a surge of confidence on a great deal of the technical section too, even setting a new PR for the course. Don't have much to write, but it sure is great to have a park to yourself! After I finished, I explored a bit over by where the Bike Doctor Customer Appreciation ride started too, getting in an extra 2 miles too.

Easy run on the treadmill.

I didn't get out at lunch time today (won't get to tomorrow either) so I planned on running with the doodlebug when I got home from work. Unfortunately, Cole decided tht wasn't in his itinerary for the afternoon and therefore I had to reschedule. The treadmill would have to do! Considering the intense humidity and 80 degree weather outside in comparison to the cool basement, it actually wasn't as bad as I anticipated, plus it forced me to maintain an easy pace for the recovery run, rather than my typical over effort in spite of myself. Overall I finished 4 miles at an 8:18 min/mile pace, keeping a pace of 8:20 most of the way before kicking in at 7:30 for the final quarter mile. Good run. Hopefully I can get back outside tomorrow!

Josh + Bike + Sun + Wind = Ugh...

I went out for a long ride, planning on putting in 46 miles overall, although that plan didn't even last until the start of the ride! I felt pretty rough and I was heading directly into a stiff head wind, so I reworked the route to get rid of some extra mileage, figuring that heading straight south would cut the distance down to about 40. By the time I got to Indian Head I had to take a breather and stretch out before getting going again. At least once I started back up I had a tail or cross wind most of the way! However, it was soooo hot! The bank sign actually read 92 in the sun and there was very little shade on the ride. So rather than feeling pretty good most of the way (I did avg 18.2 mph), instead I felt overheated and really rough. Based on the conditions I decided to cut short again, or at least I attempted to. I actually ran out of fluids with about 10 miles to go, so I had to stop and get a couple bottles of water before getting going again. It was amazing what a difference water made! Either way, I got home really late since the ride still worked out to 40 miles, despite the modifications made. Glad to get out, but man do I need to remember to get out in the morning before it gets too hot!