60 Minutes

My legs didn't feel stiff, but when I started running, they just didn't want to move. My right achilles felt a little sore, probably from the twisting and turning my feet and ankles endured on the XC course yesterday. Anyway, it was 60 degrees and I simply couldn't let this opportunity pass without heading outside. I did the Williams Gap run again today and didn't cover as much ground--maybe six miles--but it still felt good. My legs feel tired now, but without any real soreness, which is good because there's a lot to do today, including some crouching as we finish off some drywall work.

Stats
Place: Williams Gap
Time: 1:00
Heart Rate: n/a

10+K

It being a brilliant day, I drove the long 3 miles to Franklin Park, home of the Loudoun Valley High School XC course. I decided to try running the course twice, thus completing a 10k. The temps started in the mid 40s, but reached 50 by the time I finished. It was a bit breezy a times, making a strong headwind on a couple uphills. The ground was part frozen, part thawed, part soupy, which made for interesting footing. I finished the first 5k in 31:05, which shocked me. I couldn't believe I ran that slow. The second 10k felt pretty fast, though the uphills still killed me, but I finished in only 30:32. What the hell? When I looked at the course map sketched out in wood, I noticed that I did an extra loop in one place, which added at least a quarter mile time. So I probably ran 6.7 miles. I'll take that. It's nice racking up extra mileage without even realizing it.

Stats
Place: Franklin Park
Time: 1:01:37
Heart Rate: n/a

53 Minutes

I came home in dire need of a run. I had too much energy, good and bad, built up from the day. On the bad side, something I'm working on is turning out to be a real pain in the ass. On the good side, I had a stellar performance evaluation from my employer and got a fat bonus! I needed a run just to take it all in and let it all out.

I started out without a firm time or distance goal. I wanted to run for at least 45 minutes, at a moderately fast pace. I accomplished that and then some. I walked back into the house relaxed and ready to celebrate.

The run took me through one of the new housing developments in Round Hill (the ones that are springing up every day and changing the character of the town from sleepy small town to crappy suburbia). The houses are packed in. Each house follows from one of five models. All in all, a very boring place to run. A couple folks stopped me asking if I'd seen a boy walking around--"He looks like Kurt Cobain." I hadn't seen him, but that's one of the joys about running. It somehow connects me to the larger community. On one level, I'm the weird guy in a bright orange shirt running in all weather conditions along the shoulders of tight roads. On another level, I'm a community watchman on the move, or at least someone who seems to know where he's going. People can ask me for directions, or ask me how far away somewhere is. All in all, people think I know things, which is generally WRONG!

Stats
Place: Round Hill
Time: 53:17
Heart Rate: n/a

7 Miles

Ran beyond my scheduled run today. It started out a warm 52 degrees, but very windy. Once I warmed up and ran out of the hollow between the hills, I actually felt hot. After ascending the hill, I had to unzip my pullover to keep cool. The sun was bright and sunglasses were warranted. Then I started back. After maybe a couple miles, I hit the hollow again, the wind picked up dramatically, and it started raining (heavy drizzle). If that wasn't enough, some of the rain had become sleet, which the wind drove straight into me. I passed a man getting back into his pickup truck after feeding some horses. A little ways up the road, he slowed as he passed me to ask me if I would be okay. I said I was fine, that I only had a couple miles left to go. Nice of him to ask though.

Well, the last 20-25 minutes of my run became a tempo run. I picked up a whole lot of time on the way back, that's for sure. In the end I averaged a 9:00 pace.

Stats
Place: Williams Gap Road
Time: 1:02:59
Heart Rate: n/a

The Road Not Taken

I never considered this Robert Frost poem in terms of running, but it makes for a nice twist.

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;

Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim,
Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
Though as for that, the passing there
Had worn them really about the same,

And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
I doubted if I should ever come back.

I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I--
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.

Today's Inspiration: George Sheehan

"Play is where life lives."
--George Sheehan

I pulled this quote from a site devoted to George Sheehan. The site provides biographical information, essays, quotes, wisdom, and contributions from Sheehan's family and friends. A good place to stop if you need some inspiration.

47 Minutes

The temps climbed into the mid-50s yesterday, so I knocked off early from work to get in a run before my parents stopped by for dinner. It was fantastic--I was able to wear shorts. I cruised most of the run, keeping what felt like a fast pace. I ran across W. Loudoun and onto New Cut Road (aka Airmont Road) then turned right on Yatton, which turned out to be a circle that intersected with New Cut again further south. Yatton was largely an unpaved road, great for running.

Stats
Place: Round Hill
Time: 47:30
Heart Rate: n/a

Today's Inspiration

Sorry About the Pop-Ups

I just noticed that my Google Toolbar was blocking pop-up ads on this blog. Before the actual ad appeared, the new window showed "Amusive" in the title. I looked "Amusive" up in Google and noticed that Site Gadgets, the company hosting my race countdowns, is part of The Amusive Network. So the Site Gadget scripts were periodically generating pop-ups. This really pissed me off, so I switched to a countdown provided by Jeff Holman.

My apologies for the harrassment.

30 Minutes

I made it out for the scheduled 3 mile run. I definitely covered 3 miles, if not more, running around the "Generals" neighborhood. No soreness from Monday's hike, which is a good indication my legs are bouncing out of their winter hibernation.

Stats
Place: Round Hill
Time: 30:00
Heart Rate: n/a

3 Hour Hike

Instead of running today, I opted for a hike. Luckily, I now live less than 5 miles from the Appalachian Trail. I drove out to Bear's Den and set in for a 1.5 hour hike to the south before turning around and coming back. Most of the trail was covered in snow and ice, which required a lot more attention than usual. It was also a noisy venture, making the occasional stretches of bare ground seem silent to the ears, as well as soft on the legs. Even though it was below freezing, I hiked comfortably without hat and gloves. The trail was beautiful--snow-covered with fat deer running about. I saw only two other hikers. At hike's end, I still felt like I had a lot of energy, but by the time I arrived home, I started to feel pretty tired. I feel pretty good now, no real soreness that a good night's sleep won't take care of.

The hike definitely set me on my way to training for the Maryland Challenge with my brother. This entails hiking Maryland's entire AT stretch (40 miles) in 24 hours. We're planning on sometime in June, before it gets unbearably hot, but when there is plenty of daylight.

30 Minutes Running, 30 Minutes Walking

I wanted to do 60 minutes of running, but my knee felt strange, so I stopped halfway and walked the remaining time. My knee is going through that adjustment. Once I get back into shape, all will be well.

Stats
Place: Williams Gap Road
Time: 30:00
Heart Rate: n/a

6.75 Miles

It was an amazing 45 degrees today with cloudy skies. I parked my car in a athletic field parking lot near the new Round Hill Elementary School, then worked my way for a half mile up Woodgrove to Williams Gap Road. The road is packed dirt with a dusting of light gravel. Today, it was soft from the snow and ice melt--perfect for a run! I coasted out and wanted to keep going, but a little voice told me to stick to my planned run of an hour so I could live and fight again tomorrow. As it turned out, I ran a little longer than an hour. After measuring the distance with my car, it turns out I went about 6.75 miles. That made for a 9:29 pace. I am happy indeed.

Stats
Place: Williams Gap Road
Time: 1:04:00
Heart Rate: n/a

Today's Inspiration

Seeing as the temps will reach the 50s tomorrow, I'm celebrating. The roads are clear of ice, snow, and puddles so Williams Gap Road here I come! Here's a picture I found by Philip Young of his favorite running trail.

40 Minutes

I managed a second day in a row, not enough to be called a streak, or even a trend, but still better than nothing. It was a short 40 minutes, much of it on an uncomfortable running path still snowed and iced over. I'm still looking for safe places to run in Round Hill when the sun is set.

Stats
Place: Round Hill
Time: 40:00
Heart Rate: n/a

30 Minutes

I restarted my training schedule (see right menu) after getting sidetracked by the house and the move and all the time-consuming affairs therein. Anyway, I compromised with my wife. I would shave off my goatee once I was able to start my training. This means that the house stuff will have to fit in and around this schedule, within reason. It's not that bad. I going into work earlier and getting home earlier, so we're eating dinner at a reasonable hour and there's still time to do other things.

But I digress. The run. It was dark when I started out, so I tried on a headlamp my parents gave me as a birthday gift. It worked nicely as a ran around the local neighborhoods. One hood had a predictable southern naming conventions--Longstreet, Pickett, Early, Jackson, Lee--all southern generals. The run was short and easy. I'm still looking for my heart rate monitor--misplaced somewhere in the move.

Stats
Place: Round Hill
Time: 30:00
Heart Rate: n/a

Today's Inspiration

On a decidedly bleak day, I am determined to cheer myself up. Here is a painting by one of my favorite artists, Jacob Lawrence (see post from my other blog). Sleet started last night on my way home from work. Today, it was rain, rain, and more rain--much of it froze in the early morning. While I worked from home, I listened to the limbs on my neighbor's pine tree CRACK and fall, much of it in my driveway. Not a big deal--Just not good running weather, that's all.

35 Minutes

Okay, it wasn't the longest run I've done, nor was is the most enjoyable. I was running against the setting sun, which momentarily meant increased traffic, too. Due to the snow and ice, there were no shoulders to run on, so when cars passed I sometimes had to jump onto the snow piles, twice sinking far enough in to reach slushy puddles. Right as the run started to feel good, I was concerned it was getting too dark and unsafe to continue on. So I stopped. But I live to run another day, maybe tomorrow.

The run took me through a small neighborhood on the west side of Main Street, then onto Main Street into the new development on the east side before running back into town on Loudoun Street (Business Route 7) and up Locust Street. When there is more daylight, I want to run out on Williams Gap Road.

Stats
Place: Round Hill
Time: 35:00
Heart Rate: n/a

Could Today Be the Day?

The cold is gone. I'm moved into the new, old house. What's my excuse? Really crappy road conditions: no shoulder, ice, snow, and slush. To top it all off, by the time I get home from work, the sun is setting or set. I'm not keen on trying out unfamiliar roads in such conditions.

Still, I left for work at 5:55am this morning to get an early start on the day. I'm hoping to get home early enough to still go for a run--maybe around the block enough times to reach 45 minutes. I just have to get back on the roads. The treadmill will be more difficult now that gym in Leesburg is a little out of the way. Who knows.