Don't know if that's the name of a song, but it should be. Maybe a kick-ass AC/DC or Velvet Revolver (before they broke up) version would make its way onto my iPod.
Anyway, today I officially registered for the Baltimore Running Festival with my compnay serving as my corporate sponsor. I think if I multiplied the satisfaction I get from running the half marathon for free by about 30 million, I'll feel like Michael Phelps. At any rate, I got my entry form from corporate communications this morning and promptly filled it out and sent it off in the mail. It went out this morning and should be in Elkridge (the administrative HQ of the Baltimore Running Festival) by tomorrow. I'm so happy to finally be registered for the race, as the half is now more than 90% full. My entry should get me signed up just in time! The marathon is more than 90% full. The half has a limit of 7500 runners, while the marathon has a limit of 4000. That doesn't count the relay teams (750 teams of 4 runners each) and the 2500 in the 5K (the 5K is barely getting any play, though, with just 6% of the limit, 150 runners, signed up right now). In other words, Saturday, October 11th will see literally thousands of runners navigating the streets of Baltimore.
I remember running the 5K last year and how much fun I had. I was still pretty new to running at that point and had set the 5K as my third racing goal (after the Run to Cooperstown 5K and Bay Cafe 5K) for the year. The 5K was packed last year, and I would bet that once September hits that it'll fill up quickly as I can't imagine people wanting to run another race that weekend when they could run the main running event in Baltimore for the year. I remember not really knowing that in a race you should run your ass off rather than treat it as another training run, but that is something I've worked on all year as a result. I also remember watching the half marathon begin and seeing how excited people were as they set off. It was seeing that excitement that helped me set the goal to run the National Half Marathon that following March.
Hopefully we'll have weather like we did last year (cold in the morning, but sunny and a little breeze). I would really like to set a new PR for 13.1 miles and surpass my inaugural effort at the National Half back in March. The course itself is pretty flat, with the only hill coming out near Patterson Park. I am going to adjust my long run route to hit that hill every week so I can prepare and not be worried about it come October 11th.
Since I don't have to pay the $70 entry fee for the half marathon, that frees up some money for the Richmond Half in November. That will require an overnight trip as well, so if I hadn't been able to get into the Baltimore Half for free, I wasn't going to shell out another $60 for Richmond as well (and pay for a hotel room, gas, food, etc). However, I'll set aside a little money each pay period and should have the estimated $150-200 I'll need for the entire trip, including race registration. Annie is going to be performing up in PA that Saturday, so I don't think she'll be coming with me, but that's OK, as I'l going to go bare bones (can you say, Super 8?) and it's only a 24 hour trip anyway.
As far as training, I dragged myself out of bed this morning and got a simple tempo run in. I did one mile as a warmup and then did 2 miles around 8:00/mile before ending with another mile cool down. I was surprisingly not dead after running that fast pace (for me) for 2 miles and it felt good to get my pace down in that range. My legs are sore today, but they'll be fine. I will more than likely take tomorrow off, as we're flying out to Cincinnati in the late morning.
Wednesday, August 27, 2008
Tuesday, August 26, 2008
Michelle Obama vs. Bunnies
This is the battle we last night while watching TV. After I finsihed my nightly CFA studying, we turned on the TV to see what was on (not a lot, thanks a lot Olympics for killing the competition the last two weeks!). I initially turned to one of the myriad channels carrying the Democratic National Convention this week. Apparently Michelle Obama was supposed to speak (after Ted Kennedy, among others) last night. I'm only marginally interested in politics, if at all, mainly because politics in the U.S. has become a game of the lowest common denominator and essentially legalized bribery. Each candidate tries so hard to appeal to the "average Joe". Unfortunately, it's tough for wealthy, well-educated people used to telling others what to do on a daily basis to realitically appeal to working poor, uneducated people who are used to being talked down to by wealthy, well-educated Type A people their entire lives. Some examples of this idiocy:
- George Bush doing just about anything on the campaign trail. He was excellent at making people think he really gave a damn about their lives in Missouri or wherever they're from.
- John Kerry being videotaped off of the Vineyard wind surfing or (later) attending a Red Sox game. There's nothing wrong with loving to wind surf. However, it's not exactly an everyman's sport. It's a cousin of sailing, which is what yuppies like to do (spend a ton of money on a boat and then sail it around for no real reason off the coast of Maine or Long Island..fun?). Also, he could not have looked any more awkward at Fenway surrounded by Red Sox Nation. Obviously more used to the skyboxes than the bleachers. And then there was the tape of him making a feeble attempt at throwing out the first pitch. He lost the election because of that pitiful throw, I'm convinced.
-Hillary Clinton doing shots of whiskey in some podunk town. That faint sound you heard in the clip was the sound of a presidential campaign dying.
The Obama's made over $4 million last year (the McCains made $6 million or so) so let's stop with the "average Joe" routines. Maybe the average Joe will buy into
Anyway, that's the last I will talk about politics on this blog, I assure you. It just depresses me. But, this all by way of saying that instead of watching the DNC circle-jerk, we watched The Girls Next Door at Annie's request. I have to say, I'd much rather watch Bridgette (sp?) than politicians so I was fine with the programming change.
******************************
In running news, I got out for 5 miles this morning. I ran out to Ft. McHenry and back. Since the fort doesn't open until 8AM, I could only run to the gates, which lops about a mile off of the usual 6 mile run out there and back to the Inner Harbor. Nothing too exciting but the weather was great for running; probably the best all summer. It was breezy and dry, probably in the high 50's with some cloud cover. Great conditions. I'll post the splits later tonight when I get home and upload the run from my Garmin.
- George Bush doing just about anything on the campaign trail. He was excellent at making people think he really gave a damn about their lives in Missouri or wherever they're from.
- John Kerry being videotaped off of the Vineyard wind surfing or (later) attending a Red Sox game. There's nothing wrong with loving to wind surf. However, it's not exactly an everyman's sport. It's a cousin of sailing, which is what yuppies like to do (spend a ton of money on a boat and then sail it around for no real reason off the coast of Maine or Long Island..fun?). Also, he could not have looked any more awkward at Fenway surrounded by Red Sox Nation. Obviously more used to the skyboxes than the bleachers. And then there was the tape of him making a feeble attempt at throwing out the first pitch. He lost the election because of that pitiful throw, I'm convinced.
-Hillary Clinton doing shots of whiskey in some podunk town. That faint sound you heard in the clip was the sound of a presidential campaign dying.
The Obama's made over $4 million last year (the McCains made $6 million or so) so let's stop with the "average Joe" routines. Maybe the average Joe will buy into
Anyway, that's the last I will talk about politics on this blog, I assure you. It just depresses me. But, this all by way of saying that instead of watching the DNC circle-jerk, we watched The Girls Next Door at Annie's request. I have to say, I'd much rather watch Bridgette (sp?) than politicians so I was fine with the programming change.
******************************
In running news, I got out for 5 miles this morning. I ran out to Ft. McHenry and back. Since the fort doesn't open until 8AM, I could only run to the gates, which lops about a mile off of the usual 6 mile run out there and back to the Inner Harbor. Nothing too exciting but the weather was great for running; probably the best all summer. It was breezy and dry, probably in the high 50's with some cloud cover. Great conditions. I'll post the splits later tonight when I get home and upload the run from my Garmin.
Sunday, August 24, 2008
Vacation over...time to refocus
I took Wednesday through Friday off from work this week so Annie and I could spend some QT together and it was worth it. We got a lot accomplished and had an eventful, but also frustrating, day going to Philadelphia to pick out our wedding bands yesterday. Long story short, it took us 5.5 hours to get from Baltimore to Philadelphia due to 4 traffic jams on I-95 and a fiasco with SEPTA taking credit cards on their regional rail. Eventually we made it to the jeweler and got our rings picked out. They'll ship them to us in about 2 weeks.
So, today is Sunday and I haven't run since Thursday, but I am OK with that. I didn't really have the motivation to get up early on my vacation days anyway. I think I much better served sleeping in each morning instead to recharge for the coming months. We're going to a BBQ being held by my boss this afternoon and that will mark the end of my vacation until October when I am out for the wedding and honeymoon.
So, tomorrow will begin my intensive training for the Baltimore Half Marathon, which I found out on Friday that I would be able to run for free thanks to corporate sponsorship. Totally sweet and it saves me something around $60. I'm also going to run a 5K in Cincinnati next Sunday through the Cincinnati Zoo, which should be fun. In essence, the racing season is right around the corner and my goal is to be in reasonably good shape for Baltimore and then in very good shape for Richmond in November before going into the holiday racing season (turkey trots, Zoo Zoom and the Celtic Solstice in December). It'll be a challenge to do that with the wedding and honeymoon in late October, to be sure. And then there's the CFA in early December which will require daily attention until exam day.
So, tomorrow will start my program, such as it is. We're flying to Cincinnati on Thursday for a long weekend away, so Thursday will be an off day, followed by two training days and then the 5K. Next Monday I fly back (Annie is staying in Cincinnati a few days to get more done) so that will also be a rest day. That's the plan, at least.
In other news, the Olympics have concluded and my TV viewing schedule can now return to normal. I don't think I've watched much else besides the Olympics over the past two weeks, so I will miss the overdose of sports for the next 4 years (I'm not as huge a fan of the Winter Olympics), but London is quickly approaching...sort of.
So, today is Sunday and I haven't run since Thursday, but I am OK with that. I didn't really have the motivation to get up early on my vacation days anyway. I think I much better served sleeping in each morning instead to recharge for the coming months. We're going to a BBQ being held by my boss this afternoon and that will mark the end of my vacation until October when I am out for the wedding and honeymoon.
So, tomorrow will begin my intensive training for the Baltimore Half Marathon, which I found out on Friday that I would be able to run for free thanks to corporate sponsorship. Totally sweet and it saves me something around $60. I'm also going to run a 5K in Cincinnati next Sunday through the Cincinnati Zoo, which should be fun. In essence, the racing season is right around the corner and my goal is to be in reasonably good shape for Baltimore and then in very good shape for Richmond in November before going into the holiday racing season (turkey trots, Zoo Zoom and the Celtic Solstice in December). It'll be a challenge to do that with the wedding and honeymoon in late October, to be sure. And then there's the CFA in early December which will require daily attention until exam day.
So, tomorrow will start my program, such as it is. We're flying to Cincinnati on Thursday for a long weekend away, so Thursday will be an off day, followed by two training days and then the 5K. Next Monday I fly back (Annie is staying in Cincinnati a few days to get more done) so that will also be a rest day. That's the plan, at least.
In other news, the Olympics have concluded and my TV viewing schedule can now return to normal. I don't think I've watched much else besides the Olympics over the past two weeks, so I will miss the overdose of sports for the next 4 years (I'm not as huge a fan of the Winter Olympics), but London is quickly approaching...sort of.
Thursday, August 21, 2008
Sizzling...but not technically
After taking Tuesday and Wednesday off to enjoy my vacation and the lack of an obligation to get up and go to work for 11 hours a day, I got back out on the roads this morning. Granted it wasn't at 5:45 AM but rather a more reasonable 10:30, but no matter. I got 5 miles in and they felt a lot better overall than the 6 I ran on Sunday.
While the weather hasn't been horribly hot the last two weeks here in Baltimore, the sun has remained intense and tends to make it feel warmer than it really is when you're out running. It was no different today, as I felt the sun baking me as I ran, but in my mind I knew it was no more than 76 degrees out. Thankfully, I've wisened up and took a water bottle with me as I ran, which helped keep my mind off the perceived heat and actual thirst.
I started at the Inner Harbor, per usual, and ran out to Ft. McHenry and back for a nice 5 miler. I kept my pace slow so I wouldn't flame out midway through. Here are the splits:
Mile 1: 9:30
Mile 2: 9:27
Mile 3: 9:46
Mile 4: 9:33
Mile 5: 9:38
Relatively consistent save for that slower mile 3 thanks to the "hills" of the bridge leading from Locust Point to the fort going both ways. Pace was very slow, but then again, I am very slow.
Overall, not a bad run. In other news, my company is sponsoring the Baltimore Running Festival in October so I should be able to run the half for free! Kick ass. I may run it slow but I won't feel that I wasted my $60 or so.
While the weather hasn't been horribly hot the last two weeks here in Baltimore, the sun has remained intense and tends to make it feel warmer than it really is when you're out running. It was no different today, as I felt the sun baking me as I ran, but in my mind I knew it was no more than 76 degrees out. Thankfully, I've wisened up and took a water bottle with me as I ran, which helped keep my mind off the perceived heat and actual thirst.
I started at the Inner Harbor, per usual, and ran out to Ft. McHenry and back for a nice 5 miler. I kept my pace slow so I wouldn't flame out midway through. Here are the splits:
Mile 1: 9:30
Mile 2: 9:27
Mile 3: 9:46
Mile 4: 9:33
Mile 5: 9:38
Relatively consistent save for that slower mile 3 thanks to the "hills" of the bridge leading from Locust Point to the fort going both ways. Pace was very slow, but then again, I am very slow.
Overall, not a bad run. In other news, my company is sponsoring the Baltimore Running Festival in October so I should be able to run the half for free! Kick ass. I may run it slow but I won't feel that I wasted my $60 or so.
Monday, August 18, 2008
Baltimore - A Serengeti for Runners
That should be the city's new motto. It would definitely be more accurate than other mottos such as:
- Charm City (makes no sense)
- The City that Reads (spend 15 minutes in the Gallery mall and you'll see this is a joke)
- The Greatest City in America (seriously, this can be found on several broken benches around downtown...I assume the irony is lost on the City government)
- The City that Bleeds (a play on words from number 2 but more accurate)
- Baltimore: Get in on it! (admittedly not a motto but a slogan, but still bad and unimaginative)
With all the other problems in Baltimore, I'm not going to hold my breath for more water fountains anytime soon. Apparently it takes the city 10 years to figure out what to do with a homeless population that lacks health care, education, jobs, and general welfare so if they can't get an idea of how to solve this huge problem, I would actually think something like installing more fountains would prove monstrously difficult.
In the Inner Harbor (tourist central) and Federal Hill (yuppie central) there are four (FOUR!) water fountains. One is in Federal Hill Park. There are actually two along the Inner harbor promenade but one doesn't work and the other one I have yet to try, but for which I have low expectations. The other two are actually not in a neighborhood at all but are in the Ft. McHenry National Park, which is only open after 8 AM and is about a mile down Fort Ave, through locust Point. Outside of that, noone thought of installing additionla fountains in any of the parks in Federal Hill or along the Inner Harbor. I guess the builders wanted to make sure that thirsty tourists went to Starbucks and spent $27.95 for an iced coffee instead of quenching their thirst at the city's expense.
But, this is Baltimore, and like I said, there are bigger problems than water fountains to deal with first. Sigh.
In other news, I got a 3 mile run in on Saturday, followed by some swimming (I'm going to try to increase the amount of non-running exercise I do). Then on Sunday I did 6 tough miles. This morning I ran 4 miles (I did 6 on Sunday so I could get 4 miles in today). Annie is flying back from Colorado tonight, and since her plane doesn't get in until 10:45, I know I won't be in any condition to run tomorrow morning so I have planned on taking a rest day and sleeping in until 7.
I'm on vacation Wed-Fri this week, so I plan on getting runs in on each day, and then taking Saturday for cross training before taking a long run on Sunday. At some point this week we might go to Philadelphia to get our wedding bands and we have a few other things that we need to take care of as well. I'm going to try to talk her into going to see the Dark Knight with me or going to the Maryland Renaissance Festival (we've been talking about going all year so this would be a great time to go and people watch. Those actors take the festival REALLY seriously!). Should be a good end of the week!
- Charm City (makes no sense)
- The City that Reads (spend 15 minutes in the Gallery mall and you'll see this is a joke)
- The Greatest City in America (seriously, this can be found on several broken benches around downtown...I assume the irony is lost on the City government)
- The City that Bleeds (a play on words from number 2 but more accurate)
- Baltimore: Get in on it! (admittedly not a motto but a slogan, but still bad and unimaginative)
With all the other problems in Baltimore, I'm not going to hold my breath for more water fountains anytime soon. Apparently it takes the city 10 years to figure out what to do with a homeless population that lacks health care, education, jobs, and general welfare so if they can't get an idea of how to solve this huge problem, I would actually think something like installing more fountains would prove monstrously difficult.
In the Inner Harbor (tourist central) and Federal Hill (yuppie central) there are four (FOUR!) water fountains. One is in Federal Hill Park. There are actually two along the Inner harbor promenade but one doesn't work and the other one I have yet to try, but for which I have low expectations. The other two are actually not in a neighborhood at all but are in the Ft. McHenry National Park, which is only open after 8 AM and is about a mile down Fort Ave, through locust Point. Outside of that, noone thought of installing additionla fountains in any of the parks in Federal Hill or along the Inner Harbor. I guess the builders wanted to make sure that thirsty tourists went to Starbucks and spent $27.95 for an iced coffee instead of quenching their thirst at the city's expense.
But, this is Baltimore, and like I said, there are bigger problems than water fountains to deal with first. Sigh.
In other news, I got a 3 mile run in on Saturday, followed by some swimming (I'm going to try to increase the amount of non-running exercise I do). Then on Sunday I did 6 tough miles. This morning I ran 4 miles (I did 6 on Sunday so I could get 4 miles in today). Annie is flying back from Colorado tonight, and since her plane doesn't get in until 10:45, I know I won't be in any condition to run tomorrow morning so I have planned on taking a rest day and sleeping in until 7.
I'm on vacation Wed-Fri this week, so I plan on getting runs in on each day, and then taking Saturday for cross training before taking a long run on Sunday. At some point this week we might go to Philadelphia to get our wedding bands and we have a few other things that we need to take care of as well. I'm going to try to talk her into going to see the Dark Knight with me or going to the Maryland Renaissance Festival (we've been talking about going all year so this would be a great time to go and people watch. Those actors take the festival REALLY seriously!). Should be a good end of the week!
Thursday, August 14, 2008
Better Safe Than Sorry
This morning everything worked as it should. I had taken yesterday off as well because my left hamstring was still tweaked from my hiking on Monday afternoon. Since this past winter when I caught a cold and then made the mistake of running a day later because I felt OK (even though I KNEW not to run when the cold is below your neck!) and then was in bed the next two days, I've resolved to always take the "better safe than sorry" approach to injuries or sickness. So, I took yesterday off and tried not to feel too guilty about it. The extra day was a good move, as I feel totally fine now.
So, I woke up a little early this morning (mind you, I set my alarm for 5 AM, anticipating that I will hit snooze 3-4 times, which would put me actually awake around 5:30...sick, I know) and started to get my running gear on when I suddenly realized that I didn't have my Body Glide. It's sitting in my pack down in the back of my Jeep in the parking garage 4 floors underground. Well, like my experience with injuries and sickness, I learned the hard way to stick to a chaffing prevention routine. Since starting to consistently use Body Glide before each run, I have had no issues. So, I was distressed when I found that I'd have to run without that protection. While the odds of having any trouble were small, I reverted to the "better safe than sorry" approach and just undressed and got back into bed. While getting 5 miles in was important this morning, if I had run into chaffing issues afterwards, it would have ruined my entire day and that, to me, is just not worth it.
I'll bring my pack up tonight after work so I have my Body Glide for tomorrow's run. Then I should finally be able to get a run in this week!
As frustrating as it is, forcing myself to stick to the better safe than sorry rule has worked out well thus far.
So, I woke up a little early this morning (mind you, I set my alarm for 5 AM, anticipating that I will hit snooze 3-4 times, which would put me actually awake around 5:30...sick, I know) and started to get my running gear on when I suddenly realized that I didn't have my Body Glide. It's sitting in my pack down in the back of my Jeep in the parking garage 4 floors underground. Well, like my experience with injuries and sickness, I learned the hard way to stick to a chaffing prevention routine. Since starting to consistently use Body Glide before each run, I have had no issues. So, I was distressed when I found that I'd have to run without that protection. While the odds of having any trouble were small, I reverted to the "better safe than sorry" approach and just undressed and got back into bed. While getting 5 miles in was important this morning, if I had run into chaffing issues afterwards, it would have ruined my entire day and that, to me, is just not worth it.
I'll bring my pack up tonight after work so I have my Body Glide for tomorrow's run. Then I should finally be able to get a run in this week!
As frustrating as it is, forcing myself to stick to the better safe than sorry rule has worked out well thus far.
Tuesday, August 12, 2008
Back Early
I returned early from my camping/hiking trip for a variety of reasons, the biggest of which is that I hiked all of my distance in 2 days rather than the 3 I had set aside. So, I was back here in civilization much sooner than I anticipated. But, it's all going to come up Millhouse. A guy I work with had left two weeks ago for his vacation to Vietnam but he's stuck there because the one road into and out of the small fishing village he and his wife were staying in was closed due to a typhoon hitting Vietnam. So, he's still there without an estimate of when he'll be back to Baltimore.
Since I got back early, I decided to seize the opportunity and volunteered to work the rest of the week in exchange for moving the remaining vacation days to next week, when Annie will be back. This way, I get points for being flexible and a team player at work and Annie and I get 5 straight days of QT, which we really need after a summer apart.
So, I'll be back in the office the rest of this week and then Monday and Tuesday and then get Wed-Fri off next week. Should work out just fine.
I've also had to adjust my workout schedule. I'm still sore from my hiking, but I think I should be OK by tomorrow morning. I'll do an easy run tomorrow, speedwork on Thursday and either a recovery run or fartlek on Friday depending on how I feel. I am still undecided on the Full Moon Run on Saturday night, but am now leaning towards skipping it so I can get a quality long run in on Sunday instead. We'll see.
Since I got back early, I decided to seize the opportunity and volunteered to work the rest of the week in exchange for moving the remaining vacation days to next week, when Annie will be back. This way, I get points for being flexible and a team player at work and Annie and I get 5 straight days of QT, which we really need after a summer apart.
So, I'll be back in the office the rest of this week and then Monday and Tuesday and then get Wed-Fri off next week. Should work out just fine.
I've also had to adjust my workout schedule. I'm still sore from my hiking, but I think I should be OK by tomorrow morning. I'll do an easy run tomorrow, speedwork on Thursday and either a recovery run or fartlek on Friday depending on how I feel. I am still undecided on the Full Moon Run on Saturday night, but am now leaning towards skipping it so I can get a quality long run in on Sunday instead. We'll see.
Friday, August 8, 2008
Happy Otakon 2008
This weekend is one of my favorite times of the year in Baltimore. It's Otakon 2008! What's Otakon, you might ask? Well, from what I know, it's a convention devoted to a style of Japanese anime and manga fiction that is held once a year in Baltimore. Basically, thousands and thousands of fans descend upon Baltimore and go to the convention center to meet other afficionados, buy anime stuff and generally go on a two day anime binge. During that time most of them are wearing costumes of their favorite characters that they've made at home and they proceed to wear them as they mill about the Inner Harbor and downtown. While most of these people are teenagers or college students, there are always a few creepy adults wandering around as well in full costume.
Needless to say, it makes for great people watching. Just sitting and watching tourists and office workers who have no clue what's going on walk aroudn with the Otakon people is hilarious. The looks of bewilderment and a little fear is very entertaining. For those of us who live in the city and have experienced this before, it's like a little festival celebrating weird and eccentric people.
Their devotion to anime is supreme, as evidenced by the fact that there were people milling about in full costume this morning when I was out running. Mind you, it was not even 6 AM and they were out and about. By the time I finished my 4 mile fartlek run (more on the actual run below), there were hundreds of them walking about, freaking out the hobos and commuters alike. By the time I got to the office, there was a line snaking around the Baltimore Convention Center of people waiting to get in to the convention. Go to Google Maps and search for the Baltimore Convention Center to see just how big that building is and you'll have an idea of how long this line was.
Thus far the best costume I have seen is somebody (I couldn't tell if it was male or female) who was dressed in black pants, a brown trenchcoat that was buttoned and tied. They were wearing a black fedora and around their head was a pillowcase with the face of a jack-o-lantern drawn on it in magic marker. They were being led around by other costumed people in their party, which makes me think they didn't have the forethought to cut eye holes in the pillowcase. Unreal.
Anyway, I left the anime people in the Inner Harbor and ran into Harbor East and Federal Hill this morning for my first attempt at a fartlek run. I did a 1 mile warm up before alternating between fast and slow paces every quarter mile for miles 2 and 3. I then ran 1.5 miles to cool down. Overall, I was pleased with this, although I think I will begin to do half mile increments to get more out of the fast portions.
The weather was terrific this morning as well, 64 with a breeze and little humidity. Just about perfect for running.
Tomorrow I will do my long run in the morning (early to avoid the Otakon crowds) and then spend the rest of the day preparing for my trip to Shenandoah. I'm going to leave early on Sunday morning to have plenty of time to get there and get my bearings before setting off. Tomorrow I need to go to REI to buy a flint, a Power Bar or two and a small First Aid kit. I am debating the usefulness of buying a trail pillow...I might splurge on one. I also need to go to Wal-Mart and get some dried fruit or other snacks that will give me energy on the trail.
Tonight I'll be packing everything up to make sure I know the best place for everything. I have plenty of room right now, even with the huge dinners I bought at REI a few weeks back that I intend to use as the main source of my energy for the week. I'll be taking only a few pieces of clothing (other than what I'll be wearing on Sunday, of course) to minimize the load.
The best thing is that after I get back to the car on Wednesday, I can drive 10 miles to a campsite and pay $3 for a 15 minute shower before I have to drive back to Baltimore for 3 hours. That will feel wonderful after 4 days on the trail (although in my defense, I don't smell when I sweat, but I would prefer to smell like Nivea for Men body wash, all else being equal).
So, I will post sometime tomorrow afternoon once I get back from my errands to recount my run before leaving on Sunday morning. Still haven't signed up for the Full Moon Run, but I can wlays do that on Friday as it's only $10.
Needless to say, it makes for great people watching. Just sitting and watching tourists and office workers who have no clue what's going on walk aroudn with the Otakon people is hilarious. The looks of bewilderment and a little fear is very entertaining. For those of us who live in the city and have experienced this before, it's like a little festival celebrating weird and eccentric people.
Their devotion to anime is supreme, as evidenced by the fact that there were people milling about in full costume this morning when I was out running. Mind you, it was not even 6 AM and they were out and about. By the time I finished my 4 mile fartlek run (more on the actual run below), there were hundreds of them walking about, freaking out the hobos and commuters alike. By the time I got to the office, there was a line snaking around the Baltimore Convention Center of people waiting to get in to the convention. Go to Google Maps and search for the Baltimore Convention Center to see just how big that building is and you'll have an idea of how long this line was.
Thus far the best costume I have seen is somebody (I couldn't tell if it was male or female) who was dressed in black pants, a brown trenchcoat that was buttoned and tied. They were wearing a black fedora and around their head was a pillowcase with the face of a jack-o-lantern drawn on it in magic marker. They were being led around by other costumed people in their party, which makes me think they didn't have the forethought to cut eye holes in the pillowcase. Unreal.
Anyway, I left the anime people in the Inner Harbor and ran into Harbor East and Federal Hill this morning for my first attempt at a fartlek run. I did a 1 mile warm up before alternating between fast and slow paces every quarter mile for miles 2 and 3. I then ran 1.5 miles to cool down. Overall, I was pleased with this, although I think I will begin to do half mile increments to get more out of the fast portions.
The weather was terrific this morning as well, 64 with a breeze and little humidity. Just about perfect for running.
Tomorrow I will do my long run in the morning (early to avoid the Otakon crowds) and then spend the rest of the day preparing for my trip to Shenandoah. I'm going to leave early on Sunday morning to have plenty of time to get there and get my bearings before setting off. Tomorrow I need to go to REI to buy a flint, a Power Bar or two and a small First Aid kit. I am debating the usefulness of buying a trail pillow...I might splurge on one. I also need to go to Wal-Mart and get some dried fruit or other snacks that will give me energy on the trail.
Tonight I'll be packing everything up to make sure I know the best place for everything. I have plenty of room right now, even with the huge dinners I bought at REI a few weeks back that I intend to use as the main source of my energy for the week. I'll be taking only a few pieces of clothing (other than what I'll be wearing on Sunday, of course) to minimize the load.
The best thing is that after I get back to the car on Wednesday, I can drive 10 miles to a campsite and pay $3 for a 15 minute shower before I have to drive back to Baltimore for 3 hours. That will feel wonderful after 4 days on the trail (although in my defense, I don't smell when I sweat, but I would prefer to smell like Nivea for Men body wash, all else being equal).
So, I will post sometime tomorrow afternoon once I get back from my errands to recount my run before leaving on Sunday morning. Still haven't signed up for the Full Moon Run, but I can wlays do that on Friday as it's only $10.
Tuesday, August 5, 2008
Slow
Another weekend flew by as summer is quickly approaching fall. Saturday morning I woke up early and got my 8 laborious miles in. I've finally accepted just how much fitness I've lost since late March when I ran the National Half Marathon. I took it nice and slow on Saturday for my "long" run and it was still a tough slog. Hopefully it'll get better as August and September pass so I'm ready for the Baltimore Half.
By the end of the run, my legs were definitely tired and I knew they'd be sore, but I was happy to find that they never got really sore and felt OK by midway through Sunday. That's good news for my body's ability to recover from the longer distances. My ultimate goal is to continue to increase my mileage past the 13 mile mark to about 15-16 miles for my long runs. That will take me the remainder of the running season (late November or early December).
But, as for Saturday, no real problems. I think my pace will improve as I do more speedwork during the week and get better at it so I get more out of each workout. Speaking of which, I am going to do some tomorrow morning since it's Wednesday. The rest of the week should be speedwork tomorrow, easy recovery run on Thursday, and perhaps a 2 mile fartlek/tempo run with some easy pacing (1 mile) on each side on Friday.
I've decided to go ahead and leave for Shenandoah NP a day early, so will be heading out on Sunday instead of Monday. That means that my long run will have to be on Saturday. In other words, I will finish my week at (hopefully) around 25 miles and then head out to hike 17 miles over the next 4 days. Then I'll be back in Baltimore to get some runs in before the Full Moon Run next Saturday! It'll be a very active vacation, to be sure. I may decide to take next Friday completely off to rest for the Full Moon Run, even though it's not a race (just a fun run in the pitch black of night...) so my body can take 24 hours without running/sprinting/walking/hiking/climbing, actually.
By the end of the run, my legs were definitely tired and I knew they'd be sore, but I was happy to find that they never got really sore and felt OK by midway through Sunday. That's good news for my body's ability to recover from the longer distances. My ultimate goal is to continue to increase my mileage past the 13 mile mark to about 15-16 miles for my long runs. That will take me the remainder of the running season (late November or early December).
But, as for Saturday, no real problems. I think my pace will improve as I do more speedwork during the week and get better at it so I get more out of each workout. Speaking of which, I am going to do some tomorrow morning since it's Wednesday. The rest of the week should be speedwork tomorrow, easy recovery run on Thursday, and perhaps a 2 mile fartlek/tempo run with some easy pacing (1 mile) on each side on Friday.
I've decided to go ahead and leave for Shenandoah NP a day early, so will be heading out on Sunday instead of Monday. That means that my long run will have to be on Saturday. In other words, I will finish my week at (hopefully) around 25 miles and then head out to hike 17 miles over the next 4 days. Then I'll be back in Baltimore to get some runs in before the Full Moon Run next Saturday! It'll be a very active vacation, to be sure. I may decide to take next Friday completely off to rest for the Full Moon Run, even though it's not a race (just a fun run in the pitch black of night...) so my body can take 24 hours without running/sprinting/walking/hiking/climbing, actually.
Friday, August 1, 2008
Weekend
I always look forward to the weekend, and this week is not different.
Last night I went out to a happy hour with some people from work and was at the bar until about 9. By the time I got home, I was so tired that I could barely keep my eyes open. As a result, I felt terrible this morning, not so much from a hangover but just exhaustion from the week, and did not get out for my 5 miler. While it felt great to get that extra hour of sleep, once I was awake, I wished I had gotten up to run. To compensate, I am seriously considering getting some real cross training in at the gym later tonight after dinner. We'll see.
Tomorrow I will get up early and get my long run in before heading out to the country for my cousin's wedding. While I am happy to attend (with the full expectation that he and his wife will be at my wedding in October), it will consume a large swath of my weekend. I'm going to minimize that by going out tomorrow and then driving back late Sunday morning. I want to stop at the Bed Bath & Beyond in Hagerstown and spend an hour or two adding to our registry in the areas that do not require Annie's stylistic opinions. I would also like to be back in Baltimore early enough to go to the gym before it closes at 4PM, but that is not a firm goal at this point.
In other news, I was browsing some running blogs yesterday and came across one guy who had a pretty neat idea. To chart his running progress, he created a map online and periodically posted his mileage in the form of virtual progress from New York to San Francisco. It took him a couple years to get there, but now he's running up the west coast (virtually speaking, of course) towards Seattle. Pretty neat idea and one that I have shamelessly adopted for my site, although with proper credit, of course. I think I will probably make entries on a monthly basis (maybe semi-monthly) so I don't have hundreds of dots on my map making it hard to see my progress. I'll also have a progress entry on the sidebar here.
With that, I'm off. I'm dying to get out of the office for a few days and will post on Sunday upon my return from the hills of West Virginia. Hopefully my country cousins will not behave too badly at the wedding tomorrow. Hopefully.
Last night I went out to a happy hour with some people from work and was at the bar until about 9. By the time I got home, I was so tired that I could barely keep my eyes open. As a result, I felt terrible this morning, not so much from a hangover but just exhaustion from the week, and did not get out for my 5 miler. While it felt great to get that extra hour of sleep, once I was awake, I wished I had gotten up to run. To compensate, I am seriously considering getting some real cross training in at the gym later tonight after dinner. We'll see.
Tomorrow I will get up early and get my long run in before heading out to the country for my cousin's wedding. While I am happy to attend (with the full expectation that he and his wife will be at my wedding in October), it will consume a large swath of my weekend. I'm going to minimize that by going out tomorrow and then driving back late Sunday morning. I want to stop at the Bed Bath & Beyond in Hagerstown and spend an hour or two adding to our registry in the areas that do not require Annie's stylistic opinions. I would also like to be back in Baltimore early enough to go to the gym before it closes at 4PM, but that is not a firm goal at this point.
In other news, I was browsing some running blogs yesterday and came across one guy who had a pretty neat idea. To chart his running progress, he created a map online and periodically posted his mileage in the form of virtual progress from New York to San Francisco. It took him a couple years to get there, but now he's running up the west coast (virtually speaking, of course) towards Seattle. Pretty neat idea and one that I have shamelessly adopted for my site, although with proper credit, of course. I think I will probably make entries on a monthly basis (maybe semi-monthly) so I don't have hundreds of dots on my map making it hard to see my progress. I'll also have a progress entry on the sidebar here.
With that, I'm off. I'm dying to get out of the office for a few days and will post on Sunday upon my return from the hills of West Virginia. Hopefully my country cousins will not behave too badly at the wedding tomorrow. Hopefully.
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