I'm in love!

With trail running! :) The Virginia Happy Trails Running Club held their Women's  Half Marathon Trail Run this past Saturday and I got my first taste of trail running.  It will certainly not be my last!  It was run entirely on the trails of Fountainhead Regional Park in Virginia, with 206 starters and 194 finishers.  I honestly had no idea what to expect, other than a challenge. An acquaintance of mine said it was a tough course for my first trail race, so I was trying to be prepared for whatever was thrown at me.  The race organizers told us at the start to expect to run at least 2-3 minutes slower per mile than you would on the roads.  I knew that was going to be the case but my ego was not going to take that news very lightly. Before sending us off the men in the VHTRC gathered in front of the start line to serenade us with "Happy Trails To You" to rousing applause.  It made everyone smile and I know I relaxed a bit more because of it.  I honestly don't think I was nervous about this race. I was really excited and very curious. A full array of pictures can be found here, but I'll include a few from the professional photographer as well.

I ran with a disposable camera for most of the race, hoping to capture the beauty of the trails as well as their difficulty.  After a solid week of rain I was concerned about the conditions but it overall the course was in great shape.  A huge thank you to the race organizers for monitoring the course all week and cleaning up felled trees as needed. There were definitely some wet and muddy spots but that just made it more fun. I think I would have been disappointed if there weren't some opportunities to get a little dirty. Despite knowing that I wasn't going to have a finish time comparable to my other half marathons, I bolted at the start and learned the error of my ways during the first 2-3 miles.  Holy moly there were hills, hills, and then more hills. I was definitely feeling the burn but I was also exhilarated and feeling like I was on this grand adventure.

I was very relieved to have finished the "Do Loop" portion of the course but there was still a lot left in front of me. There were several aid stations along the course that had the basics as well as cookies, chips, twizzlers, jelly beans and so much more. At one point Elvis himself was there and kindly refilled the bottles on my belt.  Once I felt like I settled in to the race, I took my time.  I stopped at aid stations.  I talked to the other runners.  I snapped a few pictures along the way.  It was hard to accept that I wasn't going to be a great trail runner out of the gate but I think I did my best to meet the challenge and have fun along the way. It was important that I not "race" this because it was my first time on the terrain as well as a substitute training run for the marathon. The last 3 miles felt hard in a good way. I had picked up my pace as best I could and was finally starting to pass a few of the many people that had passed me along the way. I had a fair idea of where the finish line was so I knew when I could make a last push. The crowd support was great and my brother-in-law was there to cheer me on.

If you must know my finishing time, you are welcome to check out the race website. I'm stinging a bit about it but I can't wait to come back next year and beat it. Once marathon training is over I'd like to devote more time to running on trails. I know I'd actually have to make an effort to get to them, as opposed to just running from my front door, but it will be worth it. Judging by the soreness I felt yesterday, it definitely works different parts of your legs than the roads do. My ankles in particular were feeling a little banged up. I'm actually a little surprised that I didn't fall down although at one point I came pretty close.  Between all the roots and rocks, there were ample opportunities. I just kept my eyes on the ground right in front of me and pushed forward.

I am super proud of my sister, my partner in the race experience.  It was her first half ever, and her first race longer than a 10k. She did amazing and whether she wants to admit it or not, there are other halfs in her future. A big thanks to my brother-in-law, Andy, for being our personal race photographer and cheerleader, it was greatly appreciated.  I see a lot of race reports in my reader that I need to catch up on. It looks like this was quite the racing weekend! Back to training as usual this week, with a 20 miler waiting for me on Saturday. Eek! I'm hoping this week is a good one, it certainly has potential. At the very least, I'm quite looking forward to tomorrow. Be safe, run well, and take care of each other!

Friday!

Happy friday, friends!  I'm not sure you'll get any random facts out of me today.  This week has just been too long and my brain is too tired to come up with anything.  This rain, which I have been trying to ignore all week, is finally starting to piss me off.  Up in NY it forced my grandparents to evacuate their home and caused my parents to spend the past 48 hours pumping water out of the basement.  I can only imagine what condition the race course is going to be in for the half marathon tomorrow.  Grumble grumble grumble. Has the weather been a major inconvenience to anyone else this week?

Let's try something a little different today. You leave a question about me in the comments and I'll update this post to give all the answers.  You'll then have random facts about me and I won't have to pull a brain muscle thinking them up myself. Have at it!

UPDATE: This is going to be my first trail half, my fourth half over all.  I confess, when I step on the trail tomorrow morning it will be my first trail run ever. I do not recommend this training strategy. I'm doing this race because it fits nicely into my full marathon training schedule, which has been done 98% on roads.  The fact that this half is on a trail is coincidence.

If you don't subscribe to Runner's World, you missed out on a special issue earlier this year devoted entirely to trail running. From what I've learned (and clearly not from experience) is that your fuel and hydration needs are pretty different, in addition to altering the usual footwear and clothing that you generally use on the roads. Depending on the location of the trail, you can experience significant weather changes. Invest in a camelbak or other hydration backpack. I don't generally carry a phone with me when I run, but I will be for all my trail experiences because of the isolation factor. I also imagine that my pace is going to be slower and my stride is going to be quite different as I try to pay closer attention to the ground immediately in front of me. A lot more looking down and a lot less looking forward. I'd also expect to do some walking on steeper or less traveled areas, something that I feel is a worse case scenario (just for me personally) on a road run whereas walking on trails is sometimes a necessity.

I'd love for any trail runners out there to jump in here, correct me where I'm wrong, and add some advice of your own.  For now, I'll be forging ahead tomorrow in shoes I don't mind getting muddy and a big smile on my face.

triple tangent thursday

1.  My birthday is in just 17 days!  I am super excited to spend it with  friends and family, as the band has a gig the night before on the 24th. I plan on guilting everyone I know who hasn't come to a gig yet into coming to this one.  I don't care how the long the drive is for you :) We can all just drink and laugh and have a good time celebrating.  The added bonus being that the more everyone else drinks, the better the band sounds! Friends in the area, consider this your first of many invitations to this gig. Get whatever baby/dog/etc sitter that you need, drive out to Vintage 51 on Saturday September 24th, have a great dinner, drink some beers, and enjoy the music. You won't be sorry!

2. I had a great rainy run last night with Anne on the W&OD trail.  Nothing fancy, just a quick 5 miler.  But by the end of it I felt like I was lightly gliding across the ground. The pace was good, I could have gone faster and kept going longer.  Had it not been for the rain and the impending darkness, I would have tacked on another two miles.  Dear Arlington County, the lamp posts on your trails are not meant to be decorative. For my safety and the safety of others, please make sure they actually work. Kthanksbye.

3. I have two concerts coming up in the DC area that I have an extra ticket for and I'd really love to find someone to go with me.  I can sell them on craigslist but I'd rather not sit next to a stranger all night, ya know?  Please let me know if you or someone else is interested in seeing Tori Amos at DAR on December 5th or the Foo Fighters at the Verizon Center on November 11th.  I can't give the tickets away since they weren't cheap but if you can't pay me face value I'll cut you a deal.  Let me know please!!!

Wordless Wednesday

It is now more officially official.  Bib number 13971. Write that down, people.

I'd have posted my personal e-card confirmation, but it has my address on it and then you people will just start showing up and wanting to hang out.  I mean, I'm awesome and all, but I can only handle so many stalkers at once. :)

track tuesdays

Today's lesson:  you can't cry and run at the same time.  I chose to run.  One mile warm up, 3x1600m repeats at 8:37, 8:25, and 8:17. 800m recovery in between.  Total miles: 5.5.  Total tears: 0.  I wasn't thrilled with my splits, I have done better before, but I'll take it.  Any time spent on the track instead of in bed is a victory in my book, especially given the weather today.  Hopefully I'll dry off by lunchtime.  The only real flaw I saw in today's workout was finishing and feeling like I still had some left in the tank. Coach said we were done at three but I could have done a fourth repeat if need be, which tells me I wasn't pushing hard enough on the first three.  This is, unfortunately, a common theme in my workouts.  I never push to the point of pain or discomfort so I never find out what I'm truly capable of.  This is never more clear than when I'm at the track with CAR because they are such an incredibly talented group of runners.  I almost don't mind being constantly lapped by them.  Almost. At least they always tell you "good job" while they do it :)

Despite it being a four day work week week, it will be a busy one.  Track and work today, work and a running date tomorrow night, work, run, and class Thursday, then work and a family invasion on Friday night.  Somewhere in that mix I hope to hear some good news related to my job search. Right now I'm riding on the high hopes of others that this will turn out the way that I want it to. The VHTRC Women's Half Marathon is this coming weekend, so I need to make sure I am rested enough for that while still logging at least 25 miles to keep up with MCM training.  I can't believe that there are only 53 days left before the race.  I suppose my main concern is just that my motivation for training has been flagging lately due to demands in other areas of my life and the timing for this hiccup is less than ideal. I'm hoping that the runs I have planned this week will help me refocus and rediscover the excitement I had for running 26.2.

I hope everyone had a safe and happy holiday weekend.  I've been MIA from reading everyone else's blogs recently but I'll be catching up today, I promise.  Let me know what your week looks like in comments, as well as something fun you're looking forward to this month!  Oh, and any last minute advice for trail racing is welcome!  This is my fourth 1/2 but my first trail race so I'm a little unsure what to expect from the course. Vanessa, I know you rocked it on your first trail half, I might have to read your race report again!

14 miles of suck

Ok, so it wasn't that bad, but it wasn't that great either.  I think it was a combination of factors, really, that caused this long run to be difficult.  For starters, I only ran one other time during the week.  I was too busy being an idiot, as previous posts will attest. Despite knowing better I decided to not be a hermit on Friday night and went to the Nationals-Mets game last night, not getting home until after 11.  Considering I'm usually in bed by 9, this was less than ideal.  When the alarm went off 5 hours later I seriously entertained the thought of skipping the run.  I am running a half marathon next week, I reasoned, so technically I should take it easy.  Not really the truth, but it was what I was telling myself.  I also just wasn't in it mentally from the beginning.  I was feeling sad and distracted, the last thing I wanted to do was have over two hours of time on my feet to brood about what was bothering me.  As the miles went on, it didn't really get easier.  I did have my usual company, which I always appreciate.  We chatted about our weeks, mine being a personal mess and hers spent getting her kids ready to go back to school.

Our pace wasn't great compared to the previous long runs I'd be banking, but I felt like there was nothing I could do about it.  No amount of gel, water, Nuun, and good vibes was going to change my running experience today. From time to time I invite a friend or two to join me as mental company on my long runs.  I tried that today, as it usually brings a smile to my face but no dice. The one thing I can say that was positive about this run was that I had a foundation to rely on that got me through the entire distance. I don't think I could have muscled out 14 miles without having a solid base. Once again it was also made clear to me that I am overdue for new shoes.  I just don't have $100 right now to spend on them, but with 7 weeks left until the big day I can't wait much longer.  Hello, credit card. Again. 

Hasn't been the most productive day by a long shot.  I moped on the way home, ate some cereal, and crawled back into bed for a 6 hour nap. If it weren't for the fact that it was 5:30 pm when I woke up, I would have kept sleeping.  I just wasn't feeling like being human today.  I did force myself out the door for a quick grocery run, as things were looking pretty dire in the kitchen, but beyond that I'm most proud of getting my ass in the shower tonight.  That might just be the highlight of my day.  I've got baseball on the tv, and a cold beer in hand right now.  A few more of those and a movie should round out my night.  Tomorrow is a new day and I hope I'm in a better state of mind.  I don't really have any plans for this long weekend.  There are a few chances to see friends at various barbecues but I'm honestly not sure I'm up for it.  I suppose I can slap a smile on and go out for a little while, it certainly won't kill me.  Fake it until you make it, right?  I'm sure I'll snap out of this soon, given the right motivation.

Did anyone else have a long run or race today? Are you doing anything fun for the long weekend?  Are you excited that my birthday is in just 22 days??!!!

Random Friday Facts

1. I had a great interview yesterday and I really really really want the job.

2. I can't stop smiling.

3. No, I'm not going to tell you why.

4. Sometimes I buy myself flowers from the street vendor by Union Station. Just because.

5. My house is messy enough that I feel like I need to do a pre-cleaning before I schedule the pros to come in and do it. Thanks, Groupon!

6. I frequently wait until the low fuel light comes on to gas up my car.

7. I only ran once this week, outside of the scheduled long run tomorrow.  Oops.

8. A watched email inbox never populates.  But I'll keep staring anyways.

9. You can tell what kind of week I'm  having by the number of empty soda bottles and coffee mugs on my desk.

10. Being so busy these days I *almost* wish I didn't have the cats just because I feel so bad that I'm never home.

11. At the same time, for the extra comfort, I wish I had a big dog to snuggle. Cats are too squirmy.

12. I have the worst poker face.  I can't hide anything.  My heart is always on my sleeve.

13. Training someone to replace you reminds of you of what you've accomplished in your time in that position. And of all the things you aren't going to miss!

14. Chipotle is not good cold.

15. Your parents will always offer better interest rates than a bank. Always.

16. There are 23 days until my birthday!

17. I am the world's slowest eater.  Always the last one at the table.

18. FALL IS ALMOST HERE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!