Moving Forward

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The response to my previous post was unbelievable. Thank you everyone who clicked the link I sent you read about my heartwarming story of a boy and girl falling in love, overcoming obstacles, and ending up together with a dorky (if not creative) engagement surprise.

And through all

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that fun and spontaneity, the running continues. I have scaled it back a bit to running 4 days a week instead of 5, to be fresh for race day. The last three weekends consisted of running in Maine, then DC, and then New Jersey. The NJ run was my last big run before tapering. 20 miles of fun through the rolling hills and townships (New Jersey is dotted with townships, though I’m not exactly sure what one is). Some of the exciting things I saw as I explored my homeland (born in NJ) included goose crossing signs, cows grazing, and mansions the size of, well, mansions. You may be surprised to hear read that I didn’t come across any items that “fell off a truck”, no one wearing cement shoes, and not a single person say “fuggetaboutit” in the entire 20 miles. Not even a single Soprano crossed my path! More common, actually, were jogging strollers and sunshine.

The run itself was awesome. I find myself enjoying rolling hills compared to pancake-flat roads, which doesn’t necessarily bode well for Chicago (we’re talking IHOP-flat in Chicago). I traveled through Florham Park, Madison, Green Village, and Chatham and then back to Florham Park. This is a far cry compared to Florida, where you have to drive 5 miles to get from the retirement home adult lifestyle community to the Botox clinic, all within in the same development… but I digress. I was hoping to see some deer or a groundhog, but no such luck.

For those of you who picture New Jersey looking like the offspring between a garbage dumpster and a water desalination plant, don’t forget it is known as the Garden State. It made me proud to say I was born in the armpit of the greatest country in the world. And without armpits, where does the garden-scented deodorant go? Go America!

The Details:

New Jersey’s 20 Mile Long Run:

Route

Distance: 20 miles
Time: 2:41:36
Pace: 8:04 min/mile
Average HR: 157 bpm (176 bpm max)

A Modest Proposal

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So, a little background:

a) IF you know who Evelyn and/or I am, go ahead and skip this paragraph. Evelyn and I met in our 10th grade English class. As the story goes, we went to junior and senior proms together, went to separate colleges (and stayed together), and met back up after graduation in DC. In total, we’ve been dating a bit over 7 years, so I may have glossed over just a bit.

b) IF you know what a Garmin Forerunner is, skip this paragraph. I have this fancy watch. I wear it when I run and it keeps track of how fast I go, my heart rate, and even a map of where I’ve been. Every few seconds it records where I am using GPS. As the dots connect, it shows where I went. Super cool! I’ll give you a moment gather yourself… I can then hook it up to my computer to look at all the data. Information overload: check.

Anyway, the morning of Evelyn’s birthday, I went for a run (much to her disappointment, I’m sure). But not any old run. No sir/ma’am! I had big plans for this one. I headed down to The Mall to find a big area to use as my canvas. I would be my paintbrush. It was all the more amazing doing this in the shadow of the Washington Monument.

I bet I looked like a crazy person running in the dark (I started at 6am) in zig zags (totaling about 2 miles). I retraced my steps, crossed the street a few times in the same place, dropped my water bottle to mark where I need to run back to, maneuvered through trees…it was chaotic to an outsider (aka everyone).

I got home before Ev returned from the gym, blew up some balloons (lightheaded: check.), and uploaded the running route

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to my computer. She got back, showered, and then sat at the computer. Here begins the awkward endearing short story I tried to get out to explain why I needed to show her this run. Something along the lines of “Hey Ev, so I was running today, and it felt strange how I was running back and forth in the same places, but I just went with it. I didn’t think anything of it, but then I put it on the computer and here’s what it looked like. And I have something for you that I found on my run.” That’s when I showed her the map and while she looked a little puzzled, I got down on one knee and asked her if she’d marry me! And, I wouldn’t have written this otherwise, but just in case, she said yes!

She admitted that she didn’t quite get it that I actually ran the path on the screen, so I had to explain it real quick, but then all was good. Also, she thought I brought her back like a rock from my run (not too far from the truth!). We made a quick decision that we wouldn’t tell anyone until we told our families in person, who were coming to visit 10 days later. Thus, no one could know! Sorry to everyone who was duped, deceived, or misled. Don’t take it personally! And here is what the map of where I run looked like:

Proposal

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p>For you skeptics, I didn’t follow a path or map this ahead of time. I just followed my heart (awww. swoon. love. yay. puppies.)

The Maine Event

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Fear not!   I was not attacked by a bear or a giant lobster.  However, I saw both (kind of… check out the pictures.  The bears (and moose) are made of solid chocolate, but keep in mind: a chocolate bear is still a bear…).  Anyway, I went for a 17 mile run while in Maine.  The weather was, well, perfect.  58 degrees, 2% humidity (based on my internal humiditometer), and not a cloud in the hemisphere.  It was supposed to be 18 miles with 14 at Marathon Pace (~8 min/mile).  Based on the route I chose, 17 is what it came out to be.  An exact 8.5 miles out and 8.5 miles back.

Lighthouse

Maine-ly (see what I did there?) because of the amazing weather, wide bike lane, and awesome scenery, everything about this run felt good.  As the sun was rising during the first mile I started to pick up the pace to get to the 8:00 min/mile mark.  My plan was to run miles 2 through 15 at that speed and use the other miles as warm-up and cool-down.  Well, when everything falls into place like it did, I actually found it difficult to go slow enough.  After a bit, I stopped fighting it.  Other than the first mile (8:15 min/mile), every mile was under 8 minutes.  Actually, there were several late in the run in the 7:30s that felt amazing.  It seemed like I always had another gear to get up the next hill, so instead of slowing down, I pushed a little harder and not because I thought I was being chased by a giant lobster.

The halfway point was the end of Cape Elizabeth in Two Lights State Park.  The picture above was taken later in the trip when Ev was looking for rocks.  (Side story: Ev and I went to Cape Elizabeth so I could show her the lighthouse and great view I saw on my run.  There were lots of people there, most of whom were staring at the ground and picking up rocks.  It turns out they were looking for sea glass*.  Well, without a moment’s hesitation, Ev started looking for sea glass.  She was quite good at it too.  If it were a game, I think she would have won.  You can see her dominating the children competition in the picture.  End side story)

Without going into too much more detail, the entire run was amazing.  Perhaps the Maine Marathon will find its way onto the schedule, but that’s for another post.  Definitely in the top 5 best runs ever.

The Details:

Portland’s 17 Mile Long Run:

Route

Distance: 17 miles
Time: 2:12:24
Pace: 7:47 min/mile
Average HR: 159 bpm (174 bpm max)

*Sea glass, for those who don’t know, is just glass that gets eroded in the ocean and washed on shore.  Typically from beer bottles and the like, it finds its way onto the sand in a very smooth condition.  That is your sea glass lesson for this blog post.  Questions can be directed to http://tinyurl.com/q6edza

Running Takes a Back Seat to No One!

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But blogging does… Life has been busy busy this August, so some niceties had to be sacrificed. Thus, it’s been awhile since you’ve been subjected privy to my thoughts. Too bad! Because August was a huge month of miles. My most ever actually. Now that August is over, the grand total was 204 miles. I know, I know, but please, hold your applause. It definitely feels like I ran 200+ miles last month.

September has kind of picked up where August left off, though so far the intensity has fallen off a little. There was an unexpected switch up in the schedule already (future blog post to come with more details [updated]). I did get a pretty good Birthday Run in yesterday though. Scheduled for 12 miles, but I ended up finishing around 11.3. Why the shorter distance, you ask? Because it was my birthday, so I could do what I want. And because the island I was going to run on was closed (how/why/when do you close an island??), so I had to modify my route on the run (PUN!).

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p>Tomorrow is a tough 9-miler, and then Ev and I are going to Maine! I’m excited to run in Portland, especially with 18 miles lined up. I only hope I don’t get mauled by a bear or giant lobster. I’ll be sure to carry a claw cracker and wear a bib. It should be a great time!

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I’ll be sure to report back after we get back from faux-Canada. Stay tuned.

Fast Food is not that cheap…

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I was watching the news today and heard something about a recession, so I was like “wtf?? where’d that come from?”  Well, the next logical thought was, “I need to start saving some money!”  Now, I know what you’re thinking: “you’re an idiot” “brilliant!  Next in line for Treasury Secretary”.  First solution that came to me (while eating breakfast, mind you) is to cut back on the high cost of food.  What I need is calorie-dense, inexpensive meals in order to have money to stick in my mattress, because currently my mattress is pulling a higher interest rate than all most banks (dust bunnies are worth more than 0%).

The Hamdog, "A hot dog wrapped in a beef patty that's deep fried, covered with chili, cheese, onions, served on a hoagie bun topped with two fistfuls of fries and a fried egg."

Anyway, after some searching on The Google, I learned something very displeasing.  Apparently, obesity is expensive.  In fact, it’s even more expensive than cancer.  Based on this article, the US is spending ~$150 billion a year on “health conditions related to obesity.”  However, “all cancers combined cost the health system around 93 billion dollars a year.”  So it seems like saving money now by eating inexpensive, unhealthy food will actually end up being very expensive later.  Ugh, just when I was getting the hang of it.  2 out of 3 adults are overweight or obese and 1 out of 5 children are too.  That means, if you are not overweight, the 2 people next to you are.  If you are, then you have an overweight friend and a non-overweight friend.  TWO OUT OF THREE!  What if 2 out of 3 people had bad breath?  Or homeless?  or had cancer?  2 out of 3 is major.

Weight (or really, overweight) issues aren’t only a strain on your pants; they’re messing with the economy too.  Without getting into any sort of a political argument, the health care system is devoting nearly twice as much of its resources to obesity as it is to cancer.  Seriously??  How is that ok?

It’s no secret that exercise is a free (go for a walk), easy (go for a walk) solution to a major problem.  Let me tell you, if someone said I could fix a creaky door by going for a walk, I’d be out the door before you could say creeeeeeeak WD-40.  And that’s not even a big problem!  The article (linked above) mentions the problem is that obesity starts early but the health effects don’t hit until later.  Good point, but I think it’s still just problem of convenience.  Meaning, it’s just convenient to eat poorly now and push off the dangers until later.  The American way!

I don’t have all the answers, but I think a little exercise (specifically, exercise some moderation, and exercise some exercise) would go a long way.  And so I leave you with a quote:

“Those who think they have not time for bodily exercise will sooner or later have to find time for illness.” – Edward Stanley

Hains Point

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Oh Hains Point.  More like Pains Hoint. Running around Hains Point is just painful.  I headed down there this morning to get my run on, and realized why a) I don’t ever train there, and b) don’t like that part of Marine Corps Marathon.  It’s just flat and boring.  I’ve never run it in the morning, though, and I was surprised by how many people are biking around the little island.

The thing is, it seems like biking is the way to go.  I’d say I saw 3 other runners plodding along and maybe 40 bikers zipping around.  It’s about a 3-mile loop around the south end of the island, so I got to see some flamboyant aerodynamic cycling outfits 2, 3, or even 7 times… like when I saw one really ridiculously dressed fast girl guy 7 times.

All the speedy bikes definitely made me feel slow special for not being one of the crowd.  They were probably all passing me thinking “hmm, he looks awesome.  I think it’s because he’s running and I’m just riding my bike like the other 40 people including that girl guy.”  I could basically read it on their faces.

There were a few roller bladers too.  I thought those were extinct.  Like dinosaurs.  And Furbies.

Anyway, it was a run of pros and cons, ultimately leaning towards the cons.  Doubt I’ll be back, but that’s what I say now.  We’ll see what happens when it’s 6am and I need to think of where to run 12 miles on-the-fly-run.

Tuesday’s Medium Long Run:

Route

Distance: 12 miles
Time: 1:40:57
Pace: 8:24 min/mile
Average HR: 152 bpm (171 bpm max)

Over the River and Through the Woods

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This weekend’s run wasn’t typical of my normal Saturday runs for a number of reasons:

  1. I ran with the DC Road Runners rather than solo. I couldn’t quite get geared up to run by myself.
  2. Because of #1, I got up at 5:30am on a Saturday. Really.

    I didn’t even know Saturday had a 5:30am. I left my apartment at 6:30am and ran to meet the DCRR group 3 miles away.

  3. We ran through the Glover Archibald trail, which involved running over a river and through some woods! Actually really awesome, but would definitely have gotten lost. I’m thinking a Blair Witch situation, only actually scary and less seizure-inducing.
  4. I got back from the run so early (see #2) that I got back in bed and still got up at a luxuriously late reasonable time.

Overall I’m really glad I went so incredibly early because I a) got to run with people, b) tried a BA* course, and c) avoided the heat. I still don’t think I could run that route without getting lost, so I’m not sure it’s worth trying on my own (see #3).

On a side note, I bought a Vanilla Hammer Gel and took it with me, but it remained in my pocket the entire time (per usual). The DCRRs have a midpoint water stop so I refueled around mile 9 with some Gatorade.

Saturday’s Long Run:

Route

Distance: 18 miles
Time: 2:32:19
Pace: 8:27 min/mile
Average HR: 155 bpm (173 bpm max)

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p>*BA = bad ass. simply writing BA makes it seem more scholarly, like a Bachelor of Arts. Why do you think people say BS? Of course it’s for the scholarly connotation of a Bachelor of Science.

Are you gellin’?

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As in, energy gels.  Because I’m not.  At least not in training.  I used to for any runs over 13 miles, but I’ve slowly been bringing them along but never eating them.  It’s not that they aren’t delicious, because they are.  (At least, when my brain is functioning at 20% it tells me that they’re delicious)  Even on the 17 miler with Colin he had two and I had zero, which really just proves I’m much more manly.  Ouch.  Yea, I went there.

Gu
Over the past few years I’ve tried several brands and developed my opinions of each.  Some have been used more than others and some are still on my “to-do-goo” list.  Get it??  My current gel of choice is Gu.  I have a multi-pack of flavors including Vanilla, Chocolate Outrage, Espresso Love, Tri-Berry, Plain, and Lemon Lime.  My two favorites battling it out for top spot are Chocolate Outrage and Plain.  Yes, Plain.  It doesn’t taste like that paste that you used to eat in middle school kindergarten.  It’s slightly sweet without nauseating you into oblivion.  Chocolate Outrage is a smooth, rich chocolatey flavor reminiscent of brownie batter.

(SIDE NOTE: speaking of brownie batter, I had a terrible experience at Maggie Moo’s the other day.  Before our movie, Ev and I swung by MM to satisfy my craving for some mixed-in ice cream.  Here’s what went terribly wrong: 1) walked up at 8:53pm and the door was locked, they said they were closed.  They close at 9pm;  2) I ordered a small brownie batter ice cream and got Reese’s Pieces mixed in.  Total: $5.15.. for a drop of ice cream;  3) I asked how much for a medium.  She said medium gets a free mix in, so it costs $5.16.  Seriously.  We left and will not be returning.  The good part was that the ice cream was delicious.  Artwork provided by me.)

Broken Heart

Gu also offers an alternative called Roctane, which amps up the caffeine, amino acids, and sodium.  It’s a bit smoother too.  Currently that only comes in Blueberry Pomegranate and Vanilla Orange.  Colin mentioned he can tell a difference between regular Gu and Roctane, but I couldn’t.  I’m not sure it’s worth the additional (double) cost.

Carb Boom

Carb Boom was a long-time favorite of mine, only recently being dethroned by Gu.  It has a thinner consistency that’s easy to swallow.  I was a big fan of the Apple Cinnamon and Banana Peach, though the Banana Peach got a little old… the Vanilla tasted like a vanilla cupcake with vanilla frosting.  No joke.  Really good stuff.  I ended up switching because they got to be a little sweet.  I would definitely recommend Carb Boom to anyone new to the gel world.

Powerbar Gel

This review may be a bit unfair, but it must be said.  The first (and only) time I had a Powerbar Gel was on my first long run with Barrett.  It was actually the first gel I had ever tried.  Whether it was the unfamiliar consistency or the mental block I had for it from the get-go, I squeezed it into my mouth and immediately spit it out.  The strawberry banana flavor, from what I can remember, did not help the cause.  I never tried another Powerbar brand gel and probably won’t be going back considering all the other options out there.

Clif Shot

I have never purchased Clif Shots in a store.  As a good marketing tactic they were the sponsor for energy gels around mile 17 in the Marine Corps Marathon in 2007.  I grabbed a vanilla and a chocolate.  The consistency is very thick and really needs you to chew through it more than any other I’ve tried.  The chocolate flavor was rich and not too sweet, and really was like brownie batter, in flavor and thickness.  I still haven’t purchased these if that says anything, but would probably grab another if it was offered on a race course.

Clif Bloks

The Clif Bloks, another energy source made by Clif Bar is an alternative for those who cannot face the gel.  I’ve tried some of the tame flavors, like Black Cherry, and stayed away from the less desireable ones, like Margarita or Cola… Why not make a flavor like Malt Ball or Beet & Goat Cheese.  I certainly can’t say if some of the oddball flavors are good.  I imagine someone is buying them, but it sure isn’t me.  The bloks are slightly less chewy than a Starburst, but twice as big, so it takes some jaw work to get them down.  Also, a personal issue, is that each pack comes with 6, but you should only eat 3 at a time.  It just isn’t convenient to open the pack and eat half and then stick it back in your fanny pack pocket.  Not a bad option though.

Sport Beans

I’m not sure who thought jelly beans have a place in the endurance sports realm, but apparently enough people like the idea.  Jelly Belly has a line of energy jelly beans known as Sport Beans.  They’re a little bigger than regular jelly beans, seemingly because there’s a thicker layer of sugar/coating around them.  I do like them, but if I had one bone to pick, it would be that it sounds like I’m running with maracas in my fanny pack pockets.  Overall I give them a thumbs up.

Like I said, there are other brands that I have yet to try, like Hammer Gel, which is very popular, or the Stinger brand, which is only sweetened with honey.  What gels have you tried and liked / not liked?  Let me know in the comments.

Today’s Recovery Run:

Route

Distance: 4.05 miles
Time: 38:31
Pace: 9:31 min/mile
Average HR: 139 bpm (150 bpm max)

Biking all the way to the bank

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Insurance companies aren’t always the worst.  I guess not all of them follow after AIG and their brethren.  Instead, State Farm came through in the clutch.  Quick background story so everyone’s on the same page:

I got a bike last September for my birthday.  It was glorious.  A real steal off of craigslist.  Well, the weather turned chilly.  Too chilly in fact to ride it much during the Winter.  So it stayed locked up in my apartment building’s garage.  After the cold weather got tired of being cold, it started to warm up.  Hooray!  Time to ride the bike!  I get down to unlock it, stare at the bike rack, and see my lock cut in half, lying on the floor, mocking me.  I even tried it with the key to make sure it was mine.  It was.

So, after a bout of infuration coupled with disbelief, I told people of my tragedy.  I received some sage advice from an unlikely source: Brent.  Presumably because of his age experience, he told me to check my renter’s insurance to see if it covered my bike.  I did and it did!  After some legwork (left a message for my insurance agent Garrrrry) I filed a claim.  Surprisingly after very little work on my part, a check was sent my way and I was able to get a new bike!

My New Bike! So fast that the black paint can't even stay on.

My New Bike! So fast that the black paint can't even stay on.

I’ve ridden it a few times so far and, if you weren’t jealous already, you should be.  It’s sweet!  Thanks to the Bicycle Pro Shop for all their help getting me squared away.  Now the bike lives in our apartment never to be stolen again.

PS- if you have my old bike and are reading this, I’d like to grab coffee with you some time.  You can bring my old bike along and we can go for a ride.  It’ll be fun!

PPS- if you didn’t steal my bike and are reading this, I’m planning on meeting up with the guy who stole my bike and punching him in the face.  Hopefully he’ll bring my old bike too so I can get it back.

Colin all runners

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It’s been awhile since we last talked.  I blame it on the economy prior commitments, but could have also been due to Michael Jackson’s untimely departure.  Ok, let’s get serious, I don’t have prior commitments…

Anyway, this past weekend Colin was in town (worth noting: not to see me) so we planned on getting a non-race run in together.  Yes, a non-race run.  The only times we have run together in the last 4 years has been for races, and quite a few at that.  Imagine my excitement when I could take him on a “tour” of my turf!  Like a little school girl when she receives her first Beanie Baby iPhone… times have changed…

Anyway, we had 17 miles on the calendar and that’s what we did.  My initial route was more like 19 or 20, which is too bad because it would have been an awesome display of what DC has to offer.  But I cut it down to 17 miles and we were good to go.  I hyped it up to show off the mountains of the District that would impose a quad thrashing like no other.  We had agreeable weather that stayed cool enough during the early hills and then heated up on the downhills.  So a “thank you” is in order for the weather man.  The highlight in my mind was going to be the no-cars-allowed section of Beach Dr.  In an effort to thwart my promises of a car-free zone someone decided to require immediate medical attention.  Selfish!  So we had to navigate around some ambulances and a police car, which in turn passed us back after they were done ambulancing and policing.  Graciously, Colin let this slide.

We approached the “mountain” portion around mile 9 but actually handled it pretty well.  The pace was even the whole time, something I typically have trouble with on my own.  At the top of the mountain, right next door to the National Cathedral, we deviated from my normal route and headed into No Man’s Land (that area northwest of Georgetown) and saw some new scenery.  The long downhills were much appreciated.  After a quick jaunt through Georgetown (thankfully before the shops opened) we were back at my place.

It was a great change to run with someone, especially a formidable rival.  It definitely helped the nearly 2 and half hours fly by.  Unfortunately it doesn’t look like there are any more rendezvous in the foreseeable future.

PS- It’s worth mentioning that we swung by Good Stuff afterwards for burgers and shakes.  Epic.  How could a Milky Way milkshake be anything but outrageous?  It can’t.

Details:

Route

Distance: 17 miles
Time: 2:25:57
Pace: 8:34 min/mile
Average HR: 158 bpm (174 bpm max)