Lordy

It was cold. Very cold. I've-not-had-enough-sleep-for-the-shock cold.

And either the water bottles have to go or the gloves have to come out. Maybe both.

The hat came off about 3 miles into the run.

Ladies, you know the hat. I accessorized my awesome bright orange for safety pullover with my bright orange freebie Dunkin' Donuts hat.

I will not be picking up anyone running anytime soon.

Well, maybe hunters with pastry problems.

The low temperatures made for out-West-like colors and clarity in the sunrise, though. Pink shiffonade. Yum.

Around the new stadium in the dark, then up MBT and back down by Union Station to head home.

Should have tacked on an extra few on the trail but the 4 1/2 hours of sleep last night made me into a bit of a wuss.

I hope I can persuade my brother to run tomorrow or Wednesday. I need some company in this cold.

About 9 miles.

Oh, and we discussed many interesting things this morning: from the definition of a hussy to how to make applesauce in your crockpot.

Applesauce. Yum.

Yay For Siblings

It was cold. It was about to snow. And I had already run more last week than I had in each of the past two weeks.
(That's due more to a weenie factor, though, than anything else.)
My brother had to oversee the installation of new appliances. I had to try to catch up on some sleep.

But we still managed to coordinate a run yesterday, albeit a shortish one.

Another example of how one ought to seize the opportunity while one can. I would have been really peeved with myself had the whole weekend gone by without a run.
And, sure, I had run more than I intended last week but the run with my brother was great. We braved the winds of Cambridge and of the Charles and managed to run for about an hour.

Ice and snow-free, by the way.

And by the time Sunday rolled around, there was so much melting snow on the ground that, had I gone out, I likely would have fallen on my butt.

Not what the doctor ordered!

Here's to hoping that I will seize more opportunities this week, for running, for studying, and for talking to my brothers.

Brother #2 will be staying at my house for a few days. Yay! I just need to make sure to jump on studying and exercising, too.

Maybe I can persuade him to take a run with me on Tuesday morning......Or maybe even tomorrow. I'll need some motivation to get on those shoes after arriving back in DC at nearly midnight.

plotting......

That Was Rather Nice

Me, I'm an anxious person.

School: stress
Unknown: stress
What kind of coffee to buy: stress

That's why I like routines and such so much. Less choice, less unknowns, less stress.

So I can save time to stress about other things.

Long runs for me have always been a source of anxiety the night before, if not the days before the run.

Today, though, was not going to be a long run. At least, no longer than some of my normal runs. So I didn't know why I was so stressed about it for the past couple of days.

Of course, not knowing why I was stressed made me more anxious and stressed.

And it was COLD!

This morning, as I worried about my legs and the run, I worried about the cold, too.

"Should I wear a hat? Gloves? What kind of pullover? What if I'm over/underdressed?"

At the last minute, I even left the water bottles I filled at the front desk, slipping back into the building to place them there.

I was stressed about that for the first 1/2 mile or so. What if I become dehydrated? What if they get thrown away?

Ridiculous.

After I stopped feeling as if my face and head would freeze off, though, it was a great run!

Hoping to meet another running buddy, History and I ran uptown via 9th Street and then over to the park off of 16th and up to Harvard Street. Our friend couldn't make it but we decided to run the loop that was for her anyway, in homage.

She did really well on the run, by the way. Well, the imaginary her did.

Over to Rock Creek Park trail, picking it up in the zoo and then down to Pennsylvania Avenue and back up the ramp there to 27th, then up to M and over to 23rd, where we ran up to Florida, then took that to Columbia and over to 16th. From there, we headed back downtown.

Today was a chatfest. It was interesting. Another set of things History and I have in common.

And the cold weather made the sky fabulous this morning. Great to see before the clouds and (snow!) roll in.

Ironwoman that she is, History ran off to finish her 22-miler. I walked to my apartment and ate some asperagus.

Tiny looked like she hadn't moved since I had left. But a mysterious grocery bag was across the room, putting paid to that front.

Dratted cat.

So glad I went. What was I so anxious about?

About 10.75 miles.

Chasing the Boys

I should have gotten my hair done.

I was chasing boys today, you see.

And they were fast and efortless.

I was not. But, boy, was I grinning! And the rain let up right before the run, raising the temperature.

I was a bit overheated but enjoyed the run around the Lincoln and Vietnam memorials greatly.

Always good to have some new blood.......
On runs, of course.

About 6 miles.

And DC Burns

Without all the troublesome ash and actual flames, like in the War of 1812. Or so says History. I didn't realize that part of DC burned during that time.

Lucky to see it! I got to the run in the nick of time.

Hitting one's alarm instead of the snooze is not a great way to be on top of one's morning. In fact, since I woke up again with a start at 5:38, there wasn't much time at all.

Rushing, I drank breakfast (the healthy kind, not the liquor kind, silly), got some coffee and rushed into my clothes.
Whew!

After a trip around the Mall and the Washington Monument, I ran up to R, got on the MBt, gulped some fortitude and squashed my laziness, and turned uptown.

Slowly creeping towards Rhode Island, I finally made it. I turned around and ran to the end, then ran past Union Station and home.

About 10.4 miles today.
At times, I wondered if I were actually walking but 10 miles is still 10 miles, right?

And orange swirlies were all around when the sun was rising.

Mmmmmmm. Orange swirlies.....

A Reason to Get Up in the Morning

Besides my cat "encouraging" me.

3 other people went on the run this morning. It was chilly, it was dark and it was fun to get out. This is why I enjoy running. An easy run, a day that wouldn't be nice were I just hanging out in the cold becomes transformed into a grinning, happy day.

Shorter than I had planned: should have done a bit more on the MBT. But I couldn't stop smiling for a lot of it.

The old stadium to the MBT and back home.

Hopefully, the warm awake feeling will last for part of the day.

Inked Back In

"Yes, hello. We're downstairs."

Oh goodness. I knew from my mother's tone that they were READY TO GO.

And I wasn't even vertical.

A quick change later and I was up and at the lobby, awaiting instructions.

Of course: we had to go. Right then.

With my parents, it's pointless to argue. So we packed up and went.

"Another workout missed. Just because I have to work completely on someone else's time table. And here it is the weekend. This is the time I really have to make sure I get in those workouts!"

I was grumbling and whining to myself, all the way to the train station.

And then, while I enjoying beating Suave at the crossword, I resigned myself to a slow day. Indulgent food choices on the train.

Watching Top Chef: Just Desserts instead of trying to finish a bit of my homework.

But, while I was setting up at home, watching the end of a show, I decided.

It was time and there was time. I don't have to be resigned to a day I'll regret, even though other people dictated most of it for me.

Off my rear I got and put on Summer Hits, in homage to the last bit of nice weather we will likely have for a while.

I even raced a few people on the Mall as I went out for a 6-mile motivational run.

So what if I've got too much homework to finish tonight: I've still got a good 5 hours before I should really get to bed.

Lots of time to make progress.

No more excuses. I will recognize my limitations but no more excuses.

After all, I had already written off the day before I inked it back in.

In fact, I just signed up for my first race since the relay in February I participated in with the Vivacious Redhead and her son.

The Veterans 10k on the 13th of November.

Keeping Warm on the Outside

When I was all warm and tingly on the inside!

My brother and my sister-in-law were soooo happy yesterday. Congratulations to them.

It was really cold yesterday and I wasn't able to fit in a workout. So, while waiting for the wedding in my sleeveless dress, I filled some time by doing pushups.

I haven't been doing these enough. I'm glad I remembered.

And it's not like I could have done jumping jacks in those heels!

Brrrr.

I got as warm on the outside as I was on the inside.

I Hear Bells!

Specifically, wedding bells in Blue Bell, PA. A shout out to my brother and sister-in-law, anticipating the big day!

So I got up To run this morning before a day of traveling. The LLM joined me and History on an initially chilly 10 1/2 to 11mile run down to Hane's point. She cut offa bit early because of a scheduled long run tomorrow, leaving History and I to finish off the Point and to run up to the Rock Creek Trail to M Street and over to home.
There was actually some people golfing at the country club at about 7:30am! Amazing, given the weather.

The weather made the sky beautifully clear and pink and blue, though. Over the water, it made me hungry: luckily, I'll have some icing at the wedding tomorrow!

Actually used my water bottles for a few sips, which made me feel better shout lugging them around.

Hoping my smile and my parka, not to mention my excitement, will keep me warm during what is going to be a clear, but cold, day for the ceremony.
Wishing everyone the best!

At Least The Run Was Great

Soda exploding everywhere. Bad news from work. Lots of little, niggling, annoying things.

But the run was really nice.

It was just me and one other runner this morning. My route suggestion worked well, which was a relief: I wasn't sure about the traffic situation, given that we were running later than normal.

The run changed to 8:00am because people kept claiming they'd come if it weren't so early. They still didn't show.

But, since it was already 8:00am when we started, we got to see the beautiful blue and white wispies in the sky and the reservoir.

We ran up to MBT and then past the hospitals and the reservoir, finding our way back down to campus for about 6 miles.

And I discovered someone else who likes fast cars. Specifically, I now know a proud owner of a 2007 Suburu STI.

Makes me wish I had my car back. With the spoiler on: I'm sad it has been de-spoiled.

Heh.

So Glad For Company

In the Rain.

I was standing outside. In the cold. And the dark. And the rain. "Ok....Where am I going to go if no one shows up?" "Somewhere away from my house, that's for sure!"

Otherwise, I would have gone back to bed.

Thankfully, triathalon lady showed up. We ran a (new for me) course down to the new Nationals Stadium and back up to Stanton Park.

It's gotten dark enough in the morning that the sun was had just come up by the time we stopped. In a puddle.

She's fun to run with, though. A very easy pace and lots of conversation. The 4 1/2 we did together did not feel like 4 1/2 on a blustery morning.

I just like saying "blustery:" that's a bit exaggeratory, even for me. It wasn't cold enough to be blustery.

And there weren't any politicians around at 6:30am.

Afterwards, I ran up to the MBT and ran back down to Union Station and home. By that time, I was so used to the rain that I didn't mind it (gasp!). The easy pace had also kept me so fresh that I wanted to add on.

But I restrained myself. There will be more this week and I didn't want to tire myself out too much.

Though I did shorten it a bit from what I was going to do. Oh well.

About 9, with a nice stop for coffee.

They just got new candy at my coffee shop. Some of my favorites. I'll have to forget that information.

I Got A New TV

That's pronounced "Tee Vee", by the way.

Thanks to Suave, who helped me get and set up the TV, I now have a tubeless for the first time ever.

I'm moving up in the world.

I also have Apple TV. It is awesome. I don't have to pay for cable and can pay for the shows that I actually end up watching, or stream them directly from NetFlix.

Too bad I can't get The Price Is Right or other such quality game shows. Sigh.

That's what Xena's house is for. That and ESPN RedZone.

Anyhoo. It's awesome. And easy to use, even for the technologically-challenged like me.

Except I can't switch over to the DVD player. That wasn't part of my instruction manual. And my tech advisors - Xena and Suave - were unavailable.

Drat. No Jillian for me today.

Maybe Sweating with the Oldies?

That's me in the middle, with the frizzy hair.

Didn't see that. So I downloaded Celebrity Fit Club Boot Camp.

This was NOT Jillian.

The only reason why I broke a sweat was because my apartment was about 80 degrees.

I mean, 1-foot burpies without jumping? Come on.

And it was only 37 minutes, including warm-up and cool-down.

Kinda lame.

So I spent some time doing some rolling, which I had been neglecting.

While I was doing so, I watched the first episode of The Biggest Loser, Season 12.

They were having problems carrying a pole and running/walking a mile.

I need to keep things in perspective.

Revisiting

The Scene of the Incident

But it was better this time around.

Sunday, I didn't get much done. At least, not vertically. By putting myself into a sad little jacknife, propped up with pillows and fortified with naps, I was able to plow through my homework.

But that was about it.

Some long hours at the ER precluded much else.

That sounds dramatic, doesn't it? Images of tubes and IVs and scrubs-wearing doctors shouting "STAT".

It was very undramatic. Some doctors in rumpled khahis and polos came and went, looking at my mostly-healed burn and deciding what to do to prevent infection.

I went in because it started hurting again, all the while realizing that they wouldn't be able to do much for it.

They weren't. But they did make me feel psychologically better. It wasn't infected: I wasn't about to succumb to sepsis.

I say psychologically better. Between the tetanus shot and the silver sulfa, which I might be alergic to, I did not feel physically better.

In fact, I fainted. That was embarrasing. And undramatic. You'd think it would be a fantastic, exciting moment. It wasn't.

This is a long, drawn-out way of saying that I ran by the hospital, revisiting where I spend my Sunday.

But I was upright and ambulatory, so it was a very different experience!

I had to force myself out Monday afternoon on a run: homework and sleeping was my priority Monday morning, not the group run that I'd rather have gone on.

We can't always do what we want, which is probably a good thing. Otherwise, we wouldnt' be as happy when we were able to do so!

Anyway, I dragged myself out for a running study break when I felt a nap threatening.

First, a mall and Memorial loop. Yawn. Sunny, though. That was nice.

Next, an MBT to the reservoir to the hospital to 16th street and back downtown loop.

Having had some time to heal, my burn only seeped some. It didn't chafe on my water bottle, which I was worried about, and didn't hurt too much unless I dropped my hand below my waist.

I met Xena at her work, where she gave me more burn stuff, then bussed it home.

I need to figure out an alternative to those compression shorts. Actually, maybe not. The weather will figure it out for me. But I'm still having pain at the end of a run and I don't like that girdle feeling.

Hmmm.

About 11 miles. Slowly

Burnout

In more ways than one.

My hand is now very interesting looking. It's puss-filled and weeping, though much less painful than before.

Clumsy people should not overmicrowave thick, sticky soup in a above-the-stove microwave.

Schoolwork burnout, as well. Homework is taking me even longer than usual, leading to ridiculous marathon note-taking sessions.

Which I broke up yesterday by carving pumpkins and making a pie for an hour and a half.

And today by going on a run with History.

Meeting her, I was worried about my clothing choices. It was cold and I was shivering! But, luckily, it warmed up.

Then came the burnout.

I ran so few miles this week - something like 34? - that you'd think my legs would be fresh as a daisy this morning.

Not so. Invisible gravity bands were on them all during the run. My lungs weren't feeling pained, and I know we weren't trucking, but I could hardly get them to run.

Half-way through, I started getting worried as to whether I would make it.

And it was an interesting run, which normally partitions my whiny side off and doesn't let it speak!

We ran around the Mall and then over past the Congress building to the Waterfront, stopping by a very nice Harris Teeter for some water. (I can't bring water bottles because of my hand. I can't really grip them or pass my hand through the strap.) Through the Waterfront park, which is my new favorite park in DC, then over past Barracks Row to the Anacostia Trail.

Most of this trail is still imaginary: DC seems to be rife with trails that have big aspirations but maybe not big budgets, where only bits and pieces have been built.

But it was neat. The river on one side, the Senate cemetery, the jail and the old stadium on the other.

Then, up some large thoroughfare past a lot of car parts stores, sad-looking strip malls and Popeye's franchises before heading back into Ritzville and the Lincoln Park area.

Through Stanton Park and back up Massachusetts Avenue.

I really don't remember most of the route: I'll have to ask History about it.

But it was neat. Too bad my legs were not cooperating.

Then, back to homework, trying to work through the burnout.

Keeps me out of trouble, though. Who has the time or energy for trouble?

Company Run

Fashonista and I took a run together. We got some culture: I showed her some of the museums and monuments on the Mall.

"Look. Here's another museum." "Oh, and to your right is another."

I didn't know all of the names. Except the one that looks like it should be awesome because it's shaped like a castle but isn't really because it's mainly just Smithsonian offices.

We saw a sculpture, though. I pointed one out in the Sculpture Garden.

Do you know the difference between a memorial and a monument?

Nope: it's not whether there is a statue or not.

No....It's not where it's located.....

Given up guessing?

The grounds around the memorial are also "hallowed", whereas they are not on a monument. So, for example, you can run and bike around the bottom of the Washington Monument (when it's not closed for repairs, like right now) but you cannot run or bike in the World War II Memorial.

Betcha didn't know that!

We ran down and around - the outside! - of the WWII memorial. A very short day. About 4 and a quarter.

It Didn't Really Start Until After We Did

The rain, that is.

It was misting a bit as I hitched up my former compression tights for the tenth time as I walked out of the double doors and into the dark.

Don't dry your compression tights, unless you want saggers. My tip for the day.

I knew that I'd be lucky to have one companion. And I did! He suggested a new route.
I'm tired of the Mall: not enough houses and gardens to see!

So we went over to Eastern Market. A shorter route. But by the time we got to First Street NE, the rain was pouring.

Torts and tort reform made the time go by quickly. I got him to talk more: my trick.

He slowed down, I could puff away silently.

Alas, my new sneakers were drenched by the downpour and by the puddles that are de rigeur in any truely torrential tempest.

Maybe not the best day to be wearing an oversized white cotton T-shirt.

But fun to splash around DC. About 5 miles. Short.

So Glad I Got Up

Monday was biking. Not that I can actually bike well enough anymore to make it a real workout. Let's call it a half day.

Monday was also flu shot. I haven't had one in a long time. Because it has previously made me feel ill.

This time was no exception. Went to bed last night early early and still didn't want to get up for the run this morning.

"You'll either feel lots better or much, much worse."

I channelled the advice I gave my sister-in-law this past weekend and squinched myself into some compression shorts and out the door.

Yay! It was fun. We ran up the MBT trail, then I ran back uptown with History and then back home. Humid. But fun.

Another new person on the run. Silent but accommodating. I'm not sure we will see him again: he was a good sport, going as slowly as we were, but it was clear that he was used to running much, much faster.

Not sure I'll use these compression shorts again for a while, though. XS just doesn't cut it right now.

About 10 miles.

4 1/2 Scotts

That sounds like the beginning of a really bad joke. But it's not. It was the highlight of my weekend!

I got a chance to see my older brother and family on Sunday morning, after festivities with his wife the night before.

We, of course, went running.

Slowly. But a gorgeous day and lovely company.

And my brother got to use his jogging stroller for the first time. I taught him how to lock the front wheel!

Who knows - 4 or 4 1/2 miles? And I collected 3 new parks. Whee!

DC Public Bathrooms are Quite Nice!

My compression tights were on. I had my water bottles. An emergency Gu was stashed in my sports bra.

And I was still nervous about the run.

Because of my muscle pull, I told History straight off that I might not stop early.

But the tights seemed to help! They are ones that I bought too large by mistake and, so, I was hoping they would fit now.

Lesson learned: the tights are just a weird fit. They still fell down.

They still pushed my muscle back into place.

And the run was really fun. Given a choice of two runs, I picked the one I hadn't done before and History very nicely went along with it.

This was the theme of the run: History putting up with me!

We ran down the Mall and then down as if we were going to the FDR Memorial. Right before we got there, we cut over to Hayne's Park.

Beautiful by the water, with the mist rising up and the relative lack of cars.

And golf courses, while environmental disasters, are awfully pretty. Especially when no one is playing on them.

But my stomach was playing. The banjo. And a three-piece drum set.

At first, I wasn't even sure what was happening. I never have to go to the bathroom on my runs.

Except.....That one time.......

Images of hobbling by the creek trail in North Carolina, trying to find a place that was hidden enough to make an emergency pit stop in florescent shorts flashed through my mind.

"There are bathrooms", History said after the second time I had to stop because of a serious stomach cramp.

"Maybe later", I say.

As we round the horn, though, I'm thinking "Maybe now!"

Nicely, History stopped for me- again - while I "toured the facilities".

They were amazingly nice for open, public bathrooms in a place where, were I a homeless person, I would totally camp out.

The rest of the run went much more smoothly.

Though I think History had to slow down for me a bit at the end.

We ran over past the Watergate to Georgetown and then up on the Rock Creek Park trail until we ran up a curvy ramp to M. Then, over through town until Massachusetts Avenue and then back home.

History did some more miles. She is in much better shape than me.

My leg wasn't sore until the end. Yay! And we got to help some tourists. But all that talk about yummy Japanese food made my newly empty tummy rumble.

MMMMMMMM. I can't tell exactly what we did but it was somewhere between 10 1/2 and 11 miles.

Crumble, Cave, or Careful?

I'd like to think, "careful".

My mind and conditioning keep telling me "cave" or "crumble".

But I'm trying to be sensible and channel the New Me.

After having this pain when I started my run, and then an uncomfortable pressure every time I started from a stoplight - this being a too frequent occurence in DC at 7:30am or later - I made a decision.

"I'm stopping now and turning around", I told Suave. I called him when I got to the Lincoln Memorial. I knew it would be hard for me to turn around and give up on an 11 mile run I had planned today.

But I've got another planned for tomorrow.

Thus, the call. I knew, if I told him, I'd have to keep my side of the bargain.

So hoping for a better one tomorrow.

It's not always bad to cave. Sometimes that's just being careful.
6 miles......

Grrrrrr

Groin/inner thigh pain.

Again, I was too slow at my work on Tuesday and Wednesday to get in any sort of workout.

I would have thought that my inner thigh pull would have eased off by Thursday morning.
Maybe my backpack is too heavy?

Every time I started up running again, it would throb. Like a pressure in my leg. Ouch.

I got in 6 with some of the boys - a brisk 6, for me, but rather uncomfortable. And the rest of the day was quite uncomfortable.

On the plus side, my chronic calf injury seems to have disappeared.

Overcompensation

Brrrrrrrrrrrr!

I trundled out into the darkness in 3/4 tights, a florescent orange fleece (for safety!), a headband and gloves.

By the time I got to the meet-up, I ditched the headband and the gloves. The fleece stayed until half-way through.

The rest of the run was fairly comfortable in a long-sleeved shirt, though I wished I hadn't taken off the fleece when the wind blew.

Had some very interesting discussions about conservative family values - like talking to parents about being interested in dating a girl, even when you are in your twenties - and baseball.

It took my mind off the weather, though my snotty nose would jerk my attentions back to the cold ever so often.

We ran up to the monument and back to NE, where I then ran uptown with History to Florida, then left over to Eckman and up to R. Running over to the trail, I resolved to extend my run a bit, after succumbing to great company and bad weather yesterday and never getting out the door to exercise.
Up the MBT until Rhode Island, then back down and past Union Station and then over to Mass Ave and home.

It was light for the last part of the run.

But it was still cold! This outdoor wedding in 3 weeks is going to be potentially rough with the no-sleeved dresses.

Brrrrrrr

But I still don't really need the gloves and hat just yet.
About 10 miles.