Start time: 1/3/12, 5:48am
Location: National Mall
Distance: 6.24 miles
Average pace: 9:44min/mile
Total Miles For January: 6 miles
Total Miles For 2012: 6 miles
Current Shoes: 39 miles

Sadly, there is not an “easy” missing in the subject line here. Breezy this time equalled a very cold and bitter wind blowing towards the east. So half of our run was frigid, the other half actually wasn’t that bad. But even though after my run involved driving to the gym, changing clothes, and rowing for 45 minutes, I still had “cold red belly” syndrome when I was done. Brrrrr!

Start time: 12/31/11, 9:30am
Location: National Mall, Hains Point, Mt. Vernon Trail
Distance: 13.04 miles
Average pace: 10:33min/mile
Total Miles For December: 99 miles
Total Miles For 2011: 743 miles
Current Shoes: 33 miles

Last run of the year; we started late due to some late night Friday commitments and instead of the planned 14 did just 13 since the other two guys had missed the 12 (so that we can we have two 3-mile jumps instead of a 4-mile jump). It was a nice, pleasant run; gorgeous weather out (shorts!) and a steady pace with good company. Nice way to end 2011.

Start time: 12/29/11, 5:48am
Location: National Mall
Distance: 6.18 miles
Average pace: 9:39min/mile
Total Miles For December: 86 miles
Total Miles For 2011: 730 miles
Current Shoes: 20 miles

Last weekday run for the year; a slightly colder than normal morning. I guess winter is finally arriving, drat.

Start time: 12/27/11, 5:48am
Location: National Mall
Distance: 6.20 miles
Average pace: 9:49min/mile
Total Miles For December: 80 miles
Total Miles For 2011: 724 miles
Current Shoes: 14 miles

Knee is back to normal. Yay!

Start time: 12/22/11, 5:46am
Location: National Mall, Capitol Hill
Distance: 6.3 miles
Average pace: 9:53min/mile
Total Miles For December: 66 miles
Total Miles For 2011: 710 miles
Current Shoes: 251 miles

Detoured a bit and ran up and down Capitol Hill for part of the run on Thursday. And, unlike Tuesday, I was dressed for the weather a bit better. (Shorts and a single, loose, long-sleeve shirt.) Much more comfortable. Knee bugged me a tiny bit; time to replace shoes or not enough stretching? Well, I’ve already got the new shoes on deck, so…

Start time: 12/20/11, 5:46am
Location: National Mall
Distance: 6.19 miles
Average pace: 9:31min/mile
Total Miles For December: 60 miles
Total Miles For 2011: 704 miles
Current Shoes: 245 miles

Much warmer this morning than I expected. TOTALLY overdressed. Definitely did not need the long-sleeve compression shirt. Or the long pants. Oh well! At least I wasn’t too cold.

(8:43, 9:44, 10:13, 10:09, 10:01, 8:29, 1:32)

Start time: 12/17/11, 7:30am
Location: Belle Haven Park, National Harbor, Mt. Vernon Trail
Distance: 12 miles
Average pace: 10:03min/mile
Total Miles For December: 54 miles
Total Miles For 2011: 698 miles
Current Shoes: 239 miles

Phew! Looking back through my running logs, the last time I’ve done 12 or more miles was all the way at the start of August for a 14-miler. (That was the one where my knee started bothering me, so it makes sense that I hadn’t done any of that length since then.) Met Jim, John, Michael, and Steve at Belle Haven Park in Alexandria, and from there we ran over the Wilson Bridge to (and through) National Harbor, then headed back and picked up the 4 on the back end up and down the Mt. Vernon Trail.

My quads were clearly saying, “What is this? Shouldn’t we be done?” around the end. Heh. All in all not bad; there’s one really slow mile in there (#5) where most of the guys stopped for a bathroom break (so John and I just walked until they finished up and ran up to us) but otherwise nothing unreasonable. (Even when we started losing track of how long the walk breaks were for miles 9-12 after Steve stopped a little early; he does a good job of getting us moving again.)

(9:53, 10:04, 9:42, 10:22, 12:47, 9:31, 9:11, 9:31, 9:52, 9:58, 10:28, 9:04)

Start time: 12/13/11, 5:50am
Location: National Mall
Distance: 6.21 miles
Average pace: 9:44min/mile
Total Miles For December: 42 miles
Total Miles For 2011: 686 miles
Current Shoes: 227 miles

Nice cold morning; ran into Ben right as I was starting (no pun intended) so my normally solo first mile was run with him as well. Ran the rest with him and Steve.

(9:50, 9:42, 10:05, 10:08, 10:10, 8:47, 1:38)

Start time: 12/10/11, 7:30am
Location: Rosslyn, Georgetown, White House, Mt. Vernon Trail
Distance: 10.08 miles
Average pace: 10:02min/mile
Total Miles For December: 36 miles
Total Miles For 2011: 680 miles
Current Shoes: 221 miles

Met the guys in Rosslyn and ran over Key Bridge past the Christmas trees in Georgetown, then swung by the White House to see theirs, before heading over 14th St Bridge and going home via the Mt. Vernon Trail. All in all, uneventful.