Start time: 7/31/10, 6:00am
Location: Belle Haven Park, Wilson Bridge, National Harbor, Old Town Alexandria
Distance: 10 miles
Average pace: 10:12min/mile
Total Miles For July: 60 miles
Total Miles For 2010: 392 miles

I missed Thursday’s run this week (and Wednesday’s spin class), which was a little frustrating since I’m trying to get back on track. But I shuffled down to Belle Haven Park (home of the start/finish line for the disastrous Potomac River Run Marathon back in 2009) to meet up with the group. John was going to run 8 miles, while Steve, Jim, and Michael were tackling 16. I was hoping to land somewhere in the middle, maybe 12, which is what I did two weeks ago in that horrible heat. I wasn’t feeling great even from the start, though, which is not a good way to start a run.

We headed up to the Wilson Bridge, then ran over the Potomac into Maryland and the National Harbor site. It was strange seeing the Awakening statue there, after so many years of it being on Hains Point, but otherwise it’s just like any other (insert name) Town Center in the area. A lot of steep hills leading up to and away from the bridge, though, and when we went back over I was pooped. John headed back to the start at that point, while we took a detour through Old Town Alexandria (where someone else’s bathroom break meant we got an extra-long walk break, which was nice). Once my watch hit 10 miles, though, I was done. I thought we were just around the corner so I said I’d walk it in… oops. Actual distance, about half a mile. Once I realized my error I ended up jogging in most of the distance.

John and I went over to Dunken Donuts afterwards and bought some coffee and doughnuts for everyone, and then hung out chatting until they got back. It was a nice way to spend the morning.

(9:26, 9:45, 9:41, 10:52, 11:00, 10:10, 9:50, 11:08, 10:05, 10:00)
(and boy, can you tell exactly where those hills are (and bathroom break) or what?)

Start time: 7/27/10, 7:30am
Location: Washington DC
Distance: 4 miles
Average pace: 8:37min/mile
Total Miles For July: 50 miles
Total Miles For 2010: 382 miles

Well, at least I’m consistent.

(8:39, 8:39, 8:39, 8:30)

Start time: 7/24/10, 6:00am
Location: Washington DC
Distance: 8 miles
Average pace: 10:31min/mile
Total Miles For July: 46 miles
Total Miles For 2010: 378 miles

Sole goal today was survival.

http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=3904861

Start time: 7/22/10, 6:30am
Location: North Arlington
Distance: 4 miles
Average pace: 8:48min/mile
Total Miles For July: 38 miles
Total Miles For 2010: 370 miles

Just ran four miles today because I have a FiOS appt today with the helpful window of “between 8am and 5pm,” which meant being home and showered and dressed before 8am. Of course, no one here yet. But that’s ok, I’m actually glad to not have fun that fifth mile, because it is gross out. Is it autumn yet?

(9:01, 8:47, 8:50, 8:33)

Start time: 7/20/10, 6:30am
Location: North Arlington
Distance: 5 miles
Average pace: 9:06min/mile
Total Miles For July: 34 miles
Total Miles For 2010: 366 miles

Not my most stellar run. Humidity’s already up to 68% and I am starting to wonder if we could create a different sort of wind farm that is really just a massive fan to blow all the thick air out of the area. I know it’s not the only reason for my sub-par-for-me performance, but it’s a convenient scapegoat this morning. Really felt myself losing ground those last two miles.

(8:45, 8:59, 8:44, 9:20, 9:38)

Start time: 7/17/10, 6:00am
Location: All over Washington DC
Distance: 12 miles
Average pace: 10:54min/mile
Total Miles For July: 29 miles
Total Miles For 2010: 361 miles

Some runs you go for with a specific time goal in mind, others are just to finish, and this was totally the latter. Thick, heavy humidity, and the temperature was already at 80 degrees when we started at 6am. (I shudder to think what it was when we finshed.) The group was going for 14 miles, but since we’d swung back near the cars around the 10 mile mark, I decided that 12 miles was more than enough since I don’t have a full marathon ahead of me and I soon split off from the group and headed back early. (Steve had already done the same earlier, but considering last weekend he did a sprint triathlon on Saturday and a half-iron triathlon on Sunday, I don’t think anyone could say he was slacking!)

But yeah, no one was having a good run. Lots of dragging and slowing down; it was a “just survive” sort of experience. We stopped at mile 7 for some additional water, and three miles later we needed refills again. Not a good day for running, really. But I’m glad to have finished off 12 miles, even if the conditions were nothing short of dreadful. One of the toughest runs I’ve done in the past ten years, easily.

(On the bright side, the route was wide-ranging and we even went through all four quadrants of DC.)

http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=3887435

(9:57, 10:35, 11:32, 10:54, 11:17, 11:41, 12:21, 10:37, 10:47, 10:53, 9:44, 10:22)

Start time: 7/14/10, 7:000am
Location: North Arlington
Distance: 4 miles
Average pace: 9:22min/mile
Total Miles For July: 14 miles
Total Miles For 2010: 346 miles

Oof. The temperature may not have been that bad, but a lot of other factors were stacked against me this morning; a week and a half off to let my achilles tendon rest (feels great now though), 83% humidity, and several nights of poor sleep. I was definitely running out of gas by the end. At the same tie, though, it did feel good to finally get back out there. Will try again tomorrow and see what happens! The fact that this was only two seconds per mile faster than my 10 miler a week and a half ago… yeah, it was just one of those days.

(Also, an uber-boring Savage Love podcast while running. Hmph.)

(8:55, 8:53, 9:36, 10:04)

Start time: 7/3/10, 6:30am
Location: Wilson Blvd, Washington Blvd, W&OD Trail, Bluemont Trail, Arlington Blvd Trail
Distance: 10 miles
Average pace: 9:24min/mile
Total Miles For July: 10 miles
Total Miles For 2010: 342 miles

The rest of my group this weekend is either out of town or otherwise booked up, so I was left to my own devices for a change. Decided to run my old 8-mile loop, with the idea in the back of my head that if I wanted I could tack on two extra miles at the end and make it 10. As I wasn’t entirely sure how fast the temperature would rise I decided to play it safe and ran it backwards, meaning that there was a water fountain at mile 5 instead of mile 3; that way if I was running low and thought I was going to go for 10, I could fill up there.

On the one down side, some of the steepest hills on this run are a lovely downhill if I run it the other direction, and those climbs during mile 4 along Washington Blvd were tougher than I’d thought. Ended up taking a tiny slow down on them, so that I didn’t regret it later. It worked fairly well. On the plus side, I ran into Teresa right before I got to the Bluemont Trail, so that was a pleasant surprise. She looked totally fully of energy (while me, not so much), and it gave me enough of a moral boost that I tacked on the two extra miles at the end. That ninth mile felt great, the tenth… well… you can’t win them all.

Not my fastest time, but certainly not my slowest either. I do wish the temperature and humidity were able to stay low for one more day, but it’s still a lot better today that it will be tomorrow. No complaints!

(9:08, 9:20, 9:32, 9:59, 9:06, 9:35, 9:21, 9:03, 8:55, 9:54)

Start time: 7/1/10, 7:45am
Location: North Arlington
Distance: 4 miles
Average pace: 9:02min/mile
Total Miles For July: 4 miles
Total Miles For 2010: 332 miles

I totally saw this one coming; running half a day after the previous one always results in me being still tired and not up to full speed, so when I started pooping out in mile 3, I didn’t worry about it. Pushed on as best I could (took a couple of tiny walk breaks) and finished up. I probably should’ve just run after work, but I wanted to take advantage of the great weather we were having this morning! No big deal.

(8:49, 8:40, 9:09, 9:30)