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)

Start time: 6/30/10, 6:40pm
Location: North Arlington
Distance: 5 miles
Average pace: 8:38min/mile
Total Miles For June: 48 miles
Total Miles For 2010: 328 miles

I really wanted to go running this morning, when it was ridiculously cool outside. I got to bed too late though, and this morning just couldn’t get up. Still, the weather after work was a thousand times better than anything we’ve had the past few weeks. Went for a five-miler though, and despite being a huge sweatball by the end (it was awfully sunny even though it wasn’t thick air) I feel happy with my pace. This is back where I was in the spring. Yay!

(8:35, 8:45, 8:26, 8:43, 8:42)

Start time: 6/26/10, 6:05am
Location: North Arlington, Mt Vernon Trail
Distance: 8 miles
Average pace: 10:14min/mile
Total Miles For June: 43 miles
Total Miles For 2010: 323 miles

Ran 8 with the group this morning — now dashing out the door so will update this later but if I didn’t write it down now I’d forget. 🙂

Start time: 6/24/10, 7:15am
Location: North Arlington
Distance: 4 miles
Average pace: 9:34min/mile
Total Miles For June: 35 miles
Total Miles For 2010: 315 miles

Aaaaaiiiieeee it’s so damn hot.

Ok, hot and humid and bad air quality. (I believe it’s another Code Orange day here.) After pushing through the first half, I took it easier on myself for the second half and walked a bit. No regrets whatsoever. It’s wretched out.

(8:54, 8:57, 9:43, 10:43)