Category Archives: 08mi

Close but…

0, 08mi

Start time: 10/4/09, 8:00am
Location: W&OD Trail
Distance: 8 miles
Average pace: 9:53min/mile
Total Miles For October: 20 miles
Total Miles For 2009: 637 miles

Well, I’d hoped to get another 12-miler in today, but I had to make due with just eight. (I know, I know. Just eight!) Between having taken the time off (since my 20-miler on Sept 5th, I’d only run 20 miles in the course of a month) and the last remnants of the cold, it just wasn’t going to happen. I was feeling a little tight as I passed by the car (I was heading from 3.5 to 7.5 and back, and then the idea was to run down to marker 1.5 and back) and the last thing I wanted to do was re-injure myself. Plus, like I said yesterday, I can turn next week’s 16-miler into a 20-miler if I need to. Good enough!

(9:40, 10:06, 9:53, 10:03, 9:54, 9:41, 9:56, 9:51)

[I can’t help but notice the difference in my speeds from the start of the year versus now, mind you. This entry of two 12-milers on a weekend has me moving at a faster clip, certainly. There’s a part of me that gets wistful and sad when I look at the shift, and part of me that is relieved at not trying to hit that. I think having been perpetually in training for a marathon since May 2008 has taken its toll. It’ll be nice, come mid-January, to not have to worry about one for a good long while.]

Easy Eight

0, 08mi

Start time: 8/15/09, 7:00am
Location: SW Waterfront
Distance: 8 miles
Average pace: 9:22min/mile
Total Miles For August: 53 miles
Total Miles For 2009: 512 miles

Just took it easy today; instead of the scheduled 14, I ran an 8-miler with John, Ben, and Bill. It was a good time, and on the way back we were picking up our pace a bit after a slow start. Nice way to start the day, and afterwards John showed us his new townhouse in the SW Waterfront. Pretty sweet!

Heavy Clouds, No Rain

0, 08mi

Start time: 6/6/09, 8:45am
Location: North Arlington, W&OD Trail
Distance: 8 miles
Average pace: 9:07min/mile
Total Miles For June: 16 miles
Total Miles For 2009: 328 miles

Today’s run felt a little heavy in the air, and with the dark clouds it kept looking like it was about to rain. Never did, though, which was a relief. Added bonus: ran into Susan Keenan walking her dog on my way back, whom I trained with back in 2005. Yay! I stuck with an old standby route; down 10th Street and then Wilson Boulevard all the way to George Mason Drive, then along the Bluemont Trail until it hits the W&OD, and up the W&OD to marker 4.5 before turning around and heading home.

(No splits, the GPS glitched on the way out.)

Home Again, Home Again

0, 08mi

Start time: 5/19/09, 5:30pm
Location: Westmorland Avenue and Washington Boulevard
Distance: 8 miles
Average pace: 9:19min/mile
Total Miles For May: 40 miles
Total Miles For 2009: 301 miles

I’m going to be out of town for most of Memorial Day weekend, and since the weather was supposed to be cool today, I thought it would be a good opportunity to run home from work. So, I took the bus in, and then hoofed it back home after work. It was a little warmer than originally predicted (low 70s instead of the 60s), but still not bad at all. But ugh, those hills! The last time I did this I’d run a slightly longer route where the second half was the W&OD Trail and Wilson Boulevard; today I cut a mile off by running on Washington Blvd for the second half, but I swear, that meant miles 6 and 7 were straight up. Gah. Still, all things considered, not bad at all. And it sure did feel good, mentally, once I got to the intersection with Glebe in Ballston and everything started looking much more familiar.

Just over 300 miles for the year. Yay!

http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=2421376

(9:10, 9:15, 9:36, 9:05, 9:05, 9:36, 9:37, 9:08)

Taper and Melt

0, 08mi

Start time: 4/26/09, 8:15am
Location: W&OD Trail
Distance: 8 miles
Average pace: 9:31min/mile
Total Miles For April: 68 miles
Total Miles For 2009: 258 miles

Oof! It sure was unseasonably warm this weekend—up into 90s and it’s still April. Being no fool, I decided that I’d get up as early as possible and do my 8-miler before everything began to sizzle and crackle on the pavement. We had plans on Saturday night, though, so it wasn’t until 8:15 that I got out and running. Probably an hour later than I should have, but hey, it wasn’t too bad.

Since it’s part of my taper before next Sunday’s race, I wasn’t too worried about pace, doubly so since it was kind of warm. A mile downhill, four uphill, three more downhill and that was that. Just get the distance and call it a day. I was feeling a little bleah for the first half, but fortunately things righted themselves before too long. Also ran into my old running group, which was working on mile repeats. So glad that wasn’t me in that warm weather!

(9:27, 9:39, 9:51, 9:51, 9:59, 9:25, 9:12, 8:47)

Cold but good

0, 08mi

Start time: 2/28/09,12:00pm
Location: Arlington & W&OD Trail
Distance: 8 miles
Average pace: 8:43min/mile
Total Miles For February: 72 miles
Total Miles For 2009: 117 miles

I hope February really is the coldest month of the year, because while today’s run isn’t bad, I am soooo ready for spring to arrive. I think Thursday’s 60 degree temperatures spoiled me! Still, a nice run; headed down 10th Street until I got to Wilson Boulevard, took it to the Bluemont Park trail, and ran along that until I hit the W&OD Trail for a little over a mile. Then, turned around and headed back. Some big hills in miles 2 and 7, but I think I did a pretty great job. Especially when you look at my crappy 8-miler from last month. Much, much better.

8:40, 8:40, 8:29, 9:05, 8:45, 9:05, 8:28, 8:32

Preparation for the Walks to Come

0, 08mi, treadmill

Start time: 1/17/09, 12:30pm
Location: Thomas Circle Sports Club
Distance: 4 miles & 4 miles
Average pace: 10:19min/mile & 10:56min/mile
Total Miles For January: 25 miles

Ugh. Maybe I’m allergic to treadmills, now? It would explain my continual crappy performance on them, versus elsewhere. Hopefully that’s it. I was supposed to hit 8 miles on Saturday, but it was rather frigid out and Charlie offered up his gym as a location instead. Not happy at all with how I did, though. Not really sure what’s up with it, either. Hmph.

(Clearly I was so non-enamored that I then forgot to record them until now. I didn’t do my Tuesday run this week, but since I walked about 7.25 miles very briskly, plus another 5 on Sunday, I don’t feel at all bad about doing so. My legs were definitely moving!)

Progressive Autumn

0, 08mi, progressive run

Start Time: 10/2/08, 4:30pm
Location: Mount Vernon Trail
Distance: 8 miles
Average Pace: 8:34min/mile
Total Miles For October: 8 miles

The plan was to get up early and run—except it is still dark for far too much of the early morning. Instead, I went to work about two hours early, then left a bit early so that I could run afterwards. The only downside to that was I always feel a little tired when I first start out, but all things considered it wasn’t a bad set-up at all; crisp air and cool fall temperatures. I decided to try and tackle the 8-mile progressive run (first mile at 9:30, then drop 15 seconds for each mile’s goal time). And while I didn’t hit the times for the last two miles, it was closer than my previous attempt, so overall I’m quite pleased. (Especially since my times for the first six were all a little fast!) Getting there, bit by bit. Although the next time I try this, I may actually go for looking goofy and put on a breath-right strip on the nose. Stupid allergies.

9:19, 9:06, 8:53, 8:36, 8:20, 8:11, 8:03, 8:00 (actual times)
9:30, 9:15, 9:00, 8:45, 8:30, 8:15, 8:00, 7:45 (goal times)

Progressive Oops

0, 08mi, progressive run

Start Time: 9/17/08, 6:45pm
Location: Mount Vernon Trail
Distance: 8 miles
Average Pace: 8:53min/mile
Total Miles For September: 15 miles

Well, the plan was to run an 8-mile progressive run. Now, with 20/20 hindsight, maybe not the smartest of thing after having taken a bit of time off. But hey, points for effort, right? And it’s a starting place to work off of. Anyway, I made two big mistakes with this run. First, I got confused/forgetful and started off a little too slow. So instead of beginning at a 9:30 pace for the first mile (and then dropping 15 seconds each mile), I made the first mile’s target a 9:45. Ah well. The second mistake was that I started way, way, way too late. Turns out there are no lights on the Mount Vernon Trail, or at least the portion I was running on once it got dark. *sigh* That makes it a little harder to see the GPS and know if I’m hitting my times or not (plus running a little slower to make sure I didn’t lose my footing), although I’m not entirely sure I would’ve hit those last two regardless. With the later start, the snack I’d eaten in the afternoon had completely worn off and I was starting to run out of energy.

Still, not a bad run, and as an added bonus about half a mile in, Dontastic and I passed each other on the trail. Yay!

Splits: 9:40, 9:23, 9:11, 8:55, 8:34, 8:25, 8:32, 8:21

Make or Break, Level II: The Air-Conditioned Edition

0, 08mi, indoor track

Start Time: 6/10/08, 6:45am
Location: Thomas Jefferson Community Center
Distance: 2 miles & 6 miles
Average Pace: 10:08min/mile & 7:57min/mile
Total Miles For June: 22 miles

Slight break in my running since last Tuesday, alas. On Thursday I ended up helping friends unpack their moving van instead, and I decided that was a good enough leg workout (the new place was on the third floor). Friday through Sunday, not only was I out of town but more importantly one of my calf muscles felt really tight; probably from all those stairs while moving heavy stuff. Since the temperature outside was boiling on the weekend, a lack of running didn’t bother me. Monday was rowing and elliiptical, and so today was back to the grind.

With the potential for triple-digit temperatures, coupled with my still vivid memories of what it’s like to run on a particularly bad air quality day (it was admittedly code purple instead of today’s red, but it felt like I’d been gargling with glass for the next three days) and I opted to run on the indoor track at the gym. It’s not ideal, but it meant I got it done. I started the first set a little fast out of the gate, but quickly adjusted. The second set seemed to go by a bit easier, in part because there was someone else on the track that I was passing every quarter mile or so that had made encouraging comments. So often I do better with an audience. (That, and going about 13 seconds per mile slower.)

Certainly a better job overall on maintaining than last week, though!

Warm-Up: 10:24
Set #1: 7:40, 7:58, 7:53 (7:50)
Set #2: 8:05, 8:01, 8:05 (8:03)
Cool-Down: 9:52