4 Days Until Cherry Blossom 10 Miler

I have neglected this poor blog of mine so much lately. Not sure why, but I seem to be at a loss for words even though I've been filling up my days with fun activities. I've been on spring break since noon of last Friday and am getting a ton of errands done. It is nice to get away from the computer and do some exciting things.

Last Week's Total Mileage: 30 miles

Last week's running went OK. I am so done with the wind and cooler temperatures that haven't left DC  in weeks. I am ready for it to be warm and in the 60/70s, but that type of weather won't come back until next week - just in time for us to return back to school.

Monday: off

Tuesday: 1 mile at practice and 5.5 miles at home
Track practice doesn't lend as many miles as XC practice did, so my at-home runs have to make up for it. I've modified a route I did all of the time in the fall to be more of a "5 mile run", not a 5.3 mile run, and in doing so eliminated a dreaded pre-hill portion of the run. Each time I got to this particular spot I would dread what lay ahead because I could see the entire quarter-mile hill in front of me. Now, I turn a corner and find myself climbing the hill right away, but I start further up. That one change is enough to make that route fun again.

Wednesday: 2 miles at practice with the kiddos.

Thursday: 1 mile at practice
I had a dinner party to go to after practice to celebrate a friend's birthday, therefore, I didn't have a chance to run. I was OK with that. Even though it was sunny, it was super windy out and I was freezing by the time I was finished with practice.

Friday: 7 miles at 8:01 pace
I honestly felt like I was running much faster but the Garmin didn't agree. I ran through Rock Creek (maybe some trees blocked out satellite signals?) which was a great change of scenery! I hadn't run South toward VA until this run and I hope I do it more often. The only downside is that there are so many cars and I know with better weather there will be a ton of people on the bike path. My leg felt great on this run, which is expected since I had done very little running this week.

Saturday: 5 miles at 7:56 pace
It was warm on this day! I ran right before dinner and enjoyed feeling the sun's heat shine down. I also loved running through all of the neighborhoods and finally being able to smell the springtime blooms! I tried to beat a crosswalk sign and unfortunately felt my leg tighten up after it. I swear, that is probably why the injury has lasted as long as it has. I make it a goal to cross the street before the cross walk ends and many of the times find myself sprinting in order to do so.

Sunday: 9 miles at 8:03 pace
My first four miles were super slow and both my mind and body did not want to be running so early in the day. Thankfully things started to work after I turned around at mile 4.5 and I started to loosen up and pick up the pace. My goal was to get in another distance day before Sunday's race. I want to train through this race and be in better racing shape for the end of the month, when I do the Nike Women's Half.

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I had an eye exam this morning to renew my contacts prescription. Tom and I made plans to meet up after for lunch. We went to Cafe Recess for sandwiches and ran into an acquaintance there! I think it is so awesome to run into someone I know in this city since I feel like a newbie here. In VT I was almost guaranteed to see someone I knew no matter where we went. 

We walked to the Capitol and ate our lunch on a bench to enjoy the sunshine. Again, even though it is sunny, it certainly is not warm. That darn wind will just not leave this city! We walked around the Capitol and parted ways as I headed for the metro and Tom headed back to work.

It sure was nice to spend some time with Tom during the workday. I'm going to miss this freedom next week!