a barrel of this

Today was supposed to be a proper 10k but I was hoping to pick up a map of the park at a picnic bench location where I had spotted some maps before. This particular picnic bench area is right at the start of the trail route loop that I know of in the park. Therefore this turned into a trail run in my North Face Radials. I haven’t been doing much trail running because the 10k I’m going to run next Friday isn’t a trail run. But more importantly because going down hill still tweaks my back and I haven’t been to the chiropractor yet (though I have an appointment for the week after next). Finally, I cannot see very well without my glasses. I’m fixing that last problem the day after the race when I’ll get another pair of eyephorics in SF.

I mention all of this because the scenario turned out to be a bit of a disaster. For starters, the map holder was empty so the point of selecting this particular run was shot. Secondly, without my glasses on I really cannot see the ground very well. I didn’t fall but my feet went sideways a bunch of times on rocks and roots that I just didn’t see in the shade. This doesn’t bode well for the moonlight run but, I should be fine on the road. Finally, I hate the Radial shoes.

Okay, hate is a strong word but thus far they have not done what they are supposed to do and have caused me a series painful problems. I loved my North Face Vapour Lights which I ran a marathon in because they were great hybrid shoes, comfortable on either trail or road. The Radials on the other hand feel like little rocks beneath my feet regardless of the surface. They are just too damn hard and inflexible. Of the models I tried on, the Hedgehog, the Ultra, and the Boa, the Radials were the most comfortable of the bunch. Unfortunately, I didn’t run around the block in them which might have tipped me off. This is part of the problem of buying running shoes in a store that isn’t a running shoe store.

I did go down a half-size with these and it could be that they are just too small or tight. I know one should go a half-size larger than required because feet do swell while running distances but, I felt I sloshed around in my Vapour Lights a bit and wanted to get a tighter fit. Well, it back fired. The Radials do a number on my right big toes which gets jammed into the toe box (why does one foot always feel bigger than the other?!). Today’s run gave me a nice new blister on the outside right of my left foot. Just what I wanted before a race. Not only that but the stiffness of the shoes exacerbated the bruise (or at least that is what I’m calling it) on the ball of my right foot.

At any rate, there was one upside to the run. I did decipher the trail route instructions correctly this time so I was able to follow the route completely. It was a bit shorter than 10k however, with the new blister and the bruise acting up I just didn’t feel up to slogging it out. This is a tough course though with some complicated down hill and at least one steep climb. I’ll be back for more just as soon I get my back fixed, my foot repaired, and buy some new trail shoes. Ugh.

I got lost today in the park trying to make a loop out of what was an out-and-back route. I’ll post a map soon that shows me desperately trying to find a path to 16th Street and back home. Instead I turned what was supposed to be a 6k run into an 8k plus. I turned off the GPS after 8k as I started walking and jogging home. It really ended up being a 10k in distance though I wasn’t running it as such. Getting lost sucks. I haven’t found a good map of Rock Creek Park yet that has both trails and roads.

Based on yesterday’s speed work and the run today I would say I should be able to do 10k in under an hour. This run felt a lot longer than it should have but that’s probably because I ran for speed yesterday and I haven’t run two days in a row in eons. I’ll probably try to find out Saturday what my 10k time looks like.

More speed work, this time in the morning. I’m trying to shift towards early morning runs so that my work time overlaps more with my west coast co-workers. Otherwise I sign off earlier to get in evening runs and that’s not maximizing the overlap time which can be crucial to getting things done. I prefer running in the evening when I’m more awake but, I’m not exactly waking up at the crack of dawn either.

I switched to metric today in order to start training for a race of 10k next Friday in Palo Alto, CA. I’ll be back west for work and a number of folks at my company have signed up to run this moonlight 5k and 10k that starts around 7PM PST. I wanted to get an idea of how fast I could run 1k and 2k so I could figure out what a race pace for 10k would be.

• Lap 1: 1k, 4:02
• Lap 2: 200k, 8:05 (4:02/km pace)
• Lap 3: 1k, 4:10
• Lap 4: 1k, 4:22

I’ve found that my laps are pretty consistent though I don’t feel like they are while running them. The speed graphs I get off my Garmin Forerunner confirm that feeling. There are definitely slight peaks and a valley or two. I don’t know much about running track so I’m sure there are solid reasons for what I’m experiencing.

Tried a new loop through the zoo today. Those blue elevation lines are my rapid assent down the northeast side of the Zoo. I spotted a giraffe but otherwise it was just starting to rain and most of the animals were headed inside much like the majority of Zoo visitors. It was tough going up Connecticut Ave. but, easy flying through the Zoo. I feel like this run took a great deal of effort but, perhaps that was just because I haven’t been wearing my headphones lately. I need some new music.

Just a short run before band practice.

I didn’t have much time this evening to run so I went down to the track. Tuesday should be a speed day anyway. I had a couple of strong laps. I still haven’t quite figured out the lap function on the Forerunner since it divided my laps up into smaller distances. I believe this is how it ended up:

1. 6:25
2. 6:54
3. 6:33

At least my last mile was closer to my first. I also have a better idea of what I should be capable of in a 10k race.

My pal Space gave me the Washington, DC Running Guide before I left the west coast and I’ve been meaning to start working through the runs. Today was my first run post-marathon in downtown DC after 10 days off. I did do some swimming and kayaking over the last ten days so it wasn’t entirely sloth. Unfortunately, I managed to lose my glasses in the Atlantic Ocean when a wave crashed over my kayak as I was trying to come into shore. So I’m running a bit blind until I can get a replacement pair of eyephorics which will stay on my head and not bounce around.

It is still deceptively hot outside. Despite being only 82 degrees I still end up sweating buckets. There just isn’t any wind here at all compared to San Francisco where you are pretty much constantly cooled by either an ocean or bay breeze. I thought I could take the Green Metro line down from Georgia Ave near my house to the Navy Archives just north of the Mall without drawing too much attention to myself. But when sweat is pouring off of you people tend to notice and move away. Which a fine and appropriate reaction but, I hate to be conspicuous so I may curtail the Metro riding post-run until the arrival of cool Fall weather. I did relearn that soggy Metro cards do function however.

At any rate, the run around the Tidal Basin was pretty and relaxing. There was a concert of some sort on the Mall so it was very crowded but, once I got down to the basin path it was easy to get around folks. This will be a more interesting run in the Spring as it is prime Cherry Blossom real estate. It is a gateway run according to the book because it can turn into several longer routes which is why it is the first run in the book. I don’t know if I’ll do them all in order but, I need some motivation these days with a busy work schedule so perhaps the book is the key.

Update: just got around to posting the map. No, I did not swim through the tidal basin. I guess the GPS is off by more than a few feet. See how many monuments you can spot!

I might have to get more precise in my categorization of routes as all of my runs in my new neighborhood start in Rock Creek Park. But when I lived across the street from Golden Gate Park it was the same way. Walk down the street and start running. Can’t get better than that.

Today I ran to the National Zoo and tried to get a peek at some animals. Unfortunately, I saw none. Zero. Zilch. No anipules. Great Lions: wet paint, closed off. Lemurs: asleep inside. Prairie Dogs: nocturnal. When I lived here last I volunteered at the Zoo observing Golden Lion Tamarin behavior and helping out at the Invertebrate house. It was an excellent break from school work and a good way for me to find out if I could cut it as a zoo keeper. This morning they were preparing for tonight’s “Brew in the Zoo” event which I suspect my pals and I are going to end up missing (I just discovered it is sold out). It is a fundraiser for the Asian Elephant Conservation Fund and a Washington “Young professionals” event (so you can see mating rituals of all kinds).

I came back from the Zoo through Mount Pleasant, my old neighborhood. Running through the quieter neighborhoods here isn’t too bad. I only had to stop a few times for cars and there are not many people out early in the morning. All in all a pleasant run despite not seeing one, single, lone animal at the Zoo. I’ll have to run farther into the Zoo next time.

Tried again to get the trail right in Rock Creek Park today and almost made it. This was supposed to be a long run but the heat really got to me. It is taking longer than I expected to adjust to the humidity. I also ate too close to the start of the run which didn’t help. At any rate, the trails.com description of this trail includes about 100 steps just to get one to make a loop. At some point it wanted me to go under a bridge where there was no path. There must be a way to cross the creek but, I couldn’t find it. When I upload the map it will make more sense.

Speaking of which I upgraded the firmware on my Forerunner 201 and it seemed to keep better sync with the satellite throughout the run. My last run in Rock Creek resulted in a straight line map for the course. I don’t really recall it being all that straight.

I signed up for a trails.com account before I drove back east. It was one of the only places that I could find info on trails in places like Lawrence, KS. Since I never really ran here in DC after my freshmen year in college I decided to keep the subscription to find some trails both inside and outside the beltway. Trails.com collects entries from published books and guides which usually feature a trail description and a map that you can print out. It worked great for Boulder, CO. But for my own backyard, not so much. Per usual I glanced at the instructions and promptly forgot them at home before embarking. And of course I ended up lost.

The big problem was that I went out too late in the day. I didn’t reach the trail head until just before 8PM and at that point it was already difficult to see in the woods. I found the trail head without too much difficultly but once I got to the creek I couldn’t find a way over it and had to double back. I’m going to try again later in the week so the jury is still out on this particular run.