Time: 91:00
Distance: 13.5 mi.
Map
The Valley Trail along Rock Creek
I got out this afternoon for my favorite loop through Rock Creek Park, which includes 9 miles of great trails (connecting the Valley and Western Ridge trails and loops up to the Maryland border. I kept the pace easy throughout, and was surprised to see that I averaged 6:40s when I mapped it out (thanks to the "topo" view of Google Maps, which shows the trails in RCP).
Time: 112:00
Distance: 16 mi.
Trail near Beach Drive in Rock Creek Park
Morning run with Ben from his house in Kalorama on the biggest trail loop in Rock Creek Park. It was a chilly morning, but I warmed up fairly quickly. It was great to have company and run a lot of the way on trails, which made the run fly by. It was good to bump the volume from last week's long run without raising the intensity, as my legs were pretty tired by the end, but not dead.
Time: 106:30
Distance: 15.5 mi.
Early morning run, got back together with Ben Peisch after his recovery from a bad foot burn. Luckily the "City of Hate" weather seems to have passed for the moment and the last few days have been pretty nice in the morning. Did a slightly altered version of the Superloop starting at the Klingle St. bridge which added on about 10 minutes... pace was fairly relaxed the whole time.
Hopefully the heat and humidity here has prepared me for Austin. I never thought of "heat acclimation" as so much a physical as a mental process. An yesterday's interesting article from the New York Times yesterday addresses this, though:
What will happen as the planet heats and more is asked of our sweat glands? No problem, experts say: the system can easily rev up into a high, efficient gear.And maybe if there was an inordinate amount of money in collegiate XC we'd get some core temperature monitoring pills just in case.
The process is called heat acclimation and is routinely seen in athletes training in hot weather. At first their internal temperatures climb, they sweat profusely, lose large quantities of salt in their sweat and feel miserable. But as the days pass they sweat even more, their salt loss diminishes, both skin and internal temperatures drop, and their endurance improves.
Time: 94:13
Distance: 14 mi.
"I've been all over the world, and let me tell you: Washington, DC is the hottest place on it." - John Gregorek
A hazy early-morning view over RCP from Maryland
Given that there was a "heat advisory" for yesterday and today, tried to get out the door a little bit early, and it was still dark when I was heading out. Even at 6am the humidity feels (and looks) like a thick fog. Because there was no direct sun while I was out, it never got too bad, but I was sweating a lot. Skipped a bit of the first trails because it was too dark to navigate them.. hopped on the Valley Trail past the police station. Heading south on the Western Ridge Trail I am fairly sure that I passed DC Mayor Adrian Fenty, who is apparently an avid runner.
Minor soreness in knees and feet. My feeling is that these both result from the Motos not being stiff enough... I pronate some in them and either they're sloppy loose or I get soreness on the top of my feet from tying them too tight.
Time: 95:00
Distance: 14 mi.
Headed back out on the superloop for the mid-week medium-long run, this time starting on the Valley Trail and heading back on the Western Ridge Trail... also skipped the trail section around the police station which is annoyingly technical. Starting to feel a bit better than I have the last few days. No major physical complaints but hamstrings have continued to be tight and left hip flexor is a little sore.
Time: 95:00
Distance: 14 mi.
Map
Big day... the return of the mid-week medium-long run, the completion of the RCP Superloop, and new shoes (though for the record "buying shoes" for "full price" sucks).
RCP Superloop: connects the Western Ridge Trail and the Valley Trail making for 12 miles of trails on a 14 mile run. Most of it is pretty good except the southern section of the Valley Trail which is very technical (thus slow and prone to ankle-turning). The map provides a good idea of approximately where the trail goes, but is easily almost 2 miles short because of how much it oversimplifies.
Nike Air Max Moto+ 5
New Shoes: couldn't wait any longer, so I picked up a new pair of trainers at Fleet Feet in DC (owned by Mayor Fenty's family, incidentally). They didn't have a great selection, including no Elites, so I went with the Air Max Moto+ 5. They seem pretty good so far, but the cushioning is a little bit sloppy... I guess I'm used to a bit of a stiffer shoe. The upper fits very well, though.
Legs feel a little bit better, but it'll be a few days before they've really recovered from the dead shoes, I'm sure.
