RCP South, Dumbarton Oaks, Georgetown

Time: 80:47
Distance: 12 mi.


Buffalo / Q Street Bridge in Georgetown

Headed south in RCP through Montrose Park, and onto the streets of Georgetown. Met up with the C&O Towpath for a little bit and then headed back north.

Cross Country Team History

Every summer for almost the last decade I have prepared for a cross country season... here are the teams from the last 7 seasons:


2006 Texas Longhorns at NCAAs - Terre Haute, IN


2005 Brown Bears at Heps - New York, NY


2004 Brown Bears at Murray Keatingue - Orono, ME


2003 Brown Bears at Heps - New York, NY


2002 Brown Bears at Iona - New York, NY


2001 Amherst Hurricanes at States - Grafton, MA

2000 Amherst Hurricanes at Western Mass. - Northfield, MA

RCP Superloop

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.

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.

And maybe if there was an inordinate amount of money in collegiate XC we'd get some core temperature monitoring pills just in case.

RCP North Loop

Time: 86:30
Distance: 13 mi.


One of the paths in RCP along the road

Have started the annoying unconscious habit of turning off my alarm in my sleep... got out a bit later than I was hoping, but I seem to be getting into the "running is the priority" mode and was shooting for a full-length morning run. Ended up making a loop that was a little longer than I was shooting for including the Western Ridge and middle trails as well as some along the road, but just had to rush a bit once I got home. Very stiff heading out the door, including some tightness/soreness in both (but particularly left) knees--starting to think this is the Motos fault. Loosened up a little bit, but back was a bit stiff the whole way.

RCP Middle and Western Trails

Time: 60:00
Distance: 9 mi.

Evening run. Nice hour loop to get some miles in... feeling nice and looser than the usual morning jaunt.

RCP Western Ridge Trail

Time: 46:30
Distance: 6 mi.

Nice and easy morning 6 miler out and back on the Western Ridge Trail with Jilane. Happy to keep the pace chill and get a morning shakeout.

Week In Review

Time: 637:15
Distance: 94.5 mi.

Have gotten up to close to full milage and am looking forward to settling in at this, which will be easier back in Austin with people to run with and no work. Longer runs are feeling good, and I'm recovering decently well. Weighed almost 160 lbs. on Wednesday, which isn't outside of the norm for this time of year, but it would be good to get down a little bit by the end of the month--could be eating a bit healthier. Don't really need to keep up with miles on either the Tangents or the Motos, 'cause I'm really not thrilled with either and will be getting something new (hopefully Elites again) back in Austin.

RCP Beach Drive

Time: 77:36
Distance: 12 mi.



Headed out pretty early up Beach Drive, enjoying the fact that they close the street down over the weekend. Good to stay on a flat and even surface. Went out 41 minutes and then did a bit of a fartlek on the way back... 10 x 1 min with 1 min rest. Good to get the legs going and definitely helps the time go by faster on solo runs. No major physical complaints, though some general stiffness in both knees and tops of feet. Knees at least felt better after running hard.

RCP North Loops

Time: 123:17
Distance: 18.5 mi.

Started at the Pierce Mill parking lot with JR and headed north. We ran together just for a short time so that I could show her where the trail started and then we split. She ended up with about 90 minutes and seemed to enjoy the park. Because I had some extra time to play with because I started in the park, I explored a bit around the edges of the park in Maryland, running out to the road a few times and doing a few fairly large loops incorporating the Western Ridge and Valley trails, among others. Felt very good through about 90 minutes when my legs started to feel pretty tired.

Also, realizing that I have very little idea what pace I'm doing most of the time, either on the road or on the hilly trails.

RCP North

Time: 81:36
Distance: 12 mi.

After some bitching to Jilane about running early in the morning, headed out into Rock Creek Park. Went north on some of the "middle" trails (where I went on my first few runs here) and looped around a little bit. Definitely been taking a little bit to wake up, but once I got rolling I felt pretty good. Not having anyone to run with is getting pretty old... hopefully Ben will have recovered from his foot-burning episode by the time he's back from vacation on Monday.

On a somewhat unrelated note, Ian Dobson hits the nail on the head in his latest NYRR journal post:

I think optimism is way overrated. Too much optimism means you’re going to be disappointed. But enough pessimism ensures that more often than not you’re going to be pleasantly surprised.

RCP South, C&O Towpath

Time: 81:30
Distance: 12 mi.

Headed south in RCP on the paved path down to Georgetown where I got on the C&O Towpath for about a mile out and back. Feeling pretty sluggish on the way out and both knees were annoyingly stiff and sore, but on the way back I decided to get the legs moving a little bit with a fartlek. Did 12 x 30 sec with 1 min rest, which didn't feel too bad. In fact, afterwards I felt looser and more awake than I had on the way out.

Still pretty hot and humid, but hopefully some rain today will clear things out.

Treadmill

Time: 30:00
Distance: 4 mi.


The haze of humidity in downtown DC

Ummm... yeah. Wanted to get in a double before JR comes to town, shake out and pad the milage a bit, and I do not think that this weather (hottest Aug 8 in DC history at 102 deg.) would allow for a good recovery run. Thus, I hit the Hall of the States gym in the basement of NGA's building to shake out and stretch. Went for 30 mins and got the best stretch I've probably done all summer. Right knee got a little sore about 15 mins in. First treadmill run since last winter in Austin after the ice storm.

RCP Superloop

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.

RCP Western Ridge Trail

Time: 81:39
Distance: 12 mi.

Headed north on the Western Ridge Trail for some out-and-back action. Very humid, but not as hot as the mid-day excursion yesterday. Body feeling pretty good in general. Almost ran into a deer while I was running with my head down.

As much as I love Eugene, and I do love Eugene, I'm glad we won't be heading out to the Dellinger Meet this year.

Nat'l Mall, Tidal Pool

Time: 67:54
Distance: 10 mi.


Helicopters (including Marine One) often fly over the Tidal Pool, as I saw today

Made the bad choice of not getting out early in the morning... Monday mornings are always pretty rough, and I didn't really want to get out in the rain. You know what's worse than running in the rain, though? Realizing that it's supposed to be 90+ and humid all day and that your "best" option is to go at lunch. So that's what I ended up doing...

Headed out on the Mall to do a few laps of the Tidal Pool, which is relatively shady, then headed up to the Lincoln Memorial and back all the way on the mall. Pace was pretty chill, and it was HOT HOT HOT.

Week In Review

Time: 551:15
Distance: 80.5 mi.

Pretty good week for 6 days of running with one double. Would've liked to get a little better rested this weekend... have gotten used to a routine of being tired most of the time. Especially now that I have a good idea what I'm doing this fall, I'm looking forward to heading back to Austin and getting on the not-9-to-5 routine. Tangents have about 20 miles and Motos have about 130.

Review of training since I've been in DC (8 weeks):

  Week       Milage (days)
June   17      61 (7)
June   24      72 (6)
July    1      78 (7)
July    8      65 (5)
July   15      72 (6)
July   22      82 (7)
July   29      89 (7)
August  5      80 (6)

RCP Beach Drive

Time: 53:50
Distance: 8 mi.

Another early morning, which was a little rough, but given how hot and humid it's been recently I guess I can't really complain. Decided I was due for an easier day and didn't want to feel as crappy as I did last monday. Headed north on Beach Dr. for 4 miles and then turned around. On the way back, I did a mini-fartlek to get the legs going... 10 x 30 sec. with 1 min. rest. Felt surprisingly good, and the Tangents are good shoes for this kind of stuff. Trying to get some work in gradually for the lower leg muscles.

Great Falls Park, Riverbend Park

Time: 126:56
Distance: 18.5 mi.


The Potomac River from the trail in Riverbend Regional Park

Early morning run in Great Falls National Park and into Riverbend Regional Park with Bogden. Got into a decent rhythm, but due to the up-and-downs of the trail we weren't running too fast. It got quite humid by the end and we slowed down a bit. Felt pretty good after this (which was maybe my longest time run?) but then sat in the car for 5 hours driving to and from Lancaster, PA which made back/hips/hamstrings very tight.

RCP North

Time: 82:02
Distance: 12 mi.

Shuffled through a morning run... not exactly sure why I wasn't feeling quite as sharp today, but a bunch of miles yesterday coupled with being dehydrated before I even walked out the door this morning was not a good combo. Really have to stay hydrated this weekend!


Someone give me a black Sharpie

Also, got a pair of the original Saucony Tangents from RunTex to try out, which are a pretty big contrast to the Air Max Moto. Will try to switch off between these, maybe wearing the lighter weight Tangents for my shorter runs.

Nat'l Mall

Time: 30:30
Distance: 4 mi.


View from the Washington Monument to the U.S. Capitol Building

Easy jog around the Mall, looping around the Washington Monument. Did 8 x 1 block strides in front of the Capitol. Wore Streak XCs (what a stupid name) from track last spring to try to work on some lower leg strength, after they wrecked my calves when I ran hard in them earlier this summer. Seemed to work decently well, but right peroneal was a little sore running back.

RCP North / South

Time: 80:00
Distance: 12 mi.

Started south in RCP and then ran into Evan Jurkovich from Drake, and given my general boredom with running alone recently decided to tag along with him for a little ways heading north. Got a little bit up the Western Ridge Trail with him before he turned back. Kept heading up and made a loop finishing up on Park Rd. and the Piney Branch Trail.

Found out about my waiver after the run, but have been thinking about this all day...

Waiver Granted

Owen,

Congratulations! We received notice this morning from the NCAA that your clock extension has been granted and you will be able to compete in the 2007 cross country season. Keep training and we’ll see you back on campus soon!

Blake Barlow
Compliance Assistant
University of Texas at Austin Athletics

Well doesn't that make life interesting?

RCP Superloop

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.

RCP Pinehurst Loop

Time: 82:47
Distance: 12 mi.


A turn mid-way up the Western Ridge Trail, before the Pinehurst turn

Had a pretty hard time dragging my ass out of bed this morning, and felt like I was running through Tylenol PM sleepiness for about the first half of the run... which is probably because that is exactly what I was doing. I've lost almost all my training partners for one reason or another lately, and it's harder to get going without feeling like you'll be leaving someone waiting. Less than a month of (mostly) lonely training before I get back to Austin. And word on the street is the NCAA is finally reviewing my case for a 6th year in Cross Country this week.

Headed up the Western Ridge trail to the Pinehurst Trail, where I headed east and then zig-zagged back down on a few different trails, finishing by doing a little detour to get back on the Valley trail to Park Rd. to get enough time in.

Day Off

Not feeling so hot after last weekend. Ratio of fun and running to sleep was far too high. Looking forward to a quality dinner and good night sleep, then an AM run tomorrow.

Week in Review

Time: 605:45
Distance: 89 mi.

Pretty good week... happy to have new shoes, which has relieved general soreness. Tired by the end of the week, though, due to a few late nights. Would like to do 90+ the next few weeks and then take a down week the week I travel back to Austin, but got to pay attention to the body. Doing some strides / strength wouldn't be a bad idea either.

Goals for August: eat healthy (more protein, more iron, less crap during the day when I'm bored at work), get more fluids (I'm always bad at this... keeping cold water available is probably my best bet), and getting better sleep (in bed by 10!).

RCP Loops

Time: 115:16
Distance: 16.5 mi.

After a late night with the AR/XC boys in town, went on a run with Nick and Jean for the first little while and continued for most of it with Chetan Huded, a friend of Nick's from Chicago. Did a few different loops. Pretty dehydrated and tired. Pace was slow for pretty much the whole thing.

Beach Drive, Maryland

Time: 91:00
Distance: 13.5 mi.
Map


Deer are about as common as squirrels in RCP

Mid-afternoon run, which was a pretty hot/humid decision. Went straight up and back on Beach Drive. Eliot was down from NYC and decided to accommodate me and ride a bike along, which was pretty nice. I was pretty tired and dehydrated by the end, but didn't feel terrible. Top of my left foot was pretty sore earlier in the day (I've been tying the new shoes pretty tight) but didn't bother me during the run.

RCP South, Dumbarton Oaks

Time: 68:12
Distance: 10 mi.


The Italian Embassy, located near Dumbarton Oaks Park

Morning run heading south in RCP. Looped through Dumbarton Oaks Park and then zig-zagged back on the roads. Pretty uneventful. A bit tired... looking forward to the weekend.

Nat'l Mall, TR Island, C&O Towpath

Time: 82:14
Distance: 13 mi.


View from the Key Bridge, looking east

Ran from work down the Mall to TR Island where I picked up Chad, then headed further down the Mt. Vernon Bike Path and crossed the Key Bridge to get on the C&O Towpath... stayed on that until 15 min out from TR (Chad was shooting for 30 min) and then headed back. Ran quick out to meet him and then didn't slack off much even when we were running together.

Had "workout stomach" afterward. Not sure what that was all about.

Also not exactly loving these shoes... they're a bit bulky and soft, like a worse version of the Nimbus, maybe. Doing some late-stage pronation because of my orthotics.

RCP Superloop

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.

RCP Loops

Time: 68:00
Distance: 10 mi.

Dragged myself out of bed for a morning run... headed up the Western Ridge Trail and then looped around a little bit before heading home. Legs still feeling pretty dead... still running in old Elite 3s.

RCP Short Valley Trail Loop

Time: 43:39
Distance: 6 mi.

Another short easy jog after work... went nice and chill with Colin. Tired. Sore.

RCP

Time: 42:29
Distance: 6 mi.

Easy quick jog over to RCP. Tired. Sore. Saw Sandy and Scott Bastek from Georgetown and ran with them for a short bit before heading back home.

Week In Review

Time: 557:20
Distance: 82 mi.

Decent week of training, though my legs are definitely starting to feel pretty worn out. Hopefully new shoes will help. Building up at a healthy rate, and hopefully I can be up to 90+ for most of August. Really hoping to hear about eligibility for the fall soon so I can plan whether or not I should start doing some workouts for a mid-September 5k. About 560 miles on this pair of shoes.

RCP South, TR Island

Time: 116:20
Distance: 17.5 mi.
Map


The "Valor" statue on the D.C. side of the Arlington Memorial Bridge

Headed south in RCP, which means being on or along the paved path the entire way. It is far less hilly than the trails in the northern section, though. Ran down to Georgetown where the path hits the C&O Towpath; went east on the towpath to the Key Bridge; took the bike path on the Virginia side of the Potomac; went onto TR island for 20 minutes; then headed back around over Arlington Memorial Bridge, along the DC side of the Potomac; a little bit of the Towpath and then back up RCP.

Overall a good run, but hamstrings and quads were pretty tired by about an hour and I was pretty dehydrated by the end. Went to the well a little bit.

RCP Beach Drive, Western Ridge Trail

Time: 84:45
Distance: 12.5 mi.

Great AM run... decided to head back out on Beach Dr. to get some better rhythm and see a different perspective of RCP. Took it all the way right to the border of Maryland, which is where the Valley and Western Ridge trails meet... was at that point at 43 min (map of that section). Ran into Aunt Susan right after I turned onto the trail, which was pretty unexpected/random. Cruised back on the trail... which was surprisingly short. From the turn point it is about 55? mins home on the Valley Trail, and 43ish on both Beach Dr. and Western Ridge.

Legs still dead.

RCP Valley Trail, Beach Drive

Time: 82:00
Distance: 12 mi.


Beach Drive

Headed out Piney Branch to Park Rd. and got up on the Valley Trail. Took that north (with a minor bit of exploring) to the bridge just past 42 minutes and turned on the road to head back on the more even path next to it. Nice to be on the flat, but my shoes (and legs!) are DEAD. Had to add on a little bit as the way back was much faster.

RCP Western Ridge and Valley Trails

Time: 84:10
Distance: 12.5 mi.

Feeling quite a bit better this morning. Met Ben at the Klingle Bridge and headed north on the Western Ridge Trail. Crossed over the river to the Valley Trail to come back south. Could be a very nice loop if this was done a little bit higher up, though it includes the roughest section of the valley trail. Added on a bit at the end of the run up New Hampshire.

Lower legs are pretty dead from these shoes, which now have over 500 miles on them. Hopefully getting something new soon!

Piney Branch, RCP, Park Rd.

Time: 30:08
Distance: 4 mi.

Shuffled over to RCP and back this morning. Very tired. Will only go this afternoon if I'm feeling a bit peppier.

Nat'l Mall, TR Island

Time: 80:00
Distance: 12 mi.
Map


A section of the trail on Teddy Roosevelt island is a boardwalk

Run from work in the evening. Was going to try to get some time in this morning but slept through my alarm and had to put in a pretty early day. Kinda beat and it was hot as hell. I also believe that the air quality must've been terrible because deep breaths made me cough pretty bad afterwards. About 4 miles to the park, circled around there a bit, then went pretty much straight back.  A little soreness in my right patella about an hour in. Also some annoying... chafing.

RCP North, Western Ridge Trail

Time: 80:00
Distance: 11.5 mi.

Cathartic run after a long day at work. Met up with Ben Peisch on the Klingle bridge and headed north on some trails... ran into the Western Ridge Trail and took that back down south to the bridge. Feeling pretty good overall, beyond being tired.

Week In Review

Time: 485:24
Distance: 72 mi.

Overall a good week of training only somewhat derailed by calf problems resulting from last Sunday's "race." 72 miles in 6 days is pretty good, and I am feeling pretty good about running with nothing feeling like an injury. Better start figuring out how to get my hands on some shoes, as I've got about 475 mi. on this pair.

RCP Western Ridge Trail

Time: 90:00
Distance: 13.5 mi.

Headed back out to the Western Ridge Trail for another long-ish run. Beautiful morning and the trail is so nice that I just wanted to keep running. Went out 47 min with a few detours and then headed back at a pretty decent pace for the trails. Had to add on about a minute once I got back. I really like this section of trail. Spent the rest of the day helping Seth move and with no power. Awesome.

Georgetown, RCP

Time: 101:24
Distance: 16 mi.

Georgetown's track from above

Met Sandy Roberts, Justin Scheid, Brandon Bonsey and a couple of Georgetown freshmen for a run starting near the school. Headed up north through Dumbarton and past the Zoo towards where I often run in RCP, then turned around. A bunch of them were just going 11, but Justin and I added on a bit more. Finished up with a few laps on their cool, but annoyingly short (320m) track and 6 x 100m strides.

Run was a bit quicker pace than I've been doing recently, but that was fine. Guys were very nice and it was fun to run with a group.

RCP Valley Trail

Time: 80:35
Distance: 11.5 mi.

Feeling groggy out the door, but felt surprisingly good in the second half... met Ben Peisch on the Klingle St. bridge and headed north to the Valley Trail. Followed the trail (which is pretty slow-going pace wise, but the steep up-and-downs keep a decent effort going) up just a bit past the park police station before turning around.

Day Off

Planned day off. Tired and legs feeling like they could use a recovery day.

RCP Western Ridge Trail

Time: 82:30
Distance: 12 mi.

Very beginning of the Western Ridge trail just past Pierce Mill

Finally getting to know the main trails rather than just looping around in RCP. Headed north on the Western Ridge Trail which winds up the west side of the park. Went out 45 minutes because I was exploring around a bit trying to figure out exactly where the trail went (and was having some mild stomach issues). Legs are feeling better, but calves are still sore. Trying to remember to keep the runs very easy.

RCP South, Dumbarton Oaks

Time: 70:30
Distance: 10 mi.

Morning run with Ben Peisch. My legs are still pretty shot, so we were running fairly slow. They warmed up a little bit, but still very stiff at the end.

Nat'l Mall, Tidal Baisin, Kennedy Center

Time: 60:30
Distance: 9 mi.
Map


The view west from the Capitol Building towards the Nat'l Mall

Capitol Hill loop that was really like a race between sprinklers. And by "race" I mean relatively slow run. The fabled DC humidity has arrived. Legs are VERY sore, especially calves, arches, and right piriformis-ish.

Piney Branch, RCP

Time: 30:00
Distance: 4 mi.

A very easy 4 mile morning run down the Piney Branch trail to RCP and then back. Calves and arches are very sore from yesterday's race. Getting in a car for 9 hours right afterwards probably didn't help. Planning on running on the Hill after work.

Week In Review

Time: 438:53
Distance: 64.5 mi.

Very good week. Happy to take a break in the middle but still get good distance in with a few double runs. Feeling very positive about running in general and happy with the "race."

About 400 miles on current shoes.

Cannonball Run 5k

Time: 65:30
Distance: 10 mi.
Race: Road 5k - 15:29 (1st)

Place    Name          City                Time       Pace
1    Owen Washburn                       15:29.0    5:00/M
2    Erik Nedeau     Belchertown  MA     16:12.0    5:14/M

Lucky to find this 5k in Belchertown this weekend... been feeling like I needed a bit of a hard effort for a while now. Thought Nedeau would probably be here and be the only competition, which was certainly the case. He took it out hard in the first mile which was mostly downhill and I followed him to just about 2 miles as the pace was still good and I didn't really know the course. Just before 2 miles there is a decently long (.3 mi according to the meet website) hill and I took it pretty hard up that back to the flat finish on the town common. Mile splits something like 4:40, 5:20, 5:00. Felt surprisingly easy and good given both no speed work and the long week of travel and lack of sleep I've had.

Full results here.

South Amherst Loop

Time: 49:20
Distance: 7 mi.

Easy double in South Amherst... okay to go a little farther, because I won't have a long run this week. Went on a very southern Amherst (into Belchertown?) run from chez Rosen with John, Bob, TAW and Brian Bissel. Pretty tired by the end and a little too close to eating, but a fine way to fulfill my one full day in Amherst.

Echo Hill, Amethyst Brook

Time: 60:20
Distance: 9 mi.



Nice morning run in Amherst. What a great place to run... went out on the Robert Frost Trail through Echo Hill to Amethyst Brook (~20 min) then headed north-ish on the Amethyst Brook trails for a little bit before winding my way back and heading back the way I came. Amazing how much I remember these trails despite not having run them much in the last few years. Won't have a long run this week, but will double this afternoon. That will work out fine if I end up racing in Belchertown tomorrow.

Benefit St., Riverwalk, Brown

Time: 67:06
Distance: 10 mi.


Benefit Street, one of my favorite roads in Providence

Another nice run in Providence with Tarpy and Ozzie (for the first 7 mi.). Kept the pace nice and chill, and it was decently humid out. Feeling tired from travel/lack of sleep, but very excited about running in general. No major physical complaints.

Brown Stadium Loop

Time: 34:00
Distance: 5 mi.

Easy morning run from the Barnes St. house on a classic morning run loop down Hope to the end of the Boulevard, back past the Brown Stadium and around the OMAC.

St. Ray's, Brown

Time: 67:38
Distance: 10 mi.


The Blackstone Boulevard, a staple of many Providence runs

Pretty beat this morning, but after a midday nap saddled up for a 10 miler with a bunch of the current Brown boys and Tarpy. Ran the 8 mile St. Ray's as some of the boys were only going that far and then added on a couple miles around campus with Tarpy to round out for 10. Tired, but legs felt quite refreshed from the last few days off, which is good. This run probably brings my St. Ray's/St. Jay's/McCoy total to 1,242.

Day Off

Fourth of July in Boston. Okay to take the day off.

Day Off

Taking the day off as I'm a bit tired and have a serious day of travel ahead of me.

Short RCP and Neighborhood Loop

Time: 30:19
Distance: 4 mi.

Easy post-run jog with Colin. Tired, but felt good to shake out.

RCP North

Time: 65:00
Distance: 9.5 mi.

AM run started as a bit of a shuffle... legs/back feeling a bit stiff this morning. Headed out and did some of the usual trails heading north in RCP. Towards the end of the run I ran into this kid (wow the Drake website sucks) who runs for Drake and is here working for one of the Iowa senators. Planning on an easy shakeout with Colin after work this evening.

Week In Review

Time: 523:02
Distance: 77.5 mi.

Pretty good week, found some nice new places to run... enjoyed running around the Nat'l Mall and today's long run was great... nice to have a long run that's not just randomly looping around. Physically feeling pretty good except for some back tightness that seems to be resolving itself. Not sure exactly how next week will go... looks like I'm doing a Tour d'New England. Looking forward to hitting up some classic PVD and Amherst runs.

RCP Valley Trail

Time: 110:33
Distance: 16.5 mi.



Found a great new trail up the east side of RCP that runs straight up to Maryland. I made it almost all the way there (55:30 out) but stopped where the trail hit where Beach Drive comes into the park. Not hard to follow at all... blue blazes all along the way. Longest run in quite a while and I've been a bit tired (and dehydrated) but it was a beautiful day and I was feeling it, bigtime. Great run. Legs were pretty dead by the end, but not as bad as I thought it might be.

Opulence, Dumbarton Oaks, RCP

Time: 67:30
Distance: 10 mi.

Started off with Colin on his "opulence run" which goes through some very ritzy neighborhoods towards Dupont Circle. I split off from him at about 3 miles and headed to the Dumbarton Oaks trails and into Rock Creek Park. This was an ill-timed run, however, and so I had to make a serious pit stop at the zoo at about 40 minutes. From there headed north, did another RCP loop and came back Piney Creek.

Nat'l Mall, White House, Tidal Basin

Time: 62:00
Distance: 9.5 mi.


The Washington Monument and Jefferson Memorial from the Tidal Basin path

Morning run from NGA because... we don't have water at our house. Pretty chill pace through 30 minutes out past the White House and to the Tidal Basin, then threw in 10x1 min hard, 1 min easy to continue my one-week old tradition of switching the pace up a bit on Fridays. Form feels a little off... back and hamstrings are tight, but no specific physical complaints.

Nat'l Mall, TR Island

Time: 71:25
Distance: 10.5



The memorial in the middle of Theodore Roosevelt Island

Post-Hitchens/Hardball run after work. Went out on the Mall past the Lincoln Memorial and across the river to TR Island. Took a bridge too far east so there was a bit of freeway crossing on the way out but I figured it out on the way back. TR Island is gorgeous and nice and cool. Running pretty easy.

RCP South, Dumbarton Oaks Park

Time: 72:32
Distance: 10.5 mi.

Morning run south in RCP to try and make a nice loop or at least explore the Dumbarton Oaks Park area. Ran straight through RCP down there, stumbled around on a few trails and around Montrose Park and Dumbarton Oaks Park and then zig-zagged back on the road and some trails. A bit tired, kept the pace slow. Was in bed very early last night, though, so hopefully if I can do that a bit this week I'll feel a bit sharper.

Hazen, RCP North, Pine Branch

Time: 77:00
Distance: 11 mi.

Easy morning run with Peisch. Have to be a little bit more realistic about the pace I'm running in RCP, regardless of effort. We took it pretty easy, and despite being dehydrated I felt pretty good. Came in on Park Rd., went on some of the west trails in the Hazen offshoot and then headed to some of the RCP northern trails. Returned home on the Pine Branch trail to Monroe St.

Capitol Hill Loop

Time: 62:00
Distance: 9.5 mi.
Map


The view east towards the U.S. Capitol building

Post-work run from NGA. It was hot, but running around the Capitol and the National Mall is pretty amazing. This particular loop included the Capitol Building, the National Mall, the Washington Monument, the Jefferson Memorial, the FDR Memorial, the Korean and Vietnam War memorials, and the Lincoln Memorial. Ran into Ben Peisch mid-run and he finished up with me before heading back towards the Washington Post building. Feeling okay, but very dehydrated.

Week in Review

Time: 483:15
Distance: 72 mi.

72 miles in 6 days isn't shabby, but it's also not that smart. Banged it out the last three days of this week and feeling a little run down as I haven't been living a good recovery lifestyle. Left hamstring / glute / back are sore as well as the inside of my right hamstring. Should stretch more. Next week I will try to be comfortable at 75-80 miles. Do not be afraid to do easy runs. Probably about 250 miles on my current shoes.

Month recap: 50, 31.5, 61, 72 (214.5)

Chesapeake and Ohio Towpath

Time: 80:33
Distance: 12.5 mi.
Map


The beginning of the towpath in Georgetown

Decided to head down to the towpath, which starts in Georgetown and goes 185 miles into Maryland. Needless to say, I didn't make it quite that far. Quite different from most of the hilly runs I've been doing--it is totally flat and really easy to roll. Didn't feel as good as I would've liked running 6:20 miles... definitely haven't been recovering well as I've been dehydrated and not getting enough sleep. Left hamstring very tight.

RCP North

Time: 94:00
Distance: 14 mi.

Met up with the Saturday morning NESCAC group: Bogden, Reinauer, Peisch and Hughes. A bit tired from last night, but we kept things pretty chill, which felt good. Had a much better handle on where we were going this week. Added on a little bit to make it 14.

Street Loop

Time: 35:40
Distance: 5 mi.

Easy evening post-work loop on the streets with Colin. Overall this felt fine. Back was better, felt good to shake out.

Pine Branch, Hazen, RCP North

Time: 62:24
Distance: 9.5 mi.

Found a better route down to the park up in the Pine Branch Park offshoot. Then ran through the Hazen Park offshoot on the other side to Connecticut which I took to Tilden which led me to the main RCP north trails for the rest of the run. At about 40:00 I included the classic 15 x 30/30 fartlek on some pretty hilly sections. Somewhat glorified strides, but it was good to get moving. Only physical complaint is my glute/lower back on the left side which has been feeling very stiff and a bit sciatic-ish. Good stretching seems to relieve this somewhat.

Day off

Had to be at work early, so I didn't run in the AM and feeling pretty tired by the evening when I got home. Happy to take the day off.

Runs to consider

The Howard Univ. track is just north of the main campus

Other runs to consider...

• RunDC has a very similar version of the run I did today run called "Dumbarton Oaks" which might be good to make this a standard run here. From 1031 Park it could look something like this.
  
• Also thanks to Google Maps, I found Howard University's track, just shy of a mile from my house... could be a good place to end some runs with some strides.
• Finally, a run to TR Island from the 1031 Park (14-15 mi.) is in order at some point.
  

RCP South Loop

Time: 60:44
Distance: 9 mi.
Map

Pretty easy run south in RCP... tried to find my way a little bit, but am relatively unsure of things down there still. There is a section of trail about 3 miles in, but this direction is mostly road. The map is very approximate, especially as to where I turned around (and after I did a few short out-and-back sections to see what I could find around there). Inside of right hamstring was pretty tight at the beginning, but it loosened up. A little stretching afterwards... also feeling like I should do some strides a few times every week.

RCP North

Time: 80:00
Distance: 11.5 mi.

Met Ben Peisch (now that all my training partners are NESCAC alums... not that that's a bad thing) for a run in RCP. Met at the Klingle Rd. bridge (10 mins in) and headed north on the trails... this was about 50% trails I've run before (75% of the run was soft surfaces). The pace was very chill the whole way... ~7 min pace, but legs felt great after 80 minutes, which was nice. Only a little stretching afterwards.

RCP North, NH

Time: 70:00
Distance: 10.5 mi.

Headed north in RCP to explore the trails again some more. I still find it amazing how much there is out there. I ran at least 75% of this run on trails, which could've been more but once I was out 40 minutes I had to find a relatively fast way home. The runs in these trails are VERY hilly, which is nice but puts some stress on the body. Hip flexors a little bit tight, but feeling good other than that. Got some okay stretching in post-run.

Week In Review

Time: 408:14
Distance: 61 mi.

After one week in DC, I'm pretty excited about running here this summer. It will definitely take some time to get into a routine, but I have good places to run and people to run with. What more do you need? Feeling physically pretty good by Sunday.

TR Island, Georgetown

Time: 40:00
Distance: 6 mi.
Map (very approximate)


Georgetown, the Potomac, Roosevelt Island

Met Chad and his friend Scott for a run from the Theodore Roosevelt Island parking lot around Memorial Bridge, through Georgetown near the river (not sure exactly where we went in here, but it was nicer/farther than I mapped out) and then back Key Bridge and back to TR Island. They dropped off and I went for one loop on the island, which seems to be just about 10 minutes of running. A little shorter than I probably would've normally gone, but feeling good and happy to be feeling good.

RCP North

Time: 105:35
Distance: 16 mi.


Miles of trails.

Mid-morning run with Bogden and another of his Colby brethren, Eric Reinauer. We met at the Pierce Mill (in RCP) and pursued what is apparently their usual exploritory plan of attack for longer runs here. This suited me fine for the first 12 miles, which is what we were shooting for, but after another 25 minutes I was getting pretty tired. Overall it was a good run, but it was a bit of a jump up from what I was planning. Pretty hard to judge pace/distance, but I think it was about 16.

Short RCP Loop

Time: 28:03
Distance: 4 mi.

Stumbled through a slow morning run--feeling pretty tired. Right peroneal somewhat sore... I'm thinking it's the fancy-shmancy shoes for work, so I might have to do some surgery on these guys. Not sure if I'm going to head out again this afternoon, but a 30 minute day would be fine right now.

RCP Parkway South

Time: 63:17
Distance: 9.5 mi.
Map


Taft Bridge, along the Rock Creek and Potomac Parkway

Headed south on the paved path which follows the Rock Creek and Potomac Parkway through RCP down towards Capitol Hill. Didn't make it all the way there, but I was near Dupont Circle without even knowing it. Starting to feel like a runner again. Hamstrings sore. (I couldn't have mapped this quite right... hard to see the trail and it winds around a lot.)

Rock Creek Park

Time: 60:03
Distance: 9 mi.


A paved section of trail in Rock Creek Park.

Trying to get into a good routine, as this is my first day of work... alarm set at 6:15, running from 6:25ish to 7:30ish, on the metro by 8:20, at work by 9:00. Given how this morning went, might have to wake up a little earlier to be safe. Went back to Rock Creek Park (RCP) to explore north this time and found even nicer trails than yesterday. It was almost Amethyst-esq, and I even saw some deer. Beautiful morning, and once I woke up a bit, I felt decent. Soft surfaces for 6+ miles. Hopefully in the next week or so I'll develop some basic loops. Will be trying to do at least 10 minutes of stretching after every run for a while, and will note when I do on the log.

Rock Creek Park, New Hampshire

Time: 51:17
Distance: 7.5 mi.

First run from my new house in Columbia Heights. Went in the eveningwith Colin so he could show me around a little bit (and because I was being lazy as sin), which kept the pace pretty chill. It's almost exactly a mile west on Park Rd. to Rock Creek Park, which is a pretty amazing place... like a bigger and more rural Central Park, almost. I see myself doing at least half of my running this summer here. We headed south on the west side of the park and then looped around on the road somehow. It will be a little while before I get the geography around here. Finished up by myself with a good add-on which goes north on New Hampshire to the circle and back (almost exactly 2 miles total).

Wilson Blvd.

Time: 60:19
Distance: 9 mi.
Map

Early morning run, again on not quite enough sleep. Ran from Bogden's house in Arlington to the Key Bridge and back on Wilson Blvd. Feeling tired, but it was nice out. Ran pretty much out and back by myself, but winded around a bit trying to figure out where I was going and added on a little bit at the end.

Week in Review

Time: 3:30:08
Distance: 31.5
Runs: 5

Down week by virtue of travel, which is fine. Haven't been sleeping well, and have been driving a lot which made me stiff, but overall no complaints. Should be back to 6-7 runs next week with a longer run depending on the extent to which I'm able to get into some sort of routine. It's been nice running with Taylor and the trip itself was pretty fun.

Great Falls Park

Time: 41:07
Distance: 6 mi.


The falls at the turn around point.

After an epic night of driving and about 3 hours of sleep at Steve Bogden's house in Arlington, VA we all headed out for a morning run at Great Falls Park. This place looks really nice and could definitely be a good spot for moderately long runs. Pretty tired, but enjoyed the run.

Little Rock

Time: 40:57
Distance: 6 mi.

Day two of the trip landed us at the Cochrine's house in Little Rock, AR. After a decent night's sleep at their house, Taylor and I went for a nice run in Aslopp Park, which is their house. It was a bit hilly and we weren't blazing, but it was overall a good run. Body, particularly hips still a bit tight, but 6-8 hours of driving isn't helping!

Day Off

The road is fuckin' hard,
The road is fuckin' tough,
There's no question that
It is rough, rough stuff.
-Tenacious D, "The Road"

This is certainly true when it comes to running and days of 9+ hours of driving. Happy to take this off, but looking forward to routine (not sure when that will be). Made it from Caprock Canyons (near Amarillo, TX) to Little Rock, AR. Would like to get in 10+ miles at least one of the next two days.

Caprock Canyons

Time: 47:18
Distance: 7 mi.



The road trip has begun... after 500 miles of driving from Austin to the Caprock Canyons State Park, Taylor and I went on a pretty easy run, but our tough desert surroundings took their toll. Dehydration, killer flies and the hot sun all made this a bit tough.

Greenbelt

Time: 37:18
Distance: 5.5 mi.



Nice easy jog on the Greenbelt with TAW. Water was very high, so there was some mid-run swimming which was nice. Strangeness continues with right calf.

Day Off

A (somewhat) planned day off. Will be in Washington, D.C. for the summer!

East Town Lake

Time: 45:28
Distance: 7 mi.

Pretty easy AM run from RunTex around the east side of Town Lake. Hips and legs stiff, especially right calf which is feeling weird... very sore. Feeling good about running.

Week In Review

Time: 5:28:33
Distance: 50 mi.
Runs: 6

A day-at-a-time week, so it was fine despite random workouts and no long runs. Back has been sore and legs have been stiff... not feeling sharp. Also haven't been sleeping soundly this week, which I guess continues a bit of a trend throughout the spring.

Day Off

The guys took off for nationals today, I'm feeling a little bit beat up, and I haven't taken a day off in a long time. Given the end of the season, makes sense for me.

Track Workout: Fast 400s

Time: 50:00
Distance: 7.5 mi.


Myers Track, University of Texas

3x400m in 55 with 4 minutes (full) rest, to pace Darren. Pretty sure I wasn't going to be able to do 55s, so I just got him through 2-300 on pace and he finished it off. I went 56, 56, 58 feeling about how I expected (he went 55, 55, 53).

Right calf is still feeling a bit funny, almost like a nerve-type thing. Last college track practice. Not sure when I'll work out at Myers again...

Mt. Bonnell, Balcones

Time: 57:14
Distance: 8.5 mi.
Map


The view from the top of Mt. Bonnell

Straight to Mt. Bonnell, over it and back Balcones. Did not take Bonnell hard at all. Not feeling a lot of "pop" in the legs these days. Probably a combination of not sleeping great and being quite dehydrated. Must work on those things as I get the routine back.