Training Tuesdays: 10.11.11.

My last 20-miler is in the books and I am ready to taper.

Hallelujah and amen.

Remember back in late August when l posted on feeling the first hints of fall and reminiscing about back-to-school shopping? Back then I put together a collage of all the fall (back-to-school) items I really wanted to purchase, but I never posted it. Well here it is. And since I've had six weeks since I put it together, I can see what from my list of must-haves I now actually have.

*lace top (H&M), blouse, dress
trousers, *skirt (H&M)
clutch, *rings (H&M), necklace
leather watch, gold watch, *glasses
Oxfords (Payless), red heels, black heels, leopard heels

The funny thing is, when I wasn't working, I had time to shop but no money. Now that I'm working, I have a little pocket change, but don't feel like spending time in a store at the end of a long day. However, I have not been able to get the teal Zara dress, Asos clutch and Target leopard print heels off my mind for the past few weeks. Maybe I'll do a little online shopping this weekend.

Training Tuesdays: 10.04.11.

After a grueling few weeks that included a half marathon, a 20-miler and a 17-turned-18.5-miler, we finally had a break this past weekend. The group met in downtown DC, at the Department of the Interior building on Constitution Avenue, snapped a group picture and headed off on an easy 10-miler that included some key stretches of the marathon course. Haines Point: Miles 11 - 15. The 14th Street Bridge: Miles 20-21. And, most importantly, Arlington Cemetary to the Netherlands Carillon: Miles 25 - 26.2.

After all the pace groups crossed the finish line, the coaches said a few words and we turned around to head back to DC to have a team brunch. As we were crossing Memorial Bridge (the one beneath where it says "Water Points"), the sun came out for the first time all morning and it started pouring rain. We turned around to look back toward Virginia, and the finish line to see a huge rainbow.

I think this is a good omen.

This week I'm going to take it a little easy. I'm still not feeling gung-ho about completing my mid-week runs, but I'm getting them done. With our last 20-miler this weekend, I can see the end in sight.

Sometime around the middle of November, I'll have a weekend where I get to wake up early, but not too early, to a clean house, read a book on the couch and watch the morning light stream in through the windows. This past weekend was not that weekend. All told, I had three brunches, six trips into and out of the city, ran ten miles, walked four miles and generally spent a fantastic weekend with fantastic friends.

Training Tuesdays: 09.27.11.

I have officially hit this:

I haven't been feeling terrible at the end of my long runs. I don't bonk on my weekday runs. It usually takes me a few miles to get in a rhythm, but they've been fine. I've hit my training wall.

It happened last Friday. I came home from work and the last last last thing I wanted to do was go for an eight mile run. So I didn't. And then I dreaded and dragged my feet about our Sunday 17-miler up until the moment I stepped on the trail. Now on the other side of our last 17-miler, I feel better. But I am ready for the marathon to just be here already.

We have a fun 10-miler coming up this weekend that starts from downtown DC and covers the last 10 miles of the Marine Corps Marathon course, followed by a team brunch on the roof of the Department of the Interior building. The week after that is our last 20 and then we taper.

I am keeping my mileage low this week. Even though I think I'm out of my training funk, I don't need anything to intimidate me and keep me from my mid-week runs. This is what it looks like for this week:

Weekend Recap: Jesus, Etc.

If you've got some time, listen to the Wilco concert I went to last night here on NPR. They live-streamed the show, which was second best to being there. So I guess that makes listening now the third best option. It still means you still get to listen to songs from their unreleased (at least for the next couple hours) album The Whole World.

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As for songs off the new album, I really loved Whole Love. I'm sorry, Wilco, I'm just a sucker for something catchy with a quick beat (see also Outta Mind (Outta Sight)). After standing up for the first six songs of the set, I decided to take a break and parked it on our picnic blanket for a few minutes. I zoned out listening to One Sunday Morning (Song For Jane Smiley's Boyfriend), for what felt like hours, and I was surprised when I "woke up" and they were still playing it. I figured it was just the first signs of exhaustion (from having woken up at 5am and run 18 miles that morning), but no (well, yes, but...), the song is actually 12 minutes long.

Happy Weekend: My Little Gummy Bear.

After taking down a 3 pound bag of gummy bears, I feel pretty confident this guy would be no problem.

Hope your weekend is full of things that make your stomach kind of hurt, but in a good way.

Inspired By: Henri Cartier-Bresson.

To take a photograph is to align the head, the eye and the heart. - Henri Cartier-Bresson

Last week, I was reminded of how long it has been since I've felt the weight of my camera bag on my shoulder This article - 10 Things Henri Cartier-Bresson Can Teach You About Street Photography - sent me on an hours-long viewing of his photographs.

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Training Tuesdays: 09.20.11.

I love my GPS watch. It's a honkin'-big device, but shows me, somewhat accurately, my distance, pace, time and all other sorts of information. I rarely run without it. But last weekend, the coaches added a small suggestion in their reminder for the week's long run:

The nice weather, scenery, almost makes you want to leave your watch at home and just enjoy the day. [we hear the no way, but try it one day you’ll be amazed how much more relaxing it is].

And they were right (as usual). As much as I love coming home, plugging in my watch and uploading the data from my run, it was perfectly lovely to run without it. In fact, it made the first 16 or 17 miles more enjoyable. It wasn't until we got to the Airport that I constantly wanted to ask, "Are we there yet?"

When determining my schedule for this week, I wanted to be ambitious and log 8 miles each day this week, but I'm not sure that will happen. It is a busy week at work, and there is little chance I'm going to come home this evening with a full tank of gas.

This is my running schedule for the rest of the week:

Are We There Yet?

Lord help me, is it the weekend yet? All I want to do is curl up with a crocheted blanket on this couch in this room with this dog (actually, with my dog) and read my library books. My first world problem of the day: All the ebooks I had been on wait lists for became available at the same time and now I have to make sure I read them all in the next 12 days. Poor me, right?

Happy Weekend: Words

WORDS from Everynone on Vimeo.

Julia.

Julia Child was one smart, sassy, determined, loving, persistent, focused, joyful, passionate woman. I am not able to put down her memoir, My Life In France. I read it voraciously on the train to and from work and at night before bed, in the morning when I first wake up, and sometimes for a few minutes at lunch. Much of the time I find myself smiling or smirking as I read. Other times, laughing aloud. Many times I have gripped the book tightly with my hands, then almost hugged it. This may be the most inspirational book I have ever read.

I also have a little crush on Paul.

Cooler Weather: Style-wise.

It is freezing in my office, so I may be able to get a jump on wearing my fall wardrobe. I'm particularly excited about wearing...

Blazers. Particularly, my blue velvet blazer.

Scarves. I would like to knit myself a new one soon.

Boots. I have a pair just like this that I'm dying to wear.

Training Tuesdays: 09.13.11.

I'm competitive. Do you hear someone laughing? That is someone, somewhere, who knows me, and knows what an understatement that is.

Last Sunday I ran the Parks Half Marathon, a race that was built into my program's schedule from the start. Our coaches reminded us time and time again that we were not to race this race, that it was purely to help us establish and practice a pre-race routine. Up until and even the morning of the race, I was considering it just another training run. I had considered trying to run the entire race at 10:00 minutes/mile, about 30 seconds faster than my long slow distance race I train at. But the start was clogged with runners, and I was happy hanging back and chatting with a couple friends from my pace group. I clocked 10:44 minutes/mile for Mile 1.

Then, at about Mile 2, a volunteer had pulled their car to the side of the road, opened all the doors and was blasting pop music. And he was ringing a cowbell. I instantly went into race mode. For the rest of the race, save for some narrow parts along the trail, I ran seriously negative splits. By the time I got to the hill that almost killed me last week, I was racing. It was during that incline that I gave myself a, at this point, very challenging time goal: 2 hours and 10 minutes and 59 seconds, about a 9:55 minutes/mile pace. I ran my last  full mile in 8:14 and crossed the finish line in 2:10:03.

I'm not sure what this wild pacing means for my marathon strategy. I'm still inclined to run 10 minutes/miles, consistent 10 minutes/miles, and feel I may be able to go even a little faster than that. But at the same time, I wouldn't mind starting at 10s and then trying to run negative splits if I'm still feeling good toward the end.

Anyway, there are still 7 crucial training weeks left, including a 20-miler this weekend. I'm excited to brag that we will have run through 2 states and a  district.

This is my running schedule for the rest of the week:

It's Still Summer.

This picture brings back memories of riding my bike in the snow in Chicago and makes me the littlest bit excited for winter.

Thinking Before Thirty.

On the eve of my thirtieth birthday, I'm feeling, not nostalgic, but contemplative. I've been thinking about people and places that I miss or have missed. I'm allowing myself to remember and reminisce about the moments that, when they were occurring, I told myself I would never forget.

My Uncle Bob. Specifically my Uncle Bob wearing this leather jacket. Three months after he passed away, my dad showed up to one of my high school soccer games wearing this jacket. When I quickly glanced over from the field and saw a flash of red-brown leather, I could have sworn it was him.

I sure loved my Uncle Bob.

London. Is it possible that I can so deeply miss a place I've only visited three times? The smell of rain combined with bus exhaust always transports me back.

Out west. My first distinct memory is from our family's 1985 trip out west in my grandparents' RV. We were somewhere where the sky is big and cattle outnumber people when, with the windows of the RV fogged with condensation, my sister taught me how to write my name. I remember lying in the bunk above the driver and passenger seat, watching my her spell my name, and then tracing back over it, my tiny index finger pressed firmly to the cold glass.

Hackettstown versus Chatham girls' soccer state playoff game, 1996. Long story short, this game went into extra time and then penalty kicks, and, as a sophomore, I was chosen to take the first kick. I don't remember much, if anything, between the time my coach said my name in the lineup and when I saw the ball hit the back of the net. But the moments after I scored were in slow motion. I remember looking into the stands, at my dad, who was standing, smiling and cheering. I remember my friends jumping up and down, clapping and screaming. I remember my teammates rushing toward me. It was the first moment in my life that I experienced time slow down enough for me to take it all in.

Chicago. For better...

or for worse...

I missed Chicago every single day I lived in Baltimore. And not in the way that, when in a new place, one sometimes wishes they could go to their favorite old haunt, or think about the convenience of a nearby store or living near the train. I deeply, achingly missed Chicago. It physically hurt. When we moved to the DC area, all seemed right with the world again. We were back in a city we loved, were able to get around on public transportation, and again lived near family and friends. But every now and then, my longing for Chicago will arise. I'm not sure what it was about this city that captured my heart. It may have been that it was the first place hubs and I lived as a married couple; that our apartment was huge, gorgeous, open and in the middle of everything; that I made the strongest friendships of my life there. 

There are other moments I have distinctly remembered recently for the first time in years. Playing UNO with my cousins in the game room of the beach house we used to rent in North Carolina. My mom blowdrying my hair when I woke up sick and took a shower in the middle of the night. The smell of the 300 square foot studio apartment I rented in Bloomington the summer before my senior year.

Here's to more of these memories, big and small, freezing, lonely, full, sleepy, awake, alive, ecstatic moments.

Fall-like.

Yesterday was rainy and chilly, with a high only in the mid-60s. I loved getting to bundle up a bit. A cardigan, leather motorcycle jacket and scarf. I'm holding on to summer for a while longer, but when the temperatures really start to drop, I'll keep this look in mind.

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Training Tuesdays: 09.06.11.

The marathon is next month. The marathon is next month.

This is what I keep repeating to myself when I just don't feel like going out for a run. I cannot believe it is already September, that I am already four months into this training program, and that I only have eight weeks left until the race.

I hate to say a hasty goodbye to summer - I really do love the sunshiney, windows down, music blaring, happy, relaxed vibe of summer - but I have had it with this DC humidity. There were points during Sunday's 18-miler that I felt like I was running through pea soup. When I look back at my most difficult runs, they all have one thing in common. Not hills, not visual landscape and variety (or lack thereof), not running alone. Humidity. So this past weekend's run was long and sweaty and thirsty and sweaty, but, again, it's done. It's nice to look at a map of an 18-mile point-to-point run and think, I did that with just my two feet.

My legs were a little tired, a little heavy for much of this run, and there was one part in particular where I had to muster all my physical and mental strength.

To steal a quote from Yogi Berra: "[Marathon training] is 90% mental; the other half is physical."

This coming week looks like a rainy one, so I may end up on the treadmill more than I like. Luckily, I just checked out the audiobook version of Haruki Murakami's What I Talk About When I Talk About Running from the library, which should keep me entertained during two-plus hours of running without going anywhere.

As a reward for the treadmill (or rain-soaked) miles, this coming weekend is the Parks Half Marathon. I haven't figured out how I'm going to approach this race. I don't want to race at full half marathon pace, but I also don't want to run my long slow marathon training pace. I'm thinking of trying my goal marathon pace to see how I feel after 13.1 and determine if I could keep that pace for another 13.1. Only 13.1 miles. Hallelujah.

This is my running schedule for the rest of the week:

Happy Weekend: A Good Way To End The Week.

When I lived in Chicago, I went to spinning class every Friday after work. While most people were unwinding at happy hour, getting relaxed and lubricated, I was pedaling until my quads burned and dripping with ungodly amounts of sweat. It was the perfect way to release the stress and tension of the week and start the weekend off feeling great.

Now that I'm back at work, I'm not able to do my weekday runs in the morning. I'm generally out for an hour to an hour and a half, and there is no way I could do that, get ready and leave the house by 7:30am. Instead I have been running after work. Last night I went out for a 6-miler along the Rock Creek Trail. Spending an hour on the trail, with a hint of fall in the air and daylight fading, is a pretty beautiful way to end the week and start the weekend.

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Wearing: Casual Thursday.

This is almost the exact outfit I wore to work today. Even though it is a little casual, I felt incredibly chic. It may have been the peep-toe pumps. Compared to the grey Toms I wore on my commute, the pumps looked great. I loved pairing a striped long sleeve T-shirt with a bright red-orange full skirt. A jacket and scarf is absolutely mandatory because my office is so cold. The scarf I wore is similar to the one shown, but has a black, rather than beige, background. I love snugging up in a scarf when I'm hard at work. Preferably with a hot cup of coffee.

Summer Ending.

A ugust was almost over. The first cool touch of autumn moved slowly through the town and there was a softening and the first gradual burning fever of color in every tree, a faint flush and coloring in the hills, and the color of lions in the wheat field. Now the pattern of days was familiar and repeated like a penman beautifully inscribing again and again, in practice, a series of l's and w's and m's, day after day the line repeated in delicate rills.

Dandelion Wine, Ray Bradbury

Training Tuesdays: 08.30.11.

Respect the long run. And by long run, I mean any run over 5 miles. Actually, just respect the run.

Because of the hurricane (my second weather emergency last week), our long run was switched to Saturday. Now, I am nothing if not a routine-oriented person. I have my pre-run routine down pat, and it starts at about 5pm the evening before a long run with a salad and a large bowl of spaghetti with Classico Tomato & Basil sauce. I drink a ton of water, try to go to sleep early and get up at 5am the next morning to have enough time for coffee, food and travel to our starting point. Because we ran on Saturday, I wasn't able to follow my pre-run ritual. I was still at work at 5pm, not eating my pasta dinner. And then I went to happy hour and drank beer. I ate dinner late that night, stayed up reading until 1am and could barely drag myself out of bed at 5:15am. I was late leaving the house and couldn't find the parking lot we were supposed to meet. By the time I figured out where our starting point was, it was 6:55am, and the group was already at least 20 minutes ahead of me.

What I should have done was take off at my normal GAD pace, catch the group on their way back and just deal with having run a shorter distance than planned. What I did do was run the first 7 miles at 30-60 seconds/mile faster than my normal pace and completely skip walking water breaks. I caught up to my group right as they were turning around, meaning I would be able to do the entire distance. Meaning I was terrified that I was going to bonk at some point on the way back.

And you know what? I didn't. The run went fine. Because of this little exercise in what not to do I have realized that I am probably in the best shape of my life. Sure, my 15-miler was a little more challenging than some of my other runs, but it was by no means my worst run.

So here's to keeping up with my training schedule, despite my life being much busier now. Here's to going to sleep early the night before long runs. Here's to hydrating with water and smoothies and chocolate milk. I love the long run. I love the run.

This is my running schedule for the rest of the week:

Happy Weekend: Work Week One Done.

My first week at my new job was exciting, a little overwhelming and totally engaging. I know I will accumulate a lot of papers, books, and reports over the coming months, but for now my office is nice and tidy. Bare, even. Here are some prints I would love to hang on my walls.

But enough about work...it's the weekend!

Wearing: To Work (Part 3).

This is where it gets easy. Dresses. Add shoes and you're done. Ok, few other accessories are nice. But for today, here are all the dresses and all the shoes I would like to stock my closet with this fall.

J. Crew, J. Crew, Banana Republic, Banana Republic (sold out?)
Zara, Zara, Zara, Zara
Asos, Asos, Asos, Anthropologie

Payless, Urban Outfitters, Urban Outfitters
Ann Taylor, Ralph Lauren
H&M, Zara, Zara
H&M, Old Navy
Payless, Old Navy

Clearly, right now I am looking for shoes to add to my work wardrobe, but it is nice to also include some flats and boots for weekends and evenings. And to wear on the way to work. You don't think I actually walk to the Metro in heels, do you?

I love how just switching to a different pair of shoes can instantly take an outfit from work-appropriate to date-appropriate or weekend-appropriate.

Wearing: To Work (Part 2).

I love skirts, but I have always had a hard time figuring out how to wear them - what color and style shirt to wear, what shoes, how to accessorize. So I put together an inspiration board of skirts and blouses that paired well together.

tops: J. Crew, Zara, Zara, Old Navy
skirts: J. Crew, Asos, H&M, Old Navy

Boring, right? So I paired these skirt and blouse combinations with shoes and accessories to create completed looks.

House of Harlow necklace, Asos clutch, Zara wedges

Tolani scarf, Dogeared necklace, H&M heels

Zara beaded collar, Asos belt, Asos clutch, Ralph Lauren heels

Anthropologie necklace, Zara handbag, Michael Kors watch, Zara wedges

I am really trying to build a wardrobe of classic, timeless pieces - the Michael Kors watch, green city handbag, the perfect A-line skirt - but I am just loving some of the more creative, bold accessories this fall. I have had my eye on the House of Harlow necklace for over a year. And I almost fainted when I saw the beaded collar at Zara. What a piece of art. Same with the Anthro necklace...and priced like a piece of art too!