Training Tuesdays: 07.26.11.

Last week was a toughie. With temperatures hovering around 100 degrees for the last half of the week and weekend and heat indexes reaching 115, running outside was trying. Our Wednesday workout was the much-anticipated Mormon Hill run and it was as much of a killer as I expected, partly because of the long, steep hill and partly because the heat and humidity made it feel like 105 degrees at 6pm. Here's a virtual hill run I put together for you.

Then we ran the hill two more times. I felt like my Wednesday running lesson was brought to me by the letter H: the heat, humidity and hill schooled me. On Friday, I ran on the treadmill for the first time in two years.

Our long run on Sunday was no cake walk either. When I woke up at 5:00am, it was 80 degrees with 80% humidity and a 73 degree dew point. Help me, Rhonda. The run went along as planned, albeit with more and longer water breaks. The 16-mile route took us from Bethesda to Union Station in DC via Hains Point, the island between the Potomac River and Washington Channel. Hains Point was both longer and more exposed than I expected, but the National Park Service must have felt bad for us because they lined the entire road around the park with sprinklers. I didn't mind that the water was being pumped out of the Potomac or that some of the sprinklers weren't so much misting us as pelting us right at eye and ear level. It made miles 10 through 13 bearable. Heck, it made the rest of the run more bearable. After running 16 miles in those weather conditions, I feel like I am truly (at least mentally) ready for the marathon.

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

July 4th Recap.

We had a perfectly American Independence Day. We started it off by sleeping in on a holiday Monday. It's what Uncle Sam would want. Then we loaded our bikes into the back of the car, drove a short distance to northwest DC and rode our bikes through Rock Creek Park and along Pennsylvania Avenue into downtown. Since the Metro wasn't too busy yet (I think everybody was watching the parade), we took the green line down to Nationals Park.

What is more American than baseball? Why, watching baseball from awesome seats, while eating a chili dog, drinking beer, and almost catching a foul ball, of course! I found myself rooting for the Nats and the Cubs. And even though the home team won, I serenaded the crown with "Go Cubs Go" as we were leaving the stands.

To skip the Metro chaos after the game, we walked from Nationals Stadium back to the Mall. The area around the stadium is still turning. There are quite a few new high rise office and residential buildings, but some old "New Condos" are still available.

Knowing that we were going to be waiting a while for the fireworks to start, we grabbed some beers and burgers at the Hawk 'n Dove on Capitol Hill before heading to the Mall to find a small piece of real estate from which to watch the show. We ended up sitting right at the foot of the Washington Monument looking west, and watched the fireworks pop with the Lincoln Memorial in the background.

The last time I went to see live fireworks on the 4th of July was in 2001 in Indianapolis. I'm not sure why it has taken me this long to realize how incredible a live fireworks display is. And fireworks on the 4th in Washington, DC, can't be beat. I think we've found a new tradition.

Wearing: July 4th Weekend.

Not very glamorous. Not very interesting. But very practical. This is what I'll be living in this weekend. In fact, I started wearing this outfit yesterday, slept in the T-shirt last night, and plan to (maybe, hopefully) wash it before wearing it again tonight tomorrow Monday. 

Our plans for Monday include riding our bikes into DC, listening to the reading of the Declaration of Independence at the National Archives, watching the National Independence Day Parade, heading over to watch the Nats take on the Cubbies, and, more importantly, eat hot dogs and drink beer (God Bless America). Boy, it'll be hard to root for the home team when they're playing the Lovable Losers. Later in the night, we'll probably take in some fireworks. 

This outfit will keep me cool and comfy for my busy Fourth. This T-shirt is the most perfect thing on earth. I bought a medium so it is nice and loose and comfy and I have been wearing it tied in a knot at the waist (like this pretty lady). It looks great with this Gap skirt I got last year. I might wear a pair of bike shorts under my skirt, but I might not. Let's just hope I don't get pulled over for wearing a skirt on a bike like this woman in New York. My Toms will be perfect for biking and walking around in, and the wayfarers will be absolutely necessary as it is supposed to be hot and sunny. Oh, and don't think I have a pair of for-real for-real Wayfarers. I have $8 knockoffs from Old Navy. I'm still sporting Racey Rouge polish on my nails. It will be there all summer; don't forget to tip your waitress. 

And the backpack. I could lie and tell you I'm going to carry around some adorable straw tote or trendy crossbody bag. But, you know what? I won't be. My trusty Jansport will carry everything I need for the day - a blanket to splay on during fireworks on the Mall, my camera, and sunblock, sunblock and more sunblock. Seriously, we've been having summer-like weather for over a month now and I'm still pale as a ghost. And intend to stay that way, thank you very much.

Josh Ritter: Keeps His Chickens in the Car.

File this under reasons I love this city. Last night, my favorite singer and new author, Josh Ritter, had a book reading and signing at Politics & Prose. He discussed how he approached writing his novel, Bright's Passage, and how writing the novel was similar to and different from writing songs. Talking about how his writing method, he said he determines the rhythm and meter of a song and builds the lyrics and rhyme to fit. Similarly, he said determining the arc of the story helped him keep his ideas organized when approaching his novel. He recalled a quote by Tom Waits: "Gathering all this material together was like rounding up chickens at the beach." And then noted that he would have to keep his chickens in the car.

photo by Politics & Prose

Having an angel be a major character in the book made him realize how often angels show up in his songs. He played Folk Bloodbath and Galahad as examples.

photo by Politics & Prose

He was just as joyful talking about and reading from his novel and answering the audience's questions as he is when he's playing...which is pretty damn joyful. If you've never seen him live, see Exhibit A, below, to get an idea of what I'm talking about. Then go to his website, see when he's playing near you, and buy tickets. Stat.

Vic Theatre, Chicago, May 15, 2010 (yes, I was there)
photo by eight one seven photography

If you've never heard his music, please take a listen. This is a video from his NPR Tiny Desk Concert. The first song of his set, The Temptation of Adam, is a sweet, romantic song about strangers finding love in a missile silo during a nuclear war. It is one of my favorite songs of his, and favorite songs, period. To read more about this song, read this fantastic interview Josh did with Independent Weekly back in 2007. He also plays Lark, Rattling Locks and Kathleen during the NPR set.

You're welcome.