I have a cold and it's warm outside today??!?!?

It didn't feel like December at all today... felt more like an early Spring or Autumn day.  It was unseasonably warm.  A new friend from an Area Running Meetup Group emailed me about running around Old Town Alexandria.  At first I wasn't sure b/c not running all week with the Christmas holiday and being home in NJ - I know excuses, excuses!  But when I arrived back to DC Metro area last nite, I realized I was getting a cold. :-(

Anyway waking up this morning, I emailed my friend Kate as planned to see about meeting up for a run, but she had said tomorrow was better for her - so that worked for me!  We're meeting at a new place tomorrow that neither of us have run... I'll tell you how it goes!

Well, today I got that email from a friend, and I told him my running plans with a friend changed for today, so I'd be interested in meeting today for a run.  We ran  6 miles!  and it was a fun run starting at Eisenhower Metro Station and along the avenue to a run/bike trail to the Alexandria Library and around a park area.  I surprised myself and kept to my running and not worrying about my time or speed - I couldn't find my watch before I left to meet him anyway, lol.

How do I feel after running w/ a cold?  Great!  Much better than I did when I left to meet him and much better after the first mile or so I ran.... I feel like my head is clearer and I'm breathing better... so having a cold isn't a good excuse to not run anymore.... or at least I'll be more apt to give it a try next time, too.. in hopes to feel better again. :-)

Jingle All The Way... this Sunday!!

Yesterday was kind of like a preview run for me.  Jeremy had mentioned running over the bridge behind the Thomas Jefferson Memorial with another friend and it was a 6 mile run.  So I told him I'd like to try that one day.... and it was yesterday!  In the rain!!  At least it wasn't cold yesterday, like today, and it wasn't raining hard... it was just misty.

I didn't feel as great as I thought I would, but realized where I didn't prepare myself for the run.  The previous two nights I didn't get a good nite sleep and common sense would tell you that would have a negative impact on one's performance.  But the important thing is that I didn't let that be an excuse to not run... Jeremy wouldn't accept that excuse anyway.  And I remember our Team Challenge Running Coach had us fill out a pre-training questionnaire.  The last question was, "What is your usual excuse for not running?"  I answered, "Tired."  After our answer was, "You are not allowed to use this as a reason not to run anymore."  So I ran the 6 miles over the bridge.

I remember riding my bike to work the first day and actually crossed this same bridge, but then realized the 14th Street Bridge brought me closer to work.  So it was neat to run over the bridge, I first rode my bike over.

I'm really looking forward to the 10K run this weekend on Sunday.  It's the Jingle All The Way 10K and we're given bells to tie to our sneakers during the race... I can't wait!! lol

Run for My Lunch.... literally!!

This week I'v been running for my lunch... well I know I've been doing it for the past few months, but for some reason it stood out today.  It's almost a habit now - I have to run @ lunchtime!  It's a lot of fun and definitely is a good stress reliever.

So in a few days, I'll be competing in my first 10K run.  I'm really excited about that b/c lots of us from Team Challenge will be participating and it will be a good preview for the Miami Half Marathon!!! Miami is only a couple months away - I'm so happy with all the support I've received and for CCFA.  Thank you!!

I'll mention one specific run Jeremy & I completed this week... actually it was Monday!  I mentioned about always wanting to run in DC since I moved here a couple years... but I always wanted to run around the Tidal Basin.  (click "Tidal Basin" to see an ariel view of it... and you can see the Capitol Bldg, where we start our run every lunchtime, in the top center of pic.) 

I missed the Team Challenge run around the Tidal Basin at the beginning of our training bc my niece and sister visited me (remember I did lots of walking that week... and according to Nicole, that still counts!!), so when Jeremy headed for the Jefferson Memorial I was really happy.  We not only ran to the Jefferson Memorial, but passed it and then to the Lincoln Memorial, by the Washington Monument and down the Mall to the Capitol Building... back to our office bdg.  It was a great run!!  I've rode my bike around the Tidal Basin, but now I've ran there, too!! :-)  Jeremy suggested it was a 6 mile run according to what we've run before... but when I did a quick check on run.com website, it came to be about 5.5 miles.... so it was probably 6 miles since Jeremy says I'm not perfect recreating our running routes - I just follow him! :-)

I'm really looking forward to my 10k run... I'll definitely let you know how it goes... I'm not worried about my timing so much as just running the entire course and feeling good at the end.  I'll continue to update you on my running progress... and if you don't see a post, check on the right for my daily running.  

Thanks again for all your support!! Go DC Team Challenge!!! We're going to find a cure for colitis & crohn's!!!