2 hours closer to Miami and closer to finding a cure!

This morning I woke up around 6am to get ready to meet DC Team Challenge @ Tidal Basin for our weekly long run. The weather forecast didn't have high winds or any terrible cold... sunny and in the 40s... but probably only in 30s when we met, but the sun felt good!!

There was about 10 or so of us who met this morning.... I ran with Elizabeth this time. We ran together a few other times and do great together. Our pace is about the same, too... and we also do a good job motivating each other. The team spirit definitely helps with long endurance runs. Kate didn't make it to this meeting, but I'm sure she'll be back running with us soon after her injury heals. Get Better, Kate!! :-)

We ran for a total of 2 HOURS!!! And here's a list of the places we covered during our run:
1. the National Mall - this place will be covered with lots of ppl in a few wks for the Inaugural Day.
2. Capitol Building - it's an awesome feeling running by the Botanical Garden and seeing the US Flag flying at the Capitol Bldg... the reflecting pool in front of Capitol Bldg was a bit frozen, but it didn't stop some birds, geese and ducks from being in there.
3. Museums we ran by: the Smithsonian Museums (including the castle), the Air & Space Museum, Natural History Museum, National Gallery of Art, Holocaust Museum, Bureau of Engraving & Printing
4. the Washington Monument - we ran around a couple times... last time was to finish off the last 15 mins of the run before we headed back to our meeting location near the Tidal Basin
5. Tidal Basin including the Jefferson Memorial and Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial
6. Lincoln Memorial
7. Arlington Cemetery - after crossing the Bridge behind Lincoln Memorial (Jeremy and I ran over the Bridge before during our lunch runs), we kept going... lol... all the way to the cemetery entrance!!
8. WWII Memorial - it is such a great feeling to run past the Washington Monument and head for the Lincoln Memorial as you run by the WWII Memorial and by the Reflecting Pool.

I believe we had cheerleaders along the run today, too. Every so often, I noticed a flock of geese settled on the grass as we ran by or in the pools or in the Tidal Basin... sometimes they were noisy as tho they were cheering us on. :-)

The mention of the geese is important in this post because geese are known to be used to symbolize team building situations. Here's an interesting fact: "As each goose flaps its wings in its place in the formation, it creates uplift for the goose following it. By flying in a “V” formation, scientists have calculated that the whole flock adds up to 71 % more flying range than if the geese flew separately."

So the Teambuilding Lesson: People who share a common direction and a sense of belonging to one another can go farther together than alone. Everyone in Team Challenge shares the common direction of preparing for a Half Marathon and raising awareness & money to find cures for horrible diseases!! Win- Win!! (we don't run in the V-formation tho lol)

Wow!! Running in downtown DC is really great and adds to the excitement of what we're running for. After running for 2 hours, I felt like I could have kept going... Elizabeth commented to me when we were running to the Arlington Cemetery (about an hour into our run), that she remembers it being a dig deal for us to get to 1 hour running... and now we're running 2 hours w/ no problem. So Miami is 2 hours closer now!!

120 mins of running means we probably ran about 12 miles today!! Click here to see how you can help... donations are accepted up until about Jan 16th. And the ING Half Marathon is January 25th in Miami!! (starts @ 6:15am - yeaa for morning runs lol)

The best place for my longest run so far...

I did it!! Well almost... I've been wondering when I would hit the 10 mile mark, but I came super close today.  DC Team Challenge met up at Burke Lake Park, VA and we ran around the lake twice.  It's not a small lake... between 4.5 and 4.7 miles once around... and has a great run/walk/bike trail.... so we ran somwhere between 9 and 9.5 miles.  For the most part it's gravel & dirt paths, with the occasional paved bit near parking areas.  The trail is very scenic by the lake with some great clearings where you can look over to the other side of the lake.  I noticed some geese and squirrels running around this morning.  The sun was not shining much today (hopefully that means it was in Denmark!), so it was an overcast, grey sky with  chill in the air, but not wind... so it was good weather for a long run.

The Burke Lake Park was an excellent location for my longest run of more than 9 miles... I believe how the goal distance of the day was split in half around the lake, it was very motivating.  Because as soon as you ran around the lake once, you knew you could do it again... or maybe it was I just kept going and then before you know it you're about 1/4 away around the lake, so you might as well keep going.  And just like Jeremy told me during our lunchtime run, if you continue running, you'll get back faster! lol Such great common sense advice... but it really works when you're out there running.  Plus I remember that training quote from a previous post saying every mile you run, adds to your bank (of endurance).... so 13.1 miles really has been getting closer with every run I complete.

I've noticed during the chilly months, as we approached December and with the occasional below 30 or low 40s, my body warmed up after the first mile and after 3 miles I was breathing regularly with the cold air not bothering me so much.  I still have to figure out the best way to handle a runny nose in the cold weather.... I hate to keep sniffling and can't wait to get a tissue when I finish running.... but maybe this won't be a problem to worry about in Miami in the 60/70F weather... I can't wait!! It's amazing how your body adapts to the climate and change in temperature, while at the same time allowing itself to build an endurance to longer runs.  I believe running gives me a new appreciation for my body and more of what I'm capable of doing.... so that's awesome!

Today's run was fun... I met up with Kate and we always motivate and cheer each other on.  We comfortably ran at the same pace and are definitely looking forward to Miami to cross that Finish Line together!!  The first lap around the lake wasn't too bad... I remember seeing the 3.5 mile marker and thinking how fast that went.  When I saw the 3.5 mile marker for a second time, I was really proud of us!! We were doing it!!  Our Team Coaches were awesome and had a table set up with quick water and snacks for us at around the 4+ mile marker... The DC Team Challenge is really a great experience and an awesome bunch of people who are trying to hit the $3,600 minimum goal to run, but we all have the same goal to run across that 13.1 mile Finish Line & Find a Cure!!!

Christmas is this week, but I'm going to try my best to keep up 

with my training and not let myself slack off.  I commented to a friend tonite though, about how I relaxed during the Thanksgiving holiday week and it didn't hurt me the following week.  Actually I believe it may have been a great rest for my body.... the only thing is the disappointment I get from not seeing the miles up during that week - so I guess running really can be a mental game after all. :-)

I'm looking forward to my next long run... I'll keep you posted on my training for the upcoming week and how I'm progressing towards that 10 mile mark!!  13.1 miles isn't that far anymore and neither is Miami!!!! Jan 25th will be here before we know it!!

3, 4, now 5 Miles!... & the "345" ticket!

Today was our DC Team Challenge Meetup training run @ Arlington, VA.  We meet every Saturday at various places throughout the DC Metro area at 8am for a long run and today it was 5 miles at least.  I don't have an exact calculation, but some team members wearing GPS said it was 5 miles.  We ran 30 minutes and then turned around for 30 more mins ... so it was a good run.  I found another running partner, Elizabeth, who shares similar pace with me and she's great at saying encouragements at the right times!

We met at Washington-Lee High School and headed for a run/bike trail called, Custis Trail.  There were plenty of hills and windy paths on the trail, but Elizabeth and I kept going for the 60 min run.  We only had to briefly stop for a traffic light to wait for traffic to pass, so this is a great trail to run without stops.

After the run we all met back @ Washington-Lee High School and Kevin (our Team Coach) answered any questions.  Then our fundraising clinic, presented by Dani our Team Manager took place.  She shared some insight on how we're (DC Team) doing compared to the other at least 50 (I believe it was a # high like that) Regional Teams are doing.  Team DC was in 2nd place last Saturday, but Team Long Island has surpassed us.... we'll catch up again I'm sure.  Dani made sure to congratulate on our great Team work so far and it's only the beginning!

Next was the fun surprise part.  Every Saturday, Dani acknowledges the Team Memeber who has raised the most donations during the week, she also awards the most creative websites, and Team members are invited to enter into a Raffle for a few dollars.  The winning you receive is then for you to place towards your Fundraising Goal.  I bought a ticket for $5 and 20 minutes later Dani pulled the winning ticket - Ticket #345.  I reached into my pocket and at first I couldn't find it, thinking no problem, because I never win anyway. lol  I found my ticket and it was #345!! I won :-)  I've only been home for 20 or so minutes and I already recorded the winning amount on my website.  Thanks DC Team Challenge!! :-)

I can't wait to continue running this week.... my last post is correct.  I keep feeling better the more I run! :-)

It's all about managing your bank

I ran across this quote (no pun intended lol) and thought it was a good way to think about the running I do during the week with Jeremy.

"Putting miles in your training log is like putting money in the bank. You begin to draw interest on it immediately."
-Hal Higdon

I've taken the past couple days off to rest up for the Team Challenge training meet-up on Saturday morning. These meet-ups happen every Saturday and on last Saturday, when I took a break before the meet-up, I felt really good running the entire time. So far the past week I've run a total of 9 miles, with 5 miles being the longest single distance. I guess hitting a 5 mile milestone this week, means I need to rest a couple more days. It's fun to see how my body adjusts to the running I've been doing. Each time we run a little bit more or add that extra run up Capital Hill, it gets easier. :-)

The last post I mentioned friends and family supporting me with dollar a mile or such, but Jeremy is helping me increase my personal training bank of mileage. Even though sometimes I tell Jeremy I think I've reached my limit, we push a little farther, and add to my bank.... thanks, Jeremy! :-)

Team Challenge Training Run was great!

Today I woke up around 5am and was excited about my first Team Challenge Training Run.  Mac told me, "put your running shoes on, and run like crazy!"

We met at 8am @ Potomac Running Store in Arlington, VA.  I didn't know what to expect as far as who was going to be there and of course was nervous about everyone else's running level.  I was hoping not to be getting in over my head... well, everything turned out great!

Our Team Challenge Manager, Dani, had everyone fill out Running Profiles, so that her & Kevin could group everyone according to their running experience/level.  I was in Group 2 - not too bad to be considered middle!  I met some great ppl and looking forward to our future running training sessions.

Our Team Challenge Running Coach, Kevin, proposed a 4.6 mile run.... I wasn't too crazy about it since I just starting running 4 miles comfortably the past week, but I was up for the challenge.  I ran with a couple girls that seemed to be at around the same running pace as me.  At the end, Kate & I ran down Wilson Bvd to make up for not doing the couple of zig-zags down side streets that Kevin had originally proposed.  So here's a link to what I'll call the Potomac Running Store Team Challenge.  

After we all returned to the Running Store, Kevin introduced us to some running techniques and exercises to do after our runs.  They involved leg/knee-lifts when you run, lunges, and different sprint runs to finish off our runs with. It was so much fun..... I can't wait until next wkend!

More miles than last week and still going....

Yesterday, was a great run for me to the Lincoln Memorial - 4 miles! I told Jeremy I believe that was my best 4 mile run so far. Funny how I almost thought yesterday would be my break, since I worked late the past few days... and Tuesday, 9/30 - the last day of Fiscal Year (FY) 2008 until Midnight!
Tomorrow I'll be running again and Saturday morning is the first Team Challenge Meetup @ the Tidal Basin for a morning run.