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. :-)

I don't think I could map out today's run!

Today was fun to run w/ Jeremy @ lunchtime.  When we started I commented that I was bored with running to Lincoln Memorial this week... imagine that! bored of running to Lincoln, and ever since I moved to DC Metro I always wanted to run to and around any of the Memorials.

Jeremy did a great job running anywhere and everywhere!  We started out as usual from our office bldg - a block from the Capitol Bldg & the Mall - and ran on the opposite side of Independence Avenue than we normally run.  Then Jeremy made a left turn at the light and we ran towards the Potomac River by L'Enfant Plaza.  We ran down towards the river in the direction of the Tidal Basin where I remember sneaking through to get to the Cherry Blossoms in the spring time during the festival.  If you visit DC, that's the time to come - April - when the Cherry Blossoms are in full bloom.  They're beautiful!!  Plus by April, the millions of people expected for Obama's Inaugural Event in January, will have been long gone!  It's going to be crazy in DC... and I'll be running around them all - ha ha!

There's also a Chesapeake Seafood place that sells fresh fish year round... always lots of tourists there and it's within walking distance of the Tidal Basin.  I have yet to get anything from there... then we headed back to the Washington Monument and across the National Mall towards Chinatown, The National Archives, FBI Hoover Building (a friend of mine who's an agent took me to lunch there, it was awesome!), by the National Building Museum... mentioning these federal buildings reminds me of when I awarded & administered the security guard contracts for these buildings.  Minus the FBI Building of course!!  Oh and that reminds me, we did run by the huge, gigantic Ronald Reagan Building... that was the best security guard contract I had while working @ Federal Protective Services HQ.  We ran by so many important places... then again it's DC... National Air & Space Museum, Old Smithsonian Castle, Dept of Agriculture....

I think I've gone off target with this post and need to concentrate more on how my running went today.  We ran for 50 mins, so that would mean about 4-5 miles.  I'm taking tomorrow off with running and relaxing my legs to get them ready for a long run with Kate on Saturday morning along with DC Team Challenge.  Kate is a lot of fun to run with... so I'm glad she mentioned setting a distance goal for us to run together on Saturday morning.  I'll continue to keep you posted how the running goes.... This is one of the best challenges I have committed to and so glad friends & family are supporting me and the great cause for CCFA - Thank you!!

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

Miami and Copenhagen on different days!

Friday was a good run... we ran somewhere between 5 and 6 miles.  I mapped out at least 5 miles, but Jeremy reviewed my route and said I missed some of the distance... so we probably ran closer to 6 miles.  It was a fun run b/c Jeremy led the run (as always lol) and seemed to just run anywhere throughout DC.  It was warmer than what either of us expected for beginning of November... so that's where the title of "Miami" came in for this post.  I felt much better than what expected w/ the warmth and also the distance, which is definitely (at least I think) a good sign!!

So where does Copenhagen come in?  As much I would like to be there right now, it just seemed like that's where I was today during my bike ride.  Yesterday, I took a rest day and was really feeling like doing something today.  So when the sun was shinning bright this afternoon, it only seemed appropriate that I go outside & stay away from the gym today.  I opted for a long bike ride.... I've been missing biking since I've been running @ lunchtime during the week.  And I didn't want to overdo it by biking to work and then running so much at lunch.  So I took advantage of the great weather today for a great bike ride.  It started out nice and sunny... not warm, but not chilly... then the clouds moved in and it started to feel chilly.  The Concierge at my apartment building asked if that made me ride quicker coming home... I don't think so, but wearing a T-shirt and shorts wasn't as comfortable for the conclusion of my ride as it was in the beginning.  So the weather on the chilly side and all the bikers out on the path today, reminded me of when I was in Copenhagen. :-)

Hope everyone is having a great weekend, too.  I can't believe we're only a couple weeks from Thanksgiving and that means Miami is that much closer!  And now for quick fundraising update... I passed the $1,500 mark... so this a very motivating milestone!! Thanks for everyone's support and cheering me on!!  Almost to the 50% mark... there's still time for anyone else that would like to make a donation to help me make the required $3,600 to run in Miami!  Click here to go to my Fundraiser Page.

Today I ran, while Jeremy was home!

So yesterday, Jeremy and I ran 4 miles to the Lincoln Memorial... it was a great run!  The weather was a bit chilly, but there was no wind so it wasn't cold.  Then today, I got dressed to go run and walked out of the office building.... but it was raining!  I told Jeremy I would run even though he said he wouldn't be there... so now what was I to do?

The gym downstairs!  I tried something different today, but kept in mind that I might be standing in line to vote after work today... so didn't want to push myself too hard today w/ exercise.  So I ran for 25 minutes on the elliptical machine AND also I rowed on the rowing machine for 15 minutes... 40 minutes of cardio!

And it gets even better... today I got home early around 3:30 and headed to the voting polls @ 4pm.  I had to go a few blocks in Old Town at the Fire House.  I was ready to stand in line a couple hours and brought a bottle of water with me.  I walked up to the side of the firehouse, but where was the long line?  There was no line... I walked right in!  I didn't even have to wait to watch a short demo with the election machine.  So I was done voting in about 5 minutes!!

I hope everyone had a great day today and voted. :-)

Training = Fundraising AND Running @ Lunch is Fun!

This is a quick post that I'm writing while watching the last Presidential debate.  Today, Jeremy & I ran about 45 minutes, but we're not sure of the distance.  I believe Jeremy said he estimated it to be 4 miles.  We started running to the National Mall and then Jeremy asked me if I wanted to head to the Lincoln Memorial or go up Capitol Hill.  I suggested we run up the opposite side of the Capitol (which is still a hill), so that's what we did.

Then we ran down different streets in the neighborhood behind the Capitol and I recognized some of the streets from the "Mystery Capitol Run" we did last week.  So it's great we're able to change up the running route.

Also, after running at least 5 miles yesterday, we weren't interested in pushing ourselves too hard.  But thanks to Jeremy I pushed myself with this run.... if he didn't meet up with me at lunch, it would have been a perfect REST day lol

I just realized tonight when commenting on Nichole's comment on my previous post, that my Training and Fundraising are progressing at the same rate... Training is at 5 mile (38% of 13.1 miles) and Fundraising is at $1,389 (39% of $3,600).  Thanks for everyone's support & donations!  I'm going to cross that Finish Line in Miami and CCFA will get closer to finding a cure for Chron's & Colitis!

Everytime it changes, I feel better

Yesterday we ran 4 miles via the Lincoln Memorial run.... but we did it backwards!! It was fun to run on the opposite side of the Mall first and then to run the opposite away around the Lincoln Memorial. I believe doing that helps me mentally get stronger running... Jeremy and I talk about that lots when we're running. I often try to say positive things like "I feel great" or "It's so beautiful out," to try to distract myself from being tired while running.... some days it works better than others.

Yesterday, running opposite way around the Lincoln Memorial did the trick - it was a good 4 mile run yesterday! Also, having Wednesday (10/9) off with a rest, probably helped yesterday's run.

Have to wait & see what today's Lunchtime run is.... I think it's going up to near 80F today again... so it will be another warm day - but the sun is shinning :-)

Changing things up & Not Overtraining w/ initial running

Today I decided to try something new in my training plan.  Instead of running with Jeremy, since he was home today, I decided to attend an hour of aerobic class @ lunchtime.  I took advantage of this opportunity to try something different and didn't want to become susceptible to overtraining .  It's not just a regular jump and move aerobic class either... it's actually choreographed for a total of walking 4 miles!!

Click here to go to Leslie Sansone's website... Leslie's workouts really keep you moving from anywhere of 45 mins to 1 hour.  Through the duration of the DVD program, Leslie makes it known how far you've travelled from 1 - 4 miles.  Today I completed 4 miles and felt really good!

So tomorrow I'm expecting to resume running w/ Jeremy... I'll let you know how it goes... cross your fingers for sun & no rain! :-)