Running On Fumes

Posted on July 30, 2011 by Coco

 

It’s been one of those weeks when life has conspired against me getting enough sleep: work stress and after-work functions, night owl teenagers who are willing to talk to me late at night, my husband being out of town. I honestly can’t remember the last time I even got 6 full hours of sleep.

When I’m stressed, I usually wake up early, so I’ve still been getting in my workouts. I certainly need to burn off some adrenaline and load up on endorphins. When my alarm went off on Thursday, though, I was tired. I easily could have hit snooze and gone back to sleep. But then I thought of the french fries I had with lunch on Wednesday–and the bacon that was on my chicken sandwich–and the cheese–and also remembered that my day would include a dinner meeting at a nice restaurant, so I got out of bed and went for my run.

(I don’t know if that was a “healthy” decision. I know sleep is important. I know I can indulge once in a while without veering too far away from my healthy goals. But I know I would have felt crappy mentally if I had skipped that run.)

When Friday came, I cut myself some slack and decided to start my day with Rodney Yee. It was the perfect way to “do something” that was gentle on my body, but still satisfied my mental need to start my day with some form of exercise.

One reason I decided that yoga was the right workout for Friday was because I had promised my friend I would run with her on Saturday before our work “retreat.” We both really enjoyed our run two weeks ago, and when I refused to run outside last weekend because of the heat, I promised I would go this weekend.

It wasn’t any cooler this weekend–we hit 104° yesterday and it was 81°F and muggy at 6:00 am this morning. We opted for the same route as last time to catch the breeze off the Potomac River and the shade along the Mall. We managed to keep a decent pace, but the humidity definitely took its toll. I was really glad I had put Gatorade in my water bottle!

When we got back to the office I begged a cup of ice off of Starbucks to help me cool off. I put some ice down my back and in my sports bra, but it didn’t seem to make a difference! I took a cold shower to speed the cool down process–I swear sometimes I am still sweating after I take a shower–gross!

Garmin Data
Total Distance: 7 miles
Total Time: 1:05
Average Pace: 9:17 min/mile
Split Times: 9:17, 9:18, 8:51, 9:01, 9:36, 9:37, 9:20

How do you cool off after a hot, summer run?

Do you use any sports drinks?

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Who Inspires You?

Posted on July 29, 2011 by Coco

Are there people you admire or look up to, who inspire you work hard to do your best–to be your best? Some people might be inspired by celebrities and their rock-hard bodies, but I am more inspired by everyday people. It means more to me to know that another busy working mom is getting up at o’dark-thirty to squeeze in a workout before she has to get her kids ready for school and get herself in to the office.

I am inspired by another unlikely candidate: an elderly man who lives a few neighborhoods over. I first encountered him this winter, during one of my pre-dawn runs, and I see him almost every morning when I run near where he must live. He is always dressed nicely in a button shirt and khakis, but I also noticed that he wears good athletic shoes! He is always friendly, returning my smile and wave no matter how sweaty I am.

(OK, he doesn’t have a pipe, but otherwise he does look like this!)

It really struck me that someone his age (probably retired) would be out so early (barely dawn) and so regularly (at least a few days a week). I started to make up his life story. In one scenario, he is out so early to get in his “daily constitutional” before he has to take care of his wife. In another scenario, he lives with one of his adult children and their children, and these walks are his only quiet time before the kids wake up and he becomes “grandpa.” No matter what his “real” story, I continue to be inspired by him when I see him out for his walk in the mornings (even in this heat!).

Do you make up life stories for random strangers? 

Who inspires you?

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Three Things Thursday: Summer Running Hazards

Posted on July 28, 2011 by Coco

I’m sure you know about the serious dangers of summer running–heat exhaustion, heat stroke, and dehydration are nothing to mess with. If it’s hot, run early, run late, run in the shade, or run on the treadmill. Hydrate before, during and after your run,take it easy and know when to say when. But there are three things about summer running that I find can be even more annoying than the heat index.

  1. Sweat in my eyes. My hair isn’t long enough to wear a headband and I don’t usually wear a hat when I’m running at o’dark-thirty. As a result, one hazard unique to my summer running is sweating so much that it drips in my eyes. It really stings!
  2. Chafing. Warmer weather means skimpier outfits which means more chances for skin-to-skin contact that can lead to painful chafing. I stick with my compression shorts for longer runs (they don’t ride up) or liberally apply BodyGlide to sensitive areas.
  3. Automatic sprinklers. I usually run on the more forgiving asphalt of the street, but I walk on the sidewalks for my warm-up. I discovered this summer that several neighbors have automatic sprinklers that go off at seemingly random times as I’m walking by. If I wasn’t awake when I headed out the door, getting soaked by a sprinkler nozzle that popped out of the ground with no warning will do the trick.

Have you noticed any hazards of summer running?

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(Almost) Wordless Wednesday (The Work Edition)

Posted on July 27, 2011 by Coco

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I guess he wanted to make sure I didn’t miss his note!

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Running Boulder

Posted on July 26, 2011 by Coco

Last week I had a crazy, one-day business trip to Boulder, Colorado.  After getting zapped and frisked by TSA, waiting for storms to blow over so our flight could take off, sitting on the tarmac in Denver for 45 minutes waiting for a gate, waiting 20 minutes for a shuttle bus to the rental car place, and driving 45 min to Boulder, I checked into my hotel at just before midnight, beyond exhausted.

Before I crawled into bed I noticed a local map on the desk showing something called Boulder Creek Path running right by my hotel. I Googled it on my iPhone, and it looked like a popular running route. I set my alarm for 6, figuring that would allow enough time for a run before I had to be ready for my 8:30 meeting.

As often happens when I am stressed, I woke up early–shortly after 5. I saw that it was getting light outside and decided to heed the call of the beautiful Boulder mountains.

The concierge confirmed that the path was safe and pointed me in the right direction. It really does run along Boulder Creek, which was roaring from the recent rain.

Parts of the path were flooded, but there were well-marked detours. 

I encountered a few other runners and bicyclists, as well as this guy, who wasn’t shy at all

This was my favorite view–there is just something about those mountains!

I ran for about 45 minutes, and covered about 4.5 miles. My goal was to enjoy the run and I took time to soak in the scenery! 

My work meeting was succesful and my trip home was (thankfully) uneventful, but my run was easily the highlight of my trip!

Have you ever been to Boulder?

Do you have a favorite place away from home that you like to run, hike or bike?

Posted in Fitness, Work | Tagged , , , | 7 Comments