Tuesday, July 29, 2008

My skin is your skin

I was reminded by a friend today that I also LOVE this project. Not just because I AM a word, but because the project is just super effing rad. The story's manuscript is waiting on my desk at home. Some day soon I'll read it.

Mini vacay

Yesterday was a normal rest day and today was a sleep late (read 5:30 AM) and miss your morning workout kinda day. Tonight KJ and I are going to dinner and then to see George Michael (I'm smiling big right now just typing that). I'm excited and I think my body needs a bit of a break.

The Trance 8s arrived last night so tomorrow I get to take them for a little two foot tour. The fit is good so far so I'm looking forward to it.

Did back to backs this weekend: Saturday on the PHT from Chain Bridge>Pimmit Run>stream crossing>Turkey Run and Sunday just a 3.8 miler at Accotink. I barely finished my stair run when the rain began to pelt the ground. I spent the rest of the day watching bad and semi-decent movies (One Missed Call and The Bank Job, respectively) and staying out of the Summer electrical storm.

Monday, July 21, 2008

Saturday's end and Sunday begins

 
Back near the trail head I stopped to take a picture of the rocks on the river
 
Looking slightly sweaty and more than a little tired, Saturday's run comes to an end
 
The view down the Potomac from the bridge at Roosevelt Island began my run on Sunday. At the beginning of the bridge a group of park rangers and local kids provided emergency contact numbers, water, sports drinks, reflectors, whistles and maps to any trail users who needed them.
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Saturday's run continues

 
Rafters in the river
 
The cliff face across the river
 
Waiting for a hiking party to descend the cliff so I can go up
 
A lizard sunning on a rock. I saw a small snake on the way in, but he didn't stop long enough for me to take a picture.
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Weekend runs

This weekend I did two short back to back runs: Saturday on the Billy Goat Trail A in Great Falls and Sunday Roosevelt Island to part of Potomac Heritage.

 

A climber on the Virginia side.

 

The still water below
 

Taking a break and a breath to check out the path ahead
 
Hikers climbing down the cliff
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Wednesday, July 16, 2008

Solitude

Last night I managed to get away from the pups long enough to trail test the new Cascadias and to get in a 45 minute run. I moved quickly because I knew I had little time to spare--quickly enough that my feet knew which rock to jump to next and how close to the edge I could scramble without falling into the stream. It was beautiful and quiet! I only saw two people during my run and they were at the beginning of the trail, no dogs, no trail maintenance crew (although I did see a few bags of litter waiting to be carted away), not even a single deer. It was weirdly silent so I took a bit of time to count my stream crossings and pause to occasionally look at the path behind me before I trotted on. I only wish I'd brought the camera along-- this portion of the path is so lovely and still.

Monday, July 14, 2008

Roosevelt Island Run



Marsh Flowers
Originally uploaded by Stars Are Stars
This is where our run began yesterday. From this angle you'd never know that every few feet we passed another couple, another couple of dogs or another group of people out enjoying the cloudfree day.



Its amazing that this very bridge is right next to the GW Parkway.


Georgetown looks so much better from this side of the river.


This picture doesn't do the falls justice. Again, RIGHT under the Parkway! In fact, the erosion above the falls was so bad we opted not to climb up to explore.


This was the path behind us--through and over the rocks.


Twisted trees toward the end of our run. At this point even the small child on a bike next to us was moving faster. It was a great run, a bit too hot, and very rocky, but I'll definitely do it again.

Thursday, July 3, 2008

I like dirt.

A couple of things to know about me: I like things hot (sorta) and a little dirty (emphasis on the little part). ;)


1. Heat: I drink my coffee extra hot, almost exclusively. I don't know what it is, but there's something oddly incongruous about ice cubes and coffee. I definitely get some strange looks when I order an extra hot soy latte on a 90 degree day, but I like what I like. I also like my Thai food spicy (that's Thai spicy, not American spicy) and my reheated soup/sauces/leftovers need to bubble and boil a little before they are fit to eat. That being said, I only tolerate extreme high temps moderately well--go figure. I am enjoying trail running immensely, but I think it is the shade of the leafy trees that saves me from having an overheated experience like that in the Honolulu Marathon in 'o4. I also think that carrying enough water helps a little too. Sooooo...I think I need to spend a little money on a hydration racing vest that will keep me comfortably hydrated (and carry enough water for me AND the bf--who never comes prepared!)

This little beauty is pretty sweet, don't you think?


2. I don't mind sweating and getting a little dirty is fun. Who doesn't still wish she could stomp around in mud puddles like a little kid, hula hoop until dripping sweat or rock hop through the overgrowth splashing and collecting grit along the way? Okay, maybe not too many people still love to do this stuff, but I completely dig it. I love the crazy feeling of emerging in a new place on the trail only to be floored by the awesome beauty of a buck and a doe staring back at you from just a few feet away. My trail runs thus far have delivered all of this and more...oh so much more. On a recent Sunday run, we encountered so much litter and garbage on the trail I thought I would be physically ill. Really. Seeing all that post consumer, non-biodegradeable waste, rotting bits of food and stench nearly made me wretch. I like it dirty, but not like that! All the litter from careless trail users and fishers is threatening to make a beautiful headclearing run feel like drudgery. At this point I'm not even sure a trail clean up day every weekend of the Summer would resolve the problem and it just makes me a little sad. I feel like I need to resurrect that silly slogan from the '70s/'80s "Give a hoot, Don't Pollute!" and wear it on a neon shirt for every trail excursion. I wonder if that would actually work?

So now you know more than a few things extra things about me: I have old fashioned ideas about manners and I don't think Ma Nature is being treated very courteously.

Tuesday, July 1, 2008

The day arrives

The last several days have been full of oddball occurences and changes in plans, but KJ and I still managed a decent trail run on Sunday and a much needed rest day yesterday. I'm still waiting for the Trance 8 to debut (my feet are waiting too), but the wait for the JFK 50 Miler application to be released is over. I now have my completed application in hand and am trying to figure out whether I really need to apply for the 5 AM start time. It feels like more mental assurance than anything else, but I'm still up in the air about it and have at least one more day to decide. It would give me a 2 hour "leg up", but if I'm diligent about my training, I hear that I won't really need it. Decisions...