The last of these threads I was training for the Berlin Marathon. This time, I don’t want to train for one specific race. I hope to do more races this year (hopefully on the cheap). I will catalogue my long runs here as I train for those races.
Week 15 – April 18, 2020
End of run Erie Canal 
Distance: 10 Miles
Weather at run time: Low-30s, Sunrise 6:22am
It’s been a strange couple of weeks. I have been consistent with my weekday runs, but have found it harder to remain on schedule during the weekends. This weekend I decided to run from my parents house to my sister’s place, which turned out to be almost exactly ten miles. I wore my hydration pack, my new Garmin watch and pants with a long sleeve shirt. I had gels with me but didn’t consume any. I also did not have breakfast. The run went well. The weather called for snow, but it turned out to be a clear sunny day with a chill air. Overall the running I served as a great escape from otherwise boring days. Glad one thing hasn’t changed.
Hope everyone is well and safe.
Week 14 – April 11, 2020
None
Week 13 – April 4 2020
None
Week 12 – March 28, 2020
End of run at my place 
Distance: 11 Miles
Weather at run time: Mid-50s, Sunrise 6:56am
Today’s run was strange. I woke and started running around 6:15am. I wore my hydration pack, HR monitor and shorts with a long sleeve. It rained the entire run, and I was pretty soaked by mile 3. I consumed one gel at mile 4, and that was it. Last week, I mentioned how many people were down by the cherry blossoms, well I guess the district wants to put an end to that. Understandably so. But the amount of police seemed excessive, I think there must have been well over a hundred patrol cars. There seemed to be cops assigned to guarding individual trees. Roads were obviously blocked, but there was also caution tape around many of the sidewalks, and so I couldn’t find anywhere to cross the bridge. I looped around to the Washington Monument and stopped to take a few pictures because it might be the only time I’ll ever be there completely alone. Between the rain and the added security, this just felt like an odd run, and at no point did I see many people. This was supposed to be the weekend of the marathon, but like most things, it has been cancelled/postponed. Stay safe everyone!
Week 11 – March 21, 2020
End of run Swan St 
Distance: 13 Miles
Weather at run time: Mid-40s, Sunrise 7:07am
Today I got off around 7:30am. I wore a long sleeve, shorts, HR monitor, and hydration pack. I brought 3 gels, but only consumed one of them at mile 4. I had trouble motivating myself for the run today. I think the weather had something to do with it. I also did not have anything for breakfast this morning, which is always a mistake. The Potomac was pretty crazy. I think a lot of people feel that going to see the cherry blossoms is an outside activity, that can still be enjoyed right now. But, when tens of thousand of people have the same idea and all go to the same place, the whole social distancing aspect of it kind of unravels. I did not have too much trouble navigating the crowds, but there was also much more traffic than there has been the last few weeks, so I got stuck at a few lights. Stay safe and sane everyone! I think I’m gonna go take a long walk, just to get outside a bit. Enjoy the rest of your weekend!
Week 10 – March 14, 2020
End of run 15th St 
Distance: 22 Miles
Weather at run time: Mid-40s, Sunrise 7:20am
I was preparing to run the Rock n’ Roll Marathon again this year, before it was cancelled. Today was supposed to be my last real long run before the race, so I decided to just do it anyway. I woke up around 5:30am and ate half a banana. I started my run around 6:30am. My big debate this morning was whether to wear my head lamp. If I get to Rock Creek and the sun has not started to rise yet, there is a stretch that is very dark. I knew today’s run would be very long, and the head lamp would only be necessary for the very beginning, but I decided to wear it anyway. I also wore my hydration pack carrying 4 gels, my HR monitor, and a long sleeve shirt with shorts. I didn’t see a single other person for the first 6 miles, which might be a record. Down by the Potomac there were more people, which seems to usually be the case. The weather was great today, it was a beautiful morning for a run. My legs felt pretty strong, even during the later miles, which is an improvement from last year. I will probably tone it down next week, but was happy to knock this run out.
Stay safe everyone! Running kind of chills me out, which is one of the reasons I enjoy it. I hope all of you have something you can do this weekend to relax.
Week 9 – March 7, 2020
End of run T St 
Distance: 16 Miles
Weather at run time: Mid-30s, Sunrise 6:31am
Today was my first run after last week’s half marathon. I started around 6:15am. I have given up drinking for the month of March, so it was not difficult to get up this morning. I wore a long sleeve, shorts, my hydration pack, and my HR monitor. I brought 4 gels but only consumed 3 of them, at miles 4, 9 and 13. I have written previously about the difficulty I have been having with running apps. Basically, because I had an older phone, when I tried to use one of my apps, the phone would die after a couple of miles. This convinced me that it was time to upgrade and get a new phone. However, I was disheartened because the RunFit app I have been using for much of the past year still shut off (although the entire phone didn’t shut down) midway through a run. I thought maybe if I uninstalled the app, and then reinstalled, that would help; instead, I received an error message: “this app is not available in your region.” Then I moved to the Wahoo Fitness app, which I have never really liked, as the GPS just doesn’t seem to work very well. Needless to say, the app thing has been a headache. I am now back to using the Under Armour app, and do not see myself changing again. It worked very well today. For the first part of my run, I was completely alone on the road. Around mile 3, by the zoo, I looked over, and there was a deer about a foot away from me on the other side of the fence just staring at me. Other than the completely unafraid deer, there was no one out for most of the first half of this run. I started to see some people when I got by the Potomac, but I would never really say it got “busy.” You might notice that my route is different today. The side of the Arlington Memorial Bridge I usually use was closed today, so I decided to do some exploring. Sometimes it’s fun to do some variations with your route. The weather was ok today, but the wind was really intense, especially on the bridges. I’m very happy with how this run turned out, and glad to be really training again. Have a great weekend everyone!
Week 8 – March 1, 2020
See my Atlanta Half Marathon post
Week 7– February 22, 2020
Rest week
Week 6 – February 15, 2020
Distance: 8 Miles
Weather at run time: Low-30s, Sunrise 7:00am
You might be wondering why the picture is different this week. Last week, I mentioned I was having issues with the apps working on my phone. I decided to bite the bullet this week, and finally upgrade to a new phone. My iPhone SE had a good run, but it was time. The RunFit app appeared to be working as usual when I started my run, but at about mile 3 I realized I wasn’t hearing the audio go off when I reached a mile marker. Instead of trying to sort it out during my run, I decided to just continue. Last week when the app wasn’t working, I said I didn’t feel comfortable recording the distance. The reason this week is different is that I know what 8 miles is by heart when I’m doing my normal route. Last week the sidewalk portion of the Arlington Memorial Bridge was closed so I had to run a different path than I typically take, so I didn’t want to guess the distance. I started my run today at around 12:30pm. I wore under armour, a long sleave, pants, a hat, and gloves. I also wore my HR monitor and hydration pack. I consumed a gel packet at mile 4. There was no one outside today, even with my late start. It was very nice running weather, but for everything else, I think it’s more of an indoor day. I’m not sure I’ve mentioned I’m running the Atlanta Publix half marathon at the start of next month, so I haven’t decided on mileage for next week yet. Hope everyone is staying warm, and if you have Monday off, enjoy the holiday weekend!
Week 5 – February 8, 2020
End of run T St 
Distance: —
Weather at run time: Mid-30s, Sunrise 7:08am
Began the run around 8:45am. Felt pretty good. Had a half of a banana about an hour before the run. My buddy was coming down later in the day, so wanted to make sure to get my run in early. I used the hydration pack and my HR monitor again. I debated wearing a winter cap because of the cold, but I tend not to wear one unless it’s in the 20s or worse; I get too hot. Last week, I mentioned that I would no longer be using the MapMyRun app at all, because it tends to not work properly (I do not use this app for my long run anyway). However, yesterday, I used the RunFit app and experienced the same problem. I was at about 7.5 miles when my phone shut off. I think it’s time to admit that this is not an app problem, but instead, Apple has sent the update of death to my iphone SE. Can’t say I blame them, I’m several generations behind as far as phones go, but I’ve resisted getting a new phone because I like the smaller model. I’m not going to put a distance for this run. My goal was to do 12 miles. I’m confident I did at least 10, but I can’t be sure of the exact amount. Enjoyed the run; hope everyone enjoyed their Saturday!
Week 4 – February 1, 2020
End of run T St 
Distance: 8 Miles
Weather at run time: Low-50s, Sunrise 7:15am
Today was a solid run. Started around 12PM. Got breakfast at Starbucks this morning a few hours before the run. Wore my new hydration pack again, which I prefer over the water bottles. Also, wore the HR monitor, and a long sleeve, but was fine in shorts today. I did my typical route which was good. It’s nice to be getting back in the groove. I consumed a gel packet at mile 4. There really wasn’t anything that stuck out about today’s run. As always when you start later in the day there are a lot more people to weave between. I am exclusively using the RunFit app at this point. The MapMyRun app glitches out, and randomly closes on me. I’m not sure if this is because I have an older phone model or if this is a widespread issue. Tomorrow I’m looking forward to again running with Simi. She didn’t seem quite as exited last week as with the first run, but I expect it’s going to take her some time to get used to it. Hope everyone is having a great weekend!
Week 3 – January 25, 2020
End of run T St 
Distance: 10 Miles
Weather at run time: Low-40s, Sunrise 7:20am
As you can tell there is a large gap between Week 2 and Week 3. I debated starting a new thread, but decided against it. I did not completely stop running during the last month or two, but didn’t want to begin posting again until I felt consistently back on my routine. I had a good week of running this week, and so feel like it’s time to begin this thread again. I woke up around 6:30am. I had a hard boiled egg and a piece of pita bread for breakfast. It was raining a little when I got up so I did not begin my run until about 9:30am. Instead of my water bottles I used the new hydration pack I got for Christmas (for the first time). It took a little getting used to, but overall, I thought the pack worked well. I took two gel packets with me, but only consumed one at mile four. I did use my HR monitor. I wore under armour beneath a short sleeve shirt, and also running sweat pants. I found the weather to be ideal for a run; cool air, but not much wind. As I was on my way back, I arrived at the scene of an accident that had just occurred in Rock Creek. Three cars appeared to have collided badly, but luckily, it seemed that everyone was ok. I was very happy to complete the ten miles. Getting back in my routine and completing this run has been my goal all week. Tomorrow, I will do two miles with my dog, Simi. I had waited to run with her because I had heard that it is not good for dogs hips when they are young. Tomorrow will be our second run; she seemed to really enjoy it last week so hopefully that continues. Hope you all have a great weekend, and are finding ways to pursue your goals, even if the weather is foul.
Week 2 – November 9, 2019
End of run T St 
Distance: 8 Miles
Weather at run time: Mid-30s, Sunrise 6:44am
Great run this morning. The cold weather is back. I woke up around 6:30am and had half a banana. I started my run around 8:15am. I wore my belt, with two water bottles and a gel packet. I also wore pants, Under Armour and and a long sleeve. I debated gloves and a hat but decided against. I had some issues when I began. I recently bought replacement water bottles for my belt and one fell out shortly after I started. I’m considering buying one of those backpacks with water in them, since this happens kind of frequently and I find it annoying. Then my heart rate monitor was too loose and began to fall down; I would have ignored this, but it paused my running app, or at least, I thought it paused it. I fixed the HR monitor and began running again, but shortly afterwords the app paused again. I then remembered that I had this issue last week too so I decided to check the setting. I use the Wahoo RunFit app. In settings, I had put on the Auto Pause feature since I thought this would be helpful for when I get stuck at lights, etc. However, this feature does not seem to work correctly and pauses even when you’re running at a healthy clip. Turning it off resolved the problem. While it was cold today, I really enjoyed the run. I thought I kept a very good pace; the cold air was pleasant for a run and the sun was out. Hope everyone has had a good Saturday so far. Enjoy the rest of the weekend!
Week 1 – November 2, 2019
End of run T St 
Distance: 8 Miles
Weather at run time: High-30s, Sunrise 7:36am
Good run this morning. It was my first morning trying to get back into it. Pretty cold this morning, and had to pull out the warm running gear. Wore pants, a long sleeve shirt, reflector vest (it was dark) and my belt. I love running during the fall/winter. Last year, I started running in September, just as it was cooling off. For some reason I imagined that it was going to be easier to run when it got warmer, but that was a beyond stupid thought. DC summer is just too brutal. I even like running in the snow back home in Rochester more. Ice is a little more worrying, but it’s still better than the heat. There weren’t many other runners out there today. It was interesting to see some people dressed like it’s the heart of winter, while others dressed like there is a slight chill in the air. I think the days of seeing everyone out and about in the morning are over. Today, I did not have breakfast; I will need to correct that going forward. I also had some difficulty with my running app which paused after about the first mile or so for some reason. Overall though, run was great and I’m happy to be back training again.
Hope you all have a great Saturday! Congrats to the Nats!
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