Winter of 2020 – Week 2
On Sunday, I had a mediocre long run. Then, on Tuesday, my boyfriend and I bought a house! After celebrating that night, I skipped my medium run on Wednesday morning. A podcast reminded me that, although 2020 was a bleak year overall due to the Covid 19 pandemic, there were bright spots.
Training Schedule
December 13th – December 19th
Sunday: Long Run. 15 miles
Monday: Rest or cross-training
Tuesday: General Aerobic Run. 8 miles + 6 x 10 sec. hill sprints and 8 x 100m strides
Wednesday: Medium-long Run. 15 miles
Thursday: Recovery Run. 5 miles
Friday: General Aerobic Run. 8 miles
Saturday: Recovery Run. 5 miles
Total: ~54 Miles
Notes. After celebrating our new home purchase on Tuesday with too much champagne, I skipped my medium run on Wednesday morning.
Training paces
| Recovery | Long | Marathon | Threshold | VO2Max |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Slower than 9:40 | 9:25-9:40 | 8:55-9:10 | 8:25-8:40 | 7:40-7:50 (5K) |
Workouts
Long Run
It’s my first long run of a new training cycle! With the temperature in the low 50s, I headed off with great expectations.
D.C.-area forecast: Sunny and warm Sunday makes it hard to believe snow could be on the way https://t.co/kMRRGJ2Ox1
— Capital Weather Gang (@capitalweather) December 13, 2020
For a route, I chose the Arlington Triangle counter-clockwise starting with the W&OD Trail. My legs were sluggish at the start and my pace was well over 9:30. I didn’t pay it much mind until I noticed my feet felt a little swollen.
When I reached the Mount Vernon Trail and headed north, I tried to pick the pace up a bit but my legs wouldn’t respond. Leaving Gravelly Point, I started a Clif Shot Energy Gel hoping some fuel would help but my pace just wouldn’t budge.
On the Custis Trail, I felt good after cresting the long uphill on Lee Highway. I thought, “I can see myself running for 20 miles!” But then, a mile later, I struggled on a steep section of trail. After stopping for water, I abandoned my planned route and walked three-quarter miles to Glebe Road instead. From there, I took a more direct route home.
In retrospect, it was a little too warm – by noon it was close to 65 degrees and humidity was 70%! (And, spending the day before on my feet visiting houses with my partner probably wasn’t great for my legs either.)
Distance=15.01 miles
Pace=9:45/mile
General Aerobic Run
Later in the morning, my partner and I planned to visit a house that had been listed as “coming soon” and was fresh on the market. I rushed out the door to finish my run in time to meet our realtor at there at 10 a.m.
The weather had turned cold and the temperature was in the low 30s.
D.C.-area forecast: Sunny and cold today as a winter storm arrives Wednesday https://t.co/Kxz90gz6Wq
— Capital Weather Gang (@capitalweather) December 15, 2020
My head was filled with real estate thoughts during the early miles. I had serious misgivings about the other houses we saw over the weekend and really hoped this new one would work. Running past Arlington National Cemetery, my thoughts turned to gratitude as I realized how blessed I am simply to be alive and in the position to make such choices.
Crossing through Crystal City, I met up with the Mount Vernon Trail and eventually hooked up with the Four Mile Run Trail. Once again, my heart was filled while gazing at the geese on the calm water.
I finished the run with hill sprints and strides as prescribed.
Later that morning, my partner and I visited the house. There was already another family there and we knew if we wanted it, we had to act quickly. Within hours we submitted a contract and later that afternoon, the sellers accepted!
The next day, I didn’t feel well enough for a medium run but the day after, I ran by and took a picture next to my new home!
Distance=8.21 miles
Pace=9:05/mile
General Aerobic Run
OMG! We’re buying a house!
Even two days later I had a restless night thinking about everything we needed to do between now and the closing on January 4th.
I headed out for a run on another near freezing morning.
D.C.-area forecast: A couple more chilly days, before a slow warm up https://t.co/0EYuVp9iX1
— Capital Weather Gang (@capitalweather) December 18, 2020
I ran the same route as I did on Tuesday. Running through Crystal City, I suddenly realized that with all the house buying excitement, I forgot that I was working downtown today. I cautiously quickened my pace. By the time I reached the Mount Vernon Trail, I was running sub-9:00 pace and I held that effort on the Four Mile Run Trail, as well. I finally showed down on the W&OD Trail and took a detour home. I made it to work in time but just barely. What a week!
Distance=8.92 miles
Pace=9:10/mile
Routes
Trails. The new house isn’t far from the apartment building where I’m currently living – about a half-mile west – so the move shouldn’t impact my routes much. One nice aspect is that it’s only about 0.7 miles from the W&OD Trail, which cuts the uphill slog that I used to run from that trail almost in half. However, one downside is that the house is further away from the Mount Vernon Trail – about 4 miles now – which means I will probably run that route less often.
My Guide to Washington D.C. Area Running Routes
Gear
Stridebox. This month’s theme was “Life is for adventure” and that certainly seemed fitting for me this week. For gear, this box contained Capsiva Pain Relief Gel and a Roller Fitness Mini Foot Roller, which I’m looking forward to using. For nutrition, it had JimmyBar Immunity Bar, Ataq Power Protein, Untapped Syrup, and Dr. Price’s Vitamins Electrolytes.
Media & Motivation
Podcasts. “Aliphine Tuliamuk, 2020 U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials Champion“, Ali on the Run. For me, this episode was a good reminder that despite the global Covid 19 pandemic, this was a great year for some people – qualifying for the Olympics and having a baby on the way are wonderful events worthy of celebration.
Racing Schedule
Runner rankings. RunWashington’s DMV Distance Derby. My best times are:
- Teddy Roosevelt Island (1.4 miles): 10:08 (7:38 pace) on May 12, 2020.
- Custis Climb – Key Bridge to Glebe (3.1 miles): 25:47 (8:47 pace) on October 6, 2020.
- Hains Point (2.5 miles): 20:37 (8:13 pace) on November 26, 2020.
Next race: ?
