This isn’t exactly breaking news, or surprising seeing as how it is July, but it has been extremely hot in DC. Even though it has been disgusting outside, I’ve been trying to run as much as the foot allows. I ran earlier in the week but had some radiating pain in the foot so I took a few days off. Over the weekend, Patrick and I went up to New Jersey/New York to visit our dad and stepmom and to finally give my dad his father’s day/birthday present. While were were there I was able to run 3 miles on Saturday through my parents’ adorable town, Maplewood, and got 6 miles in on Sunday.

In between that, we took the train into the city, swung by the AP to pick Jane up, had dinner in Chelsea, checked out the new High Line and then went to Chelsea Piers. A few months ago, Patrick and I bought my dad’s gift -- tickets for a night-time, Manhattan city lights sailboat tour on the Hudson. It was my first time sailing and was so much fun!  Although, in typical New York fashion, the guy sitting next to me on the boat called someone as soon as the boat left the dock to tell them he was out sailing. All of that adventure in the city (and a few glasses of wine on the boat), combined with extremely busy week in DC caused me to fall asleep on the train back home.

We tried to take pictures while on the boat but it was so dark they didn’t turn out that well but I’m going to share them anyway. Even though my parents have lived in NJ and worked in NY for the past 8 years, somehow I’ve never made it to the Statue of Liberty so that was pretty exciting to see from the river.

After my 6 mile run on Sunday I got back to my parents’ house, took a shower and then started to feel icky – probably due to the heat. My dad took my brother and I out for lunch and I began to feel a little better. Then, right before we left I noticed that I had a rash on both of my feet. And, in the car ride back to DC, I noticed a rash on my right hand. My brother and I diagnosed this as a heat rash. He spent two summers in what must be one of the hottest environments ever – Iraq – so I trust his diagnosis. This summer hasn’t been very kind to me – I’ve had a stress fracture and now a nasty heat rash. It has mostly gone away at this point but I’m a little nervous about running tonight and having it come back. The things I go through because of my love of running…

Extreme Examples of being Extreme

Yeah, I know, there was a previous post explaining that the “Extreme” part of the blog name is actually meant to be ironic. Very rarely can the words Extreme and Shirlington be mentioned in the same sentence unless it is discussing antonyms. The only thing extreme about Shirlington is the cost-of-living.

However, I do feel I should bring some extreme to the team. What’s more extreme than running 50-miles while dodging rocks, jumping fallen trees, and climbing mountains? For example, I practiced extreme caution and good judgment to go out for a trail run last fall, without a head-lamp and under the cover of darkness. The end result was taking a tumble, splitting my lip open, cutting my knee, and turning a white shirt pink. However, I can proudly say that I managed to run home the remaining 4 miles and immediately post the pictures on Facebook just in time for my friends to lose their breakfast. What’s more extreme than that? Actually, arriving at work with a Sponge Bob Square Pants' band-aid on your cut lip is.



I also have extreme skills of discretion. I am willing to subject myself to 6 hours under the extreme discomfort of a tattoo needle in order to present my extreme pride for the S.E.R.T. mascot. You got to admit though, Cyn (the artist) did some pretty fantastic work. I promise that this is the last one… for now.



Weekly Mileage Summary
Friday – 5 miles
Saturday – 10 miles
Sunday – 5 miles
Monday – 6 miles (hills)
Tuesday – 4 miles

With the heat, a weak foot and a busy week of work meetings at night, I’m not really feeling the running thing right now. I’m still getting some miles in, they just feel harder than they should. Not doing much for six weeks has definitely caught up to me. I’m scared to put a watch on and see how slow I’m really going – maybe next week…

Last week I logged a total of 20 miles and probably will hit about that this week. It really is amazing how much strength I’ve lost in my foot and I know it hasn’t helped that the foot was already weaker in the first place from my old stress fracture. I find standing up on the metro and not stumbling when the train jerks to be particularly challenging. I'm missing working from home some days (not just because I didn’t have to get on the metro…) and getting to go for a run at lunch time, although, it probably would be too hot to do that now. Nothing like procrastinating work to get you motivated to run.

Saturday was the big Michael Jenkins fan club party and it definitely was the best of the fan club events so far. This blog got a shout out during the awards portion of the evening although Jenk got the website address wrong. Thanks a lot, Jenkers. My brother was there and I asked him the other day if he’d been working out more and he said no, he’d just been buying smaller shirts. Too bad I'm not looking at the camera in this silly picture.

Here's a good one of the best party planner ever, Lisa Schooley, avid Shirlington Extreme Running Team blog reader, the Doctor, and me.  

And, here’s a picture of John and me. I told John I was going to leave early and hitch a ride back to Shirlington with him but of course I ended up staying until the party was almost over. Who can resist a room full of good friends, dancing to 80s/90s music and the opportunity to get my very own autographed headshot of Michael Jenkins? Not this girl.

Unfortunately, I didn't get a picture of me and this blog's most faithful reader, Ashley. But we will be training for a 5k together soon and I will surely get lots of pictures of us together then!

Actually living at my own apartment is an adjustment – a happy adjustment – but there are some things that are going to take a while to get used to. After having my coffee, lunch and dinner bought by my per diem for the better part of three years it is truly weird (and expensive!) to be pulling out my own debit card to buy lunch every day. The options around L’Enfant aren’t the best, and I can’t get in and out of the building without an escort so I’m stuck eating HUD cafeteria food for the near future. I’m attempting to eat healthy and fortunately for me, macaroni and cheese counts as a vegetable in DC just like it does in Alabama.

It looks better than it tastes. I was excited about the thought of collards for lunch but mine are way better than these. Mine are way better than almost all greens so maybe that isn’t a fair comparison. In order to avoid months of sad, gross lunches I guess I’m going to have to start acting like a normal person who lives at her own house and buy more than my usual 3 items at a time at the grocery store. That's a goal for this weekend -- grocery store shopping.

Being in a cube surrounded by people I don’t really know (yet) also inspires a ridiculous amount of caffeine drinking to keep myself entertained and is messing with my appetite. This might be a good way to lose stress fracture weight, but probably isn’t a great idea to get quality miles in. Then again, the guy in the cube next to me brought me the best homemade cookie (from a baking business he runs on the side) to welcome me to the team…so if he continues to bring me baked goods, it may be a wash.

In actual running related news, my foot seems to be doing alright so I did the 4 miles listed on my Marine Corps Marathon training plan tonight which means I'm officially on track -- finally.

Oh, and I actually went for a run at 6 am this week. Maybe I’m becoming a morning person, but I doubt it.

Tools of the Trade

Today I’m going to shift focus to some of the more tangible aspects of running. Specifically, I will provide information on some of the gear and food I use as I train for the 50-mile trail race. First, I am going to discuss the shoes I am running in currently. Right now I like the La Sportiva Wildcats a lot. These are my second pair of trail running shoes. My first pair, Vasque Velocity, was adequate for my first trail race but I wanted something a bit more nimble and without Gore-Tex so the shoes would drain better after water crossings. The Wildcats are a great fit for me. The toe area has a sturdy bumper that prevents my delicate little piggies from getting too mashed up on rocky trails and the lugs are deep enough that I feel confident going downhill. Also, the shoes have a good deal of support and stability for some of the more technical trails. The Wildcats are actually in stark contrast to what I run in when I’m out on the roads. I typically run in a very minimal shoe – Saucony Kinvara – so I can feel the road more easily and land on my mid-foot area. However, I like the built-up and protective aspect of the Wildcats because, in my opinion, rocks hurt.




I also have begun experimenting with my post-run diet and have come to discover a marvelous remedy for stimulating my appetite and soothing my stomach – ginger. Ginger has been a home-remedy for upset stomachs for centuries that I am just starting to incorporate into my regimen. Right now I am drinking ginger-ale post-run for the sugar and its soothing aspect, but will begin to carry ginger candies or crystallized ginger with me on long runs to see if it will help give me the ability to stomach more types of food typically offered at aid-stations. I would discuss the post-run benefits of scrapple but my co-contributor already did that. Seriously, it’s the only food out there that you don’t know whether you’re getting protein or carbohydrates when you eat it. It’s a crap shoot really since nobody even knows what’s in each slice besides pure deliciousness.

John was supposed to update the blog today since his cable is out but I see he hasn't. He's a lazy blogger, that's for sure. He also has a weird love of the mystery meat scrapple.

We hit up a greasy spoon somewhere in Falls Church today after our trail run. He ran 4 miles and I ran/walked 4 miles...about half running, half walking. I got lost again on that trail for the third time which makes me even more convinced the trails may not be for me! To make up for my poor performance this morning, I ran 3 miles tonight against John's advice. My stupid foot still feels weak and hurts at times but I should be good to start a week of real training tomorrow.

For the first time in almost 3 years I will be commuting to an office in the city I live in (well, DC if you want to get technical) starting tomorrow. I couldn't be more excited about going to work, coming home to my own apartment, making dinner and going for a run...every night. Now to just get back in shape so the running doesn't feel like such a struggle.

Weekly mileage summary
Monday: 2
Tuesday: 2 am, 2 pm
Wednesday: 2
Thursday: 0
Friday: 0 (and I probably should deduct miles for over-indulging in wine)
Saturday:0
Sunday: 2 am, 3 pm

Ugh, that's depressing just looking at those low numbers. It would be even more depressing if I put times next to them. Hopefully next week will be a better running week!

Update: I'm watching Forrest Gump and think he was the original American ultramarathoner (also an Alabamian like my ultra buddy Woody!). Just putting that out there. 

Picking a Goal Race

I'm trying not to freak out but yesterday my foot had decently intense pain shooting through it. Today will remain a running-free day even though I fight the urge to get out the door every hour or so. Since Sunday, I had run a total of 10.5 miles which really isn't that much but I guess it is a lot for just coming off of an injury. Hopefully these are just warning pains and there isn't anything cracking down there.

Even though I'm not running today I did finalize my entry into the Virginia Happy Trails Women's Half Marathon. It turns out John will be volunteering at one of the aid stations so it should be a fun weekend on the trails for the Shirlington Extreme Running Team. I hope he has some french fries out for me to snack on. Ever since I read this article in the New York Times I've wanted fries during a race

I also am trying to decide between which ultramarathon I want to set as my 2012 training goal. But really, training begins with the Marine Corps Marathon (which is going to take me a few weeks to link up with the required mileage) and attempting to sustain that high mileage in order to be able to complete an ultramarthon. So, here are the two leading options right now:

1. Can Lake 50 Miler - This race is in early October in western New York around one of the Finger Lakes. As I mentioned in a previous post, I had a really great time in the Finger Lakes region a few years ago with my brother, Patrick. The wineries there don't make the best wine, but they sure are pretty. They also are way more chill and less expensive than the Napa/Sonoma wineries I visited last summer.

This race seems like it has a gorgeous course and is mostly on the roads with some trails which is what I'm looking for. The downside is that it is pretty far from DC. And, even though my dad and stepmom live in New Jersey, this is still quite a drive from their house so I'm not really sure who could help me with my drop bags and other stuff I will need along the way.

2. JFK 50 Miler - This race is in mid-November in Hagerstown, MD (which is decently close to DC). This course seems to have much easier trails than the Bull Run Run course and has a decent amount of road/gravel path running. Because there will be more running on softer surfaces, it will probably be better on the legs than the Can Lake race. The only real issue with the JFK race is that it has a qualifying time. I've qualified for the "A-Standard" time twice but not within the time frame required for entry. So, we just have to hope that my MCM time this October will be fast enough to qualify. If it isn't fast enough, then I'm definitely getting slower in my old age. There better be a bloody mary in my hand well before the cut off for the A-standard time hits.

Tomorrow night I leave for Mississippi to attend a baby shower for my friend Joy and hang out with our other bff, Megan. I can't wait to see them and to see Joy's belly! Before the day of eating southern food non-stop begins, I plan on dragging Megan running with me. She hates to exercise outside but if I tell her there is a creepy dude in the hotel gym, I bet I can convince her to join me. And really, there is always a creepy dude in the hotel gym. Also, I just remembered some priceless stories of when Joy and I ran Cross-Country together that I will have to share sometime...Even though we've been friends since at least 1995, we have very few photos of the three of us together but I managed to find one of us (appropriately, at another baby shower).

Running with the Jenk

The Shirlington Extreme Running Team is a proud sponsor of the Michael Jenkins Fan Club Party! In honor of next weekend's event honoring TV's Michael Jenkins (better known as the Jenk) I thought I'd write a little bit about a few of our running and other adventures together. This is about the only sports I can talk with the Jenk.

I first met the Jenk after his girlfriend and I became good friends a few years ago. We'd go out to the bars and she'd attempt to find cute guys for us to talk to and I'd always ruin everything with my excellent timing by saying, "Look, Lisa!! The Jenk, YOUR BOYFRIEND, is on tv!!!" You see, the Jenk used to be on Comcast SportsNet late on Friday and Saturday nights but thankfully his shift has changed and he no longer is on the weekends. Thank you CSN! Now the Jenk can join us in more of our weekend adventures.

One of our new favorite past times is going to DC United games at RFK. We may have our debates on who should pay for a new RFK stadium, but we always have a blast. The Jenk is so dedicated to DC United he even got a full arm tattoo.

Also, it wasn't until we started going to the DC United games that I really began to understand the Jenk's job. People (fans, I suppose :)) randomly come up and talk to him about all kinds of people I've never heard of (athletes, I assume) and he knows everything about them! Not only that, but he has no ego about being on tv every day and genuinely loves talking sports with everyone. The Jenk -- a man of the people. He also loves talking about his windows phone. You'd much rather talk sports with him than talk about that piece of awesomeness.

But back to the running...A few years ago a group of us ran the George Washington Parkway Classic. I'm not sure who looks more excited to be awake at 5 am on a weekend to run 10 miles, but it might be the Jenk.

Even though he minimally trained for this race, he still had a good showing. I actually thought he beat me in this race but when I just went to look up the times, he didn't. Interesting I remember him beating me! After the race the Jenk and I had a contest to see who is paler. It was a tie.

This past May a group of us went to San Francisco to "run" in the Bay to Breakers - a 12k.  Unfortunately, it looks like the race results are no longer on their website, but I think our time was somewhere around 4 hours. It was a pretty ridiculous (but very fun) race through the streets of San Francisco.

After the race we enjoyed hanging out in San Francisco. Here is the group enjoying one of the Jenk's favorite activities while on vacation - relaxing at the bar with good friends:

Even though I couldn't convince him to cover my recent Charlottesville Half Marathon performance, I still think he's an excellent sportscaster and am super excited to celebrate him at next weekend's party. You can find more about the event on the Michael Jenkins Fan Club Party Facebook page. Ohh, and until next weekend, you can get excited about taking your very own awkward prom picture with the Jenk (that's me back when my hair was really short):

I guarantee that when you join us, the Jenk will have you laughing as hard as I am in this picture of us at his 30th birthday anniversary party.

Killer Weekend of MCM Preparation

Taking full advantage of the long-weekend afforded to me by our government, I made a concerted effort to get as much physical activity in as possible. I kicked off the weekend with a medium length tempo run that went a little longer than nine miles. Despite the oppressive heat and air quality checking in at a Beijing-level due to the humidity, I managed to maintain a vigorous pace throughout the run. Sunday was going to be an “off” day from running by attending a Pilates class at the gym. I figured Pilates would be a good supplement to running since a strong core is required during the latter stages of a long-distance run when the rest of the body begins to fall apart. Maintaining good form is also paramount to a strong finish. Despite possessing a level of flexibility akin to the Tin Man from the Wizard of Oz, I did pretty well and received a complement from the instructor as the class was exiting. The Tin Man was on my mind as I saw Wicked later that evening with dinner beforehand at Georgia Brown's. Note to my readers: avoid Georgia Brown’s. The food was subpar and the service was the pits. A Chicago dog would have been a better meal. Monday brought more running and I chose to run a hilly course. I am glad I did. Despite running up the Walter Reed hill twice, I kept my pace in the middle 8:00s, so I was pretty pleased with myself and the six total miles.


This upcoming week will be more active as I am a “bachelor” for most it. Sadly, I am unable to accompany my wife to the Twin Cities for the Perez family reunion, so I will get to re-live the years of my wayward youth. Instead of bar visits, bad meals, and multiple movie screenings, I plan to cram as much running and gym visits in without fear of neglecting my parental responsibilities. Thus, I have long runs planned before work most days and will drive out to Fountainhead Park for some trail running this weekend. I may even find some time to rent and watch the entire series of Shipmates.

4 miles

After a long drive home from Chicago last night topped off by our last 10 miles taking an excruciatingly long time due to the GW Parkway being basically shut down, I needed to get a run in. Seeing how it was just 2 hours until Monday, when the doctor said I could run again, I figured a 2 mile run couldn't hurt. So at 10 pm last night I ran for the first time in over five weeks. It was amazing! The weather was cooler but still humid from the thunderstorms that had just left the area (and caused the GW Parkway to come to a complete standstill). It felt great to sweat, listen to my ipod and just be moving faster.

This morning I got another 2 mile run in. For some reason on both runs I couldn't stop listening to This Is Why We Fight by the Decemberists (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xNEz3_yzIUY) although it is a little sadder than my usual running music. It was great to be out taking in the Shirlington "scene." Today there were lots of doggies out in the dog creek at Four Mile Run. So cute:

All of the running advice on coming back from a stress fracture injury says to up your mileage only by 10% a week. But if  you are starting from 0 miles I don't understand how you can go up any percentage. 10% of 0 miles is 0 miles. I run into this frustrating math problem all the time at work. HUD wants families to not be overly rent burdened which means they don't pay over 40% of their adjusted income in rent. But a decent portion of the portfolio serves families with zero income (or incomes of less than a minimum rent of $25 or $50 per month) which automatically means they are paying 100% or more of their income in rent. Ay yi yi. Math!

Since the math clearly makes no sense I've decided to try and run just 2 miles per day this week and also attempt a yoga class. Don't worry though -- at work I put the data analysis into percent and dollar ranges and don't just make up an answer :)

On the two runs there wasn't much pain in my foot at all -- more weakness than anything. However, my right foot (the healthy one) definitely ached a little from the extra stress I'd been putting on it while dragging my broken left foot around. That said, based on my past two days of running, my overall fitness level seems to have held pretty steady. I didn't feel too out of shape considering I've done basically nothing for the past five weeks.

Now to work on a diet that fuels good running. In Chicago we ate some really delicious food but it definitely lacked nutritional value. Patrick enjoyed his first Chicago hot dog at Portillo's (didn't enjoy my photography so much though). I had the Italian Beef. Yum!

Next up on my blogging agenda: talking through the MCM training program. I need to review it in more detail first and figure out how I can get my mileage up to follow it.