Running 10 Miles on the Potomac River

Today I did a fun and beautiful 10 mile run along the Potomac River with my mom.  Average pace 7:44, fastest mile was the last one at 7:10, slowest mile was the first one at 8:13.

My mom had DOUBLE knee replacement surgeries last year, so needless to say she was biking next to me, not running.

PS I'm up visiting my parents in Arlington VA right now for my Mom's 60th birthday.  Happy Birthday Mom!

Anyway, we started at Roosevelt Island and went along the C&O bike path, which hugs the Potomac River.

We went past Gravelly Point Park and National Airport and turned around when we got to the "4 Mile Run Trail".

Gravelly Point Park is right NEXT to National Airport
and you feel like you could almost jump and touch the planes when they're landing.

Me and my wonderful bionic Mom with her double knee replacements!!

High Voltage may cause death!
This was at the power plant where we turned around on the "4 Mile Run Trail".

Some stats for the numbers people out there!

I just ran at whatever pace felt comfortable.  

I didn't have any goals or ideas going into this run.

I didn't even really look down at my watch much at all.  It was one of those days where the cool air made it feel like you could run forever.

Does anyone like to exercise with their family members?

I love sharing exercise with friends and family.  Annnd it was super cute because my mom was the one who suggested going on for a run/bike ride today, she knows me too well :)

20 Miles and Marathon Training Week #21

TWO weeks until the Richmond Marathon!

Training week #21 in review:

• Long run = 20.1 miles at average pace of 7:53 **
• Ran 47.7 miles
• Two "rest" days
• 100 lengths swimming in pool
• 30.7 miles on bike

** This week's long run was a "fake" long run because it was broken up into two parts-- an 8.3 mile run and a 12 mile run.  Long story involving the group run getting canceled due to rain.  

So essentially that's a fake time because if I'd run it all at once it'd prob be a little slower.

Some Halloween fun with Btypes after the run.
Yes, that's me on the right.
The Neon Blonde isn't so blonde anymore!

Sad story about my phone-- I had it in my pocket when I was running on Saturday and it got SOAKED in the rain and is completely dead now.  I'm looking for an iPhone on craigslist currently because I don't get an upgrade until June 2012 and I don't want to pay $649 for a new one.

Lots has been going on since I last posted.  

Including:

• Ran on the track for the FIRST time in my life.  Loved it (in a painful good way).
• Went to Tappan's 10 year reunion in Lexington VA
• New running goodies
• Sneaking in more swimming/biking

Ok that's it for now, I just wanted to drop a quick hello!

Has anyone ever had a phone die from getting wet and had any success in it starting to work after a couple days??

Mine seems to be a goner, but I keep hoping that it'll miraculously turn on one of these days...

Progressively Speeding Up

Today after waking up post-nighshift, I ran 5.00 miles at an average pace of 7:27.  Looked like a progressive run.

First mile was 7:56 and last mile was 6:57.

I've been working nightshifts the past two days (read that this equals limited workout time between shifts), so this was a great opportunity to slip in a shorter than usual run and push it at the end.

Memories of a gorgeous, cool day in Tahoe...
This would make for a good outside speedy day

Do you prefer running FAST outside or inside in the treadmill?
I don't have a strong preference one way or another.  It depends on the weather for me--
hot weather = run inside on treadmill
cool weather = get practice with faster legs outside on road

Richmond Folk Festival and SPCA Bloody Mary Bash

Last night I worked nightshift and before I went in, I did a 10 mile recovery-ish run, at an 8:07 pace.  I know a recovery run is supposed to be slower, but I don't like following rules.  I just listen to the legs.  I asked them and they said it would be just fine.

But all kidding aside, it was a good relaxed run, I was practicing my least favorite part of the marathon course.  Trying to make friends with it.

I wore some compression socks to work last night to make sure that the muscles wouldn't get angry about having to stay up all night walking around.  This was actually the 2nd time I've ever worn them, I think they might be miracle workers because I feel great.

Anyway, I wanted to share a little more of my weekend explorations.

On Saturday after my long run, my friends and I went festival cruising!

We started with the SPCA Bloody Mary Bash on Floyd Ave.  The Bloody Mary Bash was a fundraiser for the local SPCA.

Obviously, Brittany and I were thirsty from running and needed a little tomato juice to jump start the day.

I should have eaten the celery for extra vitamins too!
And look who's creepin' in the background.

I also got to meet the SPCA dog, he was pretty cuddly.

Usually I can't stand giant fake costumes, but this dog was really alright.

Also please note that this sweet and energetic 82 old woman was celebrating her birthday at the event.

She was the life of the party.

I want to have her kind of vigor for life when I'm her age!

We hung around for an hour or two and then headed to Brittany's for a quick lil' rest.

She curled my hair, I felt like I was getting married or something...
but in reality, we were just heading to the Richmond Folk Festival

And then onto the Richmond Folk Festival!

At the Richmond Folk Festival.
I know you've seen this shirt before, it's a goodie, can't keep it in the closet.

 The Richmond Folk Festival in Richmond is a huge gathering in Richmond.  Over 200,000 people attended this year, which was a record turnout.

It's a free event and has ranked the 2nd best music festival in Richmond for two years in a row.

It includes american/international music, dancing, traditional crafts, storytelling, and food.

I (of course) had TWO servings of Pad Thai while I was there.

Has anyone checked out any cool festivals this season?
Brittany is a planning genius (always knows about the fun stuff around town) and we had a few more festivals on the agenda for the day, but we were having so much fun where we already were and couldn't be peeled away.  Missed festivals included the Fantoberfest and Shocktoberfest, both named after different Richmond neighborhoods.
Does anyone not like recovery runs?
I don't like the idea of doing junk miles.  If I'm doing super easy peasy miles because I'm trying to recover from a super hard workout, I'd rather take the day off to allow for some full healing/rebuilding of muscles.  Don't get me wrong, I DO believe in having fun runs where you don't pay attention to the pace at all.  I just don't like planning such a thing just because I need to recover.  Days like that deserve rest in my book.  I feel that if you run on super tired beat-up legs, you're more likely to get injured.  I'd rather cross train or just plain rest.

12 Mile "Long Run" and Sunday Drive

Our "long run" this week was 12 miles, 1:32:54, average pace of 7:44.  It was a "fall back" week, which was just fine with me.

Brittany and I ran together and had a blast.  I was feeling a little anti-social and sensitive to smells, but other than that it was a fun run.

The rest of Saturday was full of festivals galore, which I'll chat about tomorrow!

Today Tappan and I went on a Sunday Drive.

Highlights included stopping by my favorite spot in Richmond:  Libbie Hill Park.

Oh Hiiiii!

I brought a couple blankets and we laid out and watched a yoga photo shoot.  The day was so beautiful that I got all emotional.  Don't ask.

We then drove out to the country in Henrico and went by the Osborne Boat Landing and found this cute little restaurant, the Lily Pad Cafe.

I'd like to go back there and try a sandwich.

And apparently they do catering!
"Have Your Next Affair With Us"
Creative, I like it :)

Lastly, we came across a random battlefield park, Fort Brady, and stopped in for a stroll.

Fort Brady, fun random site for some good exploration

A blur of our tour guide.
This puppy chased us around the entire circuit.

After some driving, we were starving and ate a ton of food at Sticky Rice.  Tater tots galore!

Beautiful fall day in the city.

Do you ever go for Sunday drives?

It's a relaxing part of the weekend for me, I love exploring new parts of the city.  I've lived in Richmond for four years and my favorite moments these days are finding new undiscovered treats.

ONE Month until the Richmond Marathon (11/12/2011)

Today marks ONE month until the Richmond Marathon.

The marathon is at 8am on Saturday November 12th, 2011.

Time to start planning for the marathon.

Lots of things to think about!

• what things to eat during the marathon?
• what pace should I aim for?
• what shoes to wear?
• what clothes to wear?
• Should I do a pace group?
• what strategy should I have for different parts of the course?
• where should my parents bike to on the course to see me?
• what should my taper look like?
• what should I eat the night before the marathon?

I am going to probably write posts on all of those following topics in the upcoming weeks.

When I write the posts, I am super intrigued and excited to get feedback from all of you running rockstars!

Is anyone out there also going to run the Richmond Marathon?

I know my BTypes is, but I'd also love to hear from anyone else who I haven't met yet!
I think Julia is going to do the half?

Anyone else have a marathon coming up later this fall?  Tell me about it!

I know a ton of you had your marathons this past weekend, but I also know of few who still have theirs on the horizon (NYC, MCM and I'm sure a ton others)

22 Mile Run (+ Marathon Training Week #19)

I had a 22 mile run this weekend.  

Yes, it's another personal world distance record, hahaha.  I love to celebrate life's little moments, and I'm not going to lie, this was exciting and fun for me.

At the end of the ice bath....feeling hopeful, ice is almost melted, almost time to get out!

Unfortunately, my Garmin died early on (it was too full of old runs to record further), so I don't have a print out.  However, I was running with a girlfriend and her Gamin said our average pace for the entire run was around 8 minute miles.  I'll let you know when I get the final stats.

But whatever pace it was, I had an amazing time.  

I felt great for the entire run and it literally flew by.  I know I say that after most longs runs, but I really mean it.  I ran with my two girlfriends, one of which is Brittany of Btypes.  Check out her fun blog, she's one of my dearest Richmond friends and she's also in the marathon training group with me.

After the run, I felt good and had a pretty busy day and rest of the weekend.  More on that later.  My left calf muscle was a little sore yesterday, but it's on the mend.

A little massage chair time later on Saturday at La Diff...pretty phenomenal on the back.

More playing on chairs at La Diff.  I'm a fan of the orange.
Well of course, it's bright and obnoxious!

Anyway, this run made me feel confident that I will be able at least finish 26.2 miles in about a month.

Ok, not just to finish it, but to run it and feel like I trained and tried my best.

I have no idea what pace to shoot for with the marathon.  I briefly chatted with my running coach after the long run on Saturday and he said he'd help me come up with a race plan.  Brittany and I decided it was time to start thinking about that sort of thing.

STATS FOR WEEK #19

total miles run:  40.2 miles

long run:  22 miles

rest days:  3 days

Blue Goat in Richmond VA

"The Blue Goat is an Urban Gastropub.  Featuring euro comfort food, sourced locally, in a nose to tail concept."  -The Blue Goat facebook page

Alright, this new Blue Goat restaurant in Richmond Virginia sounded interesting enough, so my girlfriends and I decided to make it a girls date night and check the place out.

The loves all lined up.  I'm in the middle, in blue.

Well, we were blown away.  Our experience FAR exceeded my expectations!

First of all, we were seated in a beautifully decorated, spacious (yet cozy) private room.

Giant wooden table, huge globe lighting fixture,
wall of wine (which apparently was NOT soundproof...)

I'm not one to be schmoozed.  I don't like fake flattery.  BUT they sure did genuinely make us feel like we were the highlight of the night.

We were just there for a random Friday night dinner, but they were incredibly generous and treated us as if it were some sort of rehearsal dinner or super special occasion.

This included bringing us multiple items, on the house.  Feast your eyes on some of the following delectables:

Champagne (which may have been called Sex or something risque enough to make me think twice?)
for an after dinner toast.

A giant tray of deserts, which looked like a piece of art.

This is Kevin LaCivita, the Executive Chef, bringing out treats.
Just the look on my friend's face is priceless, love it...
this is how we all felt about how delicious everything was!

The menu is divided into three options of sizes, depending on how hungry you are:

• Nibble $7 includes treats such as
• Pommes frites with pork dust, sea salt and garlic aioli
• Goat croquettes, basil cream with Everona Dairy Piedmont Pecorino style cheese
• Batter fried, julienne strips of Smithfield Farm pig ear, a sunny side duck egg with crispy Swiss chard
• Graze $11
• Greenmont Farms duck rillettes, bruschetta and balsamic roasted peaches
• Balsamic braised pig tail over Gorgonzola polenta
• Veal marrow bone with grey sea salt, bruschetta and black olive tapenade
• Feed $16
• Braised pork cheeks over spaetzle
• Hudson Valley seared foie gras over bruschetta, peach & berry compote with
  pomegranate reduction
• Veal demi braised oxtail over butter whipped potatoes

I actually hate meat.  So this was not my ideal menu, but I did find some very delicious veggie-ish dishes which were very satisfying.  But everyone else did LOVE their meat stuff, this seems to be the Blue Goat's specialty-- locally sourced creative presentations of meat.

But that doesn't matter to me.  The presentation, experience, and atmosphere all made this a noteworthy time!

Oh can't forget to include my dear friend
about to devour her little mini baby friend!

The Blue Goat is a versatile restaurant-- great for a casual night out with friends, a happy hour with a date, or a more formal occasion.  Be prepared to have an unusual, but creative, fun and delicious feast!

Easy Directions on How to Drop the dot Blogspot....AND Possibly Converting to Wordpress?

I had a couple people ask how to get rid of the ".blogspot" at the end of your website address, so I figured that I'd give a quick summary of how to do it.  (This obviously only applies to people who set up their blogs through google blogger.)

It's SUPER easy.

Took like 4 minutes.

And it's cheap-- only $10 per year.

I am from the cave man days when it comes to technology...
...and I figured this out, so it can't be that bad.

Here's how I did it:  (NOTE:  this applies to the new blogger interface)

• go to your blog
• sign in and click on "design" in the right upper corner
• click on "settings" in the column on the left
• look at the "publishing" section in the middle of the screen
• click "need a domain?"
• and it'll then walk you through the process of paying $10 per year.  It's done through google.  Go Daddy has partnered with google to provide this service.
• the end

Don't be intimidated, I am not technologically advanced AT ALL and this was simple to do.

Next step:  One day I am going to convert to Wordpress!  I just like the clean look of wordpress sites...This will probably happen later this year for me.

Anyone familiar with the google to Wordpress conversion?  I know that Blue Eyed Runner successfully pulled this off earlier this year.

Anyone love wordpress vs. google blogger?

I've Jumped to a New Blog Website!

I decided it was time to make the jump...

I changed my website name from

www.neonblonderunner.blogspot.com
to
www.neonblonderunner.com

Not sure how you find my blog, but if you find it through a bookmark, go ahead and switch that up now.

How do you keep track of and read your favorite blogs?
I keep track of most of the blogs I read through google reader...but for the people that don't have that as part of their blog, I have them saved as bookmarks.

I've Run 1,000 Miles in 2011 (so far)!

I feel a little like a nut typing that post title right there because it feels funny to say that out loud to non-runners.

But yes, it is true.  This week I realized that I've run over 1,000 miles so far in 2011.

I have run for 5 days and 21 hours so far this year.

My highest mileage month so far has been September, with 170.8 miles.

These are my favorite running memories from 2011:

June 2011:  Hanging out with Caroline Rotich (4th place Boston 2011) in Santa Fe at the Santa Fe Run-Around 5k

July 2011:  Running around New York City with Tappan

March 2011:  Running my first race after coming back from a 5 month running hiatus after my pelvic stress fracture last year.  1st woman overall woohoo.

April 2011:  About to run the Monument Avenue 10K for the first time.  New PR (hate that word) woohoo.

Spring 2011:  Running over the bridge from Belle Island.

Spring 2011:  Running over the Key Bridge on the way from Georgetown to Arlington VA

September 2011:  Running through San Francisco

September 2011:  Running across the Golden Gate Bridge

March 2011:  Running in Venice, Florida.  My first 8k, placed first in age group.

Cheers to many more miles to come!

Waking up at 3pm...and I Guess This was a Progressive Run?

Yesterday (which is technically still today for me since I haven't gone to sleep yet), I woke up at 3pm and then went for a 6.35 mile jog, average pace 7:18. 

Although it wasn't planned this way, it turned out to be a progressive run.

I don't usually sleep in until 3pm, but I had worked the night before and stayed up until 8am.  Yes, working nightshift is just as awesome as it sounds-- NOT at all.  But I generally love my job, so I don't mind occasionally putting up with the inconvenience of nightshifts.

Anyway, my idea with the jog was just to get a few miles in before heading in for my Saturday nightshift.

But when I plugged in my garmin and looked at the mile splits, it looked really cool because each mile was faster than the mile before it.  Total accident, I just was doing what felt good! 

A Progressive Run, by accident.

So Tappan and I figured out that it's probably called a progressive run.  I googled "progressive run" and here's the best definition that I found:

• "A Progressive Run sounds just like what it means. The run gets progressively faster each mile."

Alright, sounds simple enough.

But in reality, it's too complicated for me to plan in advance.  I usually just like going with it and seeing what my body's up for/interested in doing.  I'm just a novice and don't have a real plan.  This system is more appealing to me than following a restrictive plan that involves planning paces.  I'm OCD enough as it is.

Don't get me wrong-- I think people that have a good idea of what their goals are probably achieve more than people like me who just float around and do what feels right.

It would make me a better runner if I did plan out paces and workouts and stuff.  But I run because I LOVE it and have fun with it.  If I started trying to meet certain goals during my workouts, it would probably lead to disappointment.  If running were to start feeling like a chore, that would mean that it's time to stop.

Have you ever run a progressive run?
This was actually fun for me because I usually naturally run a little faster at the end of my runs.  It's all a mental thing I think.  I tend to hold back on the first half of runs, but once I know that I've gotten over the hump, I feel confident giving it a little more effort.  But this was the first time that my paces have looked like a perfectly interesting downward staircase.
Thoughts on running for fun vs. running to achieve goals?
I think a good balance lies out there.  Once I get more experience, I'll start focusing more on goals?  But for now, it's all for the love and fun of it!