Back to Morning Running

For most of my decade of running, I have run in the morning. At first it was simply the most convenient time, but eventually, it became part of the pattern of my life. Running happens in the morning. There have been exceptions to that rule, however, including this past winter. I was under employed for a few months, giving me extra time in the afternoons to run. I was able to completely change my schedule and run during the warmest part of the day.

It was a shock to my system when I switched back to morning runs at the end of March. It had not crossed my mind that I would need to adjust to my old (now new) schedule. Well I did. But the change could not come at a better time. With the humidity settling in, 6 am is becoming the best part of the day for running after all.

The tail end of sunrise this morning on my run

I also forgot how much I like running early in the morning. I love the atmosphere and community in the morning. I get to see the sunrise and the mist rising off the fields. The air feels crisp and fresh and I come across a lot more wildlife than in other parts of the day. I even saw a beaver! There is also a whole community of people out early, even more so than in the afternoon when most people are at work. I see the same neighbors each morning walking their dogs or jogging. We smile at each other, say hello, and encourage each other. I didn't realize how much I missed being part of that community. Not only is it nice to see them, but I feel safe knowing that friendly people are around. While I miss the flexibility of open afternoons, I am glad to be back in the swing of my morning runs.

Best Laid Plans

Since last April, I had planned to run the George Washington Parkway Classic. Since September, I had been building up my base runs. Since January, I had been timing my runs and training my pace... But not all plans work out.

In mid-March I started working full time again. This meant no more running in the afternoons. The adjustment to the full work week and running in the mornings was more than I had anticipated. After a long and tiring first week, I started to reevaluate my 10 mile race plan. From there it all unraveled. A long story short, today was the race and I was not in it. Instead I took this week off running and spent time with family after my fiance's grandmother passed away.

This morning I took a peaceful 4 mile run through farmland. It was much nicer than a crowded race course, after all.

Yoga+ Running= Yes!

I've been running for years, but I just started doing yoga this past summer. I guess I was a little skeptical of yoga because people only say amazing things about it. I just didn't believe any one thing could really be that great. I'm not about to tell you that yoga changed my life, but it definitely changed my running. Here is how:

Mind set- Right off the bat, I started thinking more about the intentions I had for each of my runs. This has helped me stay motivated.

Posture- I never thought about my posture while running until after I started yoga. Maybe other runners think about this all the time, but not me. Keeping my shoulders back and thinking about what part of my body I'm "leading" with has reduced cramps and helped me push more easily through hills.

Speed- The craziest part is, any time I run after doing yoga, I am a lot faster. I honestly feel lighter on my feet. Very strange, but I'm not going to knock it!

So... Yoga + running= fast runs, with fewer cramps, stronger hill running, and a better mind set= Yes!

Running with Music

When it comes to running with music, I go through phases. For a while I couldn't get through a run without a good beat keeping me going. When I trained for my first race, though, I was told I couldn't listen to music during the race. Apparently its a safety thing. So I weaned myself off the iPod and found others ways to motivate and entertain myself. When I showed up at the race everyone had their headphones on! Apparently, the rule only matter if you expect to win the race (clearly, not me!).

So now I'm left with the question: music or no music? On one hand my quiet runs are relaxing and give me time to think. On the other hand, the music helps pump me up and keep me entertained. For my most recent 8 mile run, I tried using music as a mid-run pick-me-up. At mile 5 I put in the earbuds and listened to some Red Hot Chili Peppers and Cake. It seemed to help me keep me going, but I didn't see any big change in my average pace.

Do you listen to music while running or working out? Does it help? What do you listen to?

Three Things Tuesday

1. "Warm up to the week" runs
Often, after I fall into a slump with my running, I it's hard to just get up and do a long, timed run. So, I use a "warm up to the week" run to get myself going again. It's a light, easy run with the singular goal of feeling good. I've found it's a positive way to kick off a new week. The theory is: starting with a good run will help keep me motivated as I face more challenging runs during the week. These warm up runs are just two or three miles long, but I come back feeling more up-beat and confident.

2. Running in the rain
Yesterday, I was coming off a weekend of no running, I was tired, and it was raining. I decided a warm up to the week was needed. Standing in the doorway and looking out at the rain, it was hard to believe that a run would really help at all. Once I stepped through the door, though, I was reminded of all the perks of running in the rain. The air felt clear, I didn't get too hot, and the neighborhood was quiet. It was very refreshing to jog along at my own pace and take in the ultimate calmness of a spring rain.

Image from http://www.rocbike.com/tag/rain/

3. It worked!
After yesterday's warm up, I felt rearing and ready for my 5 mile run. The goal was 5 miles in less than 47 minutes and 30 seconds. I completed the run in 45 minutes and 40 seconds; goal accomplished!

Training Tuesday

I mentioned in my last running post that I ran a 10 mile race last year. I've decided to run one again this year, too. Last year I ran the Cherry Blossom 10 Miler. It was a lot of fun, but very crowded. This year I am giving the George Washington Parkway Classic a try. I did their 5k last year and it was fun, this time I'm going for the full race.

For my first race ever, the Cherry Blossom 10 Miler was not so bad. It's a big deal in DC, so I felt specially riding the metro to the race early in the morning and warming up with all the people at the event. Once I started running though, I felt really packed in. I ended up missing my goal by 16 second, too. Not too bad for my first race, but this year I'm hoping to do better!


I started this year's training in January, and despite some wintry set backs, I've been keeping up with the schedule. Each week I do one long run, two medium runs, and one quick "warm up to the week" run. I also do yoga and weight lifting on a weekly basis. Originally, I planned to work on pace on the medium runs and work on endurance with the long runs. So far though, I have been keeping a pretty consistent pace regardless of the number of miles. Hopefully I can keep that up. It occurred to me on a recent run that I may actually have to slow down my initial pace on my medium runs in order to speed up my over all time. It feels like a contradiction, but as I time out each of my miles, it makes more and more sense. The race is in April, so I've got another month and a half to really add on the miles, I hope I can make it! Like last year, the goal is to finish in less than 100 minutes. My pace so far has been 9:30 minutes per mile, hopefully I can keep it there.

My other challenge is dealing with the race atmosphere. I felt prepared last year when it came to running, but I had not anticipated the crowds, free water stops, and other distractions. As I get closer to the date I'll have to work on that.

How do you prepare for a race??

Intentional Running

It's crazy to think about, but I have been running for 10 years-- a decade. I started running my freshman year of high school. A couple of my friends ran before school and it sounded like fun. Once I got into it, I never really stopped. Over the years, I have learned a lot about running, but there is always so much more to learn. I hope you will join in with comments, tips and questions.


It was only a couple years ago that I really began to run with purpose. I started training for my first race and started analyzing how I run with specific goals in mind. I never made it to my first half-marathon, but the next year I came back strong and completed my first ever 10 mile race. Now, any time I head out the door, I set a goal for my run. Sometimes it's to keep a certain pace, sometimes it's to think about a specific topic. My "intentional running" has helped me stay motivated and get through bumps in the road.

Today was my first good run in weeks. I have had bad luck between getting sick, the ice storm, and pulling muscle in my leg. My only goal for today's run was to have a good time and I did!