GW Birthday 10k Recap

Sunday, February 17 was my my first race of 2013: the George Washington Birthday Classic 10k in Alexandria, VA. Its still fairly early in the season, and still definitely winter in the DC metro area.

Sunday morning was COLD.  Race time was 8 AM, and it was colder in Alexandria than DC, with a wind chill of about 19F when it was all said and done.  I'm a born and raised Texan, and generally wuss out when the temp drops much below 40F.

Race Map - Good thing I drove the course the night before!

This was also my longest run to date.  I always have a hard time breaking past the 4 mile mark, so I knew signing up for a race would force me to get in my long run for the weekend.  I originally signed up with my coworker, Kate, but she had to cancel last minute as she was double booked.

6.34 done - Woo!

Between running alone, the distance, and the cold temperatures, I knew that this race was going to be all about mental toughness.

The course was a straight out and back down Eisenhower Ave. in Alexandria - generally flat with the exception of an overpass (that counts, right?) and a slight uphill toward the turn-around point.  The first 2 miles were brutally cold, but soon after started to warm up.  It was nice to be in a smaller race, about 600 participants total, and not have to fight throngs of people for the first mile.  There were a fair number of runners blazing the trail about 5:00/mi, but it was nice to see that most people seemed to be like me, out for their first run of 2013.

Despite the cold, the wind, and running alone, I finished my longest run up to that point in 1:04:16, or 10:08 pace. I have really mixed feelings looking back a week out now. I really wanted to be under 10 minutes per mile, and ideally wanted to be under an hour, but I'm just happy to have this one under my belt and behind me.  I'm proud of myself for seeing it through, and pretty psyched to rock my new tech Tee that came with my registration fee. Woot!

February in Review

February has flown by.  I know it's a short month, but I can't believe there are only two days left! The year already feels like its rushing by, so here are a few things I've loved in February:

A fresh and delicious brekkie:
softboiled egg with baby spinach on english muffin, tangelo, and strawberries

• Getting back into a routine of healthy eating.  After vacation (especially after picking up some South American tummy bugs), its always a welcome relief to get back to a routine and stock my fridge with some healthy grub.
• Attended  my 1st CrossFit class with some coworkers. One of my friends has been going regularly, and her gym had a bring your friends day.  I always have so much fun working out with my friends, and it was great to get out of our comfort zones (and a great workout too - I was sore for 3 days)!
• Playing Extreme Home Makeover w/ a good friend. Nothing like some weekday furniture moving in the rain to remind you how powerful refreshing your abode can be.  I've definitely got some revamps planned for my digs in the near future!
• Valentine's Day Dinner with my good friend Kat from college and a short but sweet Skype date w/ Mr Lincoln who's hard at work studying in Lima.
• Getting my first 10k of the season under my belt, and making great strides on my training for the Cherry Blossom 10 miler.
• Relaxing with our Kitty Stu, and the sweet heart shape of his paw pads.

Sweet <3 shapes found in my Kitty's paw

Back to life... Back to reality

I always have a hard time getting back into the swing of things after travelling.  Whether for work or play, it normally takes me about 1-2 weeks to totally unpack my bags and settle back into the routine of work/laundry/gym/etc.  Maybe I just like to remain in denial about the return to the real work for as long as possible.

Post-race bananas at the Washington Monument
c/o Bob Burgess and Credit Union Cherry Blossom

My two weeks in Peru were AMAZING.  I honestly hadn't given Peru much thought outside of Machu Picchu, but I'm so glad we spent extra time in Cusco and Lima.  Each of our experiences, from exploring Cusco city, hiking the Inca Trail, visiting the Machu Picchu ruins, and tasting the cuisine of Lima is truly deserving of its own post and dedicated reflection.

For now its back to the grind and training for the Cherry Blossom 10 Miler on April 7.  Last year Cherry Blossom was the first long(ish) distance race I ever did, and it was such an amazing experience to run it with my dad, Mr. Lincoln, and a new friend who since has become one of my closest. Getting back into a training routine has really helped me get back to the swing of things in my personal and social live, and I'm really grateful to have great friends by my side the whole way!

Reunited!

I saw a Sonic billboard today while running some last minute errands for Peru and told Mr. Lincoln we should grab a limeade. I didn't tell him it was 1.75 miles away, since that seemed to me to be a very small price to pay as there are no Sonics within an hour of DC!

A few minutes later, I was reunited with my lemon berry fruit slushy and it felt so good!!

Southward Migration

It's been a year since I took off more than 2 days in a row - so the bf and I have escaped the winter chill of DC for a myriad of adventures closer to the equator over the next few weeks.

On Tuesday we're heading down to South America for 12 days in Peru! Mr. Lincoln and I will be touring Cuzco, hitting the Inca Trail for the 4 day trek to Machu Picchu, and spending a few days getting to know his new neighborhood in Lima (lucky Mr. is spending 6 weeks there for school).

This trip has been so many weeks in the planning that I can't believe it's finally here! Neither of us had been to South America before, so I'm really excited to share all these new experiences together.

We're in south Florida now visiting his wonderful grandma, dipping our toes into the Atlantic, and soaking up perfect 78 degree days. It's a great kickoff to the adventures that lie ahead!

5k Glow Run

Between my injured finger and traveling to San Francisco for work, the last few weeks have been crazy.  This is now a bit belated - but I'd be totally remiss if I failed to document the amazing experience I had a little while back.

A few weeks ago I had a perfect Friday night.  Along with some girlfriends from work, we did the Living Social 5k Dance Party - a.k.a. the Glow in the Dark Run.  It was a blast - I only wish the pictures did it justice!

With our powers combined...

It was a great way to blow off some steam at the end of a long work week and to bond with my coworkers in a totally new way.  I love my friends but all too often I feel like I'm choosing between my social life and getting a workout in (because c'mon, dancing the night away doesn't really count).

Winning

You can't necessarily have your cake, eat it too, and still fit in your skinny jeans - but its nice to know that you can have your friends. your workout, and some sweet glow accessories!  The free Mich Ultra and Kind bars at the after party were a nice touch too!

Words of Wisdom

In college I had a great friend/roommate/rugby teammate.  While we were living it up like typical 19 year olds - staying up to late, eating the wrong foods, and beating ourselves opponents up on the rugby pitch, her Dad gave us some advice that has stuck with me:

If you're gonna be dumb, you gotta be tough.

It strikes the right balance of dry wit and truth - and provides some useful perspective to put my mishaps in perspective.

Thanks Dad for the awesome 1st aid!

Over Thanksgiving, and on my 28th birthday no less, I had to be tough (long story short, I was slicing butternut squash with a mandolin, and my fingertip got in the way).  Looks like I'm going into my 28th year with a new set of fingerprints!

Needless to say, my right hand is a little out of commission, so I'll be watching Law and Order SVU marathons resting and rehabbing my poor pointer.  Between that and getting ready to go to San Fran for work next week, it'll be a little bleak around here!