Capitol Hill Classic Review

The Run
5/19/13: 6.21 mi; 49'31"; 7'58" avg. pace

This was one of my favorite 10k races we've done. The course was scenic with tree lined streets and the occasional government building. The crowds were there, but not oppressive. The weather was misty and cool and without heavy rain to slow us down. My only goal was to finish inside of 50 minutes, which I accomplished by a mere 30 seconds. It was a great start to 10k season and a little unexpected given the slow recovery period I've experienced. Here are the Nike+ graphics breaking down my run.

Full route with run pace and mile markers

Mile splits

My slowest point was starting out and wading through the crowds. So the first mile was the slowest at 8'24". After that, I recovered 40" on mile two as we cruised down First Street. By mile three we were heading down towards RFK stadium and even had a bit of downhill to help us along; still, I ran a slower third mile split than my second mile. Mile four was a concrete circle through the Anacostia River Trail, which I thought would be considerably more green. Oh well. Mile five featured the only uphill section, as we left RFK in our rearview; I managed to keep steady at an 8'00" pace despite the incline. Others waiver on the hills, I like to plow through them. Mile six was the return trip down First Street, nice and flat. I had enough left in the tank to run my fastest mile of the race at 7'41". A slight bend onto Third Street and then Maryland and we finished back at Stanton Park. Bagels and bananas were waiting on us.
Here are some pictures from the event:

"Get the school in the background." "Okay."

Always appreciate a mid-air shot

Emily kicking it

Mary hits the home stretch

Mike touching some sky

Say what you will, it looks like we all finished pretty strong. Mike almost looks like he's long jumping in that shot.
The food was fairly satisfactory as well. As you'll see documented below:

Fried Catfish Sandwich from The Sixth Engine (Friday night)

Crab campanelle. Pre race carbs

Creole Chicken at Gordon Biersch. Post race dinner

Post race brownie. Yeah, that was sweet

Looking forward, we may have a few 5k races in June leading up to a possible July 4th romp in Nashville. I plan on doing the annual Run for Your Life 5 Miler featuring the toughest hill around Charleston. Come out for that one and raise funds to fight colorectal cancer. Other than that, we'll play it by ear.

Capitol Hill Classic 10k Preview

The Stats 5/12/13 - 5/18/13
5/12: 3.11 mi; 23'40"; 7'35" avg. pace
5/14: 2.52 mi; 19'00"; 7'32" avg. pace

I was hoping to get in a 5 miler before the D.C. 10k. That plan did not work very well. I had to settle for two shorter runs. Now I'm looking forward to surviving what should be a beautiful run through the nation's capital. Some new kicks made those short runs extremely easy. I bought a pair of Saucony Guide 6's and have been thoroughly impressed.

The shoe is light but secure. It felt like my feet were gliding in a comfy pillow. These puppies are a replacement for my year and a half old Nike Triax Structures. They will be a welcome asset on the roads of D.C.
As for the race, I thought I'd provide a street by street breakdown in advance. Remember those days before Google Maps when you couldn't get a street view of nearly every road in the U.S.? Yeah, me neither. It has spoiled me and thankfully so. With it I can provide pictures of major race intersections and form a run strategy. Here it goes.

The race starts at the south end of Stanton Park. It continues on C Street, 2nd Street, and Constitution (left, right, left) and stays pretty flat. 

2nd St. after the first left turn of the race

Constitution left onto First

Then, we hit First avenue and run with the Capitol on our right and the Supreme Court to the left. "What up, corrupt politicians?" I may say. "How are you living? Well, I know it's well."

First Ave. with the Capitol on the right

First Ave. Supreme Court on the left

Next, comes a left onto East Capitol Street. This street is nice and flat and tree covered. It should provide good shade if it's sunny or wet leaves if it's rainy. We'll run along the south end of Lincoln Park and then onward towards RFK Stadium. 

Pretty East Capitol St. See, a dude is running there

East Capitol approaching Lincoln Park

Running towards RFK

We hang a left on 22nd St. in front of RFK. It is downhill from that point to the Anacostia River trail behind the stadium. From about the 2.5 mile to 4 mile marks, we run inside Anacostia Park Section F. At the 4 mile mark, we exit the park and head uphill for a mile. The altitude gain is only 100 feet over the course of that mile though, so it shouldn't be a daunting climb. We'll rejoin 22nd Street and then retrace East Capitol Street on the way back. 

Lincoln Park on the way back. This time turning left.

Mile 5 ends right near the return trip past Lincoln Park. Then it's the last mile home stretch towards Stanton Park. This section is all pretty flat. The route turns right off East Capitol and onto 3rd Street. Then, there is a slight right on Maryland Avenue. Maryland bends around in front of Stanton Park and we'll end where we started, near Peabody Elementary School.

The finish line will be in sight from here

So that's the picture heavy preview of the Capitol Hill Classic 10k for 2013. Less than two days until race day. Get me that packet and let's get moving!

Post Komen Pre D.C.

The Stats 5/5/13 - 5/11/13
5/8: 2.50 mi; 19'03"; 7'36" avg. pace

The week after Komen turned out to be pretty tame. A combination of extra circulars (besides running) and bad weather put a damper on running activity. Tuesday featured a spirited game of Y league volleyball, so I get some workout credits from that. The weather held off enough Wednesday to warrant a run, but I only managed 2.5 miles. I might have kicked up the pace too much at the outset and didn't feel like pushing it home for the full 5k. The first mile was a 7'23" split, which is more or less near my average pace in good shape. On the second mile, my split came down to 7'39". That's still a decent pace. All in all I feel good about the upcoming Capitol Hill Classic in Washington D.C. The Harmon clan heads there next weekend to mark the District off our list of state/territory 10ks. The training program for the week ahead should feature 2-3 runs. I should probably throw in a 5 miler as well. I haven't run a 10k all year now that I think about it. Uh oh, this could be more difficult than I thought.

WV Komen Run 2013

The Stats 4/28/13 - 5/4/13
4/29: 3.11 mi; 23'49"; 7'38" avg. pace
5/4: 3.10 mi; 23'16"; 7'29" avg. pace

This year the Komen Race for the Cure in WV signaled the opening of my race season. I've usually knocked out one or two 5k runs by this time of year, but the bum leg put a damper on that. Nevertheless, a late start is better than no start.
I had planned on two training runs leading up to Saturday. The week started off well, with a Monday 5k run slightly under 24 minutes. My right leg still requires me to consciously strike center-left with each step. That counters my natural tendency to run on the outside of the right foot. As unnatural as it has felt, concentrating on my steps has kept a nagging injury from becoming debilitating. Due to social events, I didn't get to run again on Thursday. This was likely for the best, as it allowed me to be fully rested heading into race day.
Saturday morning came bright and beautiful over the state capitol. After reaching the race start 45 minutes early, I made the near ritual port-a-john stop. Then, it was back to the start line to chat with fellow runners and get out those last minute jitters. I was well positioned, probably ten runners back from the start line and avoided any serious traffic. I could tell from the firing of the Mountaineer's musket that this year's pace was going to be somewhat tame. The key was to manage expectations and finish strong. My first mile split was 7'28", right around the average for the whole run. As everyone got more spacing, the paces sorted out into groups. I kind of dragged the right foot along, trying not to put a lot of pressure on the outside of the leg. The second mile slowed down considerably and I took a 7'41" split to conserve some energy. Seeing Jason Pyles fly by you while you're still well back from the turn around makes one awe and try to muster some pace. That is what I did in the final mile. Cheered on by the thousands of walkers and many brave breast cancer survivors, I tried to do everything short of hurting myself to finish strong. I was able to sprint the last 300 to 400 meters into the finish. My last split turned out the best at 7'19". I felt pleased with the 23'16" mark even though that was over two minutes off the 21'12" I ran last year through the rain. Still, now is not the time to achieve past glory; it is time to be thankful for what I have, namely, the ability to walk, to run, to cheer on my friends, and to celebrate life. A life that will continue in hope of the reduction/elimination of evils like breast cancer.

Click to enlarge

I Run Slow and Steady, But...

The Stats 4/21/13 - 4/27/13
4/22: 1.52 mi; 11'00"; 7'13" avg. pace
4/23: 2.92 mi; 28'06"; 9'37" avg. pace
4/26: 3.13 mi; 24'26"; 7'48" avg. pace

Two weeks 'till Komen and I'm cruising into race day. No big goals this time around. I've been telling people any time under 24 minutes will leave me pleased on what is hopefully a beautiful May morning near the capitol. I started off this week with a mile and a half jog. I was attending a speaker series later that evening and cut the run short. Also, my right leg felt a bit tender and I was reticent to push it when it is so close to healing properly. Tuesday, I met up with a friend and did the Kanawha City loop. We pulled back on the pace a little as we're both recovering from aches and pains. My last chance for a workout came on Friday. I patrolled KC again and even met some out-of-towners from Columbus. They must have been in town for the UC half marathon last Sunday. We parted after I gave them (accurate?) directions to the South Side Bridge so they could get downtown. That run came in a little higher than I wanted, but I still feel in line for a sub 24 minute 5k in the Komen race. Breast cancer be damned! Next week we race.

The Swing of Things

The Stats 4/14/13 - 4/20/13
4/14: 3.11 mi; 24'27"; 7'51" avg. pace
4/15: 3.11 mi; 23'54"; 7'40" avg. pace
4/17: 3.11 mi; 24'05"; 7'43" avg. pace

It finally happened. I got back to the benchmark for my normal running activity - three runs of three miles or more in a week. Granted, I didn't soar beyond those requirements for normalcy, I was happy to reach that mark again. There are still sensitive areas on my legs that are forcing me to switch up my gait. I consciously have to land more flush on my right foot, whereas I would prefer turning the foot inwards and running on the outside of it. That combined with winter inactivity has pushed down my times and mile splits. But running sub-eight minute miles is nothing to sniff at. In my early days of running, 2006-ish, I couldn't break 8 minute splits, trotting the Pi Mile trail at Georgia Tech. That may have been due in part to the searing heat and suffocating humidity, but I'd also like to think that years of activity have left me in better baseline shape.
For now the 2013 running season is looking promising. Spring races typically include: The Susan G. Komen 5k, The Poca River Race (15k), and the Run for Your Life 5 Miler. So I'm going to fist bump a friend and get to running.

The March of the Laggards

The Stats: March, 2013

3/4/13: 3.00 mi; 27'29"; 8'58" avg. pace

3/14/13: 2.83 mi; 21'32"; 7'36" avg. pace

3/27/13: 2.35 mi; 18'37"; 7'54" avg. pace

3/29/13: 1.36 mi; 10'05"; 7'24" avg. pace

I'm setting record lows for every month this year. I have some reasonable excuses for March. For one, the weather was bleak and awful. For another, I continue to think it prudent to rest my leg. If I can ensure a healthy body come 10k running season, it will be well worth it. I wasn't able to string together a good running week in March. My last attempt to in the final week of the month totaled a mere 3.7 miles. In that last run on the 29th I fully intended to run five kilometers. I was jogging along merrily on Kanawha Blvd. when two terrorist dogs off their leashes started chasing me. I tried to outpace them and sprinted fast enough to stay out of biting contention for a good 100 yards. Then, I realized they were gaining and I abruptly stopped and threw up my hands in self defense. Luckily, they lost interest and returned to their stupid owner (put a freaking leash on your dogs, people!). That's my rant.

Right now, my attitude toward running can best be summarized by the words of the poet: "I don't wanna talk about it, I wanna be about it." And so I'm off to make April a more respectable running month. Maybe the Boston Marathon will provide some much needed inspiration.