Friends and Hiking

Waterfall on the Cascade Trail

Late July, I went to my typical hiking spot (Patapso State Park) and invited a friend whom I hadn't seen in a few weeks because she was in class. She brought along her husband and son, and off we went.

Typically when I hike this area, I start out on the same trail head and make the same loop all the way around. Depending on how tired I am, or what I feel like, I cut the loop short and head down the road to the parking lot--or I take the trail through the state park and pop out right where I started hiking originally.

Me, Einstein, Jackie, and Luke!

With Jackie, they were most interested in seeing water and playing in it, so we did the opposite of what I normally do: walked up the main road to the trail, and scooted right over to the Cascade Trail (and spent time at the waterfall). About a 4 mile hike, with some time to play in the water.

This post is mostly for the memory and pictures.

Zombie Run - July 12th

July has been a busy month with work and studying. But, I've also spent my weekends outside of the house, and reveling in some R&R.

On July 12, Adam and I participated in a zombie run. The location was
publicized for the Baltimore/DC area, but it turns out it was about an hour northwest of our city--definitely a bit of a drive for anyone coming from DC. The drive was quite nice, and was fun just on its own. We drove on a highway that took us through rural country, with lots of farm houses and pastures. In fact, the race itself was at a horse agility, riding, and training course.

My back sweat tends to form in the shape of a heart!

Our wave was at 10:30am, taking into account the fact that we wanted to sleep in and how long the website said it would take to process runners as they registered. We arrived a little before 9:30am, parked in a grassy lot, and made our way to registration. In and out in less than 5 minutes. Received those "capture the flag" belts with three rip-away flags and a bib number. We were going to cool our heels until our wave time, but Adam was practically dying and there wasn't a place to really sit and relax. We jumped into the 09:45 wave instead!

Neither of us had no idea what to expect, but based on the webpage and FAQ, we fully expected obstacles, quite a few zombies, and a general craziness to the morning. We were sorely disappointed. The trail, 5k around a wide loop, did not contain ANY obstacles. There were zombies on the path, but they were very spread out and at times, the limited make-up they wore allowed them to appear as normal runners/walkers. That said, we still had a good time, even though (as previously mentioned) Adam was sick. He was fighting an achy body, sniffles, and exhaustion. We mostly sprinted through the zombie stops and then walked between them so that Adam could recover.

Instagram'd picture of Adam and I - post race!

We finished in about 48 minutes! I didn't bring my phone for fear of it getting destroyed in any of the obstacles, but a quick look at the watch was helpful. Adam, the champ he was, survived the run with all of his flags still remaining. I was caught twice and came out with just one. I still survived, so that's all that matters!

Catoctin Mountain Park

This past weekend I headed to a state park about an hour north of where we live. With the long weekend, I wanted to get out and hike but I wanted to take the chance to explore someplace new. I'm currently part of a meetup.com group and although I haven't been able to make it to any of the hikes yet, they list all their hikes with details for members. I picked a couple that weren't too far of a drive and had moderate mileage and in the end chose a ~5 mile hike in Catoctin Mountain Park. With several lookout points (photo opportunities!) it seemed perfect for a Monday off.

It took about an hour to get there, with the clouds rolling in and weather.com predicting that rain would come in around 2pm, right around when we'd finish. The address took us straight to the visitor's center and after a quick visit with the local park ranger we set off. I should mention that I was accompanied by awesome company: Adam and Einstein.

Our first stop was the Cunningham Falls, just a mile down the trail--which was pretty steep! About five to ten minutes into the hike, it started to rain. Then, a few minutes later it started to rain pretty hard. The tree cover provided some relief so it wasn't too bad; however, as time we on we got a little more and more wet. I thought it was quite adventurous but I don't think Adam was too pleased. The falls were great and I imagine on a sunny date they'd be beautiful.

After that, our next stop was Hog Rock. Almost anti-climatic, because the view seemed to be obscured by a lot of the forest, but still a nice break from the trail.

Last up was Blue Ridge Summit Overlook. On our way to this last point, it began pouring. Right at the time we stopped at a small outhouse for a bathroom break. Although wet from all the rain before, we decided not to engage in any puddle jumping and let the downpour continue without us. After it let up, we continued on. This was my favorite spot. The rain let up and the sun come out just as we arrived. The view was beautiful. Einstein took the time to jump around on some boulders and Adam and I took some photos. Once we wrapped up there, we circled back around to the visitor's center. We left Einstein off the leash and he did really well not wandering off too far and sticking with us. It was fun.


Definitely plan to head back again.

Total miles: 5.3
Time: 3 hours

Balimore Women's Classic 5k - 2015

Adam with a sign--made just for me!

It's been a very, very long time since I've posted here! I had almost decided to create another blog, but I got off to such a good start with this one I couldn't let it go.

Last weekend I attended my first race in 2015: the Baltimore Women's Classic. It's an all women race, where men over the age of 18 are not able to run. At first I was a little bit turned off by this, since I didn't think it was fair to exclude anyone from a race (we can't keep all the fun to ourselves!) but once I participated in the race I changed my mind.
The race took place near the Inner Habor in Baltimore. Adam and I drove down together (he came as my personal cheerleader!) and we walked about .5 miles over to the start line. Women--women everywhere! It felt like I was part of a cool club, and it felt really great being surrounded by all kinds of women. All colors, all sizes, all ages, different types of dress--you name it, it was probably there.

My sweaty finish!

I started off in the section where a 11-12 min/mile pacer was situated. This spring I started running again, although I have not started putting in 100% for it just yet. I'd say I'm putting in 40% to improve. Anyway, my running pace is somewhere between 11-12 min/mile, so I figured this would be perfect. We started off, but I quickly realized that number of people getting started was too many, and I went a pretty decent distance (maybe .5 to .75 miles) before I could break away from the crowds and take off at more than a jog. Along the way, all the men who couldn't participate in the actual race lined the route and held up signs. My favorite was "You Run Like a Girl."

I finished the race in less than 40 minutes--which was my goal! Officially, I finished in 34:20:06. Not bad after a jogging start and a serious lack of running lately. Across the finish line I got a medal, a rose, and got to choose from a wide selection of food (bagels, bananas, watermelon, gatorade, and water). After a few pictures and some browsing of some t-shirts, we finished up for the day. If I weren't moving next March, I'd totally run this race again next year!

The saying goes ...

... If you don't take it out and use it, it's going to rust!

        Like a roller coaster, my running ability and drive have been pretty pathetic and low, and also ridiculously amazing (for me) and out of this world. In November 2012 I hopped on the coaster for another ride and started (and completed!) a half-marathon training program. Bootcamp and school had thrown me off my running wagon, but I was ready to get back into it. I was unable to run the actual half marathon, but the point is that I could have if I had wanted to. At that peak, my comfortable running pace was just over 10:00 min/mile and the longest distance I had run without stopping or breaking was 11 miles. That's pretty damn good for me! However, after I completed that training I starting preparing to graduate from school, move to my next command, and [insert a number of other time and attention-consuming obstacles here]. The result was that I did not continue running and I've gotten rusty. In comparison my comfortable running pace is about 11 min/mile and I haven't been able to get more than a 4.5 mile run out of my feet and I'm averaging about 3-3.5 miles a run.
        Introducing a new running plan, accompanied with some training goals/challenges. After searching the internet for a running plan that started out at a level I could complete, I finally settled on a plan which focuses on running TIME and not miles. The miles will accumulate the more I run, but the amount of time I can effectively run is something I can expand upon. I gave it a trial run last week to see if it were a) doable and; b) something I could following without feeling overwhelmed and the trial was a success. I started it in earnest today, and will attempt to follow it through for the next 6 weeks (or is it 8 weeks?). I'm actually pretty excited. The runs also include some interval training, which will definitely help me craft my speed boots!
        In addition to running, since I am an obsessive Runkeeper user, I have other goals that go in hand with my personal running challenge:

•  In a month, burn at a minimum of 8,000 calories.
•  In a month, have a combined total of a minimum of 75 logged miles (including cycling, rowing, and the elliptical)
•  Each cardio session is at least 45 minutes
•  Push-up challenge!

        I'm pretty excited for the next couple of months, just to see how well I meet this challenge, and to see how much I improve!

All personal blogs have motivating pictures, right? Well, I like this one a lot.

Week of 09 DEC 2012

The Plan:

Monday: Cross training (at least 30 minutes)

Tuesday: 4.5 miles (HM training)

Wednesday: Cross training (at least 30 minutes)

Thursday: 3 miles (HM training)

Friday: 45 minutes elliptical training (HM training)

Saturday: rest

Sunday: 8 miles (HM training)

Actual:

Monday: Elliptical (30 minutes)

Tuesday: 4.58 miles (49 minutes, average 5.59 mph); .5 miles (sprinting around the track).

Wednesday: rest

Thursday: 3 miles (30 minutes, average 6 mph)

Friday: 21 minutes on the elliptical

Saturday: 3.20 miles, walking (45 minutes)

Sunday: 8 miles (1:34:43, average 5.07 mph)

        I'm  not quite sure why, but my natural running pace has been slowing since I began training. A number of things can be causing this, including consistent training (tired muscles), rougher terrain (my 4+ mile running route is the chip trail on base which is just grass, sand, and wood chips spread out over dirt and grass), or me just thinking about it too much and getting myself in my own rut. I have been running my long runs 20% slower than my normal pace (about a 12 minute mile now----as recommended) and I find that I am able to complete my runs. (All my walking breaks thus far have been from the need to go potty than from being unable to run or from too tired muscles!)

Total miles:  15.08 (+18.28 walking)

Average lbs: 159.1

Week of 02 DEC 2012

The Plan:

Monday: Elliptical, 20 minutes; strength training (shoulders and chest); push-up program (Push-up Pro iphone app).

Tuesday: 4 mile run (half marathon [HM] training); core exercises

Wednesday: Elliptical, 20 minutes; strength training (back and shoulders and biceps)

Thursday: 3 mile run (HM training); 30 minutes rowing; core exercises

Friday: 4 mile run (HM training); strength training (triceps and forearms)

Saturday: Stationary bike, 1 hour

Sunday: 7 mile run (HM training)

Actual:

Monday: Elliptical, 30 minutes; strength training (SH & CH); Push-up Pro (beginner workout)

Tuesday: 4.04 miles (42 minutes, average 5.78 mph); core exercises

Wednesday: Elliptical, 30 minutes; strength training (BCK & BCP)

Thursday: off day (studied for an exam instead!)

Friday: 4.53 miles (48 minutes, average 5.62 mph) --> chip trail

Saturday: Stationary bike, 30 minutes

Sunday: 7.22 miles (1 hour, 22 minutes, average 5.30 mph) --> NAS chip trail

Running route along the beach at NAS Pensacola, FL.

Total miles: 15.79

Average lbs:  161.6