Progress: Weeks 12-17

Below are the miles (and now meters too since I started swimming again a few weeks ago) that I have run/biked/swam for weeks 12 through 17 of 2012. 

Week 12: Ran 27 miles, Biked 145.8 miles

Week 13: Ran 45 miles, Biked 141 miles

*Week 14: Ran 37 miles, Biked 60 miles

**Week 15: Ran 11 miles, Biked 133 miles, Swam 5,700 meters (3.54 miles)

***Week 16: Ran 13 miles, Biked 216.9 miles, Swam 3,200 meters (1.99 miles)

Week 17: Ran 31 miles, Biked 149.2 miles, Swam 5,700 meters (3.54 miles)


2012 TOTAL MILES: Ran: 470.5 miles, Biked 2,602.44 miles, Swam 14,600 meters (9.07 miles)

2012 GRAND TOTAL MILES: 3,082.01 MILES


*I ran the Charlottesville Marathon this week, and consequently the mileage in the following weeks for running were lower as I was recooperating.

**This week I commennced my swimming training for the year.  I usually go swimming twice a week, on Tuesday and Thursday early in the morning before work.  I go to the Wilson Aquatic Center in D.C. where I get to swim for free because I have a DC ONE card.  It is an amazing indoor aquatics center with an olympic distance pool (on certain days of the week anyways).  I love getting up super early and taking advantage of this wonderful swimming facility I have access to and getting my laps in before work.  I can't think of any better way to start the day.

***Biking mileage was a bit higher this week because I did a century (100 mile bike ride) on Emancipation Day, a holiday that D.C. city government employees get off. 

34 weeks, 3 days

'Nattitude' -- We've got it!

We went to a Nationals game last night and had a lot of fun. We definitely chose the right game to go: we got free tee shirts from an employee who went into the stadium office and found us some extra shirts even though the free promotional shirts were all gone and the game went into extra innings so it was extra exciting. We went down to ground level in the middle of the ninth, thinking the game was almost over but we ended up getting an extra hour and a half of action. The Nats were down for much of the game but made a thrilling come back to win in the 13th inning -- it was epic! I highly recommend watching the video below of the celebration when the Nats won in the 13th; pay special attention to the guy who took his shirt off and is howling at the sky at about 27 seconds.

Marathon in Charlottesville, VA

I ran my second marathon yesterday (my third if you count the marathon at the end of the Chesapeake Man Triathlon I completed) in Charlottesville, Virginia. Charlottesville was a beautiful place to run a marathon. The 26.2 mile course started and ended on the University of Virginia campus and led us through scenic country back roads, a couple trails, parks, highways, and even some residential neighborhoods.

I finished the marathon in 3 hours and 51 minutes. My goal was to finish under 4 hours, so I am very happy with my performance in the race. I finished this race in about 45 minutes less than the last one I ran back in November. I think the biggest difference between the race yesterday and the marathon last November was that I never ‘hit the wall.’ This is when a runner completely runs out of gas and cannot continue running. Yesterday, I was able to power through the entire race, and most importantly the last 7 or 8 miles even though I was definitely feeling the soreness and tightness in my legs.

To prevent myself from ‘hitting the wall’ this time, I had an improved plan for sustenance (basically I had access to Gatorade and Powerbars) throughout the race and I had also intensified my training regimen in the weeks and months leading up to the race. I was running between 30 and 45 miles a week in the final weeks leading up to the race. These things made a huge difference.

The next races on the calendar for me are a Half IronMan in May and my second IronMan in June. This means I need to modify my training from strictly running and biking to including swimming along with continuing to run and bike a lot. I am really looking forward to continuing to work hard, setting new goals, and hopefully reaching all of my goals by continuing to strengthen my mental and physical strength and determination.

Cherry Blossom Kite Festival

Every year during Washington D.C.'s annual Cherry Blossom Festival they have a Kite Festival where tons of people go to the National Mall and fly kites. There are also contests for the best kites in different categories, kite trick contests, etc. Chad and I didn't plan far enough ahead to buy a kite to fly, but we went anyway and watched everyone else fly kites and enjoyed the nice weather. We couldn't believe how high some people got their kites! As you can see in the first picture below, it looks like there are a couple kites close to the top of the Washington National Monument! Maybe next year we'll bring a kite to the festival and teach our little boy to fly it. I can't remember the last time I flew a kite, but I remember how fun it was running down the street and letting the sting out and trying to get the wind to catch it. I also remember many kites getting stuck in the trees. Good thing we always bought cheap ones!

33 Weeks!

Today I am 33 weeks and 1 day! Time has gone really fast! Chad and I are getting really excited to welcome this baby boy to our family. I am feeling pretty good, but also starting to feel really tired!