Joining my local MRTT chapter was one of the best things for my running. Of course as with all things, you get out of it, what you put into it.  I happen to be fortunate enough to be part of a very active and fun chapter.  It’s very easy to want to meet these ladies regularly for runs, and we’ve created different types of runs for different days of the week. Usually I meet them three days a week, but this past week I ran with them four days.

I don’t usually do weekly recaps, but thought I would this week since I had such a variety of runs and took lots of pictures along the way!  Perhaps this is something that I’ll start doing regularly.

Sunday
I ran 5.75 easy miles with my BRF at an 11:18 pace.  Sundays are usually my recovery runs from my Saturday long runs, so I always run them at conversation pace.  Conversation pace for my BRF’s and I means we work our masseter muscles more than our glutes, quads, hamstrings, and gastrocs!

Monday
I lifted weights, rested from running, and in general recovered from the holiday weekend!

Tuesday
I met my MRTT friends for hill repeats at 6 AM.  I ran a total of ten repeats practicing running strong uphill and gliding down.  After the repeats, a few of us tacked on some additional miles and I finished at 7.25 miles with an average pace of 9:43.  I got home and couldn’t stand that I’d stopped running at 7.25 miles so I hopped out of my car and continued running to get to 8 miles.

MRTTHillRepeatsFitSnap
Hill repeats replaced my tempo run this past week, but since I have three hilly, longer races coming up in August, September, and October, I need to add hills into my training.  My plan is to add my tempo runs back into my schedule on Thursdays in another week once my body has had a couple of weeks to adjust to the new demand of hill repeats.

HillRepeatElevationChart

Wednesday
I lifted weights early Wednesday morning, and then my schedule didn’t allow me to run until the middle of the day.  I ran 5.63 miles alone at a 10:10 pace under extremely hot and humid conditions.  I needed to go to the bank, so I decided to run there.  On my way home I ran past our church and took this quick picture of the gorgeous sky.

Immediately upon arriving home, and with the sun still out, I heard a loud clap of thunder and it started raining.  I never saw a rainbow, but it sure missed a great chance to make an appearance!

StTheresaCatholicChurch

Thursday
I met my MRTT friends again at 6 AM and this time for a fast W&OD Trail five-miler.  We ran 5 miles at an 8:51 pace.  We didn’t do a tempo run, but kept a steady fast pace.  With the humidity, I can’t say that I missed my tempo run!

FitnessSnapshotFitSnapp

Oh yeah, that DC humidity has decided to make a huge comeback (it is July after all), and after the run were were soaked!

MRTTThursdayRun

I got back to my SUV to see that I’d been flipped.  It’s an MRTT thing where we flip upside down any Moms RUN This Town magnets we see on other cars.  I’m sure if I tried this I would get arrested for attempted theft, but I suppose it’s safe when done in a running trail parking lot!

MRTTMagnetFlip

Friday
I had an MRTT destination run scheduled with a couple of my chapter friends and those of another local chapter.  We were scheduled to meet at the C&O Canal at Point of Rocks in Maryland.  Directions got messed up and the other chapter thought that it was going to be a two-hour drive instead of one, so they cancelled.

After a quick panic, I got the correct directions and was there in 25 minutes.  It was a gorgeous morning, albeit a little humid, and we ran 10 miles at a 9:41 pace.

C&OCanalFitSnap

The train tracks that run parallel to the trail were very active with five trains going by during our run.  We just happened to be in a clearing and I snapped this picture of Dora and Beth as the train approached.

C&OCannalRunDoraBethTrain

We took a little break for fuel and water just before our turnaround point and walked down off the trail to check out this beautiful aqueduct.

C&OCanalAqueduct

Just before we continued on our run, I snapped this cute picture of my two running buddies!

C&OCanalBethDora

Dora grabbed my camera and captured a picture of Beth and me as we ran along in front of her.  The trail was gravel and almost completely shaded.  It was wonderful!

C&OCanalDebBethRunning

On our return trip, I hiked through the mud to take a picture of the train tunnel, and kept an eye peeled for snakes and poison ivy.

C&OCanalTrainTunnel

About a mile before we finished, we stopped again at a park so I could get a picture of the Potomac River.  Not too far down stream of this smooth as glass portion of the river, are the rapids of Great Falls.

C&OCanalPotomacRiver

Back near the parking lot, a glance toward the river shows the bridge from Virginia to Maryland, and what I’ll be crossing to go back home.

C&OCanalBridgeFromVA

But first, I’ll have to cross this surprisingly narrow bridge to get out of the parking lot!

C&OCanalBridgeToPark

Saturday
On Saturday morning, Bill and I joined another MRTT friend, Kathy, and her husband for ten miles of her 16-miler.  Since all runs have to have a name, I called this the Couples Run!  I ran my 10 miles at a 9:26 pace, and I suspect that Kathy kept that pace steady for her entire run.  Amazing!

CouplesRunFitSnap

We ran on the W&OD Trail and were back in the sun a lot more than Friday’s run.  It wasn’t terribly hot, but it was horribly humid (99%).

CouplesRun

I left Kathy when she had about three more miles to go and she was running strong.  She will be running her first marathon this fall!

KathyLongRun

After our run, Bill and I came home for well deserved nap.  I used to be the queen of naps when I regularly ran twenty miles on Saturday mornings, but since I quite running marathons, I don’t need them any longer.  After two ten-milers in a row, my body was desperately in need of some rest!

Sunday
This morning Bill and I took a four-mile recovery walk.  We got up and headed straight out for our walk without eating breakfast.  It was my hardest workout of the week!

 

  • Questions:
  • What did you do this weekend?
  • Is it humid where you live?  Please remind me of what it’s like not to live in a soggy climate!
  • Who raced this weekend?