14 Mile Run - Saturday 6/18

This morning I logged 14 miles on a new course that took me up the Mount Vernon Trail, across the bridge, around the Tidal Basin twice, up the Rock Creek Park trails past the Lincoln Memorial, and on a 1.5 mile loop in my neighborhood at the end that had a killer hill. I pushed the pace a little, because at different points I felt people right behind me that encouraged me to go a bit faster. As it turned out, I finished 14 miles in the amount of time that it takes me to do 13 on a training run (not race pace).

I definitely started to feel the heat and humidity this week. This was the first week that I drank almost all of the Powerade that I put into my water bottle, just to stay properly hydrated. Each area of shade on the trail was a refuge. I noticed that because of the positioning of the sun, most of these areas of shade were along the Rock Creek Park trail. Each time I felt a strong breeze, I thought about a mantra that Beth taught us in yoga last week - that each breath in is a gift from the universe (or, as I'd say, a gift from God) and each exhale is your gift back to the world. With all of the green trees around me, I truly believed this today. Instead of trying to focus on the weather, I tried to focus on my breath and that mantra. I also remembered how my run last week was and how much better I felt today.

There were not a lot of individual runners on the course today. There were more small groups of runners (2-6) than anything else - even cyclists. I suppose this is because we are getting into the hot, humid summer mornings. Those that are seriously training for a race and have mileage planned in advance will make up the majority of those on the trail.

Many of my run highlights occurred around the Tidal Basin. It is incredible how few people are there when it is not cherry blossom season. In fact, I think there were more ducks on the path than people. I also took note of how, on this one part of the course, I am very lucky to be short. If I were a few inches taller, I know I would have been whacked by some low hanging branches. There are not too many perks in this world to being short, but the ability to run under branches is definitely one of them. I was also excited to see that the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial, set to be dedicated on August 28, can now partly be seen from the Tidal Basin. When I did a cherry blossom walk in the spring, the area was boarded up by opaque walls. Now, it is only surrounded by fencing that instructs you to keep out. I was able to see smooth, dark granite walls etched with words (presumably quotes) and two large gray rock formations that kind of reminded me of the tips of glaciers. It will be a treat to see it when it is finally open to the public.

The other highlight of my run was by the river near the Lincoln Memorial. I saw people setting up for a major event: the Washington, DC Triathlon, set to occur tomorrow morning. Buoys were set out on the river for the swimmers, and a launch platform was set up for the swimmers to begin their journey. I also saw a large white tent in West Potomac Park and a large, bold banner for the bike start nearby. I suppose it would be neat to do a triathlon someday, but then I'd actually have to be a decent swimmer (and that will never happen). For the time being, I give all of my respect to people who attempt and complete triathlons. It is a very different challenge from the marathon, but a serious physical test nonetheless.

I am going to head to the pool now and dip my legs in for recovery. Overall, today was a refreshing run, but because of the mileage increase this week, I know I am going to be feeling it tomorrow more than normal. Stretching and recovery is going to be paramount today, as it will be for each week of mileage increase. Next week is 15 miles!