W&OD and WWB
"It's very hard in the beginning to understand that the whole idea is not to beat the other runners. Eventually you learn that the competition is against the little voice inside you that wants you to quit." - George Sheehan
I'm an extremely lucky girl. I have amazing friends who are willing to listen to me complain about my self inflicted pains from training, who will go beyond what is necessary for their own training, and who will boost me up with simple words of encouragement when I feel that doubt set in.
I decided to run my long run on Thursday this week, due to certain events that happened. I was scheduled for 7 miles, and decided last minute to run with a friend of mine. The initial decision was to run 5 with him, then finish the two on my own...but thankfully, at the turn around point for the 5 miles, he decided to do the full 7 with me. This was a day that I truly needed someone to suffer in silence with me....even if it seemed like I was the only one suffering and begging for a walk break. We went out on the W&OD Trail, which can seem isolated at best. I count the 7.5 miles as a success, and I look forward to running again with him (fingers crossed) for my 8 miles this Saturday. There's something comforting about running with someone you've known for so long, where there are times you can chat and give each other advice, and times that a whole mile will go by without needing to say a word. Not to mention them not getting completely grossed out by how sweaty you become...I was even allowed to go to Subway after :)
On Sunday, I decided to try a new route that a friend told me about. It's the WWB Trail (Woodrow Wilson Bridge), and it is harder than it looks. These pictures I'm adding don't do justice to the way my legs felt climbing a mile up the bridge, sailing the mile down, before climbing the mile back UP the bridge, only to sail back down and head back to the car.
The bridge has great views of Alexandria, and little viewing stops where you can look through the binocular things (name escapes me) and see all the way to the monumets. On the other side of the bridge to can eventuall see National Harbor, and there's a beautiful park area with benches and facts about the area and trail. And tons of wasps. I'm surprised nothing stung me...honestly. I was dodging and weaving from those suckers for the entire 4 miles. My legs were pretty tired from that, and I'm pretty sure I sprinted the last half or quarter mile down hill to the car because I was so done with the trail :) I will do it again, however, not after a long run. This is something you should do days before your 7 miles. Good times. Good challenge.
"Aspire to be great instead of good, aspire to be remembered instead of forgotten, aspire to accompish what others have and have not done, aspire to be yourself and nothing else for when you strive to be yourself everything is limitless because you are not holding yourself to the limits of others." - Troy Streacker
I'm an extremely lucky girl. I have amazing friends who are willing to listen to me complain about my self inflicted pains from training, who will go beyond what is necessary for their own training, and who will boost me up with simple words of encouragement when I feel that doubt set in.
I decided to run my long run on Thursday this week, due to certain events that happened. I was scheduled for 7 miles, and decided last minute to run with a friend of mine. The initial decision was to run 5 with him, then finish the two on my own...but thankfully, at the turn around point for the 5 miles, he decided to do the full 7 with me. This was a day that I truly needed someone to suffer in silence with me....even if it seemed like I was the only one suffering and begging for a walk break. We went out on the W&OD Trail, which can seem isolated at best. I count the 7.5 miles as a success, and I look forward to running again with him (fingers crossed) for my 8 miles this Saturday. There's something comforting about running with someone you've known for so long, where there are times you can chat and give each other advice, and times that a whole mile will go by without needing to say a word. Not to mention them not getting completely grossed out by how sweaty you become...I was even allowed to go to Subway after :)
On Sunday, I decided to try a new route that a friend told me about. It's the WWB Trail (Woodrow Wilson Bridge), and it is harder than it looks. These pictures I'm adding don't do justice to the way my legs felt climbing a mile up the bridge, sailing the mile down, before climbing the mile back UP the bridge, only to sail back down and head back to the car.
The bridge has great views of Alexandria, and little viewing stops where you can look through the binocular things (name escapes me) and see all the way to the monumets. On the other side of the bridge to can eventuall see National Harbor, and there's a beautiful park area with benches and facts about the area and trail. And tons of wasps. I'm surprised nothing stung me...honestly. I was dodging and weaving from those suckers for the entire 4 miles. My legs were pretty tired from that, and I'm pretty sure I sprinted the last half or quarter mile down hill to the car because I was so done with the trail :) I will do it again, however, not after a long run. This is something you should do days before your 7 miles. Good times. Good challenge.
"Aspire to be great instead of good, aspire to be remembered instead of forgotten, aspire to accompish what others have and have not done, aspire to be yourself and nothing else for when you strive to be yourself everything is limitless because you are not holding yourself to the limits of others." - Troy Streacker
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