Running East Chop in Martha’s Vineyard

East Chop in Martha’s Vineyard is a 3 mile loop that has amazing million dollar beach homes, that sit ocean front. The area doesn’t have any sidewalks, so if you run here, keep in mind that you will be running in the street. However, besides the beautiful homes, and ocean front views, the loop is very quiet. Not very many other traffic or people. It is just you, the wind, and the sounds of waves crashing.

If you need to squeeze in some hill work, East Chop is the place to do it. The hills are big and long, but not too steep. I actually didn’t run the loop, but rather ran 2.5 miles and then turned around for a total of a 5 mile run. It was a peaceful place to run. I highly recommend it.

Ocean view on the East Chop loop.

Waves crashing.

 

East Chop

The road I ran in East Chop.

The light house in East Chop

Views from my run.

 

My Newton Shoes running East Chop.

Well that is East Chop on Martha’s Vineyard.

Questions for You?

  1. Have you ever run East Chop?
  2. Do you like running around nature or through cities?
  3. Where is your favorite place to run?

© 2012

Never Forget 9/11

Today is September, 11th. As an American it is impossible to go though out the day with out constant memories, of 9/11/01. I woke up remembering where I was that morning. I have mentally said several unconscious prayers to those who were victims, for those who lost their lives, that violent day. Our country could have fallen into Chaos, but we didn’t, we stayed strong. Under the horrible circumstances, we came together and found order. I feel thankful, thankful for all those that have served our country. And grateful, and proud, extremely proud to be an American.

What is happening in DC

Today, my home, DC is under high security watch. There is traffic everywhere. The exit to the Pentagon is closed. No one can access it. But I still ran. Here are some pictures from one of my favorite running routes.

Washington Monument on the left. Exit to the Pentagon in the middle. Capitol on the right.

Air Force Memorial

Air Force Memorial

Night Shot of the Capitol

© 2012

Why do you love Fall?

Why do you love fall?

Fall is my favorite season. Why? Because it provides days that are filled with the perfect running weather. Oh and I get the opportunity to lounge around in sweaters I hand knitted myself and drink my favorite drink Chai tea.

Did I ever tell you I am a knitter?

for more info, check out my knitting site:  http://cashmeresilk.tumblr.com/

Running the coast of Martha’s Vineyard

My Morning Run in Martha’s Vineyard

I am from DC and it is a pretty good running area. It is full of trails, great bridges to run over, and running loops around the Monuments. But I have lived here all of my life and sometimes it can get boring running in the same place everyday. Somedays, I have that, “been there done that attitude.”

So on my way up to Martha’s Vineyard, all I could think about was running.  If you are a runner you would understand. One of my all time favorite things to do, is explore a new area by running through it. But the Vineyard isn’t exactly a new place for me. I had been there two years ago, and have memories of running the most amazing runs. Runs where I felt so good, that I could keep going. I just couldn’t wait, I was excited about running in cooler northern temperatures. Running with breezes from the beach. Running under sunny clear skies.  But most of all running along the coast with breath taking views of the ocean.

Finally, it was the first morning of our trip in Martha’s Vineyard. I woke up and immediately put my running clothes on. I had just purchased some new Newton shoes, so I was also excited to get running in them. The running route I took was the same one that I had taken two years ago.

RUNNING ROUTE 1

I ran down to the Oak Bluff’s harbor ran along the water, and then hopped on the bike path that takes you towards Edgar’s Town. The path has some hills, but nothing to steep. It goes over some small bridges too. It is fun having water on both sides of you. And just how I remembered, the sun beats down on you, while the breeze from the water cools you down. I went 3 miles and then turned back, doing a total of 6 miles. I probably could have gone further.

Oaks Bluff’s Harbor.

Me running along the coast of Martha’s Vineyard in my new Newton shoes, the Gravity. I am still using the Distance U too, in my rotation.

Ocean view from my morning run!

Ocean View on my running route

Views from my morning run in Martha’s Vineyard

So that was my morning run in Martha’s Vineyard. Along the coast from Oaks Bluff towards Edgar’s Town. I ended up running this route twice equaling up to 12 miles. Runs go by fast when you are surrounded by such beautiful scenery.

Questions for You

  1. Would you want to run here?
  2. What is the prettiest run you’ve been on?

©2012

Living on the East Coast is amazing because…

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I haven’t been posting any running blog posts because I am in Martha’s Vineyard and I have been using my camera not my iPad. However, I have been running every morning, and I do have plenty of amazing photos to post. I have run two different amazing coastal routes that I can’t wait to share with you.

But for now I wanted to show you this photo of little neck clams. On the vineyard there are plenty of cove like places where you can go clamming and crabbing. This year the tide was too high when my boyfriend and I wanted to go, but we went lat year and it was really fun. The best part of clamming and crabbing is eating the seafood after you went out there and caught it yourself. It taste so amazingly fresh! These clams were caught by his stepmom the day we arrived. You can eat them raw just like an oyster. You can steam them, or you can make clam chowder.

My boyfriend’s step mom made a huge pot of clam chowder. Yesterday we had a lobster dinner with steamers, while watching the sunset. (I’ll tell you more about that later.) Tonight, in this photo, we are eating the little necks raw. Yum.

I love seafood. This is why living on the east coast is so amazing.

Running the A-10. A race in the rain!

I have been waiting to write this blog post because it just wouldn’t be as good with out photos. So here it goes…

Races around here fill up so fast. Marine Corps Marathon has a total of 30,000 entries and filled up this year in 2 hours and 45 minutes. Army 10 Miler has a total of 50,000 runners and filled up over night. The Color Run 5K filled up in 2 days. The Cherry Blossom 10 miler is now a lottery entry, just like the NYC Marathon, because it is that popular.

If you really want to run a popular race in the DC area, your best bet is to stay awake until midnight and register the minute the race opens. There is still that frantic feeling that your computer will freeze and the race will sell out. This was the feeling Lina (my running buddy) was having.

It all began in June, while I was on my vacation in Idaho. I received a phone call from my sister saying that Lina had contacted her through Facebook. She told me that Lina was trying to get a hold of me. We had just run the Cherry Blossom 10 miler and The Parkway Classic in April, but Lina was ready to sign up for her next race, and honestly I was too. She was debating between the Spartan Run or the Annapolis 10 Miler. Both of these races fill up fast so she wanted to sign up ASAP. So immediately the three of us got registered, for the A-10.

All summer, Lina and I ran.  However, this was the first summer in three years that I was NOT intensely training for a Marathon. So although I did run, I will admit,  it was a different type of running. It was shorter runs. It was faster runs. It was running experiments in my Newton shoes. It was runs focused on form.

Well after three months of this type of training it was finally the weekend of the Annapolis 10 miler. On Saturday, August 25th, around 1 pm, my sister and I left DC and headed to Annapolis. Unfortunately, the predicted forecast of Sunshine changed. And although, Hurricane Isaac, was swarming around the Florida Keys, winds and tropical storms were all over the Annapolis Harbor.

The expo was really small, but I accepted that because the race was organized by a local running group. It was also outside under a tent and it started to drizzle so people were getting their bibs and heading on out. My sister and I had to rush on through because we had reservations to go sailing.

Me at the Expo getting my Bib for the A-10. I got a cool hat too!

When my sister and I got down to the Harbor to catch our boat, we both were a little annoyed about the weather. Questions like, Should we go? Should we get our money back? It sucks that it is not sunny. It is horrible weather? But we sucked it up and got on the boat. And I am glad we did.

Sailing in Annapolis.

Me Sailing!

So let me tell you about this boat ride!  It felt like we were on an amusement park ride. I felt like I was going to go over board several times. The sail boat tipped to one side and then the sailors would change the sail and it would aggressively tip to the other side. The sailors were loving it. They would yell, “Wohoo! This is the best wind we’ve had in months.” This was definitely not a peaceful boat ride, but it was fun, and actually the best boat ride I have ever been on.

We got off the boat looking like we had just came from Gilligan’s Island. We tried to clean up the best we could in the Marriot Hotel’s bathroom. And then we headed to an Italian restaurant for dinner. The food was amazing. We both ate vegetarian dishes and they were delicious.

After dinner we walked around the harbor and checked out some of the boutiques. I of corse hit up one of the local tea shops, called The Spice and Tea Exchange.

Finally we arrived at the hotel. We prepared our running stuff for the morning and set our alarms for 5:30 am.

My running stuff! Newton shoes and Lululemon!

RACE MORNING

I woke up the morning of the race not to my alarm but rather thunder.

Thunder in the morning!

OMG, I thought the race would be canceled for sure. But we got ready and headed to the start. We were lucky because we had saved our ponchos from sail boat ride we took the day before, and we had umbrellas.

At 7:45 right on time, the race started and we began to run. I was a little disappointed that they didn’t have corrals, because I had seen Lina in the parking lot and told her to meet me at the 8-9 min corral. So we didn’t start together, but I did see her later in the race.

At the start we thought, maybe the rain would stop, but boy were we wrong. It just came down harder and harder. This rain was the type of rain that when you are driving your windshield wipers can’t keep up and you have to pull over to the side because you can’t see.

My sister and I running in the rain!

 

MY iPOD

At mile 2 my iPod’s volume got really low and then it just shut down because it was that wet. My sister and I actually pulled over to the side of the race because she thought her iPod was dying too. I ended up moving my iPod to the outside of my shirt, in hope that the crazy hurricane like winds would dry it off. This actually worked and at mile 7 my iPod randomly started playing again.

MY GARMIN

All week I had been training without my garmin because it had a full memory and I needed a new USB plug. I purchased a new one on Amazon and received it that week. Well I went through all that trouble for nothing. When I started running, I looked at my garmin and noticed the numbers were all fucked up. It turns out that I am an idiot and didn’t realize until mile nine that my watch was programed for km and not miles. So I basically was clueless the whole race about my pace and milage.

NEWTON SHOES

As you may know from previous posts, I was using this race as the ultimate test for my Newton shoes, and I was expecting to run it super fast, however I did not PR.  I do want to say this though, my Newton shoes felt awesome, and in the end, I love them, and will continue training and racing in them. I was also very surprised to see so many others wearing Newton shoes.

No Regrets!

So although, this race was not a PR for me, WOW what a race!  Thunder, lightning, torrential downpour, hurricane like winds, iPod dying from being wet, and garmin programmed for km, not miles. I ran across the finish line soaked and muddy in 1:33:23. I have come to the conclusion that you just might not PR in every race and I am totally fine with that. And like the above photo says, “I really regret that run. -Said no one. Ever.” I have no regrets.

Me with my game face on!

Let me hear your stories… Questions for You…

  • Have you run through bad weather?
  • Have you had a race when all your electronics died on you?

© 2012

 

 

Results or Excuses.

You can have Results or Excuses not both…

I came across the above picture on a running tumblr blog, and I literally lit up. This quote is exactly what a friend and I were talking about the other day. Everybody can relate to this idea. Most people don’t see results… why? because they make excuses.

Is it possible to make excuses without even being aware you do? I never thought I made excuses. But the other day I found myself venting to a friend about reasons why I couldn’t fit in a run. It wasn’t until then that I realized I too make excuses.

Some of the most common excuses I make… 

  • It is too hot outside.
  • It is raining.
  • It is too dark.
  • It is too cold.
  • I am way to busy at work, and just can’t fit it in.
  • I will run tonight.
  • I will run tomorrow morning.
  • I haven’t had a chance to fuel up.
  • My iPod is dead.
  • My Garmin is full, needs a new battery.
  • I didn’t wake up early enough, it is too late.
  • Or my favorite… I want to go for a run, but I already showered today.

When I train for a marathon, I always follow Hal Higdon’s training program. This is an amazing plan, because it gets you out there running 5 days a week, cross train 1 day, and rest the other. Having a disciplined running plan like this one, makes it easier for you because it is all written out. You literally don’t have to think about anything, you simply run the miles it tells you to run that day.

This summer, I did train, but in a different way. I didn’t have a plan and just went out and ran shorter more faster runs, focusing on form. And although, my form has successfully improved, I don’t think I was as prepared for the 10 miler as I could have been.  When it came to this race, my excuse was… “I’ve run marathons, this is only a 10 miler… no big deal.” 

Well I have another 10 miler coming up. On October 21st, I will be running the Army 10 miler, and I want to take my training to a different level. No more excuses. I am going to get organized and write out the milage I will complete daily. It is that simple. I need to set goals for myself.

Another interesting idea is to do a 30 or 60 day challenge. My bikram yoga studio does this, and I have seen on some other running blogs, runners doing this challenge as well.  The idea is to choose 30 or 60 days, and make it a goal, to run everyday for the amount of time you choose, even if it is just one mile a day.

Every day counts!

Look forward to seeing more motivational pics in the future. I will also be posting  a recap on my race the Annapolis 10 miler, and a training plan for my future race the Army 10 miler.

Questions for you… 

  • What is your biggest excuse?
  • What motivates you?
  • Which training programs or plans have you used in the past?
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