Cherry Blossom 10-Miler Prep and Mindset

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The current theory is, I ran 13.1 miles less than 10 days ago, I should be able to run 10 miles on Sunday. Right? I am really hoping my body (legs, lungs, and back specifically) agree with that.

When I ran this race last year, my goal was simply to finish, not to end up on the stragglers bus. Mission accomplished. I finished in 1:56:58, and I'm not sure I can do much better than that this year. In my half marathon I hit the 10-mile mark at roughly 2:05, but maybe with the added motivation that it's only 10 miles not 13.1, I can push myself a little bit harder.

I have only had time for three runs between my half marathon and now:

• Friday 3.68 miles, snail pace (I walked more than half of it. This was 6 days after my big race and only one day after my stomach flu, my body was not ready to run again.)
• Sunday 4.05 miles, 12:27 pace (I actually felt great here.)
• Tuesday 3.73 miles, 14:09 pace (That seems really lame, but I did choose the hilliest route in my neighborhood.)

Add in a few days on the elliptical and an afternoon yoga session, and here we are. Slightly underprepared but still excited for the race. Between those recent runs and my half marathon (13:05/mile overall pace), I am thinking I can average about the same pace on Sunday.

Knowing the race course helps a lot, because I know where I will be able to succeed and which areas will give me more problems. The plan is to take miles 1-3 at a normal pace; miles 4-6 a little easier with some walking (I'm moderately worried about my knees because this is where they started to feel like cement during my half marathon); and miles 6-10 normal/kick-it-into-gear pace. The last 4 miles of the race are around Haines Point and back to the Washington Monument/Finish Line area. I know this part of the course better than any other stretch in the DC metro area, I run it all the time. It's flat and wide and should be pretty easy. At least, I hope it seems pretty easy.

Subconsciously, I must be really excited about the race and expo. Last night I had a dream about the expo (which is downtown at the National Building Museum); I was shopping around and found a great purse at the Title Nine booth and called my friend Nicole to tell her all about it (I was envying her Title Nine bag just last weekend, so clearly Dream-Andrea needed to tell Dream-Nicole). Now, in real life, I have no idea is Title Nine will even be at the expo, but here's to hoping I find that purse from my dream. I'm either excited about the expo/race, or just really in the mood to find a new purse.

Today and tomorrow's goals: Hydrate, hydrate, hydrate. Try to eat as normal/healthy as possible (only potential snafu is at the baby shower I'm attending tomorrow, but I'll try my best). Get enough sleep tonight and tomorrow night. Pick a race outfit and do all my usual race day prep.

Sunday's goals: Finish in under two hours. Have fun. Enjoy the course.

Runner friends, what is your philosophy on doing big/important races so close to each other? I know this type of milage wouldn't be a problem for some pros (cough, cough, Courtney and Christy, cough, cough), but these are big steps for me so I'm trying to be conscious of how my body feels and what it needs. And what it needs right now is lunch, so I'm off. Happy Friday!

Chocolate & Peanut Butter

My vice. Reese's mini peanut butter cups. Perfection in bite size form. Lets not even begin to discuss the inherent danger in the new ones they invented. The ones that don't even require you to unwrap them.

I know I am not alone here. And even if your vice is not Reese's, I know you have one. 

Maybe it's jelly beans, or Laffy Taffy? Maybe it's stove top chocolate frosting? 

Please share so I don't feel so alone in my candy coated shame.

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I am very tired this week. Very, very tired. 

I am convinced that chocolate and peanut butter can help. Jury is still out.

Since I am not a religious person but I still feel the need to purge myself of the inherent guilt of eating so many peanut butter cups, this post is serving as a confessional. So many peanut butter cups.

Here's to a better, more nutritionally diverse, Friday.

Boxcar Brunch: a new addition to my list of favorites

It has been a long time since I’ve done any sort of restaurant review, rave or scathe, or even posted any foodie photos. This, I can tell you with absolute certainty, is not for a lack of eating out at restaurants. In the week that Hannah and Ben were in town I ate at no less than five of my favorite restaurants (and I gained about a pound per restaurant. I’m not kidding.) . But these were some of my favorite restaurants in town, places I’ve been to before. Delicious nonetheless, but not worth recapping here. So I have been on the hunt for some new places to try out, a new repertoire of favorites to escort my tourists around to.

If you live in DC (or VA in my case), you don’t need to be convinced of the benefits of brunch. Delicious breakfast food and booze? Yes. Please and thank you. Which is why, when I texted my dear friend Nicole on Saturday afternoon saying I needed a cocktail, without hesitation we booked a brunch date for the next morning. I told her I wanted something a little more dive bar-esque, “more Tunnicliffs than Masa 14, if you know what I mean”. She knew exactly what I meant.

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She directed us up to Eastern Market to the newly opened Boxcar Tavern. AKA my favorite new place for casual brunch in DC.

It is everything I want in a bar. Or in a restaurant for that matter. The small, narrow restaurant is dark yet inviting, with rich wooden booths and a long bar that practically spans the length of the restaurant.  The large Finn Mac Cool’s vintage bar sign near the front of the restaurant has prompted several reviewers to label it an Irish bar, but for me that often comes along with images of futbol hooligans and beer guzzling shenanigans, all of which are not included in the Boxcar atmosphere. The many vintage bar signs give it an antique feel, but not in that clichéd TGIFridays-old-bicycle-on-the-wall sort of way.

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The food was fantastic, and far surpassed the neighboring Tunnicliffs. I ordered the traditional breakfast combo plate (pancakes, eggs, home fries, bacon, and sausage) and I happily devoured every bite. Not kidding. I ate all of it. Shamelessly. It was a few levels beyond your traditional greasy breakfast platter without being overly sophisticated. I mean, for gods sake it’s pancakes and eggs, people! Don’t ruin it with your fancy shit. My one criticism would be about their bloddy mary. If you’re a frequent reader, or if you know me at all, you know I am picky about my bloody marys. I like them well seasoned, very spicy, and full of pickled vegetable toppings. Boxcar’s homemade mix had good flavor, but didn’t knock me off my seat for the $6 I paid. Next time I'll opt for the impossible-to-screw-up mimosa. 

Glancing over the rest of their menu, seems to be comprised of your standard pub fare with a twist (i.e. a quesadilla with duck confit, pulled pork, and gruyere. Wild Boar Stew. And a croquet-monsier with béchamel sauce. Yum.). And an accompanying beer and wine menu with a good mix of local favorites (Flying Dog, Heavy Seas) and trendy go-to selections (Allagash, Fat Tire). Without a further thought I can say that I will be back for dinner. You put duck and pulled pork on anything and you’ve sold me. Follow that up with an cold Allagash White and I’m yours for the evening.

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According to the Post and my lovely brunch companion, Boxcar is owned by Xavier Cervera, a very busy Capitol Hill restaurateur who also owns Senart’s Oyster and Chop House, the Chesapeake Room, and the soon to reopened Hawk and Dove. (Senart’s and the Chesapeake Room both come highly recommended although I haven't actually been there yet.) When the Hawk and Dove was bought out and subsequently closed for renovations, I was really skeptical of any new owner who would have the balls to change such a DC institution. But if Cervera turns it into anything like Boxcar, I will happily become a Hawk and Dove regular.

The Boxcar Tavern is not a closely guarded secret, nor will it stay “hidden” on the DC brunch map for long. With it’s Eastern Market location (literally right next door to Tunnicliffs and across the way from the farmers market), reasonable prices, and delicious food, I have a feeling that the next time I head over, the wait for a table will be much, much longer.

Things that make me happy on this very sunny Friday

People bring bagels into the office. And, I am finally over the flu and I have my appetite back. Yum.

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Sometimes I forget that I live here.

Well not exactly there, but ya know what I mean. This is the best time of the year to be in DC. 

Happy. Very, very happy to see the Cherry Blossoms' beautiful bloom.

This picture does not do them justice. Believe me.

In exactly two weeks, baseball starts. 

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Enough said.

Happy Friday. Off to enjoy the sunshine with a long awaited run.

My First Half Marathon

So I am finally getting around to my complete half marathon race recap as promised. You'll have to forgive me, as usual, I'm running a bit behind in my blogging. This time it's the usual graduate school excuse in addition to a 24-hour flu bug that rendered me so exhausted I could barely change channels with the remote.

Looking back, race day was a really big blur. But here's how it went for the most part..

Alarm Clock – 4:45 a.m.

Leave the House – 5:20 a.m.

Breakfast in the parking lot – 6:00 a.m.

Meander around the grounds 6:45 a.m.

Say hi to Christy! – 7:30 a.m.

Assemble in the corrals – 7:45 a.m.

Gun time - 8:00 a.m.

Actual start time - 8:45 a.m.

Hannah and I part ways – 9:40 a.m.

I start to get really frickin hungry – 10:30 a.m.

I realize running hurts less than walking – 11:10 a.m.

Finish time – 11:36 a.m. (2 hour 51 minutes net time)

Raisin bagel and chocolate milk stuffed into face – 11:50 a.m.

RFK Stadium all decked out for the race

In short, I’m really happy with how my first half marathon went! There is definitely room for improvement, but I’m really proud of my training and of my race. And more importantly I had a great time. Especially since I got to spend the whole week leading up to the race with my favorite little red head, Hannah! We ended up running the first 4 miles together before heading off on our own, but it was certainly and excellent way to start the race.

Hannah and I at the finish.

It was very easy to see how far my training took me, and where it fell short. My weekend long runs were more or less relaxed in nature, but I always got the mileage in. I would try to run as far as I could, but didn’t feel the need to push myself to 100% exhaustion and/or injury. During my race, I ran to the 7 mile mark before stopping for a short walking break. My knees were pretty beat up at that point and my quads were on fire (thanks to ALL THE HILLS!). A few minutes later I felt refreshed and ready to start again, but my legs begged to differ.

Miles 7-10 were by far the most difficult for me. I would run for a few minutes at a time, but then walk just about as much. It was during this period of the race where I reevaluated my goal time, knowing I just didn’t have the energy to run a 10K in PR time at this point in the race.

By the time I powered through mile 10 (which ended in the middle of yet another hill), I had an overwhelming sense of “holy shit this is only a 5K. Just 3 miles left.” But at the same time my body was like “ok, can we be done now?” Very conflicting. I ran most of this portion because I kept telling myself that running would get be there sooner than walking. I just had to keep saying it over and over in my head because my legs were really frickin tired.

The last mile was the easiest and the hardest. We had looped back around to the beginning so I had a good sense of direction (something that I didn’t have throughout the rest of the course). I knew we were close, even without seeing the mile markers. I could hear the crowd and music; all I wanted was to cross the finish line (and to get that bagel. I was really hungry at this point. Note to self: don't eat breakfast so early next time.).  I tried to keep my pacing even so I was guaranteed to have enough energy to RUN across the finish line. I turned the final corner and saw the finishing corral area and I sprinted to the end. Now, you have to understand, this sprint was on tired legs after 13 miles; so when I say sprint, I’m sure it wasn’t actually that fast but I felt like I was moving like a cheetah. My finisher’s photo would argue otherwise.

But then they handed me this bad boy and all my leg pain and race worries were gone...

...because I have to admit I am pretty in love with this finisher's medal. I'm a bit biased, but I think it's pretty bad ass. And let me tell you, they are not messing around with these things. It's incredibly heavy. Heavy medal = bad ass. Too corny? Probably. But whatever. It was the Rock 'n' Roll Half Marathon, one music pun is allowed.

Thank you, thank you, thank you to everyone who supported me in my training and on race day. Thank you for all of your tweeted advice, your texts of encouragement, and your phone calls of excitement. Two years ago I was terrified to fun my first 5K; and walking into the corrals for my first half marathon last weekend, I was nothing but excited.

My next race is a mere nine days away. If you're anything like me, you're repeating that number "nine" in your head and it's being voice by Ed Rooney. Nine times. I don't remember him being sick nine times. But yeah, anyways. Nine days until the Cherry Blossom 10-miler, and although all the Cherry Blossoms will be on the ground by then, I'm am really looking forward to the race!

Happy running and happy Thursday. Thanks for reading!