On Sunday, D.C. felt like spring.
It’s crazy how the feel of the air will suddenly invoke memories and feelings. When I first went outside on Sunday, just for a moment, I really thought it was spring. I could practically see the tulips blowing in the breeze. And then – wait. It’s still November?
I’ll take it.
There’s nothing more lovely than a run on such a gorgeous day – especially with views like this. My friend Grace is training for a half marathon and had 12 miles on the docket; I told her I’d keep her company for 7 or 8 of them. My college BFF Turner emailed later in the week wanting to meet up for a run, too, so I invited her to join the fun!
We met up on the Mt. Vernon Trail down by the airport – love seeing the planes fly so close overhead. With the nice weather, a lot of people were out enjoying the view!
And then we were off! The three of us had a fabulous run – chatting away and enjoying the scenery, fresh air, and blue skies.
We ran down to Roosevelt Island and headed over to enjoy some of the wooded trails on the island. Blurry action shot of crossing the bridge:
I love Roosevelt Island – so peaceful!
Before we knew it, we were looping back and had finished out 7 miles just as we reached the lot where we parked.
Turner and I said goodbye and good luck to Grace as she continued on to finish out 12 miles. 7 miles – done!
Splits:
- Mile 1: 8:49
- Mile 2: 8:57
- Mile 3: 8:58
- Mile 4: 9:08
- Mile 5: 8:55
- Mile 6: 8:54
- Mile 7: 8:44
Total time: 1:02:26. Average page: 8:55 min/miles.
I made it my mission to be outside all day on Sunday. Matt and I enjoyed Sweetgreen for lunch in Dupont Circle…
And then met up with some of our best friends for a fun adventure – the Zoo! Because sometimes you just need to act like a kid again. We had a blast walking around and checking out all the animals. Don’t worry, I’m still really obsessed with the Red Panda.
I die. He looks like a stuffed animal!
On Monday night, Matt and I got in a great workout at Crossfit Dupont! They were hosting a special Wade’s Wings workout to raise money for charity. Wade’s Wings is a foundation that works to increase awareness of Neuroblastoma (a childhood cancer), provide support for families going through treatment, and raise money for research. The workout was held exactly one year after 2 year old Wade DeBruin passed away from the disease. (If you’re interested in donating, our gym’s fundraising page can be found here.)
The workout was named “Wade’s Army”!
I used a 15 pound dumbbell for the snatches and thrusters. 50 pounds? Um, yeah, no. That’s what I like about Crossfit, though – it’s very adaptable depending on your ability! For the pull ups, I did them using a band. It doesn’t matter how strong you are – it just matters that you try, right? No shame.
I wore a fun new pair of shoes – the RealFlex Fusion TR – that Reebok sent me to test out this month. I LOVE them – I actually have a similar pair in different colors that I wore all summer for an outdoor early morning boot camp I participated in. The shoes are really lightweight but springy and comfy, too. They’re perfect for cross training – Crossfit, boot camps, etc! I’ve also run up to about 2 miles in them (as part of boot camps and such) and they were great. Highly recommended. Great colors, too!
I also want to give a shout out to the Play Dry Jacket that Reebok sent me along with the shoes; it’s basically my new favorite thing ever. They sent it last week, and I’m pretty sure I didn’t take it off for 3 days straight. Matt finally asked me: “Um, are you ever going to wash that jacket?” 🙂
In addition to just wearing it around the house and to and from Crossfit and other indoor workouts, I’ve also worn it for a couple outdoor workouts. I wore it on a bike ride over the weekend with Matt:
And then again on a 4 mile run this morning with my friend Karen. Don’t worry, I did wash it after working out in it. 😉 Love that it has thumbholes – those are the best. It’s really soft and comfy but also made of nice wicking material which is great for workouts.
I think I might buy it in blue, too. Best jacket ever.
Anyway! Time to get back to work on my masters paper. I had a good call with my advisor on Monday – she really liked the paper, but had some good recommendations for things to add to make it better. There was more to add than I would have liked, but I made some good progress yesterday and am hoping to finish it out and send it off for round two of edits later today!
