On the Go

Posted by Will on April 20, 2011

(Note: This post was originally entitled “On the Run” but after reading through it, most of the blather has little to do with running … hence the title change. Carry on.)

I have taken running back up. Not that I really dropped it. I just needed a break. Weather below 20 degrees was also a contributing factor.

The real challenge has been when to carve out time in the day to go on a fairly lengthy jaunt through the city. Mornings, normally would be ideal, just are not my best time of the day. I’m more of a late to bed, sluggish to rise type of person. I would run nights but I have wee safety concerns (Brittany’s concerns would be monolithic). Not to mention, the evenings are the time of day, when I am working on site, that I have to spend with our family.

Honestly, to go on a small notation regarding Nola, I am already having a semi-difficult time remembering her two months, even one month, ago. She is growing in size and personality so quickly that I feel like if I did miss a day or two with her, at this point, I would miss something.

But, back to running. Between my last race (the relatively easy-going, flat Jingle All the Way 10K around Hains Point) and now I think I got out and ran a total of one time.

While I wasn’t running, I was reading. For Christmas, I received, per request, Jack Daniels’ (yes, that is his name) Daniels’ Running Method, 2nd Edition. It is a very scientific yet practical approach to customizing your training regime. There are oodles of big words (lactate threshold) and mathematical equations (VO₂ max = Q(CaO₂ – CvO₂) yet, even for the arithmetically challenged, such as myself, there is enough sustenance to consume and be satisfied. Essentially, the book compelled me to reexamine how I train and some of the techniques and methods I use while training.

Yet, while a good read, I would put this in the same category as Michael Pollan’s The Omnivore’s Dilemma. It was a great read, I felt inspired yet I have not done much to change my person or routine. I still constantly think back to the maxims and still feel moved by them, yet, I still have not made wholesale changes.

Okay, before I get to far on this tangent … back to running and the solutions I created. I am exclusively a mass transit commuter. A year ago I was almost strictly driving to work. Gradually, the past six months, I transitioned from full-time car, to half-week car, to no car  – which is what I actually prefer. I won’t wax poetic about Metro, because Lord knows it has problems. Yet, it is still my preference. And yes, I am trying very hard not to drift off on another line on how much I miss being car-free but still feel like it is a big, comfortable necessity now.

Since I am not an FTE, I don’t get a transportation stipend. As convenient as it is to have a train station about half a mile away, it still is pretty costly, especially with the rush hour charge tacked on. So, as I was looking for a running solution, it occurred to me, finally, that I could not only solve my timing issue, I could probably save a few dollars a week as well.

You see, I take what I would call, “the long way home”. Because of the current Metro track design, I essentially make a loop from the NE quadrant (Brookland-CUA), through downtown (Chinatown-Gallery Place, Farragut North), and back up the NW quadrant to Bethesda. What would normally be a 30 minute car ride through Rock Creek Park turns into an hour long ordeal. Granted, I usually take this time to catch a few misplaced Z’s so the extra time really isn’t that big of a deal.

But what if I could cut or equal my travel time, save that extra quid, get in my running, and end one of the most long-winded, weighty tomes on this blog ever?

I started, at first, getting out at Dupont Circle, running up Meridian Hill, by the park, and cutting through Columbia Heights. Not a bad 2.5 mile tour. Yet, I wanted to go a little further. So my current route has me climbing out at Cleveland Park, navigating the tourists milling in front of the National Zoo, cutting over and through Adams Morgan, and then going in-and-out of Columbia Heights for a quick 3-miler. Note, I realize that if you don’t live in or not familiar with D.C. that the past paragraph meant absolutely nothing to you.

And, you still might live in or be familiar with D.C. and not give a scrap either.

The problem I had to solve was how do I transform from semi-professional dress to running appropriate attire … and do it with as few complications as possible? Solution – invest in a backpack that could withstand the rigors of running all the while moving less than a Queen’s Life Guardsman.

After many hours spent researching online, pouring over reviews, gnashing teeth, and hand wringing, I finally settled on a Osprey Talon 11 Liter pack.

In short, it has been the perfect pack. There is little to no movement with the waist and chest straps. The pack itself is pretty lightweight and more importantly, it has made me very aware of what I can and can not take to work everyday. Essentially, I have had to conduct an assessment on what I wear (e.g. suspenders weigh less than a leather belt) to what I take for lunch (I’m pretty much on a fruit and salad diet).

After 900+ words I really think the theme of this post has been change spurred by Nola and how we are adapting to it. Sure, it started out innocently enough as a write up on how I’m back in the running game but really, it just goes to show, in a very small sample, of how we are rolling with the punches.

I’m sure this will be a running theme (pun intended) as I continue to record this coming year.

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