Sunday, November 6, 2011

Virgin(ia) Territory

I was in Herndon, VA this past weekend. It was fantastic.. flights were good, weather was good, and I got a lot of quality time with my boyfriend which is tough to get in this hectic period of transition.

I was hoping to run the WO&D trail but realized I had no idea where it was relative to a Hilton that was in a random industrial park, so I figured the jog just to the trail and back would've been the longest part of the run and therefore not really worth it. I went down to the lobby to map out a run and decided to do a little out and back from the hotel to the end of Centreville Rd (at Frying Pan Rd). I'm still recovering from surgery and haven't really run anything past a 5K in the past few weeks, so I wanted something "long" but also something that was short enough to not push myself too hard. It was going to be around 4 miles and seemed pretty straightforward. Or so I thought...

I take off wearing my new lululemon tights that have only seen the likes of a treadmill and hadn't gone for their proper road test yet. I was wearing underwear with them which sounds like a fairly common thing but, according to the female runners that I know, it's actually best practice to either invest in an Under Armour thong or go commando. I was about to learn my lesson. Not only do they provide you with hideous panty lines beneath the tights, but underwear LOVE to not stay in place with running tights. And they go in a very not-so-nice direction. By the first 1.5 miles, I threw in the towel with the underwear and stopped at a Burger King to strip off and stuff them in my cardigan pocket for the remainder of the run.

With that minor issue out of the way, I was ready to go. What I didn't realize was that the Burger King was at the intersection of McLearen and Centreville Rds. I was supposed to continue on Centreville, but ended up taking McLearen (thinking I was on the correct road). I'm enjoying the run and pacing myself up and down the hilly landscape, when I stop an intersection ahead of me. I had noted a major intersection before my scheduled turn around point on the map, so I just assumed I was approaching that intersection. When I got to it, I realized I was at the end of the road, and the road was NOT Frying Pan Road -- it was West Ox Road.

Realizing that I must have made a wrong turn and my run felt somewhat short at this point (though it had been 2 miles so the wise decision would've been to turn around), I made a right onto this foreign road, hoping to meet up with my intended route. I spotted another intersection ahead and prayed that it was a road I recognized. When I made it up to the lights, it was not only a road that I didn't recognize, but it was also a dual-lane highway! The highway had a trail running alongside it so I decided to head westbound (or, what I thought was westbound). I could see a set of lights in the distance so I was hoping that road was the correct one (spoiler alert: it wasn't).

This highway was extremely hilly and at times like these, I wish I had a GPS device! Not just for the fact that I was lost, but to track elevation changes! The path dipped down sharply to a stream, crossed the stream, then took what must've been a 60% incline back up the hill. Ridiculous. I finally made it to this next intersection but was again, in unfamiliar territory. I did remark that there was a Snap Fitness and the gym nut inside of me secretly wished that I had brought my pass so I could do a mid-run weights session. There was also a grocery store and a gas station, so I decided it was time to figure out just where in the hell I was. I was pondering making a right down this street (northbound) but wanted to make sure I didn't get even more lost as I had hit the 4 mile mark at this point and knew I was still nowhere near home.

Some kind young guys at the grocery store affirmed that I was going in the right direction and also laughed at my predicament. Thanks. I stopped into the gas station and was really quite pleased with the fact that I had thought to bring a $20 bill in my little zippy section of my capris. I bought some Starburst to load up on a few carbs. Thinking I'd only be out for a relatively short run, I had only eaten a bit of a Clif bar before the run and my energy levels were tanking at this point. I also picked up some water as the waterbottle I had stored in a groundhog hole about half a mile from the hotel was but a mere mirage. I needed some hydration now.

I did my best to enjoy the rest of the run knowing that I was on the correct path but the constant "how much longer" feeling was starting to bother me and I was really longing to get back. I finally made it onto Centreville Rd and smelled (then saw) the Burger King that I had stopped at to ditch my underwear. The remaining 2ish miles felt so quick and I finally made it back to the hotel with the stiffest legs in town.... 7 miles after I left the hotel.

I did a few front/side raises and some bicep curls at the gym, but my plan to do a leg workout was definitely scrapped.

I'm back in Ottawa and plan for a run tonight (short easy one) and some weights. I'm planning to eat a bit healthier this week as I've been dragging when it comes to food and I need to start adjusting my diet. Only 3.5 more weeks until my move-in date for the new home though, so I'm excited and looking forward to cooking for me. I think things will for sure change then.

Happy trails!

2 comments:

  1. I've heard of getting lost in your running, but that's taking it a little too seriously!

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  2. You make the worst comments, Bob.

    ReplyDelete