George Washington Parkway 10-Miler – Still My Favorite Race becauseHumans are Awesome (April 26, 2015)

I must confess that my favorite running distance is 10 miles.  If I am going to pay, I like running farther than a 5K, at a half marathon my knees feel like they are going to snap off, and a marathon is just not even in my equation (it would take me the entire day).  Because of this preference, I try and sniff out every 10-miler that comes along.  I think that secretly a lot of people run this distance because the Cherry Blossom 10-Miler in DC and the Army-Navy 10-Miler always admit people based on a lottery system.  The GW-Parkway 10-Miler never requires a lottery (at least in my experience), and is beautiful, so I think it is absolutely nuts that people aren't knocking down the door to run this race.  And here is for why (as my dad would say).

I have made it a point to run in the GW Parkway 10-Miler every year since I have lived in the DC area.  I think I have only missed the race once or twice, and I am going to try and run in it until my lumbering stems can’t carry me anymore.  For starters, the race is peaceful.  I think that people who cheer on races are great.  Thank you for the encouragement, but I like the peacefulness of just being with the runners for a while.  Maybe it is because I am embarrassingly slow and don't need all the witnesses, but the first few miles are just the runners together as a unit.  As you can see in the first picture, it is just the masses and the trees.  There is something very calm about that experience that you don't get in a lot of races, particularly in the cities.

The race route is stunning.  The race begins at Mount Vernon, the home of George and Martha Washington, who greet you with high fives before the race.  If you don’t like getting a high five, I can only assume you are a robot devoid of emotion.  The race runs along the beautiful (as long as you aren't submerged in it) Potomac River in Alexandria, Virginia.  I stopped and took a picture around mile 6 so you could check it out (see picture to the above/right).  The race ends in Old Town Alexandria, which is probably one of the cutest places in the United States.  Old Town offers ghost tours, which I think is a prerequisite for your city to be considered adorable.  Check it out if you have a chance. 

The reason I really love this race, and actually enjoy races in general, is that it brings out the best in people.  Everyone is up early in the morning and encouraging each other.  Even though I am usually wearing headphones, I try not to blare them too loudly so that I can hear what is happening.  You hear so many words of encouragement among strangers.  “You’ve got this” and  “You can do it” are common phrases heard while running.  I can’t think of another setting where strangers are going through the same thing, but offer each other such genuine encouragement.  Seriously, I might ponder that a while.  

One of the coolest things that I saw during the race this year was a blind runner.  I have never seen a blind runner, so I had no idea how it worked.  The blind individual holds one end of a rope while a sighted individual holds the other end of the rope and runs beside the blind runner while helping the blind runner navigate the course.  That takes an immense amount of courage from both parties because it has to be incredibly challenging for both parties to navigate through thousands of people, at a quick pace, for ten miles.  It also takes a lot of trust on the part of the blind individual and a lot of coordination on the part of the sighted individual.  Given that I regularly fall down running...and walking...and standing... on my own, I will probably not volunteer to help a blind runner participate in a race, but if you have superior motor skills, you should give it some thought.  

I also love the race for extremely stupid reasons, such as the shoe game.  Folks really stepped it up this year.  I included pictures for your viewing pleasure.  My shoes are the "Down Town" NikeIDs  #shoefetish.  One woman decided to run in moon bounce shoes. She left me in the dust. I would like to say this was because of her unfair bouncy advantage, but as you may notice, most of my race pictures are from the back, so most people crushed me.  It is always fun to see groups of friends dresseed up in ridiculous costumes together, and this year was no exception.  Today I saw numerous group shirts, the usual tutus, and some bunny ears.

Though this is a brief description, I cannot say enough good things about this race.  It is held at the end of every April.  If you have any interest in distance running, please give it a try!  I will hopefully see you there in 2016...although I will probably be running behind you.

A huge thank-you to all of my friends who offered me encouragement via text message the morning of the race, and a gigantic thank-you to Danielle for greeting me at the end of the race to provide me with both support and an egg and cheese sandwich.  

Chair - Drunk off of Classpass power (April 25, 2015)

At this point, it is obvious that I am drunk off the power gifted to me through ClassPass.  I am taking anything and everything just because I have the pass.  This week, I was intrigued by a class called “Chair.”  Yup, “chair.”  I didn’t even read the description.  Who cares? That is the point of the pass, right?  Try the unknown.  Maybe it would be like lap dance power training for strippers?  Maybe it would be aggressive sitting?  It didn't matter to me.  I had the pass!

I showed up to Thrive Pilates in Falls Church, which was quickly becoming one of my favorite spots. Per usual, the class held five people.  The instructor looked like she was getting ready to sell me incense.  She was wearing flowy linen pants, clogs, multiple thumb rings, a scarf, and a head band.  I expected to be dealing with a free spirit, but as they say, assuming just makes an ass out of you and me (I think that is the saying).  Point being, the instructor wasn’t messing around.   "Kelly?" she barked (I need to stop being the last one to show up to tiny classes).

I have included a picture of the chairs at the top because I don’t even know how to begin describing the chair without the visual.  It sort of resembles a chair...I guess.  Perhaps it resembles what a Pilates reformer machine would look like folded into the chair position?  You can look for yourself and come up with your own description in your head.

Interestingly, we would not sit on the "chair" very much during the class.  At one point, we did straddle the chair and use our legs to push down the foot bar, giving our calves and quads a workout.  That was the only exercise that I could perform with some ease.  The rest were crazy difficult.

The chair was an especially tricky contraption when we had to sit on top in a "V" position.  I have supplied the picture to the left to help you visualize.  I do not have the balance for the "V," but everyone else around me knew exactly what they were doing.  Apparently, the "chair" class isn't just a one-off event for people who have become too confident with their Class Pass - people actually do the chair class on the regular, and they are badass on a "chair."

Other exercises we did on this magnificent creature were triceps dips.  We put our feet on the foot bar and held the two handles while we dipped.  We also did what I can best describe as "sort of pikes" using the chair.  Please see the side picture to your right.  I note these two exercises just to make it clear the chair provides a full body workout.

The instructor played some good early 2000s jams, which brought back fond memories of high school and college.  The music was a surprise.  Based on the instructor's ensemble, I assumed we we would listening to Enya.  That is what I get for judging a book by it's cover.  Although I liked the instructor, she tried to drive home that we should use our abs during a lot of the exercises, and to get that point across to me, she repeatedly poked me in my in my belly button.  I am sure it was unintentional, but I started to feel like I was auditioning to be the Pillsbury doughboy.  I get it, tighten the abs.  And yes, I know where mine are located (in theory). 

After the class, the instructor, who seemed to be a bit of a chair rock star, was asked to do some sweet moves on one of the chairs.  Being that I am not a chair groupie, I did not stick around to see the show, but I have no doubt that her moves are impressive.  Perhaps another time.  I assume some of the crazy moves on the Pilates chair poster were demonstrated.  

To my own surprise, I would totally “Chair” again, but I would only want to do it once in a while, and I am not sure if that is the work out style of a chair-er (?), or acceptable among the chair community.  There definitely seems to be a group.  I do recommend trying it out if you have the opportunity!

P.S. With the exception of the first image, all of my pictures are courtesy of Google images. Thanks, internet!