Workouts ... D.C. style

I feel pretty lucky lately. Not only did I manage to squeeze in some pretty darn good late season skiing, but I will get three springs! Everything was blooming in Portland when I visited....it was spring in DC for my visit (and the end of the cherry blossoms)....and soon, well hopefully soon, it will be spring here on the tundra. We're getting there....slowly. We finally have daffodils. It's a start.


I landed on a beautiful Friday in DC, and rather than run it seemed like more fun to go out in search of the last of the lingering cherry blossoms. After all, this was my first trip to DC that didn't include some sort of alternate agenda like work or a race, and I was excited to take advantage of that.

I had it in my head that I would get up early and get my long run in on Saturday while my sis was still curled up in her cozy bed or lounging around sipping a latte. I had her write me out a little run route. I set the alarm. I did everything I could to set myself up for success.


But then I snoozed. And after the alarm went off the second time I thought it looked like rain....(its funny how thinking about lounging around sipping lattes makes the sky look like it could storm at any minute). So I patted myself on the back for my superior meteorological skill and promptly fell back asleep. Which probably saved my life...and not because it poured down rain and hailed baseball sized chunks of ice (because it didn't....it ended up to be a rather nice day)....but because of what I was in for later that day.

What was it? ....walking with "big city friend".

I know, it sounds ridiculous. Me...alleged "Irongirl"....intimidated by a little walk with a girlfriend? C'mon. But let it be known....this girl can probably walk as fast as I can run. And she can probably do it in heels, while simultaneously talking on her phone and emailing on her 'crack'berry. And after this weekend I've come to think that she is secretly training for her Beijing debut in olympic race walking.

What would have been a nice leisurely stroll to enjoy the sunshine and catch up, for us turned into a nearly 6 mile walk at a break-neck pace. Or more accurately "break-back" pace. Every little ache I've had from running lately was now a screaming, piercing pain. My low back and hip probably being the worst.


All this pain from a walk? My PT later told me walking and running actually use different muscles, which could explain the pain (and justify my Sunday soreness).


And then to add to that she says "we can walk to dinner". Ok, I'm thinking dinner must be close. Well, add another 3 and a half miles onto my daily total, and I walked 9+ miles (I know because I mapped it later)..... Not bad for someone who missed her workout.

So did this workout help my triathlon training.....I'm not sure. Did I burn off that dish of Coldstone after dinner....you bet!

So since I was already way off the mark as far as training goes, I topped off the weekend with a Bikram yoga class. The sis had never tried it and it was DC yoga week so the class was free. We were all about the free part. (and I was all about not doing anything remotely like walking) So off to hot yoga we went.


How was Bikram? Well my sister got a migraine and I got a big kink in my neck that took four days to work itself out. You know, the kind where you can't look over one shoulder too far for fear your head will snap off. So fun. Possibly some spinal re-alignment following all the crazy walking?

So I boarded the plane home a little battered and bruised from my weekend in big city. But I didn't feel like it was a total loss. Just cross-training....DC style.