A Long Run Throwback

Until today, my handful of long runs this year have been on the very flat, Washington and Old Dominion Trail in Virginia. In fact, there isn’t a significant hill to be found on the stretch from Shrilington out to Falls Church. Plus, I did these runs under the careful supervision of Anne, who would ride her bike to pace me, and also carry Gatorade that I could gulp at any time. I was in heaven. I was spoiled. I was on easy street.

Since Anne is out-of-town for the holidays, I decided to do today’s long run along a classic course I developed years ago, the brutal Capital Crescent-Wisconsin Ave route. And I ran it with my other running friend Kate (yes, I have two friends named Kate) who is a speed demon and pushes me to my limits. We started out this morning in front of Barnes and Noble, making our way down the 7 miles of the Capital Crescent Trail into Georgetown. So far, so good. I was a little tired and a bit overheated since I over-layered again, but once we reached M Street in Georgetown, I was feeling okay.

Then the madness began. We hooked a left on Wisconsin Avenue to go straight back to Bethesda. It’s only 6 miles, but it’s the most difficult 6 mile stretch anywhere I’ve ever run. You basically run from sea level to over 400 feet asl in three incredibly steep hills. To put this in perspective, the famous Heartbreak Hill on the Boston Marathon course is only 88 feet. The first hill from Georgetown to Glover Park was tough. I struggled mightily; my legs were tired, my breathing was heavy, and I wanted to give up. Thankfully, after the first hill, we stopped at a CVS for Gatorade. Then it was on to the next hill, which goes from Glover Park, past the Russian Embassy, and up to the Cathedral area. Maybe it was the Gatorade and quick rest that helped, but I handled that hill just fine. Kate and I continued our journey on Wisconsin, through Tenley/AU and Friendship Heights. When we reached the Maryland line, I knew I was in trouble. I had no energy whatsoever, and there was one last big hill to climb to get back to Bethesda. I told Kate, half joking, half serious, that I wanted to quit. She wouldn’t let me. Somehow I made it back to Bethesda, but by the time we finished, I couldn’t run another foot.

Although I’m very sore and extremely tired, I feel as if today was yet another step toward getting back to my old running self. Running with Kate along an old, tried and true route made the last two years of surgery and rehab seem like a distant memory. I like that feeling.