Running With Pepper

Wow, it's been quite a while since I ran. Felt good to run tonight and I ran 5 miles in 40:28 in the neighborhood across the street. Afterwards, took Pepper, the birthday boy, out for a nice brisk 1.5 mile walk. Also hit the gym up at lunch today and did shoulders and legs. I'd imagine that they will be pretty darn sore tomorrow. Nothing like coming back for a nice run after you've dropped off the map for a while. Don't worry fellow bloggers, it won't happen again. On another note, I accepted a new job with a consulting firm, Booz Allen Hamilton, and will probably start after the first of the new year. I have three more weeks at my current job then I have the rest of the year off. Looks like I'm stuck in the DC area for a wee bit longer. Oh, and I'm moving into a house with some friends in two weeks. Wow....talk about change. Happy running bloggers!

(Brooks Infinitis 50.7 miles)

Four miles after work around the Pimmit Hills neighborhood. Legs and body overall are pretty darn sore from my re-entry into the gym scene. If you're interested, the lights at the corner of Leonard and Griffith, Falls Church VA, 22043 are very Griswaldish. Nice, very nice. I look forward to the day when I have a house where I can lavishly decorate my house in distasteful ways. :-) Finished the four miles in 32:04, just the nice 8 minute pace I wanted. Also hit the gym at lunch again for chest, tris, and abs. Dang, I can't lift nearly as much as I used to. Nothing like a challenge to make me feel better. After the run tonight, took Pepper out for a nice 2 mile+ walk around the neighborhood. Man, my boy was happy to be out in the cold tonight. Temps during the run were in the upper 30s. Life is good....A Christmas Story is on TNT.

(Brooks Infinitis 54.7 miles)

Nothing today....relaxation and recovery from the gym and running. Oh, plus a sprinkle of Thai food.

No running again. Went to the gym at lunch and did squats, calf raises, shoulder presses, front/side shoulder raises, and leg extensions. Legs are starting to feel better from the initial "welcome back" workout I had earlier in the week. Looking forward to happy hour tonight.....good times.

Time for a nice holiday run. Met up with fellow bloggers Lucia (Argentine Rocket) and Ben (Dutch) plus a few others for the Jingle all the way 10k in sunny Washington, DC. Our team, Santa's Little Jinglers truly lived up to our name as we jingled through the WHOLE race and long afterward too! Overall, the team placed 11th out of 49 teams, which ain't too shabby if you ask me.

As we started the race, I was going to take it easy but Lucia scolded me and said...."You need to run fast to get our team's time down!!!" Well, I can't say no to that since I like to win so off I went bobbing and weaving through the crowd. First two miles felt great as my legs finally started to warm up (I wore shorts in 30 degree weather). Yes....the shorts were probably a bad idea and went everything I usually wear when running in the cold. Stupidity...check; hard-headedness...check; macho...check; cold Aaron...check. As I got out around Haines Point and got to the half way mark, I noticed that I was right at about a 21 minute 5k, which was right where I wanted to be. My ultimate goal for the race was 42 for the 6 miles plus a little more for the last .2. Turnaround point had me cruising and thinking that I would reach my goal. Around mile 5, I began to feel some tightness in my right hip flexor. The pain continued through the rest of the race. At mile 6, I decided to sprint the last .2 of the race and crossed the finish line in 42:36. Definitely a PR since I've never run a 10k before. Once again, not to shabby for not really training. I suppose that if I trained properly, I could probably beat just about anyone. Too much other stuff going on at this point for that. 

After the race, I went to Lucia's house for an after party and had some TASTY food and warming drinks. If you don't know, Lucia makes some freaking awesome icecream. Great times with great people. Check out Lucia's blog for some fancy pictures.

What an eventful weekend....I moved in with some friends, am finishing up my job this week and looking forward to just under 3 weeks off before I start my new job, and am dealing with a pup with SEVERE moving anxiety. I've read that it sometimes takes a dog up to 2-3 weeks before they are fully acclimated to their new living conditions. With Pepper, since he was jettisoned from family to family before coming to me, I'm gearing up for an even longer ride. He just needs to know that he's loved and he'll be fine. Oh...plenty of treats and exercise too.

Well, happy holidays folks. Till next time....over and out.

(Brooks Infinitis 60.9 miles)