Non Sequitur Box

Below is my prospective race schedule for the year. I don't have any serious races planned (yet). Of course, this schedule might change due to weather, sickness, injury, climbing trips, classes, desire to do triathlons, or vacation time. I bought the =PR= (Potomac River Running Store) race bundle (four races for $100), so I will be doing at least four of their races this year (but aiming for at least seven). Italics means I've registered for that race already. Come join me! =PR= Race Series: http://prracing.enmotive.com/ Pacers Races: http://runpacers.com/run/races/ January 1: =PR= New Year's Day 5k (Reston, VA) - 19:15 February 16: Pacers George Washington Birthday Classic 10k (Alexandria, VA ) - 39:13 March 15: Pacers Four Courts Four Miler (Arlington, VA) - 25:01 April May 11: =PR= Mother's Day 4 Miler (Reston, VA) June 14: Lawyers Have Heart 10k (Washington, DC) 21: =PR= Twilight Festival Four Miler (Ashburn, VA) July August 17: =PR=...

A runner's first race can be exciting and daunting. I'm writing this for beginners (or runners who still get nervous before races). Having your mental game ready can lead to a positive race experience. Trust the training. IF you've been training, this applies. At the start of many marathons (or even someone's first 5k), runners begin to question if they're in good enough shape, if they've done enough speed work and long runs, if they can handle the weather, if they will get injured mid-race, if they're properly hydrated and fueld, if, if, if. Trust your training. Did you have a knowledgeable coach and/or good training plan? Did you follow it (or adjust when necessary)? You are as prepared as you ever will be. There is nothing more you can do now but start the race. Set multiple goals. If you like goals, then I suggest you come up with three goals. A perfect race goal is your highest, perfect goal (champion, winning team). A great race goal is second ...

Yesterday I ran the George Washington Birthday Classic 10k in Alexandria, VA. The race is put on by Pacers (local running store). Pre-Race 0630 - I woke up to a message from our fearless local Team Red White Blue leader Bill. He didn't ask if I had finally signed up or if I was going to bundle up and come cheer. He just said, "See you soon. You can zoom past all of us." The time stamp was 0553. He was probably already onsite, setting up the Team RWB tent. 0700 - I tried to go back to sleep. I was happy in the warmth of bed, but the thoughts of everyone else freezing and running a 10k before I even got out of bed bothered me. I pulled on some workout clothes and put a few layers of sweats and jackets and hats on and zombied out to my car. Before I realized what was happening, I was driving to Alexandria. 0735 - Parking was a breeze inside the free parking garage. This made me very happy. I met up with the group, said I didn't register and that race day regist...

One of my favorite socializing activities is discussing how or why something is (basically, trying to talk to the scientist in each one of us). I'm an introvert who doesn't interact with people often, so I try to make it easier for myself by inserting science and/or math into the socializing equation. Car Talk puzzlers are great for this; sometimes it's the only thing my boyfriend and I talk discuss on long drives. This week I had two hot topics for discussion. Frozen Balls for Scotch Last Sunday, I went to buy my boyfriend a birthday gift. I decided to go to a cocktail store and get him some spherical ice molds (for whiskey). The lady informed me, "The trick to clear ice is to use hot water." I thanked her and went home. I passed this information to the recipient of the gift, who agreed we should do an experiment. Round one was done without me, and I thought he didn't use enough control, but my boyfriend used hot tap water and room temperature filter...