by | March 14, 2013

Ex2 Adventure’s Backyard Burn: Trail Racing in Wakefield Park

When we signed up for this race it just flat out did not occur to me to consider the difference between 10 miles on the road vs. the trail. If I have an option of running a 5-mile vs 10-mile race and no “good” reason to not do the latter? I choose 10!

       Backyard Burn Wakefield bib

We totally lucked out with what was deemed the “flattest” course of this Backyard Burn Trail Race Series (5 total). It also seems to have been the least technical, only including “a few shallow stream crossings” and a lot of twisty, windy, up-and-down sections. But, nothing so steep that we had to walk and nothing so deep we had to sacrifice our non-trail running shoes.  Win!

BackyardBurn Wakefield group

We arrived expecting a 60-degree day, but were greeted by a 28-degree morning. Layers = on! It was very well organized; our race-brief began promptly at 8:50 in the parking lot, and we promptly started by lining up in the street and…going!

BackyardBurn Wakefield start

Photo credit: Anne @ Fannetastic Food

The first mile had a few paved parts and a lot of wide spaces – plenty of time and room to make some passes, settle into a pace and get your feet ready to dodge, weave and stream-hop!

BackyardBurn Wakefield stream

Photo credit: Anne @ Fannetastic Food

Kate, Jill & I took it pretty easy and settled into a line. The course was a 1 mile start followed by a 4.5 mile loop that us 10-milers would do twice:

Round 1 was a lot of head-down, don’t-fall, conserve-some-energy running! When we closed in on the Finish Line and were directed toward Round 2, it was go-time.

I settled into the front of our line and took advantage of the space ahead. Knowing what to expect on a trail makes a big difference! It had warmed up enough that I shed a layer, and we had sped up enough that our second loop was an average 1-min/mile faster than the first.

There was one steep up-hill section within the last 1.5 miles that stole any energy I might have held onto. Lesson learned: don’t sprint up those. The last 0.5 mile was flat, open, leave-it-all-out-there terrain. I chased Kate across the Finish line….

1: 25: 55 – 10 trail miles – 8:35 min/mile

…immediately thought I might vomit, and then thought I am definitely doing another one of those.

Aside from dirt, climbs, streams and rock-hopping, the main difference between a road vs. trail race is this:

BackyardBurn Wakefield food

Food swag!

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Color us muddy & impressed – we had a great time! It was a small group of 400 runners that very graciously spent some time in close quarters on the trails of Wakefield Park, VA. I’ll definitely be back for another run in the woods!

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by | March 13, 2013

Registered Dietitian Day: The Non-traditional Career Path

I became a registered dietitian (RD) in November of 2009 – much like any stressful, my-career-depends-on-this exam, I will probably never forget that day, date or pure sweet relief when the screen flashed my passing score.

Three years later I look at my Resume with a tilted-head – while I can’t imagine having done things any other way, it only makes sense to me.

I lived here, I did one thing, I jumped to that and lived there and then came back and now I do this!

And I love it.

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I’ve recently had the opportunity to present to the Dietetic Internships in this area (DC/MD/VA) about my “career journey” and how I got from point A to point D. I always come back to this online space, the opportunities it has provided me and the people I’ve met. Strategically putting yourself out here on the web goes a long way!

My goal is always to shed light on the other careers out here and available for nutrition and wellness enthusiasts!

Two years ago I wrote The Road to RD, recapping the path from college-grad to dietitian and what that map looked like for me. It’s still one of the most viewed pages on this site, and answers some of the most common questions I get from students and prospective career-changers.

The career posts have evolved from there. If you’re interested in what a non-traditional dietitian world looks like, I hope this helps:

A Dietitian in Marketing (Small Planet Foods)
A Day in the Life: Corporate Wellness Event-Planning (WCS)
Healthy Office Culture: Let’s Chat! #fitatwork
A Day in the Life: Biometric Screenings / Health Education (WCS)

Coach heather signBiometric screening suppliespush-up tabata
WCSlogoWCS billy goat trail

Any requests for future spotlights on what my days look like?

Interested in what wellness would look like for your company? We’d be happy to help! ( info@wellnesscorporatesolutions.com )

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If you have other questions about becoming an RD, or getting your foot in the health/fitness/wellness door, ask away!

It’s an evolving field that has come a long way even in the three short years that I’ve been a part of it. We have a long way to go with a lot of issues, and believe me we’re working hard to get there! The great thing is that there is always more to learn, know and understand about food. The research is going in every direction you can think of; new career fields are being created by the year. I wouldn’t have it any other way.

Happy Dietitian Day, to all my fellow RDs!

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by | March 8, 2013

Friday Four: New Eats (Larabar & Chobani), Step Feats & Trails

I tried to come up with a synonym for running, racing or hiking that rhymed with “eat”: mission impossible.

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With a handful of new-to-me things in this corner of the world, it’s time to group a few of them together & share with you. Because it’s Friday. Welcome to the end of the week, where brains function at 50% and {our trail-racing} minds are looking at the “63*, Sunny” forecast ahead, internally singing repetitive rejoices!

Let’s start by grabbing a bar & a spoon:

1) NEW: LARABAR – ALT (Protein bar)

Larabar ALT Bars

I’ve heard talks of this bar but had yet to see it on the shelves! I am a huge fan of the regular ol’ LB – and even worked with them for a while back in 2010 – but a lot of bar-eating clients seem to focus on that comparatively-low protein content.

C’mon, they taste great and they’re only made from nuts, fruit and spices and in theory you could make your own in your kitchen!

While I think added-protein is a bonus but not a necessity, it seems I’m an outlier. These bars use plant-based protein powders to up the ante and join the ranks of companies that cater to vegan/vegetarian-friendly high-protein food options. Nicely done, LB!

2) NEW: Chobani Bits & Bites

Chobani_New products

More on this Chobani love to come;this team has clearly been hard at work to bring out some new options for greek yogurt-lovers! You know I’m not much of a dairy eater these days, but I still admire these CHOlks and am pretty impressed by the all the creativity here. Flips, bites, champions and new flavors? They’re changing the yogurt game, here.

Specifically, they’re wooing us with  CHOcolate, and I’m intrigued:

CHOcolate bites_chobaniChobani coffee_chocolate

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3) STEP it UP: Wellness Corporate Solutions’ Fitbit Challenge

We’re 5 weeks into our steps challenge at work (WCS) and it’s getting competitive. I battle these two gals every week, usually having to accept that no matter how many times I walk or run in circles around NW DC, they will beat me.

Then, I had this moment:

Step updates_Fitbit challenge

One down, one to go! (JP is probably relentlessly stepping all around NYC as I type this.)

An update on this steps-challenge to come, but trust me when I say that we’ve all done some crazy things to get “more steps!” in. Incentives and friendly competition go a long way with corporate fitness.

4) Backyard Burn: Trail Racing, Round 1

backyard burn spring series
Photo credit: flickr user Swim Bike Run Photography.

The race-season has officially kicked off, but for this round we’re ready to switch gears! At the recommendation of my friend/fellow local-race-junkie Rebecca, a carful of runners have agreed to join me in the hills of Virginia on Sunday.

I signed on for the 10-mile option. There might be an ounce of in-over-our-heads and a dose of humility to come with this – all in the name of good, muddy running adventures!

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What’s new to you this Friday?

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Filed under DC, food, new things!, random, running, running hills

by | March 7, 2013

Run: The Track! (Starter Workout)

We took our usual Tuesday night lululemon Georgetown crew on a different adventure this week; they obliged. Conveniently one mile away from our starting point rests an under-the-radar track, just waiting for us! It may not be lit up at night, but soon enough our friend DST will jump in and fix that.

I haven’t run ovals around a track in…um…a really long time. The last I remember actually being there was during my 2011 MCM training. Oops. Luckily Coach Melani had this workout in mind, which is perfect for track-workout newbies and those of us who have gotten unreasonably lazy with speed-work. It’s not too much or too difficult, but if you pace yourself to have a little bit of juice left, that last 200m interval is perfect for a real all-out sprint.

georgetown track workout

Original photo credit: Athletic Minded Traveler.

The Starter’s Workout:

Plyometric warm-ups & stretching (knee-highs, butt-kicks, etc.)
200m | 400m | 800m | 400m | 200m
Run 200m rests in-between (no total rest or walking).

Her suggestion was to run this at level 3 – 3.5, on a scale of 1 – 5.
(“1” being conversational and easy, “5” being Don’t say a word to me I can barely breathe!)

The result:

Nicely jello’d legs that are learning how to move quickly again! It’s a good burn.

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What’s your track workout of choice? I liked this one because it kept my mind entertained, vs. the usual 800, 800, 800, 800, etc. It also seemed much more manageable – thanks to the variety – against some that I’ve done in the past. Win, win!

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by | March 5, 2013

Bright Beginnings 5K: Racing Against 2009

It’s hard for any race-runner to turn down a “cheap” 5K; we may love-hate the distance, but when that event pops up fitting perfectly into your calendar, and the price tag is reasonable?  “Register” is clicked without even a pause of hesitation!

Duh, of course I’m in…

The 5K test is no easy “fill in the C bubbles” jog – it’s ready to really make you think about what’s worth 20(+/-) minutes of your run!

Bright Beginnings 5K

It was the typical why-isn’t-winter-over-yet chilly in the morning; we noticed a 5* temperature drop as we walked down toward the water. This is only okay for the first race of the year, so we don’t complain too much. This is also okay because the race is small enough that we can show up at 7:30am for packet pick-up, bag-check, warm-up and to still have a few minutes to spare before an 8am start! Good stuff.

Washington Monument Sunrise 3.2.13

I-phone pic, en route to the starting line. Good morning, DC!

One crew member had a sub-20 goal in mind, while the rest of us had no goal and were already thinking about coffee & putting our jackets back on. Then once we actually started running, that thought pops up that maybe this would be good to actually race. It is totally flat…and the legs aren’t sore or over-tired or complaining…and Kate’s making me run faster…and, ah. GO FOR IT.

My 5K “PR” was so over itself – 2009 was a long time ago, legs. Get on it!

The course was a PR-perfect flat out and back. Boring? Of course. Doable for 3.1 miles? Absolutely. I wanted to just race against myself – I had no watch on, but the mile one marker shout-out was “6:48”, followed by “13:45” at mile two. Feeling thankful that my brain only had to do one mile of math, I realized that as long as I chased Hiller for another mile me and that shiny new PR would be all set!

I instantly felt the need to vomit when I crossed the finish line: success!

21:37 – avg 6:58 min/mile

And just like that, 2013 is off & running…

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Thanks to the Washington DC Junior League for a well-run, organized, charitable and fun race!

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What personal best are you looking to challenge this year? How so?

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Filed under DC, Goals, Races, running