DC Half

Thank you for a great Half today, DC!  Finish time:  1:36 (07:20 pace)

The day started pretty early at 6.  Start time was 8.  You'd think at that time in the morning the metro ride to the start line at the Armory wouldn't be so bad.  Nope.  This is DC.  It's among the biggest running cities in the nation.  The good thing about that is obviously the city has a lot of runners.  That means it makes for a fun race day with plenty of crowds and entertainment.  The bad thing about that is that DC has A LOT OF RUNNERS.  That means the commute is going to be quite chaotic.

After nearly an hour of invading fellow runner's personal space on the metro, I arrived at the DC Armory.  I was lucky enough to meet up with some of the loveliest ladies in the DC metro area.  Claudia, Lorin, Jeanette, Teresa, and Melinda are part of my running group (aka The Coven) and if you're so lucky to run with them you'll not only have a great time but also know you've arrived as a serious runner.  They're the best.  And now my good friend Claudia will be forever enshrined in the blog!  Welcome, Claudia!

The race started right at 8 and I crossed the start line at 8:02.  It wasn't no more than 5 minutes in that I already had a concern as my left ankle was sorta bothering me.  I'll address that later.  I hit my 5K at 8:24.  10K at 8:47.  Along the way you had a nice mix of running spectators and St. Patrick's Day enthusiasts in full costume enjoying some beers and wondering why the hell everyone was running and not drinking.  I was sorta wondering the same thing at one point.  I think this may have been my first time running a race on St. Patrick's Day.  It certainly added to the entertainment.  But, I've got to say the best part of the race came at mile five when I came across my biggest supporter of my 50 state challenge.  That would be my sister Carla.  There she was screaming and jumping as I approached.  I'd expect nothing less from her.  That's just her awesome style.  I was able to ask our friend Chris to snap a quick shot before I took off.  For those of you who have never met my sister ... I'm sorry.  You're really missing out.  She's pretty great.

I crossed mile 10 at 9:15.  Once I cross mile 10, no matter how tired I am, I always get a burst of energy.  3.1 left to go.  It happens every time.  And as the crowds get bigger and louder it only carries you to the finish.  I crossed at 9:38.

I'm icing the ankle now and taking some Aleve to see if that will make things a little better.  I'm sure it'll be just fine.

Next up:  Delaware (March 25)

Thanks again, DC!