Marathon # 8

In the words of my youngest sister, I'm addicted to running marathons, and with good reason. Running helps me regulate my weight (but my mouth usually ruins those efforts!), it makes me have to get to bed early because rest & recovery are important, it gives me the mindset to watch what I eat (again, I say ... Usually a failed attempt.) Running marathons forces me to train. Training is the most challenging part of the game. For some reason, the challenge hasn't knocked me down yet. Interestingly enough, a few life events have. That's something I have to think about. Haha!!

Marathon # 8 took me back to a familiar place :: Washington, D.C. Shannon, Angela and I took a weekend road trip so I could run the Rock and Roll Series Marathon. Sadly, the course wasn't all that great, neither was the crowd, so it was hard to stay motivated. Yuck! I also suffered some kind of injury along the course, and that just broke me mentally, as well as physically. I couldn't run because my ankle, shin and knee hurt more than I've ever experienced. All I know is that it felt like the pain of a stress fracture, and was just unbearable to walk or run. However, me being me shuffled and walked as necessary. By the end, it was a walk to mile 26 followed by a shuffle along the .2. My goal of a four hour marathon was not met due to the pain I endured on the run. I could've made it, though. Instead, I finished in 4:30:35, which isn't terrible, but just wasn't my goal.

I was thrilled to see my friends at the finish line holding the sign Shannon made, which is in one of my photos. We met up, hugged and moved on back to DuPont Circle for some much deserved food. We decided, the night before, that brunch was going to be an order & we found an all you can eat spot to dine at, which was also hosting a St. Patrick's Day bar crawl! It was interesting to say the least, but the food was awesome & the crowd was entertaining.

The rest of the day consisted of shuffling around here and there. We went back to the hotel, chatted some, rested & prepared for the evening. We had plans for Thai food & possibly an outing afterwards. I, however, had no energy or desire to go anywhere except to bed. After dinner, the girls went out & I went back to the hotel. I needed to rest and just be. I tried to, but falling asleep didn't come easily. I know the girls had a great time being out & I was happy for them.

The next morning, I felt rested & was moving a little more easily. Upon waking up, I got dressed and went to Starbucks for coffee. So did everyone else in the area, it seemed. It was packed & the locals didn't seem too pleased about it.

I wasn't too sure how I felt about leaving D.C., but I was ready to come home. I wished I had seen some more of the area, the monuments and sites. Maybe on my next visit I'll do so. This time around, though, I went for one purpose only. I do wish we had seen our friend, Jordan, but she wasn't feeling her best. Hopefully, we'll be able to visit with each other the next time around.