I can't believe I didn't blog about registering for this race before! I searched and searched, but no go.
So here goes... because this was an "inaugural" event, RnR had a contest to promote the race. The rules were simple: if you were the first person from your state to register for the race, your entry was free. So I stayed up late on a Sunday (True Blood was on, so it's not like I didn't have anything to do), THANKFULLY my active.com account filled in all the blanks, and I got my entry for free!
Ladies and gentlemen, I am the REAL
Miss Illinois :)
I flew into DC (well, Arlington VA) after work on Thursday. I was staying with a friend of a friend, and actually flew out with one of my running friends from Illinois. Since we both got in so late, we just headed back to our friend's house (yes, she is now my friend too) and cashed out for the night.
The next day we headed into DC when Renee's friend had to work. Then we met up with our friend Kelsey, who was in town on an overnight (she's a flight attendant), and headed to the expo. There was a surprising amount of food at the expo, and I pretty much ate everything. And bought some stars and stripes socks with the race logo on them :) Then we went to Maryland for some lunch and some Georgetown Cupcakes. The cupcakes are as amazing as advertised. For real.
Then it was time for some basketball (yay Spartans!), some dinner, and some sleep, since we had an early wake-up call and a loooong Metro ride to RFK Stadium on Saturday morning.
So we got up... I was actually up before my alarm. I am lame. Got dressed, but something wasn't sitting too well in my stomach, and all I have to say about that Metro ride is that everyone around me should be grateful that I did not puke everywhere. Also, I forgot to bring my ipod, so this was going to be a loooong race. :(
Pre-race awesomeness:
I didn't go into the start corral right away, as I had 12 minutes to go and I figured it would be plenty of time to use the bathroom before the start. (It was. Plenty of time.)
After the national anthem, we were OFF!
Mile 1: I know there are hills in this race. Everyone I've talked to, all they reminded me of was the hills. So I will start off a little more conservatively than I normally would, and save some gas for the hills. 8:13
Mile 2: Oops. 7:53
Mile 3: I really don't feel good. My stomach is still acting weird. When I was standing in the start corral waiting to go, I changed my goal from "finish with a smile on your face" to "don't poop your pants." If you only understood how huge of an accomplishment this would be. 8:03
Mile 4: I vaguely remember someone rapping on a street corner, but I don't know what mile that was, or even what he was saying. Just that it sounded like gibberish. And I don't think he was one of the official course bands. Odd.
I'm running alongside the National Mall... I must admit, I'm staring HARD at the Washington Monument, trying to see if there is a crack in the top from the earthquake. And then I start to think, do buildings crack from earthquakes at the top or at the bottom? 8:12
Mile 5: Weird 180 degree turn. But there is a cute little band playing patriotic songs. THIS I can get behind! And lucky me, they are not taking a break! 8:13
Mile 6: Oh crap, here's the DuPont Hill everyone has been talking about.
On the path where Renee runs, there is a hill known as Vomit Hill. I feel like this hill should be called Vomit Hill. There IS entertainment during this mile, aka a guy in an Incredibles costume with a boombox. People are awesome. 8:17
Mile 7: I know that today isn't going to be a PR (hills, vomity feeling, etc), but I am still a little disheartened when the 1:45 pace group passes me by. I won't be TOO far behind them, but still. Once you do what I did to a course in New Orleans, it's hard to adjust to the way things used to be. Slowest mile of the day, guess I was thinkin' too much. 8:20
Mile 8: Ok, I've had enough of these hills. I thought there was only a big one over by DuPont Circle, and then the rest was downhill. Not so. There's more UP. But I want to go DOWN. NO MORE UP! 8:12
Mile 9: Now we're over near Howard University, and it's flattened out a bit. I introduce myself to a fellow Maniac on the course (who was kinda snotty, to be honest), and the zoom zoom away because I'm embarrassed that I told him my name? I don't know. The whole thing was weird. Someone from the Midwest probably would have hugged me and given me their phone number. I'm not used to anything less hospitable, I guess. 8:07
Mile 10: Sweet little downhill with a gorgeous view of the Capitol ahead of me. The bigger it gets, the closer I am to being done! (And I am ready to be done!) I see a girl wearing the same shorts as me. I have started to salt. The sun is beating on me a little bit, and it's so much warmer than I expected it to be.
I guess I shouldn't be complaining about the weather - this weekend last year, it was high 30s, pouring rain, and I nearly got struck by lightning. And I ran on hills that weekend too. No more complaining! 8:02
Mile 11: I FINALLY feel better. Seriously. It only took over 10 freaking miles. But my stomach has settled nicely. Even though I would kill for an ice cold Gatorade, overall I feel good. I spot a different Maniac cheering on the median, and I high-five him. HE is nice. Must be from the Midwest ;) 8:03
Mile 12: I'm absolutely flying. Then we turn the corner, and I have to go UP. Fuuuuuck. NO MORE UP! 8:15
Mile 13: Sweet little downhill from here to the finish. My left IT band is acting weird - sometimes it falls asleep when I run fast, like now. I literally start to pick up my leg and make the running motion, and it gets the drift and starts to work properly again. Also in this mile, I finally see a photographer, and come away with some sweet shots. Fastest mile of the day. 7:43
PHOTO BOMB!
Mile 13.1: At this point, I am just focused on obtaining my 2nd best time ever, which I do with ease.
Me, trying to do math:
Not gonna lie - I knew I was going to go under 1:47 for sure, so I phoned it in a little bit. My legs were a little wobbly after their hilly adventure, and I didn't want to hurt myself. The Shamrock Shuffle is way more important to me than this one. 0:51
FINAL TIME: 1:46:30
AVERAGE PACE: 8:07
LESSON LEARNED: RnR no longer has Gatorade at all water stations! May need to figure out a different hydration solution for RnR Chicago, seeing as how it's in July and all.
NEXT PIKERMI: Egg Shell Shuffle, 4.7.2012
I had a lot of fun in DC - I drank some new, interesting beer. I made some new friends. I ran my 2nd best time ever (on HILLS). I got a sweet new medal, and should have a Heavy Medal heading my way in a few weeks. Life is good.
