Me approaching Mom and Bry between 18 and 19!
Dad approaching Mom & Bryant between 18-19 looking like a pro!
Taking a break with Bry around mile 18.5! Just the motivation I needed to continue!
We arrived in Washington D.C. on Friday night and stayed in Metro Center close to Chinatown and the Convention Center. We ate dinner at the Capitol Brewery - I enjoyed some great white pizza and pumpkin beer. Ended up going to bed pretty early that evening which worked out well.
On Saturday, my parents arrived to D.C. from Baltimore and we met them at the hotel before going to the Convention Center for the Expo. The expo itself was an experience. It was very well run and efficient to check in but it got a little crowded on the floor around the exhibits. We walked around the mall and hit the National Art Museum. We stayed at a hotel which had a kitchen in our suite, so my mom and I went shopping to get the needed ingredients for a pasta dinner. We cooked a great pre-race carbo loading dinner which worked out perfectly since it was humid, raining and windy outside. After dinner we walked down to the Capitol Building since we were really close and took some nice night pictures. Bryant and Mom continued on to tour some of the other monuments while dad and I headed back to the hotel to prepare for race morning and get ready for bed.
Race morning I woke up at 5:15 to get dressed and start my breakfast which consisted of spaghetti from the night before with some parm cheese. I drank some gatorated and water as well. I packed everything for my race check bag, including my pre-race sports drink. We met at 5:55 to go and catch the Metro to the race start. We didn't have to wait too long for the train to the start. Once we arrived at the start area it was still pitch black outside. We made a few stops at the port-o-potties and continued our pre-race hydration. We walked at least a 1/2 mile to the area where the bag check was. When we got there we got rid of our long sleeve shirts. I decided to wear shorts, a tank top and arm-warmers. It was chilly at the start (about 50 degrees) but was forecast to warm up to the low 60s by the time the race ended.
The start area was alive with static electricity. There were so many people around the start! The introductions were great and the fly-over by the military planes was breathtaking. I was pretty nervous at the start thinking "what have I gotten myself into" and "how the heck am I going to run 26.2 miles?!?"
It took me about 10 minutes to get to the start from where I was lined up. The first 8 miles of the course were pretty hilly which was not expected! I saw the topographical map of the race which showed a 160ft elevation gain over the first 8 miles and thought "that's not much at all" but let me tell you there were a few tough hills for sure. Luckily I made a friend on the course that I could talk with for that period of time which kept my mind off the course. I lost her around mile 9 or 10 when she started to fade. The course was great around the Georgetown Reservoir and through Georgetown itself. Running along the Potomac and East & West Potomac Park was also great. The weather was perfect! I was glad I kept my arm warmers throughout the race because the breeze was cool at times. From the park we started to run along the mall. Beautiful with tons of spectator support! This is where I caught Bryant and Mom with the diet coke. I took a minute or two to hang out with them and stretch between mile 18 and 19. This was enough encouragement to continue the race! The last 10K was definitely a challenge for me. Beating the bridge was rough and running through Crystal City was kinda boring but with each mile I knew I was closer to the finish. I felt great cardiovascularly and nutritionally but orthopedically, my feet were killing me - especially my right ankle an foot. I stuck it out though as we reached mile 24 and 25 around the Pentagon and when I heard the music around mile 25, I started to really try and push my way to the finish. Running up the final incline towards the finish was awesome! I finished in 4 hours and 44 minutes. This ended up being a 41 minute PR for me. I finished my first marathon in January of 2005 in Carlsbad, CA in 5:25! I was excited to get my medal from a Marine at the finish. I felt good overall. It took me about an hour to find my dad in the finisher's area afterwards. He finished in 4:29 :)
It took a really long time to get to the hotel after the race because my dad wasn't feeling well after the race and there was a huge crowd to get into the Metro station to catch the train to the hotel. Once we got back, my parents headed back to New Jersey and Bryant and I headed back to our hotel for Sunday night. We walked to dinner in Georgetown which actually made the sore legs and feet feel better. I took a brief nap before the Yankees-Angels game came on. They won and clinched their berth to the World Series! Perfect end to a great day!
We headed home on Monday and I was feeling good physically but tired in general. I slept most of the ride home to Philly and took another nap when we got home.
I felt good all week and treated myself to a sports massage on Wednesday evening. It really helped stretch out my sore hamstrings and tight IT band! Definitely worth it as part of the post-race recovery phase. I went back to the gym cross-training workouts Wednesday and Friday. Felt pretty good overall!
This was an overall great experience for me! Now, its the "off-season" for me which will include focusing on the swimming again, building up some cycling miles and spending time at Fusion and the Lithe Method. I'll be working hard towards looking good at my wedding on January 30, 2010!
Thank you to everyone who has supported me through this whole challenging triathlon and racing season! This marathon was the perfect end to the season! I'm hoping to do it again next year with my sisters running along with me :)
