This morning I ran the Hot Mama Half Marathon, which was a
virtual half-marathon hosted by
Moms Run This Town (MRTT). A virtual race is great because it allows participants to run a course of their choosing, and I chose to run my half-marathon through our nation's capital.
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My route, minus a mile since Dailymile
doesn't acknowledge shortcuts. :-/ |
It was a beautiful, but hot, morning. I started in Georgetown (where I knew I would find parking).
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Georgetown.
Specifically, Georgetown Cupcake |
After spending 20 minutes searching for a bathroom, I finally started my run around 7:30.
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Crossing the Key Bridge, heading into Virginia |
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Did a quick loop around Roosevelt Island |
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Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial
from across the Potomac |
I ran up to the 14th St. Bridge, where I crossed back in DC and began my "Memorial Miles":
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Thomas Jefferson Memorial |
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Washington Monument
(from the Jefferson Memorial, I think) |
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Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial |
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Tidal Basin (not a memorial but very pretty) |
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FDR Memorial |
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Eleanor Roosevelt @FDR Memorial |
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Lincoln Memorial |
At the Lincoln Memorial, I tripped and almost landed flat on my face in front of all the tourists. Luckily, my handheld saved me, and I managed to stay on my feet and keep on running. Although I'm sure my face-plant would have made for some interesting vacation photos.
I continued up to the Capitol Building, where I turned around and began to head back.
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The Capitol |
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Washington Monument from The Mall |
I crossed back into Virginia via the Arlington Memorial Bridge, but I didn't get a picture because I was tired of fishing my iphone out of my waistpack. Also, because I was just plain tired.
It was a hot run. I tried to refill my handheld at the various water fountains along the "course" but none of them had enough power to actually get a decent arc of water going so I could position my handheld underneath. In the end, I wound up purchasing a bottle of water from a vendor for $2.35! That kinda hurt.
I hit 13.1 miles just as I crossed into Virginia, so I finished my half-marathon in 2:05:38. My training plan had me running 14 miles today, though, so I kept going for another mile. The devil and the angel on my shoulders were debating whether or not I should run 15 miles. I'm not sure who was arguing for what, but my legs did their own thing and stopped running at exactly 14 miles. I had another .5 mile to go before I was back in Georgetown though, so I did a mix of run/walking until I got back to my car.
As soon as I unlocked my car, I tore upon the envelope that I received from MRTT. Inside was the finisher's medal and a little Hot Mama decal. Woot!!
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Hot Mama Medal |
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Hot Mama Decal |
This was a super fun race. 1) Because I won. (hehe -- its the only time I'll ever win a race, I'm sure :), 2) because I got to choose the course and run where I wanted to run and 3) because for $11, I got a little bit of bling and a little bit of swag!
If you've never done a virtual race, I highly recommend it. So fun! Thanks MRTT, for hosting such a cool (or hot :) event. I'm ready for the next one! :)
So jealous o your runnin route! Awesome, awesome. And cool that you got a virtual race medal.
ReplyDeleteYup, definitely counting my blessings.
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