So last Sunday I was recovering from running the 33rd Annual Marine Corps Marathon in Washington D.C. This was my second MCM, and my best friend's first 10K. I have to say, the whole trip was freaking awesome.
Thursday:
Left for DC on the 9:45pm train from South Station to Union. It was unremarkable, except for that it was not an Acela, like I thought it was when I booked it. Which meant 12 hours overnight on the train. I slept, I read, I slept, I shifted, I slept, and then I got off when I reached Union. On the train, I met a coed from Bridgewater State who was taking the train to DC so she could meet up with a friend and drive to North Carolina. She was very nice... if sort of drunk.
Friday:
MO met me at Union, and gave me her key, and shipped me off to her apartment in Rosslyn. All the signs and markers were already up for the MCM. I napped while she worked. I also watched Minority Report, haha... I also went to Whole Foods for snackies so I wouldnt eat her out of house and home.
When she got in we went to Cafe Asia for dinner. Had the most delicious soup ever! We were also seated next to the most VAPID couple EVER. God, their conversation was incredibly annoying--- and LOUD. Which was the problem, because no matter how much we ignored it, it was still audible.
Saturday:
We met up with AL and JG after their bus got into DC from the airport. They dropped their stuff off at MO's while their hotel wouldnt let them check in. We walked around, went to breakfast at Teaism, which was (as always) delicious. I had oatmeal with peaches, and a side of chicken apple sausage. So damn good. The Earl Grey was killer.
We then made our way to the DC Armory/Stadium where we waited a bit in the rain for the Expo to pick up our race bibs and T-shirts. Pretty awesome. Lots of hunky eyecandy.
Went to Cafe Asia again. Had the Yellow Curry. (Would later prove to be a bad choice.) We went to a gallery opening somewhere in the DC Ghetto.
Then, MO and I crashed at her apartment watching Poltergeist, which I had never seen. Hilarious!
Sleep came quick, and before I knew it...
SUNDAY:
0500. Up and ready for the race. Breakfast was delicious granola "crackrock" and a liter of water. I wished later (around mile 15) that Id had more to eat. It was freaking cold. COLD!! God, I remembered it being chilly from last year, but this was horrid. There were a gazillion people on the metro, all going to the starting line, near the Pentagon.
Took 11 minutes for me to get to the start line after the gun.
I chased a really tall, really cute Marine for the first 10 miles. God, he was tall-- he had to stand close to 7 feet. I barely came to his shoulder. Dark hair, dark eyes... cute butt... which I oogled the whole time I ran behind him. I dont think he minded.
The first 11 miles went by really fast. By the 13th mile, the Yellow Curry started to feel unsettled in my guts. I had to wait in line for 20 minutes for a bathroom. Theres no way I was going to pull over and publicly empty my innards like SO MANY OTHER PEOPLE. Jesus, no shame on these people.
At mile 15-17 I started to feel pretty awful. I was starving, and my legs were pumping battery acid, but I kept running. My legs started yelling, "YOU SHOULD HAVE TRAINED FOR THIS YOU IDIOT!!"
Around the other side of the Smithsonian, I started to hit my second wind --and Anna Molly, by Incubus, came on my iPod which I started singing like a dolt-- so I picked it up.
Everything went swimmingly until I hit the bridge. Which sucked. Ill leave it at that.
Then, soon, the last hill. I cranked up the hill. It was crazy awesome.
I crossed the finish line, and felt awesome and amazing. Soon I was herded through the tunnel of Marines with mylar blankets and water bottles and medals. It was surreal.
I met up with MO at the Family LinkUp spot. She had finished her 10K and was already happily fed and showered. I made my way back to her place with little fanfare; I showered, changed, stuffed my face full of crackrock granola, and then took a nap.
We went to MatchBox for dinner. It was the best food ever. Brioche bunned mini burgers with parmesan onion straws as an appetizer. I dont know how many I inhaled. I had Hawaiian fish with a melange of sauteed veggies. MO had pancrusted salmon and grits. It looked spectacular. Mine was amazing; I could have eaten about six more orders.
Monday:
Sore, but ok. I walked around a lot and visited the WWII monument, and the Washington Monument before I went to the Fine Art section of the Smithsonian. It was awesome. There was an Eastern art exhibit that I took in; it was gorgeous. MO worked.
Tuesday:
I went home on the train. Again, long because it wasnt an Acela.
I felt like I couldnt get enough food for the whole week after the marathon. I did not have any trouble walking around afterwards. No blisters or chafing. Were it not for the professional photos from the course, Id wonder if I actually ran it. (I did.) I have been starving since. I love that course. I will almost always return to that Marathon, so long as I am able. Man. Everyone should see the frenetic energy of a marathon first hand. Its awe inspiring.
It was overall an awesome hilarious delicious weekend. I loved each minute of my vacation (except the vapid conversation of the couple beside us at Cafe Asia); it gave me a lot of time to reflect and share with MO and catch up with her in person. Its such a relief to see her in person, because niether of us is especially fond of the phone. I felt so energized and recharged afterwards... I really did not want to go back to work.
