It’s hard to believe that as of yesterday I’ve officially run…
3 – 5K races (3.1 miles)
1 – 5 miler
2 – 10K (6.2 miles)
1 – 15K (9.3 miles)
1- 10 miler
1- Half marathon (13.1 miles)
As much as I say I hate running, clearly I don’t hate it that much!! I’m extremely proud of all of the races I’ve run these past 3 years and need to more confidently call myself a runner!
Yesterday morning Neal and I got up at 5AM, took Theodore outside, made some breakfast, drank our pre-race Spark (and Arginine Extreme for me) and headed to the metro train.
I was nervous about how the metro would be, but it ran smoothly! We arrived at the Pentagon around 6:30AM, went to the restrooms, went through security, and then stood in our corral until the race started.
I was REALLY nervous about not being able to run with my iPhone and headphones in, but everyone was doing it. I somewhat understand why the don’t allow you to wear these gadgets, especially as we’re near the Pentagon, but I think it’s unrealistic to ban cellphones in this day in age. I put in my headphones, started up RunKeeper, put on a Jillian Michaels podcast, and crossed the starting line.
I ran the same way I’ve trained, running for 2 minutes and then walking for 1 minute. Through I felt silly at times for walking, especially 2 minutes into the race, it helped me to sustain my energy for the whole 10 miles.
I was so amazed by the men and women who ran beside me. I always stand in awe when I see soilders running in their full gear… AMAZING!
The race course itself was just fantastic! I even ran into a blog reader, Rachel, who I was able to run a mile or so with! Running past the Lincoln Memorial, down Connecticut Ave, up Virginia Ave, past the Watergate Hotel, along the Potomac River, up to the Washington Monument, and then across the 14th Street Bridge to the Pentagon was just beautiful!
The 14th Street Bridge was the most difficult part of the race for me. My RunKeeper App got messed up at some point in the race, so I thought I was a lot further along than I actually was. I thought I only had two miles left when I passed the 7 mile marker, womp womp! The bridge was long and just seemed to go on forever.
Running down the ramp to the Pentagon was awesome! I loved seeing all the spectators and knowing that Neal was waiting for me at the finish line.
Neal killed it yesterday! According to his Garmin he ran 10.20 in 1:40.11 (running 10 miles in 1:38.36). According to my Polar, I ran 10.32 miles in 2:02.40 (running 10 miles in 1:59.22). I was pleased with my 2013 Army Ten Miler results, though I really wanted to cross the finish line under 2 hours.
Neal and I had a fantastic time and are so glad we ran this race! Neal is running a half marathon in a few weeks, while I’ll just continue running to keep up my mileage (no big races planned).
Today I’m resting and will get back at it tomorrow!
