On Friday, the two of us, Matt and I, hopped in the Jeep and made our way 102 miles to the beautiful city of Washington D.C. We were registered to run in the D.C. Rock ‘n’ Roll 1/2 marathon. This would be my 8th 1/2 marathon and Matt’s 4th 1/2 marathon.
We arrived in D.C. around 1:30 PM and headed straight to the expo to pick up our race packets. Then we ended up spending about $60 on stuff runners buy…you know, protein bars, recovery drink mix, and fuel for the run.
After that, it was off to the hotel. We were just staying one night but we checked all five bags in and rushed off to see the city. It was an absolutely beautiful day! The temps were in the 70s and the sun was shining. A light breeze swept through the air from time to time. The trees were even starting to bloom!
trees in bloom!
Dinner was at 7:00 PM and we ate at a delightful French restaurant called Bistro Bis. Matt had the rockfish and I had sea scallops, but best of all was the dessert! Matt ordered petit fours. Look at this splendid dessert. One unique plate with nine little treasures of yumminess just waiting to be devoured.
petit fours
Bedtime was at 9:30 PM because we needed to be up at 5:30 AM so we were race day ready! And that 5:30 AM arrived quickly! We met our two friends, Sandy & Amanda, and headed about one mile from the hotel to the starting line. By 7:30 AM, the four of us were ready to run 13.1 miles through the streets of D.C.
And run we did! Along with 14,470 other runners we zoomed past the monuments, through the streets, and up the hills. Oh, and I just need to mention that the hill at mile marker six was a ball-buster, a heart-burster, and tear-shedder. We all made it up though with only 7.1 miles of the race left to go.
All of us finished the race within a 15 minute window. I crossed the finish line with a new personal best of 1:50:14. It was 16 seconds faster than the 1/2 marathon I completed in October of 2015.
We gathered our belongings and hopped on the metro for a 4 mile ride back to the hotel. Then Matt & I packed up our gear and headed back home for the last 102 miles of our weekend. We pulled in the driveway at 3:00 PM and rested the rest of the day. It was a whirlwind of a day!
And now Sunday arrives. Since I lost one hour of sleep, it is a perfect day for me to do three of my favorite things: read, write, and relax!
I hope you had an awesome weekend!
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Runner, Reader, & Rockin' Mom 
Amy,
I love your post. What a great way to emphasize all the ways that numbers were important to you this weekend! And what a fun way to learn more about you . . . hmm. . . five bags for one night! It sounds like more slices could be pending from this event! ❤
Oh yes, I could get several more posts out of this slice. I’m not a numbers person but it was fun to write.
Congrats on finishing the marathon! It sounds like fun. I thought it was clever how you highlighted the numbers also.
Thanks! I had fun writing the post!
It sounds like a wonderful experience. It was a fun format to focus on the numbers.
Thanks, Krista! We love to travel to other cities for races.
Amy, what a clever slice! Like others, I really enjoyed the numbers focus. (I was especially interested in those 9 petits fours!) Congratulations on your new PR–You rock!
Thanks! I certainly didn’t expect a PR, but I’ll take it.
Numbers figured prominently in this slice – this was such a great craft move. Bravo for making the run!
Congrats on completing another 1/2 marathon! It was great to take this adventure with you. Your description of the hill was perfect.
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