First of all, the weather people couldn't have been more wrong! As late as Friday afternoon they were saying rain all day Saturday but partly sunny Sunday. Then it was beautiful all day Saturday, so I knew we were in trouble. So the new forecast said rain all day Saturday night and Sunday. It was pouring when I got up at 5:45. It was pouring when I left to meet Toni at 6:20. When I turned on my car, the song "Fool In The Rain" was on. Right as the rain picked up even more, the line "I run in the rain til I'm breathless, when I'm breathless I run til I drop" came on. All appropriate for the day.
Thankfully Toni's husband was able to drive us downtown. He dropped us off right at the start line at the Washington Monument. We easily checked our bags and used the porta-potties. There were 12,000 racers registered, and surprisingly, a lot showed up in the bad weather. The elite women started at 7:40, then our wave started around 8:00. The rain had let up and the 45ish degrees felt pretty good.
I did the first mile in 9:52, second and third about the same. I lost Toni around the 5K point--the course was very crowded but very nice and pretty even though it was a dreary day. Lots of cherry blossoms on the great new course. They did a wonderful job designing it. As I was entering Hains Point the elite women were leaving it. It was amazing to see them blow by us at their high speed. I crossed the 5-mile point at 47:56. I felt pretty good but was getting hungry. I crossed the 10K point at 58:57, which was a 9:30 pace. We went past the Kennedy Center, came back and crossed the Memorial Bridge. That's where the rain started again. We looped around and came back over the bridge, and the rain got even worse and the wind picked up. At this point (8-1/2 miles) my legs were very tired because I hadn't trained much at that distance. The last 1-1/2 miles were tough in the rain and occasional wind, but I kept going and finally turned the corner to the finish line. I had a tiny bit of a kick but not much.
I finished in 1:33:23, a 9:21 pace. I wanted to do it in 1:30, but all things considered, I'm happy with the day. I got a nasty muffin and water, changed into dry clothes, and found Toni. My only complaint about this race is they always have the worst food options after, especially considering how high profile it is. But the elites get their own tent, so all the good food probably was there. Toni's husband picked us up and it was an easy trip home.
So next weekend is the 5 mile trail race, then 2 weeks after that another 10 miler. Hopefully I can get another long run in there somewhere and have a little more left in the tank for that one. I'm so thankful to have great friends to run all these races with!
Alison
