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| LIINING UP WITH 21,000 |
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| 30 DEGREES AT THE START |
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| MILE 14 STOPPING FOR LINCOLN SHOUT OUT |
THIS IS A RETRO BLOG ABOUT THE NANADVENTURE TO OUR NATION’S CAPITOL AND A GREAT VISIT WITH DEBBIE’S SISTER JULIE.
p.s i cannot get these photos to turn, i have tried 17 times. just twist a little please
WE DID A CAR TRIP AND STOPPED I/2 WAY IN BEDFORD PA AND HAD A GREAT EVENING. WE ENJOYED YEUNLING BEER AND A DELISH BAKED BUTTERNUT SQUASH WITH MAPLE SYRUP AT AN OLD TAVERN FROM 1762.
THE FLOORS WERE CREAKY AND WE FELT LIKE REAL NEW ENGLANDERS. FRIDAY WE ARRIVED TO ARLINGTON VA AND ENJOYED THE VERY LUXURIOUS MARRIOTT VERY CLOSE TO JULIE’S. HER NEIGHBORHOOD IS TRENDY, COOL AND COMPLETELY WALKABLE TO TRAINS AND THE WASHINGTON SIGHTS.
WE TOOK THE TRAIN TO PACKET PICK UP. I WILL MENTION THAT THIS RACE HAD 31,000 WITH THE FULL AND THE 10K. NOT TO WORRY NOTE THE RACE HAS THE WORD MARINE IN IT. WE PRACTICED OUR BOOYAH, HOOYAH, RUNYAH CHANTS ALL THE WAY TO WASHINGTON. FOLKS YOU WANT SOME ORGANIZATION YOU CALL THE MILITARY. THERE WAS ORGANIZATION TO ORGANIZE THE ORGANIZATION. I HAVE NEVER BEEN WHISKED THRU A LARGE PACKET PICK UP SO QUICKLY IN MY LIFE. BING BANG BOOM-DONE!!!
SO WE HAD LOTS OF TIME TO SEE SOME SIGHTS AND MONUMENTS. THE WEATHER FOR THE NEXT DAY SOUNDED ATROCIOUS SO WE CRAMMED THE HIGHLIGHTS INTO A FEW HOURS.
WASHINGTON MONUMENT,
LINCOLN MONUMENT, VIETNAM MEMORIAL, WORLD WAR II, AND MARTIN LUTHER KING. THEY WERE ALL IMPRESSIVE AND I FELT EXTREMELY PATRIOTIC AND CHEST PUFFY TO BE AMERICAN. THE WORLD WAR II HAS A GIANT FOUNTAIN WITH ALL THE STATES ON SEPARATE COLUMNS SO WE TOOK PHOTOS OF THE ILLINOIS AND D.C SPOT. THE MARTIN LUTHER KING HAD JUST OPENED AND IT HAS A FANTASTIC VIEW ACROSS SOME WATER. THE SPEECHES QUOTED IN THE LINCOLN MONUMENT WERE VERY MOVING.
WE CONNECTED WITH JULIE SAW HER ADORABLE CONDO AND HAD A GREAT DINNER AND SOME TOURING OF HER CLASSY NEIGHBORHOOD.
SATURDAY BROUGHT THE PREDICTED STORM- THIS WAS THE OCTOBER STORM THAT PRODUCED LOTS OF SNOW JUST NORTH OF WHERE WE WERE.
I VISITED THE HOLOCAUST MUSEUM AND THE AMERICAN HISTORY MUSEUM- BEST SIGHTS THERE WERE THE ORIGINAL STAR SPANGLED BANNER FLAG AND DOROTHY’S RUBY SLIPPERS. WENT TO THE WHITE HOUSE AND WAS GENTLY CALLING MICHELLE AND THE GIRLS TO GO OUT FOR COFFEE BUT THEY DID NOT RESPOND.
I THINK THEY WERE AT CAMP DAVID SIPPING COCOA. DURING THE RACE THE NEXT DAY WE SAW THEM COME HOME IN HELICOPTERS. I WAVED AND KNOW THEY WAVED BACK TO THE RUNNERS.
DEBBIE AND JULIE INVADED THE COOL NEIGHBORHOOD STORES WHILE I WAS INTENTLY PREPARING FOR THE RACE BY WATCHING FOOTBALL AND CATCHING UP ON MAGAZINES.
DINNER WAS DELISH AT A GREAT ITALIAN NEIGHBORHOOD PLACE
UP EARLY THE NEXT DAY TO THE TRAIN TO THE PENTAGON START. THE MARINES DO PORTA POTS WITH GUSTO I THINK THERE WERE OVER 1000 OF THEM. WHEN WE LINED UP- ( I HAVE INCLUDED A START LINE PHOTO OF WHAT 21000 PEOPLE LOOKS LIKE WHEN YOU ARE LINED UP)
THEY ANNOUNCED THE FORWARD BASE MARATHON RESULTS FROM A BASE IN THE MIDDLE EAST:
MALE 2:49, FEMALE 3:05. BOOYAH THAT IS FAST. THEY PROBABLY RAN WITH A PACK AND WEAPON TOO.
THERE WAS GREAT MUSIC BLASTING AND WE WERE BUZZED BY SOME FIGHTER JETS AND THE ANNOUNCER BELLOWS “PREPARE TO LAUNCH IN 5-4-3-2-1″ AND OFF WE WENT. I DO NOT THINK I WOULD EVER WANT THESE FELLOWS MAD AT ME.
THE ROUTE STARTED WITH A RURAL SECTION AND SOME WATER AND THEN WE ENTERED D.C. AND WENT BY EVERYTHING WITH GOOD CROWD SUPPORT. I TOOK LOTS OF PHOTOS FOR THE FIRST TIME. I REALIZED WHILE RUNNING AROUND ON GOLDEN POND A MONTH EARLIER IN NEW HAMPSHIRE THAT THESE MOMENTS ARE ONCE IN A LIFETIME SO THEY MUST BE CAPTURED. IF YOU ARE THERE CAPTURE IT I DECIDED- FORGET THE RACE TIME/PACE.
ENJOYED RUNNING BY THE CAPITOL VERY MUCH THEY WERE ALSO PASSING OUT SOME SPORT BEANS WHICH HIT THE SPOT. AROUND THIS TIME A BURGUNDY SHIRTED SQUAD IN FATIGUES AND BOOTS AND PACKS WERE DOING A FAST MARCH/RUN AND GETTING FASTER AND FASTER. I WAS AROUND THEM FOR THE REST OF THE RACE. THEY WERE BRITISH SPECIAL FORCES. THE DAY WAS NOT WEARING THEM DOWN ONE BIT. SO THESE ARE THE ONES YOU CALL WHEN THERE IS SOME SERIOUS STUFF TO ATTEND TO. THEY ARE IN A WORD -AMAZING. I SLEEP BETTER AT NIGHT AND AM IN AWE.
SO THE MILES ARE GETTING UP THERE- I HAVE INCLUDED A WATER STOP PHOTO FOR THOSE WHO ARE CURIOUS WHAT THAT LOOKS LIKE !! AND WE GO TO ROSLYN VA TO A SECTION THAT WAS HOOPLAH CITY. FLAGS, MUSIC, PEOPLE CHEERING. FINALLY ARLINGTON CEMETERY IS COMING UP AND OUR BIG FINISH AT THE IWO JIMA MONUMENT. IF YOU DO NOT KNOW THE STORY OF THE FOLKS IN THAT STATUE LOOK IT UP. WHAT SACRIFICE.
THE FINISH AREA WAS SMALL BECAUSE IT IS A CEMETERY AND A MONUMENT NOT A FINISH AREA FOR 21000 RUNNERS SO IT TOOK QUITE A WHILE TO MOVE THRU. ENJOYED THE MOMENT WITH A MARINE TO GET THE MEDAL AND THANK EACH HELPER FOR THEIR SERVICE.
THIS WAS A GREAT EVENT AND ONE TO PUT ON THE LIST FOR ANY MARATHONER. IT WAS VERY CLASSY AND WELL RUN/DONE.
LOCATED DEB AND JULIE. THEY HAD A GREAT DAY AT THE NEWSEUM. STARTED THE DRIVE HOME AND SAW TONS OF SNOW IN THE MARYLAND AND PA MOUNTAINS WITH LEAVES IN FULL COLOR. QUITE A SIGHT.
WE HAD A GREAT VISIT AND CAN’T WAIT TO RETURN TO WASHINGTON TO ENJOY MORE OF THE AREA AND SEE JULIE AGAIN.
A POST NOTE. THIS RACE WENT THRU D.C HOWEVER IT STARTED AND ENDED IN VA. I FOUND OUT SEVERAL MONTHS LATER THAT THIS EVENT COUNTS FOR THE STATES AS VA. I HAD ALREADY DONE VA. I WILL BLOG THAT ONE BECAUSE IT WAS……DEFINITELY THE WETTEST BIGGEST STORY OF THE 50 STATES SO FAR. FOR THE 50 STATES FINISHER AWARD YOU DO NOT NEED D.C. OOOOPS
SAFE TO SAY FOR THIS COWGIRL IF THERE ARE MONUMENTS TO BE SEEN THERE PROBABLY SHOULD BE A NUMBER TO PIN ON TO GET ME THERE!!!!
HAPPY TRAILS TO ALL FROM THE LAND OF THE FREE AND THE HOME OF THE BRAVE.
FONDLY
NW
Nanadventure 