The race started in Freedom Plaza (yup, the site of "Occupy Washington," tents and all) and wove around the Downtown DC streets. At the start, we were racing towards the capitol building which was pretty cool. Seeing the streets filled with people instead of cars is a wonderful sight in a city so full of drivers.With so many runners there was definitely more to listen to while running. I don't know if people don't realize people outside of their little group could hear them or not, but I learned a lot about these three women, their significant others and how those significant others don't do anything except play Xbox and how much the women would like them to "Get out and DO something."They said it twice... in unison... while I kept pace with them.
There was one pair that I really wanted to share their story. A father and daughter racing together. A post on that coming soon. There were so many costumes and interesting t-shirts. One was a green jersey with "Poo Flinger" on the back. I couldn't help but laugh as I ran past. There was also on man who juggled while running. The whole race. He juggled. I don't know if he ever dropped any of his balls, but he must have been juggling about 5. Quite impressive. I also over heard a runner talking about a sign she saw at the Marine Corp Marathon: "You run better then the Metro." That one is almost as good as "Run, Stranger, Run!" I hope to see a few good signs at the Pittsburgh Half.
The volunteers working the course were wonderful in cheering everyone on. One gentleman was singing songs about running to the finish line and he would call out people's bib numbers as they ran past. Crowd support is something I haven't had at a race before and I can't wait to get some more! I wondered if the bag pipers on the course switched off, or if it was the same two guys playing for over an hour...
On to some stats: There were 3601 women and 2408 men registered for the 8K. It was the first race for 617 of them! In my age group, 25-29, there were 1039 women and I came in 796th. I completed the 8K, which is just under 5 miles, in 54:50 with an average pace of 11:02/mile.
We missed the Irish Dancing after the race, but as we walked toward the National Mall for a picnic lunch we discovered the St. Patrick's Day parade was making it's way down Constitution. We saw at least three Irish Dancing Schools, two bag pipe groups, lots of cars, police units, a few marching bands, and 2 South American groups (I'm not sure why they were part of the St. Patrick's day parade.) After an hour and a half of parade watching we were all ready to head back. It just kept going and going!
The Politician meets George Washington on the Nationals!
Great, well put together race. The chocolate cookies were just what I needed after this race. I felt a million times better after getting a little fuel back in me!
What I learned from Race Number 3:
1. You don't get lonely in a race with 6000 finishers, but I found it a little harder to push myself when I was getting tired. The more people around you the easier it is to blend into the pack.
2. If there is a tight turn around, go to the outside to maintain speed. Inside at the turning point, it can come to a slow crawl.
3. According to The Dad, the footfalls of 6000 people make a lot of noise thundering down the street.
4. I should really look up the race map and study it a bit BEFORE the race starts. I like knowing where I am in the race.
5. After about 45 minutes of running, I need to refuel with something more then water. I think it's time to test out those fitness gels.
I would really recommend this race for anyone who wants to push themselves a little harder and feel the exhilaration of finishing a great race. My mom, my youngest sister and her friend race the 8K with me and I cheered them all on as they crossed the finish line. Just remember, no mater how slow you go, you are going faster then the people on the couch!
OH! And I won a raffle prize! A free entry into the July 4th Freedom Run 5K in Fairfax, who wants to race with me??
