So . . . what happened?

A lot. 

The end.

;)  

(Now all you have to do is enjoy the pictures.)

Actually that would be boring but so were the first three drafts of this post. 

First and foremost I am very grateful to everyone who helped me raise almost $2,000.00 for the University of Michigan’s Comprehensive Cancer Center.  Thank you for taking the time to make a donation, provide a place to stay, send a word of encouragement or help in some other way.  Your donations will be directed towards dealing with Thyroid cancer.  Words will never properly express my thanks.

Our trip began on Thursday the 24^th so that we would be properly rested to run the National on Saturday.  Jim, his wife Kim, Haney and I covered the 500 miles inwhat seemed like no time at all and soon we arrived at Jim’s sister Janine’s house to set up base camp. Haney took a nearby hotel room in order to be as close to the Cheesecake Factory as possible.  We closed out Thursday with a great Thai dinner followed up by a raid on the aforementioned Cheesecake Factory.  Carbs, carbs and more carbs. 

We had the use of a great basement apartment while in Arlington.  The only challenge were the low ceilings.  I hung duct tape from the lower beams so that I wouldn't leave too much of my scalp behind.

Friday was our day to prepare for the National.  Haney and I went to the Armory to pick up everyone’s numbers and other race materials while Jim took the opportunity to see his daughter, Kate, receive an award at work.  We did take time to have our picture in front of R.F.K. Stadium taken by some women in uniform (there are a lot of uniforms in our capital) before having a lunch of pizza shaped carbs. 

Haney (right) and I at the National sign in front of R.F.K. Stadium after picking up our numbers.

The rest of the afternoon was pretty quiet as I laid out my running gear and took a nap.  We finished the day with a  great pasta (carbs again!) dinner at Kate’s while enjoying the company of Janine’s family.

My race shirt at the ready.  It may have taken over 15 minutes to pin that number on almost straight.

The tools of my trade: Duct tape, shoes, scissors, two pair of shorts, two shirts gloves, Desitin, Vaseline, AD ointment and bandages .

The National starts at 7:00 AM so I was up by 4:30 to be ready for our 6:00 ride to R.F.K. Stadium and the starting line.  We all had a light breakfast of sorts and enjoyed navigating the dark streets of Washington D.C.  Fortunately, we saw a lot of other vehicles filled with vaguely alert runners headed in the same direction, so our task wasn’t too difficult.

The National Marathon differs from Detroit’s Free Press Marathon in several ways.  First, it seems like there are less locals participating.  Nearly everyone we talked to seemed to be from somewhere else.  Flint, several small towns in Wisconsin, Cleveland and Columbus come quickly to mind. 

Secondly, a different breed of runners seems to populate this race.  There was this Woodstock throwback dude in jeans, a t-shirt and bare feet at mile 14½ cruising along without a care in the world, the 61 year old guy wearing helium balloons and carrying a pacer’s sign at mile 9 who informed us that while his shirt read 100 marathons completed he was actually on his way to completing number 174!  Or the other guy who was going to take a shower after running the National and then hop in his car and drive to New Jersey so he could run another marathon the next day.

Me, Jim and Haney (and a cast of thousands) passing the 10K point.

Then there are the sights and smells.  Sure you have the monuments, government buildings, cherry trees beginning to blossom all on top of the beautiful city of Washington D.C. but I think we passed through at least three neighborhoods of different ethnicities each with their own kind of cooking going on.  Plus, I have never seen wedding or a funeral along a marathon route.  I still wonder how the poor bride and her party managed to cross the race course in order to reach the reception on the other side. 

Haney, Me and Jim somewhere during the first 14 miles.

Fourth the course is not fast and flat as advertised.  Well, “fast” is a relative term for someone like me who isn’t particularly speedy but there are way more ups and downs than Detroit’s Freep.  Heck, we took a tunnel under the National Mall!  I’m not complaining (much) just wary for future runs.   J 

Finally there were a scary number of M.S.U. flags along the route.  Hopefully race officials will do something about this eyesore prior to next year’s race. 

Myself (trying to ham it up), an unknown runner and Jim close to mile 22

The hills during the last three miles of the race were togh for me but my time was better than last year’s Freep and I clocked in at 4:45:38.  I owe this to Jim and Haney for going out in the Michigan winter with me and covering all of those miles during training.

Attempting to cross the finish line with blistering speed instead of with just blisters.

Almost at the end.

The rest of Saturday was pretty quiet with a nice nap filled with ibuproferon dreams, followed by getting destroyed by Jim’s nephews, Robert and Paulie while playing Nintendo Wii games and eating.  Haney and I spent the better part of Saturday night eating anything that came to mind.  Hamburgers, Cajun fries, Guiness stout, crab stuffed mushrooms and, yes, more cheesecake made up some of the many calories consumed that night.    

Sunday saw us stiffer (think senior citizens prior to multiple hip replacement surgeries) but very happy.  The drive home was great and we’re already back out and running.

Me, Jim and Haney after the race with smiles, medals and slightly larger feet.