NYC Marathon: I'm inspired, damnit

 

Image courtesy of NYRR

 

This past weekend marked the 54th annual NYC Marathon. First up, a shoutout to all of the runners (~55K), volunteers, organizers, and spectator that keep this marathon running (pun intended).

The winners of this year's NYC Marathon were:

 

Image courtesy of NYRR

 

  • Men's Division: Benson Kipurto (Kenya), 2:08:09

  • Women's Division: Hellen Obiri (Kenya), 2:19:51 (course record)

  • Men's Wheelchair Division: Marcel Hug (Switzerland), 1:30:16 (7th victory)

  • Women's Wheelchair Division: Susannah Scaroni (US), 1:42:10 (3rd victory)

Although I no longer live in NYC, I always try to make it a point to watch the NYC Marathon every year. You know what grinds my grits? We have 80 million streaming platform (ok so it's 6 or 7) subscriptions, but I could not find a way to watch this without adding an additional tier to a couple of these apps. Fortunately, it was Radiotelevisión Española (RTVE), the Spanish public broadcaster, to the rescue with its live coverage.

 
 

Bonus points because RTVE gave me an opportunity to work on my Spanish comprehension since the commentary was in Spanish...although I wasn't paying attention too closely.

Aside from that minor hiccup, I absolutely enjoyed watching the elite runners and wheelchair athletes do their thing. Check out this amazing finish from the men.

 
 

Not to take away from the women's finish, but it was pretty evident around the last 800 meters that that Hellen was going to take it.

 
 

NYC Marathon Memories

There is something that so inspirational about the NYC Marathon. Perhaps, it's become this marathon has been an integral part of my NYC life - having living there for 20 years and running 7 or 8 NYC Marathons.

 
 

t's kind of funny because from 2002 until running my first one in 2012, I somewhat despised the NYC Marathon. Why? It had a way of screwing up my day because of all of the street closures. Starting in 2010, I worked on the Upper East Side, about 10 blocks from where the marathoners enter Manhattan for the 1st time. When I had to work on NYC Marathon Sunday, this meant that I had to walk an extra 20 blocks to get to work. I guess that I eventually developed a mindset of if you cannot beat them, join them.

Another aspect of the NYC Marathon that I miss. During my last four years as a NYCer, the marathon went through my Harlem neighborhood. As a runner, there's nothing like seeing the support of the neighbors that you see on a daily basis. I will say it was a bittersweet feeling running through my neighborhood.

 
 

  • Yay! I can see my apt building, and I'm getting a lot of love from my neighbors.

  • BOO! I still have 4 miles to run. Why cant this marathon end in my neighborhood? ;)

In my experience, the last 5-6 miles were always horrible because you know that you are going to finish (unless something major happens), but you STILL gotta run/jog/walk/crawl those last 5-6 miles. He only plays with larger dogs.

The Inspiration

While watching the marathon with my morning cups of coffee spiked with whiskey and a cigarette, I had this internal dialogue with myself.

Me at 10ish: That's it, Kwame! You are going to get your life together and run a major marathon (NYC, Chicago, London, or Berlin) next year come hell or high water.

Me at 10:45ish: BITCH! You are already booked for a fall marathon. Remember, you deferred your Richmond Marathon 2025 registration for the 2026 one.

 
 

To be honest, I'm cool with running Richmond Marathon instead of one of the Majors.

  • First, I haven't been too lucky with the lotteries for the World Majors marathons.

  • Second, there are a lot of logistical concerns that comes with running these marathons.

Ok, so I do not know about the logistical considerations for London, Chicago and Berlin since I have not ran these. However, one of the bits of the NYC that annoyed me was how much time AND effort it takes to get to the start. For NYC Marathons, I would have to wake up around 3/4 am to arrive to the start village for a 10-10:45 am start. At that point, you have been awake for 6-7 hours BEFORE even starting to run 26.2 miles for 5-6 hours. Dirty Old Sneakers sells a T-shirt that perfectly describes this situation.

 

Image courtesy of Dirty Old Sneakers

 

What's next?

Since I have some time to get ready for a fall marathon in 2026. I wanna break this down into two parts...considering my last long distance race (a half marathon) was in April (wait, I think it was May). Spend the next 6-8 months getting into some sort of shape to actually train for a marathon; then spend 3-4 months actually training for the marathon.

Like my dad (oh crap, I was supposed to return his call yesterday) say: Ain't shit else to do.

An LOL Moment (or a WTF Moment)

A marathoner ran his 26.2 miles through NYC while wearing Timberland boots. If this isn't NYC AF (at least urban NYC AF), I don't know what is. I can feel the blisters that he probably has to tend to.

 
 

Get to know Limón the Dog

 
Limón’s thoughts when we went to the beach without him.

Limón’s thoughts when we went to the beach without him.

 

Ok! So I know that I haven’t made a running post in quite some time. Also, this post will clearly be off topic since it will not be about running. BUT, Team Kwablo (my husband and I) recently adopted a dog from a local (actually, maybe it's a national) rescue. Since nothing else exciting is going on in my life, I figure why not make a getting to know Limón blog post

Birthday:

We really don't know. When we picked him up early this month, the rescue aged him at 7-10 months and gave him a birthday of November 01, 2024. I guess we'll go with that.

Breed:

We really don't know either. The rescue had him listed as a shepherd/terrier mix, with no specifics on which types of shepherd or terrier. Interestingly, my iPhone's photo app says he is a Blackmouth Cur.

 
Limón after an hour at the dog park. Apple's iPhoto thinks he is a Blackmouth Cur

What “Siri” thinks Limón is.

 

I can really see a lot of similarities between Limón and these images of Blackmouth Curs. Of course, the iPhone's phone app makes these suggestions based on the angle of the shot, so he could be a mix of other dogs.

What inspired us to adopt a dog?

Not really sure. I always wanted another dog since the passing of my last one (Bacchus, a beagle) back in 2015. Since we live in Maryland, which has a slower pace of life compared to NYC, we thought why not? Or as my dad sometimes says: Ain't sh*t else to do.

Why did we choose the name Limón?

Originally, the dog's name was Calvin. However, we think the rescue just gave him that name because he never really responded to Calvin during the first few days having him. Limón's name was chosen by the husband because he read a novel that was set in the Limón Providence of Costa Rica, and he always wanted to visit that providence. I was fine with the name because I've visited that region of Costa Rica twice, and I really enjoyed the calm and easy beach vibes. It's an interesting area because that is where many Afro-Costa Ricans live. Or rather, they HAD to live there until the 70s or 80s because they were not allowed to live in other parts of the country. Since many of Afro-Costa Ricans have Jamaican roots, there was a vibrant mix of Latin and Afro Caribbean cultures...which is reflected in the yummy food.

 
Limón the dog at his first vet appointment.

Limón at the vet

 

Where did we adopt him from (shelter, rescue, foster)?

We adopted him from Lucky Dog Animal Rescue (LDAR). Overall, I thought the process was pretty much what I expected. However, I have to be honest and say that I did't completely agree with all of their procedures for adoption - especially after hearing an adoption story from someone that also visit our local doggie park.

What was Limon’s story before adoption?

F*ck if I know. ;) According to LDAR, he was moved from their affiliate shelter in South Carolina. However, I recently learned that sometimes the rescue transfers dogs from Puerto Rico to South Carolina and to the DC area. So, Limón might be "Puerto Rican". During one of our walks, a person on the street asked me if he was "one of those Puerto Rican street dogs". I thought she was a loon, but it turns out that Puerto Rican street dogs, also known as Satos, are a thing.

 
 

However, I'm not sure if he is a Sato because I don't think he understands any Spanish commands. Speaking of which, the hubby (who is from Spain) has yet to teach him a single command in Spanish.

What was our first impression when we met him?

He was super calm and immediately rolled on his back to let me rub his belly. Then, he laid on my foot and rubbed himself on my leg like a cat. To be honest, we were more interested in adopting a 2+ year dog, but I think Limón picked us. There was something about his chill vibe that was intriguing. However, I think he might have been chill because he was overheated. For some of the LDAR adoption events, they have the dogs sitting outside in a hot a** PetCo or PetSmart parking lot. Come to think of it, all the dogs at that particular adoption event were really "calm".

How did Limón react on his first day at home?

 
 

First day home was interesting. While cautious, he did not really seem scared by anything. I was 100% shocked that he was so good with being placed in a crate. Then, I was shocked again because we did not hear a single peep out of him while we slept in our room and he in the crate in the living room. I was expecting a bunch of whining, crying, pissing, and pooping. I wonder if the crate didn't bother him because he probably spent most of his time in a cage while at the shelter.

What are some of his quirks or funny habits?

  1. He stretches A LOT, which I think means that he trusts us.

  2. He will plop right next to you with no concerns for your personal space.

  3. He only plays with larger dogs.

 

Limón stretching it

 

What are his favorite toys or games?

LOL. He likes this rag (picture 1), which he had while in the shelter and a standard plastic bone (picture 2). We learned very quickly that he is a toy, tennis ball, and bed (picture 3) destroyer. Any stuffed toy will last 20 minutes to 24 hours in his hands...errr paws and mouth. For instance, I bought this cow/dog toy (picture 4) from PetSmart the other day, and there were already holes after our 20-minute drive home. There probably would have been more damage to the cow but he dropped the toy on the floor of the backseat and probably couldn't get to it.


How does he behave around other dogs or people?

For the most part, he's fine around other dogs. However, he does bark loudly if he cannot greet a dog face to face (well maybe nose to nose). At the dog park, he prefers to play (sometimes a bit rough) with other large dogs. I wonder if he prefers large dogs bc he has a sense that he might be a big dog.

Limón playing with another big dog at the dog park.

With people, I'm going to have to observe interactions more astutely. In general, he is great with people. However, we were at the bar the other day, and he constantly barked at two different men that were speaking to us. The barking wasn't aggressive because I think it was more of a "Hey, look at me" type of bark.

Regarding the 1st man who spoke to us, I think Limón picked up that the hubby and I were annoyed and bothered by the man. Why? The man was a shirtless, drunk and/or high nutjob that was pestering us to buy him a beer and they he tried to sit with us uninvited.

On the other hand, the second guy was a really nice gay man, who posed no threat or issue to us. Oh, I only mentioned the gay piece because the guy kind of reminded me of myself (e.g., mannerisms, drinks preference, and even his brand of cigarettes). I hope in the case of the second guy, Limón was simply on alert because of the 1st individual (the nut). However, he didn't have a single problem when women chatted with us.

 
Limón “protecting” us at the Limerick Pub.

Limón “protecting” us at the Limerick Pub.

 

What commands or skills is he learning right now?

Unfortunately for us, Limón is somewhat stubborn and not really food-motivated so training can be a bit rough. So far, he seems to know: 1. his name, 2. sit, 3. lay (with some slight verbal pressure), 4. to sit when in the elevator and before I open a door. We're trying to work on: 1. leave it, 2. down, 3. car (because he's somewhat afraid to jump/step into the car), paw (because I need to lift his leg to put on his harness). He does know “GIT YO TAN & WHITE ASS OUT OF THE KITCHEN” very well. ;)

What has surprised us the most about him?

 

Limón at the park

 

He doesn't really seem to have any issues with separation anxiety, and I hope this remains the case. Ok, so he may whine a little bit when the hubby leaves...even if I'm still home. But, he only does that for 3-5 minutes. LOL. I am somewhat "annoyed" that he misses the husband more than me. However, I think this makes sense because 1. I'm home with him for longer periods of time since I work from home on MWF. 2. He probably associates me with "bad things" like making him follow commands, giving him baths, giving him his meds (the 1st week we had to give him eye drops for mild eye infection), clipping his nails, etc. When the husband comes home, I joke and say something like: You know he has been fine ALL DAY. As soon as you arrive home, he loses his goddamn mind.

What’s his favorite snack or treat?

He really loves when we prepare salmon for him. In terms of treats, he really likes doggie beef jerky and pupperoni. However, we have not found a treat that makes him go crazy. Correctly, he really LOVES cooked chicken breasts.

Does he have a favorite place to nap or relax?

He relaxes under the coffee table while we are home. On many occasions, he'll put himself in his crate. Recently, he has started taking his toys out of the crate and treats and putting under the dining room table. Not sure what's that's about.

How is he adjusting to his new environment?

Word on the street is that we should observe the 3x3x3 rule - 3 days/3 weeks/3 months. I guess now we are in the 3 week part of 3x3x3.

 
3-3-3 rule for dog acclimation to a new home from UK USCA.

Image courtesy of UKUSCA Doggie

 

What have we learned from him already?

I've learned to be more patient and how to be efficient in getting ready in the morning. Attempting to sing a high note, makes him come to me really fast.

Kwame “attempts” high G to get Limón’s attention.

How do we handle challenges like training or anxiety?

I do not think we have had any major challenges...yet. You might have to ask the hubby if he has major challenges. ;) The biggest thing for me is leaving him alone when he doesn't pick up a skill, or even try to pick up a skill, and to know that it's fine if he doesn't "get it". Actually, I take that back a little bit. We had major struggles walking him with a collar because he constantly pulled. He did get a little better with me, but I would have to hold the leash very tightly with little slack. I wonder if that actually stressed him out more, which led to more pulling. However, the vet informed me that our harness had another place in front of his chest to connect the leash. Since learning this, our walks have been 100% better. However, it is not foolproof because all bets are off when he sees a bird, butterfly, another dog, or a deer. All that said, he is getting better with the leave it and ignore commands...kinda.

What are our goals for him over the next few months?

  1. Learning more commands and solidifying the ones he knows - especially around distractions.

  2. Getting him to let us know when he has to go potty. Fortunately, we have not had an accident in the house. However, I think this is because we take him out frequently (about 5-8 times a day). But, I would like for him to indicate when he needs to go outside.

  3. Trusting him outside of the crate while I'm at work. I think this might have to wait until he is 2-4 years old. I'll say when I’m working from home he usually just chills in the living room while I'm in my office, BUT on a couple occasions, I've caught him en route to the kitchen...which is a big NO NO for us.

Race Report: PNC Alexandria Half Marathon

 
 

DATE: April 27, 2025

DISTANCE: 13.1 Miles

PLACE: alexandria, Va

WEATHER: 55F

OFFICIAL TIME / PACE: 2:32ISH

FINISHERS: ????

SWAG: Finisher's medal, tech T, ROV ENERGY DRINK, COUPONS FOR FOR LOCAL BUSINESSES

 

The course

 

Quick Thoughts

Pretty nice and easy half marathon that's super flat with old town vibes.

 

Mile 2 - leaving Old Town, Alexandria

 

General thoughts

Although I did not really train for this half marathon, it felt great to get another half marathon under my belt (well, under my shoes).

Expo

Unfortunately, there was not really much of an expo for this half marathon. Bib pick up pretty much was traveling to Pacers Running Store in Alexandria; grabbing a bib, drop bag, T-shirt and; bouncing. Bib pickup probably was low-key because this was the inaugural half marathon, so the organizers probably did not think it would be worth it to have a real expo.

 
 

While I’m not super into HUGE race expos (because I'm a grab and go kind of guy), I was a little bit disappointed by the "low-keyness" of bib pick up. Why? It’s about a 1.25 hr, $7.5 subway ride (each way) from my part of the world to Alexandria, VA. This trip used up all of my little money on my SmarTrip card. ;)

 

SmarTrip card balance

 

Yes, I could have driven to Alexandria, BUT that traffic is NO joke. Now that the organizers know how many folks paid for the 5K and half marathon, perhaps, they can either have an actual expo or have an off-site bib pick (e.g., somewhere in DC). 

While there was not too much to write home about regarding the official bib pick up, I did have an absolute blast at Hard Times Cafe. Primarily, I stopped by this spot to get a bite to eat before 1.5-2 hr subway trip home.

 

Outside Hard Time Cafe

 

I ended up staying at the restaurant/bar for a couple of hours chatting with a couple of locals. The folks in this town (or at least at the Hard Time Cafe) were so friendly because I willingly was roped into several conversations. It also helped that the food and adult beverages were somewhat on the cheap side. A huge chili burger and fries, a margarita, two tall beers, and two whiskeys on the rocks was like $50. Actually, I think the bartender might have forgotten to charge me for one of the whiskeys.

Half-Marathon logistics

 

Bib stuff

 

I think this was the first time in a long time, that everything went right the morning of the race. Preparing EVERYTHING the night before really helped matters...Duh, Kwame. Also, only having to poop twice instead of 3-5 times really increased efficiency during my pre-leaving the apartment for a race routine. I have to say that I am very happy that the organizers worked out an arrangement for FREE garage parking for this event.

Race time

 

Near the start

 

With the exception for running through Old Town, I thought the course was somewhat plain Jane because it was out and in course. I find these courses a bit boring because you pretty much see the same things twice (granted from a different POV). You know, kind of a what have you done for me lately sentiment. ;) Well, one cool thing about these types of races, you can see the super fast people on there way back to the finish.

 

Leader of the half marathon (at Mile 8 or 9). I'm not sure if he actually won or not.

 

On one hand, this is very inspirational. On the other hand, you realize how “slow” you are or how much ground you still have left to cover before reaching the finish line. I think the turnaround point was located around Mile 7.5.

 

Turn around. Every now and then, I get a little bit lonely, and you're never coming around. Turn around.

 

Actually, I’m gonna turn this negative into a positive. I want to use this experience as a starting point to get back into decent running shape over the remainder of this year. Note there might be a lot of complaining for this because kicking this off right before summer in the hot- and humid-ass mid-Atlantic region is no fun.  

My plan for running this half was pretty simple in that I cycled between these two running plans from Mile 2 to the finish line:

  • Cycle A: Run 0.75 miles and walk for 0.25 miles.

  • Cycle B: Run 1.75 miles and walk for 0.25 miles.

Since the weather was perfect for me (about 55F with some cool breezes), I received several bursts of energy that "allowed" me to do fartleks for the last third of the half. Maybe the bursts of energy happen because I wanted to warm up by running a bit faster.

 

Back in Old Town, Alexandria

 

Finish

 

Kwame with his medal

 

The organizers gave us a decent post-race party. Like most races, I did not stick around too long after finishing. I pretty much drank my complimentary beer, changed into my regular clothes, and bounced.

 

Kwame with his medal AND beer (an IPA of sorts)

 

Since I was a bit early for my post-race brunch plans with the hubby and a college friend, my medal "suggested" that we hit up the Spanish bar, Barca (boat; not to be confused with Barça - abbreviation for Barcelona), for a few pre-brunch cocktails. 

 
 

Would I run this half marathon again? 

I think that I would run this half marathon again for a few reasons. 

-Pretty cheap at 90 bucks (early registration) relative to other biggish races in the area. 

-Relatively close to where I live (about a 30-45 minute drive). Although bib pick up is a bit of a pain because there never seems to be a good time to drive to Alexandria during the work week. Hopefully, in the future, the organizers will have off-site pick up somewhere in DC. Since the race was a decent size, I doubt the organizers will have race-day pickup. Or, they might be like some races where race-day pickup will cost you another 30 bucks.

-Held during a decent time of year when it’s not too cold or too hot. The race date (April 27, 2025) is pretty close to The Perfect Date day (April 25th according to Miss Congeniality). ;)

 
 

My "performance"

Since I was taking it very easy, it gave me a chance to really "enjoy" this half marathon. I went into this half marathon just to finish, so I was not too disappointed with my performance. Actually, I take this back a little bit. Since I kind of pushed myself during last third of the half, I was sure that I was going to get a sub 2:30 time. Unfortunately, I missed this mark by two minutes. This was totally my fault because I kind of BS'ed during the first mile.

 
 

Where do I go from here?

Not really sure. However, I have been receiving a lot of notifications on Facebook about Richmond's Marathon. Do I want to work my way back to Richmond over the next seven months?

 

Richmond Marathon ad on Facebook

 

Race Report: Rock n Roll DC Half

 
Run Rock n Roll DC Half Marathon Banner

Image courtesy of Rock n Roll

 

DATE: March 15, 2025

DISTANCE: 13.1 Miles

PLACE: Washington DC

WEATHER:  58F

OFFICIAL TIME / PACE: Like Bruno will not speak of such things.

FINISHERS: ????

SWAG: Finisher's medal and a tech T

 
 

Quick Thoughts:

After running a November marathon with little preparation, running a March half marathon with little preparation is a walk in the park. ;) However, I do not recommend doing this.

 
 

Although training for my first half marathon of 2025 was a little on the weak side, I'm glad that I powered through. Running this half marathon was a slap in the face that I need to do a bit better with my fitness.

Expo:

I thought the Expo, which was held at Walter E. Washington Convention Center, was a bit meh. However, I think the "meh-ness" was due to my crummy attitude. Since the recent Presidential election, I tend to feel a sense of uneasiness for the first 30-60 of arriving to DC. I guess that I feel that DC is now the epicenter of this administration's f*ckery. So, I was kind of team "get in and get out" for the expo. This should tell you the level of my "meh-ness": I did not stop by the Fitvine booth to grab a couple of adult beverages. Y'all know that I enjoy a free adult beverage or three.

 
 

I thought the Expo was pretty well organized, which allowed the runners to grab their race materials and bounce. Although I tend not to buy a lot of things at race expos, I was a bit disappointed that there were not a lot of items to purchase from the official race store. Normally, this is not a big deal for me UNLESS I really want to buy something. Now, I'm in the habit of collecting magnets for marathons and half marathons....even though I convert my finisher medals and mount them on the fridge. Unfortunately, the official race store did not have any magnets for the half. Either the half marathon magnets are really popular, or they did not make enough for this particular half marathon. Buuuut, they did have a lot of stickers.

 
 

Race prices are getting out of control.

I cannot believe folks would pay $215 for a last-minute entry. I think the original price was around $125. Eh, I guess if you got it, flaunt it.

 
 

The fact that the new price was hand-written makes me believe that they were changing the last-minute price on a whim.

Seriously a $12+ online processing fee?!!!!

 
 

C'mon, the processing fee is 13% of the total cost, which is out of control for me. Perhaps, the online processing fee includes taxes.

I thought putting our names on a screen near the expo's exit was a cute gesture.

 
 

Half-Marathon logistics:

Ugh, instead of the alarm going off at 4:30 am, my goof troop a** accidentally set the alarm for 4:30 pm. Not really sure how that happen because I typically use a 24 hour display. Unfortunately, waking up at 5:30 am caused me to go into panic mode.

Unlike the debacle of getting to the race last year, I decided to drive into the city and pay for all day parking. This definitely made race logistics a bit more manageable, and less stressful.

 
 

Race time

 
 

For this half marathon, I had a simple plan: cycle through running for 1 mile and walking for 0.25 miles. I'll admit that I did not run as hard as I wanted to run during the run cycles, but a finish is a finish...I guess. Looking back, I was in a bit of a crummy mode at the start because my back was giving me some issues. Ok, so I have been dealing with lower back issues for a bit. However, I think that I'm working through another back issue in that I may have pulled a muscle in the mid section of my back. AH! The joys of getting older.

For the most part, I enjoyed the course. Also, the weather was pretty nice because it was not too hot or too cold. However, it was VERY foggy - not sure if that was a good or bad thing. I guess it was a bad thing because Siri said it was supposed to be sunny. Then again, maybe it was a good thing because it kept the weather on the cool side.

 
 

Keeping true with the Rock n Roll brand, the race had plenty of entertainment throughout the course. The drummers were one of my favorite highlights during this half.

 
 

I was especially proud of myself during the Rock Creek Park section of the course.

 
 

While I did not have any real goals for this half, I wanted to run the big climb (around Mile 7) without walking.

 
 

I'm quite proud to say that I managed to run the entire incline. Now, I did walk as soon as I reached the summit because that climb is no joke.

I know this St. Jude's Children Hospital section of the race was supposed to be inspirational, but I was overcome with feelings of anger and sadness.

 
 

No, I was not angry or sad about children cancer survivors. I was angry and sad about how the new administration's crazy plans will end up hurting (or killing) cancer research, which will end up hurting and killing more folks.

Speaking of this new administration, this sign definitely put momentary smile on my face.

 
 

Last year, I remember having a great sense of pride when seeing this view during the last stretch of the half.

 
 

This year...not so much.

Tee hee. During one of my walk cycles, I had the opportunity to pass some knowledge to another runner.

 
 

Another runner joked and said that we should take 66 all the way to California. In a cheerful manner, I told him that this is I66 (which goes between somewhere in Virginia to DC), not the famous Route 66 that goes from Chicago, IL to Los Angles, CA.

Finish

 
 

While I did not run or finish the race that I wanted to run, I came to the conclusion that a finish is a finish (like I mentioned above). Many times, you do not run the race you want, you run the race that you train for. Since I did not train as hard as I would have liked, I definitely ran what I "trained" for.

I thought the post-race festivities were fine, but I did not stick around for too long. Ok, I stuck around to get my complimentary champagNE and beer.

 
 

Actually, I did stick around to hear a couple of songs from this 90s tribute band. I was really jamming out to the band's rendition of Natalie Imbruglia's Torn. Now that I think of it, wasn't Natalie's version a revamp of someone else's version? Or is it the other way around?

 
 

Post-race shenanigans

After finishing the half, I visited a Planet Fitness to stretch, use a massage bed, take a wh*re's bath, and change into some dry clothes. Since I was starving, I picked up a doughnut from Krispy Kreme before going to brunch. Man, two of these MINI doughnuts were like four bucks!!!

 
 

I get that St. Paddy's Day was the following Monday, but I though some of these green doughnuts (e.g., the ones on the second row from the bottom) looked disgusting.

 
 

I finally met up with the hubby and a friend for an AYCE/AYCD brunch at a Lebanese restaurant. I even let the medal celebrate with the finest champaNE known to man. ;)

My "performance"

Since i was taking it very easy, it gave me a chance to really "enjoy" this half marathon. Since I went into this half marathon just to finish, I was not too disappointed with my performance. However, I want to get out of this mindset of running just to finish because I do not think my times l will improve with a complacent mindset. Then I'll get to the point of thinking what's the use of paying $150+ just to run 13.1 or 26.2 miles.

 
 

Where do I go from here?

TBD. However, I do have the PNC Alexandria Half Marathon at the end of April.

 
 

Would I run RnR DC Half again?

 
 

I always complain about the Rock n Roll's "struggleness". However, I think at this point, I'm used to the struggle, so I'll more thank likely run this half again. Primarily because it's technically a local race for me, and there are not too many big long distance races in the area. I probably should purchase my race registration now since it's in the low $100 range.

Playlist:

Since I was extremely behind with Eurovision 2025, I decided to listen to all of the released songs for this year's contest WITHOUT skipping any while powering through 13.1 miles. It's kind of interesting because I tolerated quite a few songs that I originally hated. However, I think some of this sentiment is due to listening while running. Many of the songs from this year's contest have high beats per minute (bpm), which kept my legs moving. Hopefully, no one recording me trying to sing the Finnish- and Swedish-language songs. Laura Thorn's La Poupée Monte Le Son (The Doll turns up the Sound) was a huge shock for me. Until the half, I hated this song, but now, it's one of my favorites from Eurovision 2025. Originally, I thought it was a simple song about a doll looking for love or something, but it actually has themes of women empowerment, which isn't a bad thing. After finishing the entire playlist, which is about about 1.5 hrs, I pretty much put this song (and a few others) on repeat. Doing so gave me an opportunity for half ass understanding the gist of this French-language song.

 
 
 
 
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