OMG I AM A FUGGIN’ PSYCHOPATH! If you have been following my injury story over the past several months, you’ll know that I haven’t done any regular running since October and that the balls of my feet have been inflamed since December without any sign of healing. Originally planning on only going to the expo to pick up my t-shirt and bib but forgoing the actual race, then planning on dropping out after about the first 5K or so, I ENDED UP RUNNING 10 FUGGING MILES. Me, who hasn’t even run 10 miles in the past 4 months since the start of my stupid, stupid injury, ran 10 miles all at once in under 2 hours.
In case you have never had much insight into the mind of a severely mentally unstable cretin, here was my thought process throughout the morning:
5:30 am (right as I awoke): I may just not go.
5:45 am (while taking Stella out to pee and feeling the 30 degree temps and negative one billion degree windchill): OMFG I AM DEFINITELY NOT GOING.
6:00 am (after changing into more layers, on my way to the metro station): I don’t know why I am doing this.
7:30 am (at the start, realizing that this was maybe the first race I have ever done 100% alone): This is sad.
8:15 am (almost halfway through the race): Wow, I actually feel okay! I am just going to keep going until I start hurting.
8:25 am (after passing the 6 mile mark and running away from the finish line area): Well, might as well try to finish at this point since I would have to backtrack anyways to get home if I dropped out now.
9:00 (after chugging a cup of beer offered to me on the course, even though I haven’t had a sip of alcohol in almost 2 months): WHYYYYYYYY???!?! (a sentiment which continued until I had crossed the finish line).
Seriously, the last few miles were absolutely brutal. Even though the wind had died down and the sun was shining in full force, I could feel my legs shutting down on me. I have been biking and lifting, so they have retained some of their strength, but this was a doozy. I am sure if any running coaches decide to read this, knowing my history for the past few months, I am in for an admonishment. But I am happy that I finished, and it is because I didn’t feel like rest was getting me anywhere. I felt like I had to see what I could do, or else I would spend the next several months or even years sitting around losing fitness and waiting for my feet to feel better. I am not willing to do that.
Swag: 3/5
The premium for this race was cotton, with a pretty little cherry blossom-themed design on it. Comfortable and decent. Not much swag other than that. Had I paid extra, I would have gotten a more expensive activewear t-shirt, but I think paying extra for the premium is absurd, so I put my foot down on that. I am happy with the t-shirt I got, though. No complaints.
Course: 4/5
The race itself was great. There were 15,000 runners which is absurdly large for a race of this length. The course was completely flat and ran around the National Mall and down through Potomac Park. The entire thing was pretty scenic and there were not really any sections that were on back roads (some races will wind you through back roads to add length, which is usually the most discouraging part of the whole course as there is not as much to focus on as you’re losing steam, but that wasn’t the case with this 10 miler). There were also plenty of spectators, and the start was broken into waves, so it didn’t ever seem overly crowded.
The worst part of the race was not the cold wind, or the fact that my foot muscles were aching. It was actually the fact that all the cherry blossoms were DEAD! Apparently the bloom was far earlier than usual this year, and they didn’t last long. I can see how the race could have been absolutely GORGEOUS, because most of it ran through cherry trees on either side of the course. That was a bit of a shame, but obviously out of anyone’s control.
Medal: 0/5
You had to pay extra to even get a medal for this race. I think the medals were actually quite nice, but as I am morally opposed to paying extra for anything, I walked away without any proof of my ridiculously unexpected finish.
Difficulty: 2/5
I am not going to judge this on how difficult it was for me personally because I am a grubby little out of shape troll at the moment. As I said, the course was basically completely flat, and every area it went through gave you something nice to admire as you ran.
Water Stations: 5/5
There were only about 3 water stations, but I found the frequency of hydration opportunities to be just fine. They were going to have more, but the weather was unseasonably cold, and the windchill was a bit much for the volunteers to be standing around outside for several hours. And because it was so cold, the need for water was lessened.
Accessibility: 5/5
Being that you could get to the starting line from anywhere within the Metro area, I think that the race was pretty accessible (and if you don’t live in the Metro area, there are plenty of Metro stations with free weekend parking, including College Park, Rockville, and Silver Spring, so driving to the station and hopping on a train is a breeze. And it was mostly in Potomac Park and the Mall, so it was easy for loved ones to come and cheer you on!
Food: 3/5
The post-race food mostly consisted of granola bars and bananas. They also had little packets of cheese; I think I grabbed about eight of them and munched on them all the way home.
Affordability: 5/5
This race was actually pretty cheap, only $40. When you consider the Charles Street 12 last fall, which was only 2 miles longer but $35 more expensive, this seems like a great deal (if you don’t mind not getting the nicest version of premium and the finisher’s medal for that lower price). For someone who just wants to run a DC race, though, the price is perfect.
Organization: 5/5
Considering everything, I think that this whole thing went pretty well. I liked that the expo was at the National Building Museum the day before (I suppose that it may have been a hassle to get there if you don’t live in DC, but again, free weekend parking at some Metro stations and the National Building Museum is literally across from the Judiciary Square station on the red line). Bringing Meb in was fuxking awesome, and the expo directed people in and out very quickly. I liked the communication with the runners prior to the race, especially in regards to some of the changes that were being made due to the cold, and I thought that there were more than enough Porta Potties, an easy-to-find start line, and an awesome course layout. Thank you DC for making my first local race so good.
Now in terms of my injury: I am feeling like the post-race fallout could go one of two ways. Either I am fine tomorrow, my feet feel like they have been feeling, and I realize that I have maybe been dramatic for 4 months now. Or I could wake up with searing foot ball pain and rue the day I decided to run 10 miles on two injured feet (that day was today). Do I think the pain is going to be much worse after this? No, honestly. Maybe the anti-inflammatory prescription helped a bit. Maybe all the rest I’ve been doing has actually lent itself to some healing. Per usual, only time will tell. In the meantime, I will be icing and keeping my feet up and counting down the hours until my birthday! (35 to go, btw).
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