The race started at 7:30 AM on March 14, 2015.  It was already raining pretty badly at this point.  My corral started just a little bit before 8:00 AM.

Mile 1: I start the race. I’m excited. I can sense others around me are excited. It’s raining but I barely notice. I’m just happy to be running in a race again.  

Mile 2: It’s crowded and hard to maneuver. It’s early in the race and I know things will thin out eventually. There are huge puddles.  I try to avoid them, but my left foot strikes one.  I feel the water soak into my shoes.  Well, at least I got that over with early.  

Mile 3: This mile consists of crossing the Arlington Memorial Bridge, running around the roundabout and then crossing back over the bridge.  Watching the runners loop around the roundabout is a pretty cool scene. I hit my first mile under 10 minutes.  Things are starting to click.

Mile 4:  I make a turn onto the Rock Creek and Potomac Parkway.  The race is thinning out a bit more. I look to my left and see the Potomac River.

Mile 5:  This mile is a wooded area.  It’s really serene and beautiful, even in the rain. At this point I should be in the groove, but I feel like I’m in a total funk.  What is wrong with me? Am I just bad at running in the woods? Do I need crowd support just to make me run faster?

Miles 6-7: The hill. I look up and see runners moving up its winding path.  It’s huge.  It’s steep. I knew there was going to be a hill, but I had underestimated it. A lot of people are walking, but I decide I’m going to try to run the entire thing.

There are people holding American flags lining the hill. People begin loudly cheering when they see the flags. Goosebumps.

Next to the flags are photos of fallen soldiers. As the hill continues, it gets steeper. I’m gasping and struggling. I think about the fallen soldiers. They died for our country. I must get up this hill.

When I reach the top of the hill there are hundreds of spectators cheering, “You made it!” I am so happy to see them, but I’m also embarrassed because I know I must be making awful faces right now. I try to get my breathing under control.  The hill totally gassed me.  I wonder if running the entire thing was bad strategy on my part.

Mile 8: I’ve finally recovered from the hill. I take my GU packet. I feel like I’ve finally hit my groove.  I’m running through the city streets with large crowds cheering.  I feel like I’m back in my element.

Mile 9: I run through Howard University. “And I’m proud to be an American, where at least I know I’m free!” The song is booming from a nearby tent.  I look to my right and see the ‘Presidents’ from the Washington Nationals. Volunteers are handing out small American flags. Runners take them and wave them as they run.

Mile 10: The rain hasn’t let up throughout the entire race. In fact it’s only gotten worse. For a while, I felt like I was tough for running in these conditions. Now, I just feel like I’m an idiot.  When I hit the 10 mile mark my watch reads: 1:44.  I know that I’m not going to get a personal best today.   There are too many miles left and not enough time. I feel disappointed.


Mile 11: I don’t want to do this anymore. I’m soaked. I can feel my toes swishing in my shoes. My soaking wet hair keeps beating against my jacket. I’m miserable. I haven’t hit a wall, but I’m having a hard time pushing myself anymore.

Mile 12: I would really like to finish strong, but I have no kick.  I have nothing left in the tank. There are two women behind me.  One is giving her friend a pep talk. “We are so close. We’ll be done soon.” She doesn’t know it, but she’s helping me too. I need the pep talk right now.

Mile 13: The last mile is mostly downhill. Even though I know I won’t reach my goal time, I can still get one of my better times if I have a strong finish. “Half mile to go!” I hear someone shout from the crowd. Thank goodness. I can’t wait for this to be over! With the finish line in site, I push as hard as I can crossing the finish line in 2:16:48.

When I crossed the finish line I shed a couple tears. I couldn’t tell if my tears were more out of happiness or relief. That was rough! I was humbled to receive my finisher’s medal from an active military member. After receiving my medal, I loaded up on fluids and food and went to find Bobby in the family reunion area.

It was a pretty long walk to find him, but once we made eye contact we just started laughing. It was still pouring rain. I asked him to take a photo of me with my medal and then we were on our way to the Metro station to go back to the hotel. Since it was raining so badly most runners also quickly went to the Metro.  The result was a crammed Metro station and we had to wait outside in the rain even longer. It took us an hour and half to get back to the hotel. In hindsight we probably should have just ran back to the hotel. It would have been quicker.