Sometimes I like to move

Sher, checking in. I ran my 4th marathon in the last 7 months on Saturday, the Suntrust National Marathon. I didn't really train for this run this go round and my only goal was to enjoy the views and finish. What was nice about this race is that it was exclusively run in the city. I left around 530AM from Shiloh to catch the metro. I got there late due to delays from the crowd. I ended up starting the race late because of the long bathroom line, and only had 10 seconds to spare to cross the start line. Here are some highlights:

Miles 1-2: The weather was close to freezing and I worked mostly on keeping my hands from freezing. I almost tripped over a speed bump on E Capitol St.

Miles 2-4: I ran down Constitution. It was weird to run down it and not stop at any red lights. My shoes were old and noticed I could feel holes at the bottom. My hands were falling off. I drank way too much power aid and needed to drain the waters. I waved to a cop, she waved back. Score. I would wave to every cop I passed.

Miles 4-8: The sun was coming out, although it was cold in the shade. My right foot hurt so I started formulating a grocery list, to take my mind off pain. Adams Morgan looked skanky. The streets were covered in trash, and everything smelled like feces. And in typical AM neighborhood fashion I chugged two beers given by the crowd. The course was very hilly. Dupont Circle was a blur, I was too busy trying to keep my hands warm.

Miles 8-13: U St. was barren. I remember the tunnels during this stretch were a welcome relief. And the downhills didn't hurt either. I had to pee so I snuck behind a Jamaican Cuisine restaurant and peed on a wall. I saw many other runners peeing in random less conspicuous spots. All systems were a go. I met a guy from NY State and ran with him for about 2 miles. We talked about college and the weather. His son is in the same fraternity as me. I passed him when he stopped to stretch. At the end is where the half marathon runners and the full branched off. There wasn't many of us.

Miles 13-17: I drank way too much power aid and needed to pee again. I got in a line for a portajohn and some guy cut in line and stole my spot, but I heard puking so I let it go. We ran Constitution again. I tripped over the same speed bump I was sure of it. Some kid gave me a snickers bar. I was still going at a good pace.

Miles 17-22: We veered into the SW Harbor. I ran with a girl from North Carolina and we talked about restaurants. She was too slow I passed her after less than a mile. The Harbor looked nice I remember eating at the buffet when I was little. Pain was in my legs so I tried to keep loose and go faster. Some girl gave me twizzlers. I ate 3 while running and almost choked. I could never get that right. I followed a girl for 5 miles. She had a good pace. It's not stalking if it's during a race.

Miles 22-24: Anacostia is gorgeous. The neighborhood was very pretty and many locals were out. A guy in front of me waved to a local and the local responded, "I aint wavin at you bitch, put yo hand down." My leg was killing me and my foot was bleeding. I stopped at a corner and took off my socks and soaked up the blood and threw the socks on the sidewalk and ran barefoot. Running commando rules. The park was a long stretch. I ate a lot of jelly beans and m & m's at one stop for energy and it helped immensely.

Miles 24-26: My foot was still bleeding and it was seeping out of my shoe. Gross. I picked up speed to keep loose. I ate random twizzlers in the grass. They were still in the plastic. The last mile I made a mad dash to the finish. Some girl tried to race me, who I quickly disposed of. I finished with just over 4 hours. Kind of dissapointing. But theres always a next time.

Epilogue: In the past 48 hours I have eaten 5 hot dogs, 4 hamburgers, 2 steaks, 2 pizza bolis large cheese pizzas, a corndog, 3 burritos, a pot of spaghetti, and a pot of rice. Mayor Adrien Fenty beat me by 30 or 40 minutes. I am still hungry.