‘Twas The Night Before Race Night

We made it to DC!

The first thing you see when you leave Union Station: The Capitol Building!

The bus ride took a bit longer than expected, but with good company I was plenty entertained. Also with a camera and an iPhone.

Entertaining myself on the bus

After arriving in DC, our first stop was to the hotel to check in, then straight to the race expo which was pretty underwhelming.

The expo was held at the DC Armory, which is right next to RFK Stadium — it’s also where the race starts tomorrow morning.

See you in a few hours, RFK!
Hello, Expo!

Naturally the best part of the expo was meeting new friends!

Here we are with Honest Abe
Posing like pros

Above that’s Theodora, Anne, Megan, Ashley, yours truly and Tina.

After the expo Theodora, Ashley, Theodora’s friend Tamsin and I all grabbed a small bite to eat at a pub before Ashley and I headed back to the hotel to lay down for a bit.

As soon as we had digested our late lunch, it was time for the next meal!

Ashley and I hit up Carmine’s for a carb-filled dinner.

More, more!

The photo is dark, but you get the point, right? Pasta. Lots of pasta. Also some broccoli, shrimp and tomatoes. But mostly delicious pasta and a bread basket.

No carb left behind

I’m now sufficiently full and starting to get really excited about tomorrow’s race. The course is mostly flat and though the weather will be chilly, the sun should come out eventually.

And did I mention the cherry blossoms are in full bloom? It’s going to be gorgeous running past the monuments and the trees.

It's cherry blossom season!

I have all my race day gear laid out, charged and ready to go when my alarm goes off slightly before 5 am.

Ready!!

I’m in my pajamas and ready to get some serious sleep, but before I turn in, some final thoughts before I run my heart out:

  • I hope my stomach cooperates tomorrow. May everything digest properly and not cause me any problems. That’s probably my biggest race day concern.
  • I feel confident with my training. Though some of my long runs were brutal, many of them were awesome. I know I’m prepared to run this race.
  • I’m thrilled that I already accomplished one of my race goals. I survived months of training injury free.
  • I’m really excited about my race day playlist. (Here it is, in case you missed it earlier today.)
  • I really hope I hit my second goal (finishing in under 2 hours), but I know that if I don’t, that’s OK, too. There will be more races.

Lastly, I want to thank you all so much for your support going into tomorrow’s race. I’ve been overwhelmed with nice emails, texts and Tweets all day sending well wishes and I’m so grateful.

I’m not sure when I’ll blog next, but I’ll be sure to Tweet when I finish tomorrow (about 12 hours from now!). Follow me at @AliOnTheRun1.

Time for some power sleeping!

Dreaming sweet race dreams

Good luck to all of the runners tomorrow — in DC, in other races and on streets, treadmills and tracks everywhere. May your runs be fast, furious and fun.

Ali

Ali

0 Responses

  1. Good luck tomorrow! I just broke 2 hours in the NYC Half on Sunday! You can totally do it! And I’m SO excited the Cherry Blossoms are in bloom! I’m running the Cherry Blossom 10-miler next weekend and can’t wait! Have a great race!!!

  2. I can’t wait to give you a huge hug after the race when your legs are exhausted and we’re both covered in sweat! Thanks for all your support this training season! 🙂 Save your favorite song for the last mile and push your heart out!

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

listen to the podcast

about ali

I’m the creator of the Ali on the Run blog and the host of the Ali on the Run Show podcast. I’m also a freelance writer and editor, a race announcer, a runner and marathoner, a mom, and a huge fan of Peanut M&Ms, Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again (way better than the first one!), and reliving my glory days as a competition dancer in the early 2000s. I’m really happy you’re here.
  • Post Date

related posts

Acadia National Park, Precipice Trail

36 Hours in Bar Harbor, Maine

September 26, 2020, marked five years of marriage for Brian and me! Our original plan was to celebrate our anniversary by doing nothing, but my

This website uses cookies to ensure you get the best experience on our website.