Friday, June 19, 2009

Washington, DC: monuments, warmth, and a poodle-lookalike

Today was a busy one. Actually now that I think of it, two days out from the race always tends to be a little bit more hectic than I'd like. With course tours, training, meetings, and just getting our bearings in a new place, I've come to expect this at most races, so prepare for that bit of extra time on my feet.

The day started bright and early at 6:45am. I actually have no concept of what time it is in my room as my window doesn't face outside, just the lobby area. So, whenever I have my curtains open, it is always light outside! This morning was an especially early wake-up considering I'm still somewhat on west coast time (3:45am), but for some reason, I couldn't sleep any longer. I can't say I felt rested...I actually felt quite rotten, but I sucked it up and got my swim stuff together. Simon, Kyle, Brent and I headed off on an adventure via metro to find the pool. It turned in to a lengthy trip for such a short swim, but that's the way it goes sometimes in big cities. Mid-day was an adventure run, cruising past the White House, Washington Memorial, Lincoln Memorial, and about a hundred hot dog stands. There definitely wasn't a dull moment in this run! Next up was the course tour, led by the mayor. It was more of a catch-up session with friends than a bike ride as the traffic was heavy and we hit every possible light, covering about 15km in over an hour. I can now say that I am an expert at clipping in/out! Later in the afternoon was the race meeting and then a trip to Whole Foods for a yummy dinner and snacks for tomorrow. The day is now done and I'm in my pj's, lying on the bed with about twenty pillows and about to turn on the tv. I love hotels!

As for sightseeing, I haven't done much apart from our afternoon run, but, overall I'd say Washington is a pretty neat city (very green). I have yet to see Bo, the Obama's Portugese Water Dog (next best thing to a poodle), but you can bet that my head was craned back as we ran by the White House this afternoon. I figure the First Dog has to go out for pee and walk breaks at some point, so I am still holding out hope for a sighting!


Tomorrow should be a relaxing day with the workouts done in the morning and leg-elevation and tv-watching in the afternoon. My kind of pre-race day!!

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