DC Urban Challenge

AM: 44 mins.
6 miles
PM: Urban Challenge
2-3? miles

So this morning I woke up even earlier than yesterday to run before our Brooks meetings began. I met Carson (our west coast supervisor) in the lobby at 6am and we headed out for a pitch-black run through the streets of Crystal City. We hopped on the bike path after about five minutes and turned left, running past National Airport and toward the Mall. Since a short run was all we had time for, we just kept this a very simple out and back along the bike path. For the second day in a row, I was impressed with the number of walkers/runners/bikers out at such an early hour. I suspect this is just an early-rising city in general. I was also impressed that Carson and I were able to engage in a political discussion for about twenty minutes that was both civil and respectful, with neither of us disparaging the other's candidate too openly. That's definitely a breakthrough in our relationship (although it didn't stop me from wearing my "friends don't let friends vote republican" shirt to our subsequent meetings).


Only a section of the escalator at the Rosslyn metro stop

In the afternoon, after I BSed my way through my 30-minute presentation and managed to somehow not fall flat on my face, the girls were pitted against the guys in a DC Urban Challenge. Basically both teams were presented with a list of items we had to acquire or tasks we had to accomplish somewhere within the city, often with photographic proof required. A few examples: take the entire group's picture in front of the 9-11 memorial at the Pentagon, run up the stairs featured in "The Exorcist" movie and take a picture looking down, find a local specialty running shop and take your picture in front of it, etc. Because there were dolla dolla bills at stake for the winners, the girls team (which comprised myself, Gen and Megan Sierveld) were determined to outwit, outplay and outlast the boys. This involved a lot of rather brisk running in places such as the metro (and up the longest escalator I've ever seen at the Rosslyn stop), the Pentagon (I wondered briefly if we would get shot down by snipers, but I guess we got lucky), the Key Bridge and the Arlington National Cemetery. Suffice it to say I was sweating profusely the entire time and my quads are still throbbing from running up so many stairs. It was all worth it in the end, however, as we returned to the hotel before the boys and each of us ended up $130 richer. Should I actually count this as my second run? Perhaps not. Am I going to? Absolutely.