Catching Up

So it's been a long time now, and I have a few minutes, so this isn't going to be a well-thought-out posting or anything as much as something for people to read, if they happen to pay a visit. I've been spending a lot more time on Facebook over the past six months or so, so if you really want to keep up with my daily musings, hit me up over there.

I've been training for the National Marathon, which will be my tenth marathon. I would like to PR but have had a lot of obstacles this cycle--namely a never-ending cold, a broken rib, lots of work, uber-cold weather, etc.--so I may settle for just coaching Mr. Rallycap through his return to the distance. We'll see. My track workout went pretty well yesterday, and my long-long runs have gone well. It's everything in the 10-18 mile distance that I'm not really enjoying.

I have definitely reaffirmed the fact that I prefer ultra-style training--not too much during the week then run all weekend. Which is why I'm excited to be in the field for Bull Run Run, which will be my second 50-mile run. Yay. I am nervous about it, because it's much harder terrain than JFK was, and the time limit is only an hour more generous, and my running hasn't been as consistent over the past year as it was prior to JFK. But that's why these things appeal--there's always the chance of not even finishing.

In other sports, we're mulling trips to Florida in March (spring training, surfing) and New Hampshire this summer (hiking, visiting friends and a baby!). Neither are specifically planned, but we can do that, with the nature of what we do. It would be nice to see the beach again. Haven't seen the ocean since Costa Rica in November.

Which was an interesting trip. We went with a group of friends, and if it had just been us we would have done things differently, but if it had just been us we might not have gone in the first place. I saw the Pacific for the first time--honestly, not super impressed. I was thrilled to be sitting in the ocean and see mountains, instead of just dunes and then nothing (or giant hotels). And the trip to Arenal was AMAZING--seeing live eruptions and hiking in the rain forest were both really epic adventures. It did get us thinking about trying exotic travel again sometime. But there is definitely something about easy destinations like the Outer Banks, which is like home but without the same routine.

I'm looking forward to baseball--part of the motivation behind the potential Florida trip. Football ended in such boring fashion. The Redskins really sucked it up (glad we didn't bother renewing season tickets) and the postseason paled in comparison to inaugural festivities and even just general, mundane life.

Speaking of the inauguration, I have been working on a wrap-up of our activities that weekend. Living where we do, right near the Mall, it seemed like we were obligated to take in as much as we could. And it was worth it.

Okay, back to work. :)

On Election Night

We watched the returns come in tonight, and not even moments after the cable networks called the election for Obama, we heard people cheering on the street. We were moved to get out there, but where? After another few moments, cameras switched to a mob on Pennsylvania Ave in front of the White House. We threw on our jackets and hats and ran out the door.



Ultimately, the energy was really en route. Throngs of pedestrians clogging the streets, hooting. Cabbies honking and waving out windows. It was electric.

But we also felt really old. The majority of the crowd was in college--GWU and Georgetown kids. 99.9 percent had phones on them, and 99 percent of them were texting or taking pictures. Ah, kids. (As Luke Russert talks about his generation while I write this...)

But of course I took my own photos. We missed the victory speech, but I reckon we can find a recording of it, somewhere.

A New Creek

When I was a kid, my sanctuary was a creek. It was just on the other side of the cow pasture from my house. Not even a mile long, it was a grassy path along what was essentially a huge drainage ditch. Definitely manmade, but overgrown and wild, at least to a 9-year-old kid tramping through the weeds and mud looking for fossilized sharks' teeth. I'd see owls, hawks, snakes, and raccoons; pick blackberries in March; clean duckweed off my dog. It was heaven.

I'd spend hours there, walking back and forth, talking to myself, singing at the top of my lungs, taking it all in. When my best friend moved away, I found my solace there. All through high school, the creek somehow held all the answers.

And when it was time for dinner, Mom could clang the giant rusty triangle on the patio out back and I knew it was time to head in.

Within the span of about 18 months, I graduated from high school, met my eventual husband, and went to college; my parents divorced; and the cow pasture and creek became part of a new suburban-style development, featuring quarter-acre lawns and three-bed-two-and-a-half-bath stucco houses. In what seemed like an instant, my whole world had changed and my past was no longer available for even a short visit.



Fast forward a dozen or so years. On Saturday, I decided to shake things up and drive out to Carderock for a short run. I've been out there before--both running to it and driving--and been inspired by the scenery. That Saturday run on the towpath was perfect. The lighting was right, the weather comfortable, the pace and rhythm easy.

Then I got the itch to hike the Billy Goat Trail again. The last couple of days have been stressful, so I took advantage of a free night to go on my first hike all alone. Going after work, I was a bit concerned about having enough time to linger and take photos, without being locked in the park all night. But on the other hand, it was Magic Hour, that sliver of time before the sun goes down where the lighting is diffused but the colors pop, where shadows are long but the light still flickers off the water and glows on the rocks.

Billy Goat Trail is a 1.7-mile course across rocks that line the river gorge just downstream of Great Falls. It's incredibly popular, and while it can be intimidating and a physical challenge (for balance reasons), it's often crowded with families in flip-flops and floppy hats. Dogs aren't allowed but people bring them anyway.

But at Magic Hour, the crowds are thin, and I was free to just hike or linger as I wanted. I jumped off as many rocks as I tiptoed over, and I skinned my knee climbing up the crack in a wall. I sat on a rock overlook around halfway through and watched the sun set behind the ridge as kayakers paddled quietly between the high granite walls. I could hear--but not see--hikers on the Virginia side. I took a lot of photos. And saw a beaver, a heron, turtles, deer--including one walking across the canal.

And in the end I realized that Carderock and Great Falls are the closest I've been able to get to recreating my old creek. Sure, now that I don't live on the edge of a little Florida town, I have to put up with urban, grown-up constraints, like a 20-minute drive and a $5 entry fee. But it's the only place since where I've been able to lose myself and clear my head and reconnect with my consciousness.

And I so look forward to going back.

Theft at Subway

I was at the Subway on 17th near Corcoran this afternoon to get some lunch. A guy walked in and stopped at the rack of chips. Looked it over, picked up one bag, put it back, grabbed another. Then went straight into the bathroom. Um... So I hung around. He was in there for a while. When he emerged, of course, no chips. He did get in line to get a sandwich, so I decided not to say anything, because at least he was going to buy something.

I wanted to tell the cashier. But she was busy with the lunch crowd. And her English isn't so good. So there was no way to be subtle about it.

I wish I would have said something. I know, it's only a bag of chips. But it's a bag of chips. And these people work hard and are always friendly.

Eh, idiot guy. Hopefully that bad karma comes back in a big way.

Can't Get There From Here

Like most Washingtonians, especially those living around the city's core, I get asked for directions a lot. The Mall, Georgetown, 395...I have a repertoire of the more common destinations all ready to go.

While walking the dogs this morning, I was summoned by a woman looking for Krispy Kreme. After I explained Washington Circle versus Dupont Circle, New Hampshire Ave, and so on, and she was unconfidently on her way, I realized the truly most efficient directions for her would have been

"Park your car and walk or Metro."

I hope she wasn't expecting drive-thru service.

Hail, Hail the Lucky Ones

In all the hubbub on Saturday, I didn't get to mention that when the mail finally did come, our Eddie Vedder tickets were in the mix. WOO HOO!

Getting these tickets was quite the ordeal. We're Ten Club members, so normally when Pearl Jam comes through town, we have a few days in which to get our tickets order in, and when we do that has no bearing on seating, since it's assigned based on length of club membership. We've now seen the band nine times, seven based on this nice stressfree method.

Evidently Ten Club only had a tiny number of seats for the two shows at Warner Theatre so we got squeezed out of the primo seats. We were totally not expecting that to happen. Complacency...

So when the rest of the tickets went up a couple days later via the hated Ticketmaster, we were ready. It still took a while to get through, but numerous gut-wrenching browser refreshes later, we had them. And now we really have them, in hand.

I've waited 15 years for a show like this. And I'm thrilled to be over the moon for a Pearl Jam-ish concert again.

WaPo followup

The Washington Post has a full story on yesterday's incident at GWU Hospital. Apparently a patient climbed onto a ledge 5 stories up and paced for about 4 hours, then when trying to climb down, fell, and only partially hit the inflatable cushion laid out for his potential landing. He's now back in the hospital, in critical condition.

How awful. I hope the man makes a full recovery, both of body and mind.

In looking up that story, I also saw that someone died at the Rockville Twilighter 8K last night. I've run this race three times, and it's always hot and always uncomfortable, and the organizers always warn people to take it easy. It was even hotter than usual last night. What a tragedy. My thoughts to the man's loved ones, and also to the folks at Montgomery County Road Runners, the race organizers.

Police Activity at Washington Circle

As we were leaving for afternoon errands, we noticed a bunch of police tape being strung up in front of our house. The cops weren't letting anyone stand around outside, much less ask any questions.

We returned 90 minutes later and the yellow and red tape was still there. WTOP had reported the activity during its traffic report, but didn't have any information about what the activity actually was. I took a few pictures at the tape (which crosses our gate) but was then told to go back inside. Local news isn't on it yet. But there are cops and ambulances blocking the intersections on 24th, New Hampshire, K, and I Streets. Fire trucks and other various emergency vehicles around the circle.

We haven't gotten our mail yet, and the regular din of ambulances for GWU's emergency room has stopped. Very strange.

UPDATE (3:35 pm): screengrab from a WaPo.com traffic camera, which appears to be located on the southwest side of the circle, where K Street enters:



UPDATE (4:35pm): It's over; the police are taking the tape down now and traffic is moving (slowly) through the area again. If the DC alert is correct regarding it being a jumper, I suspect the person was threatening to jump into the construction site across 23rd St from the hospital. Dozens of fire and rescue vehicles around that "corner" of the circle between 23rd and Penn, and along 23rd.




Whew. We normally only experience this sort of police attention when Cheney has chest pain.

Beautiful Acadia

Jordan Pond, and the Bubbles

Winning, but not really

The mob of red jerseys at home plate at the end of today's Nationals game seemed an oddly familiar sight.

Today's walkoff victory was their 8th one this season. They have 33 wins, total.

Walkoffs are inherently home wins. They only have 18 home wins.

Nearly a quarter of their wins were earned in the final pitch? Doesn't sound like something to boast about. And 25-58--their record had those opposing pitchers been one or two strikes more effective--is dreadfully low.

As fun and dramatic as walkoffs are, I'd so much rather see a nice boring game where we just score consistently during the game and keep the other team's scoring to a minimum. Tall order, I know.