Running advice! We all need it

I started my life as a runner 3 years and 8 months ago and since I've maintained the fitness routine consistently during that time, I'd like to think I've picked up a few great tips here and there.

Are you just starting out your running routine, or even a walking routine, or are you thinking about it?  Then please take the time to read this.  You'll be glad you did.

I did a lot of things wrong when I first started out. It took me a good year to really feel like I got a handle on what I needed, how I needed to do it, and what wasn't going to work for me.  I didn't really check on any resources before starting...I just RAN.  Probably not a good plan.  I wish I'd had someone to walk me through everything step by step...well, technically I had plenty of people around me to ask but I chose to muddle through 75% of it on my own. Don't do that - find some resources!

Here are my top 10 bits of advice for novice runners/walkers. Disclaimer - I'm not a professional!!!

1. GO TO A SPECIALTY RUNNING STORE. Yes, they charge retail. But you're going to get expertise you will never find at a big box department store or outlet mall.  They will analyze how you walk and run, they will look at your feet, they will make you try on 10 different pairs of shoes, and will find you a good pair. If those shoes don't work after all, you can usually take them back and try a different pair. The customer service simply can't be beat.

Why do we need the right pair of shoes? Many people don't realize we need to go up in size when we run or walk long distances. I usually wear a size 8 or 8.5 in shoes. For running shoes I wear a size 9.5. This gives my feet room in the toe box of my shoe so I'm not jamming them with every step. When I bought my very first pair of running shoes I bought a size 8.  I think I ran in them about a month. A waste of $100. I went up a half size to an 8.5. Ran in them for my first half marathon six months after I started running. Another waste of $100 and a lost toenail. 

Secondly, many of us have weird quirks about our gait that may require a certain type of shoe.  Flat feet vs. high arches, overpronating vs oversupinating.  Heel striking vs. midfoot striking. A trained salesman is going to find all this out for you and put in the shoe with the right support in the right places.  After my half marathon I developed plantar fasciitis, which was extremely painful and required a trip to the podiatrist (Dr. Scott Pattison...he's freaking AWESOME!!!). I discovered I had functional flat feet and the tendency to over pronate, in addition to tight calf muscles. All this was contributing to my injury. Custom orthodics (thank you medical insurance!) and a trip to a running store for stability running shoes helped this injury correct itself.  Best $140 I ever spent on shoes.

2. INVEST IN TECHNICAL FABRIC WORKOUT CLOTHES. Technical fabrics, like Nike DriFit, will wick moisture away from your body, have better evaporating properties, and will allow for better body temperature control. Cotton will merely suck up all that moisture and make it feel like your clothes are heavy and sticking to your body. There is no temperature control, no evaporation, just a heavy feeling that can have adverse affects on your workout. Technical fabrics are also much more durable.  Trust me, tech fabrics might be pricier but they are worth the long term investment. But you don't necessarily have to spend a fortune on a new workout wardrobe. My favorite running tank is a $10 Champion tank from Target. And I scout the online deals all the time. Don't forget the awesome finisher's shirts you sometimes receive in races.

3. TAKE IT SLOWLY IN THE BEGINNING. My very first run was a mere 3/4 of a mile. I didn't care...at least I was out there getting off my butt! Don't feel like you need to run or walk 3 miles the very first time you lace up your shoes. Give yourself goals each week, or even mini-goals for each workout. My first goal was to be at 3 miles non-stop after 30 days. And I did it, taking it one day and one workout at a time. I sometimes added a mere quarter mile to my distance, sometimes a full half mile, sometimes nothing at all. Going out too hard is just asking for injury, so take it easy and ease into a consistent routine that you're more likely to stick to. Once I hit the 4.5 mile mark about 2 months into running, I really felt like I'd hit my stride with running. I decided it was time for a loftier goal - a half marathon 4 months later. I then broke that up into smaller goals for each week so I could get that distance in by race day. At that point it wasn't crazy to add a mile a week onto my weekend long run until I got up to 10 miles. 4 months after I first laced up my running shoes I ran my first double digit long run, all because I picked reasonable goals and maintained a consistent running schedule. But it all started with a mere 3/4 of a mile.

4. INVEST IN A SUBSCRIPTION TO RUNNERS WORLD MAGAZINE. Some of the best, most useful, funniest, interesting, inspirational advice you'll ever get.

5. FIGURE OUT HOW TO FUEL. Before becoming a distance runner, I had never thought much about the right kind of fuel before, during, and after a workout. I'd sip some water, maybe some orange juice, hit the gym for my hour of aerobics, maybe sipping some water during it, then head home and eat cereal. Not a lot of thought ever went into it. But if you're planning on completing runs of an hour or more (and especially 2+ hours) then you need to get serious about fueling.

I've recently started grabbing just a bit to eat before any run I do over 40 minutes...maybe just a mini bagel with peanut butter, or half a Luna bar, particularly if I know it will be an hour or so after I awaken before I hit the trails. It's been making a difference in how I feel during my run, giving me that little edge where I feel stronger the longer I'm out there. This "pre-fueling" is particularly important if my run is going to be longer than an hour, or if I'm hitting the weights and treadmill at the gym. Giving our bodies fuel means they'll give us an awesome workout in return.

During a long run of more than 7 miles I always make sure I fuel about halfway through, most times in the form of Clif Shots or Power Bar Gels. You might have also heard of Gu or Honey Stingers or Clif Shot Bloks. Anything along these lines, with or without caffeine, is great. You have to experiment to find the fuel that you can tolerate, that doesn't make you gag, and that will do its job. The longer the run, the more fuel I have on hand. In addition to something to eat, I tend to carry something a little more filling than just water in my water bottle, sometimes just Gatorade and sometimes a drink with a protein/carbohydrate mixture like Pure Sport. Giving my body that extra electrolyte and nutrient boost will help it to respond to the added stress and fatigue of an extra long run. Without any kind of real fuel other than water, your body will quickly burn through your glycogen stores (what your hard working muscles prefer to feed off of) in as little as 60 minutes. That's not good. Fatiguing and wishing your workout was over rather than enjoying what the workout is doing for you is going to make distance running/walking miserable. NOTE: be sure to take any gels with 6-8 ounces of WATER to aid in digestion.

After your run, you need to get a combination of protein and carbohydrates into your body within 30-60 minutes to help replenish glycogen stores and repair your muscles. You've given your body a beating and it needs some TLC in return. Sometimes just a simple bowl of cereal with milk will do the trick. There are also many awesome protein drinks out there, my favorite being Pure Sport Recovery. It has the perfect combination of carbohydrates and proteins to refuel my muscles.

Just remember, if you don't fuel your body properly and you're trying to lose weight or get stronger, your metabolism will slow down and you'll hit a plateau. Give it a boost with the right food and see what happens.

6. HYDRATE!  Hydration is equally as important as the food you put into your body. If you're going to be a distance runner you must always hydrate...every day. Water, water, water.  If you like a little something extra without the added calories, try Nuun. Electrolytes, very few calories, fizzy, awesome - I'm addicted to the stuff. (And I might add that Nuun is GREAT for hangovers....not that I would know...). A good rule of thumb on how much water to take in daily is to drink an ounce for every pound of half your body weight. Weigh 140 pounds? Then drink 70 ounces of water per day.

7. CROSSTRAIN. CROSSTRAIN. CROSSTRAIN.
I was always the worst when it came to changing up my routine. But the fact is, if you merely run you're depriving your body of a complete workout. Sure, you'll have awesome quads, low cholesterol and a 50 beat per minute resting heart rate, but that's about it.  You need to add in core work and strength training or you'll develop other problems that could sideline your running. Instead of running one day, try a bike ride or a swimming workout.

Why core work? A strong core means better running form. Better running form means fewer injuries. Without a strong core, as we fatigue we'll get sloppy in our running. We may start overpronating more, slouching in our shoulders, even start carrying tension in other parts of our body...never a good thing. Simply put, a strong core will help minimize the impact of running.

Second, if all we're doing is burning calories through running and not adding in more lean muscle while we're doing it, our bodies will start burning that muscle. Just keep remembering that one of the keys to a complete fitness routine is BOTH cardio and strength training.

You know what I love? Yoga. People who have never done yoga really don't understand the amazing workout that it is. You're developing stronger, leaner muscles, you're stretching and increasing flexibility, you're getting an awesome core workout, and if you're working hard enough you're going to break a sweat. Yoga and running go together perfectly.

Speaking of flexibility.....

8. STRETCH!!

As with any workout, you must stretch afterwards. Your muscles have taken a beating and need to be stretched to loosen them up. The more you consistently stretch, the more flexible you'll become. You'll help prevent injury and you'll will allow a full range of motion to achieve maximum speed. You don't need to become a speed demon, but a runner who is inflexible is often an injured runner.  Stretching during your cool down will help you relax and will help remove lactic acid from your muscles and reduce muscle soreness.

You have to remember that every part of your body is connected. If one part is stiff or inflexible it will affect other parts of your body.  Did you know that tight calf muscles can lead to plantar fasciitis, which affect the plantar fascia that runs along the bottom of your foot?  Yes, I should know....that was my first real injury and it was misery. Now I'm meticulous about my calf stretching. Also, did you know that tight hip flexors can cause lower back pain? Every part of your body needs to be cared for.

9. CONSIDER INVESTING IN A GPS-ENABLED WATCH, such as a Garmin Forerunner. About 2 months after I started running, I really wanted to have a better idea of how far I was running, how fast I was, and how much I could push myself to go faster or further. So I bought a Garmin Forerunner 305. The thing is amazing. Using GPS technology it will tell me my distance, pace, time, allow me to set up "laps" of whatever distance I want (default is 1 mile), check my heartrate (using a heartrate strap), and about a billion other little things that even I haven't tried yet. You can download the data from the watch into software on your computer. To say that this has improved my running is a huge understatement. I've now upgraded to a Forerunner 405...even better!

10. SURROUND YOURSELF WITH OTHER RUNNERS. I bet if you start telling people you're a runner, many of your friends or acquaintances will probably tell you they run, too. You may want to set up "running dates" with those friends to help keep your accountable, make your running more enjoyable, or to help push you to the next level.  When I needed to get to the 4 mile mark I called up my neighbor Diana, who got me into running in the first place, to run with me and help me hit that goal. I set up another running date with her when I needed to go from 8 miles to 10 miles.

When I decided I wanted to run a full marathon I knew I would need a group to keep me motivated. So I joined Round Rock Fit and what a huge difference it has made in my running. To be around so many other runners with the same goal, to have a set running/workout schedule, and to be held accountable every single week made training for the marathon so much more fun and I hit goals I never thought possible. This coming year will be my 4th year with the group and now I'm one of their coaches. Every town has a running group in it...find one if you need to!

There are probably so many more awesome bits of advice I could spew at you but I'm pretty sure if you just read that entire blog post you're completely overwhelmed right now. Just think about all the points I made, see how they can fit into your fitness routine, and hopefully some of it can help you out and keep you exercising, healthy, and happy.

HAPPY RUNNING!!!!

Crash and Burn....in a 5K???

On Sunday I participated in a 5K...partly because I really need to work on speed and 5K's are an awesome way to push yourself to get better speed, and partly because it was a race organized by our neighbors, the Smiths, to benefit the Epilepsy Foundation in memory of their son Kaden who passed away at age 9 from a fatal seizure last year.

As you know I've developed a lot of confidence in maintaining a faster pace lately. My runs have been pretty strong overall and I've gotten more comfortable pushing myself. I passed up the opportunity to run in really cool temps this past week in favor of the warm gym just so I didn't mess myself up during the race, knowing the temps would be warm that day. I've done a couple speed workouts that turned out well and with it being "only" a 5K I figured I could do anything for 25 minutes so matter how bad it hurt. Famous last words....

My goal ever since I signed up was to get a medal.  The race info indicated that the top 3 in each age group would get a medal, and I didn't even think to look at the age group details, figuring mine would be either 30-39 or 35-39.  I looked a couple days prior to the race....my age group was 19-39.  Me, age 37, competing with 20-somethings?  This could be ugly.

The beginning of the race started off well, if you ignored the wind and humidity of course (but I expected this!).  I felt good and comfortable at my pace.  I actually never looked at my watch to see how fast I was running, not once during this first mile. That would be my FIRST mistake. I saw my friend Erica in front of me the entire first mile and I thought we may have been the top 2 females in the race (found out later Erica was #2 as there was an even faster girl in front of her). As we moved into mile 2 we were directly into the wind, which was probably about 20 mph. Not gonna lie - I shouldn't have passed up the water at that first water stop...talk about dry mouth during a run. Wow, the wind can totally suck.  That would probably be my SECOND mistake.

My pain threshold lasted probably about 13 minutes. I really couldn't breathe. My legs were good, my lungs were not. I REALLY couldn't breathe. I didn't know how I'd hold up for another 11 or 12 minutes. Mistake number THREE was walking instead of just slowing down. DUMB MOVE. I know better than to walk - once you give in to that there's really no going back. It's easy to keep giving in. I should have just slowed to a 9 minute pace or so for about a quarter mile and got my breathing under control.  I saw that I was just over 16 minutes through 2 miles...a very good pace and even with walking I was going to produce a respectable time and possibly get a medal.  However, it was about this time that a couple of ladies who looked no older than me passed me, so unless they just looked REALLY good for their age I was out of contention.

I slogged through that last mile and finished the slightly short course in 25:14.  I'm kind of bummed that the course was a bit short as I was about to start my final push to the finish when we turned the last corner and the finish was RIGHT THERE. I don't know why I didn't realize we were that close already. So I never got the opportunity to put on my final fast sprint, which I'm pretty good at usually. Not that it would have made a big difference overall.  I believe my actual pace was about 8:35...not what I was looking for at all.

I talked to another lady who finished right in front of me and she mentioned that as we were running alongside each other she could hear me wheezing and definitely having trouble with my breathing overall.  She asked if I had asthma.  I do occasionally wheeze when around cats but running-induced asthma? Or possibly induced by the high humidity or other allergens kicked around by the wind?  It was definitely likely and could have contributed to my crash and burn. It's something I'm going to have to look into with my family's allergy and asthma doctor.

Overall, I finished 5th in my age group and was the 7th overall woman.  Had I been 40 or older, I would have gotten that darn medal, but my age group was really tough obviously.  A lot of talented ladies were out there running a great race.  It was exciting to see three of my neighbors take medals, including Erica and her husband John. Remember them from the relay? Yeah, they rock. I almost beat John...ALMOST. Erica? Not gonna happen.  Did I mention she rode 100 miles on her bike into headwinds the day before this race? 

Remember how I mentioned I never looked at my watch during that first mile? Yeah, I should have...it was 7:45.  About 20-30 seconds too fast.  That should have been the pace on my LAST mile. My last mile wasn't nearly as bad as I thought, but it was still a slightly disappointing 9:13. On any training run that wouldn't bum me out, but not during a 5K.

As always, I take lessons from every race. I have another 5K in July. I will not go out too fast. I will continue my speed workouts. I will not go out too fast. I will slow down if necessary and take a breather. I will not go out too fast. I will medal (well, that REALLY depends on the competition...you just never know).

Where were you when?

May 1, 2011....the day the United States finally succeeded in killing Public Enemy Number One, Osama Bin Laden.  Brave Navy Seals invaded his compound outside Islamabad, Pakistan, and shot him in the head before taking custody of his body. Nearly 10 years after the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, we finally got him and provided justice for the countless citizens and soldiers whose lives were forever changed.



The date provides another example of "Where were you when?" and never being able to forget the answer. Where was I?  Sitting on my couch, watching Adam Richman in Pittsburgh on the show Man vs. Food on the Travel Channel.  Nothing exciting.  I checked my Twitter feed on my phone and saw the CNN tweet that stated the President was going to make a statement to America at 10:30pm Eastern time.  I thought this odd, particularly since it was a Sunday night and the White House was releasing no details of the statement subject. A couple more news media tweets came through with the same information and I told Greg that we should probably turn on CNN.  Well before the President ever made his official statement it known that it was in regard to Osama Bin Laden finally being killed. JUSTICE.



In the hours since the announcement it's made me think of the day nearly 10 years ago when our country literally stopped in shock and tragedy. Where was I when I heard the news? Greg and I were driving to San Jose International Airport so he could travel to Phoenix for the day on business. It was very early...before 6am Pacific time....when the radio DJs made mention of a plane crashing into the World Trade Center. At first Greg and I were thinking it was just a small plane and that the guy had to be a pretty bad pilot to hit a building like the WTC.  By the time we arrived at the airport we discovered that it was likely a commercial airline and a much bigger plane than what we thought.

Once we got to Greg's gate (oh, remember the days when you could go to the gate even when you weren't the one flying?), we heard much more information from the airport personnel.  They were now calling it a terrorist attack. And both towers had been hit by planes. I started crying. I called my parents to find out more and during that phone conversation, a plane hit the Pentagon. "Oh, my God" was all I could think in those moments of absolute fright.Who was doing this to us?

It wasn't long after this that the airport personnel announced that the airport would be closing indefinitely, that there would be no flights going out at all.   Greg and I drove back home, deeply sad, incredibly frightened about what was next.  During that car ride the first tower fell....one of the WTC buildings was gone? Are you serious?? We couldn't get our TV on fast enough once we arrived home. At the exact moment the TV turned on, the second tower fell. I was so incredibly emotional and couldn't keep the tears from coming.

I was also 5 months pregnant with our first child.



For the next two days I barely left the house, but instead was glued to the television, watching all the coverage. A deep hatred formed for those responsible. An incredible anxiety brewed inside me over how evil people could be. I mourned for those who died and grieved with those who lost loved ones. I didn't know anyone personally who died, but that didn't matter.  Our entire country was in mourning. This entire time, I had a baby inside me squirming uncontrollably, probably due to my deep anxiety. I developed some guilt over bringing a child into such an evil world...not that there was anything I could possibly do about that. But the guilt was there regardless.

Now that Osama Bin Laden is gone, a relief definitely exists. It doesn't end our war on terror - that will always be there. There will be someone to take his place. But in the meantime we can still rejoice in his death, however odd it sounds to actually welcome someone's death. As the President said last night, "his demise should be welcomed by all who believe in peace and human dignity."





Greg's boarding pass from his flight on 9/11/01





Never forget








Pentagon Memorial in Virginia - read about the Memorial here



Pathetic

I am not a good sick person.

Greg and I had our Friday morning all planned out.  He was going to pace me to a 10K PR.  My best 10K time is 53:45 and my sweet husband had me paced to run a 53:06. He came up with our route through the neighborhood and all the mile splits for the entire run....9:15, 8:45, 8:45, 8:30, 8:15, 8:00, and 1:36 for the final .2 miles.  As soon as we dropped the kidlets off at school we were hitting the streets and attempting to make me puke.

Before we went to bed last night I was having what I thought was a bad allergy attack.  I took some allergy meds, but it didn't help.  My throat started hurting, and my nose was running like you wouldn't believe.  Yeah, not allergies.

I constantly woke up in the middle of the night with the worst sore throat EVER.  (well, not really, because the kind of sore throat you get after an endoscopy and esophogeal dilation is way worse).  But you get my point.  Massive discomfort all night.

Finally I gave in.  I WAS SICK. And pissed off about it.  Finally got up the nerve to kill myself for a fabulous 10K time and got sidelined at the last possible moment.

To make matters worse, I am supposed to be a volunteer at the Zooma Half Marathon tomorrow in Bastrop.  I got assigned to the finish line even!  But noooooo.....now I'll be at home being pathetic.

If this illness keeps me from my new cowboy boots and Zac Brown Band concert on Sunday night all hell will break loose, I'm telling you.

(On a side note.....GOOD LUCK to all my fabulous friends who I won't be seeing after all tomorrow as they have fabulous races in gorgeous weather on an awesome race route in a beautiful part of Central Texas).

BLAH.

I love my "speed"

Just a quick blog post to say....WHERE IS MY SPEED COMING FROM???

Not that I'm complaining or anything.

Last week I ran 20.2 miles (on a side note, considering I'm not training for anything, I'm really happy I hit 20+ miles in a week). My average pace was 9:03.  During marathon training season my average pace for the week probably never went below 9:30 and wouldn't be surprised if it was more like 9:40.  Today was my first run of this week and I really did try to keep it slower, but I felt so good I couldn't help but increase the pace with each mile.  First mile was 10:00 even, last mile?  8:50. 5 miles in less than 47 minutes.  Not crazy fast or anything, but not an "easy" run for me. 

I'm fully expecting to get injured.  I'm not even wearing my patella band (the horror!).

I think I need to do a 5K.

Ok, that is all.

A "DNS" really sucks right about now

Ever since my second marathon of the season I've felt pretty darn fantastic. I signed up for the Capitol 10K awhile ago, figuring I would see how I felt come race day and decide if I wanted to attempt a personal best. I ran my very best 10k at the Cap 10K two years ago....a 53:45...but that was with some serious speed training the few weeks prior. This year I was merely relying on the relay and whatever I could pull off in the 5 weeks between the Austin Marathon and Capitol 10K.  In other words, I figured a 57 minute 10K was about what I would pull off.

However...to my huge surprise...I was feeling AWESOME.  I felt really good at the relay and posted respectable times in each of my legs.  I was barely sore after my second marathon and after the relay.  I joined the gym and started running on a treadmill to force some faster speed out of these legs.  Things were looking surprisingly good for a shot at a personal best.

On Thursday of this past week, while still sore was a pretty tough Pilates session the day before, I headed out for a 4 miler, figuring it would be a bit slower since I was sore.  I felt sluggish through the first mile and figured it was probably about 10 minute pace (if I was lucky), which was my typical pace for the first mile.  To my surprise I looked down at my Garmin when it beeped after my first mile....8:44.  WTH?  I never do that for my first mile of a run without realizing I'm running that fast. So I decided that I would just maintain that pace and do a 5K.  My time ended up being 26:50.  Not a 5K PR by a long shot but still a pretty good pace without intentionally meaning to do a fast run....and exactly half of what I needed to hit a 10K PR.  Hmmm....yeah, I could do it.

Unfortunately, things didn't work out that way.  For the past 4 years I have always parked in a particular parking structure before this race, getting there about an hour early.  I didn't alter my plan this morning....but it had a vastly different outcome.  I GOT STUCK IN TRAFFIC.

And because I hadn't come up with an alternative plan, I had no idea what to do.  I was alone, so I couldn't just ditch the car and then the driver figure it out.  There were going to be over 20,000 running this race, so if I didn't get to the start I was going to be stuck behind a lot of walkers.  Not that there's anything wrong with walkers, but having to navigate through them for the first couple miles would have absolutely killed any chance I had at a good time.  At five minutes until start time I was still stuck in traffic, and hadn't even moved for at least 5 minutes.  It led me to believe the parking structure was full....and unfortunately there really was nowhere else for me to park...I pretty much picked the worst street to be on.  I had to make the painful decision to bag the race, turn around, and head back home.  Devastated much???

This has never happened to me.

I always get to races early.

I really wanted to cry.

I decided that if I wasn't running the race, I could at least make a good shot at a fast time on a treadmill.  I would have run outside, but I knew the treadmill would force a certain pace out of me much better.  So off to the gym I went.  I wanted to get a full 10K in, but I figured that I could relieve my babysitter (my fabulous friend Heather) so she could head to church without having to drag my kids with her.  If I ran a full 10K it was cutting it close, so I ended up running 5 miles in 44 minutes.  Had I ran the last 1.2 miles in just under 8 min/mile pace, I would have had my PR.  I absolutely would have done it.  Although I may have puked trying.  When I got off the treadmill, I had to literally hold my hand to my mouth to keep myself from puking.  That gym is really REALLY warm sometimes and my adrenaline was sky high. 

But dammit, I got those aggressions out.

Now, many hours later, after reading about all my friends running a fabulous race today, and it seeming like I was the ONLY one who missed the race, I'm still sad.  I would have liked to have seen my friends, I would have liked to take picture of my Garmin to show off my new 10K personal best time of 53:30...or better....I'm just sad. 

Greg told me he'd pace me to get a PR out of me in the next couple weeks.  I'm going to take him up on that.

Spring Break and History Lessons

No blog post in 11 days?  I'm ashamed! 

We hit up Washington, D.C., for the kiddos' spring break.  Last year our very good friends, the Nelsons, moved there (boo!) so we made sure we booked a trip to see them again. Nine months with no Nelson love was torture!

What an incredible city. I seriously do think it's the very best city in the United States.  Now, granted, there are many I have never visited, liked NYC, New Orleans, etc, but I truly think there is no other domestic city that offers what D.C. has in terms of history.  It's just beautiful and spectacular and it's impossible to see everything unless you're there for at least two weeks!

I won't go into a bunch of details, but I will say that if you haven't visited, you really need to make plans to go there.  And plan ahead!  We contacted our congressman over 4 months ago for White House and Capitol tour tickets and were very lucky to get them for this week.  I wish we had realized we could have done a Pentagon tour as well but thought of it way too late. Luckily the Pentagon Memorial is open at any time, and it was definitely the most meaningful thing we did while in D.C. The thought that went into every detail of the memorial was just amazing. The Capitol tour we did was a private one and totally worth the two hours.  I learned so many interesting things and the pictures I got were incredible.  White House tour was okay, but was self-guided and we saw very little. Plus...no cameras allowed at all and phones had to be turned off until you left the building.  Boo to that.

Capitol Dome

The Pentagon Memorial is very symbolic in every single detail.

(If you look closely at the Pentagon, you can see the two different shades of stone from where it was repaired following the attack)



A few things I learned while in D.C.:

1. It's okay to honk at any time for pretty much any reason while you drive through the city. If you hesitate at all at any green light prepare for the wrath of the driver behind you.

2. Security guards at the Pentagon are anti-Democrat apparently (after stupidly forgetting I couldn't take pics of the actual building and getting caught doing so, a security guard said about us to the other guard, "Oh they're from Texas and Republican, so they're all right.")

3. Waiting in line for an hour to get the opportunity to go up inside the Monument is absolutely worth every minute, even when it's freezing out and you're underdressed.

The view from the Monument, complete w

ith a dyed green fountain for St. Patty's Day

4. It's very easy to overeat.

5. The White House tour kinda sucks, although the building itself is beautiful.

6. If you're not careful you'll end up on a bridge and in Virginia.

7. Jefferson Street is the best place to park. Hands down.

8. Speaking of parking, we have the best parking luck ever.

9. Running through Arlington Cemetery and National Mall is the best run route I've ever taken.  I plan to run the National Half Marathon next year.

It was easy to run 11 miles when I had this view.

10. Eastern Market - best way to spend a Saturday morning

11. I've never seen so many police cars in my life.

12. Every hour or so you can count on massive sirens, blocked intersections, and black SUVs racing down a street.

13. Wear waterproof mascara - you WILL cry at the memorials if you have a heart.

At the World War II Memorial. Breathtaking artwork.

Now...enjoy a few more of my favorite pics.  I took about 1700.

Our very first stop after we arrived. Featured on Man v. Food.

It's truly unreal how many names are on the Vietnam Veterans Wall

Good ol' Abe Lincoln

Changing of the Guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldiers

Arlington National Cemetery

To say the Space Shuttle is big is an understatement (this is at the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum at Dulles Airport)

So when are YOU planning your trip?