Chill!

Day Two came and went and I am extremely proud to say that I beat down my evil twin who tried to convince me at 5:45 am that it was too cold for me to attempt to run outside, that I didn't have the right clothes, I would be late, I was too out of shape ... you can just imagine the inner dialogue. Nonetheless, I found a pair of long pants, a long sleeve tshirt, a fleece and then a windjacket and I was ready. (And I managed to pack a healthy lunch out of all that fruit I bought ... but decided to forgo for a day the bean burritos and fiber bars as I hope my stomach will be happier!)

When I exited the building the sheer cold of 22 degrees with a stiff wind made it really seem like the 10 degrees that the NPR radio announcer so ominously declared. I opted to take a cab the seven blocks to save a little time and it was only $3. The Y-tri group was in the lobby going over the route so I hurriedly went up to the 6th floor to ditch my bag and switch coats. Unfortunately for me, by the time I made it downstairs they had left the building ... the lady at the check-in counter yelled, go on honey, you can catch them! So off I went in my new cold weather hat with running gloves on and ready to keep me warm. And I saw the group- about 7 blocks south of me on 17th street ... with the way the lights changed- and their faster pace, I never managed to catch up with them. Which, of course, led to more internal discussions ...

On one side, running alone (but seeing people ahead of me and across the reflecting pool) really made me appreciate the sunlight hitting the Lincoln Memorial and Capitol building. How lucky am I to be able to run in such a scenic locale?? And just when I thought it would be ok to walk a little I saw a group of US Marshals running in formation ... didn't want to embarass myself so stepped it up and kept on going. A few of them even made me look gazelle like (yes, I know, a stretch for most people with above average imaginations) as they trudged along with their heavy vests and backpacks. So then the challenge hit me- do I go the extra two blocks east and run up 15th street? Or just go up 17th since that's where I looped back? With the idea that maybe I could see Malia and Sasha heading off for school, I opted for the White House view and went the distance.

No, its not even 10 am, and I've had a full day, energized and excited about the rest of the day ...