Non-Marathon Run

After deciding to knock out either 15 or 16 marathons between Jan and Oct 2010 and doing a whole host of other things over the last few days I needed to go for a run.

I just wanted to do 3 miles but then 3 turned into 4.8 then 8.5. I can't remember the last time I ran more than double what I set out to do. Maybe it was the i-Pod, maybe it was running into a friend I hadn't seen in almost a year or maybe I just needed to go for a long run and clear my head. Not sure how much I could clear in a short run especially when I can't do that during a marathon.

I hit Rosslyn, made the turn to the Marine Memorial and then sat down at the Netherlands Carillon (my favorite vantage point of DC) and thought about the last few years here in DC along with the twists and turns. For some reason, I could remember some things like they happened yesterday, the good and bad. Not sure what brought it on and whether I got what I needed out of it but all I know is it was cut short after getting bit three times by mosquitoes.

As I went across the Memorial Bridge all I could do was focus on the Lincoln Memorial and then drifted back to an e-mail I sent 3.5 years ago to a friend describing my favorite running route in DC and all the landmarks it took me by. After coming off the bridge, I sat down on the steps overlooking the Potomac/Arlington got a glimpse of the last few rays of the setting sun poking through the clouds and then turned back towards the Lincoln Memorial and decided to run over there and sit there for a while.

Man, does the Lincoln Memorial ever not have crowds? Went to the back side overlooking the Potomac, soaked it in for a few minutes and then was off towards to Georgetown. After a few detours due to construction I was off across the Key Bridge and back into Rosslyn, and up the hill towards Courthouse. About that time my i-Pod died on me but I was nearly done with my play list so it didn't matter.

I guess after it died, I was able to think back on things and realize, no regrets, things happen for a reason, (it is what it is/too bad so sad - can't keep sulking about things because eventually it will eat at you for years), need to practice patience - I do at times but 100% of the time would be better, appreciate the things that I liked about DC when I first moved here and get back to that point, understand the basis of why I can be so insensitive and why I can't show emotion (observed couples on my run and one dude looked like he was crying in his wife's/girlfriend's arms - not saying I need to be that dude) -- basically get back to be the person I was in 2005 and early 2006.