A Divine Day In D.C.

I’m safely back in NYC, relaxing on the couch with sweatpants, a glass of vino and some 16 Handles (duh).

When we last “chatted,” I filled you in on all things “National Half Marathon” — click here to read my full recap. I’m definitely sore today, which means I pushed myself yesterday and really went for it. It’s the best kind of hurt!

After yesterday’s race, the day was filled with good stuff. Ashley and I took the Metro back to our hotel then relaxed for a while. I enjoyed a delicious cup of 7-11 hot chocolate in bed before taking a ridiculously long, hot shower. Post race showers are the best part about races!

The plan was to spend the afternoon sightseeing, since it was a chilly but beautiful day in D.C. Although I’ve been once before, it was nice seeing all of the monuments and memorials again.

Of course, the cherry blossoms made the sightseeing that much better. They’re so beautiful! According to lots of D.C.-natives, this weekend was the peak of the season.

Eventually we wandered down some adorable side streets before settling at Gordon Biersch Brewery for lunch.

I was starving when we finally picked a place to eat and immediately chose a cheeseburger with a side of garlic fries. It was the perfect post-run meal.

Then it was time for more sightseeing! The Capitol Building is my favorite and I was obsessed with taking tons of pictures of it.

You know what doesn’t impress me? The White House. I’d rather live at the Capitol Building.

The World War II memorial is one of my favorites.

Our last stop was the Lincoln Memorial. I love Lincoln. He’s cool.

OK, enough of the touristy photos.

Next up: blogger social in Arlington! It’s crazy how many running bloggers were in town for the race! I was so excited to meet some of my favorite bloggers, including Beck, Caitlin and Emily.

NYC representing!

I wish I could have chatted with everyone at the meet-up, but there were more than 50 of us in attendance. Needless to say the room was loud!

After the social, my cousin (and spectator extraordinaire) treated me to a wonderful meal — and delicious drinks — at a cute wine bar in Arlington. We sat at the bar and enjoyed good Riesling (for me), yummy baked goat cheese and some heart-shaped grilled cheese sandwiches with tomato soup for dipping. It was perfection.

Ashley and I slept like rocks last night though — and this should come as no surprise — my body woke up sans alarm at 7 am. Ugh! I wish I could have slept more, but instead I figured I may as well start my day with some stretching, blogging and showering.

Eventually we headed for Union Station where we stocked up on snacks for the train ride, which was uneventful despite a few delays.

Now I’m back home and dreading the fact that I have to work tomorrow. I need a recovery day from my weekend away!

Once again, congratulations to all of the runners this weekend, whether you were in D.C. or somewhere else. You’re all rock stars. And to all the bloggers and readers I met this weekend — yay! The energy all around this weekend was amazing and inspiring. Can’t wait for my next race!