USA Adventure

D.C. Capitol Tour

Published October 29, 2018

Union Station

Marathon by morning, Capitol Tour by night.

Can’t take credit for tonite’s MAGIC under lights. Stephen pre-purchased two 7pm tickets while I was still flying DIA to Reagan. Early in from New Hampshire, he half-day toured the Smithsonian History Museum – met up at the Expo. Post-marathon, fancy lunch’d together; Lyft-commuted to Washington’s Union Station quarter-past 6. Life’s BEST moments are oft better shared 🙂

‘Don’t be late’ – first come, first serve seating on Sunday’s double-decker BUS.

Lite rain. Wore Bismarck beanie swag, all part of the adventure. Poncho & a seat in the open air. Ready, ready to see D.C. Element-exposed but BEST spot to soak up our Capitol under lights.

Never EVER toured before at NIGHT. AWESOME experience & Sunday night, notta lotta traffic. Historic DC drive-bys, short White House stop, half-hour Lincoln Memorial walkabout.

LOVE LOVE our country. SUPER FUN nite.

Let it rain, Let it rain. I won’t melt, it’s only water ☂️

: Jefferson Memorial

: U.S. Capitol Building

: WWII Memorial

: the White House

: Lincoln Memorial

: Honest Abe

: Gettysburg Address

: National Mall

: AWESOME at NIGHT

Posted in Northeast | Tagged capitol-domes, museo, us-presidents | Leave a comment

Marine Corps Marathon

Published October 28, 2018

Saturday flight, Saturday Expo – landed hour-half before bib pick-up end. Lyft from Reagan, 20-minute drive ‘cross the Potomac. Marine Corps Marathon. Oorah! I’m in!

Registration lottery, May drawing & my lot was pulled. 30 THOUSAND participants, nicknamed ‘the People’s Marathon’. After New York [Nov 2015], never thought I’d run another MEGA-marathon. Feel caged in with BIG crowds. Gotta/hafta/must run Marine!

Hotel check-in, convenient digs two DC stops from tomorrow’s Start. Left outta the Americana, 3 blocks to the Marriott/left inside the lobby, long underground shopping corridor to the Metro entrance. Ticket pre-purchased. I got this.

Food, sleeps, predawn alarm – marathon morn. Indian caretaker downstairs asked if I was walking to the Pentagon. Right outta the hotel – talk, talk talk – let his words drift/thanked him for the banana. Never deviate on race day, not my first rodeo.

Crystal City-Pentagon City-Pentagon. Tens of runners Blue Line bunched. Quick trek, mere minutes. ‘The Pentagon’ – words we generally only TV-hear, today run reality. Long walk/multiple security stops. 2 MILE trek. No worry ‘bout the distance, time concern. Sea of marathoners stopped at bag security. Focus, push through. I’ve got nothing. Push, push. Corral start, 7 minutes to spare. Elites made their way, my wave advanced forward. Sooooooo many flags, military craft overhead – Oorah, I’m here!

PERFECT cool morning START. Sunshine, lite breeze & a whole lotta company. Mylar-unwrapped even before I tapped on the Garmin. Out quick/caught the 4-hour bunny, then slowed & just enjoyed the ride. No PR plan, too many runners for an amazing finish – photo journaling today’s adventure.

Blue mile, mile 12. Pics of fallen soldiers, both sides of our path. Every 10 feet a photo, another soldier – FOR AN ENTIRE MILE. Female runner stopped ahead, talking to a placard. Husband, brother? Haven’t teared/outwardly lost it since St Jude’s. Important to remember, be thankful for our freedom.

Regrouped at the Half (meds, hydration). Goodbye Virginia, hello DC. And the tour began…

Washington Monument. On my right, thru the trees, straight ahead, then ran the field surrounding. Museum of Natural History. U.S. Capitol Building. Senate, House of Representatives. Sooooo many selfies. LOL> Never realized we would pass so close.

My run, my day. Same medal whether I four-hour finish or 4:30 end 🙂

Revolutionary Washington on horseback stared across the National Mall – at HIS Monument/pillar of remembrance. Few minutes outside Smithsonian Castle. Another selfie. More water.

Skies greyed, wind gusted, insta-chilled from early marathon moisture. East Coast humid. Marker 25: one last selfie, one last Marine Corps ‘Oorah’ – military FINISH 15 minutes later.

Marathon 133, 28^thFINISH of 2018. THANKFUL, prayerful, USA PROUD 🇺🇸

Results from the 43rd Marine Corps Marathon

K R Haga   BIB 15357   Louisville, CO   04:35:16

HALF   02:04:05

30K 03:11:52

FINISH   04:35:16

START TIME 07:57:29 AM

TEMPERATURE 59 °F | 15 °C

HUMIDITY 91%

: Saturday Expo

: DC run tour 🙂

: Museum of Natural History

: Capitol selfie

: Smithsonian Castle

: OORAH!

: military FINISH

: Marine Corps War Memorial

: PROUD American

Marine Corps Marathon

Posted in Marathons/Ultras, Northeast | Tagged capitol-domes, museo | Leave a comment

Atlantic City Marathon

Published October 21, 2018

Late wake-up, late marathon START. That time of year: less sunlight, cooler temps. 8am guns ok & not get heat-walloped by race end. Nite sleeps just 500ft from today’s FINISH banner, plenty of time for pre-race breakfast. A new era. Oatmeal, fresh fruit – nothing crazy, but 100% not my pre-race norm.

Expecting sunshine later but strong winds gusting off the Atlantic this day. Overcast & breezy. Mighty nice ocean view though 😊 Burrito-wrapped in last weekend’s mylar throwaway (PEI), wait/waiting to run.

Good headspace. Diet on point, training miles logged. Boardwalk run.

Would collect almost all Monopoly pieces over 26 miles. Couldn’t help [but] think of Ash; she’s collected different board versions since childhood. Classic Monopoly today – would tag all properties but the railroads. Tourist shops, food trucks, casinos – but NO RAIL (no B&O, no Reading) on AC’s boardwalk.

North toward Hard Rock, combined Half & FULL Start. Wider Boardwalk passage than most asphalt routes. Notta lotta pedestrians. Sunday morning early; still sleeping off the effects of a hard casino night.

First 2 miles Board, before pushing west into Atlantic City. Would rejoin AC’s famous landmark at marker 8, last 5 miles of Halfers’ journey to Bally’s & Caesar’s – day’s FINISH ticker. FULL runners veered left of the shoot, continued our trek south – collecting the yellow properties: Ventnor, Atlantic, Marvin Gardens.

Cold, strong headwind. RAW. Regrouped at 14. Thankful for my Twin Cities glove swag, lotta use past 3 weeks. Caught appreciated windbreak on a 5-mile subdivision loop thru Ventnor City. Boardwalk last 4 miles. Legs tired but wind at my back. Walk, jog. Push, push, push. Ran mile 23. Walk/jogged 24, ran in the last mile. Course lined with tourists, amused by the action, grabbing a morning coffee/breakfast bagel.

Boy’s on a tear. Not as fast as last Sunday, but darn close – 2^nd best of 2018. Work put in, good consistent results. Another bonus to a four hour marathon? No begging for a post-run shower. 2 hours to Newark, FOOD, 4 ½ hour flight home.

Tomorrow: Monday, Monday – but today, a 4:13 finish. FAAAANNTASTIC!

2018 AmeriHealth NJ Atlantic City Marathon & Half Marathon

October 21, 2018 Results presented by AC Marathon Race Series and timed by SVE Timing Mid-Atlantic

Bib Name Division Chip Elapsed City

1237 KEENAN HAGA MARATHON 04:13:19 LOUISVILLE