I did it!!! I ran my first race!!! I’m sooooooooo happy!!!

Saturday morning I met my friend Suzie in Bethesda. We drove to the Building Museum to pick up our race packets. We got our t-shirts and bibs. We also spent some time looking at running shirts, socks, and gathered some information about other races around the country. Suzie bought a stick to massage her legs. She also got some great shirts that said “Will run for wine,” and such. After we grabbed lunch, I rushed to work.

I had to work late Saturday night. Well, I didn’t have to, but I was really interested in my story and wanted to spend extra time making it look perfect. Plus, it’s the longest story I’ve done at WUSA 9 to date (at 1:45). I left work feeling very proud of my story.

I got home after midnight. I started to freak out. I was tired, nervous, and hadn’t even had time to look at my race packet. The stress set in. I hurriedly got ready for bed. I felt there was no time to do anything. I set my alarms for 5 a.m. and shuddered at the fact I could only get a few hours to sleep. I just wanted my race to be perfect.

Luckily, Patrick slowed me down. I asked him how he felt the night before his marathon. He said he felt the same way. Nervous– like there’s something important we forgot to do. He told me to spend a few minutes reading my race packet. I was glad I did. I realized it didn’t say anything I didn’t already know. So I could rest easy.

My alarm went off at 5 a.m. I didn’t want to go. I wanted to quit and ignore all my training. But when I started to put on my race outfit (my favorite workout shirt) I got excited. I couldn’t wait. I had Patrick take some pictures of me and then we headed to the Rockville Metro to meet Suzie.

The Metro opened at 5 a.m. for the race, and the trains were packed. We got off at the Smithsonian exit and followed the crowds of people toward the starting point. By that time, I had to use the restroom. The lines to the port-a-potties was over an hour long. There was no way I would be able to get in there and get to the starting line in time. So, I just held it, (I know, I know– way too much information).

I lined up with the Red Wave, and was soon running with the pack. Well, not really running with the pack. Everyone was passing me up like I was standing still. I tried running as fast as I could without going too fast. But it wasn’t enough. Why was this happening?

It took me about three miles to realize the Red Wave was for people running 9-minute miles. Um… I was running 11-minute miles. I miscalculated my running speed and was nearly getting trampled over. It took more than five miles before people with my pace caught up with me. Until mile five, I hadn’t passed anyone.

At mile seven, my tummy started hurting. It was because I didn’t have a chance to use the restroom earlier. I realized I would have to stop and use a johnny-on-the-spot. I lost nearly four minutes. But it was worth it. I was able to up my pacing. I took two water breaks and a Gatorade break. But the two miles felt impossible.

I was happy to hear the sound of cow bells. Some of the spectators brought them, and signs. Most were for specific runners, but a few of the people cheered on all the runners. They brought tears to my eyes. Every time I felt I couldn’t run one more step, I would look up at one of these people and make eye contact. They would say, “Keep going!” “You’re almost there!” “You can do it!” It made me feel like I could.

I wanted so bad to stop and walk, but I didn’t want to disappoint those cheering me on. It was tough. Right after I passed mile nine, there were people handing out little cups of beer. One woman shouted, “You need carbs!” Yes, yes I did need some carbs. The beer tasted horrible, but it gave me a boost.

The last mile was the hardest. I kept looking for the finish line, but it felt like it would never come. I thought to myself, “I’ll never do this again. What was I thinking?” Finally, I rounded a corner and saw it. A huge black and pink sign with tons of people. It was the finish line. I was so proud to have made it to the end.

I crossed it and took a look at my watch. I ran the 10-miles in 1:46:21. For me, that’s a great time– faster than 11-minute miles. I proceeded to walk and started searching for water. Not to long after, I found Patrick. He took some great pictures of me in front of the Washington Monument.

Soon after, I needed to replenish. I had a couple bananas and then we went to Chop’t in Chinatown. I had a huge salad. Then, we went back into the Cherry Blossom craziness. We walked from the National Mall to the Jefferson Memorial. We had never seen so many people at our favorite monument. We enjoyed ourselves and took a bunch of pictures. The best part? A vendor was selling roasted nuts. I was in heaven!

We rode the Metro home and took some time getting ready for our big dinner. Patrick took me to The Melting Pot to celebrate. We spent more than three hours enjoying Wisconsin cheese, our salads, lobster and meat, and then… and then… White chocolate with strawberries, marshmallows, and cheesecake. It was incredible. We got home around 9:30 p.m. and just crashed.

I had Monday off, so I slept in and relaxed. The running coupled with the relaxing and satisfying meal left me feeling amazing. I had no stress– no worries. It felt like all the toxins were out of my body. I spent the day cleaning the apartment and calling up friends and family to tell them about the race.

I’m still very proud of myself for finishing my first race. Now I’m looking at other races to train for. I’m still on my runner’s high and all I want to do is run, run, and run. And then go to Melting Pot!

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My mommy came to visit me! Patrick went home to St. Louis for his Easter, and my mom flew here. I hadn’t seen her since December. The first thing I did is make a huge dinner. Mom and I had taco night, complete with “Spicy,” and “Hot” plates, and my famous home-made guac. Here’s what we did the rest of the weekend:

Saturday: In the morning we went to the Capital Crescent Trail so I could run three miles. Then we went to the Dancing Crab! (See the photos!)

Sunday: We went to Georgetown and strolled around the shops. We ate at Martin’s and went to a vintage store (where I got a flapper dress). 

Monday: We went to the Capital Crescent Trail earlly in the morning. My mom took her sketchpad and I ran eight miles. After that, Mom insisted I get some things done. So we went to Saturn to get my oil changed. After that we went back to the apartment and packed up. At the airport, we ate at Friday’s. I was sad to see my mom have to go home, but I really enjoyed spending a few days with her.

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Patrick, Rob and I went to a three-hour bartending class today at the Professional Bartending School in Arlington, Virginia. We went with the Things To Do DC group. Our instructor, Tim, taught us about the history of Highball Drinks (how it started in the 1800s with the railroad), how to mix properly, how to garnish drinks, and how to pour (which is a fun science).

I have to admit… I’m a novice to this. The entire process of making a drink has always been a mystery to me, and anytime I’ve tried to make one on my own, it gets poured out immediately (it just tastes awful!) So this is my chance to learn. The only problem– we were learning with water and food dye. There was no way to taste and make sure we made the drinks properly. Even so, it was great practice. I’m actually comfortable behind the bar! (At least when there’s no alcohol or drunks!)

The best piece of advice I got was the four-second rule. There’s an ounce of liquor poured into each drink, and you can usually get the proper amount by turning the bottle completely upside down and counting 1… 2… 3… 4.

Tips and Tricks

Highball Drinks:
-Fill a highball glass with ice
-Pour one ounce of liquor (by tipping the bottle upside down and counting to four)
-Fill with mix
-Put on some garnish
Popular Highballers: Rum and Coke, Cape Codder (which I’ve never tried), Bay Breeze, Woo Woo (the first I’ve heard of this), and Tequila Sunrise (my first drink ever!)

Rocks (Liquor/Liqueur) Drinks:
-Always prepare these on the rocks, unless “straight up”
-Mix in a Mixing Cup with Ice
-Pour into a cocktail Glass
Popular Rocks: Black Russian (Yuck!), Rusty Nail, Vodka Gimlet, Kamikaze Cocktail (very, very good)

Sour Mix Drinks:
-Base ingredient in all sours is Sour Mix
-Use a mixing glass and add ice
-Talls have soda added
-Serve in tall glasses
-Almost always include a garnish
Popular Sours: Tom Collins (I’ve never tried), Margarita, Whiskey Sour, Blue Hawaiian

Martinis and Manhattans
-Always ask someone how they want their drink
-Always pour Vermouth first, then liquor, and stir with a long bar spoon.
Popular Martinis and Manhattans: Vodka Martini (including the James Bond– Shaken, not Stirred!) Manhattan, Cosmopolitan (for us Sex and the City fans), and Sour Apple Martini

Shooters
-Add Ice to Mixing Cup
-Add Ingredients
-Swirl, Strain and Pour.
-Nothing fancy… these are fast drinks
Popular Shooters: Um… well… these all have nasty names, so I can’t repeat them. Sorry!

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My good friend Angie Goff (@ohmygoff) celebrated her birthday at the Four Seasons in NW DC Tuesday. I think this was her 14th party of the week (all birthday celebrations)– just kidding. (Here’s Angie’s blog and pics from her party!) But when you have thousands of friends like Angie does, you have to share the love.

Kristin Fisher (@kristinfisher) and I went together and hung out with the WUSA9 gang. I also caught up with and met new friends. It was great talking with Mark Drapeau (@cheeky_geeky) and John-Michael Scott (@xylus). I was also introduced to the exciting world of nano-technology by Marlowe Epstein (@marlowemayfield ).

Check out our party pics:

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I’ve finally experienced the Wharf. (That’s fish market to us Midwesterners). I wanted to go there ever since I discovered it the day before while shooting a package about the nice weather. I took Patrick there as a surprise Sunday afternoon. It was packed. Unexpectedly, it did not smell even when we got close to the fish.

We walked around for about 30 minutes. This was the first time we had ever been to a fish market like this. We didn’t know exactly what to do. People were buying tons of snow crab legs, shrimp, and clams. There was also a bunch of regular fish like tilapia, flounder, and red snapper. There were also some unique sea creatures like octopus and shark. I wasn’t ready to try to cook any of that just yet.

The day before, I had seen a bunch of crab. I wanted to try to cook it, so I read up on it. It seemed easy to simply steam it and then cut it open. I had made up my mind. We also bought a pound of large tiger shrimp and two enormous lobster shrimp.

When it came time to get our crab, we had a bunch of choices. I wanted to try blue crab– I was hoping it would be Maryland blue crab. I only saw two vendors still selling it. One sold cooked crab, the other had live crabs. I decided to opt for ones that were still alive.

The line was sooooo long! It wrapped around another vendor’s booth. We waited in line for an hour, and several times an off-duty cop (directing traffic) came over to tell us the vendor didn’t have enough crab. No one listened. We all just waited. Finally, we were getting close and the crabs were getting scarce. But I was confident. After all, I just wanted two. One for me, and one for Patrick to try. But everyone else was buying them by the bushel.

Some guys behind us asked how many we were buying. When I said “two” they looked at me in disbelief. Really? Two? They asked. I told them it was my first time trying this and I just wanted two to keep it simple. They didn’t think the place would sell me just two, and prices started at $65 a dozen.

They offered to sell us two of their crabs if we let them in front of us. No problem. (They weren’t butting, they had waited in line an hour right behind us.) They got their crabs and they gave us three– no charge. That was super nice!

We got the crabs home and I suddenly realized I would have to touch them. It seemed natural to touch them in the fish market, but in my kitchen? No way! What was I thinking??? I could still hear them scuffling around the paper bag.

I asked Patrick to do it for me. He admitted that he was terrified of these live crabs. (He grew up on a farm and was pretty much never exposed to this kind of food. I used to travel to Florida all the time, so this shouldn’t have scared me.) I finally called my mom, and she gave me some encouragement. Patrick held up my camera to record the event.

I dumped them into the boiling water and then started involuntarily screaming when one stuck its claw up and tried to climb out. I couldn’t bare to look at them in the pot. I just tried to find the courage to grab the lid and keep them in there. I was wondering whether crab scream like lobster when boiled, but I didn’t hear anything. It could have been because I was being so loud.

It was a traumatic experience for me– and probably the crabs too. They died hearing me scream. That’s if they can hear. I don’t know.

I felt the same way I feel when I see a spider. Just gross! Finally, they were done. They had turned bright orange. Now, I had to get them out of the pot and pretty much dissect them. I had instructions about how to do it. It was very hard at first, especially when I had to dig out the guts. I felt like I was in science class.

The first crab I totally mutilated. Finally I figured out what I was doing and by the time I took a knife to the last crab, I felt like a pro. They were pretty tasty too. I just didn’t get a whole lot of meat from them. I’ll never be able to criticize the price of crab on a menu again. It’s a lot of hassle for a little crab meat and it sure is expensive.

Looking back, I’m glad I tried it. Now, it doesn’t seem so bad. I may even try it again some day.

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Patrick and I visited the Crime and Punishment Museum on Sunday. It was incredible. America’s Most Wanted is filmed there, so we got to see the studio. My favorite part was the history of crime and punishment. It started in the Medieval era with torture. One device they used was put around the neck, and would force two women to stare at each other until they resolved their argument. There were gruesome pictures of hangings and murders. There were also some bizarre items like the paints John Wayne Gacy used, or pieces of a room once lived in by a notorious Mafia Don. And in the gift shop, you could even buy prisoner art (with the profits helping victims families). I would definitely visit this museum again. Take a look at some of the pictures:

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