It’s been a beautiful week here in DC – perhaps spring is finally upon us! I celebrated with two great runs. The most recent of which was a post-work run yesterday evening with my college friends Sarah and Kathleen!
The last time I ran with these ladies was at the Backyard Burn 5 Mile trail race last month, so it was great to be reunited. 
We had such an awesome run – we met up at 6 p.m. and the weather was still sunny and beautiful. Light spring evenings are the best – I felt so lucky and happy to be outside enjoying it. It felt like it was the middle of the afternoon, not evening!
We ran from Georgetown down along the water:
Past the Lincoln Memorial and down along the reflecting pool trail – love this shot with our shadows:
Up to the Washington Monument, which has some less than beautiful construction going on right now:
Back along the reflecting pool path:
Past Lincoln again:
And along the water back towards Georgetown with some beautiful views of the setting sun to keep us company. In case you’re wondering, I carry my camera in my hand and just hold up my arm and take shots while we run – no stopping necessary! Sometimes they come out blurry but usually it works.
By the time we finished, this was our view:
Running is certainly easier when you get to look at that, huh? I spent the whole run feeling so happy. A sunny night, beautiful views, and chatter with good friends. That’s what life is all about.
We ran the 5 chatty miles in 44:21, for an average pace of 8:51.
Splits:
- Mile 1: 9:02
- Mile 2: 8:46
- Mile 3: 8:37
- Mile 4: 9:00
- Mile 5: 8:53
Thanks for the great run, ladies! We need to make that a regular thing now that the weather and the sun are finally back on our side.
My other great run was on Monday morning. First run of the season that I got to wear shorts!
photo via fANNEtasticfood on Instagram – follow me there!
I wore a long sleeved shirt on top but should have worn a t-shirt – that sun was warm! We did a speedy 6 miles, finishing in 51:20 for an average pace of 8:33 minute miles. Even better because it was a hilly run! The first mile was essentially straight uphill. That meant the last mile was downhill, at least!
- Mile 1: 9:41 (straight uphill)
- Mile 2: 8:30
- Mile 3: 8:23
- Mile 4: 8:32
- Mile 5: 8:39
- Mile 6: 7:32 (downhill!)
I love ending runs on a downhill – you can really light it up and let your legs see how quickly they can carry you to the end. I don’t know if it’s just the weather or what, but I’ve fallen even harder for running this spring than I usually do. Getting pumped for more races coming up this spring! To see a full list of the races I have on the docket this year, check out the “upcoming races” area of my right blog sidebar.
Has spring gotten you more motivated to run, too? Any great runs this week so far to share? Feel free to brag! And if you need some running motivation, check out my Brooks-inspired “Run Happy” board on Pinterest. You’ll be out the door in no time! This pin is my absolute favorite. 
Celebrating Spring with Running originally appeared on fANNEtastic food on April 3, 2013.
The post Celebrating Spring with Running appeared first on fANNEtastic food.