I hope you guys aren’t tired of seeing photos of my early morning running adventures around D.C. yet, because yesterday morning, my run was interrupted with this absolutely stunning view:
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It’s so pretty it almost looks fake, right?
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Well, it wasn’t fake and it sure made getting out of bed worthwhile.
My running buddy Mary and I met up in the dark at 6:15 a.m., ready to tackle 7 miles (and by ready to tackle, I mean wishing we were still in bed).
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We could tell it was going to be a really pretty, clear morning, so we headed down towards the Key Bridge – it’s one of the best seats in the house for the rising sun in DC.
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From there, we ran through a sleepy Georgetown:
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And down along the water towards Memorial Bridge. This photo below is one of my favorites of the morning – how cool is the combination of the huge moon, the lights from the Key Bridge reflecting on the water, and the kayakers? It took my breath away.
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We stopped for a quick photo along the water:
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And then we ran over Memorial Bridge and down onto the Mt. Vernon Trail along the Potomac. By then, the sun was just starting to come out to play behind the monuments across the river.
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We didn’t think we would hit 7 miles with the loop we did, so we added on a fun trail loop lap around Roosevelt Island.
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I hadn’t been on here in way too long – so pretty!
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When we started making our way back up the hill of death leaving Rosslyn, we discovered that we’d overshot our distance. Oops! 8 miles instead of 7? Sure, why not. Image may be NSFW.
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Last week I ended a run a mile early because I really wasn’t feeling it, so I guess this evens it out!
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Splits:
- Mile 1: 9:12
- Mile 2: 8:12
- Mile 3: 8:45
- Mile 4: 8:52
- Mile 5: 8:51
- Mile 6: 9:11
- Mile 7: 9:14
- Mile 8: 9:11
I was pretty pumped about our pace for the last mile on that big hill! It was ROUGHHHH but we pushed through it. Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view. Thanks for the awesome run, Mary!
And now, I have a fun weekend ahead because tomorrow is my birthday! I’ll be turning the big 3-1. The celebrations started last night – my mom and I had a ladies night out at Sea Catch in Georgetown.
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On beautiful nights like last night, their outdoor patio is amazing. It’s overlooking the canal in Georgetown so it’s nice and secluded and has beautiful views.
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I didn’t get pictures of the rest of dinner since it was dark out, but I started with the oysters, my mom and I shared a really tasty salad, and then I had the crab cakes as my entrée. Sea Catch is my favorite place for crab cakes in DC – they are all crab, almost no filler! (By the way – I recently updated my FAQ page with a more extensive list of my favorite restaurants in DC and VA, if you’re interested!) Thanks for the dinner date, Mom! Image may be NSFW.
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On the docket for the rest of the weekend is a fun birthday dinner out with friends tonight, a day of outdoorsy adventures with Matt tomorrow… aaaand a 19 mile run on Sunday for marathon training. Eek!
Have a great weekend, my friends! Image may be NSFW.
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p.s. I updated the Jamba Juice/Quaker giveaway post with the winner – the winning comment is pictured at the end of the post. Go see if it’s you! Image may be NSFW.
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The Most Beautiful Running Sunrise Yet & Early Birthday Celebrations originally appeared on fANNEtastic food on September 20, 2013.
The post The Most Beautiful Running Sunrise Yet & Early Birthday Celebrations appeared first on fANNEtastic food.