washington DC

Here’s What + Rock ‘n’ Roll USA

| cheriarmour

Don’t you guys worry.  No matter how many times I post on my wedding, how many times I whine about how my throat hurts this week, or how often I blog about my dog, rest absolutely assured that I will never, never forget how and where this started.  And that was a running blog.  That said, if you’ve missed my last few “Here’s What:  What Three Things am I Obsessed With” posts, here they are!

1/31/14

2/7/14

2/14/14

2/21/14

So this week was the week from absolute hell at my real job, and that’s all I will say.  So Happy Friday, beautiful readers!  Now Here’s What Three Things I’m Obsessed with This Week!  

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  • Numero uno is powered by Rock ‘n’ Roll, and yes honey bunnies, I am running the Rock ‘n’ Roll USA 1/2 Marathon, and I couldn’t be more thrilled about it!

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First off, DC is one of my favorite cities in the US, so that certainly doesn’t hurt a race weekend.  Secondly, Rock ‘n’ Roll USA has made some pretty sweet changes this year, a few of which I’ll list for you, real convenient-like!

  1. The 5k.  For folks who feel like they don’t have the time at this point to register for the 1/2 or the full marathon, or for those of you new to what Rock ‘n’ Roll is all about, the 5k will give you a little taste of what Rock ‘n’ Roll does.  At 3.1 gorgeous miles, you’ll still have the cheerleaders and the music to push you along, without necessarily having to commit to a scary distance just yet.
  2. The race is run entirely in the district, which means that you get to run with some amazing monuments as a backdrop.  Seriously, if you’ve never run a race in DC, running with the history of our nation passing you by is a really incredible feeling.
  3. The race is on a Saturday, meaning that it’s not gonna eat up your entire weekend.  And that’s pretty darn cool!

So if you’re interested in signing up, click here.  I will be there, and I will be talking about this race up til the big day, Saturday, March 15th.

  • Speedwork.  I’ve never really put much stock into speedwork before this marathon training (I’m running another Rock ‘n’ Roll in Raleigh in April,) but I’m finding that even though I have to drag myself, kicking and screaming to do it, that once I get started, I love the way I feel, and I totally love the way I feel afterward.  Seriously, I think the endorphins go into overdrive cause I am really, really feeling myself when it’s time to be done with speedwork!
  • Sleep.  I am slightly sick this week, with a little sore throat and some congestion, and all I can think about is sleep.

Early this week at work, I had to go into the utility closet for something, and I fantasized about going all the way to the back of it and napping for a while before my senses took back over.  Sleep, I just wanna hold you.  Mama loves you so much!

Your turn!  What three things are you obsessed with?  

[Full disclosure lady bugs!  I was planning to run Rock ‘n’ Roll USA in prep for April’s marathon, and as a member of the media, I was comped an entry by Rock ‘n’ Roll.  But have no fear because every last opinion is my own, and I will be giving my honest, heartfelt opinion!]

A tale of two cameras.

| cheriarmour

When I decided a few months ago that this blog would be a thing-thing, I also decided that I would need to graduate from taking all my photos on the iPhone, and start taking them on a camera.  Higher quality, and more permanence.

Side note:  I’d really really to get a real camera for the blog, and some real photos taken of me, but we’ll get there when we get there.

So two weeks ago, when I was headed to DC, I begged the husband-to-be to use his camera so I could take a few pictures when I ran up to the Capitol Building and ran around and stuff.  He obliged, but before he handed it to me, he said, “Please make sure I get this back in one piece.”  OF COURSE I will, why would I not bring it back in one piece?!

So I got to DC and was having a great time until the birthday/dinner party.  I asked this guy to take a picture of me and Scott, the host (pictured below)…P1020103

Which he gladly obliged by dropping the camera on the floor.

FACK.

The camera that I’d promised would be returned in one piece was now 100% broken, and I had to figure out how to make it right.

As soon as I got back from DC, I Google it.  Camera was discontinued.  Great.

Plan B.

I logged into my Amazon, and found that there was exactly one of these discontinued cameras left in the right model and right color.  So I bought it and sat in wait.

And waited.  And waited by the window until it arrived yesterday.

“Babe I have to tell you something,” I said.

And I pulled both of these out.

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I explained to him what I’d done, and that in wanting to make it right, I’d ended up replacing the camera.  And luckily for us, the memory card and the batteries were still good, so all of the picture were unharmed.  No harm, no foul, and I’d taken responsibility for what I’d done.

Now your turn!  What’s the most thing you’ve ever lost/broken?

 

 

 

Weekend update! We heart DC!

| cheriarmour

If you’ve been following along about anything here on the blog, you’ll know that I’m absolutely enamored of the District of Columbia.  So best bud Scott invited me up, and Friday, after work, I took off, and made the trip, that was a little over 4 hours.  Not a bad drive, right?

So Friday evening, me and the bestie braved the cold, and met some Elon friends out, and just enjoyed some tasty drinks.

The next day, we braved the cold temps and wind yet again, and hit this spot called Pound the Hill, a coffee bar that turns into a wine bar in the evenings.  We went earlier in the day, so we missed the wine, but enjoyed some ah-mazing treats nonetheless.

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Dear Scott, in front of Pound the Hill in DC.  It’s right next to a yoga studio – how genius is that, right?

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The space is small, but extremely warm!  These DC coffee shops get packed!  Best to get there early, grab a seat, and stay there.

P1020101Menus.  And I spotted Nutella.  Well, say no more, if there’s Nutella involved, I need to taste these.

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A Nutella latte with skim to cut the sweetness!  It was delicious – hot and creamy!

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The holy grail of things to eat!  This sandwich was a Nutella, banana, and honey sandwich.  SO sweet, but good if you’re into that….which I totally am.  If you don’t have a sweet tooth, just skip this one.  But I loved it.

I packed my running clothes.  I have big news, I’m running the Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon on April 13th, and it’s time to up the mileage.  The wind slowed down, and Scott provided me with directions to get to Capitol Hill.  So off I went.  Are you ready for this?

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In one of the greatest cities, in the greatest country in the world, I got to run to the Capital building, peek a few blocks down to see some monuments, and run back.  The run totaled about 4 miles or so, and I didn’t feel too chilly, despite some good wind.

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Next, we hit a birthday party, where the girls based it around the coolest theme.

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So this doesn’t look like a whole lot of pizza right?  Well, that’s because the girls made 5, yes 5 (?!) pizzas, allowed us to taste each one, and then paired each pizza with a beer.  Very cool, and I was impressed by how much DC folks, friend’s of Scott’s were so welcoming and seemed to enjoy meeting me and hearing about what I did.  Seriously, DC folk seem like nice, genuine, kind people.

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And finally folks, no post would be complete without a picture of a pup, right?  This guy, Fitzgerald, was the dog of the house where we were staying.  I’m glad I left little Coco behind – she had not yet received her ThunderShirt, and the long car ride, plus Fitz’s high pitty energy would have freaked her out.  But I’m glad to be home with my lady.

So folks, what did you do this weekend?  Fill me in!

Oh my gosh! I almost forgot!

| cheriarmour

I need to give Nike, the Nike Women’s Marathon, and the Half in DC  some mad mad props.  So, as we crossed the finish line on Pennsylvania Ave, some handsome young men in tuxedos (tuxedos!) handed us our finishers medals, which were those little Tiffany tags.  We moved through a little further into a super efficient system for us to pick up our finisher’s tees.  And the coolest part?  All the vendors that had been crammed into that tiny, miserable expo the day before?  Were set up on this big open park.  Women were getting $10 Paul Mitchell haircuts, which was pretty brillz considering all of our hairs were jacked up from running around for 13 miles.  Nuun was assisting us to slam some Nuun shots to re-hydrate and re-electrolyte.  And the absolute best part was bareMinerals was set up out there.  So I have this disgusting thing that happens where I’ve got salt that cakes on my face after I run.  So this wonderful woman at the bareMinerals tent gave me two pouches of face wash, and lotion, and I was able to wash my face, moisturize, and continue looking as sexy as Beyonce as I continued to find friends who were completing the race.  I’ve never ran a race that was so intentionally thought out, and once again, if you can snag a lottery spot in one of these races, I so encourage you to do so.  They won’t disappoint!