MLK, maps and weeds.

I spoke with Paul, my running coach, this weekend to figure out how to train with the new nursing schedule. I’m not sure what I’m even training for anymore, I haven’t run a race in so long.  I haven’t even really strung together a good bit of training for months.  I’ve been hamstrung by my hamstring since the beginning of the year, everything about myself is getting older, and summer is my least favorite season to train and now I’m busier.  But we’ll see.  There is a plan.  haha.  There is always plan!

I went for my regular weekend run on Sunday down at the national mall.  The local orienteering club was hosting an urban orienteering event starting at 9 am.  I was reluctant to go because, omg, it was going to be hot. And it was hot and a lot of it was a slog, but the last bit around the tidal basin when I was running through the MLK and the FDR memorials full of tourists was surprisingly moving for me.  I felt good striding through the paths, seeing all the people visiting DC and feeling more hopeful than I have in a while.

It was a super efficient run in terms of sightseeing.  I loved it!  A bunch of museums & little gardens, the Washington monument, the Vietnam memorial, the Korean War memorial, the WWII memorial, bumped into Einstein, MLK, FDR & Jefferson.  A bit over 7 miles, all under 2 hours.

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I had, on this running adventure, managed to find myself off of the printed orienteering map, so I pulled out my phone to figure out where I was and this park ranger was like – are you using MapQuest?  you can’t use MapQuest!  you need a real map! and handed me a NPS map and proceeded to teach me how to use it.  I couldn’t bring myself to tell him I was actually doing an activity that required me to use a map, so I listened to him show me how to orient the map to the surroundings and then to keep the water to my left to find my way back to my car.  He was very enthusiastic.  Hooray for park rangers!  He reminded me to drink plenty of water.

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out of a mountain of despair a stone of hope.  -mlk

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After I got home on Sunday, Vince and Jeremy went to my parents’ house to weed.

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It was weedy and still very hot.

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In an unusual mood, Jeremy mowed the lawn and even edged it.  Crazy.  And he weeded the flower bed too.

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Vince made a rare appearance at Sunday night dinner.

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