Please pass the crab cakes

Tonight's Tuesday night run was pretty uneventful. After a long day at work, logging 4 miles can be tough. The humidity still makes running a challenge.

There were a number of folks running tonight --- including some folks I have never seen before. Looks like folks are participating in the Tuesday night run now that we are meeting at Iwo Jima.
We did the same 4-mile loop as last week --- Iwo Jima, Lincoln Memorial, Georgetown and back to Iwo Jima. Apparently, this is the official Tuesday run. I hope I don't get bored with the loop.

I felt a bit lethargic tonight, but was surprised that my time wasn't as bad as I expected it to be. My pacing buddy was running injured tonight (she had a bad fall earlier in the week) so we ended up getting separated once we crossed the Memorial Bridge. I ended up running alone for the majority of the mileage...which made it pretty boring.
Without someone to chat with, I had a bunch of time to think or zone out. I realized that I probably need to sleep more, drink more water and likely rethink going to the gym on Monday's. It's tough to do weights and then turn around and run on Tuesdays. Maybe I'll try and move the gym to Thursday's instead.

A few observations from tonight's run:

• Bikinis on the Mall: I noticed that the volleyball courts by the Reflecting Pool were packed tonight. I'm all for getting into your sport with all the right gear, but I thought it was odd that there was a girl in a bikini playing volleyball. Doesn't she know that this is DC...not Southern Cal or Miami? Very strange.
• Ready for my close-up: I'm sure I look like a disaster when I run --- messy stride, sweating, hair flying, visor/hat etc. As I pass other runners I notice that they either are a bit of a mess like me or super-sporty. Given what I am used to seeing, I was surprised when I saw a girl running down the trail who was stylized as if she was filming a sports apparel ad --- cute outfit, effortless stride, no sweat and gorgeous blown-out hair cascading down her back. It was quite impressive. I had to give her a nod as we crossed paths.

• Pass the crab cakes: It was quite an experience running along the Georgetown waterfront as the bars and restaurants were filled with folks taking in the last days of summer. The smell of crab cakes and cigars were overwhelming.