Columbus Day came and went, and it was awesome. We just had terrific family time and wonderful weather for the most part. It made me so happy with my little family unit (spitx3). Here's the breakdown on how we spent my favorite weekend of the year.
On Saturday, it did rain most of the day, but it actually was nice to just relax and not feel pressured to go outside and play. We hung out in the morning, and then I took Deke and Fletch to the Army Ten Miler expo to pick up my race bib. When we got home, Fletch went to his first Cub Scout meeting--a hike at Huntley Meadows. Isn't he an adorable scout?
He had a great time, and I think it will be a terrific activity for him.
On Sunday, the weather cleared just in time for me to run one of my best races ever. In all my running years here in DC, I had never done the Army Ten Miler. I signed up in 2001 but it was cancelled that year due to September 11. Eric unfortunately couldn't run it this year because his knee is still giving him trouble, so I left him and the kids at home, assuming they'd just hang out, maybe go to Costco--the usual Sunday thing.
The rain stopped just before race time, it was gorgeous out. Chilly but not too cold and the sun was shining by the time I hit mile 2. At mile 3, I was running toward Foggy Bottom and saw a dad holding a "Run Mommy Run" sign, and thought about how great it would be to see the kids but also understood that it's a huge hassle for Eric to get down to the course. About two minutes later, I saw a cute little boy standing on the sidewalk and thought, "That kid looks a lot like Deke." Thirty seconds later, I was hugging my lovebugs and nearly in tears at seeing the three of them, Eric, and his mom out there cheering me on. I could cry again right now just thinking about how happy it made me.
The rest of the race was so great. I was running way faster than I've gone in a long time, and enjoyed every step of the way. It definitely felt like old times when I used to think running a race this distance was "only 10 miles" versus earlier this year when 10 miles seemed like such a hurdle. Even the 14th Street Bridge was a piece of cake, although it helped to have done that during so many marathons so I knew what to expect.
I finished the race with an awesome (for me) time, and was so happy that I did it.
After the race, I came home (with some challenges due to problems at the parking garage), and later in the afternoon, we carried on the annual tradition of getting pumpkins on Columbus Day weekend.
We hit Wegman's after for the kids to eat dinner because we were too pooped to cook. After the kids went to bed, Eric and I "enjoyed" the debate. Really, it was a perfect day all around.
On Monday, I had to work. Deke spent the day with Eric's mom, while Eric, Piper, and Fletch were home improvement superheroes and got a ton of projects done. I really couldn't get over all of their hard work--painting the stairs, the fence, and the mailbox post; trimming the bushes, etc.
Piper and Fletch also left some master pieces in the driveway.
The house looked spectacular when I came home. Little hands get things done fast.
That was it for the weekend. Relaxation, running, pumpkins, beautiful weather, beautiful house, cute kids, and sweet husband. Pretty much my perfect weekend with the family.
