On a chilly Saturday morning, with the sun just peeping over the horizon, Team Tutu - T, E, and I - stepped out of the Armory and followed the crowd to the start line. We had two minutes to get there, but we weren't alone. There were large crowds still exiting from the metro and lines snaking up stairs and along the gymnasium floor for the bathrooms. No one was making a mad dash for the start. For us, this was a good thing. We were in corral 8 and it took about 15 minutes for that corral to hit the start line.
As we crossed the start line, the announcer identified us as Team Tutu, and I have had to admit I liked that moniker.
We signed up for the race and ran it dressed as we did because it was cheaper and less time consuming than the Disney Princess Half. I hadn't realized how many people would cheer you on if you put on a tutu and a tiara. It was great! We got a lot of compliments on the tutus from spectators, although some people thought we were princesses, most people thought we were ballerinas. I think it was from all the recent movies involving ballet -- okay, so it's only really two, but one was an Oscar winner. It also means people on the course looking for you, can usually find you. Wearing a tutu, you tend to stand out in a sea of shorts and running tights. The outfits also generated comments from fellow runners. In fact, one woman told us we'd love the Disney Princess Half (but I don't think we'd be the only ones wearing tutus for that race). One guy who ran, who I shall refer to as Lululemon man -- and I think from the picture you an see why, was incredibly supportive. 
He told me I should check out Half Fanatics. While I do have a lot of halfs lined up, this was coming from a guy who was running the full marathon and then planned to hop on a plane at 3pm and run a full marathon on Sunday in New Mexico. I might not actually qualify as a fanatic. Even better, he passed us on the course and then he passed us again. The only difference was the second time, he was chomping on an Egg McMuffin. Yep, he pulled off the course to get some breakfast! This is my kind of runner and my kind of fuel for a run!
Running with a group is different. As you know from Austin, I have been known to pull away when things are slow. But I was recovering from a cold and I liked the idea of a nice, leisurely run. This fit the bill.
All three of us were recovering from something and the course was probably a bit more challenging than we had anticipated, particularly for T and I who run in DC all the time. I guess we really do tend to stay on the flatter portions of DC. But it was nice to feel a part of something and cross the line with a group. Now that I reflect on it, even when I run with friends in a race, we tend to cross separately because running is a solitary sport for me and I'm a slow runner compared to my friends. Also, at the end, people (meaning not me) like to sprint. My race time was the slowest of the year. Granted it is only March, but I do need to step it up, however, if I want to break 4:30 at the NYC Marathon.Next weekend is my two-fer Half Marathon Weekend.
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