Finally. After years of trying for the Tiffany's finishers necklace, I'm finally the proud owner of one. I earned it, not running the half in San Francisco, but running the inaugural Nike Women's Half Marathon DC.
Having run around much of the DC area, I was pleased with the course. It was really quite nice.
There were some stretches on highway on or off ramps that I could have done without, as well as other long stretches without much shade. But, for someone who started out as a skeptic, I was pleasantly surprised by how well run the race was. My biggest complaint was that finishers' shirts were not going to be given out until you actually finished the race. To me this screamed, horrible backlog as soon as you crossed. It wasn't the case. There was a bit of a line, but I still got through in about 7 mins. The race had plenty of water stops and even (smartly) had shot blocks in groups of three, rather than gu. (YAY!!)
Like any Nike race, it was crowded. For TG and I, the race didn't really thin out until around mile 11/12.
There were some unique touches. They had a collage of every runners name made that lined the side of Barnes and Noble on Thomas Jefferson. So I also had a very valid excuse for stopping in to Baked & Wired. I found TG and XO's name, as well as yours truly on the mural.
The best part of the race was crossing the finish line, seeing the young ROTC cadets in their tuxedos and silver trays with blue Tiffany boxes. The necklace was pretty, and it's a "medal" I'll wear. But as always, it was fun to run with TG, even if I held her back, and catch up. And of course, have post-race drinks.
I finished the race in 2:21:07. Not bad, considering how little training I actually did for the race.
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