Washington is definitely one of America's most beautiful cities and on Sunday morning, April 7th, I was reminded of that.
I ran in the Cherry Blossom 10 miler which began at the Washington Monument, over Memorial Bridge to Arlington, past the Lincoln Memorial, Kennedy Center, MLK memorial, Jefferson Memorial and all along the Potomac River and Tidal Basin.
It was a glorious day and I was shooting for a time of 90 minutes. Inspired by the weather, the crowds, and adrenaline, I managed to complete the course in 1 hour 24 minutes, so I was thrilled. I was even more excited that I ran the 2nd 5 miles at a faster rate than the first 5. (For details, see JEREMY EPSTEIN Results:)
All of those mornings running in the freezing weather had paid off. It's great when hard work does that.
There's something special about races (and I don't do that many), but I love the camraderie of the runners and I love the random kindness of the audience.
People will read your running bib and yell "Way to go, Jeremy!" and it's fun. The signs are great too, such as "Hey Random Stranger, I'm proud of you!" and the folks who were (unofficially) handing out Oreos and Beer.
A big thanks goes out to my friend, Dr. David Taragin (some ppl think he is Will Farrell's doppelganger) for the VIP parking and access to the medical tent for safekeeping of my belongings.
It's a great event, a great way to spend a Sunday morning, and a great way to appreciate the beauty of the Nation's Capital