Semper Fi this!

The 30th Anniversary Marine Corps Marathon was...fun. Ha ha, just kidding. After much blogging pressure, I have more. The weekend began with HP03's parent's first Ethiopian meal, which went well. If you've never experienced Ethiopian food, you must go. You can't go wrong eating with your hands. Unfortunately, HP03 was dining dry at Dukem for dinner, which stinks because Ethiopia has this super yummy beer that tastes like honey. "Sleep" had literally been on HP03's calendar since she bought Four Months To a Four Hour Marathon and she held up her end of the bargain on Friday night.

Saturday was team dinner at AV Ristorante Italiano. The thirty minute wait served as a good time to catch up and eat roadside kettle corn. At dinner some guy at the bachelor party at the other table stood up to tell "the best story we've ever heard...." Right. Most build up and worst story ever, but it taught HP03 an important lesson, if you know you're going to be the most obnoxious table in the place, send wine to your neighbors, that way loud stories about desperate dating seem classy. HP01 and HP02 had some tall, dark and handsome eye candy behind them, but HP02 kept her mojo bottled while HP01 did her best to uncork her. Not sure if the ladies noticed, but HP03 would like to point out the severe chest hair on said eye candy. Manscaping anyone?

Race day...thank goodness for daylight savings, sort of. HP03 thought cell phones automatically reset for that sort of thing what with all the satellites and what not, but no. HP03 was up at 5:00 am. She went back to sleep just in time to have SB call to wake her up at 5:20 am. Back to sleep again. At 6:00 am HP03 finally woke up and impressed her parents with her new found morning person persona. SB apparently did not go back to bed at 5:20am, but rather stayed up working on a paper. Crazy grad students.

It was F'ing chilly at 7:00am. SB and HP03 were in the second wave start for the marathon so they were directed to go to the pentagon metro stop and then walk about one mile to the runners' village. When they got to the runners' village at 7:45 they stood in line for the port o'potties for no less than one hour. From there they walked about another mile to the start. 28.2 mile marathon. Awesome.

HP03 and SB had many fans spread across the course -- HP01, HP02, MomB, DadB, Becky, Mandy, Jennifer, Maeve, Dave, Sally, Adam, and Kirsten -- and they all truly made the race. Props to HP01 and HP02 for being ALLLLL OVER THE FREAKING COURSE!!! HP03 and SB fondly recall hearing many a cowbell ring along side the road, but the call of the HP "ayyyy yaaaay yaaaay yaaaaay" confirmed when the cowbell rang for them. HP03 is confident that the other marathoners (as she would like to now be addressed) were impressed with the team call.

There was a super hottie marine water stop, all the water boys were like movie marines. Semper Fi ma'am. I'll see your Semper Fi soldier, and raise you a makeout session in those bushes! HP03 was so impressed that she caught herself looking for someone to celebrate the hotness with. Seeing only her lova' SB she, thankfully, recognized that he may not appreciate the sentiment. Remembering she had a manfriend of her own, she switched to wingman mode (for SB, HP03 is happy to roll as Goose) and wished she carried HP02's card with her! Meeeooow!

HP03 sends big props to her mom for carrying extra goo packets and blocks and for DIVE BOMBING on to the course to hand them off! Total inner cowbell move! Props go to Maeve, for sprinting in front of HP03 and SB snapping photos and sprinting ahead. SB theorizes that it was that pace that allowed her to finish the Boston Marathon in like 15 minutes. And HP03 sends an ayyyy yaaaay yaaaay yaaaaay to the sets of fans who had the signs that said "Run you FOOLS run!" and then later, "Holy shit, you're running a marathon!"

HP03 felt like a grade A badass when she saw HP01 and HP02 and she did the signature jump/prance/spin move and heard someone say "holy shit, that chic is leaping around out there." That's right buddy, I'm an elite athlete. I punch marathons in the face!

HP03 and SB lost each other for a solid ten minutes around mile 23. It was a killer. Super stressful to think that they would not, after all the training and effort to stay in sight on the course, finish together. Both stopped, thinking the other was behind them and they lost at least ten minutes. In what would have been her last ditch effort, HP03 asked a fan is she could use his cell phone to call MIA SB. Bum didn't answer, but he did come running around the corner just as HP03 dialed again. Thanks stranger!

Mile 22-25 HP03's right knee was sure to burst. She had a conversation with herself that if, what she had convinced herself was a tendon, tore open that she would keep running and let it heal later. Can you run with torn things...?

At mile 25 HP03 was so siked up she could have run another 10k. The hill to Iwo Jima, which stood as a giant feat in HP03's mind, was nothing as she all but sprinted up it. HP03 and SB crossed the finish line hand in hand and then were draped with medals, given the "Congratulations Ma'am," and wrapped in camo-burger foil.

While the race start was frustratingly crowded, the MIA moment was stressful, and her time of 04:28:53 was just over her goal, HP03 is happy to report that the training -- a huge undertaking -- was totally worth it. She ran a freaking marathon and loved it!

Lastly, HP03 is very proud of, and thankful to, SB -- who rocks his camo-burger skirt around town.