Hello everyone! How was your weekend? We stayed in town and had a wonderful time catching up with friends and family, plus I enjoyed a long group run with some great buddies.
On Friday night we brought dinner to our friends Kathleen and Zach to meet their one-month-old son. I prepared my favorite Mexican Lasagna at home so I could simply pop it into their oven when we arrived—hot, fresh, and low-maintenance. Our friend Sarah also brought a tasty salad, which paired perfectly. I didn’t take photos during the visit because I didn’t want to interrupt the evening, but it was lovely to see everyone.
Saturday morning Matt and I slept in—such a treat. For breakfast I made a flour-free protein pancake and spent a little time with the Washington Post travel section. An article about ziplining between treehouses in Laos made me want to book a trip right away.
I treated myself to a noon yoga class at my favorite studio, then ran errands for the rest of the afternoon. That evening we had a special plan: dinner with friends followed by a West Wing tour of the White House.
We dined at Central, where I started with beets and enjoyed lamb chops and a glass of red wine. It was delicious.
Here’s the group before heading over to the White House:
Our friend Steve, shown on the far right, is one of the domestic speechwriters for President Obama and was able to arrange a tour of the West Wing for us, including the Oval Office. It was a memorable experience.
Photos aren’t allowed inside except in the press briefing room, so here’s one from there. It’s much smaller in person than it appears on TV.
And here’s the group outside—huge thanks to Steve for organizing this special night!
It was wonderful to reconnect with friends who now have kids—we don’t often get much adult-only time, so this was a real treat.
Sunday started early with a long run. Saturday’s wine and late bedtime made it a little rough, but I was excited to run with friends instead of solo. My track buddies Diane, Paul, Josh, and Craig were doing their final long run before the Chicago Marathon, and since I had already done 20 miles earlier in the week my coach cleared me to run about 14 miles with them.
Running the long miles with company was fantastic—I’d forgotten how much more fun long runs can be when you have people to chat with. The weather was cool and very humid, which felt more comfortable than blazing sun. We looped around the National Mall and tried to head to the Tidal Basin but encountered unusual flooding.
We spent several miles on Hains Point, which was blocked to cars and perfect for maintaining marathon goal pace. I picked up the pace for three faster miles at about an 8:45 min/mile effort. We regrouped afterward and finished strong.
We overshot a bit and finished 15 miles instead of 14, which fit perfectly within my coach’s suggested 14–16 mile range.
After the run I refueled with snacks and a latte, showered, and then Matt and I drove to Old Town Alexandria for brunch with friends Lauren and Carl to meet their eight-week-old baby. We ate at Virtue, Feed, and Grain. The cheesy egg, bacon, and potato skillet was delicious and a side salad provided some extra veggies.
Later we joined my aunt’s belated birthday celebration—there was cake, of course. That evening we kept it low-key with Sweetgreen for dinner and tidied up at home while I packed for an early flight the next morning. I’m currently on a quick overnight trip to Chicago and will share a recap soon.
Wishing you a great day!
What was the most fun workout you did this weekend, and what was the best thing you ate?
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- How to Eat for Running: Top 5 Nutrition Mistakes Made by Runners
- How to Fuel for a Marathon or Half Marathon
- First Marathon Training Reflections
- Running Nutrition Q&A Myth Busting
- Want to become a runner? This post is for you.