You heard it here first...."Slogging"

Since our 12k got cancelled this past Saturday, Leo and I decided to go out for a long run.

The idea behind the run was to metro into DC, get off on a stop, then run back to Arlington. This way we couldn't just "turn around" if we were tired. We would have to push ourselves. Good idea, right? Let's just see...

So I tried to put a pic of the route below, but it came out all pixel-ed and crappy. Anyways, we ran from Stadium-Armory to Clarendon (for those of you who aren't lucky enough, the metro stops will mean nothing to you. For those awesome ones that DO live in N.VA, you will totally understand the length). The only rule was "GO THE WHOLE WAY TO CLARENDON!" - don't taxi in (Leo) or metro in (April).

Anyways, we got off at the Stadium-Armory exit (where RFK stadium is...some of you may know this as the spot for Shamrock Fest). And once we figured out the direction of where we were going, we headed off.

Sidenote: don't worry - I had our directions written on my hand, and had also written them out for Leo on some paper (since I KNEW I wouldn't be keeping up with him).

So here's the low-down on the run...or my version of touring DC

Mile 1: We ran/jumped through lots of snow, not the most fun thing to run through. We ran through Eastern Market. I thought about how we stayed in Eastern Market for Obama's inauguration, and had to walk this area...never thought I'd be RUNNING through the area. We ran through the area where Leo bought his Obama hat. When we got to Independence Ave on our right, we got confused because our directions said turn left. So we kept going straight, and then Independence came up on our left. WHEW!
Mile 2: LOTS of fun stuff to see during this mile. I was also surprised that I still had Leo in my sight (as in, I was still running on the same block as he was!). This was probably the best leg of the route.
Mile 3: I lost sight of Leo right before our turn on 14th (about 3.5miles). I was worried I would miss the street, but luckily I didn't!. I got a great feeling when I was running and when I looked to my right was the capital (capitol - I never mastered knowing the difference) building and when I looked to my left was the Washington Monument. Holy Patriotism. Anyways, it was really cool. I ran with a smile for about a block. Then I realized the next turn was K street, and the streets weren't an alphabet letter yet! At the end of this stretch my knee started to hurt, but I wasn't going to stop.
Mile 4: So I realized I ran past G street. "HOW MUCH LONGER TILL K STREET". I couldn't remember the alphabet by this time, and the streets kept switching from a name to a letter so I thought I was going to die before I got to K. This is when I realized how slow I actually was, and coined the term "Slogging" - slow+jogging. When I finally got to K street, I though "Sweet, next up is the Key Bridge then I am HOME FREE" (I was wrong. I needed to get to, and through, Georgetown before I hit the bridge back to VA). When I ran past Archibald's ("premier gentleman's club") I had a little laugh. There were 2 men in suits as bouncers, 2 other men in suits smoking by them, another suited up man at the podium (at the end of the 'entrance carpet'), and the last man in a suit was just walking up to greet the rest of them. It looked like a mob meeting, and not a strip club.
Mile 5: Woo-hoo, I caught up to Leo!! I saw him walking, so I called out to him and caught up. I told him to run till Georgetown then walk, since part of Georgetown is a little uphill. We ran past McFadden's and both had a laugh. Ahh, the memories (or lack thereof). We hit Georgetown, and it was PACKED! I lost Leo quickly due to all the people. I was dodging people, cars, shopping bags, meters, etc.
Mile 6: THE END (for me). By this point I couldn't go on any further with all the people milling around Georgetown and plus my foot was really starting to ache, and my knee wasn't feeling ANY better. I made it through a whole 10k though (6.2 miles) in 1 hour, 10 min (roughly). Crappy time for a 10k though, but whatever. I walked/limped the rest of the way through Georgetown, and across the key bridge to VA.
Mile 7: I limped to the Rosslyn metro, and got on to Clarendon. I didn't sit because I was afraid I would turn into Barney (HIMYM) in the episode where he ran a marathon and I wouldn't be able to move my legs. So I instead stared longingly at all the empty seats around me.
Mile 8: This didn't exist for me, but on this mile, Leo stopped at Rev Cycles to chat with Alex.
Finish (8.7): I walked into O'Sullivans (our meeting spot) to find Leo wasn't there. HE DID THE WHOLE ROUTE! I cheated. UGH! I guess it's not really cheating since I was injured (knee, foot) but I still felt like it. Once Leo got there, I treated him to a beer since he went the whole way.

So, all in all we realized the IDEA of the run was good, BUT we started WAY to far away. If we had started a few stops earlier, then we would have both been a LOT better off. But oh well, the half marathon is a month away and we need to step up our game.

So I checked to see if Slogging was on urban dictionary...and it is. But here's what they have as the top 5 definitions:

Slogging
1. To go out with preset expectations to find the most raunchy, slimy, disgusting, slow, slutty, and hoggish girl (most similar to a slog). This typically is an undertaking performed by less than attractive men who make it a frequent hobby. so pretty much the what the wingman does
2. was the same as above
3. Sloppy snogging. Either while one or both people involved are drunk or just REALLY BAD at kissing and won't let go of your face with their face. snogging is just the British term for making out
4. When a male or a female pursues someone of the opposite sex relentlessly, to a radical extent to establish some sort of intimate relationship though it has been made plainly clear that the relationship is to go nowhere except friends at most. Best associated with crazed ex's who haven't gotten over their ex. kinda just sounds like a crazy ex, or a stalker
5. The process of bending over and drinking directly out of the sink faucet. WAIT, there's a NAME for this? I just call it being lazy and not having a cup handy

- apes -