Towson Town Center's Restaurants

I was invited* to Towson Town Center to take a "tour" of some of their major eateries: TGIF's, P.F. Chang's, Stoney River and The Cheesecake Factory.  Below are some of my thoughts on each place.


Also, Towson Town Center has been having some special events this month, including one on Saturday March 24th from 1-3PM: Cooking Demo and Wine-Pairing Seminar

• Local food and wine expert, Laurie Forster "The Wine Coach," will host a cooking demonstration and wine-pairing seminar.
• Seminars will be held at 1PM, 2PM and 3PM in the Level 1 Grand Court
• Seminars will include table-side sampling (SAMPLES!!!!!), fun raffles, giveaways and retailer offers.

Follow Towson Town on Facebook to keep up with more events.

P.F. Chang's
(Check out my last review of P.F.Chang's from 2009 here)

At P.F.Chang's we were given some items from their Happy Hour menu to try.  Their Happy Hour is Mon-Fri, 3-6pm.  The prices I have included in this section are from that menu.

Chicken Lettuce Wraps 

I hadn't been to a PFC in a while, so I have to admit that I was excited about trying the Chicken Lettuce Wraps ($6) again.  They are still so good.  The chicken concoction mixed with mushrooms and water chestnuts are good alone, but even better when made into a wrap with crisp lettuce.  Yes, of course you can make this at home, but if you're at the mall shopping - this is definitely a nice appetizer to order while sitting at the bar.

Talking about the bar, we tried two specialty cocktails, an Asian Pear Mojito ($6) and a PFX ($6).  The mojito tasted very similar to the regular, but with a slight hint of the pear.  It was nice and crisp.  The PFX is flavored with passionfruit and hardly tasted like there was any alcohol in it, though I am assuming that is a good and bad thing :)  It is supposed to be modeled after the cosmo.  I liked both!

 Crab Wontons

Dan was fan of their Crab Wontons ($5), which are made with a cream cheesy crab filling and served with a plus sauce.  He remarked on how much crab there was in the wontons, and how well they went with the sauce.  If you feel like something fried, and are tired of the ubiquitous eggroll, these might be the thing for you! 

Stoney River

Stoney River also introduced us to some items from their Happy Hour, which takes place from 4-7pm everyday.  There are some seriously good deals:

This menu is solid, especially because it  lasts until 7pm!  It would be so easy to come here for dinner and make a good meal out of these offerings, not to mention with some nice cheap cocktails!  For a drink, ask the bartender to make you a Lemon Iced Tea Cocktail, which is made with Bacardi Limon, lime, sour mix and some iced tea.  If you like Arnold Palmers, this is the drink for you. If you like tea (me), this is for you (me).

We tried and LOVED the Jack Daniel Whiskey Shrimp ($6).  It was so good and SO buttery.  The sauce is made with Jack Daniel's (obv.) and mustard and oh my the little slices of baguettes were just loaded with butter and the sauce and a jumbo shrimp.  Yes please!

We also tried the mountain of Bleu Cheese Chips ($6), and it really was a mountain (though it's hard to tell from this picture). Though blue cheese is not my favorite kind of cheese, once melted it has a mild flavor to it, so I surprisingly didn't mind this at all.  If you love blue cheese, it would be right up your alley, especially because the chips were perfectly crisp and salted. It would be nice if they had other flavors for the non blue cheese lovers.

The Crunchy Ahu Tuna Roll ($7) was also quite tasty, especially when dipped in the accompanying soy ginger sauce.  Sesame seeds and breadcrumbs give the roll its crunchiness.



TGI Friday's

Guinness Stout Milkshake from TGIF (sample size)

There are two new drinks for St. Patrick's Day: the Irish Rita (made with whiskey, sour apple, midori and margarita mix) and the Guinness Stout Milkshake (Guinness with vanilla ice cream and chocolate syrup).  Their Irish Rita was way too sour for my liking, but the Guinness Milkshake was surprisingly tasty, and I don't even like Guinness!

All in all, I am simply not a fan of this place.  The dishes were dirty, the food tasted unhealthy and it's really just not my kind of atmosphere for a restaurant.

Cheesecake Factory
(Check out my review of the Cheesecake Factory in 2008 here)

I am not going to lie, I tried bites of about 12-15 different types of cheesecakes.  This sounds amazing, but after a while I got a bit sick.  THAT'S A LOT OF DAIRY, YOU GUYS!!!!

My personal favorite from the Cheesecake Factory is the Fresh Banana Cream Cheesecake, but of all the ones I tried from that day, I really enjoyed:

• Vanilla Bean cheesecake (layers of vanilla bean cheesecake, vanilla mousse and whipped cream) 
• I liked the simplicity of this, plus it felt light because of the mousse.
• Godiva Chocolate cheesecake (Godiva chocolate cake + Godiva chocolate cheesecake + Chocolate mousse) 
• The addition of cake and mousse in this cheesecake took away the usual heaviness from a chocolate cheesecake.  I loved the rich and dark taste of the chocolate.  
• Dutch Caramel Apple Streusel Cheesecake, pictured (terribly) below (original cheesecake with a TON of baked apples and then topped with some delicious brown sugar walnut streusel topping)  
• I loved this because it was so different.  It tasted more like an apple pie with a little layer of cheesecake.  There's a lot more filling than you would think, which is what really made this cheesecake stand out for me.

The problem is that to get a slice of cheesecake, you have to deal with the outrageous wait for a table because that place is packed ALL THE TIME.  What is up with that?

SUMMARY
The mall is definitely not a place I visit very often, but it was fun to take a tour like this to see the food beyond the food court.  Overall, I loved Stoney River.  Their Happy Hour menu was fun, well-priced and enticing!  I would definitely go back there again! P.F. Chang's happy hour menu was also a great deal, and I especially liked their drinks.  There is no need for me to talk about the appeal of  The Cheesecake Factory, because it's already got that in spades.  TGI Fridays didn't do it for me at all, but you can't win them all!

* I was invited by Towson Town Center, but I was not asked to review, nor was I told what to write.  All opinions are my own (and Dan's!)

Chili's, Outback, and Jamba Juice Coupons

Here are some coupons for some national restaurant chains:

• Chili's
• Get any 2 burgers, 2 large drafts and unlimited fries for $20 with this coupon.  Offer valid until 3/18/2012. 
• Jamba Juice
• Get a sixteen size Fruit and Veggie Smoothie or All Fruit Smoothie for only $2 with this coupon. Offer valid until 3/25/2012
• Outback Steakhouse
• Get $10 off your purchase of any two entrees when you Like Outback on Facebook.  You will have to fill out a brief form and select your local restaurant to get your coupon via email.

Teaism, Penn Quarter, Washington DC

My book club planned to meet at Teaism, a casual self-seating restaurant that has an Asian flare, in DC’s Penn Quarter one Sunday afternoon, which made me very excited about the prospect of having afternoon tea (we all know how much I love those!!!).

Everyday from 2:30-5:30pm, Teaism has the option of ordering the following afternoon teas:

Traditional Menu 20.00
Tea sandwiches, ginger scone, cookies, lime curd tartlets, chocolate truffles, and a pot of tea

Asian Menu 20.00
Rice balls with pickle & sesame, tea cured salmon & nori, tofu with ginger, green tea ice cream, mochi, chocolate truffles, and a pot of tea

Because I am a sucker for tea sandwiches and scones, I had to go with the traditional menu.  In fact, I ended up splitting it with a friend of mine, and we just ordered another pot of tea (I ordered a Keemun black tea, since I know I love that) since the menu only comes with one pot. Sharing was such a great idea since I felt very satiated from my half.

The best part of the menu was their ginger scone, hands down (get the recipe here). If you like ginger, you will love these sweet scones, especially with a little bit of the marmalade. 

I really enjoyed their cucumber sandwiches that were made with rice vinegar.  Their cookies (on the bottom tier) were OK, but I LOVED the mini tart.  

 The truffle tasted like a matcha white chocolate truffle that I was NOT a fan of.  I didn't like the fudgy consistency and I didn't like the super sweet taste either.  The fact that it was green didn't help :)

Some mores notes:

- This is not a traditional tea room, so don't expect unlimited tea or table service like normal.  In fact, don't expect many other people ordering the afternoon tea....
- They don't have descriptions of teas on their menu!  This always bothers me!  I don't know what "Now and Zen" is or "World Peace," for example.
- If you are ordering tea from the small selection on the menu, don't forget to look at the chalkboard around the register - there are more listed there.

Overall, though I enjoyed everything I ate, it really is just the wrong atmosphere for a two-tiered afternoon tea.  I am glad I tried it, but I think next time I would order a pot of tea, some ginger scones and something savory since all the other items that my friends chose looked really good.

Supano's Steakhouse, Inner Harbor

The beautiful large wooden bar is the cornerstone of the restaurant

I was invited* to Supano's, a family-owned Italian restaurant and Steakhouse located on the cobblestoned Water Street in the Inner Harbor.  The restaurant pays homage to the Rat Pack, a theme that permeates the entire restaurant, from the art on the walls, to the music and the menu items.

Supano's won three awards in 2011(Best Baltimore Italian Restaurant from the U.S. Commerce Association; Best Baltimore Steakhouse from The Destination Guide and Award Winning Excellence in Customer Satisfaction from Talk of the Town), so it's quite surprising that not many locals have heard of the place, including myself!  It seems that it definitely is popular with tourists coming from the nearby hotels and from the hotel employees themselves, so says owner Terry Coffman.  Not surprisingly, he wants to get the word out to locals!

So let's get to the dinner review, starting with a couple of appetizers.  

Calamari ($11.95) - The large and crispy calamari were served with an ample amount of marinara sauce.  The breading was good, though the calamari itself was a bit chewy.  A good solid appetizer, though nothing special.

"Babycakes" Crabcakes ($13.95) - This appetizer comes with 2 2oz crabcakes, or "baby cakes." The babycakes were yummy, though a bit buttery, with a lot of jumbo meat and served with a tomato-y tartar sauce.  Overall they were tasty, but for the price, there should have been more, plus I felt like it was haphazardly plated.

We then each got a salad to try (not pictured).  I chose the House Salad with Balsamic Dressing ($9.95) and Dan ordered the Caesar salad ($9.95).  My house salad came with romaine lettuce, tomatoes, carrots, olives, pepperoncini, cucumbers and onions, and the creamy balsamic dressing was sweet yet tangy - a perfect combination all around.  I LOVED this salad and devoured it hungrily.  Dan's Caesar salad, on the other hand, was not a favorite of mine.  The dressing was a bit warm and there was too much olive oil or maybe too little garlic?   We weren't sure, but it didn't have the usual Caesar-y taste.

For our entrees, Dan and I decided to each try one of the restaurant's specialties.  He chose the massive 24oz Porterhouse ($44) and I chose the Meat Lasagna ($15.95) which was labeled as "Baltimore's Best" (though I was torn between that and the Eggplant Parmigiana which was labeled as "World's Best"). 

24oz Porterhouse

One thing that Supano's doesn't add to their menu is the fact that a lot of their beef is USDA Prime.  This is HUGE because it explains the exorbitant (or so it seems) pricing for their steaks.  Dan's Porterhouse was excellent, and he really enjoyed both the Filet Mignon side and the New York strip side (though my favorite was the Filet because it melted in my mouth like butta).  The menu didn't lie about it being 24oz, I mean it was larrrrrrge, but totally manageable :)  The seasoning was simple - salt, pepper and butter butter butter :)

 Meat Lasagna

My meat lasagna, made with thick and chewy pieces of homemade pasta, gloriously oozed cheese with every stab of the fork!  This is just a good old-fashioned lasagna, so get that Italian bread ready for dipping!!  I think it's important to note that I am not a fan of superfluously saying stuff like "Baltimore's Best" or "World's Best" on a menu (unless an item has actually won an award) because it instantly raises  expectations to the point where a diner will only ever be disappointed.  In this case, I expected the lasagna to blow me away, to attack my senses with magical Italian delights, and although I got a really tasty lasagna that was awesome and cheesy, I'm not sure I would call it Baltimore's Best.

Since the lasagna was a generous portion, I packed more than half away for my lunch the next day and proceeded to order dessert!  I HAD to order the profiteroles since that is one of my favorite desserts (OF ALL TIME) and we were told the Tiramisu is a house favorite.

Profiteroles (background) and Tiramisu (foreground)

The profiteroles were served in an unusual way.  For $7.95 you get three cream puffs that are nestled in dark chocolate mousse and white chocolate mousse on the bottom (though it tasted like whipped cream to me and not white chocolate).  This dessert was AMAZING, I loved the mousse so much and the cream puffs were little balls of heaven!  Although it seems like it would be a heavy dessert, it was quite airy and satisfying. YUM.

Dan, on the other hand, couldn't get enough of the tiramisu ($5.95), so it worked out perfectly for the both of us.  The tiramisu was incredibly rich, heavy on the cream with a slight amount of cake.  This is tiramisu for people who don't know they like tiramisu yet.  There wasn't a lot of coffee flavor, just cream cream and more cream!

Here are some other notes about the restaurant:

 

The downstairs bar in the "Man Cave"

• Dan wasn't a fan of the huge screen that plays Frank Sinatra (and probably other Rat Packers) music videos, since it was a bit of a distraction.  I personally didn't mind it so much since I liked the music.
• The bar is GORGEOUS.  We loved the lighting, the style, the wood.  This is the type of bar that you could sit at and order Old Fashioneds the entire night. 
• The service was INCREDIBLE, and no, not just to me - but everyone.  The owner walked to every single table to see how they were doing.  
• There's a "man cave" downstairs that's really neat.  They have a pool table, darts, shuffleboard, a large bar and plenty of seating with a ton of tv's.  I think this would be a great place to watch a game,or come for happy hour after work.
• This restaurant is open until 1:30AM DAILY!!!!  That is INSANE!  You can order from the full restaurant menu, though it does explain why an Italian Steakhouse has quesadillas and buffalo wings on their main menu.  I wish they moved those items to a bar menu though, so it wouldn't cheapen the main dining menu.
• They have karaoke Mon-Fri and live blues and jazz on Friday and Saturday night

Another view of the basement

Though there were a few issues with the food, I hope it isn't condescending to say that this restaurant has so much potential!  The location itself is superb, the feel of the restaurant and layout is gorgeous, and a lot of the dishes was very tasty!  I do think the prices are really high on some of the menu items, though.  If they are going to charge that much, perhaps the upstairs could be more of a formal dining area to make it more appealing, and then the awesome man cave could be less formal with the big screen of Frank Sinatra and the karaoke every night.


* This meal was complimentary, but all opinions and thoughts are my own!

Ra Sushi's Tropical Island-Inspired Cocktails

 Pineapple Express and Bikini Martini

Apart from maybe a gin and tonic, or at THE MOST a margarita, I never make cocktails at home.  I don't  have the ingredients on-hand (as much as I would LOVE to have a bottle of St. Germaine, just because) and in all honesty, I just can't be bothered.  So when I go out to a restaurant and find that they have a fun cocktail menu, I get excited!  I love trying things that I know I will never make for myself at home. 

The newest tropical island-inspired drinks from Ra Sushi are definitely my kind of cocktails (especially the Pineapple Express!).  For $8 each, these cocktails will be available from March 1st-April 30th, or you can make them at home following these recipes!

Pineapple Express
1.25 oz. Kai Young Coconut Shochu
.25 oz. St. Germain Elderflower Liqueur
3 oz. pineapple juice
.25 oz. lemon juice (2 lemons)
Splash of Prosecco
2 Pineapple wedges
Slice of lime

Preparation: Muddle pineapple with St. Germain in mixing tin. Add everything except soda, shake and strain into ice filled glass, top with Prosecco soda, garnish with a slice of pineapple and lime.


Bikini Martini
.75 oz. Kai Young Coconut Shochu
.75 oz. vanilla vodka
1.5 oz. pineapple juice
.5 oz. simple syrup
.25 oz. blue Curacao
Splash of lemon-lime soda
Pineapple wedge for garnish

Preparation: Pour all ingredients into mixing tin with ice. Shake and strain into chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with a pineapple wedge and dash of blue Curacao.

RA Sushi
1390 Lancaster Street, Baltimore

Pinteresting Recipes

I'm not sure I ever mentioned this on the Blog, but my friends and I were featured in a local ABC news segment about Pinterest (see it here).

If you're thinking about using Pinterest for the first time, it's always good to have an idea of what you want to collect.  Are you trying to lose weight and need some fitness tips?  Are you planning a wedding and need some ideas?  Are you about to have a baby and don't know how to design your nursery?  All these are reasons to start browsing Pinterest and adding things to your "Board" - or basically your page.

I use Pinterest for many things, including these incredible gems: I Love Tea and Coffee and I Love British Things, and of course recipes.  However, I started to notice that it was just another place for me to store my recipes, and since I already have a problem with that, I decided I needed to start making it useful and actually cook what I pin sometimes! 

So, here are some of my favorite Pinterest-Found recipes that I've made so far (all pictures are from the original website):

Limoncello Lemon Cake - I actually just made this with lemon juice.  I love ANYTHING lemon, and these didn't disappoint, especially the wonderful glaze on top.

Dark Chocolate Salted Caramel Nutella Twix Bars - In the recipe it says that they take 12 mins to make.  THIS IS A LIE.  These are VERY finicky and annoying to make, but my friends LOVED THEM, which is the most important thing if you make food :)

Mini Lasagna Cups - Made in a muffin tin with wonton wrappers!  These were a cinch to make, super customizable, and an adorable appetizer.  Love!

If you aren't a member of Pinterest and want an invite, feel free to send me an email.  And if you're already on Pinterest, feel free to follow me!

Tahina's, Owings Mills

Dan's chicken pita with all sorts of toppings

Dan and I had a coupon to Tahina's, a fast casual Mediterranean restaurant in Owings Mills, that we were really excited to use since the menu looked so great.

However, there were some oddities about the place that may prevent us from returning. For example:

1. The menu looks simple enough online and when you walk in the shop, but it is NOT complete. They don't explain that you can make your sandwich into a "meal" by adding french fries and a drink, but it only applies to SOME sandwiches or even some type of bread. You are also limited to three types of toppings, unless you get some other kind of deal. Basically, it gets confusing once you start asking questions.

2. As soon as we walked in, the server behind the counter immediately apologizes that she is sick, but then starts preparing our food......

3. Another server then comes out of the kitchen to help her with our order and he has a hard time with the lavash bread (a flat wrap) because it keeps falling apart. He then tells us that the bread must not be so good today.

4. ANOTHER employee sat in the restaurant with her boyfriend/lover/boytoy having a serious discussion about who knows what. Regardless, she didn't help a bit and was ENTIRELY unprofessional.

5. Luckily the restaurant was quite empty because they were slow in getting our order and making our food. We felt like all the employees were new, though we're not sure if they were.

Anyway, all of that is a shame because the food was surprisingly good. Thought the lavash bread was quite flimsy, I liked my sandwich combination of zesty garlic sauce with hummus, chicken, feta and cucumber/tomato salad.

My flimsy wrap

Dan got the pita bread sandwich with chicken and other various add-ons, and we both definitely agreed that the pita was the much sturdier choice of bread. There are a lot of toppings with which you can customize your sandwich (or platter, if you're not interested in bread), such as feta, cucumbers and tomatoes, cabbage, chickpeas, red onions, lettuce and others that I may not remember.

Sweet Potato fries and a side of Falafel

Our favorite item was the side of falafel ($2.49). Nice and crispy on the outside with a strong taste of cumin. I loved it especially with the tahina sauce they had on the side.

I can't imagine that Dan and I are going to return to Tahina's. There are far too many places for us to try, and we had such a weird experience that it really turned us off. Though I must note a friend went there recently for lunch, and he raved about the place and said the service was friendly and helpful. It's always so funny when people's experiences are so different!

Have you been to Tahina's? Have you ever had such a weird experience at a restaurant that it completely turned you off, despite liking the food?

Yogurt Maker Envy

(From here)

I have a case of yogurt maker envy

and it is bad.

So, let's get one thing clear - I love yogurt. I like to try lots of different kinds of yogurts. I like to buy yogurt every week for my lunch, and I like to try all sorts of brands. I think it's safe to say that I am obsessed.

But one of my friends has taken it a step further. She bought that yogurt maker pictured above.

She brought over a cup of just plain low-fat yogurt she made and it was perfection. It didn't need any additives!!!! It was creamy and light, and had the texture of creme fraiche. I had it for dinner one night with a side of blueberries, and I couldn't have been happier.

I am not ready to move my bread maker aside and buy a new gadget for my kitchen, but I am quite intrigued to say the least.

If this has piqued your interest in buying some new kitchen gadgets, use these Williams Sonoma coupons to help you save!

There are some great yogurt makers on sale on Amazon as well (like this one).

Free shipping.

Could be here in two days.

All ready for the weekend....

Do any of you own a yogurt maker? OR even better, do you make your own homemade yogurt?

Season 2 of Downton Abbey - Quick Thoughts (SPOILERS)

Image taken from Amazon

WARNING: I hope by now everyone’s seen the end of Season 2 of Downton Abbey. If not, please do not read ahead because there are major spoilers in this post!

Anyway, I think it’s a no-brainer that I love Downton Abbey. It’s
a) British
b) set in England
c) a Masterpiece Theatre production
d) full of costumes and lavish sets and delicious food and teatime
e) has enough drama that it should basically be considered a soap opera

But just like anything you love a lot, there are still things about it that can annoy the hell out of you. Here is my list of annoyances from the last few episodes:

- Lord Grantham’s quick affair with the housemaid seemed TOTALLY random! Was it just because she kinda looked like a young Cora? I was confused because it seemed totally out of character and it made me like him a bit less

- Sybil and Branson have zero chemistry. You can’t throw two hot people together in a garage and think that’s enough – their whole relationship wasn’t developed at all in the second season and when they left for Ireland it seemed really flat

- TOTALLY excited about Matthew and Mary (despite the fact that I hated Mary last season), but I am sad that Lavinia’s character had to be killed off. It seemed too easy of a plot device

- Talking about Lavinia, the Ouija board was funny when it was used as a ploy for Daisy to stop being annoying, but I was not amused by the end which seemed totally out of sync with the rest of the show

- MR. BATES AND ANNA CANNOT CATCH A BREAK AND IT IS NOT FAIR AND IT MAKES ME ANGRY

Do you watch that show? What do you think of it?

Race Recap: 2011 Marine Corps Marathon

I had mentioned before on my blog that I was training for my first marathon, but I never ended up telling you how it went - well, it went GREAT!!! I am including here a VERY LONG race recap that I wrote a week after my race in November. Personally, I LOVE reading race recaps, especially if I am considering running that specific race. If you are interested in running the Marine Corps Marathon, registration is open March 7th. Register THAT DAY in order to get a spot. If you have any questions, feel free to leave a message!

If you need some new running shoes or some apparel for the marathon, use these Finishline promotional codes to help you save!

Maybe this is YOUR YEAR!

_________________________________________________

Saturday, Day Before the Race

Oh my, the nerves I had. I felt like everything I did to myself that day would have some sort of repercussion during the race. I was terrified I was standing too much or eating too much spicy mustard, or not drinking enough or drinking too much. I was nervous that the marathon would hurt so much that I wouldn’t be able to run. I was nervous that I wouldn’t hit my goal (5 hours) and feel disappointed in myself. I was nervous that I wouldn’t fuel correctly. I was SUPER nervous about my clothes, especially since the forecast was colder than I was expecting. I was plain nervous.

We (my sister, niece, bro-in-law and husband) headed out to the Expo in the late morning and arrived around 11:30, along with many many many other people. I thought I would have wanted to soak in the energy at the Expo, but in all honesty it was so SUPER crowded and overwhelming, that I didn’t want to stick around. I am sure there were fun things to see at all the exhibits and maybe even some free stuff, but the Expo made me feel very non-confident in myself as a runner. I felt like everyone looked more prepared than me, or better looking as a runner than me (aka smaller). I was being too self-defeating and I knew I needed to get away from that.

After that, the rest of the day went pretty fast. I had a terrible sandwich from Cosi for lunch and then I treated myself to a cup of hot cocoa in the hotel room while I watched TV. For dinner, I had some bruschetta and a bowl of spaghetti and meat sauce from Luigi’s (which was PACKED with runners and families!). I decided to not get lasagna since I didn’t want to risk having so much cheese. It was probably a good idea! I went to bed at 9:30pm and slept well!



RACE DAY


Getting to the Start

I woke up at 4:15am, drank about 3 cups of water, and then went back into bed until 4:30am when my alarm went off. I was planning on meeting my sister in the lobby to have breakfast (bagel and almond butter) at 5:30am and then leave the hotel by 6am. Since Dan was in the hotel room with me, I couldn’t listen to music to pump myself up, so I got onto Facebook. I eagerly devoured people’s words of encouragement that so many had written on my wall.

For the mid-40s run, I ended up wearing my spandex shorts, a tank top and a zip up long sleeve shirt for my running gear. I also put on workout pants, another short sleeved shirt, a sweat shirt, two pairs of gloves and a wooly hat for warmth.

We left the hotel at 6am and even though the start time was at 8am, we STILL cut it pretty close. The crowds were just incredible! You would have thought that all of DC were running the marathon! The walk from Pentagon station to the Runner’s Village (where the bag drop and porta-pottys were) was a miserably long, cold and dark mile. I cursed it, but it was probably a good warm-up for my legs because of how unbelievably cold it was, even with the millions of layers I had on!

Once we got to the Runner’s Village, we checked our bags and then I needed to fill up my fuel belt and then go to the bathroom. I almost lost my sister because we didn’t stay with each other. If you want to run with someone – stay with them! There were way to many people to just say “meet you at this lamppost,” especially when there were a dozen lampposts around me. Luckily my sister found me while she was waiting in line!

I ended up ditching most of my outer clothes and put on a garbage bag for warmth right before we lined up. I kept the gloves and hat on for the first few miles. I chose to do this in the Runners Village rather than at the start line because I knew it would be too crowded to try and situate my clothing. The garbage bag kept me surprisingly warm!

Finally, with about 10 minutes to spare, my sister and I moved close to where the 5 hour pace group was. At this point I was SO READY to start running, mostly just to warm myself up! My sister was nursing a knee injury, so she wasn’t able to try for a Sub-4 hour race so she decided she would run the whole race with me! I was sad for her goals, but selfishly I was so happy! I knew having her run with me would help me feel 100000% more confident in myself as a runner. And, in all honesty, I was just really happy to share my experience with her.

Miles 0-4

Went the gun went off, I was SO EXCITED and wanted to start running immediately, unfortunately there were thousands (no exaggeration) of runners in front of me and it took a long time for us to move. As soon as we crossed the starting line I remember being giddy and smiley and wanting to cry all at the same time. My sister and I kept looking at each other and laughing, I was so excited. These first miles were a blur to me. According to the course elevation profile, we were going up for most of it, but I literally don’t even remember that. I do remember wanting my feet to stop being numb, shedding pieces of my clothes, and running VERY SLOWLY. I also remember that it was pretty crowded.

Miles 4-9

I LOVED this part of the run. I saw a huge group of my friends and Dan around 4.5 and I was so excited I started jumping up and down! They had lots of awesome posters and were screaming my name. Seeing them gave me a good boost of energy for the beautiful but QUIET run along the water, during which I only heard the shuffling of shoes and labored breathing. This was the first time I ran a race without immediately putting on my headphones, and I was enjoying these sounds and silences. At one point, a woman who was running and holding the American flag, started singing God Bless America. Listening to her sing while running alongside Marines in one of the most beautiful and patriotic cities in America gave me goose bumps.

Around mile 8.5 I got to see my group of friends again, did some more jumping and screaming, including telling Dan I loved him a billion times, and then ran through Georgetown. I loved these miles! They felt easy, I felt really strong and I was finally getting into a groove.

Miles 9-15

As soon as I started to recognize this portion of the race, specifically the loop around Haines Point, I inwardly grumbled. I HATED this part of the Cherry Blossom 10 miler and I wasn’t looking forward to running it again. Luckily, I had my sister with me this time.

At mile 13 and the halfway point I couldn’t believe we had completed a half marathon. I was still physically feeling good, but I was nervous about our pace. My watch said I crossed at exactly 2 hours and 30 mins, so I knew if I continued to do what I had been doing, I would finish by my goal time. We had been going a nice and slow pace for most of it and one that I believed I could continue to do. But I was nervous about the mystery of the last six miles. What if I hit the wall? What if I need to walk for half a mile? I knew that it was going to be hard to hit my 5 hour goal.

At one water spot, a woman stepped on the back of my sister’s shoe causing her bad knee to buckle a bit. After that, I noticed my sister becoming quieter, which is VERY unusual for her when we are together, and she was limping slightly. I was worried about her, but I didn’t want to say anything.

Miles 15-20

These miles make you run around the Mall and by the Capitol, and they are probably the best miles of the entire race. These are the miles that make you proud to live in such an amazing country. These were really great miles for me in regards to time, but hard for me as well because my sister and I split up at mile 16. After running through too much pain, and not wanting to hold me back, she told me she needed to stop. When we passed the 16 mile marker she looked at me and said “10 miles! Is that easy for you?” “Yes, it is actually!” “Alright, just 10 miles. You got this! You look really strong! You can do this!”

And I really 100% believed her, so I gave her a quick wave and ran on and boy did I run FAST. I somehow managed to forget all memory of the past 16 miles and ran like it was a new race, a 10 mile race. I flew around the mall. The crowd support around these miles was SPECTACULAR. I weaved through people, blew past water stops (I had my own fuel belt) and felt PUMPED.

Now is also a good time to mention that I think running with the fuel belt was one of the best decisions I made. I was able to skip many water/Gatorade stops and food stations. I took my Gu every hour, just like I used to do during my training. I stopped every once in a while to refill my bottles, but it wasn’t often. I just made sure to drink from my bottles every time I passed a water stop. This was helpful for my time, I am sure, but it was also helpful because I HATED stopping. It hurt to stop because it hurt so much to start up running again. I probably walked about a minute total of my run, which may sound crazy to some, but it worked for me.

Thanks Marathon Foto!

Miles 20-26

Going into the race, I was really nervous about these last 6.2 miles. People always tell you that
this is when you hit the wall or mentally break down, and I didn’t know what to expect. I knew if my sister and I weren’t running together then I would have my music to get me through, but I wanted something extra. I wanted Dan right beside me. The night before, I handed him a tiny post-it note pad and asked him to write a little note for me to read at each mile marker starting at 20 and ending at 26. Pulling out my secret notes at each mile was a HUGE emotional boost, and I know it helped me find the courage to keep on running and pushing myself.

I saw Dan and my friends again right before the 20th mile marker and I excitedly shouted at them that I was almost there! I couldn’t believe it! Since I made it to the bridge, the awful bridge where cars instead of spectators share the road, I finally decided to listen to my music. This definitely helped me ignore the fact that more and more people were choosing to walk on the bridge instead of run.

Oh, did I tell you the bridge is also a slight incline?

I made it past the bridge feeling strong and headed into Rosslyn. Now, no offense to Rosslyn here, but I wished our scenery on those last few miles were not of Rosslyn or of the highway, or of the AWFUL LOOP they made us do from mile 22-24. The last thing I needed to see near the end of a race were runners who were closer to the finish than me. The worst part of that loop was that I didn’t see the 22 mile marker, so the 21st mile felt like FOREVER and I started to get disheartened. Finally when I saw the 23rd mile marker at the turn around, it hit me: I had ONLY a 5K left. Just a 5K.

I knew I had to give it my all, and I really really felt like I was. Those last miles were grueling. My lower back was killing me, my legs were feeling heavy, my stupid earbuds kept popping out of my ears, at one point I thought my Ipod died and I even got frustrated with runners in front of me who were slowing down.

There were so many points in the last 3 miles that I wanted to start sobbing because I couldn’t believe I was actually doing this, and the best part of it was, I knew I was going to hit my goal and then some. Every time I started to think about it, I started choking up, literally, and couldn’t breathe! I yelled at myself to keep it together, no matter how much I wanted to cry in awe, I needed to hold it together until I didn’t need as much lung capacity! The last few miles I ran with my mouth open, in this constant state of surprise, like I was saying “OMG I am doing this, Oh!”

My mantra through those last couple of miles was “You Got This.” I kept thinking that over and over again, especially when it hurt. After the race was over, I realized that it was what my sister told me before we stopped running together. I like that she was with me the whole way through, even in my head.

.2 

I saw my friends again right before the 26th mile marker. Dear friends, I was so happy to see you although I’m not sure I showed you, because smiling was not happening. I knew the worst was coming. I knew all about that hill up to the Iwo Jima memorial.

And then the hill came, and I turned on my "power" song (Muse – Map of the Problematique) and I couldn’t believe how steep it was. I thought the Marines were going to be crowding around me cheering me on, but there were more supporters than Marines. It didn’t matter, I’m not sure I even knew they were there. It was me against the hill. My legs against the hill. I knew walking was impossible, I just had to run up it, even pass people if I could. Once I turned the corner from the hill I saw the finish line. I wanted to sprint to the end so badly, but my legs were doing the best they could. I heard my friend, Jeff, call my name, and I was so happy to see him right at the end, when my body was literally shuddering with pain. I didn’t see Dan, but I had figured my sister had found him and he was helping her (which he was, as sad as he was to miss me at the finish, I wouldn’t have had it any other way). I took my earphones out of my ear and ran to the finish line, raising my arms up in the air. I did it. 4 hours and 48 mins and 18 seconds. 12 minutes off my goal time.

Thanks MarathonFoto :)

The End

After crossing the line, it was a complete standstill in a sea of people. There were SO MANY PEOPLE. I had to stay in line to get my medal, my space blanket, my food and Gatorade. I had to stay in line to walk across the bridge to get my bag. I wish I could tell you that I was elated and sat on the grass and soaked it all in, but I just wanted to get out of there. I was in SO MUCH PAIN. I didn’t want to eat at all, but I forced myself to drink Gatorade.

I am so lucky my friends found me at the family meet-up because they helped me figure out how to get back to the hotel and take one of the best showers of my life (thank you to the Rennaissance Hotel for extending my check out so I could shower!).

I thought I would be ravenous after the marathon. I thought I wouldn’t want to move other than go to the bathroom. But I wasn’t that hungry! I didn’t even take a nap! I got home and wanted to stay awake and play with my niece. But the whole time I did that, I was so proud of myself. Even now, a week later, when I think about what I accomplished, I feel nothing but pride. I was never an athlete, never a runner, but I trained and pushed myself and had one of the best times of my life.

So was it worth it in the end? Absolutely. I would do it all again in a heartbeat.....and probably will.