Passions - Planes and Books

Even though Jim ran the marathon, it was both of us who woke up sore on Monday morning. While Jim was nursing aching legs, I was suffering from a stiff neck. While we later determined it was from hauling a backpack and camera around DC during the MCM, it made a day a sightseeing tough, especially with our first stop being the National Air and Space Museum where it required looking up.

Jim has always loved flight and space, so he was in heaven. Here is a shot of him reading the plaque about the mural in front of him.

The afternoon took us to our scheduled tour of the Library of Congress. In the words of Thomas Jefferson, "I cannot live without books" - so true for me! My passion has always been books. I just can't get into the whole e-reader thing, needing to have the paper and physical tome itself. Needless to say, the Library of Congress was my heaven. Little did we know the beauty of the building itself. Full of marble and mosaics, the Library of Congress is amazing. We saw a reading room, admired the architecture, and visited the library of Thomas Jefferson that is currently on display. The books in his collection are what reestablished the Library after the original was burned. Given the breadth of his collection, it was a great new start to the Library. Needless to say, the Library of Congress was the highlight of the trip from me, just based on the nature of it being a library.

Mission Accomplished!

OORAH! The race is behind him and while he's walking a bit slow (more like the Tim Conway shuffle), Jim's finished his first MCM and his third marathon for the year!

We want to thank everyone for their support, their warm wishes, and good thoughts today. Here are some pictures from on the course. With over 33,000 runners, it was impossible to get to the finish line when Jim crossed so I snapped some photos as he neared the 20 mile marker. Enjoy!

This was leaving the National Mall.

Finish Line... We had to walk back to take a picture!

Jim's Finisher's Jacket and Medal.

Updates From the Course

Here are some of Jim's checkpoint times... More when he finishes! 

OORAH!!

Jim Nail, 30K, 3:20:56. Pace 10:47. ETA: 12:54 PM

Jim Nail, 13.1, 2:19:44 Pace 10:40. ETA: 12:51 PM

Jim Nail, 20K, 2:12:38. Pace 10:41. ETA: 12:51 PM

Jim Nail, 10K, 1:05:24. Pace 10:32. ETA: 12:47 PM

Fueling Up for Race Day!

We started Saturday morning with the MCM bRUNch. Normally a 5K run followed by breakfast, this year, the DC Parks Department would not allow the run, so I was able to go with Jim. 

Held at the USMC Memorial in Arlington, we were milling around the memorial before the brunch only to see a group of busses coming in with a police escort. Off the buses came an Honor Flight from Florida. It was the most amazing and emotional sight. This one really spoke to me...

The bRUNch featured Bart Yasso, the Chief Running Officer from Runner’s World Magazine and MCM Hall of Famer and Historian George Bankton. Jim also partook of the “Schmacon,” beef bacon. It’s not available in stores yet, but Jim is already a fan!

Tracy, Bart Yasso, CRO of Runner's World and Jim

For dinner, we went the the Carbo Dining In for a pasta dinner.  In addition to lots of pasta and rolls, we were entertained by the "Victory Belles" from the National WWII museum. They were great and will be singing the National Anthem at the Opening Ceremony for MCM. It was a great day... now on to the race!

The Victory Belles and USMC Quantico Honor Guard

  

Race Day Details - Send Jim a Cheer!

So here's Jim's bib for the race. MCM has many ways to track where he is on the course as well as a way to record some words of encouragement for him as he makes it through the course. While we don't expect everyone to drop everything, we appreciate your thoughts and words of encouragement and wanted to offer you the opportunity to follow him along virtually!

If you want to record a cheer for Jim, visit www.getmotigo.com and choose the MCM. You can enter his name and record a cheer to play at a particular mile marker.

Or, you can sign up to get notifications and track him through MCM at their website:

http://www.marinemarathon.com/Community/Social_Media.htm.

Or, watch for Jim's Livetrack from his Garmin watch... he will have a link connected to his Facebook page.

Thanks to everyone who has helped Jim make it to this milestone - OORAH!

Pep Rally - OORAH!

The pep rally Friday night was a time to mix and mingle. Jim received his 1^st time MCM pin. There were a few other vendors (with more swag) and some snacks. We mainly went for an opportunity to win a “Super Size Goodie Bag,” but luck was not on our side.

I made Jim take a few photos before we left. Can I get an “Oorah!”?

MCM Expo - Kicking Off the Weekend

The weekend has arrived and MCM activities are in full swing. To kick everything off, we headed over to the convention center for the ribbon cutting of the MCM Health Expo. This is where Jim picked up his race packet, which included his race bib.

We visited the Brooks tent for our official MCM gear and then headed out to the floor for the vendor booths. There were ten aisles of running vendors and charities with teams in the race. We sampled Turkey Hill Ice Cream, Nuun Sports Drink, bought a few accessories, and picked up lots of swag!

The Capitol

After our White House tour, we wandered over to the Capitol to Louise Slaughter’s Office in the Rayburn House Office Building. In order to see the White House, Capitol and Library of Congress, we had to request tickets through our local representative’s office. As a result, our contact there invited us to stop into her office to pick up passes to the Senate and House Galleries. Thinking we would just grab our passes to use the Friday after our scheduled Capitol tour, we found our way up to the fourth floor and into Louise Slaughter’s office.

We were warmly welcomed and invited into the Congresswoman’s office. With photographs and awards with hometown recognition hanging on the wall, we had a great view out of her window. James, our contact in the office, offered us a tour of the Capitol, right then, to be guided by an office Intern. Jaquarius, originally from Texas, joined the staff about a month ago. He was a fine conversationalist and gracious host as he guided us through the Capitol building.

We saw the crypt, lined with statues from different states, including Robert Livingston representing New York. In addition there is a bust of Lincoln with only one ear. No one really knows why there is only one ear, but it does make for an interesting point to ponder.

Lincoln with only one ear.

We walked the halls of the offices of the House and Congress, visited the original Supreme Court Chambers, and found our way into the statuary, which used to be the House Chambers. Standing on John Adams spot, we learned of the flaw in the room and why they moved the Chambers. (There is an acoustical feature where if you stand on a spot completely opposite John Adams spot, the sound bounces off the arched ceilings and you can hear the speaker clearly.)

Last Chance to See This!

There's a reason why people only heard him in the House Chamber.

After the building tour, we visited the House Gallery where we were able to see Louise Slaughter testifying on the floor. Much to my chagrin, there were very few representatives in the room, making me wonder just what they were doing. However, it was a big day at the Capitol, as Hillary Clinton was there to testify about Benghazi. When we visited the House Gallery, there were only two representatives on the floor.

It was a great day, and although we had an early start, we met some great people, had a personal tour and saw the government in action!