Some Things I'm Thinking

I haven’t made a blog post in a couple of weeks. I don’t have a whole lot on my mind right now but I also don’t want to be like that guy who posted LOST recaps and then never posted one for the final episode. So here it goes with a few things I’m thinking.

A long overdue conclusion to the Cherry Blossom

I crushed the Cherry Blossom, running it in 1:23:25, a pace of 8:21 per mile. I beat my personal best by a full 5 minutes. In fact, Eric, Ted and I all set PRs. I was most impressed with Ted, who had barely trained for the race and only decided to run it the Wednesday prior. Congrats to all the runners. All your training and hard work paid off!

My prayers go out to the family of Lloyd Blackwell, who suffered a heart attack while running the Cherry Blossom and later died on Easter Sunday. It is moments like this that remind us of how fragile life is and helps us to appreciate the people in ours.

I now have the Buffalo Half Marathon circled on my calendar for Sunday, May 26^th. It’s not that I want to run another fast race, but I do want to give myself a goal to keep up the weekly grind of running. My goal for this race will be to break 2 hours, which seems within reach given my performance in the Cherry Blossom. My personal best for a half marathon is 2:13.

Some Thoughts on Beer

While in DC I picked up a few cans of DC Brau, the hot new brewery located in the District (on Bladensburg Road, just inside the Maryland border). Beer is available only from the brewery in growlers and in cans, although retailers anticipate that the beer will be available soon. The canned beer – the Citizen, the Public and Corruption – is all very solid. Most patrons opted for the Citizen, a Belgian style pale ale, but I preferred Corruption, a hoppy IPA. The Penn Quarter Porter – currently available only on tap – is also a rock solid beer. It is a fitting tribute to our forefathers from a DC brewery. George Washington was known to favor porter, and even brew his own. The vibe at the brewery was awesome with approximately 100 people hanging out, sampling beer, taking tours and listening to music. There was also a food truck parked outside to serve hungry patrons. It was a very vibrant scene with people of all ages enjoying the renaissance of craft brewing in the District. It’s worth a visit when you’re there.

I recently returned from a week-long vacation in Hilton Head, SC where I got to sample a bunch of local brews. My favorite was an IPA from the Hilton Head Brewing Company, although I recommend skipping the food and going only for the beer. We had the worst experience ever there and the service was as poor as I can remember. Other beers worth sampling when you’re down that way are Sweetwater 420 Pale Ale and Palmetto Pale Ale. While neither beer is particularly memorable, both are good beers and a welcome selection for vacationing beer enthusiasts. Stop by your local Piggly Wiggly to pick up a 6 pack or grab one on tap at the Salty Dog.