So I had read a bunch of reviews from previous years tanking this race and accordingly, I was not as excited for the race as I have been for others, but this race surprised me and I really enjoyed it. The first thing that I really liked about this race was the volunteers and fellow runners - the volunteers were uniformly cheerful and supportive as were many of the runners and they made this a great experience. The next thing that I liked was how easy it was to access, the garage was right next to the start and packet pickup - while it was not possible to get through to the garage at the first turn, if you just go around, you can access the garage. I also liked the t-shirt, it was on the heavier side, but I don't have a purple race shirt (although I fell asleep in the shirt and the logo stuck to my chest when I woke up). The race was very well run and it started on time (people had been complaining about that in prior years, but this race started at 730 precisely). The organizers communication was on point and timely and told us what we need to know.

As far as the course goes - I have run better, but it was not anywhere close to the disaster that others have said. It is challenging for the organizers to fit the course in Alexandria based on the starting point and they go to great lengths to make everything work. I did not think that the Eisenhower Ave part (which is about half the race) was all that bad and being able to run on the trail network was a treat and I for one enjoyed the twists and turns. Yes, there is about 3/4 of a mile through an industrial park, but that's the only meh part.

As for the race itself, it was as humid as it could possibly be (about 85%) and I struggled, but I took delight in the struggle. I was doing walking intervals by the time we hit the trails at mile 5 and knew this was going to be one of my slowest races ever. I have never sweated so much during a race. By mile 10, my Camelbak was empty (I usually drink about half of it during a race) and I was dumping cups of water over my head which I have never done before. Personally, I believe that anytime one crosses the finish line of a half marathon, it is a big win regardless of the time because 97 people out of 100 probably could not do so and I am glad I have that attitude because a 2:37 finish is not exactly covering myself in glory. But I feel much more ready for summer running now.

By the time I crossed the finish line, I was a tired dripping mess and did not even check out the post race food. The one thing I wish the organizers would do better is have a bigger medal - the one I got was disappointing. But what I will remember most is the enthusiasm of the volunteers and police and the communal spirit of sweltering runners. Please don't hesitate to give this race a try and don't let previous bad reviews stop you from registering next year.