Another Year, Another ATM

I think I caption the blog this way every year on ATM week. I know I do it mentally. It's because the Army Ten Miler is such a reliable yardstick of the passage of time, and the stations of my life. I've been there in blazing hot weather and freezing cold; through relationship ups and downs; as a young lieutenant, a law student, a new JAG, and a tired field grade. I've flown in from overseas, ridden a packed van up from Fort Bragg, and rolled out of bed and jumped on the metro to get to the start line. I've raced, captained, and coached teams, and once had to ride alongside the route on my bike after an injury. The few times I haven't been made it to ATM weekend over the years have been when I was deployed.

And here I was this year, not running but with a clipboard balanced precariously on my burgeoning belly and my arms full of other people's warm-up gear. It is the Army Ten Miler, after all, and the competitors themselves reign supreme. It's incredibly hard for me not to run it (as much as I hate actually doing so), but at least I had my hands- literally- full.

Seth walked it this year, having handcycled last year, and I am beyond proud of him. Seeing him cross the finish line on foot was yet another milestone.

The Army Ten Miler is an exhausting event, and this year was no exception. Of course the Belvoir team had uniform issues with the screenprinter at the last minute, and I spent most of the week prior handling those, picking up race packets, and generally herding cats to get everybody where they needed to be, on time and in the (generally) right uniform. Add to that all of the "annual reunion" aspects that accompany 35,000 Army-affiliated runners in town for the weekend, and the super early morning and "on your feet" nature of the event itself, and we spent pretty much the rest of the weekend like this:

Seth had his first midterm Monday (UMD apparently not being so hot on Columbus Day) so he spent the day at school, and I got in another lovely, rainy day of yoga, shopping, and catching up with friends in Old Town. It was a nice break from clearing off my desk during a crazy week at work and a distraction from the general discomfort of being 37 weeks (!!) pregnant. Not to mention, I had nutella crepes for lunch, which just feels decadent.

Speaking of food, we also took a break from napping on the couch to enjoy the annual "Taste of Bethesda," for which downtown becomes a pedestrian zone stuffed full of food tents manned by local restaurants. And "stuffed" is the right word for it. I sampled Malaysian and Indian delicacies, and Seth graciously handled the sliders and brats. Between the two of us, we're a pretty good food critic team.

Two photos of the week: the first one is of Natalie, the cutest little Mizzou fan ever. We can't believe how big the soon-to-be big sister has gotten!

And this might be my favorite one of all time, from our Barnes and Noble date to pick out books for Baby Nieman's library.