Loving Living in DC, planning ahead, and inspiration

I love living in DC. I love my hometown of Spencerport, NY, but I love living in DC. Running around the city was how I learned my way around, and that was in part why I fell in love with this city. It is just so beautiful, and I love taking it all in during my long runs on the weekend.
Today was a 10 mile run - my longest run since the marathon and marking my re-entry into double digits. There were times when it was hard, like climbing up Capitol Hill, but the good news is, that part is always hard for me. But it felt good to get out there for a while. I like the 10 mile distance. It's long enough that you feel like you've accomplished something out of the ordinary, but not so long that you're spent for the rest of the day.
The annual walk for the homeless was going on while I was on my run. Which meant there were bands and people cheering around the National Mall. Now, I know they were all there for the walk, but I used that music and energy to pump me up (this was mile 7) and push me forward. The last 3 miles flew by, and I was pretty happy with how the whole thing went. Tomorrow marks 4 weeks since MCM, which means my recovery is over. I feel recovered, and ready to run and gear up for Boston training.
I met with my friend Sarah (the pacer) yesterday in order to discuss my Boston plan. I gave her the plan I used training for MCM, talked about workouts that I've liked, and she's going to take all of that information and turn that into my personalized marathon plan. I'll post it when she's finished with it, and I'm excited. It's going to be a little harder (more mileage and more track workouts), but not too much. She thinks that it will help knock more time off (and help me improve in my shorter distances as well), so sign me up!
My friend Jenny (the one who promised to do a marathon when I qualified for Boston) and I e-mail regularly. I recently got the following e-mail from her:
"Your running inspired me.
My running inspired my son
My son's running inspired my daugher
My family has inspired my nephew
My nephew has inspired his mother, my sister."
I was very touched to get that. Inspiration works both ways, of course, and she has inspired me. Lots of people have inspired me; the elite athletes, stories I've read online, and friends and family who have pushed themselves to do extraordinary things. I've just got to take that inspiration and keep moving forward.