Marine Corps Marathon 2015 - Mission Accomplished?

Well it's show time - let's get this 26.2 mile party on the road.

It's 7:55 - people are still streaming in from security, it's raining and I am crowded into the start area with 30,000+ of my closest friends?  The Howitzer sounds and we are off on a fast paced shuffle to the start line.  

Pre race selfie

The starting line a few minutes after the start once I was close enough to see it.

The race started off okay.  I knew the first few miles were uphill, but I think I expected a little bit more flat for the first 1/2 mile or so.  Starting off on a gradual uphill with so many people was challenging.  

I started with a 45/30 run/walk interval.  My goal was to take it easy for the first 5 miles to get through the hills and then reassess.  I really wanted to keep a 13:15 pace or so.  

We ran past the 26 mile marker and I turned to the left and saw the hill to the finish.  They weren't kidding about that hill.  I also kinda wanted to just go left right then.  

As a flatlander those hills at the start were rough.  It didn't help that I was slipping on the wet ground, trying to avoid potholes and being pushed frequently from super fast people who ended up starting late.  The first 2-1/2 miles were pretty much all uphill and that mile from 1-1/2 to 2-1/2 was really steep.  I was adding extra walk breaks on those uphill sections in the first couple of miles.  

I was so happy when we hit the top of the hill around mile 2-1/2 and hit the first water stop.  I was even happier when I hit the downhill section.  It felt great going down hill and I think I took that down hill mile way too fast.  

I came across Key Bridge feeling pretty good.  I was a little slower than I'd hope at this point.  It was still very crowded and the hills had been harder than I expected but I was still around a 13:30 average and feeling pretty confident.  

I was all smiles on the bridge - that was before I found out there was another hill at the end of the bridge.  Where did that come from????

It was fun running through Georgetown.  I loved the Georgetown Band, the crowds were great and I could feel the energy.  We turned down to the creek and I texted my sister to see what side to look for her at.  It was still pretty crowded when we headed north along the creek.  

This was the first of several out and back sections of the course.  I really hate out and backs.  It's hard to see people running back at you and it makes you feel like you just go forever knowing how far you have to turn around and come back.  The nice part is that you can sometimes find people you know on the return second though.  Around the 6-1/2 to 7 mile mark I was able to see a crew of Team Shenanigans running back.  I yelled at them and we waved.  

My official 10k time was 1:24:22 or a 13:35 pace.  So I was feeling pretty good about the pace at the 10k mark.  I kept looking for my sister but with the out and back runners and the mass of people I missed her on the way out.  I made the turn to come back around 7-1/2 miles and first noticed my hip start to hurt a little.  It was an unusual place for pain for me.  I've had the outside of the hip with the IT band hurt before but this was from the inside of my leg, down to the top inside of my knee.  I accidentally called my husband at mile 8.  I was very confused because I thought he called me.  I also didn't completely know where I was but did know my hip was getting sore and I mentioned it to him.  About this time one of my Houston running friends passed me.  It was good to say hi, but I was definitely starting to struggle.  I'd already shifted to a 30/30.     

Just after the 15k mark I finally found my sister and Ella.  It was great to see a friendly face.  

As you can see it had started to spread out a little when we made the turn back along the creek.  I also saw the sweep busses for the first time on that return loop.  This freaked me out a little even though I was about 2 miles ahead of them.  It seemed way too close even if I was on track for the pace I should be running.  

One odd thing - I swear on the way out I'd seen a huge bank of port-a-poties near the water stop when I ran out but never found them on the way back?  I was getting a little frustrated as I needed to stop but couldn't seem to find one.

I was so very happy to find oranges at the Wegman's food stop at mile 10.  Thank you Wegmans.  They were the best tasting orange slices ever.

We ran past the Lincoln Memorial and the Marine Corps Band.  I will admit that I was very glad I didn't have to run up those stairs.  

Shortly after the Lincoln Memorial I finally found a port-a-potty.  I may have regretted stopping later though as my hip really started to hurt more after that couple minute stop.

Diane and Ella tried to catch me again at the Lincoln, but they got there after I ran past.

 You can almost see the port-a-potty I found.  I think it was generally behind the bus over there.

I really started to struggle after the 10 mile mark.  Every step I ran I could feel pain radiating to my knee.  I was skipping more run breaks turning my 30-30 into 30-60 or 30-90.

The end of mile 11 to the end of mile 12 is the Blue Mile.  As you run along the blue mile there are pictures of fallen service members lining the route.  I stopped to flip a couple of them back up as the wind had knocked them over.  Running past these pictures was very emotional.  As you came to the end of the photos you came to a mass of volunteers wearing blue to remember all holding American Flags.  As I ran by the volunteers were all giving hi-fives and encouragement.  They were amazing.  The whole mile was emotional and draining and weirdly quiet.

After the Blue mile we came across the cliff shots food station.  They had some flavors but not all.  I was surprised it was not super sticky.  I didn't take any food here as I am not a fan and didn't want to mess up my stomach.  I had enough issues.  

I hit the 20k mark in 3:02:10 or at 14:40 pace.  I had really fallen off the pace in the last 10k.  

I came around the curve at the half way point in 3:13:43 or a 14:47 pace.  This was my worst half marathon ever (that I was actually running - not goofing off).  I found myself starting to calculate how many miles were left to the bridge and how much time and what pace I had to average to get to the bridge by 1:15.  My cushion was  gettting smaller and smaller

Shortly after the halfway point we came across the American University Band.  I took a picture for my sister, but they stopped playing when I ran by.  

As I came to the 15 mile marker we passed under the bridge.  I looked up and saw tons of runners going by.  I didn't realize at the time that that was the point I was concentrating all my effort on reaching.  

Around mile 15-16.  You can see my opinion of the race here.  

I was getting really nervous at this point that I wasn't going to beat the bridge.  There was another small out and back section here and I could see just how close the pace car and sweeper busses were.  

When I got to the marker at mile 17 I heard one of the marines tell someone that if they stay ahead of the pace car they were okay.  I made the turn after 17 to the National Mall.  I honestly didn't "see" the mall area.  I was in too much pain and way too concerned with being swept.  It wasn't too long after I turned the corner that I saw this.

Yes that was the pace car in front of me.  I broke down and started to cry.  I thought it was over.  I was certain I was going to be swept.  I almost stopped right then and there, but kept moving forward determined that I had to be forced off the course.  I was fully expecting to see a wall of marines at the 18 mile marker pulling me off the course.  They weren't there.   I wanted to cut across the mall, but I couldn't let myself do it.  I made the turn by the capitol and back down the other side of the mall.  I was passed by another car and was neck and neck with the police car.  (note - there was supposed to be a food station somewhere in here - if there was one I didn't see it.  I don't think there was anything left at this point but I could have just missed it)  I'd seen busses parked near mile 19 so again I expected a wall of marines by the 19 mile marker and they weren't there.  Instead the marine at 19 said it was 3/4 of a mile to the bridge.  I thought I had to get past mile 20 not 1/4 mile short of 20.  I had 9-10 minutes to get to the bridge.  It was just after 1pm.  Could I make it?  I wasn't going to quit yet.  I gave everything I had to the next 3/4 of a mile.  I don't know where the point was you had to beat but I made it.  As I was running past the street towards the bridge I looked at my watch and it said 1:16.  I started to cry.  I thought I missed it by a minute.  I saw a bus start to move and thought they were going to block the road.  I kept pushing.  I got to the bridge and no one stopped me.

I made it to the 20 mile marker.  I started to cry.  I'd made it.  I'd beat the bridge.  At this point I had 2 thoughts go through my head.  1 - Thank God I made it to the bridge now I don't have to run this **&# race again followed by 2 - Crap I made it to the bridge, now I have to do another 6.2 miles.  I was so certain that I wasn't going to get to this point and put so much energy into just making it to this point I mentally almost forgot there was more to the race.  It took me a minute to mentally regroup. 

I finally made it across the bridge and was so happy to be welcomed back to Virginia in Crystal City.  I sent my sister a message to let her know where I was.  I found her somewhere between mile 22 and 23.  This was another out and back section and I will say it was very tempting to just make a u-turn and skip a mile of the course.  I wanted to so badly but kept going forward.  My sister walked with me and kept me company for the remainder of the race.  It really helped having someone with me and pushing me.  I was only walking at this point but she helped me pick up the pace some.  She also had some biofreeze which was extremely helpful.  I was a little surprised earlier in the race when I stopped at the med tent and was told they didn't have any biofreeze.  

The water stops in Crystal City seemed to be out of gatorade.  The did at least have plenty of water and were doing a great job of refilling water bottles too.  

The final turn around point was around 22-1/2 and right by the parking garage my car was parked in.  What a shame I couldn't just get in my car.  

Leaving Crystal City we came to the remnants of the last food station which was supposed to have Dunkin Donuts.  There were no donuts to be found unless you count the ones left on the ground.  A donut would have been nice about then.  

We came back around by the Pentagon and could see the remnants of the starting area.  

I think I finally realized I was really going to finish and that they sweepers were nowhere in sight. 

 I don't know why but I decided I had to stop at another port-a-potty with less than a mile to go.  

As I came up on Mile 26 again this time for real.  There was a group congregating at the base.  In that group was a double amputee and a man in a hand crank wheel chair.  From all appearances it looked like this group waiting for the double amputee to get there so they could all finish together.  It was a very special and touching moment.  

I handed my sister my fuel belt and turned to head up that hill.  It really is quite a hill after 26 miles of misery.  

At the end right before the finish line there was a group of marines to give you high fives and help you push to the finish line.  I made it through those marines and almost stumbled and had to remind myself to make that last 5 steps to the finish line.

The most welcome sight in the world - the Marines handing out medals.  My marine was the female lieutenant on the left.  

I got my picture with the Iwo Jima Statue

There were no food boxes left.  There were no finisher jackets left and I was freezing.  The only thing left was a bottle of water and a thing of watermelon.  It was the best tasting watermelon ever, but I really needed some real calories at that point.  

But Mission Accomplished!

It was a long walk to UPS trucks and to the shuttle bus.  I really needed food.  The shuttle bus was a much longer ride back to Crystal City than I expected and it was stuffy.  I don't do well on buses to begin with and after 26.2 miles with no food, I started feeling really bad on that ride.  It took a few minutes in Crystal City before I could drive back to the hotel.

Later in the week I learned that they left the bridge open an extra 15 minutes.  I will admit I question whether I really beat the bridge and if I really deserve that medal there.  I was so focused from mile 15 to 20 on beating that bridge and I was so close to 1:15 when I got there, but I really don't know if I made it or not now.

All in all it was a really rough day.  I went in with high hopes and expectations.  My training had been good, I'd kept faithfully to the training schedule and I'd worked my tail off.  I finished with my worst marathon finish by far.  My official finish time was 7:11.  I need to make some changes physically and mentally, but that is for another post.

Marine Corps Marathon 2015 - Time to Muster

This past weekend I ran the 40th Marine Corps Marathon.  It's been a couple days and I'm still not 100% certain how I feel about the race.  It simultaneously left me feeling inspired, broken, frustrated and proud.

I'm not sure where to begin, so I guess I will begin with the Expo on Saturday.

I have a love hate relationship with Marathon Expos.  On one hand there is the excitement of the expo, the kickoff of the event, there is a high likelihood of running into running friends around the expo and you have the opportunity to find discounts and try out new things.  On the other hand, they are crowded (very crowded), loud, involve a lot of time on your feet the day before a big race and did I mention crowded.


It seemed like an insanely long walk from the metro to the entrance to the expo.  It seemed like we were never going to get there and I felt a bit like a lemming as I was just following the crowd.  Package pickup was quick and easy and well organized.  It took no time at all to pick up my bib and shirt.

I love the color of the shirt.  It's a little heavy to wear when running in Houston most of the year but it's a nice shirt.  I'll be lucky if I get to wear it a handful of times however.

After I got the important stuff completed I went to the official Brooks Marathon Gear.  I splurged on a MCM jacket because I needed a new jacket and this was the perfect weight to wear in Houston.  I also picked up a short sleeved shirt so I'd have something I could actually wear and the required big race magnet.  I was all ready to check out when I saw the line.  Yikes.  I almost decided to put everything away but the line looked like it was moving relatively quickly.  It took about 25 minutes to get through to pay.  I know later it was much longer and over an hour of waiting.  
I spent the rest of my expo time, hanging out with old friends, picking up a few things I needed and checking out some future races.  Around lunch it started getting way too crowded for me and I had to leave to get some fresh air.

This map makes the course look friendly

The porta potty fitting rooms made me laugh.

It's always great to run into friends.

I left the expo in search of lunch.  I always have a hard time finding food I want to eat when I'm traveling before a race.  I finally decided on a sandwich from Potbelly's.  My sister and niece met me at the hotel.  We plotted out some places they could try to find me the next day and rode the big ferris wheel in National Harbor before they had to leave for my nieces performance and I had to leave for dinner.

I had a great dinner with friends in Crystal City and got back to the room to get to bed early.  Well that was the plan at least.  Georgia Tech was playing FSU in football.  I was honestly expecting a blowout and an early exit to bed.  It turned out to be a thrilling game with Georgia Tech coming out on top with a blocked field goal returned for the go ahead touchdown as time was expiring.  I was so glad they won and even more glad that meant it didn't go to Overtime as I really needed to get to sleep.

While watching the game I got all my gear laid out for the next morning.

I set my alarm for 4am and went to sleep.  At about 11:30 I woke up to a loud emergency alarm coming from my phone warning me of flash floods in Houston.  Once I got my heart to stop racing, I quickly figured out how to turn off all warnings so I would not hear them go off all night long and went back to sleep.

This brings me to the race on Sunday.

After much debate, I decided to drive to Crystal City and park in the free lot and take the shuttle to the expo.  I took the Metro to the Expo the day before and did not want to deal with those stairs after the race.  I definitely think I made the right choice.  The alarm went off at 4am and I got dressed  and headed out to the car.

I drove to Crystal City, found the parking garage and parked without difficulty.  I took several pictures to make sure I could find my car later if I was not completely with it after the race was over.  I was in line when the first of the shuttle busses pulled up and we were off in no time.  We got to the Pentagon in no time at all and were right at the security entrance.  I somehow missed the memo where there would be metal detectors and that I would have to remove everything to go through.  There weren't many people in front of me, but it seemed to take a longer time than I expected to get through security.  My experience was nothing compared to people that arrived shortly after me though.

Fortunately some other members of TeamShenanigans saw me and caught up to me as I was leaving the security area.  I really appreciated having people to hang out with in the misty rain before the race.  It was much better on my nerves than sitting there by myself would have been.

One benefit from my standpoint to the security backup was that there never seemed to be a line at the porta potties in the runners village.  I don't think I've ever been able to just walk up to a porta potty 3 times before the race and never wait in line once.  Of course this is likely due to the fact that everyone was stuck outside the secured area.  I did wonder why the area never seemed to be crowded.
About 7am we took one last stop at the portapotties before heading over to try to meet all the Mickey Milers for a pre race picture.

A lot of people were stuck in the never ending security lines to get in so we didn't have as many people turn up for the picture as were planning on it.

Then the Pre Race Festivities began with a moment of silence (always awkward when you don't hear the announcement of the moment of silence), the national anthem, the paratroopers, and the fly by.  

More and more people were still flooding in from the security area.  I got a message from one friend that they had just opened up security.  

In true Team Shenanigan's fashion - Caryn decided to share a poncho with Chris.

We finally moved up to the corrals where part 2 of my adventure will begin.  

We're All Mad Here! AKA It's Taper Time

T- Minus 12 days (and a couple hours depending on when I post this) until the start of the 40th Marine Corps Marathon and that mean's one things.  Taper Madness is taking over my brain.  It doesn't help that the Astros choked in the 8th today and the Texans and Yellow Jackets seem to have forgotten that it is football season.  So if my sports teams can't keep my focused in the fall, I need something else to obsess about.

I don't remember feeling this way before my first 2 marathons, but I also hadn't put as much effort into my training for those, nor had I experienced that haunting sensation of a bad race that can fester and rock your confidence for years to come.

I find myself going over my training log wondering did I do enough, am I ready?  What pace should I start with during the race?  What intervals have worked best for me?  How should I handle the hills?  Which shoes should I wear?  How much water should I carry?  What does the bridge look like?  Can I beat the bridge?  Can I keep the pace?  How much should I run this week?  Next week?  What is the best way to get from the hotel to the start line?  What parking garage should I use?  Do I need to reserve a spot?  What mistakes did I make before NYC?  What can I do differently to not make those mistakes again?  What will the weather be like?  What can I eat the day before?    What are my goals for this race?  What do I want on my play list?

I need to replace all the negative thoughts with positive thoughts.
I need to visualize myself with the bridge in my rear view mirror.
I need to trust my training.  I've put in a lot of miles.  I should be ready to do this.  No I am ready to do this.
I need to stay healthy.
I need to relax and try to enjoy the moment
I need to get out of my own head.
I need to sit down and figure out the logistics.
I need to get more sleep
I need to hydrate


Maybe I should spend a little time in Wonderland with the Cheshire Cat.  Maybe I just need a different kind of madness to get through taper.  If I'm this crazy now, it's a good thing I have a cruise and Christmas to distract me during Dopey Taper.

What do you do to survive the weeks leading up to a marathon?  How do you keep sane?