Marine Corps Marathon. Sunday, October 28, 2012. I ran it. 26.2 miles. My first marathon and I now say, with surprising certainty, not my last. Six days deeply embedded in my heart and mind. An experience that has not only touched my very core but become a major part of who I am as a person.
I worked hard to get to that race. Really, I like to say that I'd been training for that very moment, that very race, since I started running 3 years ago. Ever since I became a runner, I have always set before me a race, a goal. If I don't have a goal in front me, I don't seem to perform as aggressively. The thrill of training for a race must be like the thrill of a hunt. The challenge propels me to do my very best and often pushes me beyond limits even I knew I possessed...whether those limits be physical, mental or emotional.
When I first started getting fit, first started working towards losing those 100 (now almost 105) pounds, I didn't exercise at all...let alone run. I hated exercising. Hated sweating. Training for my first 5k, I couldn't run 1/4 of 1/4 mile. I couldn't run more than 5-10 minutes at a time. I chipped away at it. I added cross training and strength training, got stronger and developed endurance. Now? If need be, I can run for 3 hours straight. I've become smarter in my training. I love long distance running, but I've learned to work in walk breaks on very long runs...not only to avoid injury, but to alleviate exhaustion. I've learned how to add hydration and fuel properly. 1/4 mile turned into 1 mile...1 mile turned into a 5k (3.1 miles).... a 5k turned into a 10k (6.2 miles)...a 10k turned into 2 Half Marathons (13.1 miles).... and the Half Marathons turned into the Marine Corps Marathon.
I had been planning for the Marine Corps for well over a year. I had actually planned on running it last year, but health issues prevented me from running it last October. I left a few days early to spend some time with my good friend Lynn from college that I hadn't seen in decades, and to just take time preparing and adjusting to the days before the race.
I had a wonderful time with Lynn. She was my best friend in college and we spend 4 close, fun years together and kept in touch for some time afterwards. We lost touch for many years, and facebook reconnected us a couple of years ago. I had the pleasure of staying with her family, meeting her wonderful husband and great kids and was even able to go back one day and have lunch with her and her mom. Lynn and I spend time catching up and it was so good! It really made me miss her all the more and wish we lived closer.
Before my brother Doug arrived in town, I spent time settling in my hotel room, exploring the area a little bit and getting ready for the race. I even went to Chinatown for lunch one day. Best lunch I've had in a long time. I walked around, went to a mall that was within walking distance a couple of times and just enjoyed myself. I have to admit, words can not even begin to describe how nice it was to be pampered in the hotel...Relaxation totally washed over me every time I stepped into my room. Now, driving in D.C.? Well...that's another story. I went to the Expo and picked up my race bib and took a few more pictures. Always love picking up race bibs!
Race Day. There was this little issue of Hurricane Sandy. Ended up being a horrific disaster for many, many people in the days to follow. Very sad. The day I got down there, and the days that followed, the weather forecast fluctuated back and forth between 30% chance of rain to 90% chance of rain. Runners were glued to the television and at the Expo, the buzz was about how everyone was going to prepare for game day. How was everyone going to dress if it was storming aggressively? Generally, I won't even run in the rain, because, frankly... why? If I have to, I will, but I'm at the age where if I don't have to be uncomfortable, I won't. I bought a baseball cap to help block the rain and thought..."Well, it is what it is and I can't do anything about it." Sunday morning they called for 30% chance of rain. IT DID NOT RAIN. At all. Nice. Now, the wind? The wind picked up significantly about halfway through the race. Made it a bit more challenging. But, thank God, it did not rain. Truth be told, I don't know if I would have been able to finish the race if it had been raining non-stop for 26 miles.
The night before the race I switched hotels to the Ritz Carlton to be in the same hotel as Doug. Very nice. Because of a comedy of errors, that were not so funny to me, my plans to be in bed early the night before the race did not materialize. I got to bed late and ended up racing the marathon on FOUR AND A HALF hours of sleep. That's right. Fortunately, adrenaline kicks in somewhat, but seriously, for a race this big, you need to be rested. Hmph.
Doug and I got up at 5:00 a.m. and I hoped and prayed I had everything packed (to take to the car to check out for the ride home), hoped I had everything in my UPS gear check bag (to take to Runner's Village) and hoped I was rested enough to complete this race. The hotel lobby was buzzing with runners awake and ready to go. Many of the runners were taking the Metro to Runner's Village, the gathering place, where runners drop off their gear bags and hang out until it was time go to the start line. Doug and I decided to walk. We began the trek in the dark to Runner's Village. We walked, walked, walked down Army Navy Drive and the other various streets, following the packs of runners towards Runner's Village. I love the camaraderie among runners...we're like a family...everyone enthusiastic, everyone encouraging each other, everyone so excited, sharing stories.
Runner's Village. We found gear check and checked our bags. Now began the wait in the porta potty lines. You get in line whether you think you have to go or not. The lines are always so long. If you don't have to go when you get in line, you will by the time it's your turn. Then, if you're smart, you'll hit that line at least one more time before the race begins.
It's still pitch black outside and it's getting close to the time to begin the second part of the journey. The walk to the corrals. What are the corrals? When you sign up for a race, you determine how long it will take you to complete the race. They place marked "corrals" where runners gather until the gun goes off. On the walk to the corrals, some runners, mainly guys, decide they need to take a leak in the bushes alongside the road. Just a fact in runners' land...a perk of being a guy. Occasionally, you'll see a determined, extremely rushed and focused (crazy) woman squatting alongside the road in the bushes...usually she's a bit more discreet than the men.
Finally, we get to the corrals. Doug is MUCH faster than I am. He does a sub-8 minute mile...which means he'll be done 6 days before me...we hug each other goodbye and I am standing among thousands of people ready for the adventure of their lives.
The start line was located between the Pentagon and Arlington National Cemetery. The howitzer fired at 7:55 a.m. officially starting the 37th MCM. Some of the highlights that runners passed were the Lincoln Memorial, the Jefferson Memorial, the Martin Luther King Jr. National Memorial, the FDR Memorial, the Korean Memorial, the WWII Memorial, the National Monument, the U.S. Capitol, and the National 9/11 Pentagon Memorial. The finish line was alongside the Arlington National Cemetery then offered a final uphill challenge to the finish at the Marine Corps War Memorial.
The race was amazing. Unforgettable. I can not explain to you the feeling of pure joy I felt to even be standing at the starting point. So, so overwhelmed with feelings of happiness and gratitude that I had even made it to that point, I had to hold back tears.
While waiting for the howitzer to blow, I looked around me. Runners of all ages. Runners in costumes. Very serious runners. Very nervous runners. Very excited runners. The howitzer fired. Because I was at a corral with a slower pace mark, I did not actually cross the start line until close to 8:30 a.m. There were over 33,000 runners registered.
I tried to stay focused. This is just another long run I told myself. Another REALLY long run. Don't start out too fast. Pay attention to your pace. Fuel every 5-7 miles. Hydrate. Hydrate. Hydrate. Pay attention to your knees. Enjoy the scenery. Enjoy the crowd. Appreciate. Appreciate. Appreciate.
The first 20 miles weren't too bad. Long about mile 13-14 I did seem to hit a bit of a wall. I remember thinking I needed to get my act together because I had a long way to go. I remember thinking not to panic. I was determined to remain on pace as much as possible. The second half of the race the wind kicked up and that made it a little more challenging. I knew I had to get to the Gauntlet by mile 17.5 and I needed to reach it by the shut off time of 12:20 p.m. Runners who didn't get to the Gauntlet in time would be rerouted off the official marathon course. They would be allowed to complete the run, but it wouldn't be considered an official marathon. They also would be asked to not take a finisher's medal. That first 20 miles, I took one bathroom break. Stopped at a bathroom area similar to a park bathroom...better than a porta potty...took about 10-12 minutes off my time because of waiting in line. I debated going off into the woods, as I knew I needed to get to the Gauntlet, but I thought I could make my time. I probably took a few 5-10 minute walk breaks as well during that 20 miles. A bunch of us got to the Gauntlet. 12:15. A Marine hollered at us, "Reroute! Reroute! Shut off! Shut off! You didn't make it! Take the alternate course!" WHAT?!?!? We were yelling we had a couple of minutes to go, but the guy made us go the other way. We were angry. We stopped running and couldn't believe we busted it to get there and they shut us off. As we stopped to catch our breath and tried to figure out what was going on, the same Marine started screaming at us, "WAIT! WAIT! COME BACK! COME BACK! You have 5 more minutes!!" We went nuts, booking it back to the Gauntlet. We were like, "No kidding!!!" We flew. We made it in time. They shut off the people behind us.
Now, there was no time to rest. We needed to Beat the Bridge. This was what I was lying awake at night worrying about for months. Beating the Bridge. Runners had to successfully Beat the Bridge just before mile marker 20 by 1:05 p.m. The 14th Street Bridge would then reopen to vehicular traffic making it unavailable to runners. If you didn't make it to the bridge by 1:05 p.m., you'd be required to board a straggler (LOSER...my words!!!) bus and would be driven to the event finish area. I ran. I ran like crazy. I had to get to the bridge. I had really upped my pace to get to the Gauntlet and sure shootin' I wasn't going to be a loser on that bus. I heard so many people at the start of the race, in the corrals saying, "I do NOT want to board the bus of shame, I do NOT want to board the bus of shame...". I ran and ran and ran. Man. Sometimes I have issues with my knees. My knees did not hurt. At all! Thank God. I've had major surgery on my one knee and my other knee has been scoped. I wear knee bands when I run, I strength train to make my legs stronger and strength train to make the muscles, tendons and ligaments around the knees stronger and I do anti-inflammatories when needed. Sometimes around mile 6 I start getting little ping...ping...pings...and that is NOT COOL. During the race? No pain. I ran like the wind. I was going to get to that bridge if it killed me. Especially after the Gauntlet fiasco. I made it. 12:50 p.m. 15 minutes to spare. Thank God. A bunch of us hit the bridge and stopped cold. Catching our breath. Yelling. Hooting. Hollering. Dancing. High fiving each other.
And then. I hit that wall. I should have fueled one more time. I knew better. I was carrying my own fuel...I trained with the same fuel they were using on the course. They had fuel and hydration on the course. I carried my own fuel and used theirs as backup. I should have fueled one more time...for that last 6 miles. But, I was so sick of all the fuel, all the hydration in my system. I just stopped. Once I hit that 20 miles, I started to walk some. I walked. I ran. I walked way more than I wanted to walk. I was mad at myself because I just wanted to close out that last 6 miles.
The spectators were wonderful. So enthusiastic. So encouraging. The volunteers were great. The Marines. Well, anyone who knows a Marine...they know how to get the job done.
I had a mixture of feelings as I wound down the race. Excitement. Weariness. Exhilaration. Satisfaction. Freedom.
I looked forward to seeing my brother Aaron at the finish line. Aaron is an FBI agent. For his job he has to be very fit. And he is...Very fit. Very healthy. To a T...He has encouraged me and coached me through my fitness journey. He came to watch me cross the finish line. I looked forward to seeing my brother Doug at the finish line. Doug ran this race with me. Actually, he ran it WELL ahead of me...finishing it in under 4 hours. Doug has also been a great mentor and coach in my short running career. He has run many marathons...has done 3 marathons in 5 months and qualified for, and is running in, the Boston marathon in April. He also competes in triathlons. Doug's wife Patti (also a runner and a coach to me) and my nephew and 2 nieces also came to cheer us on and to watch me cross the finish line on my first marathon. My niece Megan took some great pictures!
There was one last hill to climb before I hit the finish line. There were signs painted on the hill saying "Can You Take The Hill?" I took it. As I ran towards the finish line, I heard my brothers and Patti and the kids screaming my name and waving wildly. The kids were jumping up and down and they were taking pictures. There was a line of Marines on both sides of the finish line hooting and hollering, cheering people on as they crossed the line, high fiving the finishers.
I finished. 26.2 miles.
I didn't see Aaron and Doug for about 30 minutes or so. Patti and the kids had to head back home. I didn't even actually get to talk to Patti and the kids, spend time with them or see them. But, one of the reasons they drove all the way down from Philadelphia was to see me cross that finish line. I will never forget that. I appreciated that. I appreciated them standing for hours, especially after Doug finished...just to watch me finish. I proceeded to a group of Marines and received my finisher's medal. A Marine shook my hand, place the medal over my head and said, "Congratulations, Ma'am...Great job". I got my picture taken with my medal and got a box full of food and something to drink. We got a jacket to cover up with...the air was cool and the wind was kicking up from Hurricane Sandy. Once you stop running, chills begin to set in...I began the long walk to the FedEx truck to pick up my gear bag. It was a long walk. A million thoughts raced through my mind. I thought about what I had just done. I thought about a few important people that got me to that point that weren't with me. My official chip time...meaning the time I crossed the start line until the time I crossed the finish line was 6 hours and 17 minutes. I was mad at myself because I thought, "If I just hadn't walked so much that last 6 miles, I could have shaved 18 minutes off of my time and had a sub 6 hour time". But, I'm not going to beat myself up too much.
I wanted to do one marathon before I turned 50 on December 20th. I remember thinking as I crossed the finish line, "I liked that. I could do that again. Maybe not tomorrow, but I could do that again." And I will.
I was going to spend the night with my brother Aaron in Annapolis and go home the next day. But, literally, as I was following Aaron back to his place in my car, he and I talked on the phone and decided the weather from Hurricane Sandy was too much of a threat and I should head back home immediately. So, after getting only 4 1/2 hours of sleep the night before, and running 26.2 miles, I drove 4 1/2 hours home in the dark. I was a little tired.
Needless to say, my body was sore. I was tired. That is to be expected when you do a 26.2 mile race. I took a week off from running and going to the gym. I worked long and hard training for this race and it paid off. I had the time of my life those 6 days and the Marine Corps Marathon was everything I expected it to be and more.
Now? I think, I'd like to maybe run a marathon every other year. I loved it. Training for, and running a marathon is challenging on the body if you don't train properly. It also is very time consuming. In the meantime, I have fitness and health goals in mind. I love the journey I have been taking over the past 3 years. I love being healthy. I feel great. I have more energy, strength, endurance and stamina than I did in my 20's. I get a lot more done than I used to get done.
I am happy and proud to say that I am an athlete. I am happy and proud to say that I am healthy. I am happy and proud to say that I am fit. I am happy and proud to say that I am a runner.
But, I still don't think I'm going to be one of those crazy runners that wears a diaper...and then drops it on the road...used...in the middle of the course...just sayin'...
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