Me and the running group met in the hotel lobby at 5:45, we
shot the breeze for a few. The group had a few laughs at my disposable outer
attire which served to lighten up the mood and settle nerves.
We walked down the metro and got off at our stop. Then we started walking. I swear we walked a mile- at
least. In the cold and the pitch
black. It was really quite
surreal. I remember sitting in the
metro wondering where all these runners were going and then walking to the
baggage drop still wondering where we were all going. Maybe it hit me when we said goodbye to our stuff at baggage
drop, loaded up our water and fuel and then stood in line for a
portapotty. That’s when it hit
me. I’m about to try to run a
marathon that I’ve been training for since June. Am I ready? How
will I do at mile 20? Am I
ready? Did I remember to grab my
fuel? Did I wear the right
socks? Did I put bandaids on my
nipples? Is there a rock in my
shoe? Do I have to pee again? And the questions go on.
We got to the 4:10 corral at 7:30 just in time for the
opening ceremony. While standing
in the corral there was a couple in front of me wearing matching homemade
shirts. It had a picture of an
infant baby and the birth date April 2007 and the deceased date September
2007. They were running for the
baby they lost 2 years ago. It’s
time like these that life gets real very quickly for me. I’m here running because I lost weight
and like running and they’re here to raise awareness for the disease that
killed their infant child. I
choked back the tears and realized how important this event was for some
people. Encounters like these
would be scattered throughout the day.
At 7:45 I shed my sweet purple pants, tried to auction
starting at $5 but there were no takers so I tossed them on the barricade to
the corral. At 7:55 I shed the
Winnie the Pooh sweet as honey sweat shirt and tried to auction that off at $2-
still no takers so that one got tossed into the crowd of supporters.
The gun went off and… we went no where. About 5 minutes later the crowd starts
to break and we’re jogging to the start line. We cross the start at 8:08 and we’re off. I look right at a sign that says “Chuck
Norris never completed the Marine Corps Marathon.” Signs like that make me smile. We quickly passed where we’ll finish and I think to myself-
I’ll be seeing you in 26 miles.
Miles 1-8 keep you by Arlington Cemetery and on the Virginia
side of the Potomac and then down the parkway and up into Georgetown. One way to describe this section would
be hilly. For those of you that
don’t know I live and run in a coastal town. The largest hill we have is a 75 ft Bridge. I don’t know jack about hills, today I
got educated. I’m a good hill
runner, I’ve run them enough while traveling and on the Bridge near home. I
keep strong on the uphills and don’t have too hard of a time of the
downhills. So my plan was to take
it easy the first 8 and see how I felt.
Another way to describe the first 8 miles would also be
crowded. My plan was to run
9:00-9:15 m/miles the first 8 and try to make up any ground I lost between
8-20. Good thing that was my plan
because I couldn’t have run faster if I wanted. Those first 8 miles were so crowded it wasn’t worth the
effort to try to weave in an out of so many people. I did a little weaving just to keep going at a decent clip
but going low 9’s was just impossible.
That and the hills just slow most people down. We would get a good stride going on the downhill or the few
flat sections and then hit an uphill and the mob would just slow. I didn’t get frustrated but it was
difficult mentally to not be able to get into a stride.
My 9 mile time was 1:22 or some where around in there.
Miles 9-16
Then it was go time.
The crowd thinned enough to get going so I did. I got down into the high 8’s which was
part of the plan. I saw my wife
and boys at mile 10. She gave me
some pop tarts and a smile and I was off again. Mile 10 is right near the Lincoln memorial but you’re a
level lower than the memorial and there was nothing to see. The crowd was full here and just
cheering their heads off. I know
it sounds cheesy but there were times during the race that the crowds cheering
just simply overwhelmed me emotionally.
I would find myself blinking back tears- overwhelmed with joy. It’s nice to be supported like
that even if the people are perfect strangers. They literally wanted me to succeed and are trying to will
you with their cheers to run and perform your best. Some would make eye contact with me and say something
directly to me. The boost from my
family and the crowd here carried me on at least 4 miles- which was good
because there was no more crowd support until mile 15.
I hit the half mark at 1:59. This is when I had a race assessment. I really wanted to go sub 4 hours for
this race. The first 8 were brutal
on the hills and I came out of that pretty good. I would need to exact split to hit sub 4. In training I hit the wall at 20 and
lose some time during that process.
But I was still picking up the pace some and I knew I could bank some
time before I hit 20 where I knew I would slow. I was golden.
At 13 the course heads back to the mall which was the part
of the race I was most looking forward to the run down the mall to the capital
and then back. Unfortunately to
get back to the mall the headwind was pretty stiff. It wasn’t the wind that was so bad but the fact that I was
freezing. I believe it was mile 15
or 16 that we got back to the mall and I have to say- huge disappointment. Perhaps I had it so hyped up in my head
that it couldn’t help but be a let down, who knows? I was still keeping my pace, holding on to my head and aside
from my legs feeling a little heavy I was still running my race.
I knew I could hold on to this pace until 20, at 19 I was going
to get some sport beans from the Marines and maybe even keep this pace past 20
before the road got a little bumpy.
At 18.75 right as we were rounding away form the Capitol building my
left hamstring seized up. I have
never had a cramp before while running, ever. I had kept my bottle full the entire time, filling up ever 6
miles and had fueled like I had on training runs. I don’t know what happened. Up to this point Wanda, one of my running friends, and I had
run the entire race together. I
was looking forward to having her pace me the last 6 miles because she doesn’t
seem to know the meaning of quit.
But we had also agreed that if one of us felt good they would go for it. She heard me take a breath when the
cramp hit and asked me if I needed to stretch. I immediately did and she was off. I stretched, the cramp alleviated and I walked a little to
stretch it out.
I hit the 20 mile mark at 3:01:30, I wanted to hit it at
3:00 but I was still in the 4 hr ballpark. But my left leg was just not letting up. It was my hamstring and I would stretch
it, then my calf and I would stretch that. Then my quad started cramping and I couldn’t figure out how
to stretch either without making the other cramp. So I drank as much as I could, ate the sports beans and was
seriously worried about not finishing this race.
Miles 20-26.2
I had told myself after mile 20 it’s just 2 5k’s and anybody
can run a 5k. 20 is beat the
bridge, meaning you have to get passed the bridge by 5:15, I had done that but
what they don’t tell you is that no one is on the bridge. Mile 20 is also where the “wall”
resides for many runners, glycogen stores are empty and the body just revolts
on itself. Well the bridge was
brutal on the cramps, I’m trying to mentally stay in the game and I’m seriously
wondering if my cramps are going to let me finish. By this time my entire left leg and my right calf is
cramping. It was tough.
All along the bridge there were people falling out. I would see guys pull up suddenly just
like I had. There were people
stretching all over the place and there was an odd thing- silence. During the entire race you would hear
chatter, some hollers of oooh-rah, and some generally pleasant cheering. At mile 20-22 there was none of that,
none. The only voice were of
runners doing their best to encourage other runners. There were a few beautiful people that hiked the bridge to
just encourage. They had sweedish
fish, twizzlers and other candies.
The two of the funniest things I saw during the race . First of all a lady with a sign pinned
to her back that said “If running was easy it’d be called your mom.” And then right at the top of the bridge
there was a guy dressed in all black with a sickle with a sign that said “The
end is near.” He was ringing a
bell in an eirry methodical tone.
I laughed out loud
I was still cramping.
When the cramping go too bad I would walk, stretch and then off
again. Seemed to keep it in check.
When I hit 22 I knew I would finish. I’m not sure if it was because I wasn’t
going to quit or that I would walk the final 4 in the time before they shut the
course down. By this point I’m
struggling to average 11 m/mile but I’m still moving and strangely enough I’m
enjoying the scenery. 23-24 take
you through crystal city which has great crowds.
But what inspired me the most was a dad about my age pushing
his son in a wheel chair. It was
clear the son was severely handicap but he was running with his dad! He was a guy worth my encouragement and
I told him he was doing a great job.
He was off and running again real soon.
Still stretching when I had to, drinking as much as I could
and being wary of hills either up or down since those made the cramps
worse. One step at a time until I
finally saw the starting arches. I
knew the finish wasn’t far from that.
Left right left right. I
felt like Ryan Hall when he set the American half record high fiveing the
crowd. I was high fiveing anybody
but it felt like my victory lap!
When I hit the finish mat an animal yell that had been
brewing deep inside came out. It
was such a fantastic feeling.
Finish time 4:12
not the 4 hours I was hoping for but I’m ok with that. I was humbled today but I was also
motivated. Finishing was simply
incredible and I can’t find words to describe it. It hasn’t even sunk in all the way yet, maybe it won’t but
I’m elated.
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