Marine Corps Marathon

[Gregory Milbourne]

Just wanted to send in a race report as I have been an avid listener
to Steve's podcast which I believe turned me around and into a
marathoner!

This is my third marathon, and my third in one year, actually. I ran
my first last November, the Philadelphia Marathon which I ran with a
Clif Pace group until the last 5 k, and finished in sub-4 hour and a
very cool for me 3:51. Then I ran a much smaller marathon in the
spring, going out much too fast and struggled back on the out and back
course to finish in 3:54. So this time I was determined to run a
smarter race.

In between this summer I battled illness and injury. I started
running in Vibram 5 fingers, which I really loved, to improve my form.
I took a chi running class and tried to focus on landing on my
forefoot and increasing my cadence. So despite feeling a little under
the weather with cold/flu like symptoms, I awoke at 4:30 Sunday
morning incredibly excited for the race. I got a ride to the start,
arriving two hours early which allowed me to use the porta potties
four times and get rid of all of my race anxiety. I also drank a lot
and was a little worried that I might need to stop on the course. I
dressed well, wore my new Adidas Adizero shoes, and felt ready to
race!

For those who have been there, MCM is a large race without specific
corrals, but a big long line of runners generally lined up along
posted finish times. Having run a 1:40 half marathon last month, I
decided to line up between the 3:30 and 3:40 pace groups and see what
I felt like as I got moving. I am hoping to qualify for Boston, which
is 3:20 now, but drops to 3:30 in three years which I think is
achievable. So as I ran up and down the first few miles through
Arlington, I picked up the pace to under 8 minute miles, which in
retrospect may have been a mistake.

As I crossed the Potomac and ran into Georgetown, I ran by a woman
wearing a shirt reading: "encountered one bomb, survived 39+
surgeries, now tell me YOU'RE IN PAIN!" Ironically, she and I passed
one another throughout the race and her inspiration really helped me.

I felt great climbing to round the Georgetown reservoir around mile 6
and kept the pace around 7:50 hoping for a 3:30 finish. The route was
pretty along the river and the sun and temps were perfect for a great
race. The crowd support was really cool. Lots of folks lined the
race calling, cheering, and helping us keep going. When I rounded the
Lincoln Memorial and started down Constitution Ave in front of the
White House, I had a little spiritual experience. I could feel the
energy rising up my body, my head tingled, and I knew that I was going
to have a good race. I knew that the 3:30 group was right behind me
as the crowds kept urging them on, but I felt that I could keep my
pace.

Unfortunately, as we rounded in front of the Capital and started back
down the Mall, the 3:30 pace group passed me. My garmin read a
7:57min mile pace, so I assuaged myself that the group was fast and
that I could still do okay. But as we turned up 14th Street by the
Holocaust Museum, I realized that I just needed to run my race. I had
to chuckle as we crossed the river again, because on the side of
bridge was a large sign "The end is near" and a guy dressed in black
with a scythe ringing a bell!

Once we got back in Virginia, we headed south and passed by the family
fun center, where I knew that I would see some of my family. And they
saw me and called out, but by then I knew that I was starting to feel
the miles. I stopped to give them a shirt I had tied around my waist
and my gloves and headed north to finish the last few miles. At this
point, I wasn't feeling so strong and as we rounded the Pentagon
parking lot to make the last mile, I got passed by the 3:40 pace
group. Ugh! I didn't have anything in the tank to pick up my pace
and keep with them. But I resolved that even though I wasn't keeping
a quick pace any longer, I was not going to walk. I don't know if I
needed to eat more or train harder, but I knew that I could finish,
just not in my goal time. So I kept going and pushed up the final
hill to the finish without stopping and crossing the line in a new PR
of 3:42:38. I am not done! I will keep working until I can qualify
for Boston. Until then, thanks for everyone who writes and supports
Steve, me and everyone who gets out there and sets goals for
themselves!

Thanks again!
Greg

[Cris Dopher]

Great report, Greg. Good luck on your path to Boston. I hear Houston
is a good coiurse to qualify for Boston on, because it is flat. I did
the half there and ran one of my best times.

CD

[Martin @ RunningRamblings]

Greg,

Thanks for a great race report and congratulations on a new PR! I too
ran MCM and from your description of the first 8-miles, you and I must
have been running within feet of each other. Sounds like I started in
the same place as you and ran a similar pace until approximately mile
8 where I picked it up. Up to that point your experience so mimics
mine that I could cut-and-paste it and attach my name; including the
BQ aspirations (needed 3:20, got 3:23) and the part about the woman
wearing the shirt reading: "encountered one bomb, survived 39+
surgeries, now tell me YOU'RE IN PAIN!" In hindsight, I really wish I
had asked her about that. I kept staring looking for scars, limp,
whatever but saw nothing.

Anyway, I don't want to thread-jack (insert Kanye West joke here) but
wanted to let you know that last Sunday a fellow Fdip listener
literally was a fellow runner. You did an excellent job!

Cheers,
Martin

[Jon Cohen]

nice work martin and greg.

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[David Yelland 2]

Thanks for the report Greg.
A PR is a PR. It gives you something to aim for next time.
I have no doubt you'll make it to Boston in the near future.

David

--------------------------------------------------
From: "Gregory Milbourne" <milb...@gmail.com>
Sent: Thursday, October 29, 2009 4:32 PM
To: <fdip...@googlegroups.com>; "Steve" <st...@steverunner.com>
Subject: [Fdip:3984] Marine Corps Marathon

[simplerich]

Great race report. My brother in law was there somewhere. I need to
touch base and find how he did.
Congrats on the PR!