Marine Corps Marathon race report (very long)
Chris Smith
the wisdom and humor of people in this newsgroup,
and inspiration from sensational race volunteers and spectators,
I finished my first marathon yesterday.
(ok, I played a role, too).
First, the nitty gritty: out in 2:01:28 (half-marathon mark), cruising
comfortably, right at my training-target range of 9 to 9:15 miles.
Unfortunately around mile 16 a growing twinge in my left IT band (that
had started feeling a little tight around mile 13) turned into a
race-threatening condition. By mile 20 I was walking about 2/3 of every
mile and running;/hobbling/limping 1/3 of the mile. Finished in 4:53:55
chip time, 5:07 on the clock. Ran the last mile and change, up the hill
and around the Iwo memorial to the finish, with a gait somewhere between
Igor from one of the Frankenstein movies and a frog, plus a little grit
from me (drag, hop, run, drag, hop, run).
Accomplished my primary goal of finishing.
Alas did not accomplish secondary goals of finishing uninjured and under
4:15.
(will work to reach those goals soon I hope)
-Naturally, I am disappointed about the injury and will be discussing it
in later messages here, but for now, more about MCM.
As many on this newsgroup no doubt already know, MCM is a great event
and an enjoyable course. A few recollections before they fade:
-I experienced several emotionally-charged moments during the event: a
rousing, beautiful singing of the Star Spangled Banner before the start,
made particularly chilling by the setting near the nation's military
cemetery and the site of one the Sept. 11 attacs; the jaw-dropping run
past the open hole in the Pentagon, an up-close vision that, cliches be
damned, simply isn't done justice by television; and, of course, that
thrilling run (hop, etc.) up the hill to the finish through a roaring
crowd. Not to mention the kindness of the young Marine who removed the
chip from my shoe and congratulated me on finishing. I thanked him for
his service to the country and said that my dad was a Marine at Inchon
and the Reservoir in Korea in the 1950s. He spent some extra time with
me to make sure I could walk to the food and drink tent.
-more about my run--contrary to the common lore, I had absolutely no
problem starting right on my planned pace, even with the pack loosening
right at the start and plenty of opportunity to mess up and run too
quickly. Each of those first 5 miles were very close to 9:05 although I
slowed a bit after that and by half-marathon had averaged 9:15 per mile.
At that moment, I was beginning to worry a little about the IT band, but
had occasional stretches when it loosened enough that I honestly felt
optimistic about a 4:15 finish even with a little slowing.
The "flatness" of the MCM is, like all things, relative, as has been
discussed before on this NG. To a reall flatlander from New Orleans,
where the ONLY hills are an occasional bridge over a canal or Interstate
overpass, the D.C. course is "mostly" flat with a dozen or so inclines
that are enough to get your attention, including the run up and down
Capitol Hill where my ITB troubles became full-blown. The new section of
the course on Rock Creek Parkway was easier than I expected despite the
inclines out and back.
-weather was cold at the start but fortunately not strong winds and
overcast like the day before the race. Temps in the high 30s as we
boarded shuttle buses for the quiet ride from the Pentagon parking lot
to the start area at the Iwo Jima Memorial. Disposable layers were the
order of the day except for a few crazies already stripped down to
shorts and singlets an hour before the gun.
-the "corral" starting system worked fairly well with one exception. I
was in the "I" area (projected times around 4:30 based on my wild guess
last April), and there was no real jostling or hazard when the pack
started moving. By the time we were 50 yards before the START arch
(giant balloon) there already was plenty of space around me and it was
possible to get right into a 9 minute groove as we hit the line.
-the one problem with the start was that the p.a. system wasn't quite
loud enough in our area for anyone to hear the announcement that the
first gun (at MCM, it's simulaneous firing of starter's pistol and a
Marine Corps cannon) would be of course for the wheelchair division, so
there was a momentary confusion which quickly subsided.
-I shed my outdoor garbage bag cover just before the start, but kept on
my long-sleeved throwaway shirt until about mile 6 as there were some
cold and damp spots under overpasses in the Pentagon area. Tucked
pullover cap and gloves into my waistband now and then throughout first
half of the race but ended up wearing them off and on depending on the
wind. Thanks to everyone here for the good advice about shorts--anything
more on my legs would have made me a churnin urn of burnin funk.
-one glitch in the race logistics, made worse by heightened security
concerns: to check a bag with clothes, etc. in the baggage tent, one
could use only a clear plastic bag with a tag attached from the bottom
of the bib (I assume this is pretty standard at big races?). Anyway, by
the time the race was over, finding one's bag in the enormous piles and
lines of bags was a daunting task even for a rested, sane person, which
I was not. That took nearly 20 minutes searching nearly on my hands and
knees. In the future, if there are similar rules, I'll put a highly
distinctive bright colored item in the bag to make it easier to spot.
-I was surprised that there was not a water station of any kind in the
pre-race starting/staging area; I left my bottle of water on the shuttle
bus, doh!, but was given a small bottle by a kind spectator so was able
to finish the pre-race hydrating as planned.
-a few favorite sights and sounds:
-one of the Marines actually running the race was carrying a very
large American flag on a hefty flag pole the entire course. His singlet
was hand-inscribed, "Osama yo mama."
-a really tall guy in full Uncle Sam outfit including the top hat;
he got a big reaction from the crowds during the time I was running near
him.
-several moving signs attached to runners' backs that read things
including, "Thanks to my dad, a retired Marine," "Running in memory of
Alison," etc.
-a man standing with his bicycle along one of the early miles near
the Pentagon, who spoke English in a heavily northern-European accent
and told every runner he could, "I am so proud of you."
-after the race, when I was getting out of a shuttle van to eat
dinner in Pentagon City, two different cab drivers passing by noticed my
MCM shirt and said "congratulations" (they already had fares on board,
so it seemed genuine).
-the faces of so many hundreds of young Marines performing their
race tasks however small as if the world depended on them; not hard to
believe that it does.
-the camaraderie of fellow runners the day before and day of the
race. A man I met along with his family at my hotel was just returning
to marathoning after several years running only shorter distances. At
63, he looked amazing (I'll be ecstatic to be in his shape at that age
17 years from now). I checked his results this morning and his chip time
was 3:56:33, 15th in his age division.
-ran/walked a few miles near the end in the vicinity of a guy
wearing a hand-stenciled shirt proclaiming this his 25th MCM. Needless
to say, he drew a crowd of runners.
By far the hardest miles I covered yesterday were dragging my leg to,
through and from airports after the race. It was good to get home to
ice, more Advil and the company of my admiring family, and to an email
from my daughter who is studying abroad, took a sidetrip to Salzburg
this weekend, but found time in Austria to check my splits on the
Internet and said kind things in her email that got me choked up again
as if I were still gritting it up the hill to the finish.
Thanks for tolerating this long data dump from a proud, if inordinately
sore, marathoner.
Chris(topher)
Bumper
Any marathon you finish is a great one and your report was excellent.
David Forbes
Great report.
--
Regards,
Dave
SwStudio
Welcome to the marathoner's club :-)
--
David (in Hamilton, Ont)
"Courage is fear holding on a minute longer"
Gen. George Patton
http://www.angelfire.com/nc/swstudio/racing.html
-
"Chris Smith" <awr...@bellsouth.net> wrote in message
news:3BDD67DA...@bellsouth.net...
Dot
> Accomplished my primary goal of finishing.
> Alas did not accomplish secondary goals of finishing uninjured and under
> 4:15.
> (will work to reach those goals soon I hope)
>
> -Naturally, I am disappointed about the injury and will be discussing it
> in later messages here, but for now, more about MCM.
>
> As many on this newsgroup no doubt already know, MCM is a great event
> and an enjoyable course. A few recollections before they fade:
>
your report, especially your recollections.
Dot
Mike Conway
>I finished my first marathon yesterday.
>(ok, I played a role, too).
Yes, you indeed did. Your report was an enjoyable read. Sorry to hear about
the IT troubles but nice job in not letting it get you too down.
>Accomplished my primary goal of finishing.
Congratulations on a job well done.
Mike C
Robert Stevahn
Chris,
Great job, nice report! Congratulations on working through the pain
and finishing. Ain't it great to be a marathoner?
-- Robert
Chris Smith
"Why are you walking funny?"
thanks
chris
Mike Tennent
If you read my IM report, you know that I fully sympathize with the
itb problem. It's SO frustrating to have the energy to run but be
limited by something like that.
But congrats on hanging tough and adapting a strategy for finishing.
You done good.
BTW, avoid going down stairs for a day or two. <g>
Mike Tennent
"IronPenguin"
Ironman, Model Railroader, Gamer
www.ironpeng.com/ipe/
Chris Smith
the sidewalk! ;-) Actually, I'm more sore in my right calf today (using
that leg for miles to carry the show for the left ITB of course) than in
the injured area itself. In my past encounter (other leg) with ITB
problems, I was lucky to heal very quickly so I could begin
strengthening the area and starting to run again. Hoping so again....
I did indeed pay close attention to your IM report and thought about
your tough time when it happened to me. In fact, although I wasn't
sufficiently coherent at the time in my own mind to express it, I now
realize that yours and other tales here of survival strategies were the
thing that helped me instantly accept the reality that my body wasn't
going to be able to accommodate the energy I had due to injury, but I
was going to finish the best I could.
I should add that, once I switched to mostly walking after mile 20, I
developed sufficient walking speed that I was literally passing 6 to 10
slow-pace runners a mile, though of course being passed by many other
runners headed for home. Thanks again for the kind words.
chris
Spud
I recall seeing a lot of runners pulling up with injuries around the
38-40km markers on my marathon and thinking that has got to be a real
bummer. Good on you for finishing.
Great report too,
I can also relate to the hundred questions "why are you walking funny"??
Not as sore today as I was yesterday though ;-)
Phil.
Joseph E. Meehan
says...
> Thanks to my family's support these many months,
> the wisdom and humor of people in this newsgroup,
> and inspiration from sensational race volunteers and spectators,
> I finished my first marathon yesterday.
> (ok, I played a role, too).
>
That is the important part, you finished. Much more important
than time, which was about 30 minutes better than either of the two times
I ran the USMC Marathon. I did better this year in Columbus
I hope you thanked a few of those people handing out drinks, one
of them was my son, who ran with me last week.
The report was great as well. I was not able to run there this
year, but I really enjoyed both times I did run, for much the same
reasons you did.
Great run and great report.
I guess the guy running his 25th must of missed just one. Lets
see if I do 25 I will be about 80 years old on my last one.
--
Dia 's Muire duit
Joseph E. Meehan
Chris Smith
> I hope you thanked a few of those people handing out drinks, one
> of them was my son, who ran with me last week.
In fact, partly because my dad is a Marine veteran (Korea--funny how I can't
say "was" a Marine, even though he served only in the early 1950s--it's that
thing about "once a Marine, etc."), I did two things at the marathon that I
may not have mentioned in my race report:
-before the race, during warmup time, I walked around to the side of the
Iwo memorial where "Korea 1950" is engraved in the long list of places where
Marines did the job. Although I had been at that spot in the past during
visits to DC, at that moment I felt compelled to touch the words and say
aloud, "Thanks, Dad," both for his service and for giving me life so I could
be at that starting line.
-second, at every water or other aid station on the course, I said,
"Thanks, Marines," and thanks to other staffers there, so it's entirely
possible I took much-needed water from your son.
> I guess the guy running his 25th must of missed just one. Lets
> see if I do 25 I will be about 80 years old on my last one.
Probably right--I overheard him telling a ridiculous story: last year, he had
knee surgery of some kind just 6 weeks before the race and told his doctor he
was doing the race no matter what. Probably couldn't repeat in a public forum
what his doctor said in reply, but apparently he ran anyway, as that was not
the 1 of 26 that he missed (I was out of earshot by the time that story was
told).
Doug Burke
having run it last year) and the event was great. Glad to hear you had a nice
time.
Doug Burke
>
Laurie
make it< smile> I know you did cause I saw your finish time> Congratulations!!.
Get out of bed and tell us how your first marathon went.<G>
Congrats. to you Leo and everyone else who ran this marathon. Good job.
Laurie- ready for a 50k'r now Leo?
*LOL*
ChristopherC
one in black running shorts, white top and gloves !!! Congrat's on
finishing!
I had a pretty good split at 1:54 but then had some real pains beginning at
the 19 mile mark. I did not set a pb and even added a few minutes to last
years time and ended up at 4:07. My goal was 3:59:59 - I keep telling
myself "Self - why did you stop and walk? why WHY WHY SO CLOSE!?!?"
Running around (and around and around) the Pentagon was very emotional.
Most everyone was staring and uttering words like "I can't believe it"
I really enjoyed chanting "U S A" through all the tunnels. That gave me the
chills everytime.
I ran the last 7 miles with an American flag. Running up to the finish line
was VERY hard - but I held the flag HIGH and waved it around. The crowd was
going crazy - - I did not want that moment to end. Very, very powerful.
The part that stunk was attempting to hook-up with my family. You know how
crazy it was at the finish - and the Marines took down the 'meet-up' ballons
because of the wind. I walked in circles for 30 minutes before finally
borrowing a nice lady's cell phone. Next year (IF I do it again) I will
have a plan B.
Everyone who volunteered gets a great big THANK YOU from me and to all the
spectators who make the run as enjoyable as a marathon can be!
See you next year Chris?
Chris
Doug Burke
was, simply put, the best. Sorry about the "meet up" balloons but don't feel too
bad. At one point (about 2:45 after the start) the "finish line" balloon arch
collapsed and a bunch of marines held it up until more air could be pumped in.
Doug Burke
Chris Smith
> See you next year Chris?
> Chris
If I can get in, you bet I'll be there.
Sounds like you ran a great race despite the pain you encountered. When I think
about how close to the same average time per mile you ran in the second half
even though you were really hurting, it inspires me. I can't wait to heal so I
can get out on the road and get stronger so I can come close to the time you
ran. Hope I'll be able to meet up with people from rec.running at MCM next year.
Chris
Joseph E. Meehan
says...
> Probably right--I overheard him telling a ridiculous story: last year, he had
> knee surgery of some kind just 6 weeks before the race and told his doctor he
> was doing the race no matter what. Probably couldn't repeat in a public forum
> what his doctor said in reply, but apparently he ran anyway, as that was not
> the 1 of 26 that he missed (I was out of earshot by the time that story was
> told).
>
>
Lucky for me my doctors are also runners. I had kidney stones
just a few weeks before my marathon this year. My doctor got me through
and ready to go in time. Every time he had me there with a new set of
nurses he always asked me how far I had run that morning or that week.
Then we both watched the reaction of the nurses.
Laurie
>
Having been a nurse for 25 yrs and now in the ER, I personally would have high
five ya if you said that. I can't tell you how many runners I have supported
and stuck up for in the winter who come in with a broken wrist. Some of the
nurses will say how "stupid" it is to run in the winter. I tell them how many
people fall and break a bone just by walking to their cars. They end up
agreeing. But like you Joe, my personal docs are very athletic and the ones I
work with, many run. Most of the cardiology group runs races regulary( young
and old). They practice what they preach, and they are awesome. The nurses are,
sad to say, not nearly as fit as the MD's
The docs I work with do however think I am a little wacky though talking about
a ultra,
:) but then who doesn't.
:)
Laurie
Leo Reed
Chris,
I wish I had taken the time to your report before I wrote my own.
I cold have done a cut and paste job. I echo your words and
offer my congrats.
Leo
Mike Conway
>Chris,
>
>I wish I had taken the time to your report before I wrote my own.
Leo, go ahead and give us your account of the day...looks like it took you a
while to cross the start line, by the way (17 minute differential from gun time
to chip time--yeah, I looked it up!)
And congrats on making it to the finish. Nice job. Now, give us the details,
dammit!
;-)
Mike C
Mike Conway
posting....yikes!
Mike C