Marine Corps Marathon - RunMarathon

This was my first MCM and second overall marathon. And, this was a struggle. My fitness level was great - I never felt overly taxed and could have gone harder or longer. The motor was ready to go, but the legs weren't there. By mile 12 my legs were already done, much to my surprise. The next 14 miles were simply a matter of will and I struggled through it. I was able to follow pretty close to my pacing plan: I started around 9:20 and worked my pace down after the first 5 miles. Then I tried to keep pace around 8:45 until mile 20. My plan was, at mile 20, to determine if I "had it" or not - if so, I would try to push my pace to the end. If not, then stay at the pace where I was and run to the end. Unfortunately, I didn't have it. I had the fitness to go, but my legs were done and it was all I could do to make the legs work through to the end.

I've thought a lot about it and I think the break down of my legs is a function of several things. First, I've done a lot of training over the past 10 months, with much more volume than I have ever run in the past. My legs were taxed before the race even started. Second, I ended up carrying around my backpack for several hours during my travels and at the expo on Saturday. My hips hurt during the race in a way they never have before and I wonder if the backpack may have played a roll in that (and my back hurt during the race too). Lastly (and I think primarily), the cold really affected me. I was simply never able to get loose during the race. I did my typical warm up before we started, but it was just so cold and my muscles weren't used to it. I felt tight and stiff the entire run, even after my core temperature came up and my HR elevated. I felt tightness in my hamstrings in a way I have not experienced while training or racing - I really feel liked it was the cold.

Regardless, I'm pleased with the result. I wanted to be under 4:00, but really hoped to beat my Philly time of 3:53. I was close. However, Philly was my A race last year and I really focused my training on that race - I peaked just right for it and the 3:53 was as good as I could do. MCM was not an A race - my fitness and the condition of my body peaked back in August for Timberman. I was appropriately trained for this race, but I was not in peak physical condition, with lingering overuse injuries, overall fatigue and tired legs. In Philly last year, I was able to keep the legs moving the entire time, but I hit a major low around mile 22 that lasted until mile 25. My mind and motor struggled much of the last 6-7 miles. I did not experience that low this year. Indeed, I never hit an emotional low and the motor never was ready to shut off. I never had that "I need to stop running" emotional feeling - just the feeling that my legs wanted me to stop because they hurt. Fortunatley, when you're in a good place emotionally, you can push through pain and that's what I was able to do - I was able to stay strong in a way I couldn't last year. If I had experienced yesterday a similar low to what I went through in Philly last year, I may have ended up walking (or worse), given how bad my legs hurt. But, with my upbeat and strong mindset, and with the motor churning strong, I was able to keep telling myself to ignore the pain in my legs and keep pushing ahead without slowing down. Last year, my pace fell off badly for a few miles between 22 and 25. Yesterday, my pace remainined generally consistent throughout. Overall, I ran a smarter, better marathon this year, but my legs just weren't able to give me what I needed to best my time from Philly. I was pleased with the time, given my training, focus on the race and physical condition.

More than anything, I had a great experience. I met Jon and Al at the race and just enjoyed spending time with them. Jon ran a solid race and Al posted a 3:37, despite injuries. The MCM is an amazing event - the Marine really know how to do logistics and it was as well organized as any event hosting +20,000 could possibly be. I loved the atmosphere, the scenery and all the fanfare that went with the race. I'm so pleased I did it.

Not carry around a heavy backpack for extended periods the day before. Perhaps, run just a tiny bit slower over the middle miles. Take in a little more calories.

None. I stood at the finish line for 20 minutes waiting for Jon. I stretched a little while waiting, but it was a narrow, crowded area, so I didn't really have much room. Then, after getting medals, the crowd was moved through a narrow area to the post race festival, a fair distance away. By the time that happened, it was nearly an hour after I finished.


My legs. Still not entirely sure why, but I experienced pain like I never have before while running.


As stated above, the race is amazing and the Marines' participation is really moving. Extremely well organized.

I'm so happy I did this race and I really enjoyed the weekend.