Marine Corps Marathon - RunMarathon

OK so I was very mentally prepared for a DNF. I really was. Since my injury a few weeks ago I had only done 4 3 mile runs...I had no idea how I would hold up. I did jog around a bit and learned the hip did not hurt running, only walking so the 8/2 thing Team Chippy was doing was not going to work for me. I knew I couldn't run as fast as them and I knew the walking would hurt too much. So I set my mind to running a slow butt pace and every 15 minutes take a 1 minute walk if I needed it. Oh and I used my walk time to pray for a different person in my family or friends that I knew had stuff going on. So my running time was for me, my walking time everyone else :)

Because of the long wait at the start, for the first time I had to pee on the course. I did it at the first stop with no line. I am glad I went then even though it took me 2 minutes to unhook all my crap in that little thing. But I noticed the potty lines were very long everywhere else. Max stayed with me bless his heart for over 8 miles and let me know he had to start walking and may not finish. As much as I hated leaving him I knew I could not start walking then and had to stay at the pace I was going at...if you look at my times I did a steady 5 miles per hour all the way until mile 21.

So when I realized I was losing Max I wasted another 2-3 minutes untangling my Ipod cord and set up music to play. This was the best wasted 2-3 minutes. It just pumped me...first time I played Ipod on a marathon and it rocked. I sang my heart out for the next 10 miles. People thought I was nuts...I didn't care...this time I didn't want to have my mid race meltdown/depression. I decided to behave like I loved every minute of it. I stuck to the 15 minute blocks..not so much b/c I wanted to walk, but it helped me chip away...and instead of thinking 'only 1/2 way there' I thought, 15 more minutes for my next break. I cheered on the marines when they cheered me on. I did walk the water stations a lot. Honestly more because I didn't want to slip on the billions of paper cups by the time slow little me got to them. Looking back, since I walked the water stations I probably didn't need to walk on the 15 too but heck I was running injured and finishing and enjoying it was my only goal.

Somewhere before mile 15 I think is when I found Rick and Wendi. After Wendi smacking my hiney for months I finally get the courage to smack her to let her know I had arrived only to do it right after her asthma attack..Uh yeah...I told her I think I am scarred for life. She was so hurting and upset at that moment all I wanted to do was burst into tears...thankfully Rick realized he was about to have 2 emotional women on his hands so summoned me to move on...
About 15 minutes later I saw the man that went down. When I passed him they were rushing and doing CPR and rescue breathing. They were shooing us away quickly. Immediately I was overcome with emotion for him and his family and started hyperventilating...all I could think was that it seemed crazy that we were all still running...so I just prayed and prayed. I am not a long prayer but I probably prayed for him, his family and the people attending him for maybe 15 minutes...I know because it was time for me to walk again...

Got a call from my sister at mile 19 and she was amazed at how great I sounded on the phone. I was pumped. I was feeling great. This was the first time I actually kept running from miles 15-19 without any major walking. Even though I was going slow I was so grateful for some strange reason I was feeling no pain in my ankle or hip. It was like God gave me this little window of time to run pain free. I realized then as I approached mile 20 I had a chance of a 5:15 finish...for me that was a PR...no way!! I sprinted up the bridge for the 20 mile pacing map.

Then all of a sudden...out of nowhere...BAM...I got dizzy and thought I was going to pass out. I couldn't shake the feeling so I started walking and tried to retrack my nutrition. I had been steadily taking my accel gels every hour and plenty of water at the water stations. I don't hardly drink powerade cuz I just don't digest it well but I had pretzels for the salt...and then I realized I hadn't eaten any pretzels yet...how did I forget to do that? so no powerade, no salty pretzels, no salt pack and based on the salt on my body I knew I was depleted...so while I was walking I starting eating pretzels and a family had gatorade for someone and gave me a cupful...It took me at least 15 minutes (so almost all of mile 21) before I felt like I could run again. The walking thing. Good because I didn't want to pass out and DNF at this point, but bad for my legs. It was too long. Everything by then was in a ball of knots. I could barely getting a running gait going...so I moved to a 4/1, 3/2 alternating deal. It was the best I could do.

Then from out of the heavens....I heard my name...there was saint lane with sugar cookies!!! ahhh....that sent new life back into me. And then low and behold...I passed Team Chippy..wow!!!! I was less than a mile behind them?? I thought for sure they left me in the dust hours ago and were drinking beer by then...oh it was so great to see them. Around mile 24 right when I truly wanted to cut off my limbs and everything hurt like a SOB...runnergirl called me...she was awesome...she was like: renee i am tracking you online you are still set for a PR, keep going, you are only a few minutes behind team chippy......I was so tired and just wanted to walk but she wouldn't let me. I then passed wendi and rick...running...she was not far behind me now...phew she survived my hiney slap!! and she looked fabulous...then low and behold not far behind her...I saw Max...the crazy amazing man was still out there!! I screamed...Max YOU ROCK!!!!...yeah everyone thought I was nuts...then runnergirl called me back to make sure I hadn't slacked off in the final mile...thank goodness cuz I was so tired and just hurt but she wouldn't give up on me! I stuck to the 4/1 all the way to the finish...with a PR...7 minutes ahead of my Nashville time...who knew?

I then proceeded immediately to medic tent as the ankle Gods left me and I was left with one fat ankle. It didn't hurt as much as it could have but it was big and I knew ice/elevation best thing for it.



Nothing major. I am so happy I finished. I am so happy that for the first time I actually had a great mental attitude, all the way thru to the end. I am glad I actually enjoyed the whole race this time (ok the last few miles sucked but whatever).
Little things: If I am going to walk the water stations, don't walk every 15 minutes. Don't forget either salt, the pretzels or the powerade. Other than that? nothing!

I am really really really happy about this race. I KNOW that with 2 healthy legs, my 5 hr goal is so within reach!!!

After medic tent for 20 minutes or so, food and needed bag desperately. I was having the chills and wanted my sweats. By the time I found it, it was in the opposite direction of the BT gang and now that I had been sitting with ice and laying down, walking was nearly impossible...waited over an hour in line for metro back to hotel and missed the shuttle so walked 15 minutes back to hotel. Did ice bath then hot shower then sweats. I feel bad but did not join troops for dinner. I would have if it was a car ride away but it meant more shuttle, metro walking and I was officially done. While I am so grateful I finished the race, it had been a long time since a long run and I was having post race pain in a big way. I did room service and called it a night. I have to say I went to bed with my ankles pulsing...but I can't blame them....they hung in there for me and I was happy.


Spraining my ankle 2 1/2 weeks before the marathon, tripping on it again the day before and the severe hip flexor pain I was having before the race...probably overcompensating for the ankle..

I just have to thank all of BT out there...this race was so much fun the whole weekend because I got to be with you all and those of you back home I knew you were rooting for us...how amazing and grateful I am to be a part of this supportive and loving and crazy and fun group of people. It made all the difference in the world...WHOOP WHOOP!!!!!!


How amazing to have the marines on the course being the volunteers. I couldn't help but want to hug and thank every one of them for their daily fight for our freedom.

The sights along the way were just breathtaking and I really tried to take it all in. The finish photo at the statue was cool!

I think the post race area was congested and not well labled...No one seemed to know where the medic tent was, where the UPS trucks were...it just seemed clogged and hard to move around but whatever, 34,000 runners...what do you expect?