Marine Corps Marathon - RunMarathon

I started out in the 4:00 - 4:09 corral. The first 5K was crowded, but I didn't mind because it helped me keep my pace under control. I ditched the sweatshirt around mile 3 and took my gloves off after the first hour. I also had my first gel and was feeling pretty good! After making it through the first 10K, I saw the 4:00 pace group and started running with them. It was a lot of fun running with the group (even though it was really crowded.) At one point, someone stepped on the back of my foot and I almost fell... yikes! I hung with the pace group until mile 17.5 or so and was still feeling good. I took a gel every hour just like I had practiced during my training runs.

I took a little longer at the next water stop and walked through it (mistake!) Up until mile 15 or so, I had my own water bottle with me so I just passed through the water stops up until this point. I think for my next marathon, I'll consider bringing two bottles with me. I don't mind holding them and it'll help me keep moving instead of giving into the temptation to walk through the stops.

When I made it through the stop, I saw the balloons a little ahead of me and thought that I wouldn't be able to catch up to them again. Looking back on it, I really wish I had made more of an effort to catch back up instead of just being OK with keeping them in my sight.

After I walked through the water stop, my legs felt tight, but I was able to continue running until I hit mile 21. My legs were tired and I couldn't see the 4:00 balloons anymore so I started walking. I'm kind of disappointed with myself because I feel like I gave up. My legs were hurting, but they weren't cramping so there was no reason for me to walk. Walking made my legs feel worse and it was really hard to start running again after the walk breaks.

From miles 21 through 25, I tried running for 5 minutes then walking 2. Running for 3 minutes, then walking 1. Running to a sign, then walking for a few. I tried everything I could to try and pull myself out of the mental and physical funk that I was in. Even the awesome crowd support through Crystal City wasn't enough to keep me running.

Finally... at mile 25, I was able to pull out of the funk and run the last 1.2. I was hurting, but I was moving again!!

The finish line was incredible. There were so many people cheering, and it made me forget about the pain in my legs (especially while running up the hill at the end!) I was happy to be finished and enjoyed the experience :) It was my first marathon and I'm very glad I picked the Marine Corps Marathon as my first.

Keep running. Since this was my first marathon, I didn't handle the mental funk that I went through during the last 10K very well.

I knew at some point, I'd probably be in some pain, but pulling together and pushing through that rough patch is something that I'll have to work on during my next marathon. If my legs were cramping, that would be a reason to start walking, but I need to push through the fatigue instead of giving into it. I'll remember for next time that walking just makes it worse because it's harder to get moving again!

I'll also think about bringing two bottles with me so I don't take my sweet ol' time at the water stops.

Hobbled through the finish area, got my medal & my finisher's photo. Luckily my parents saw me and I was able to meet up with them shortly after I finished. We were planning on meeting at the Family Link Up area, but that was a long walk from the finisher's area. I sat down on the grass for a while, had some pretzels & Powerade, then we started making our way to the Metro stop.

I was planning on going and meeting up with other BTers for some post race festivities, but the Metro line was madness and I knew I wouldn't be able to make it home in a reasonable time to let my dog out. :( The Metro ride home was crowded for about 20 minutes, but then I was able to get a seat for the rest of the ride. Made it home around 3:00 and ate a HUGE lunch/dinner.


I just need to run more miles. I followed Hal Higdon's Novice 2 plan, but I missed a few long runs during tri season. I also think I need to be running at least 100+ miles a month to have a shot at running a decent marathon. For my first attempt though, I think I did alright. :) I'm just disappointed that I started walking. I enjoyed the experience, did not suffer any injuries during training, and am looking forward to doing another marathon.

I was hoping for a 4:00 time, but it was probably a little ambitious of me to think I could pull that off with my training mileage.


The organization at this race was very good. There were plenty of drink stations and they were well stocked. The crowd support was amazing. The course was beautiful. The finishers area at the end was crowded, but I was still able to get my medal and picture fairly quickly. The only thing I didn't like was the line to get back on the Metro at the end. It was tough standing there for that long after running, but it was a smooth ride on the Orange line back to the New Carollton station.

I'll definitely do this race again next year :)