Marine Corps Marathon - RunMarathon

Things started off really well. My goal was to finish sub-5 hours, so I knew I had to average 11.5 minute miles. I felt great through Rosslyn, up Lee Highway, and over onto Spout Run. The hills were there, but they didn't bother me at all. Very crowded run, but I never really felt like I had to avoid people. I pretty much just ran with the people around me.

Heading down towards the Key Bridge was great, the fog across the river was very pretty, and once we got to the bridge the crowd support picked up again. I knew we were heading towards the last of the hills, but still felt great and was clicking off mile times that would get me my goal time.

The portions through Georgetown and towards the Lincoln Memorial were, again, really great as far as crowd support. It was shortly before reaching halfway on Haines Point that I started feeling bad. I was slowing, but still managed to get to halfway in just over 2:25. However, I knew with how I felt that sub-5 probably wasn't going to happen today. Sure enough, I spend the next 6 miles or so doing about 75% run, 25% walk. Nothing specific really hurt, and I wasn't cramping, the energy just wasn't there. I expected this to happen, just not so early since I had completed a long run of 18 miles leading up to today.

The nice thing is, whenever I told myself to start running again, I didn't have the usual argument with myself, I just started running for as long as I could. The crowds on the Mall were a huge help, and it was around mile 16 that I had my first poignant thought of the day...for a moment I caught a whiff of myself and realized how badly I smelled.

Coming back down the south side of the Mall, I knew the bridge was just ahead, and that barring a catastrophe I was going to finish. The bridge itself wasn't so bad, but while crossing I had poignant thought #2, that it seemed bizarre having people that seemed to be in worse shape than me passing by, but also passing by folks who seemed much more fit than I am.

Very shortly after this, and upon getting to Crystal City, I had poignant thought #3, that the beer table was just ahead. I had told myself that unless I was really close to making sub-5, I was determined to have that beer. So, of course I had one. Even better, the photographers were staked out there and got a picture of me! Fun stuff.

The only true "uh-oh" moment of the day was when I was running past the Pentagon before getting back onto the Jeff Davis Highway. Late last year (my first year of running) I got Jumper's knee during a race, and spent the last 2 miles of an 8k hobbling. The same sensation came to me at this point of the marathon, and I had visions of a similar 2 mile hobble to the finish. Thankfully, the ache went away after just 100 yards or so, at which point I told myself to run it the rest of the way in.

I guess "run" is an optimistic term, but I sure as hell wasn't walking. I haven't mentioned it to this point, but throughout the race the one feeling I consistently had was of solitude, despite all the crowds. This feeling built throughout the race, and peaked running those last 2 miles.

That last hill heading to the finish was rough, but frankly having the finish line in sight when going up it eliminates any thoughts of walking. Felt very good to cross that line, and being an emotional doofus I teared up a little.

I missed my longest training run, but my wife would not have appreciated me running 20 miles the weekend of my daughter's first birthday. I think that and an overall increase in volume would have helped. Other than that, I was happy with my nutrition (Hammergel every 45 minutes, Sports Beans at that food stop, a beer, and some goldfish they had with the beer) and hydration.

Made sure to keep walking. Stretched a little, and then sat in the crowd trying to get out of the finishing area.


Experience, training volume.


Considering the crowd, this seemed to be a well run event. I don't see any solution to the masses at the end, since it wouldn't really be the same to finish anywhere other than at the Marine Corps Memorial.