Virginia: 40th Annual MCM
Just a few days and
only two short runs after getting back from North Carolina, Kaela and I were
back on the road for my next race. We were headed to Arlington, Virginia, for
the 40th annual Marine Corp Marathon. This was the shortest time that I had ever attempted
between marathons. I had twice done races just 13 days a part, but this time I
was going for just 8 days. I knew that this was not going to be an
easy task mentally or physically, but the challenge had me excited.
Race: Marine Corp
Marathon
Location: Arlington,
VA
Date: 10/25/2015
Finishing Time:
4:59:09
When I was looking
into races that were in Virginia, the Marine Corp Marathon became my clear
choice of race. Nicknamed "The Peoples Marathon", it made it a point to put the participants first giving a unique experience. The only issue is that the race was a lottery entry, and with it
being so popular, there was no guarantee if I would be able to get in. And that
is exactly what happened. I entered the lottery and got the dreaded "we're
sorry" email. But remember this is about me running the race, and no I
didn't become a "bandit" and break into the race.
My sister-in-law had also entered the lottery, was selected and it was going to be her first
marathon. In the spring, she ran the Cap City half marathon in Columbus and I
was able to come and support. After the race, we were chatting about her plans
for running MCM later in the year. She said that she had been meaning to ask me
if I wanted her registration because she couldn't imagine doing what she just
did twice! I told her that she had a lot of emotions flowing around because of
the tough race and not to make any decisions about it in the moment. A few
weeks later she reached back out and said that she had not changed her mind and
wanted to transfer her registration to me. Just a $75 transfer fee later, and
boom, I was registered to run the 40th MCM.
We left on Friday
after work and headed to Kaela's family's farm in Pennsylvania. It was close to the half way
point between our house and Arlington, so we decided to split up the trip on
the way down and stay with them for a night. We were also able to have Kaela's
mom come down with us so Kaela had someone to chat with during race. On
Saturday, we headed down to our hotel right outside Arlington. Kaela is not a
fan of "big city" traffic so it was quite humorous as we approached
the Arlington/D.C. area with her driving. The expo was in downtown D.C. and as I mentioned,
Kaela was not a fan, so I made the trip myself while she stayed at the hotel.
The convention center was massive and I felt like I had to walk 30 minutes
indoors before making it to the race expo. Expo was a typical expo for me. I
picked up my bib, grabbed the gels and fuel I was going to need for the race
and made my way out. I picked up some delicious Italian food from Ristorante
Bonaroti in Tysons (highly recommended) and head backed to hotel to eat with
family.
I felt like I had
gotten decent sleep that night. But waking up at 4am never seems to feel like I
got the best type of sleep. I got out of bed, cleaned up and headed into the hallway to
eat. I was having my now normal pre-race stomach issues, but I did my best to
make sure I was getting a decent amount of carbs in. We made it to the parking
garage, that was a little over mile from the start, about an hour before the
start of the race. As we were getting our things together, Kaela asked me if
she should bring her rain jacket in case of rain. I had checked the weather and
was only showing 20% chance so I told her that it wasn't worth carrying it
around as it should be clear. I should have known better than opening my mouth
about rain. As soon as we got a block from the parking garage, we started to
feel the drizzle.
We followed the sea
of people towards the starting area when all of a sudden we just hit a stop.
They had set up a security station to check everyone heading towards the start
with basically old school walk through metal detectors. Sounds like a great idea
to keep everyone safe, right? In theory it was a good idea, but it was very
poorly operated. After standing in rain/cold for about 45 minutes we finally
made it through the security check point. Now we had to change our pace
to a quick walk to get me into the corrals on time. Kaela and her mom set up
just after the start line, I gave Kaela and Bella a kiss (oh of course Bella
came with us) and made my way to the start.
They were already
singing the national anthem by the time I approached the starting line. We were being
held back by some Marines and I wasn't sure why at first. Then someone told me
to cover my ears because they were about to shoot the starting cannon. I am calling
it a cannon because that’s what it looked like to the untrained eye. I am very
glad that man told me to cover my ears because we were about 20 feet away from
this thing and it rung my ears even covering them. There were a few people that
weren't as lucky to get the news and you could see the surprise on their faces.
After the shot signaled for the wheelchair athletes to go, I was able to work
my way through crowd and make it back into the corrals. At this point everyone
had started moving so I just hopped in where I thought the 4:30 group would be.
Finally settled in after a crazy morning, I gave my shoes one last tie, said a
quick prayer, took a deep breath, and I was off!
My legs felt a little stiff
as I started but I had accounted for that being that just the weekend before I
had run in NC. About 1/4 mile in Kaela and her mom were posted up, standing in
the rain, cheering and snapping photos as I ran by. It helped get my focus back
on this race and this race alone. I knew that my mind would continue to creep
to last week and not be in the present. The first 2 miles through Arlington hit
you right in the face with a couple hundred feet of elevation change that ended
in a long hill. I felt like I played them smart enough and didn't try to attack
them hard since it was still very early. We then rode the downhills getting a
beautiful view and heading across the Potomac River to historic Georgetown. By
this point the rain had turned to just slight sprinkle which felt good as the
temperatures started to warm up.
Just before mile 6
we started what would be a 3.5 mile out and back. The road wound up and down
and side to side. Lined with beautiful trees it was a beautiful scenic part of the course. It was also pretty tight, so it was hard to keep my stride
and my pace as I was elbow to elbow with other runners. It was
nice, however, to see people lining the median cheering us on. There were lots
of "you're running better than our government" signs which just
seemed appropriate being on the DC side of the river at this point. I started
to catch up to more of the wheelchair athletes that were being pushed by
friends and family. I made sure that everyone that I passed I cheered on by
name because they had to overcome so much to get where they currently were and
they inspired me so much. Around mile 10 we opened back up again having both
sides of the road to run on. Unfortunately, I think it was a little to late. My
stride had caused my legs to get heavier faster than they should have and
already I was feeling myself slow down. As I approached the mile 11 marker, I
was able to see Kaela again and it gave me a little push and lifted my spirits
as I ran past them.
The 12th mile was
one of the most memorable miles of the entire race. Lined on both sides of the
road were pictures of those that paid the ultimate price and lost their lives
fighting for our freedom. As I was quickly glancing at their pictures, it definitely put a few tears in my eyes for the young and old that sacrificed
everything. Towards the end there were
people holding American flags on both sides of the path as we ran between them.
There had to be at least 100 of them, probably more. Words can begin to express
the emotions I was feeling at that point, it is something I will never forget.
That mile was tough keeping focus emotionally, but also dealing with the fatigue that started to hit me hard. I made it to the half way point then had to bring it to a walk. It's hard for me to say if it was the stride issues during the out and back, the standing waiting for security line before the race, or the fact I
had a race just 8 days prior was the cause for the quick decay but regardless
it was here. I knew that I was going to see Kaela again a little after mile 16
so I kept pushing, mixing a walk and run knowing that after I saw her I would
only have 10 miles left (I say only like it's an easy task).
Around this point I
knew that I wasn't going to hit a PR type day, so I decided to keep my head up
and just enjoy my surroundings. I hadn't noticed before but there were US Marines on
the course at all the aid stations. It was something pretty special to be encouraged
and supported by Marines in uniform while they handed me water. In addition to
the aid stations, more Marines were just along the course "cheering" us on. I
say "cheering" because having a massive guy yell at you like a drill
sergeant to pick it up and stop walking is probably the military equivalent to
cheering. Here again the streets were lined with spectators spending their
Sunday morning watching a bunch of sweaty smelly people run through their city.
As I approached mile 19, I reached the Capitol building and made my walk around
the corner and picked it back up on the other side. Once we made the turn away
from the mall at mile 20, I again had to slow down to a walk.
I was trying to get
in more calories to hopefully help push me through the slump but my sport beanz
and gels were not helping. And then that is when I saw it, in all its amazing
glory. Someone was handing out PB&J sandwiches. I know, I know. I shouldn't be
taking unpackaged food from strangers but I just had to have a few bites to
satisfy my tummy. This satisfaction could not have come at a better time as
well. We were approaching the worst part mentally of the course. As we
approached it I saw people with signs saying "Beat the Bridge". I guess
I didn't study the course map well enough because I don’t remember reading
about this at all. We spent about 1.5 miles on actual closed highway bridge
heading back into Virginia. Almost no crowd support, no aid stations, and of
course the sun decided that it was the perfect time to come out from the clouds
that had been protecting me all day. That stretch of road seemed to
never end. I went to a pretty dark place then and slowed down to incredible
slow walk, talking to myself, trying to pick up my spirits and finish the race
strong.
At mile 22 we
finally made it off that bridge and were welcomed by music, cheers, and candy
from the people of Crystal City. I had looked down at my watch and with some
quick math realized that I was coming awfully close to not making it under 5
hours. That would just be unacceptable. This is where my attitude changed from
enjoy and just make it to the finish, to putting everything I had left in the
tank and pushing through the final 4 miles. We wrapped through some
neighborhood streets that were bringing lots of energy with music and
spectators. As we approached the turn around there was a fire truck spraying
people to help overcome the heat. It was a nice pick me up to kick it into gear
the last 5k. We turned off of the main strip when I heard some magical words
once again. "Donuts around the next corner".
I really thought I
was hearing things until I saw the beauty of the Dunkin Donuts aid station.
They were handing out a variety of munchkin donuts. I grabbed a cup and got a
few down, knowing that it probably wasn’t the best idea but I can never pass up
a donut! We continued down what looked like a service road and went under that
dreadful bridge I actually did beat. With the Pentagon on our left hand side, I
hit the 25 mile mark. I decided to take a quick final walk break to loosen up
legs for final sprint. I took a quick glance at my watch and realized that I
miscalculated the distance and I was dangerously close. With only 15 minutes
left before I hit 5 hours, I had to finish the last 1.5 miles of the race. I
ended my walk break quickly and picked up my step.
The sun was beating
down hard off the road as we made are way back to where we started. The pace group signs were still
set up, so I knew with each sign that I was getting closer and closer to the
finish. I made it to the section where I remember seeing Kaela at beginning of
race and knew the final turn was approaching. Spectators were lined on both
sides of the street cheering at the top of their lungs as we approached
"the hill". Now I don’t know who thought it was a good idea to put a
very steep hill right at the finish, but I did have some choice words for them.
I made the left
passing by the Arlington National Cemetery and pushed with anything I had left
up the hill passing multiple runners on my way up. The road wound to the right
and I went into full sprint mode to get to the finish line. Mission Accomplished! 4:59:09. I couldn't
cut it much closer could I? Later on when reviewing the photos Kaela took, I
came across this beauty showing my face in that final push. Let just say I told
ya I was giving everything I had.
This race had so
many ups and downs personally, but I would not hesitate to say it should be on
everyone's must do list. Amazing crowd support, Marine's serving you at aid
stations, beautiful scenic views and historical monuments, all combined made
for an unforgettable event. I can not thank my sister-in-law, Allie, for giving
me the opportunity to run this race with her lottery spot. However, I think I
learned my lesson that perhaps 8 days between races isn't the best idea, or at
least I need to train a little harder to make it easier on me for race day.
Next, Kaela and I
headed to Indy to finally see what I could do on the flat course of the
Monumental Marathon.