The Marine Corps Marathon is my hometown race, and yet out of my 40 marathons, I had only run it one time. That was in 2006 and it was my second marathon. My time was 4:24:39. I had intentions of running it again, but instead I always ended up opting for something flatter and/or with historically cooler weather.
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| MCM 2006 |
What changed over 20 years? A lot, actually. On paper, I got faster. But along that journey, I gained experiences that would shape my perspective on nearly everything in life. Perhaps most importantly: we choose the stories we write. We can write stories that make us feel frustrated, inferior, and vulnerable. Or we can write stories that make us feel enriched, accomplished, and satisfied.
I love that running provides purely objective metrics by which to gauge progress. A finish time is a finish time, and there's no writing a story to change it. But what we do with that objective metric is much more meaningful than the metric itself. They say "age is just a number" because we can feel young at 65 and old at 35. There is an objective truth, but we decide how to interpret it.
I ran my second Marine Corps Marathon (MCM) today at the age of 47. If you had asked 27-year-old me if 47-year old me would be able to run this marathon faster 20 years later, my response would have been something like, "This was so hard for me that I can't ever imagine running any faster." My mindset at the time was that I was young, fit, and doing everything I could to run my best marathon time. So it would logically follow that I couldn't get any faster. Maybe not ever.
So why did I bother trying? Because I liked the marathon. I enjoyed the challenge and the satisfaction of doing something remarkable. I wanted to run more of them because I liked having a goal, even if I didn't know I could achieve it.
Fast forward 20 years, and I lined up at the start line in my assigned corral 1, prepared to run a time of around 3:11.
Training Recap
Every training cycle is an experiment. None of them look exactly the same. I am self-coached, and I often use the same workouts that coach Andrew Lemoncello gave me during my seven years with him. As a certified coach myself, I know how to write a training plan. I know when to push hard and when to back off. I coached myself to PRs in all distances, including a 3:14 marathon PR and a 1:29 half marathon PR.
This training cycle was virtually perfect. With the exception of a mild head cold in mid September, I didn't face any obstacles aside from the humid summer weather. And now that my thyroid issues have been addressed, I am no longer as heat sensitive as I used to be. I started a new executive level job in early August, and my training did not miss a beat. I found the job to be exciting and challenging in all the right ways. It energized me and I think it contributed to my motivation to train hard. I wanted to prove to myself that I could balance a heavy training load and a job that required me to be in-office three days a week instead of working from home every day.
You can see my weekly mileage and workouts below.
I ran most of my workouts in the Puma Deviate Nitro Elite 4. This shoe feels most like my beloved adidas Adios Pro 2: snappy, firm, and enough cushion to run 26.2 miles. I was confident that this shoe would be an asset rather than a hindrance. I could have continued on with the Saucony Endorphin Pro 4 because they worked well for me in Boston, but they didn't feel like they had as much pop as the Puma.
The one thing that was different about this training cycle was my easy pace. Easy pace tended to be in the 9:05-9:20 range as opposed to my typical 8:40-8:55 range during marathon training. I started noticing this around mid-August. I didn't think too much of it, because "easy" is an effort, not a pace. And you aren't supposed to have a target pace for those runs. I figured it was because my volume was higher than it had been since last fall, so my legs were naturally heavy. The important thing was that I was hitting my workout paces. It shouldn't matter that my easy pace was slower than usual; easy is easy. (Hint: this is foreshadowing!
In any event, everything pointed toward an average pace of 7:15-7:17 being realistic for me. I had the volume. I had the long runs. The long run workouts. The lactate threshold runs. The track workouts. I was confident.
Before the Race
I slept really well during race week. Fitbit was giving me high daily "readiness" scores, which meant my resting heart rate was low, my HRV was high, and my sleep was of high quality and duration. Everything was falling into place nicely. The weather forecast was looking favorable and I was ready.
Race morning came and I had a new pre-race breakfast since Wegman's stopped making my almond butter
pretzels. I had a banana with honey, an english muffin, and a few graham crackers. I got ready and we headed out the door. We drove to the nearby metro station, parked, and were on the train by 5:30am. The race would start at 7:20 so there was plenty of time.
pretzels. I had a banana with honey, an english muffin, and a few graham crackers. I got ready and we headed out the door. We drove to the nearby metro station, parked, and were on the train by 5:30am. The race would start at 7:20 so there was plenty of time.
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| Greg and me on the metro pre-race |
I qualified to be a "seeded" runner which put me in the first corral and gave me special access to a different start line area. This meant getting off the metro at a different stop than most runners. When we reached a security checkpoint, I said goodbye to Greg and made my way to the pre-start area. I was searching for the "VIP baggage". I never check a bag. I don't think I have checked one in the last 6-7 years because I typically have a hotel near the finish. But since this was "VIP" I figured I would take advantage of it and check some warm clothes for the finish.
I met some other seeded runners looking for this tent and we couldn't find it. This involved walking through wet grass in the dark. When we finally found it, we realized it wasn't a tent for us to hang out in. It was just a drop off. After that I had no clue where to go, so I made my way to the porta potty area. I went to the bathroom and then found two other seeded runners who were warming up on a road. I joined them and ran about half a mile, plus some gentle stretching.
I then made my way to the start. I definitely could have used another trip to the bathroom, but I thought there would be porta potties on the way to the start line and near the start corrals. There weren't. So I just didn't go, but it ended up being ok.
15 minutes before race start I had a UCAN gel. I like to have a UCAN right before the start because it keeps the blood sugar steady instead of spiking glucose right before running. I removed my top layers and waited for the race to start.
Weather
It was 42 degrees at the start and around 56 by the time I finished. Sunny with no clouds. No wind either. The only potential weather concern was flooding at Hains Point (miles 12-14). It had flooded the day before due to high tide, and the 8K runners had to run in the grass. There was potential for it to flood again, but I think something about the wind (or lack thereof) made it not flood. I give this a 9 out of 10 on my personal weather scale. Very favorable conditions, especially for a marathon that has the potential to be warm and humid. In the past, sunny and anything over 45 impacted my performance noticeably. But as I said above, having my thyroid fixed has made me more heat tolerant.
It was 42 degrees at the start and around 56 by the time I finished. Sunny with no clouds. No wind either. The only potential weather concern was flooding at Hains Point (miles 12-14). It had flooded the day before due to high tide, and the 8K runners had to run in the grass. There was potential for it to flood again, but I think something about the wind (or lack thereof) made it not flood. I give this a 9 out of 10 on my personal weather scale. Very favorable conditions, especially for a marathon that has the potential to be warm and humid. In the past, sunny and anything over 45 impacted my performance noticeably. But as I said above, having my thyroid fixed has made me more heat tolerant.
Miles 1-4
The first mile was mostly flat until the end when we started going up hill. Even though I started in corral 1, it was still crowded. My plan was to take these early miles very easy because there was no need to tire the legs during a hill in the second mile. Mile 2 had about 100 feet of net elevation gain. I took it slow, but my legs felt it. I ran mile 3 by feel (half up, half down) and then I really cruised down the big hill in mile 4 (net 130 feet elevation loss). I executed according to plan:
The first mile was mostly flat until the end when we started going up hill. Even though I started in corral 1, it was still crowded. My plan was to take these early miles very easy because there was no need to tire the legs during a hill in the second mile. Mile 2 had about 100 feet of net elevation gain. I took it slow, but my legs felt it. I ran mile 3 by feel (half up, half down) and then I really cruised down the big hill in mile 4 (net 130 feet elevation loss). I executed according to plan:
Mile 1: 7:32
Mile 2: 7:51
Mile 3: 7:40
Mile 4: 7:08
Mile 2: 7:51
Mile 3: 7:40
Mile 4: 7:08
Miles 5-10
Now it was time for the rest of the race to be flat. WRONG! I had studied the elevation profile of the course and it looked like pretty much the entire race would be flat until the bridge at mile 20. But there were quite a few ups and downs that weren't noticeable from the elevation profile. And I hadn't run this race in 20 years, so I did not remember.
Now it was time for the rest of the race to be flat. WRONG! I had studied the elevation profile of the course and it looked like pretty much the entire race would be flat until the bridge at mile 20. But there were quite a few ups and downs that weren't noticeable from the elevation profile. And I hadn't run this race in 20 years, so I did not remember.
During the 5th mile, I noticed that my left calf was tight. It wasn't cramping or anything, but it was definitely tight and I wondered if I had used my calf too much on the early hills instead of firing with my glutes. I had made a conscious effort to use my glutes, but I think my calf probably carried more load than it should have. There was nothing I could do about it so I told myself to ignore it and it would go away. Mile 5 was 7:40 and the plan here was to be in the 7:20-7:25 range. But 7:40 felt more appropriate for that stage in the race.
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| Mile 7 |
I finally started feeling like I was getting into somewhat of a groove by mile 6. My pace was 7:30, which was still 5-10 seconds slower than plan, but again, it felt appropriately hard. I told myself I was easing into the race. It would flatten out and then I would start executing.
Miles 8-10 through Rock Creek Park were my best miles. I saw Greg twice during this timeframe and I finally felt like I could execute my plan. The race had felt strained up until that point and finally it felt good. I was cruising through right on target and feeling great.
Mile 7: 7:25
Mile 8: 7:19
Mile 9: 7:17
Mile 10: 7:15
Mile 8: 7:19
Mile 9: 7:17
Mile 10: 7:15
Miles 11-13
I was optimistic going into mile 11, but it started to feel harder than it should have. I had plenty of energy, but my legs were already feeling tired. There was some sun glare and bumpy road, so I slowed down to ensure I didn't trip, and once I passed that part, I had trouble speeding back up again. The pace slipped to 7:22, which was still ok, but ideally I would have been maintaining 7:15-7:17 easily at that point. I didn't worry too much about it, I just kept on going.
I was optimistic going into mile 11, but it started to feel harder than it should have. I had plenty of energy, but my legs were already feeling tired. There was some sun glare and bumpy road, so I slowed down to ensure I didn't trip, and once I passed that part, I had trouble speeding back up again. The pace slipped to 7:22, which was still ok, but ideally I would have been maintaining 7:15-7:17 easily at that point. I didn't worry too much about it, I just kept on going.
When we got to mile 12, one of my biggest marathon pet peeves happened: I found myself in the middle of a large pace group. It might be an unpopular opinion, but I find it so demoralizing to be passed by a pace group with a target slower than my goal time. This time it was the 3:15 pace group. I told myself I would NOT be passed by them. I was going to PR this race! I sped up and tried to get a substantial lead so that I wouldn't have to worry about them for a while. But that did not last long, unfortunately. I think they over took me just two miles later.
Mile 13 is the "Blue Mile" on Hains point. It's the most incredible mile of the race. There were posters featuring photographs and names of American service members who had died in the line of duty. It was very emotional.
Mile 11: 7:22
Mile 12: 7:22
Mile 13: 7:22
Mile 12: 7:22
Mile 13: 7:22
Official half marathon split: 1:38:14 (on pace for 3:16:28).
My target half marathon split had been 1:35:45, so I was about two and a half minutes off of where I had hoped to be.
Miles 14-20
Well, the wheels quickly fell off. There was no more maintaining that steady 7:22. My legs felt super heavy and despite my high energy level, they wouldn't go at the speed I wanted them to. They didn't hurt and they weren't seizing up like they did in Houston and Indianapolis. They were simply dead feeling. Over cooked. Heavy.
Well, the wheels quickly fell off. There was no more maintaining that steady 7:22. My legs felt super heavy and despite my high energy level, they wouldn't go at the speed I wanted them to. They didn't hurt and they weren't seizing up like they did in Houston and Indianapolis. They were simply dead feeling. Over cooked. Heavy.
You could call it bonking or hitting the wall, but I've done that in the past and this didn't feel like that. When I've "bonked" I have felt sudden fatigue, lack of energy, and a feeling of simply not being able to run another step. This, by contrast, was like my legs just wouldn't go fast. They were fine to run a slower pace and I had all the energy in the world to do so.
I knew it would be a very hard second half, but I quickly pushed that thought out of my mind. On the plus side, my stomach was tolerating the fuel extremely well. I had a caffeinated Maurten gel during the 14th mile and I hoped it would help get the legs going.
Fun side note. For Greg's birthday, he wanted me to learn Pink Floyd's "Nobody Home" on the piano. I learned it, but that required me playing it like 100 times. One of the lines in that song is "I've got electric light!" which is more spoken with passion than sung. At around this point in the race, one of the volunteers yelled "I've got electrolytes!". And all I could hear was "I've got electric light!" I laughed and that was a real pick-me-up.
Soon it would be time to see Greg, followed by my friend Megan. I stayed positive, kept a smile on my face, and was determined to do the best I could with the cards I had been dealt. Thankfully this portion of the course was mostly flat. My legs wanted nothing to do with hills. I really enjoying running around the national mall. When I knew the Capitol was behind me, I tried to swing my arms in such a way to replicate a photo from 2006. Another way I amused myself in the midst of a difficult race!
Mile 14: 7:45
Mile 15: 7:45
Mile 15: 7:45
Mile 16: 8:09
Mile 17: 8:09
Mile 18: 8:02
Mile 19: 8:14
Mile 17: 8:09
Mile 18: 8:02
Mile 19: 8:14
Mile 20: 8:05
Miles 21-Finish
I knew by this point that I would not be running under 3:20, but I was okay with that. I knew I was still on track to run a strong BQ and a time I would have never dreamt of in 2006. What mattered most was that I was out there running the MCM again.
I knew by this point that I would not be running under 3:20, but I was okay with that. I knew I was still on track to run a strong BQ and a time I would have never dreamt of in 2006. What mattered most was that I was out there running the MCM again.
From a cardiovascular perspective, this was easy for me. But it didn't matter because my legs weren't playing ball.
I was relieved to be off of the bridge and into Crystal City, where I saw Greg twice. I was able to get my pace back down significantly here because it was flat. Crystal City was also one huge party and one of the most enjoyable sections of the course. Mile 24 was 8:02 which was trending in the right direction.
Finally it was time to finish this thing off. I was super motivated to give it everything I had and I really fought for it. When my watch beeped at 26 miles the finish line still seemed so far away. I knew that my watch distance would exceed 26.2 but this felt enormous to me at the time. The goal was to get to the finish in under 3:27.
That final hill up Iwo Jima was excruciating, but I made it and then booked it as hard as I could to the finish.
Mile 21: 8:31
Mile 22: 8:44
Mile 23: 8:11
Mile 22: 8:44
Mile 23: 8:11
Mile 24: 8:02
Mile 25: 8:18
Mile 26: 8:08
Last 0.5 on my watch: 8:20 (Iwo Jima hill)
My official time was 3:26:51, and I was elated to have made it in under 3:27.
After the Race
I did not vomit post race, which is rare for me. Although I think my digestive issues come from pushing myself to max effort, which I was unable to do today. A Marine placed a medal around my neck and I proceeded to exit. I was in search of my gear check bag, but I didn't see any signs indicating there was gear check.
I did not vomit post race, which is rare for me. Although I think my digestive issues come from pushing myself to max effort, which I was unable to do today. A Marine placed a medal around my neck and I proceeded to exit. I was in search of my gear check bag, but I didn't see any signs indicating there was gear check.
After walking about a quarter of a mile towards the finish line festival, my right foot cramped up hard core. I sat on the ground, removed my shoe, and manipulated my foot to stop the cramping. During this episode, someone from social media approached me and asked to take a selfie with me. "Sure," I replied, "if you come down here!" Eventually the foot stopped cramping, I put my shoe back on and proceeded on my way to find Greg. I walked another quarter of a mile and then he spotted me leaving the finish line area.
We went to retrieve my gear check bag but alas, the VIP gear check was apparently all the way back at the finish line! There were swarms of people walking towards the finish line festival, and there was no walking in the opposite direction back to where the gear check might be. So I sacrificed a half zip. Not ideal, but there really was no going back to get it with so many people walking through a narrow path in the opposite direction.
We didn't stick around the festival area. We boarded the Metro and returned home where I took a two-hour-long bath.
Stats
- I placed 12 out of 698 women in my age group
- This was my 14th fastest marathon out of 41
- My time was 58 minutes faster than my 2006 time
- This was a BQ by 18 minutes and 9 seconds.
Final Thoughts and Key Takeaways
So, what happened? Objectively all of my training runs pointed to a PR being completely within my reach. I started even more conservatively than planned, and the race only felt good for three miles. My heart rate remained low, which indicates that aerobically I had the ability to run a faster race.
So, what happened? Objectively all of my training runs pointed to a PR being completely within my reach. I started even more conservatively than planned, and the race only felt good for three miles. My heart rate remained low, which indicates that aerobically I had the ability to run a faster race.
I showed up to the race with dead legs, plain and simple. My last long run 8 days ago was 11 miles at an easy pace, and during that run, I noticed my legs were tired for the final four miles. By that point in training, the taper should have started to kick in and my legs should have felt nice and springy.
My easy pace during the last two months of training was noticeably slower than usual, despite hitting my target workout paces.
Every training cycle is an experiment, and this high mileage approach didn't work as well for me as it has in the past. It has been several years since I have run so much volume in a single cycle and even though I used to be able to taper my way out of heavy legs, I couldn't do that this time. Yes, the high volume made me very aerobically fit, but at the expense of overcooking my legs.
The ability to run high mileage isn't simply about not getting injured - it's about being able to recover from it by the time race day rolls around. I ran a faster time in Boston this past spring running 50-60 mile weeks as opposed to 60-70 mile weeks. And Boston is a harder course.
I also underestimated how hard this course would be. In my mind, it was one hill at the beginning, a little hilly on the bridge, and a hill at the end. Everything else flat. Even if I had known in advance, it wouldn't have changed anything. But I just wasn't mentally prepared. 
I learn something new with each marathon, and this one was no exception.
What's most important is that I never gave up. I never stopped and walked. I ran the entire race to the best of my ability and I did it with a smile on my face. I focused on the experience of the race and proving to myself that when things got hard, I wouldn't back down.
Plus, 27-year-old me would be absolutely shocked. I blew up and still managed to qualify for Boston by 18 minutes. I'm thankful for my health and fitness and for the opportunity to run such an amazing marathon in my backyard.
I'm also thankful for Greg and his ability to see me in SIX different locations. Every time I saw him was a huge highlight!
If you made it all the way through this blog, thank you for taking the time. In a world where content is consumed in 1-minute chunks, blogging feels like a dying medium. I'll continue to do it though, and write my own story.
