MCM Recap: A Love Story

Marine Corps Marathon, you rocked my moisture wicking socks.   Like any love story, we had our ups and down, not every moment was a joyous celebration of running. There were points that I regretted you, hated you with every fiber of my being; on the other hand, you probably thought I was a whiny little bitch. Okay, fair enough. And while I'm sure we could have down a few things better (ahem..having non-caffeinated gels), I wouldn't change the experience for the world.

However, all good things eventually come to an end, and it's time to move on. MCM, we had it good, and maybe one day we'll meet again.  But for now, I'm focusing my attentions on your shorter friend - the half-marathon. Don't worry, there will always be a special place in my heart for you, Marine Corps Marathon.  After all, you were my first.

Welcome to the 35th Marine Corps Marathon. Y'all ready for this?

WE FINISHED!!!!

At the expo in our nifty, new jackets.

Not only did we survive but we also finished in under 5 hours! Base line standard for success -
accomplished. My brain is not coherent enough for a real race recap right now; that will come in a few days, along with more photos, but here's the highlight reel. 

To help us through 26.2 miles, it only took:

1. All the determination we could muster
2. A combined 10 gels, 2 Clif bloks, some sports jelly beans, cup loads of water and Gatorade, and a few orange slices
3. Some really angry music
4. Overcoming a slight case of heart palpitations... I hate you SO much, body.  And you too, caffinated Clif Shots. 
5. Running in a gorgeous city.  I heart DC. 
6. And most importantly, the support of our incredible family and friends. Thank you so so much for all the texts/calls/emails/tweets/Facebook posts/online stalking. Seriously, you made our day(s). A super special thanks goes to my parents, Tash, Tim, Derek, and Mike who schleped around the city to cheer us on at multiple locations. Y'all are amazing. 

Ready to start

In 48 hours, Kim and I will be enjoying a free beer and massage courtesy of the Marine Corps Marathon after finishing our first marathon, insha'allah.  Wow.  26.2 miles finished.  Damn, son. To be quite honest, I can't really wrap my mind around what happens after we finish.  Eating 2,000 calories? Sleeping for a week? Comrades training? Time will tell but I'm pretty sure the first two are safe bets.

Heads up - I usually keep the blog nice and light (and occasionally downright profane) but it's gonna get a little personal for a second. Feel skip down to the OMFG YAY RUNNING SO MUCH PAIN ending if feelings make you queasy. No judgment, I suffer from the same affliction.

On playlists, pre-race nerves, and the (Washington) Post

There's no denying it-we're in the home stretch.  The Marine Corps Marathon starts in less than three days (courtesy of the stress-inducing countdown that we've managed to ignore for the past few months as the number fell inexorably lower), and both Monica and I are in the last stage of our taper--the part that comes with all the nerves and apparently a feeling of being overstuffed thanks to our new glycogen reserves.  Hot.

There are no doubt thousands of articles, blogs, and seasoned runners willing to provide advice on how to combat the intense stress we're going through now, but true to style, I'd rather stay calm through a series of distractions and occasionally reminding myself that we have trained for this and will be fine.  Our last long run we did together (16 miles a few weeks ago) was fantastically reassuring and steady at a 10 min/mile pace, and provided a big enough boost in confidence that despite my necessary downtime to let my muscles get their act together (thanks, plantar fasciitis) I feel like I'll be fine. 

This is good, because almost all of the articles about the MCM that we've seen over the past week or so (Monica's mother has been sending her basically everything she sees, which is lovely) have somehow managed to mention the fact that some people don't finish the race (see the Post's article entitled Not everyone will finish the Marine Corps Marathon. That's what makes it a race. Seriously guys? Not helping). 

25 days and a wake up

After three months of training, it's officially less than four weeks till 30,000 runners line up in Arlington for the start of the Marine Corps Marathon. I'm both petrified and unbelievably excited. This week I'll hit my peak mileage (around 50 miles) and then begin the much dreaded taper. All marathon training plans include a two to three week "taper" period leading up to race day that focuses of healing muscles and resting for the big day. Many runners look forward to the pre-race taper as a chance to rest up and enjoy the free time that comes with diminished mileage. Not me. I will most likely spend the next three weeks fretting about my fitness, overanalyzing my race strategy, testing out an obscene amount of spandex to perfect my marathon outfit, and questioning my ability to complete all 26.2 miles. However, after a solid long run, mindblowing trapeze class, and delicious refueling, I'm feeling much more confident that I'll make to the finish line and maybe, just maybe, hit my goal time.

Updates (and advice) to the face

Looking back over my last couple posts, I realize that I've been a bit remiss in writing about how the actual MCM training is going. You know, the point (partly) of this blog? My bad. So time for a training update. I'm officially 4 1/2 weeks through my training schedule aka there are exactly 80 days until the Marine Corps Marathon. OMFG. Just vocalizing that pushed me slightly towards a panic attack.

And so it begins

One week from today training for the Marine Corps Marathon officially begins! Rationally I should be nauseatingly nervous, but quite honestly I'm downright excited for training to start in earnest. Like schoolgirl on prom night excited. For the past year, I've run consistently - slowly building my base and tackling distances that this time last year I would have scoffed at. While I've talked about running a marathon for years, I never took the leap and committed myself to the actual running part of the dream. Minor details. This time is different though. My registration fee is paid, marathon tech t-shirt has arrived, and most importantly I'm now confident in my ability to log the miles necessary to pull this off. That's not to say I don't envision moments when I will want to burn my Brooks sneakers and quit. Thankfully the combination of a detailed training plan, tons of NYRR races, and my amazing race partner Kim should be more than enough to keep me on track.

MCM history lesson courtesy of Kim!

So as Monica announced, the two of us are now officially committed to running the 35th Marine Corps Marathon on Halloween in Arlington and Washington, DC. I’ve been set on running it since about December, and am super excited that Monica will be joining (I can’t say I expect to be able to keep up with her…I have no desire to do anything but finish, and maybe not be picked up by the stragglers’ bus at mile 20). I’ve been marginally involved with the MCM for the past two years through running the MC10K, which is held at the same time as the marathon, and ends up at Iwo Jima a couple hours before the first marathon finishers cross the line.

The MCM bills itself as “the People’s Marathon,” primarily because it doesn’t do anything to try to attract professional runners—there is no prize money, and no appearance fees paid to the professionals who boost the standing of some other marathons which will remain unnamed in case I ever decide to run them. As a result, I think the MCM is about as unintimidating as you can get for marathons (you know, one you get over the fact that it’s a marathon and all).