My experience running the Marine Corps Marathon, October 2014

This is the first article that I am posting. It is about my experience running the Marine Corps Marathon this past fall.  It took some time to get this written, even though I had drafted my notes a few weeks after the race. 

There is a back story about how I got into running 5 years ago and the steps (no pun intended) that took me to this point. I will post those stories as well, and I welcome you to go and read that back-story too.  For this article, I pick up the story about my training preparation and eventual completion of the 2014 Marine Corps Marathon in Washington DC. 

Marine Corps Marathon October 26, 2014

The Marine Corps Marathon (known as MCM) is one of the 5 largest marathons run annually in the US (after New York and Chicago and very similar to Honolulu and Boston). Prestigious for its affiliation with the Marine Corps and run through the nation’s capital, this is one race that I really wanted to run.  For most runners, entry into the race is by a lottery system because demand for runners far surpasses supply.  Approximately 20,000+ runners participate in “The People’s Marathon”. 

The lottery system is very well organized and all candidates submit their applications online well before the day the lottery is run.  Then you sit back and hope that your name gets picked by the random machine. I received my confirmation email on March 19^th:

" Congratulations. The MCM Lottery has been conducted and you have reason to celebrate as one of the officially registered participants in the 39th Marine Corps Marathon to be held on Sunday, October 26, 2014 in Arlington, VA."

Preparation Time  

Imagine the timing.  I was already registered for, and actively training for my 1^st full marathon to be held on April 27, 2014 – the NJ Marathon held in Monmouth County NJ (more on that race in a separate article). Due to the lottery system for the MCM, these two activities overlapped. I was actively training for the first race while waiting on the lottery entry process for the second.  Upon receiving the acceptance email for the MCM, I was at week 14 of a 20-week training program for the NJ Marathon. I still had all the normal apprehension about being able to complete a full marathon and here I was getting accepted to run a second.

Workload  

For seasoned runners, running 2 or more marathons in a single year is serious work but not uncommon. For a 1^st-time marathon runner, running 2 full marathons in a single year is very aggressive. By the time 2014 was over, I had run over 1,100 miles – most of which are accumulated during the two, 20-week training programs for the two marathons.  The 26.2 miles for each race is the tip of the iceberg for each of those training programs. By comparison, my previous year total mileage was approximately 500 miles. That was a year where I ran multiple half marathons and various other shorter distance races.  So I chose a considerable step-up in workload for 2014.

There is so much of a sense of fortune and luck about how your body reacts throughout the training. Injuries and setbacks are a constant part of running – especially when you take the training up to these levels.  I had my fair share of injuries and setbacks but I was fortunate enough that they never became debilitating enough to steer me too far off the training course.  Some weeks were very difficult to complete and I had to learn ways to be flexible in the regimen in order to work with the small injuries and setbacks. 

By the time I began to train for the MCM, I had already completed my first, the NJ Marathon on April 27^th.  I took my running volume down considerably during May and June to give my body some rest. 

Race Weekend  

I have been looking forward to writing this section because it was such a great experience. I break the experience down into four great parts:

.       The family perspective
.       The overwhelming event that the Marine Corps Marathon is
.       Wearing blue
.       The athletic part -- the culmination of all the training and running the event.

Family

Traveling down to Washington DC from NJ for the race was an opportunity to get away for a long weekend with my wife.  We left on Friday and returned home on Monday. My oldest daughter now lives in San Francisco (that’s a great story for a separate day) and she chose to fly in to watch and support me. My other two kids were present when I completed my first marathon – the NJ Marathon – in April. Every time we get to see her is a treat, having her there for the race was priceless!

Heading to brunch in Georgetown with my support team on the day after the race

My nephew and his wife live in Bethesda Maryland and I sometimes have dinner with them when I travel to the DC area for business.  We planned to have dinner with them on Friday evening and our daughter arrived from San Francisco in time to take the Metro over to join us.  My nephew’s wife is a runner too, and was in training herself for the upcoming Rock and Roll half marathon in Las Vegas. The five of us had a wonderful Italian dinner and talked for 4 hours.

As if that’s not enough, I have another niece who lives in the DC area and works in Crystal City – miles 22-23 of the MCM course.  She was able to come into town on race day with her daughter to support me. At that point in the race, you cannot imagine the pick-me-up it was to see them. I wasn’t exactly sure if they were going to make it and when I heard “Uncle Bill” being called out – phew that was such a treat.  I paused and hugged my niece and gave her daughter a kiss on the cheek.  Wind in my sails for another mile or so.  More on that in the race recap.

The MCM Event

A lot is written about events such as this. Whether the New York Marathon or Boston or Chicago or MCM, when it comes to events of this size and scale, it is a miracle the way things come together.  For runners, the issues that matter involve things like the availability of Porta-potties, transportation logistics to and from, and overall race course support like water/aid/nutrition stations, etc.  If you have an ounce of patriotism in you, as a runner you cannot overstate the fact that these services are provided by US Marines for this event.  From start to finish and all along the way, uniformed US Marines provide those support services, cheer us on, have supporting smiles on their faces and just make it better!  To that, add the fabulous flow of events at the race beginning where US flags are parachuted down to the start line, Osprey aircraft perform a fly-over and the National Anthem is sung to the backdrop of sunrise on a crystal clear blue morning.

Moments before the official start!

I still remember exiting the Pentagon Metro station to walk to the runners’ village before 06:00AM. It was still dark and all 20,000 of us runners were arriving via Metro, busses and shuttles.  We all moved along quietly – felt like I was back in high school on football game day – some small talk and anxious quips among friends but mostly a quiet group of athletes making their way to the start. We were on the Pentagon side of the Potomac River, and looking to the east, I could see the Washington Monument and the Capitol building off in the distance all lit up against the dark sky with the slightest hint of dawn across the horizon. I had 2 immediate feelings; one, what a beautiful vista on what was going to be a crisp, clear blue day and two, holy crap … that is far away from here and we are going to be running all the way over there … and back! 

Dawn over DC

Wearing Blue

The running community and “causes” are tightly knit. Whether it’s the local weekend 5K or it’s the largest of marathon events, runners and supporters have the opportunity to attract interest and support to various causes.  For my first marathon in April, I formed a support program to honor my 23 year-old nephew who died tragically a few months before the race (more on that in a separate post). For the Marine Corps Marathon, I researched and chose to join the group called “wear blue: run to remember” (wbr2r) http://www.wearblueruntoremember.org/. Please read up on them and the wonderful cause they support. I find their mantra to be so meaningful because I am a fan of taking action: 

• The mission of wear blue: run to remember is to build running communities that honor the service and sacrifice of the American military
• Goals: wear blue seeks to (1) act as a support network, (2) serve as a living memorial, and (3) bridge the gap between military and civilian communities.

A great group doing great work

Proud to wear blue

Race Recap

I write this section with a concern for who may be reading.  I will attempt to give a small sense of the experience from the runner’s perspective including the physical and emotional.  I won’t go into a mile-for-mile recap but I will break this down into sections of the course as they unfolded.

My race strategy: this was to be my second full marathon ever – and the second in 2014.  It was a risky and aggressive decision to run two in a single year but when the acceptance to the MCM lottery arrived in March, I couldn’t turn it down.  And I was already well underway with planning for my first marathon in April. So I decided to run both and to keep a modest pace objective for both.  I usually train in the range of 9:15 – 9:40 minute mile and with all the best recommendations, I slowed my training to a pace near 10:00 for these races. This would lead me to a conservative goal of 4 hours, 40+ minutes for the full 26.2 miles, allowing for further slow-down after the 21 mile point where things start to get tougher.  With this approach, I completed my first marathon in April at 4:47 and I completed the MCM in October at 4:50. Pretty consistent and respectable for my first and second efforts at this distance and at my age.

As I came to learn during my first marathon, nutrition and hydration are critical. I had worked on this during my training runs and I had settled in on my plan for fuel (Clif Shot energy gel) at every 6 miles and 2 full water cups. My GI system seemed to process these well and worked throughout my training runs and I opted to be more aggressive than I had been for my first marathon in April (where I believe I may have “hit the wall” at the 20-mile point due to insufficient fuel).

I was fortunate that the only injury/tweaks that I entered the race with were a mostly recovered blister beneath my right foot, a chronic left hip/gluteal/psoas strain and a right calf that would threaten to cramp at the slightest misstep of my running gait.  Compared to some other runners I have spoken with, many have entered race day with much worse ailing them.  Just like when you watch sports on TV, you realize that most athletes always have something ailing them – just hopefully not major injuries.  I had perfected my technique of wrapping the blister below my right foot (lots of reading up on that one) and I wore Zensa calf sleeves on both legs which seemed to help avert the worst of the calf problems.

The course: I am much attuned to geography and as such, I had a great understanding of the course layout. But there is nothing like the experience of being on that course, on those streets as the course unfolded. The race begins on a section of the Jefferson Davis Highway in Arlington, VA a short distance from the Arlington National Cemetery where the race will finish at the Marine Corps Iwo Jima memorial.

MCM Course Map

Miles 1-4 are up-hill and take us north and west through the town of Rosslyn, Virginia.  This will be where we return in another 22 miles after the race is complete. The up-hill route is a bit challenging but serves as a great pacing mechanism. Otherwise, a common mistake is to allow adrenalin to take you out ahead of your own pacing plan. The crowd support through this area was great and it really got me in a great mood to tackle the course.  As I mentioned earlier, I had my “wear blue” running shirt on and I was already getting calls and yells from crowd members and other “wear blue” runners alike.  I had positioned myself among the runners projecting a 4:50 finish so we all got underway and settled into a comfortable pace together.

Miles 5-7 take us east and north, across the Potomac River for the first time at the Key Bridge.  

Aerial view of the race crossing the Key Bridge into Georgetown

This is a gorgeous vista and takes us into Georgetown where the spires of the University sit directly ahead of us.  We turn onto M Street in Georgetown and the crowd support is wild.   Very much expected, but still very inspiring and fun. We pass directly by the spot where, in 24 hours (give or take) we will have a great brunch here with our daughter before we see her off on her return to San Francisco. I was feeling quite good at this point in the race and I had already taken my first fuel (Clif Shot gel) and water on schedule. 

Now we turn due north on the Rock Creek Parkway, a beautiful road that winds through green, park-like countryside toward Maryland. There are still lots of spectators lining the parkway and across the stone bridges that we pass beneath.  This is the only area of this course where runners will pass each other, we travel the parkway northbound and we make a hairpin turn at mile 7 or 8 and return southbound on the other side of the road.  This creates a great atmosphere of camaraderie as runners get to cheer to those who are already ahead and returning down the course.   I felt a stab below my right forefoot at mile 6 or so and I spent the next mile trying to determine if my tape-job had slipped.  At mile 7.5 I took a quick stop near an aid station to remove my shoe and check the tape.  Seems that everything was intact but the blister had returned.  Now I had to decide to remove the tape altogether or re-attach it. I chose to re-attach it, re-lace my shoe and move along. 

This was the first point on the course where my daughter may have been positioned to see me.  To her surprise, I took out my cell phone (yes I always run with my phone – it has my music and my pacing app), and called her.  True to my pacing and training, I was running at a comfortable pace (conversational pace) so I could speak to her but it was very difficult hearing due to noise on both ends.  She was en route to see me as we exited Rock Creek Parkway but we missed the connection. I may have been slightly ahead of the pacing map I had given her. But we signed off and I told her that I looked forward to seeing her and my wife later along the National Mall – our next agreed check point.

Miles 8-11 bring us back below Georgetown and along the eastern shore of the Potomac. We pass the Lincoln Performing Arts Center and the very west side of the Lincoln Memorial.  This is our first glimpses of the great thrill ahead where we will run along the National Mall between and all that great history.  I was also looking forward to reaching mile 12 to see the Blue Mile.  I was still feeling nasty friction below that right foot and I chose to make another quick stop to completely remove the tape.  Another quick look at the blister just between the big toe and the ball of my foot and it was clear that this was going to be with me for the rest of the day.  I re-laced my shoes and got back underway.

Miles 12 – 16 continues south along the Potomac to Hains Point where at the southern tip, we turn back toward the north. Many consider this to be a low point of the course because there are many fewer spectators. However, that scene of the Blue Mile changed this to one of my favorite sections of the race. If you take the time to read about the Blue Mile or go to the “wear blue, run to remember” site, you will understand the wonderful job that these volunteers do.  The first half mile is lined with placards of the heroes we have lost, each with a full picture and name. 

A small section of the Blue Mile placards

This is followed by another half mile of American flags adorned with small ribbons with the names of fallen heroes – each flag held by a volunteer. 

These great volunteers cheered us on all the way

I entered this section of the race with anticipation for how I would feel. I hugged the left side of the road and since I was “wearing blue” myself, I got a steady diet of high-fives from the Blue Mile volunteers. Most impacting though – and it took me a minute to realize what I was seeing – I was behind another runner cruising at my pace and I noticed that he wore a running shirt and hat indicating his rank as a retired officer. As we passed the placards of the fallen heroes, he read each name and called the name out aloud; “Jonathan, Steven, Louis, Susan, Michael, Jorge", and on and on for every name on each placard.  The momentum of the moment prompted me to join him in calling out these names, but then I realized that this was his moment. He had served in the armed forces and he felt a brethren with these fallen heroes and I respected his moment and I just continued along silently behind him taking the high-fives from the Blue Mile volunteers as tears welled up in my eyes.  I was not alone; many of the runners feel this during this section of the race with many openly breaking down to cry. As inspiring as it is, it can also take a lot of energy out of you.   I forged ahead toward mile 13 and the “half-way” sign at the 13.1 mile mark. Half marathon done, only one more half to go. Phew! I took my next fuel gel and water at the 13 mile point and we headed toward the National Mall. 

Miles 16-20 take us along the Potomac Tidal Basin, past the Jefferson Memorial and the Lincoln Memorial to enter the National Mall area.  The crowds are wild again and the quiet and solemn section along the Blue Mile and Hains Point is behind us.  As we were crossing the Ohio Street Bridge past the Jefferson Memorial, we saw Marine 1 flying directly over us on approach toward the White House.  Whether the President was on board or not, it was just very inspiring at that point and runners and spectators alike gave a big cheer. 

At this point I made another call to my daughter and she confirmed that she had met up with my wife and they were stationed along the Mall.  Once again, with noise on both ends, it took a few minutes to get a clear sense of where they were but we finally did sync up.  I saw them up ahead at mile 18 with 2 big bright pink poster cards saying “GO DAD”!  

These were huge!

Mile 18 is very far along in the race – eastbound on Constitution Drive just before we turn right in front of the Capitol building.  By now I was feeling lots of pain points.  I slowed to visit them to give them a hug – it was so great to see them. All they could do was tell me “go, go, don’t stop”. I told them I was fine and just wanted to visit a sec. Then we agreed they would make their way back across the mall where I could see them again in another 2 miles.

A quick note about this distance, pace and exhaustion; Over 20,000 runners finish this race and a time of 4:45 is about the median point among the finishers. The elite runners, professional and amateur, were well passed this point but, half of the runners were still behind us.  By this point in the race, many runners are taking longer walking breaks. Many runners follow Hal Higdon’s walk/run training program and it is completely within their strategy to mix running with walking along the course. Others are just hurting or taking a longer time to regain their energy to continue.  Shortly ahead of us is the Memorial Bridge that takes us west, back across the Potomac for the last time.  This bridge is one of the time hurdles on the MCM course. Runners must “beat the bridge” in 4 hours which means you need to pass mile 20 in 4 hours in order to continue.  I am well ahead of that hurdle time so no worries about beating the bridge. But already there are lots of folks having trouble at this point.

I meet up with my wife and daughter again just before I leave the National Mall to enter the Memorial Bridge.  They tell me that I look great and they will take the Metro back to see me at the finish area. The bridge is a grueling part of the race and many runners are walking.  We are headed directly into a stiff breeze and half of the mile-long bridge is a series of up-hill road ramps. From this mile 20 point, we only have 10k left to run, the last 6.2 miles. Experienced runners like to say, “…this is where the race begins”!

On the National Mall, still on pace

Miles 21 – 26 take us south for a loop into Crystal City and then back north again onto Jefferson Davis Highway and the path home.  Crystal City is another wild spectator area and this is very welcome.  We are really feeling the race now and every little bit of support is important. A note about the weather conditions – I had mentioned in the beginning that we had a beautiful, crystal clear blue day.  Well, in fact the weather was a bit too nice as temperatures crept up to 72 degrees by 1PM, humidity was at an unusual low below 10% and there was a steady breeze out of the west.  This all led to a more aggressive rate of dehydration for the runners as moisture flew out of our systems faster than we could replenish.  It was sneaky though because it felt very comfortable for the runners and we weren’t really conscious of the rate of dehydration. 

Give the conditions, there were multiple cool mist fans stationed along the course in Crystal City. Unlike other hot weather races where these fans are a welcome sight, we runners weren’t even looking for them – they almost seemed silly to us.  Only later did we hear more about the rate of dehydration and why they were operating the fans. There is another hairpin turn in Crystal City where we turn due north to head back up toward the final few miles. As we slowed down to make this turn, I heard “Uncle Bill” above the other noise and cheering. Standing right in front of me were my Niece and her daughter! It was so great to see them and I stopped for a quick hug. They must’ve read the same book that my wife and daughter had because all they could say was “go, keep going” and all I said was, “I will, I’m fine.”

With my niece and her daughter after lunch

I knew that would be my last family support point. Due to the crowded conditions at the finish line, it would be very difficult for my wife and daughter to see me cross the line.  They were on the Metro on their way back to Arlington from the DC side and they would have to walk from the Arlington station to the finish area at the Iwo Jima Memorial.  As we would later find out, they got real close to matching my time by a few minutes.

For the last 3 miles along the Jefferson Davis Highway, we are re-tracing our steps from over 4 hours ago at the start. I slowly make my way past the original start point toward the last 2 mile stretch.  This area gets tough, there isn’t much crowd support because most folks have positioned themselves up ahead at the finish line and many other runners are walking and struggling along.  Some of the most supportive US Marines seem to be lining this area of the course and cheering us all on to push and finish.  I was passing a lady who was struggling and a Marine came to her and offered encouragement.  The lady said – half in gest, half seriously – “…can you carry me the rest of the way”.  The Marine said “… no Ma’am I can’t do that but come on, I‘ll run along with you”.  She smiled and thanked him for the gesture and they plodded along together a while.

As we approached and passed the “26” mile marker, I was feeling a raging conflict of emotions.  I was very excited to be near the finish but, I knew that the last .2 miles were 352 yards of up-hill climb.  The course makes a sharp left turn into Arlington Cemetery at N. Marshall Drive and then another sharp right onto the US Marine Corps War Memorial Access Road. These final few hundred yards is a gauntlet of a narrow access road to the finish line. Fans are lining the road on both sides cheering us on and we push ourselves for that last ounce of energy to give our best final kick into the finish. I know the feeling that I am experiencing – one step short of being sick just like the final wind sprints of high school football camp on those sunny days in early September. I push ahead to cross the finish line, I shut my race watch timer and move forward with the other runners.  Remember, 20,000 runners finish this race so there are lots of us crossing the finish line together and we are all quickly corralled into gate lines to be awarded our medals. The nausea is matched by a feeling of joy and accomplishment.  Each of us is met by a US Marine who cheers our accomplishment and gently reaches out to place the medal ribbon over us. I give a huge embrace and say “thank you” to this young kid who has made the commitment to protect our way of life.

OORAH!

Mission Accomplished