cymru66

It’s been a couple of days since the race, and I’m only just getting a chance to write a brief report of Sunday’s Marine Corps Marathon. First of all, I have to say I’m ecstatic to get another marathon PR (my 3rd of 2006). Going into the race I knew I had a good shot at it, and my form in the early miles confirmed this. However, looking back at how things unfolded, I can’t help but think “If only”…..

• If only I hadn’t started off slightly faster than my 6:30/mile goal pace.
• If only I’d backed off at the fifth mile when I realized I was 5 seconds per mile too fast.
• If only I hadn’t got swept away with the awesome crowd support
• If only I hadn’t thought “I can keep this going to the finish”
• If only I hadn’t hit the wall….

As you can see by my mile splits to the right (note, these are Garmin GPS splits and not necessarily accurate to the official mile splits), I started out quite aggresively. Mile 1 was just a question of jostling for position and getting into a rhythm [6:23]. Mile 2 was uphill and according to the runner in front, “the toughest part of the race” [6:36]. Miles 3 and 4 were downhill [6:17 & 6:13]. I already needed a bathroom break, but decided against stopping at this early stage and to keep a nice cadence going instead. Heading towards mile 5 we crossed a bridge and at this point in the race everything was feeling fantastic [6:17]. I realized at this point I was 23 seconds ahead of my goal, but figured the reason was the couple of downhills we’d encountered. Mistake number 1 - I should have backed off slightly and settled into my 6:30 goal pace.

Instead what actually happened was I picked up the pace and ran a 6:06 6th mile! I’m not sure why, but it still felt ok. I do remember telling myself to cool it a little, and I was slightly happier with mile split number 7 [6:21]. Mile 8 flew by in 6:15 and again it was time to ease off and run a 6:24 9th mile. Mile 10 should have been slower too, but it was another 6:15 for a 10 mile split of 1:04:07 against my plan of 1:05:00. Yeah, it was slightly faster but I wasn’t worried at all at this point. The crowds were cheering me on and I was already catching and passing people who’d gone off even faster than me in the early miles.

Temperatures were perfect (in the low 50’s) and the cool breeze felt great. I made a conscious effort to drink at every water stop and took a couple of endurolytes to help stave off cramps in the later stages of the race. Mile 10 meant it was also time for my first Hammer Gel.

From a tourist’s perspective, the next part of the course was what the race was all about. At mile 11 [6:17] we passed the Monument and the White House and then skipped past Capitol Hill on miles 12 [6:12] and 13 [6:18]. Bands were playing, the crowds were clapping and cheering and everything still felt great. At halfway I was 1:17 ahead of my goal and for a brief moment thought of something I’d said to my daughter a couple of weeks earlier. I didn’t want to be fast at halfway. I’d seen friends and other runners run a great half and then crash somewhere in the second half. It couldn’t happen to me today though, everything was going too well. Mile 14 was a more sedate 6:23 and at mile 15 [6:27] my average pace was 6:24 for a 1:22 cushion over my prediction. I was also aware that people were probably tracking me online and thinking everything was going well. This gave me the incentive to keep the pace going. Only 11 miles to go….

I remember my wife Ally telling me the next part of the race was the worst for her last year. East Potomac Park/Haines Point was quite lonely apparently, and comes at a tough stage in the race both mentally and physically. Runners were already cramping and stopping to stretch/walk as I approached mile 16 [6:19]. Passing fading runners gave me extra motivation to keep the hammer down. Mile 17 [6:18] was a good one and as I rounded the bottom of the park, someone was shouting “just over 8 miles to go”. [6:25] for mile 18 and even though I could feel a couple of blisters forming, I was still feeling strong. This is when the “gentle breeze that felt nice”, turned into a “tough cross/headwind across the river” and probably for the first time in the race I had to start working to keep the pace going. Mile 19 was a 6:23, but it was probably equal to a 6:10 in terms of effort. No matter, the end of the park was in sight and it was time for 2 more endurolytes and an Espresso Hammer Gel. I was looking forward to the caffeine boost! I left the park, skirted round a few tight bends and headed up the I-395 on-ramp towards the mile 20 timing mat [6:42]. I don’t remember seeing this split. Maybe I was too busy getting a high-five from R.P.Kale of KaleRunning to notice. Maybe I would have realized things were starting to get tough if I’d taken time to look. All I remember is the next 2 miles (on I-395?) were very tough - into a headwind and all alone. Runners seemed to be snaking all over the road, trying to find the best path to follow. Mile 21 was a slower 6:44, but I felt like I was running as fast as I possibly could. In the distance was our hotel (most prominently the Skydome Restaurant) and I hoped I’d see Shannon when I finally reached Crystal City. It still seemed like a long, long way away though….[mile 22 - 6:52].

Somewhere around the 22 mile mark, Shannon did in fact join me. It was a relief to have some company, but I didn’t and couldn’t say anything to her initially. The last mile had taken it’s toll and I was trying to get my legs back, for want of a better word. As we approached the Crystal City Spectacular I could just make out Ann and Kevin Hupp at the 23.5 mile timing mat, but it would be a while before I’d be crossing it. Ann rushed over to give me a high-five and I could sense Kevin taking a picture.

Despite the friendly faces and encouragement mile 23 was no faster, and I was almost hitting 7 minute miles now [6:55]. Somewhere around this point of the race, my Garmin decided to lose it’s signal too. To be honest, I knew my 2:50 goal was slipping away and I decided to just put my head down and stay as strong as possible to the finish. Finally it was time to cross the 23.5 mile timing mat and still with Shannon for company, head for home. At this stage in the race, things are quite blurry. My calves are on the verge of cramping and it’s a real struggle to put one foot in front of the other. Leaving Crystal City and heading toward Pentagon City, I hear someone shouting my name. I glance to my right and recognize ex-Marine and local star runner/triathlete Billy Edwards. In typical fashion he’s shouting at me and willing me on. I feel like one of his cross country runners at Cox High School, but as much as I’d like to, I’m unable to really respond. At mile 24 I thank Shannon for the company and tell her to head back to the hotel. I don’t have a split for this mile as my Garmin decided to freeze (probably just as well, I know it was fairly slow). Now with just over 2 miles to go, my left calf decides to almost cramp and I’m forced to drop the pace a little more. Passing the Pentagon (where me and Allyson walked to the Runner’s Village earlier that morning) was a struggle, but I knew the finish was getting closer. I couldn’t help but think how well I’d finished in my previous 2 marathons this year and how bad I was feeling right now. What a difference.

At mile 25 on the off-ramp (no split again), my calf cramps for real this time. Luckily there’s a water stop right around the bend where I take some much needed Powerade and water, and walk for maybe 20 seconds through the stop. Just over a mile to go and I have no idea how long I’ve been running and what I need to do to break my PR. A runner ahead is also cramping, one of the Marine’s tells me I can take him and that’s all the incentive I need to get going again. Focused, eyes looking up and running along the white line of the road, the finish line gets closer. Crowd support is fantastic at this point and helps me on my way past Arlington Cemetery. I feel slightly dazed as I approach the 26 mile mark but am aware of the left turn ahead - the killer incline everyone had warned me about. One guy runs past me as I run past another - fair trade I think to myself. The one that went past me is a runner I went past on the Virginia Beach Boardwalk at the Rock’n'Roll Half Marathon last month. I won’t be beating him today though. The incline isn’t as bad I imagined. I managed to accelerate up the slope, turned the sharp right at the top and pressed on to the finish. I could only make out 2:53 on the clock and knew a new PR awaited me. Jerry and Amy Frostick were in the crowd shouting for me and I finally crossed the line in 2:53:56 - tired and relieved the race was over.

So, I’ve had a few days to reflect, and now I’m wondering if I would in fact be able to maintain 6:30 pace for the whole 26.2 miles. As I said at the top of this post, I’m happy with my PR. I was 77th overall and 7th in my age group (which I believe qualifies me for an age-group award) out of just over 20,000 runners. Who wouldn’t be happy? I’d love to have another attempt at a marathon before the year ends, but I also have 2 other goals - I want to beat both my 10k and 10 Mile PR. This week however is all about recovery and getting back to normal after a tough race.

Moral of the story - formulate a plan you think you can achieve and stick with it. Don’t allow yourself to deviate from it even by a few seconds a mile. I must say in closing, the Marine Corps Marathon was everything I expected and more. Great pre-race expo, great course, great course-support and a great experience all round.

Mile	Goal Time	Actual Time	Average Pace
5	32:30	32:07	6:25
10	1:05:00	1:04:07	6:25
13.1	1:25:12	1:23:55	6:24
15	1:37:30	1:36:08	6:24
20	2:10:00	2:08:33	6:25
25	2:42:30	???	???
26.2	2:50:18	2:53:56	6:38

If you're new here, you may want to subscribe to my RSS feed. Thanks for visiting!

 

Marine Corps Marathon registration opens May 17th, at 12:00pm EDT

2007 Marine Corps Marathon

2007 Marine Corp Marathon Registration

 

This entry was posted on Monday, October 30th, 2006 at 7:36 am and is filed under Garmin GPS, Running. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.