Race Report - 2017 Pittsburgh Marathon

I’ve imagined my “comeback” marathon a number of different ways in my head over the last two years since I raced Boston.  Another flat and fast race was usually the focus, with the idea of qualifying and returning to Boston.  Since my last post a year ago, I had triumphantly returned to racing, coming within 40s of my 10 miler PR.  This mentally got me back in the game.  Seeing that despite being a good 10-15 lbs heavier than my previous marathon weight, I was still able to run within striking distance of what I consider one of my better PRs.  So I restarted the dreaming process of this return in my head and spent the summer slowly building up the miles, with a focus on the longer endurance side.  However, comebacks rarely follow a straight line.

 

The Road to the Start Line

It was on a random Friday morning in late August, when I woke up at 4:45 am to get in a run before the little ones in the house were stirring, that even my first few steps out of bed felt off.  I had a strange soreness on the inside of my left calf/shin.  I figured it would loosen up after my warm up, so I did my usual routine, and was ready to start my run.  15 steps in, I could tell the pain was different.  After 30s, I stopped dead in my tracks in the pitch black morning and proceeded to do the walk of shame back home.  I know my body well enough to decipher good pain from bad and this was unlike other pain I had before.  It was very minor (maybe a 2 out of 10) but different, so I gave a call to the Dr that day for an appointment which would be a few days later.  I spent the next several days between my appointment searching my symptoms and came to one of two conclusions – it was either shin splints (which oddly enough I’ve never had) or the early onset of a stress fracture (which I’ve also never had).  At the Dr., we went through a series of tests which indicated it could likely be an early stress reaction, but the xrays came out clean, so we waited a few weeks before checking again.  My next appointment, nearly 3 weeks to the day, showed promise as I passed all the tests I could not complete at the original visit.  I got the approval to slowly restart running, so I began with 1:00 run/4:00 walk for 30 minutes and built from there.  It wasn’t until 6 weeks later in mid-October that I ran without any walk breaks, shortly followed by one hour of constant running.  I wanted to be patient and do it right, not force it and end up back at square one.  Most of my workouts were done on the bike during this time to attempt to maintain some fitness, so my first running workout wasn’t until November.  Slowly but surely, my running was returning, but I lost much of the running specific fitness I had gained over the summer due to the 2-3 months away from being able to effectively train.  In many ways it felt like I was starting over.

 

I decided to target a late April marathon with the idea of being able to get in 20 weeks of training -  longer than what I would typically do, but I needed the extra time to build up safely.  Training was going really well - I had been diligent about strength and mobility work, handling the training load without too much fatigue, and although it was difficult not to compare myself to my former marathon times, I was actually running workouts pretty close to where I was before I took my marathon break.  It was just as I was entering my peak weeks of training in late March that my hamstring felt a bit tight following a workout that I completed without issue the day before.  Playing it safe, I opted for a spin on the bike, rather than my usual run the day after.  During the bike and in the 24 hours following, I felt no hamstring tightness and thought I dodged a bullet by being smart.  Well that thought came crashing down during my run the next day, when I couldn’t go 30 minutes before pulling the plug due to it feeling progressively worse.  I immediately made a PT appointment and we agreed that I managed to suffer a minor hamstring strain.  While not significant, you can’t rush the recovery.  I spent 10 days not running (but cycling nearly every day), missing 3 key long runs while I was building back up to healthy running.  Within 3 weeks of the strain, I was back to adding in some marathon paced running, but only up to 14 miles total with 30 minutes at marathon pace.  I knew after the 10 days off and 3 missed key long runs that my goal race was not happening, but still held out hope I’d be able to run one somewhere.  I started looking for other races in early May before the weather turns too hot for good and settled on Pittsburgh for a number of reasons, the first of which was far from my initial reason for returning to marathoning.  Pittsburgh is a tough course, so my vision of qualifying for Boston again went out the door and it allowed me to focus on my true goal – to race a marathon from start to finish and feel good about the effort.  This meant less pressure to ramp my training up too fast, but it gave me the focus of completing the training to handle the tough course.  The second reason was because my friend Mark was already signed up, so rather than go to a random race by myself, I thought it would be more fun to have some company.  So the rest of my training went well – I managed to get in a 22 miler (all easy) and a 20 miler (with 8 miles near marathon effort), along with a couple of 8-mile marathon paced runs on rolling terrain to simulate the course as much as possible.  All good stuff, but mind you, much less marathon-specific work than I’ve typically prepared with prior to a race.  I still felt good about my training though, continued with hamstring therapy up until race week, and left for Pittsburgh confident that my body could handle the marathon.  What I wasn’t sure of, was how it would handle the Pittsburgh Course.

 

Pre-Race

Pittsburgh Elevation Profile

When considering my race strategy, I closely studied the course to determine the best way to tackle the course.  Mark and I also drove the 2^nd half of the course the day before the race to get a better sense of things.  My sense after driving it was that the hills were legit, but the feared big climb wasn’t as long as I thought but still quite steep by any standard, much less in the middle of a marathon.  The rollers concerned me more actually, since they were later in the course and much longer.  In summary, the first 11 miles are relatively flat, followed by hills miles 12-23 (a few of which are 100+ ft climbs), then a steep downhill and flat for the last 2 miles.  I felt like I was in 3:10 pace going into the race, so I figured I would run that pace through Mile 11 and then run by effort the rest of the way.  I had planned to stick with the 3:10 pace group since they offered one in the hopes that I could just tag along and not have to spend too much mental energy early on trying to figure out if I was running the right pace.

 

Race morning came and we were welcomed to drying out conditions from the steady rains we had the day before.  I met Mark at my hotel since it was close to the start, where we hung out for a bit before making our way over to the corrals.  Logistics were super easy, so we waited until about 30 minutes before the race and hopped right into the corral area.  With about 20 minutes to go, I found a little bit of space in the fenced off corral and did a few warm up drills and strides before it got too crowded.  I should note that the half and full marathoners start the race together, so what is a 5,000 person marathon race is really a 20,000 person race including the half marathoners.  So as time got closer to the start, it filled in quite a bit even where I was standing near the 3:10 pacer since many half marathoners were running our pace.

 

Race Start

After what seemed like forever following the elite half marathoners who set off five minutes early, the announcer said one minute to go, and now it was our turn.  I split the race into sections with goals for each like I always do, which helps to mentally break it up into smaller goals.  It was essentially: Start – Mile 6 (Getting into the groove), Miles 7 – 11 (Locking in race effort), Miles 12 – 16 (Navigating the main hills), Miles 17-22 (Ride the rollers), 23 – Finish (Just keep moving).

 

Miles 1-6 – Getting into the grove

Mile 1 should always be the easiest mile of a marathon.  No matter the goal, it should feel pretty easy.  Since Pittsburgh starts half and full marathoners together, it was a bit more crowded than I’m used to.  I stuck by the pacer who did a good job of taking the tangent

 

line without getting caught up in weaving.  We had to navigate a few curbs that could have easily ruined someone’s day pretty early, but I stayed wide of those to avoid it.  After that brief turn, it was essentially straight for a mile before turning left and then left again to come back toward the city.  We then went up and over the first bridge of the day (David McCullough Bridge), which was short and gave plenty of downhill on the other side as we rounded a park area, before then going back uphill on the other side.  The rest of the miles along this section were largely flat running past the stadiums as we geared up for crossing the next bridge.  I averaged 7:10/mi through this section, which was right where I wanted to be.

 

Miles 7 – 11 – Locking in the effort

Shortly after Mile 6 we were starting the climb on the West End Bridge, which was also not a big climb, but a little larger than the previous bridge.  The short loop into the West End was welcoming and loud, with fans lining the street and music as we climbed up a short but steep hill, turned left, and headed downhill on the other side before exiting the crowds.  The next stretch was relatively quiet and rolling until we got to the Station Square area and the South Side.  A few more bumps in elevation along the way, but nothing like what is to come.  I just locked things in here and everything felt pretty good as we approached the Birmingham Bridge, averaging 7:08/mi through this section or about 5-6s/mi faster than the pace need to run a 3:10, factoring in a little bit of weaving.

 

Running solo back from the pace group

I should note that between Miles 6-8, that I felt the 3:10 pacer was running a tad harder than the early miles.  While the split times were all in the same ballpark as those we ran before, the effort to run the splits through this section was a bit higher due to more elevation change.  So instead of being 5-10s faster than 3:10 pace, the effort was the equivalent of 15-20s factoring in the relative grade of ups and downs.  For me that was too much too early in the race and I started to let them go.  Maybe that’s what he felt was needed to come in at 3:10, but I had to trust my gut.  They were never much further off in the distance, but I probably pulled back a few seconds a mile to maintain my effort.  With so much of the work in the race yet to come, I knew it was the right decision.  I liked the idea of having someone else set the pace, but not by banking too much time early on that it would take away from the rest of the race.  That wasn’t my race strategy.  The pacer did come in about 33s faster than 3:10 so pretty close to goal, but I don’t know how many of the pace group stayed on through to the finish.  Based on photos, it looks like only a handful, but that could be based on a million factors none of which have to do with the pacer.  I just felt like it was too fast for me, so I had to back off.

 

Miles 12 -16 – Navigating the Main Hills

Around the halfway mark

I found a couple runners just as we were approaching the entry to the Birmingham Bridge, so we grouped up.  After a few quick words, they seemed to be following a similar plan of giving up to about 30s/mi for the toughest section of the course and also felt the pace of the group was too “hot” so soon, so we ran the bridge together and as we came off the brief downhill exit, I mentally reset for the next 4 miles of hills.  The first mile of that being 200 ft of elevation gain - a .5 mi 130ft climb followed by a tiny .1 mi break, then into a .3 mi 70ft climb.  This was by far the largest climb I’ve tackled in a marathon race and I was surprised to survive it fairly well.  I came through both sections feeling a bit winded, but with plenty left.  I split 7:41 up the largest portion of that, while my next mile split 7:17 included some relief off the 2^nd part of the climb.  But that rolled right into another double climb in the next mile for a total of 80 more feet of climbing – a small .3 mi 30ft climb, a short .1 mi break, then into a .4 mi 50ft climb.  I split that at 7:30 still feeling ok, knowing that I had a mile of more down than up before the last tough climb of this section.  I was confident with how I was feeling though, since I was back on pace through the next

Around Mile 16

mile of net downhill (7:08) and some loud cheers as we ran through Shadyside.  I knew Mile 16 was another tough one with a short steep climb and another second climb after a short break, so I put my head down, pumped the arms and churned away a 7:32 mile.  My legs started to feel it by now and I just didn’t have the turnover coming back as I crested the top that I had early, so I could tell the hills did their damage.  I averaged 7:22/mi through this section, which I was happy with since I was just under 3:10 pace, averaging about 7:15/mi cumulative.

 

Miles 17 – 23 – Ride the Rollers

I knew after cresting the previous hill that I had a bit of a break for the next few miles (17-19).  In my pacing plans, I was hoping to catch back on pace through this section before grinding up the last couple of bigger climbs, but I ran into a few problems.  First, my legs were starting to lose their pop, so I couldn’t really get back on pace.  I split 7:15 for Mile 17, but that was with 60+ft of elevation loss.  The other problem and reason why my pace

Making use of the downhill

wasn’t faster there was because the winds were really winding up at this point.  The stretch through Homewood was the toughest part for me because I was running by myself into a 15 mph headwind, gusting to 25 mph at times.  I turned my hat around because it almost blew off during one of the early gusts!  I would occasionally find someone to sit behind and draft, only to feel they were going too slow and pull to the side to pass.  Except when I pulled to the side, I realized I was running the same pace as they were when I thought they were running too slow because they were trying to fight the wind.  So I continued this fight for the next two miles (7:36, 7:39), knowing I might have been a bit closer to goal pace had it not been for the winds through this section.  But I still pressed on.  Everything felt ok – nothing was cramping and I still had good energy.  I was just grinding away the miles. 

 

Finally, I entered the next section I was mentally prepared for – the last significant climbs (Mile 20 and 23).  I was mentally ready to just put my head down and grind on up these suckers.  They weren’t steep, but Mile 20 was about 100 ft of gradual climbing (7:56 split) so it felt much longer than the other shorter climbs before.  Mile 21 was another longer downhill that I couldn’t take advantage of, because I lost another gear grinding up the previous hill.  I split 7:39 coming mostly downhill because I was starting to feel spasms and I didn’t want to push it.  This is where my slight undertraining came into play.  A few more solid long runs at marathon pace would have given some more strength to power through here, but I just had a lot of fatigue in my muscles.  I was still mentally and physically ok, but my marathon fitness was my limiter at this point.  Mile 22 was half up and half down (7:44), but I spent that whole mile thinking about Mile 23 because it was the last climb on the course (.8 mi with 85ft of gain).  So I finally got there and pushed with whatever I had left.  I noticed however, on the climb that my hamstrings were starting to spasm a bit, so I could tell I needed to keep things in check. It wasn’t much, but I crested the hill (8:04 split) and rejoiced with the fact that I didn’t have any more hills to worry about.  By this point, I had averaged 7:42/mi through this section and 7:21/mi cumulative which was still on pace for 3:12ish.  I knew I was going to give up some more time based on how I was running but thought I could at least hold things together as long as my legs would cooperate.

 

Mile 24 – Finish – Just Keep Moving

I think the mantra for anyone in the last few miles is always something along the lines of relentless

forward progress.  No matter how the race is going (even in my best races), this is the point where you truly have to will yourself to keep going.  Everything hurts and you’re on the verge of cramping, forcing you to lose more time.  So here I was with a steep downhill mile (160ft loss), but my legs couldn’t afford the pounding.  I moved down the steepest part as carefully as I could, while trying to let gravity do it’s magic.  That I squeaked a 7:40 mile is a testament to how steep the downhill was, because on any normal day I would imagine running at least a minute faster while still feeling like I was holding myself back.  But none of that mattered, because I had to deal with the cards I had, which was not much as this point.  One foot in front of the other.  I went to the distraction games – counting 100 steps, then starting over to do it again; finding a landmark and guessing how many steps it would take to get there; smiling and waving to any spectators and hoping for something to keep me going.  All of these things worked, but what didn’t work was my hamstrings at even the slightest rise in elevation.  These last 2 miles were as flat as any part of the course with maybe 5ft of elevation change each, but even those small undulations or when the headwinds kicked up, it caused my hamstring to spasm just enough due to the extra push.  So I kept going at whatever pace my body was letting me.  My only goal at this point was to finish the race happy and healthy.  If I was gunning for a specific time, I probably would have tried running harder, as that has worked for me in the past (ie New York City Marathon), but I had no reason.  I just wanted to enjoy these last bits of the race as I reflected on the fact that I battled a stress reaction and a strained hamstring – and here I am, running a hilly marathon in a pretty decent for me time.  So I enjoyed myself as best I could.  I was fortunate to be spotted by Mark’s family with about a mile to go and that really brightened up my spirits. 

Almost there!

I was now in the downtown area and knew that the finish line mysteriously appears after a final turn.  I kept hoping after each turn that would be it, but that seemed to carry on for a while.  Finally, I could hear the crowd getting louder and I knew this was it.  I made a final right, with a slight downhill roll into the finish line.  I crossed the finish line smiling as I heard my name announced, with a final time of 3:16:32.

 

Final Stats:

Time: 3:16:32

Overall: 189/3439

Age Group: 23/322

Pace: 7:29

 

Post Race Thoughts

I accomplished my primary goal of running a solid marathon after taking the last two years off.  Completing a marathon without major issue is an accomplishment regardless of the time on the clock.  That said, in hindsight I would have liked to come in a little faster than I finished (we always do!) and I have no doubt I gave up some time in the last 5k.  At Mile 20, I felt like I was going to finish in the 3:12-3:13 range, which is where I thought I’d be with 3:10 fitness factoring in these hills.  While the winds slowed me down some, taking my foot off the gas in the last 5k had the biggest impact on my time slipping a bit at the end.  If I was looking at a 3:15 for a BQ (still have a few more years), I’m sure I could have tried the run harder when it hurts approach toward the end, but that was not my goal today so I didn’t have the drive to push it over the line.  I’ve run 11 marathons, only 4 of which were faster than this, but none were as challenging of a course. 

After the race, I was able to walk back to my hotel, shower, drive 4 hours home, and be back in time to watch my little guy at his youth track workout.  I don’t recall ever being this mobile and in the few days after, there was some residual soreness but I was going up and down stairs no problem.  While I don’t have any specific running goals over the next few months, it is good to know that my body will be ready when it is time to get back to it. 

The Pittsburgh Marathon is a fantastic race – great spectators, lots of music along the course, lots of runners (at least first the 1^st half, but I’m sure the some marathoners had plenty of folks to run with most of the way), and a course that weaves through so many different sections of the city.  I was also able to stay at a hotel less than .25 mi from the start, so I could chill inside until only 30 minutes to go.  You can’t do that at most races, especially those that are in cities.  I truly enjoyed this race, but it is challenging versus some of the faster courses out there.  However, if you aren’t pressed for the fastest possible time, I can’t recommend this race enough.

Race Report: 2016 GW Parkway Classic 10 Miler

After nearly a year of letting go of running specific goals, I found myself toeing the line of the GW Parkway Classic 10 Miler for the 1st time in some semblance of shape.  But before I get to the race, I wanted to give a background of how and why I approached the past year.


Background
After Boston last year, I took a much needed break.  For nearly 12 years, I've been pushing to go longer, faster and be stronger.  And while I've enjoyed every second of it, I felt the time was right to let go for a bit.  We can't always be progressing in a straight line and I wanted my step back to be on my terms versus burnout or injury.  So my Summer consisted of running as much or as little as I wanted.  On average, this was 3-4 days a week and mileage typically in the 20-25 mpw range.  Enough to keep my mind and body happy, but never so much that I felt I had to will myself to run.  For fun, I ran a 10k in the early Fall and finished about 3 minutes off my PR.  That was the wake up call I needed to start changing the direction of my training.  A solid 10 lbs heavier and race specific fitness largely gone, I needed some focus.  So I set some initial process goals - mainly being the goal of returning to running 5-6 days a week on average.  It didn't matter if it was 30 minutes, but I wanted to re-establish good habits that serve as the foundation for solid training.  By the end of Fall, I had established a good routine, developed some consistency, and raised my weekly mileage into the 30-40 mpw range.  Early winter, I set a goal of running a half or 10 mile race, so I started laying out the training plans.  Personally, I struggled to get back into the mindset required to perform workouts.  When an easy run was on tap, I was out the door running without thought.  I developed a plan that I knew would prepare me for a race, but when a workout was planned, I noticed I was finding ways to talk myself out of doing it that day to do it "tomorrow", as if tomorrow was any different.  For the past several months, I have had to will myself to get in the workouts.  Some weeks I got them in, while others I simply couldn't get myself to a place mentally to get it in.  I didn't want to force it, so some weeks I focused on the consistency goal and just made sure I ran a lot in the weeks I didn't do a workout.  I trained with the mindset of "something is better than nothing" and that go me through most of those tough spots.  Throughout winter, I managed to average most weeks in the mid 40 mpw range, with a few weeks in the 52-55 mile range.  I knew I had a good foundation of mileage under me and a fair bit of fitness capable of getting back to racing.  I had a couple of key tempo runs in the month or so leading up that led me to believe I was capable of running near my PR pace (6:30/mi).  I had a 6 mi steady tempo averaging 6:36/mi on a rolling course and a 4 mi tempo a few weeks after averaging 6:30/mi on the same course.  Both workouts were done comfortably with the intent of pacing 10 mile/half marathon effort.  So after some conflicts with a different weekend of a planned race, I signed up for the GW Parkway Classic the week of the race knowing I was race ready.  I've run it a number of times before and knew I'd enjoy running it again, as it is one my favorite area races.


Pre-Race
After parking in Alexandria at the finish around 5:45 am, I boarded the bus headed south to Mount Vernon at the start.  I got there by about 6:40, which was the perfect amount of time for an 8 am start.  I sat down for a bit so I wasn't standing the whole time (I remembered in previous years my back being sore from standing so much) and just soaked in the atmosphere.  It was cool (50F) and the sun was up, setting the scene for a nice day ahead.  Around 7:15, I ran a short warm up and a few 30s race pace pickups totaling about .75 mi.  After that, I mostly just hung out near the start area by sitting down.  With about 15 min till race start, I got back up and did some more dynamic stretching and strides.  There didn't seem to be many folks interested in lining up in the 6:00-6:59/mi pace area, so the race staff had us all move up closer to the start.  I found myself about 4 rows back from the start line.


Miles 1-3
Right at 8:00 am, the horn sounded and off we went!  With a race often described as a "net downhill", everyone assumes a flat and largely downhill course.  The GW Parkway course is not flat, nor is it largely downhill.  It has lots of different hills and very few flat spots, but it is a fast course, especially at the start.  Mile 1 is where the majority of the downhill elevation loss occurs.  I knew it would be fast in the first several miles, so I was prepared for a slight positive split on the race.  I found a pack of some of the GRC women and a few other guys after the first few minutes when pace seemed to stabilize.  We were still running downhill, but folks who went out too fast pulled back, while others continued pushing past us.  It seemed like these women and those around us were all hanging at the same effort, so I felt like it would be a good idea to latch on to a group rather than find myself running solo.  We hit Mile 1 in 6:17 and my breathing was very controlled, so I knew it would be fast but my effort was steady.  I knew Mile 2 had a few rollers, so that pace would slide back some, but I wanted to make sure I wasn't pushing too much this soon on the up hills of the rollers.  The pack I was running with was still largely together, but on the 2nd uphill, I let them go.  It was a tough decision, because I knew hanging with a group would keep me pushing, but I thought it might have been a little too soon.  Hard to tell in hindsight if I regret it, but I would like to know what would have happened if I stuck with them.  Shortly after, one of their girls dropped past me and it seemed the group was breaking apart.  I was in no man's land at this point, but my focus was on keeping them in visible contact.  Mile 2 came through in 6:25, still a bit fast but the effort was in a good spot.  Mile 3 was mostly flat but ending with the start of more hills, so my goal was to get in a steady rhythm and ready myself for the middle miles, which are the toughest.  I clocked Mile 3 in 6:31 right on goal pace.


Miles 4-5
After studying my previous race reports, I knew Miles 4 and 5 were the tough ones that could make or break your race.  The majority of the elevation gain is in these two miles and if you push too hard, you have a long 5 miles left to go on tired legs.  It was around this time, I was running alongside another female pretty much stride for stride.  We didn't say much, but mostly alternated between one of us leading out front.  It was around this time that I started feeling the headwind, which was forecast to come straight out of the N, so in a south to north race, that means a steady headwind.  Nothing crazy like Shamrock level winds, but enough to make you work harder than if it weren't there.  I ran steady through the uphill and tried to open up on the downhill to gain back a little time, clocking 6:34 in Mile 4 and 6:37 in Mile 5.  At this point, I was on PR pace (65:04) as the running time on the race clock read 32:32.  I just needed to hold on to have a solid race result.


Miles 6-7
Mentally, I was in a good place as I came through the halfway mark.  I was on PR pace and I knew Mile 6 was largely downhill, so I thought I would be gaining some additional time to offset expected losses with some later hills in Mile 8 and 9.  I remember running downhill a fair bit and felt like I was moving fast, so I was expecting to see a 6:2x split, but was surprised to clock a 6:30.  This lead to my 1st rough spot in a place I thought would propel me.  I knew the next mile or two would be slower than average, so I panicked a bit mentally.  However, my mantra for this race was "Be the best you today".  I knew I was going to get to a point in the race where I would question myself.  In any race, this happens.  You just have to be prepared for it.  Essentially, my mantra meant that I needed to let go of my previous (faster) self, stop comparing, and stay in the moment of my race results now versus where I used to be.  I will get there, but it doesn't have to be today.  I was still running with the same girl but at this point, my goal was just to stay with her, holding on her to pace.  My next goal was to get to the 5k marker, which meant it was time to push a little more.  Once we got there, I got a surge of excitement and passed her and encouraged her to come along so we could keep working together.  She stayed on my shoulder for a bit, but seemed to fall off pace at the next hill and I didn't see her again until she finished after me.  I pretty much ran the rest of the race solo, which I think caused me to slow more than I would have if I was still working together with someone.  With the surge, I clocked 6:37 for Mile 7.


Miles 8-9
While Miles 4-5 are the toughest in elevation, 8-9 are the toughest mentally.  Mile 8 is gradually uphill as a false flat, so you feel like you're going faster than the pace shows.  I used Mile 8 to ready myself for the last big push on the course in Mile 9.  I just held steady to the effort, which in hindsight is where I probably lost my shot at a PR.  With less than 3 miles to go, I could have likely pushed harder here, but I settled a bit.  The headwind really started to be stronger and I was running solo.  When I saw 6:41 for Mile 8 and knowing Mile 9 was more uphill, I realized my PR was gone.  So with the .5 mi grind up the bridge over 495, I pushed hard enough for the first time at the race where I truly felt out of breath.  I tried to rally on the downhill off the bridge to gain back some time, but the downhill runs right into the last kicker of a hill - 1 short steep block.  Mile 9 clocked 6:43.


Mile 10
After hitting the last mile marker during this last short steep hill, it was time to go for the finish.  I flew down the hill and prepared for the nearly mile long grind to the finish line straight ahead off in the distance.  It was at this point where I took stock of where I was in the race time wise and made the call to hold steady rather than go for broke.  With previous miles of 6:37, 6:41, and 6:43, I knew I needed to run a 6:00 final mile to get close to my PR.  I reminded myself that I was still on target to finish less than a minute from that PR time, which was run when I was in peak marathon shape and 10 lbs lighter.  To be in that ballpark and having run solidly to this point made me feel like I accomplished what I set out to do.  So I ran strong through to the finish with a final mile of 6:26 - still faster than average and pushing, but this allowed me to somewhat enjoy the last .25 mi which was lined with people.  Since I was running solo, I had a lot of people cheering me home.  I simply tried to relax and soak it in as I crossed the finish line with my 2nd fastest 10 mile time.


Final Time: 1:05:41
Overall Place: 65/3297
Age Group (35-39): 7/372


Post Race Thoughts
Over the past six months, I've struggled to push myself past my comfort zone in running, which is a key element to racing well at any distance.  Crossing the finish line only 37s off a PR I consider my best distance race result (ie longer than 5k) brings a huge confidence boost of where I stand fitness wise.  To go from running a 10k nearly 3 minutes off my PR last year, to running the first 10k of this 10 miler 2:20 faster than that, shows I've made some serious gains back in my fitness.  I do plan to return to racing marathons at some point, but I want to continue to build the foundation so that I am able to return to the level I left it at.  I'm apparently closer to it than I thought and part of the equation is obviously working to lose the excess weight I've been hanging onto.  We'll see how the rest of the Spring/early Summer goes as far as any potential Fall plans, but with another training cycle or two, I know I will be on the right path.  For me, the struggle continues to be in mentally coaching myself through getting workouts in and a marathon is only going to increase the mental demands.  I know I can do every workout I've assigned, so it isn't a confidence issue.  It is the gradual reshaping of being comfortable with being uncomfortable.  When you take extended time off, you lose that edge.  That seems to be the most difficult element to get back after a break from racing.  Focusing on pushing for an hour was a big step in the right direction and one that I'm proud of.




Since it has been so long since I last ran this race, this ended up being a 5:24 minute course PR.  Just shows the progress made over the last 5+ years of my running, not so much that I had such a great performance this time versus other years.  Its always fun to go back to races you haven't done in a while and crush a performance that at time, seemed like a big deal.  And since I started running this race 9 years ago, I've dropped more than 8 minutes off that time.  A needed a solid race like this to give me a sense of where I stand and what I need to focus on.  A great start, but I have lots more work to do!

Race Report: 2015 Boston Marathon

For the better part of the last five years, the Boston Marathon has been something on my radar.  Initially, it was a goal to work toward a qualifying time, then it became a goal within reasonable reach, before ultimately being a goal to chase and capture finally at the Shamrock Marathon.  Thousands of miles run, 6 marathons prior to qualifying (though Boston would be my 9th), and who knows how many shoes; and it was finally here.  My chance to toe the line with the most fit people in the world, yet somehow it felt surreal as though I didn't belong.  I did afterall qualify just like everyone else, but seeing people all around you with year after year of qualifying for Boston humbles you a bit.  I went into the race with an open mind, both due to my lack of experience on the course and also because I wanted to run this race the one way I would be proud no matter the result - fearless.  Somewhere along the way as the weeks inched closer to race day, I developed a mantra: never settle.  So while standing on the start line with everyone else drew feelings of questioning whether or not I belonged there, I knew it my head that no matter what, I was going to race the Boston Marathon with all I had and never settle for anything less.

So let me back up a bit and start with the beginning.  Running the Boston Marathon means heading toward lots of friends and family, so we decided to make a longer trip of it all and make our way up north on Wednesday, stopping in Philly to cut up the drive north by a bit.  This was our first trip as a family of four, so we knew the driving part would take time and didn't want to force the kiddos in the car for too long at one time.  Our hotel was right in Independence Square in the old city, which proved nice for some short sightseeing with the limited time we had.

Family of four selfie!

 The next day, we made the rest of our voyage north by way of western Massachusetts to see some family.  While there, I got in some taper runs on seemingly never ending hills, including my last workout of 3 mi at marathon effort.  This basically amounted to running up and down a mountain to the bottom of a ski resort and back.  It would have been great training for Boston, if only I wasn't tapering and looking for some more flat.  Trust me, there wasn't much of any to be found.  Amazing as it sounds, I also got to see some areas that still had snow!  Nevertheless, I still got the work in and we enjoyed our time in the Berkshires.

Checking out the finish line!

Next stop on the tour was our final destination - Boston!  Technically, we were staying outside of Boston with friends in Natick, but shortly after arriving, we made our way into Boston to the expo.  The whole area, from the finish line out to the expo and the several streets that parallel Boylston were just a mob scene, but in a good way.  So many people out to support the marathon festivities and soak in the atmosphere.  There were kids races, photo ops, vendors, etc.

Obviously!

Packet pickup was a breeze with virtually no line, despite the place buzzing with people all around.  The BAA did an excellent job with staffing sub groups of number ranges so nobody had to wait to get their number or shirt.  After grabbing the essentials, it was time for the expo.  Now, with two little kids including one 8 week old, I was not planning to spend much time at the expo.  From doing some previous scouting, I only had a few places I wanted to hit up, including the official Adidas store.  Amazingly, the lines moved quickly and I was in and out in only a few minutes.  The rest of the expo was crammed with vendors and honestly, not impressive compared to other expos I'm used to.  I had heard such great things of the Boston expo, but I wasn't impressed compared to NYC or Marine Corps.  Major nutrition vendors were only selling their products rather than sampling and there was little room to walk.  Intersections of people caused mass chaos simply to move and based on what I saw, it simply wasn't worth the time, so we left.  I'm sure I missed a few free things here and there, but it wasn't worth dragging the kids all over the place for it.  The end result was less time on my feet and I think everyone was happy to get out.

The rest of the day, as well as Sunday were largely spent hanging out locally in Natick, eating carbs, and giving the kids a break from the constant car trips.  I made one trip to the local Marshall's to pick up some throwaways given the downward spiral of the forecasts, which I thought was a good choice of attire (kids xl Bruins hoodie in below photo).


Race ready!

I woke up race morning before my alarm (as per usual) and felt great.  We had arranged for a friend to drop me off in Hopkinton, which was only a short 15 minute drive from Natick vs trying to head in to Boston for the buses.  While I missed out on some of the pre-race experience, I also got to sleep much later.

Just trying to relax, stay warm and dry

I arrived at the Athlete's Village a little after 7 am, which was around the same time the Wave 1 buses would have been arriving.  When I got there, it was pretty empty, which gave me plenty of time and space to find a good spot to hang out for the next few hours.

As I discussed in my last training update, I had found a crew to run Boston with that was all shooting for around the same time goal (sub 3 hours).  We agreed on a meeting spot, so I found a spot that allowed me to sit undercover, against a pole, and also view our meeting spot.  Somewhere along the way, it began raining.  While the announcers said it was a passing shower, everyone in the vicinity of the planned meeting spot was gone because it offered no cover from the rain.  It was at this point that I started to think I might be running the race solo.  I had been chatting with a few of the people sitting near me under the tent, so that helped pass the time as I continued to scan the athletes entering the village to look for my friends.  Only a short while later, I got up to use the portapotty and found my friend Erin (who I qualified with at Shamrock) along the way.  We waited together for a while and started to wonder if we'd find the three others that were part of our group.  He and I both had Wave 1 assignments, but we were planning to move back to Wave 2 to start together, since one of our group was in Wave 2.  We agreed that if we couldn't find them, that it would make more sense to start in Wave 1 since the weather would get worse as time passed.  It was only 5 minutes later that Nicole found us and we met up with the rest of the crew - all set to start together in the front of Wave 2.

We took advantage of first call for our Wave and made our way toward the start line, knowing there was another block of portapotties awaiting our arrival.  The next chunk of time was spent  continually in lines to get "everything" out.  Once we all felt clear, we made our way to the actual start.  By the time we got into our corral, there wasn't more than 15-20 minutes until the start.  With about 5 minutes to go, I removed my throwaways.

Quick tip - hold on to your throwaways as long as possible.  There were collection bins starting with the exit from Athlete's Village all the way into the corrals, which would mean an extra 30-40 minutes hanging on to those extra layers.  On a day like we had, you'd burn an awful lot of glycogen shivering.  Best to hold on to them as long as you can.

Before I go into the actual race, I want to cover my race plan.  Going into the race, I knew my fitness was at an all time high after the simulator long run our crew ran and a handful of other workouts.  The goal of the crew was sub 3 and I felt I had it in me on the right day, but I was (rightly or wrongly) hesitant.  However, I had an opportunity to see if I had it with a group I knew vs trying to run my race solo within my comfort zone.  In the days leading up to the race, I repeated my mantra to myself over and over - never settle.  So my plan was to go out with the group, hold on for as much as I could, and see how the day goes.  Their plan was to start the first 2 miles close to 7 to ease into the race and then run close to 6:45/mi, factoring in the extra weaving of the course, to net a sub 3 time.

Race
Before we knew it, it was the final countdown - we all gave each other fist bumps and started the 119th Boston Marathon as a pack of five!  The first mile was a bit of a cluster, more so than any other marathon I've run.  Starting toward the front of Wave 2, you'd think people wouldn't be taking it out super slow, but there they were.  We didn't panic, so we each sort of found our own paths through while remaining in contact with each other.  By the time we hit Mile 1 our split was 7:30, which was pretty far off our plan of 7:00, especially considering Mile 1 had 100+ ft of elevation drop.  By the time we hit Mile 2, we started to find some openings as we rolled along the course, still keeping everything in check coming in at 6:59 and essentially just writing off the first mile.  I think what surprised me the most about the first 10k or so was how rolling they were.  Sure, there was a net downhill, but each mile had some sort of uphill if not a few of them.  While I studied the elevation map and saw some bumps in there, I really don't recall many race reports mentioning them, so I feel it important to note it.  You can't just cruise that first 10k effortlessly downhill like many advice articles claim - there's some work in there.

By the time we got to Mile 3 (6:43), we were on pace and running as a pack, still weaving around people, but with more space to move.  I believe it was around this point that it started to rain and the winds became more notable.  And while the most direct route on the weaving course was typically the middle of the road, I tried my best to stay away from the dreaded yellow line, which when wet, proved to be slick.  The challenge with the wind was that it never seemed to be coming from a specific direction.  I tried drafting off others around me from every angle and never seemed to find the right spot, which meant I was working a bit more.  Additionally, as the next few miles ticked by in a blur, I started to feel the effort become a bit more than comfortable at this point in the race.  I wasn't sure if it was to earn back some time from the slower than planned Mile 1 or because the weather conditions weren't as bad as they will soon be, but the next several miles felt a bit over my head - 6:40, 6:46, 6:42, 6:40.  As we clocked the 7th mile, I made the decision to pull back a bit.  I still wanted to be aggressive, but I listened to what my body was telling me for the past several miles.  The combination of the quick miles while running into a headwind was starting to push me over the edge.  In hindsight, I wish I would have listened a bit earlier, but its difficult to define the line between racing a marathon to your potential and crossing over the line to blow up.  Unfortunately, you only find out much later when its too late, which of those two options it was.

Cracking a smile for the cheering squad

 Mile 8 made our way into Natick (6:48), where I knew I'd get to see my family and friends.  At this point I was only a handful of seconds back from the pack, but I split off to the side of the road to make sure I'd see my cheering squad.  It was uplifting to see them all out there in the rain and I have to give them credit for sticking around to see me - it was pretty miserable!  With a number of little ones in tow, they left to go inside right after they saw me come through.

Not how I was hoping this would turn out, but you see me at some point

I was still clocking steady miles (6:50, 6:58, 7:03), while we began the slow and steady rise in elevation, which is another element of the course rarely mentioned.  Miles 9-11 are a slow false flat rise, where you can easily cause some worry in your head as your paces start to slow a bit with a touch more effort.  This didn't worry me, because I felt the effort steady within my zone.  It was around this time that I started chatting with a girl who had been running at my pace for a bit now.  She noticed our pack and the =PR= Race Team singlets and was asking where they went.  I told her that I had to back off, but was happy to find a running buddy for a while.  We stayed together for at least 4-5 miles I believe, crossing the 10 mile (?) mark mid conversation, but somewhere along the way, she pulled ahead for good.

Chatting away the miles

The next notable landmark was running through Wellesley.  Now, I've watched the marathon on tv a million times and heard others speak of how loud it is, but I can say without a doubt it was the loudest I've ever run through and that includes any point of the NYC Marathon.  Their screams were deafening and I think my ears are still ringing!  I saw some people around me really pick up the pace here, but I just held it steady.  As I neared the halfway point (7:03, 6:57, 6:59), I actually felt really strong and used some positive affirmations to compare how I felt now to how terrible I felt at this point during Marine Corps.  My 13.1 split was 1:30:40, which was about 4:00 faster than at Marine Corps (and my PR) and felt I had the energy to keep it going.


Pretty sure this was somewhere early in Newton

The next few miles were really just mental prep for the Newton hills.  You knew it was coming soon, but you weren't there yet, so I just cruised along to gather my strength.  Miles 14 and 15 (7:00 and 7:10) were a gradual uphill.



Nasty downhill before the start of the hills

But then came the sharp downhill in Mile 16 (6:57) to bring us to the start the hills.  It was on the downhill during Mile 16 that I got my first sense that those early miles had done me in.  While I was still moving without restriction, I started to feel the onset of some cramps.  I tried to push it out of my mind and focus on the start of the hills, hoping that the uphills would be fine.  I think of the four Newton hills, the 1st climb was the worst.  It's a double climb - first over 95, then a less severe up, before a 2nd bump up to finish up the long hill, the longest of the 4.  I ran a 7:34 mile, which included the climb and the downhill after and was content with the split.  I didn't push up these hills - I simply kept the same effort in the hopes that I'd be able to make time on the downhills.  Unfortunately, that is where I ran into trouble.  It wasn't so much the going up part that caused my hamstrings to tighten, it was the going down.  It's funny that everyone talks about their quads being shot, because they were doing just fine!



The other unfortunate timing was the rain.  Right in the thick of the hills is when the rain really started to come down.  One of my most clear memories on the day was grinding up Heartbreak Hill, with the winds whipping the rain into my face like giant pellets.  There was a point where I wondered if it was sleet, because it was stinging my face as it hit me.  Nevertheless, I pushed on the ups and settled for a slower decent on the downs.  During this entire section, I never once glanced at my watch, even as it beeped for each mile, because I knew they'd be slower but I didn't want to get discouraged in the midst of the toughest mental and physical point of the course.  My splits through the Newton hills were (7:34, 7:29, 7:26, 7:43, 8:09).  As you can see - Heartbreak, the wind, and the rain got me.


Grinding up Heartbreak in the pouring rain

 After cresting Heartbreak, I had a huge relief and knew the end was near.  Of course, I now had to navigate a ton of downhill, which was the least kind on my body now.  I did my best to push when I felt I could, but it certainly wasn't what I wanted to be putting out at this point.  I knew I was still close to PR pace, but each steep downhill forced me to back off even more and I slowly saw the PR time slip away from my grip by the time I hit Mile 24 (7:42, 7:54, 7:57).  I never let my mood sour however, because of where I was and the amazing crowd support as we went through Boston College and began to enter Boston proper.

Wishing I could run just a bit faster on these downhills!

The rain was really coming down at this point and there was nowhere to run but puddles everywhere.  I never felt cold the whole race, but in the last 5k I started to lose some feeling in my feet as they began to feel like ice blocks with each soupy puddle I'd land in.

Attempting to outrun the T

The last few miles were a bit of a blur, but I (literally) soaked it all is as much as I could.  About .5 mi away, I was finally able to spot the Citgo sign, which was a blessing because I didn't have to spend 2 miles staring at it.  I quickly came upon it, while navigating the last of the hills and the crowds began to thicken.

The dream is almost over



A few more minutes passed and I found myself entering the last moments of the race by turning right on Hereford (and up the hill nobody talks about), left on Boylston.  Now typically, that final turn leaves you in a slow motion state where you feel like the finish line will never come any closer.  Not the case for me - this part of the course went by in an instant.


Keeping a smile the rest of the way!

While I'm doubtful I was running the 5:55/mi pace my watch claims I was doing (but I'll take it!), I did pick up the pace.  And as I ran along, I looked at the crowd and made sure I had a huge smile on my face to soak it all in and thank them for being out there on such a tough day to spectate.  I made note of the 2 places where the bombs went off and said a little prayer for those still suffering from that day, but also felt thankful that people can still come out in full force, even on a crappy day, to celebrate our sport and all that the Boston Marathon stands for.

Official Time: 3:11:09

A much deserved celebration beer!

So while I didn't PR or even come close to my goal, I was proud to have raced this course aggressively and never settle.  For someone who has it nailed into their brain that the only way to run a great marathon is to negative split, I was initially disappointed to finish the way I did, but I have no regrets for the way I raced it.  Like I said earlier, hindsight would have me back off a bit sooner and perhaps salvage my race with a slight PR, but otherwise I am ok with how it went.  Heck, I managed to run nearly 2 minutes within my PR on a crappy day, on a tougher course, and oh - while managing life with a 2 month old (and a little maniac of a 3 yr old).  Some of my crew went on to finish sub 3 and I am over the moon happy for them and their well deserved accomplishments, but I need to put my race in my own perspective with my own life constraints.  And while I wish I could have PRd and/or run the race with them, my body wasn't ready for that yet.  I know my fitness is there.  I just need to execute better and likely enter the race under slightly different life circumstances.  Their performance in that weather on that course shows me that I have it in me, which is the motivation I need going forward to do it.  My overall stats also show me that I fared better than most of my peers relative to their fitness, as I started the race with a bib number ranked 7065 and finished 4886 overall.

A hard earned, but well worth it medal

I am thankful for the opportunity to race Boston and hopeful to return there soon and race the crap out of that course again!  Below are my full splits for those that are interested:

Nailing The Final Marathon Long Run

Yesterday served as a breakthrough day for me and my training for Boston - I nailed my final long run. For those who have been grinding away through winter and the extended cold into early Spring, it feels like the monotony of bundling up, mustering enough excitement to go out there in the cold and run hard for an extended period of time has dragged on.  Like any training cycle, you start to see the light at the end of the tunnel as it nears the end, but you just have to get those last few weeks of hard work done before you get there.  And while that is where you find the "sexy" workouts, they are often the most difficult both mentally and physically.

I've written before about creating the confident athlete, how these big workouts play an important role, and this workout (which I'll describe below) certainly served its purpose.  Depending on a runner's experience level, the last long run can be anywhere from the most miles you've ever run, to the duration of your goal time, to a run that simulates the marathon race.  All of these runs are something you only do once in a marathon cycle, but a runner doesn't typically do all of them.  Newer marathoners are more likely to go by time or distance, whereas more experienced runners focus on simulating the marathon race by running a significant portion of the run at marathon pace.  However, it is important that a runner progress to this point before tackling such a workout.  Consistently logging long runs throughout the training cycle is a requirement.  If incorporating lots of marathon paced miles, its best to have done other shorter long runs where you've also done marathon paced miles.  The reason is simple - you don't want this run to take so much out of you that you can't recover.  If you are prepared and you run at appropriate paces, this run will be extremely challenging, but it should not leave you on the verge of collapse or not being able to function.

At the end of the day however, the final long run cannot determine how the actual race will go, either good or bad.  It is simply another place to connect the dots toward peaking for your race.  But with that said, I had a GREAT run and certainly one that I hope correlates to an amazing race day.

Sunday morning I set out with a crew of some speedy (faster than me) runners, all of whom are training for Boston as well.  We had agreed on the basic structure of the workout, which was the 1st 10 miles out starting around 7:30/mi and running steady to around 7:00/mi, then sub 7 all the way back, with the last 5 around 6:45/mi.  The course profile was 2 miles downhill, then 8 miles out on a slight uphill grade, before turning around and doing the reverse.  This meant miles 19-20 would be all uphill pushing hard, kind of like how Boston will be.  So how did it go?

1st 10 - 7:32, 7:11, 7:28, 7:25, 7:15, 7:10, 7:09, 7:05, 7:11, 7:09 (7:15/mi avg)
Last 10 - 6:56, 6:56, 6:47, 6:57, 6:49, 6:43, 6:42, 6:38, 6:50, 6:57 (6:49/mi avg)
Final Stats: 20 miles, 7:02/mi avg

We all ran together basically until about 12 miles in and then a few people started to throw in some surges.  Being the conservative runner that I am, I just held it steady, because I wanted to save my legs for the final 2 miles uphill.  Some would surge ahead, then float back, until we got to 16 miles and I pretty much got dropped.  I was right on pace with the plan, but these people were more fit than me and pushed faster.  They never got out of my sight, but I had no desire to try and close down the gap.  Since this was a marathon simulator, I wanted to run these miles as though I still had another 6.2 to go at the end.  And while I'm thankful Boston won't have a 2 mile grinding uphill (at least the Newton hills have some breaks in between them), I came out of this workout knowing that I can grind uphill at sub 7.  It was a very solid day and without a doubt the best long run I've had.

So where does this leave me for Boston?  Well, it leaves me knowing that I can shoot for a PR.  I have the utmost respect for the course and the unique challenges it will bring, but I am hopeful that the work I've done will lead to the results I know I've worked hard for.

Do you have any favorite last long run workouts to share?  

Race Report: Marine Corps Marathon

Where does one begin when it has taken nearly 2 months to write a race report?  Well...to be honest, I've had the post written in my head since pretty much the race ended.  However, as you tell by the frequency of posts recently around here, it hasn't happened.  Until now, that is, because I need to move on from the race and nothing brings closure like getting the thoughts out of your head and onto paper  a screen.

My build up to Marine Corps started just like every other marathon: full of hope and dreams of a PR.  I mean, I was just fresh off a 5k PR and training was going great, so why wouldn't that seem natural?  Fast forward my steady training through the summer until about September, when things suddenly changed.  No, it wasn't an injury or anything running related.  After months of discussing it, we finally put an offer down on a house that was quickly accepted.  More importantly, it meant we needed to pack up our stuff ASAP, so we could prep our current house for listing.  In a matter of 4 days, we essentially moved 75% of our stuff out of the house, thoroughly cleaned, repainted, prepped, etc everything.  It was a lot of work and took even more out of my physically.  I had no time, motivation or energy to run.  From the moment I woke to the moment I went to bed (sometimes way later than I would prefer), I was doing house work.  For those that know me, if I told you I had no motivation to run, you would wonder if someone stole my body and replaced it with a zombie.  That is NOT me and never has been.  But here I was, 4-6 weeks out from my goal race and I had no motivation or energy to train.  7 days went by without a run - not by choice, but dictated by how I could spend my time.  On top of it all was the need to take care of the Z man.  One of the things you learn as a parent especially, is that you lose your ability to be selfish in times of need.  Its easy when its just the two of you to say, "I'm leaving for 3 hrs to go do my long run".  Its much harder to do that when you have more to take care of and be responsible for.  When I had free time (if any existed during this period), it was spent with my family, not out on my own running.  I still got some training in, but less so than would be considered ideal given the timing in the training cycle. We all have priorities and for the first time in a while, running wasn't one of them.

Now to be honest, I was doing plenty of cross training during this time, including tons of stairs with heavy boxes, lots of core work painting and assorted house tasks, etc.  And life was pretty much like this up until 2 days before the race, when I drew a line in the sand and said I had to rest if I wanted any chance at the marathon.  In fact, I was more sore during this time than any other time I can recall from running.  Oh and closing on the new house was the Friday before the race, so life stress was totally at an all time low (that might be a slight understatement).  So this was my long way of saying, I didn't make it to the start line knowing that I did everything I could to run to my potential.  However, it doesn't mean I wouldn't try.  You see, I was in the fortunate position of having nothing to lose.  Since I ran my BQ in March and was already accepted into Boston, I honestly had nothing to lose by just going out to PR and seeing what happened.  I had good training leading up to it and a few years of consistent uninterrupted training to base everything off of.  Why not?  So I decided to go for 3:05 as a soft goal.

Pre-Race
Race morning came like every other one, an early wake up, cramming some food in my still asleep body, and heading over to the race.  I parked in Rosslyn as I've always done when going to spectate, since I'm convinced it is no more walking than the other alternatives and you have a much easier pathway home with an easy walk to the car after you finish.  I was parked by about 6:15, ate a bit more, and then made my way toward the start with the masses in the dark.  Getting through security at Fort Myer was a breeze and I began walking toward the start line as the sun started to come up.  It was a bit warmer than forecast, even in the morning, and I knew the day might get a little toasty with the sun out, so I made sure to hydrate with some extra electrolytes in the sports drink I was sipping all morning.

About 45 minutes before the start, I went for a short jog with 2 x 1:00 pickups to race pace.  My legs felt great and I remained positive that I could still have a great day.  Either way, I'd rather run a marathon than move to a new house, so I saw the day as an opportunity to have fun, be out of the house, and see some friends.

I made my way toward to front of the start area, since Marine Corps doesn't regulate corrals, and found the 3:05 pacer so I'd know where his group was.  As the clock got closer to race start, the area filled in very quickly with what seemed like a lot of pretty fast people where I was standing.  A few moments before the gun was to go off, I overheard the pacer telling those around him that Mile 1 was going to be a mess and he'd be doing a lot of weaving, but not to worry about pace, since they'd catch up once things opened up a bit.  My approach was much in the same - I didn't want to fight the early crowds with too much weaving, so I'd run what I could and start slowly, then let the race come to me.

In my head, I had the race broken out into a number of distinct segments with individual goals to help me get through the race: Miles 1-4 (Start to Key Bridge), Miles 5-11 (Georgetown through Rock Creek Park), Miles 12-15 (Haines Point), Miles 16-20 (Along the Mall), Miles 21-22 (14th St Bridge), Miles 23-25 (Crystal City to Pentagon), Mile 26 (Rt 110 to Finish)

Miles 1-4
With the sound of the howitzer, we were off and running...except we weren't.  I think its about time "The People's Marathon" gets real about proper race seeding and either institutes a pre-race seeding system that they enforce, or require runners to qualify into some of the earlier corrals, because it is simply unacceptable to line up at the front of a marathon and walk or even run at a significantly slower pace than the rest of the field around you.  For the 1st half mile, I was boxed in, forced to weave, and running in the low to mid 8:xx range, which is not ideal when your goal pace is around 7:00/mi.  Unfortunately, this mean a lot of energy wasted with the stop and go tactics of weaving.  I ran goal pace when I had space, but more often found myself trying to avoid clipping feet with those around me running much slower.  It was frustrating, but there was nothing I could do about it, so I just patiently waited till I had openings and ran, with as little weaving as possible.  With some early downhill in the 1st mile, I still managed to come in at 7:05, but I know I wasted a whole lot of energy doing that, so it had me a bit worried.  The 3:05 pacer was long gone, having weaved his way in and out and all over the course in that 1st mile and I had no desire to do that, so I let them go.  The next 2 miles were pretty much uphill with the start of an extended downhill, so I gave myself the flexibility to slow down as needed, after the harder than planned first mile.  I saw folks flying up the hill, while I just climbed as easily as I could with as little effort as possible to make it to the top.  I made it up in 7:21, which was still faster than I had initially planned, but the legs felt good and breathing was very controlled, so I went with it.  After we crested the hill, I let my legs go and tried to keep from braking too hard on the downhills, causing more tension.  As saw a lot of my pace fall well into the 6:xx, which was expected, given the sharp downhills in this part of the course.  This is where I expected to get back onto pace from the earlier slow miles.  Mile 4 was 6:54 and I came through this segment averaging 7:07/mi, which was close to where I wanted to be by now.

Miles 5-11
As we made our way up hill to the Key Bridge and into Georgetown, I tried to get myself into a rhythm, but I simply couldn't.  My legs felt fine, breathing was still good, and I was on pace, but my thirst level was uncharacteristically high for this early in the race.  I'm not typically a thirsty person when running, so to be only 4-5 miles into the race and already looking for the next aid station was sign #1 that something was off.  Nevertheless, I cruised through the crowds in Georgetown, enjoyed the support, and made my way to Rock Creek Park, hitting Miles 5-6 in 7:09 and 7:10 respectively.

In my race prep, I saw this section of the course as the largest unknown.  I never had a chance to run it and when I always drove it, it seemed far more up hill than the race profile showed, which was more rolling, but more up on the way out and down on the way back.  I'd agree that there wasn't as much up as I initially felt and I was thankful we didn't have to do the climb up to Calvert St that they do for the RnR DC race - no thanks.  As I made my way gradually up the hill, I 1st spotted a fellow =PR= buddy who was working the aid station.  As I worked my way up the last part of the hill, I saw the 3:05 pacer coming back to the other way, probably 1:00 ahead, so not terribly far ahead and still within striking distance.  I moved up the out section a bit slower than goal, accounting for the hills in 7:17 for Miles 7 and 8, which included the start of the turnaround back.  As I made my way back downhill, I heard Jamie call me out and gave her a wave.

Passing the Kennedy Center just before Mile 10

I was enjoying heading back downhill now, as the early hills were over.  However, I still had that off feeling and it didn't seem to be going away.  By the time I hit Mile 8, I told myself to run to the halfway mark and see how everything feels before making any further decisions.  Miles 9-11, which brought the rest of the downhills and then on Rock Creek Parkway back into the crowds cruised through in 7:06, 7:01, 7:01.  For this section, I averaged 7:08/mi and was right on track.

Heading Toward Haines Point at Mile 11

Miles 12-15
As we entered Ohio Drive to start the Haines Point segment, I noticed my breathing starting to labor a bit.  While my legs were still feeling solid, the breathing concerned me.  We were now running into the full sun, with no shade to hide from it and I think my body was started to work a little harder than it should be.  I was with a small pack and was using them to shield some of the headwind coming off the Potomac, so I didn't want to fall off the group.

Small bridge crossing around Mile 12

 I stayed on and we made our way up toward my "reevaluation" spot.  I hit Miles 12 and 13 in 7:09 and 7:11 as we rounded the tip of Haines Point and crossed the 13.1 mat in 1:34:15 (7:11 avg), which was about 30s faster than I ran at Shamrock, though I remember feeling a heck of a lot better at this point during that race than I did now.  I was still on pace to PR, but far off 3:05 pace, and I knew I wasn't going to PR the way things were headed.  So I reevaluated and decided to run it in rather than race the rest.  I could tell my body wasn't going to fight at this pace for 13+ more miles and with everything else going on at home, I didn't need to end up in a medical tent.  So I kept clocking the miles while slowly easing off the gas, though I was hoping that headwind we were fighting heading out on Haines Point would be a tailwind on the way back.  Not so much - or at least I was hurting and didn't feel any benefit from it.  I knew I had more friends at Mile 15, and I didn't want to disappoint, so I at least held it together through there.  Miles 14-15 were 7:15, 7:13.  For this section, I averaged 7:12/mi, still on target for a solid day, but knowing that I was slowing.

Slowing a bit, but at least I got a good photo out of it!

Miles 16-20
If I had provide some advice to those running Marine Corps for the 1st time, it would be that this section is deceivingly hard.  I've run the Mall so many times over the years and never thought twice about the terrain, but 16 miles into a marathon, and every change seems to increase tenfold.  Heading out on Independence toward the Potomac is slightly downhill, but once you hit the turnaround, it was carnage city.

Heading out on Independence Ave and enjoying the downhill

Folks were cramping and the road slants up a bit as you near the Washington Monument.  I distinctly remember this being that point where my brain and body stopped working as one.  I had every intent on easing my running for the rest of the race toward my usual easy pace (7:45/mi), but that hill forced my brain to shutdown the rest of my body.

Who knew a small hill could cause so much pain?

 I clocked Miles 16-18 in 7:22, 7:35, 7:43 but I could start to feel my body shutting down now that my mind was clearly out of it.

Barely holding it together

Right between Miles 18 and 19 as we rounded the Capitol reflecting pool, my body showed its 1st protest in the form of a hamstring cramp.  I walked for a few short seconds before going to back to running, quickly found the next aid station and doubled up on some Gatorade to hopefully help the situation.

Running, but not for long

Unfortunately, during Miles 19-20 the cramp came back and hit me pretty good.  I happened to stop to stretch right by one of my other =PR= coaches who was standing shortly before Mile 20 and asked him for his phone to call Rebecca.  I knew she was tracking me and I didn't want her to worry, so I spoke for a bit to let her know that I was ok, but going to finish slower than planned.  In total after looking at my watch, I stopped for about 5 minutes, both to stretch and call Rebecca.  All goals were out the window anyways, so I just wanted to enjoy my time as a marathon participant.  I decided that I'd be there to support those around me and encourage everyone in the last 10k of the race.  As I headed onto the bridge, I spotted Jamie one more time.  For a second, I strongly considered coming over to chat, but remembered I was sort of in a race with a timer counting how long it will take to cross the finishline, so on I went.  Miles 19-20 were 8:07 and 12:16 (including my 4-5 min rest stop).

Miles 21-22
In not shocking news to anyone who has run the Army 10 Miler or Marine Corps, I hate the 14th St Bridge.  I really do.  There is nothing good about.  Even during the week, as it causes way too much traffic.  But for running, it harnesses the sun, is hilly, and offers no reprieve.  To make matters worse, there is no aid station from Mile 19 until you get into Crystal City at Mile 22.  Why can't they put one on that bridge?  Most races have aid stations every 1-1.5 miles that late in the race in larger marathons.  Seems odd to have 3 miles between them when most runners need the aid the most, but maybe that's just me, because all I wanted was more Gatorade, since I was forever thirsty and cramping.  Given my state this late in the race, I just kind of took my time and cheered folks on without much urgency.  If nothing else, I was getting my money's worth!  Even though I was having fun and cheering folks on, I'll also admit that the bridge took forever.  I was never so happy to see Crystal City and the next aid station in my life.  Miles 21-22 were 9:34, 9:48.

Miles 23-25
It was around this time that I started playing the mental math game and wondering if one of my running friends was near.  It was his goal to run sub-3:30, so I figured I'd spot him coming the other way on Crystal City as I made the turn back up.  I had been cheering on random strangers, but was hoping to find him, so I could help support him in his goal.  I saw the 3:25 pacer pass and then a little while longer saw the 3:35 pacer go by and still no sign.  Sadly, I continued on, hoping I had just missed him and that he was still on pace (I later found out he dropped at 15, so I'm glad I didn't stop everything to wait for him).  Meanwhile, the miles clicked along, the walking of those around me increased, and the carnage on the road was clear.  It was a warm, sunny day and taking its toll on everyone, including myself.  I was running along fine and then suddenly during Mile 25, the cramps came back, so I had to take a few more moments to stretch.  Miles 23-25 were 9:07, 8:23, 9:48.

Mile 26 - Finish
Leading up to the race, I had grand visions of using the slight downhill in the last mile to run one of my faster miles, before hitting the painfully steep last .2.  I still had plans to run that last mile, but my body had other plans.  It was done.  A long time ago.  But with all the Marines around, I ran up that darn hill through to the finish, because I had no excuse.  I was healthy.  It just wasn't my day.  So I ran - for myself, for others, for those who can't.

Nearing the finish

I crossed the finish line in 3:31, happy, proud, and appreciative of the sacrifices service men and women make to allow for us to enjoy life the way we do.

Happy to cross the finish line

I thanked each and every single person I could find.  While I didn't have the race I wanted, I made sure to show appreciation where it belongs - to those who don't complain about the mission they're assigned to.  They do what is asked of them every day.  On this day, it happened to be supporting a marathon, but on most other days, it isn't so easy.

Post-Race Thoughts
A number of friends have asked me if I know why I didn't have a great race and there is no single answer, but I've done my best to summarize it below if it wasn't clear above:

Stress is a variable that can manifest itself in many ways, most of which you may not ever know until it is too late.  With everything going on, my body may have been perfectly well suited to run a PR, but I can assure you, my stress levels were so high leading up to to the race, that I can't think of anything I could have done differently to change the outcome to a PR.  Could I started slower?  Sure, I could have run a conservative race and finished with a faster final time, but as I said from the start, I had nothing to lose, so why compromise?  Conditions on race day did not lend themselves to fast times, but I had no reason to back down.  It was sunny, 60F (warmer accounting for real feel), and windy.  While those are great conditions for watching a marathon, they are far from great for running in one.  It just wasn't my day, but I finished happy, healthy, and ready to run another day.

So that's the wrap on Marine Corps.  I apologize for the long wait, but these are the same thoughts I had in my head since the moment I crossed the finish line.  I can happily say that we have moved into our new house and are enjoying life, so there's a happy ending to the story.  Just sucks that it took this long to write down :)