Marine Corp Marathon

I know you have all been eagerly awaiting the Marine Corp Marathon write-up so let me get right to it.

The marathon was held in DC on October 28, 2007 (a Sunday).  My friend and fellow marathon trainee Megan C., was kind enough to put me up at her parent's house the night before the race.  Fellow trainee Laura M. also stayed the night along with both of their men, Megan's parents and her brother.  It was a very nice house and I had a lot of fun hanging out with the group.

The next day we took the Metro to the Pentagon stop and met Joel H., Andy, Ali C., Curry and a few other runners.  Joel, Andy and Ali are also members of the training team.  From there we had to walk to the starting area.  All of us had to use the restroom and as we walked I pointed to the large number of bushes alongside the road and said, "I found the bathrooms".  One of the women's ears perked up and said, "Behind the bushes?"  To which I replied, "No, the bushes are the bathroom."  I heard some grumbles about stupid men and pee wherever they like.  The men all headed over to the bushes and used them while the women continued on.  By the way, we did notice several women taking advantage of the bushes as well.

Once we arrived at the assembly area, the women all lined up for the port-o-potties.  The line was so long they didn't finish until 5 minutes before race start.  We all hauled butt to get over to the start (wasting my little reserve of energy) and got there as just as the mass of people began to move.

I was running with Andy, Ali, Laura and Curry.  We wanted to start with the sub 4 hour group but the closest we could get was the 4:00 to 4:15 group.  The race started out slow with our first lap clocking in at 11:30 minute/mile or so.  We were hoping to run 9:00 m/m or faster so it was not where we wanted to be.  The second mile came in at 7:30 m/m which was a nice catch up, but much faster than we wanted to run.

Around mile 3 is where we hit the first water stop and by hit I mean HIT.  We are running a good pace when all of the sudden we slam into stopped people.  It was a mess.  We tried to get to the other side of the road and ran into the second water stop.  This happened every time for the first several water stops.  During this time we were also swerving around people.  It really takes a lot out of you to run around slower runners, but you don't notice that until later in the race.

So why were we running around people?  There wasn't really an attempt by the race organizers to put people into waves, or into timed starts.  Matter of fact, there were no waves, everyone started in one giant group.  This led us to pass walkers 3 miles in the race and to pass many more people who could never run a 4 hour marathon (or probably a 5 hour marathon).

Around mile 8, I needed a potty break, so I pulled off to the side of the road for a bit.  I ran fast to catch up and caught up to Curry and ran with her.  I saw Laura and Ali just ahead, but since they had been running pretty fast, I decided to run with Curry.  I stayed with her until mile 13 where I stopped to take some salt pills.  I ran really fast for the next two miles and never saw her.  I think I passed her during this time and didn't realize it.

At mile 15, I was still feeling pretty good, just minor aches and pains in my body.  At mile 16, we started to run out on a loop on some island (don't know the name).  We ran around the tip of the island and back to the memorial bridge where we cross the Potomac River.  This is where I really started to feel the pain.  There wasn't a lot to look at or a lot of crowd support.  It was a pretty, but bleak area and it took it out of me.

Mile 19/20 was crossing the bridge and this is where I started walking.  The problem with marathons is that once you walk at all, your mind says it's okay to walk more and more.  It's like breaking the seal at a bar, you have to fight it as long as possible because once you give in, it's over. I also was starting to cramp and was slowing down.

Once we got off the bridge and interstate (running on an interstate isn't as cool as you would think), we ran to Crystal City.  The crowd here was awesome!  They were cheering for me like crazy and really picked up my spirits.  At one point I was walking along the middle of the road with racers going one way on one side of the cones and racers coming towards me on the other side of the cones and I look up and there is a hand to slap five with me and it's attached to Joel.  Somewhere along the line I passed him.  A moment after that Andy comes up from behind me and says hello.  I didn't know I was in front of him either.  His knee was killing him, preventing him from running the race he wanted to run.

According to my split times, at mile 22 I was still on pace for a sub 4 hour marathon.  According to my body there was little chance of that.  My first 9+ minute/mile was at mile 18 or 19 and they just got longer from there.  I tried to keep the groove going, but it just wasn't happening.  I had one thought in my head now, beat my PR.

At mile 24, I had 23 minutes to run 2.2 miles and beat my PR.  The week before the marathon I ran 4 miles in 30 minutes, so 2.2 should be no problem right?  My mile times were slow, but I wanted that PR, so my 24th mile was 10 minutes and change, I only needed to run under 13 for a new PR.  At the end of the route there is a u-turn with a pretty good increase in elevation which kicked my butt.  The end of the race was a pretty steep curving hill which also kicked my butt.  I came in 59 seconds slower than my PR from last year, 4:13:22 to last year's 4:12:23.

I was sore after the race for a couple days.  I managed to ride my bike two days after the race and ran three days afterwards.

This marks the end of my marathons for a while.  I plan on switching over to triathlons and have actually formed a team with some friends and coworkers to attack a half Ironman next year.   In case you don't know, a Half Ironman is a 1.2 mile swim, 56 mile bike ride, and 13.1 mile run.

Fellow runner updates:  Andy, Curry and Joel all finished their first Marathon!!!!  Ali shattered her PR by 10 minutes!!!!  Laura finished another marathon under 4 hours (she's a machine!)  Megan cramped up and pulled out early.  She decided to put her effort into the Richmond marathon (11/10/2007).

Camp Hilbert #3

I was racing in Sport Men; we rode at 9:30am.  I only really knew one person in my group, John G..

As the race started I dropped into 5th place or so out of the shoot.  I was quickly passed by another couple riders including John.  My goal for every race is to beat the people I know in my grouping.  I find that not knowing many people in my grouping helps my goal.

I was able to stay on John's wheel soon after he passed me and was on it until the guy behind my told me to pass him.  I passed John about .5 mile in and then passed two or three surprising slow riders just after that.  I didn't understand how those slow riders were in front of me, they seemed like they were crawling on the trails.

In my eagerness to stay in front of John I went out way to fast and around mile 3.5 started slowing down.  I was quickly passed by a couple of Sport Men.  Somewhere in there I was passed by an Enduro rider who was riding crazy fast, I couldn't believe how fast this guy was going.  It wasn't until mile 5 that the second place Enduro rider passed me.  Around mile 4 or so John passed me and for a bit I hung with him.  Ever so slowly, at first, he started to pull away, and soon I lost him.  It was really devastating to get dropped liked that and there really was nothing I could do but ride on.

In the start of the second lap my back started hurting.  My legs were still surprisingly spry, so I decided to stand on the hills to change the focus on my back.  It worked and before long I was flying on the trails.  I also tried the 'no-brakes' route on the hills and flew down them.  Before too long I spotted John ahead of me.  I knew at that point I was going to catch him.  After two long downhills, I was right on his wheel again.  At this point I remember thinking about all of those stupid race movies, and specifically, The Phantom Menace.  The 2nd place racer has enough speed to catch the first place guy, but somehow not enough to pass him.  I decided I would pass him, but on my terms.  I was on the section of the trail by the creek that's really fast and towards the end of that section, I passed him.

After the race he said that I just took off and was gone.  He jokingly asked if he said something to piss me off that made me get away from him.  All that really happened was I felt good.  I felt that I had an edge on the downhills and as I started to stand up on the uphills, I had an edge there as well.

After I passed him I kept on the gas and before too long I passed my first beginner.  It's always nice to pass someone doing less laps than you, and that started after you.  For the race I passed 5 beginners and 2 women, not sure of their group.  I also passed a sport, a couple Enduros and a couple more people with mechanicals.  For everyone that I passed, I say, 'Thank You!'  You each recognized I was riding fast and left ample room for me to pass, just as I had done for those that passed me.  No one that I passed slowed me down, it was a race first!

At the end of my second lap I decided to attack the rooty climb standing instead of sitting and realized, that rooty climb just sucks, no matter how you ride it.  That little hill was the worst for me on the course.

Start of the 3rd lap I still had my energy going strong.  Good thing too because I only had a bowl of Fruit Loops for breakfast and didn't have anything to eat during the race.  I kept attacking the hills and now that I knew the course a little better I was able to carry momentum better through the turns.  The last lap was pretty uneventful, just passed some folks here or there and had a pretty even race.  Towards the end of the race, with no one behind me, and no one ahead, I brought my speed down a bit.  I did finish fast up the last hill, but I took that rooty climb before it slower than I had previously.

After the race, I chatted for a little while before heading out.  I have no clue about my results; I just know the time my wife kept.  I'm pretty happy with my consistent times.

Lap 1: 34:04

Lap 2: 34:08

Lap 3: 34:58

3Sport Duathlon Recap, John vs. Scott

There was no joy in Mudville, mighty Scott had struck out.

On what turned out to be a very cold Easter weekend morning, the epic battle between John and Scott took place.  Their steps like thunder on …  Yeah, anyway.

The biker ran faster.  That’s a pretty accurate description of the race.  As the race started, we both took off running.  Within 10 seconds John popped up beside me and while I was able to pull away from him, it did unnerve me a bit to see him there.  I was only able to get 1:17 ahead of him on the run.  My transition time of 50 seconds (8th fastest) gave me another 20 seconds lead on him.  Going into the bike I had a 1:37 lead.

We all know John is a fast rider.  My hope was to hold him off until mile 8 or so, if I could do that, I thought I had a shot at beating him.  During our mini Du race a few weeks ago, John passed me 4.27 miles into the ride.  Saturday, I held him off until 4.3 miles into the course.  The bike loop is 4.35 miles long, so just before the first lap was complete, he pulled ahead.

I never saw him again until the run.  My next 3 laps were seemingly consistent.  I would pass people riding up the hills and most of them would pass me on the flats.  This went on until the last lap.  On the third lap on the bike, I slowed down for a minute to eat a Gu (gel calorie food) and chase it with some water.  On the fourth lap that energy kicked in.  I had a really good 4th lap and on the biggest hill on Patterson, I managed to pass almost a dozen riders and at the top of the hill a minivan of screaming Rojas’ were cheering for me.  By the time I finished that lap, I passed another 20 or so riders.

Starting the run, I had no clue how far I was behind John.  John managed to pick up 6 seconds with a faster 2nd transition time.  Carrie was yelling out splits to me on the bike which I never heard, or even expected.  She told me before the race that she wouldn’t tell me the splits and I thought that was a good idea.  As I passed her on the run she yelled out, ‘He’s ahead by 6 minutes!’  Six minutes ahead with 2.85 miles to run, I’m not that fast and he’s not that slow.  I decided to settle into a pace that would allow me to run the entire distance without any fear of walking.

It seemed that everyone I passed on the bike was now passing me.  And really, that was ok with me; I was looking forward to crossing the finish line and resting.

As I ran up to the finish line, I saw the cheering section that had been there all race, Carrie, Jay T., and of course, John’s Kin (Lori and clan left a little earlier due to the low temps).  They all let out a big yell as I passed them by and I was grateful for it.  I saw John at the finish cheering me on and finally, thankfully, I crossed the finish.

I didn’t realize how cold I was until I tried to talk.  All of my words were slurred and I couldn’t speak quickly or very distinctly.  I felt like a young child just learning to speak.  For a few minutes after the race, John and I were able to stand in the sun and warm up a bit.  Jay T. pointed out that when the sun went behind the clouds, the wind picked up and no sooner did he say that than the sun disappeared.  I was more cold waiting to pick up my bike after the race than at any time during the race.

This race was tough.  The training was tough, the competition was tough, and the weather was tough.  I am really happy to have competed in it, and to have finished.  The race was a lot harder than I thought it would be.  The hardest part was running again after riding hard on the bike.  The legs just didn’t want to move correctly and it wasn’t so much running, as shuffling that last 2.85 miles.

Finally, I would like to congratulate John on is terrific race.  That guy is fast as all get-out on the bike.  To the victor goes the spoils, and the spoils of this race, is a night out for John and his wife Jean with Carrie and me, at La Grotta, our treat.