Marine Corps Marathon 2012 - Part 1 - The Start

I really don't even know where to start with Marine Corps Weekend!  All the emotions, the highs, the lows, the friends, the Marines, the spectators, the Mile 20 group, etc.!  So I'm going to do this post in sections.  This will be Part 1.......

We were monitoring the weather constantly.  Hurricane Sandy was looking to make this a very difficult race, but what's a little rain and wind, right ??  :/ 

The morning of the MCM started with a 4:15am wake-up call at the hotel.  Although, it didn't matter, I saw the clock almost every hour with race anxiety/excitement!!  Grabbed some breakfast, then got dressed and ready.  My friends and I headed down and put the bags in the car (that valet took FOREVER)!!  Once we finally had that dealt with, we headed to the Metro!  At least that was uneventful, except for seeing a prostitute broker a deal, and then have a black cat cross our paths LOL!!  Washington D.C. at 5:30am !!

Our view walking to Runners Village!

Met up with a lot of other MCM runners along the Metro and headed to the Runners Village at the start.  Probably about a mile walk to get there.  Found the UPS bag drop, and we were all set!!  We made it there by 6:30 to meet up with the awesome RFRC group.  The RFRC group was created to support first-time Marathoners, and I was so happy to have found them during my months of training! We met, we huddled, we prayed, and we cheered!!   OOOOORAH!!!  


UPS Bag Drop!

RFRC Huddle!

RFRC!

Off to the Start line now!  Had to head up that way to use our special "VIP Potty" priviledges.  This was a perk to spending too much money at the Brooks store during the Expo.  I had to have my MCM Finisher jackets, so my credit card melted that day ;)   These were "porta potties on trucks", but they had running water and flushed!  And I can't forget the VIP Potty Butler handing out mints!!   So this was a much better potty experience for race !  Definitely worth it! 

VIP Potty !

VIP Potty Butler - this guy was great!

Now we're moving to the START line!

I had to stop and get a picture with the Marines!!

We headed into our corral.  We chose the 4:30 projected finish, just hoping we'd get settled into a nice pace right from the start (eventhough our goal was to #1 - FINISH, #2 - Rock it under 5 hours)!  

Almost ready to go!!

 

Once the National Anthem was played and the Osprey military choppers flew over, I really got a big punch of nerves in the gut!  I had to completely just take a deep breath and tell myself "you've trained for this, you've got it"!!  Not sure I believed myself though LOL

The race began with the National Anthem, and then two Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron 22 MV-22B Ospreys flying from the Pentagon over the starting line!!

They fired the Howitzer and we were off!!   It took us 10 minutes to get to the actual start line from our corral !!

And we're OFF................

 Stay tuned for Part 2 !!

Cupcake Classic 5K (RunWithJess.com)

Who doesn't love a cupcake race ???   I don't seem to pass them up!!  We have a local one in town each Spring and then this one came from from a Blogger I follow (www.runwithjess.com).

So one of the lovely Run Mama Run ladies organized a date, time, and delivery of cupcakes for us!  Yes, she's quite awesome!

We met up Sunday morning after some of us already put in long runs, and then enjoyed a 5K around our local park course that is frequently used in our local races!!   The cupcakes were great, the company even better!  Always a nice way to spend time with my favorite ladies!!

Thanks to Jess for this virtual reason to eat cupcakes!!  And I love my bling :)

Run Mama Run ladies!

Georgetown Cupcakes

Alllllll mine LOL

MCM Taper Craziness! 14 days to go!!!

Well, it's official. The taper crazies are a real thing!! I find myself counting down the days, questioning my readiness, and frequenting MCM blogs, videos, and web pages. I'm in obsessed mode. Planning out logistics and outfits, while juggling Daniel starting a new school, his birthday party, baseball practices, games, and end-of-year party, and swim classes. Oh yeah, and going back to work full-time.

I'm feeling crazy!! I feel like I need to run more miles, but it's taper time. Feeling sluggish in my runs now, eating horribly, and just sleepy :)  And Daniel is coughing and trying to share with me!!  Please don't buddy, love, your Mommy!!!

Just happy for my running groups for great support, clarity, sanity, and great laughs!!  Fun to know the craziness is shared by many moving into the last 14 days pre-race!!

What I do know:

1) I have the best running/training friend ever, who has NEVER missed a training/long run.
2) We've run 20 miles TWICE!  We've got this!
3)  Race day energy will be awesome!
4)  Lot of friends are coming to support us!

So 2 more weeks......and then I'll post this picture as my FB timeline picture :)  I know most ladies won't mind ;)

RLAM - 10 Running-Related Personal Questions

I love to oblige in running questions, especially when the request comes from Dimity and SBS from Another Mother Runner.  So here goes :

1.  Best run ever:  I think my best run was the Mission 10 Miler race, this past March 2012.   I had just run a Half Marathon the weekend before, so I went into this race as “this will just be an easy training run” while I was there to support a couple friends who were running their 1st 10 mile races.  I felt great, PR’d for the 10 miler, and got to go back and bring in my friends as well.  It was a “feel-good” race day!    
2. Three words that describe my running:  Therapy Energizing Sanity 
3. My go-to running outfit is: a pair of Champion compression shorts under my running shorts (because you don’t want chafing ;)), a tank top, and my UA hat! 
4. Quirky habit while running:   I always carry my phone and a fuel belt....always.
   
5. Morning, midday, evening: Morning, just to get it done!  
6. I won’t run outside when it’s: icy and frigid cold on one end, when it’s super hot and humid on the other!  I am really a Spring/Fall loving mother runner ;)
7. Worst injury—and how I got over it:   Hip bursitis.  I’m working through it still, but I actually  took a ChiRunning class, have improved my form, and am working out the kinks with my Ortho! 
8. I felt most like a badass mother runner when:   I ran a 1 mile race this weekend and took 2nd place in my age group!  My 1st running trophy ever!  And a new mile PR of 7:23.  That was HUGE to me! 
9. Next race is: a couple small races, but the Marine Corps Marathon is my BIG upcoming race on October 28, 2012.
10. Potential running goal for 2013:  For 2013, I want to get back my love for running, my pure enjoyment and fun of it!  No more marathon training unless it’s of the “Half” variety! 

The Run, Mama, Run ladies! (I'm far right :))

Market Street Mile

Let's just say I didn't go into this race in the right frame of mind - see post below LOL   But I decided to make sure I warmed up and stretched just to make sure I didn't injure myself for a 1 mile sprint down Market Street (ok, I don't really sprint, but you get the picture)!!

All ready to go with some of my favorite running buddies !!

And the women's race getting ready to start!

Women's Race Start

I felt good right into the race, went out a tad fast for me, so came back to comfortably fast (for me), and just focused on a "decent" mile time.  In the last 100 yrds, I saw the clock, but could only see the "minute" number because someone was blocking it.  Well it had a 7 as I was coming in!  What? 7 min something??  So I ran faster and finished with a 7:23 minute mile!  A new PR by 27 seconds!  I was so excited !!! 

After all the race heats finished, I was about to head out, but was reminded to stay for raffles.  Although I usually never win one of these things, I figured why not?   I won a lovely Outback Steakhouse gift basket with a certificate for dinner!  Awesome!  Glad I stayed now :)

My raffle winnings - Outback Steakhouse dinner

 So once again, I was about to head out, but they were getting ready to do age group awards.  Ummm, I don't place in age group......well, wrong.... I placed 2nd for my age group (35-39).  Woot!  Seriously try to wipe that smile off my face.  My first running trophy !  OMG awesome!!

2nd Place Age Group (35-39) :)

This was seriously what I needed to get my running mood back on track! 

The men's winner ran that mile in 4:27.... he was smokin' down Market Street!  The women's winner in 5:26!               
Watching people with speed like that is amazing!!

26.2....I CAN do this......right ?

Well, here I am ... ran 18 miles this past Monday!  Many people are saying "great job, keep it up, you've got this" etc.  I sooooooo wish I could share their enthusiasm for my craptastic run that morning!   This Summer has been the death of my running enjoyment.  The heat and humidity have set my state of mind into a very negative place about being able to complete the training and get to the starting line for the Marine Corps Marathon!!

So I have some serious thinking to do.  Why do I WANT to run this marathon ?  Unfortunately, the marathon was not my personal goal in life, but my running buddy's.  I knew I would train with her anyway, so why not run the marathon too?  Probably not the right reason for embarking on this journey, and now my mind is more about not wanting to let her down.   I need to find reasons that this marathon is for ME and that I only have something to prove to ME!  Selfish....yep.  In running, I only have to prove something to myself, no one else!

After 18 miles, my knees and hip were not happy, to say the least.  After 2 days of complete rest, my knees still hurt and after only a short 1 mile run yesterday, they're aggravated yet again!

Running is mental, and right now, I'm not in the right place with this race.   So, hopefully this weekend will let me find my happy place again.  Weather is showing signs of cooling off, it's a step back week in training, and I have a 1 mile race to run with my boys.  I need to find the love of running again in order to finish what I've started!!

I mean, I ran 18....only 8.2 more to go ??  I won't go there today.....I'll just pray for recovery for my knees and that they'll forgive me and let me keep going :)

Women's Distance Festival 5K

Well, I will say this was a great race in terms of organization and support.  But not so much a great race for me, personally.

My head was NOT in this race this year.  I'm in the midst of MCM training; its been a hot and humid Summer, and I did not wake up feeling great!  Honestly, I wanted to shut off the alarm and roll back over in bed, but when friends are expecting me to show up..... I show up!!

I met up with all the RMR ladies for the obligatory pre-race picture !!   This is why I got out of bed!  Good friends to suffer  run with!

Run, Mama, Run ladies! 

After the pic, we moved up to the Start line.  Still not feeling this race.....but we're off, and then my music wouldn't start.  Ummmm, I feel like hell, it's hot and humid, I NEED motivation!  While I made my way through the bottleneck of runners in the first 1/2 mile, I managed to get my music working and find my pace.  It wasn't great, it wasn't horrible!  Then Mile 2 - the great side stitch that would stay with me for almost a mile!  Then Mile 3 - "oh thank God this is almost over"!!   As I sprinted into the finish, I felt as if I was going to die, throw up, pass out, etc.  And my thought was ..... oh, I get to go run 15 miles tomorrow .....this sucks!

Me (far left - see, armband in hand - had to stop fixing music for photographer LOL)

Well, I don't look tooooo miserable yet!

So again, my head was NOT in the game here!!

The organizers and volunteers did a fantastic job, and I'm sorry my mood couldn't go along with the great race they put together!  Next year, I don't plan on any marathons, so maybe I can go back to enjoying 5K's again :)