Marathon Virgin No Longer - Race Day

Sunday morning was about 40 deg. We had some issues getting to the race and ended up taking a cab and then walking about a mile and a half to the starting line. It was freezing. We hit the porta potties and then lined up in our respective chutes and shivered as the gun went off. I seriously don't think that my teeth stopped chattering until mile 3.

It is rather hard for me to remember the details. I was focusing on each mile marker and apparently didn't see much else going on around me. Mr KT asked me after the race about a few things along the course (like a golf course and say, the Washington Monument) but I really didn't know what he was even talking about. Um, let's just pretend I was in the zone.

We ran up and down a few little hills at the beginning and then through a really cool tree lined street. That might have been one of the best parts. It was cold still and the sun was just started to come up over the trees. As the runners ahead of you crested the hill, the sun would hit them and you could see the steam rise up of of them. Apparently there were 30,000 runners and so it was still wall to wall people at that point. It really was cool.

And then all of a sudden it was mile marker 13. Wow, I had a sore Achilles tendon and a mildly sore ITB but felt really pretty good. I wasn't tired, I was never out of breath, I felt like I could just keep on running. Good thing, cause I was only halfway done. So, onward.

I was drinking the nasty blue Powerade and water handed out at each stop. Trying to get in a full cup of sports drink and as much water as I could manage without walking. It was going frighteningly well. No upset or sloshy stomach. Really was feeling pretty good. The Marines at each aid station were great. They yelled encouragement and did everything they could to make it a good run for the athletes.

One thing that kept me going when I really started to feel yucky was to start counting the pairs of compression socks around me. Every time I would scan the runners in the vicinity, I would be surprised that I could only see 1 or two pairs. I would then think about how ridiculous it is to actually wear them while running and by the time I got through that I would have started to feel better again and would resume normal thought processes for running.

We ran and ran and ran. We went through downtown Georgetown which was really cool. By mile 22 or so I was starting to feel it. Not so much cardiovascularly but more musculoskeletally. My legs were just plain tired. My muscles were fatigued and the insertions were aching. The splits that I had been watching were starting to slow. I started walking aid stations to get more fluids but found that walking hurt almost as much as running at that point. I ended up walking just a bit but not much.

I ran up the last little hill and crossed the finish line with a trillion other people. I was handed my weird blanket thingy and was corraled into a chute to get my medal. Then I was sent along to get my picture taken in front of another monument. After that, I made my way to the Running Strong tent where I was supposed to meet Mr KT. He finished in 3:40 but he wasn't there. I waited for quite a while and he never came. I have to admit that I started to get nervous. I kept thinking that something must have happened to him. That he was in a med tent somewhere or his sore (probably fractured) foot had slowed him to a walk and he was dragging himself in. Come to find out, that was dumb because he was a rock star! I should have known. He had gone to pick up his bag and then got a little lost on the way back to the designated meeting area. He finally showed up and we just sat and rested in the sunshine for awhile.

The funniest part of the whole thing came afterwards. The line to get on the Metro was about 3 1/2 blocks long. Even if we eventually got on, we would have to wait for the shuttle to take us to the hotel. All of the streets were closed off so there were no cabs anywhere close. We decided to just walk the 2.5-3 miles back to our hotel. Wow. That was a long freaking walk. Ouch.

We gimped into our hotel and up to our room. P showered while I called and assured my mom I was still alive. Then I filled up one of the room trashcans with ice from the ice machine and filled up the tub with ice and water. Ice bath baby! Brrr. We then rested for a bit before trying to go find some dinner.

One thing I have to say is that the king sized bed was wonderful that night. We were both hurting and uncomfortable and being able to both stretch out was a good thing. The other thing that was pretty not awesome was the walking in the airport and the sitting on the planes themselves. Yikes. Also, my left peroneus brevis tendon was super sore when it attaches to the outside of my foot. I have taken a week and a half off running and it is starting to feel much better. P is still having foot pain but it seems to be better than it was.

On that note.


My times are as follows...
5K 0:30:14
10K 0:58:54
15K 1:26:47
20K 1:54:16
Half 2:00:25
25K 2:22:20
30K 2:52:29
35K 3:25:06
40K 4:00:06
Clock Time 4:19:36
Chip Time 4:15:18

Overall Place: 6025/18225
Sex Place: 1610/7141
Division Place: 406/1597

Not bad for my first time. :)