Long time no blog

The last time I wrote, I was heading into the Marine Corps Marathon focused on having the best race I could on that day and leaving behind the goal of a 4:30:00 finish.  The weekend brought a few interesting twists.  It took me over 10 hours to get to DC due to airline issues and the day before the race there was snow, leading to lots of speculation about what race day would hold, in spite of a forecast that called for 13, and sunny. 

Race day was not one of the challenges, all of the normal pre-race rituals were followed, I even got out for a short walk/jog to test the clothing options I had selected and got to the start with time to spare. 

One thing that must be said for the Marines, before, during and after the race, those folks knew every detail, if you had a question about anything race related and you asked a Marine, they knew the answer, no hesitation, no asking around, they knew their mission!

Running the race was an incredible experience, the scenery was beautiful, the monuments spectacular and every step of the route had something interesting to see.  Crowd support was the most amazing I have ever experienced.  At dinner the night before the race I met some folks who had run MCM before and they told me “If you are wearing your name on race day, you will feel like a Rock star!” They were absolutely right.  Every 10 feet someone was cheering me on by name, the crowds were 3-4 people deep for most of the course with Marines at every water station always ready to respond to a runners shout of “Ooorah Marines” goose bumps every time! On the final climb to the Iwo Jima memorial, the crowd support was over the top, people were screaming names and encouragement at the top of their lungs, bells ringing, horns blowing, hands clapping, it was surreal!

I crossed the finish line with a chip time of 4:32:50, a third PB for the year at a third distance.  What an incredible feeling!  To then be greeted by a Marine, who thanked me for running and supporting their mission and awarded me with the finisher’s medal, which is the Marine Corps emblem, was truly humbling!

Shortly after crossing the line I was able to meet up with my running pal Jane, who although she started in a coral behind me, finished the race ahead of me, proving once a for all that she is the running MACHINE we have all known she is for some time.  I also got to meet up with her husband Chris and his buddy Prav both of whom were running their first marathon, and they DID it in style!! Hanging out with the three of them post race was the icing on the cake.

If you’re looking for a great destination race, or if you’re looking for an incredible first or next marathon, I HIGHLY recommend the Marine Corps Marathon, I hope to be back for their 40^th edition assuming I’m still moving forward relentlessly at that point.