MCM: the rematch.

This time, I won !

I'm writing this blog post quickly, as Hurricane Sandy is intensifying outside and I don't expect to have power much longer. But I'm not worried, as the major challenge of this week is over: Marine Corps Marathon 2012!

Those of you who have been here from the beginning know that I started this blog to document my training for MCM 2010... and that it didn't go so well. Anything that could have gone wrong in that training did (remember the appendicitis?), and the actual race day was one of the hardest of my life. (You can read all about it here,) During that race, I was 100% sure that I would never run a marathon again. My time was 6:10:03.

Then, on a lark, I entered the NYC marathon lottery in 2011. Against all odds (seriously, about 95 to 1), I got in. My 2011 training went way better than 2010, and the NYC marathon was one of the best days of my life. The only hiccup in that race was some stomach trouble, probably caused by poor food choices the night before. I went into that race hoping to come in under 5 hours, but wound up making something like 8 bathroom stops in the first half of the race. My final time was 5:31:05.

New York taught me that I am actually capable of running a marathon, but I was still a bit intimidated by MCM. My first experience was bad enough to give me a mental block against that race. In 2012, though, I decided to push through that and run it again.

Most of you know what happened after that. The story of my 2012 racing season is that I set a very ambitious training and race schedule, which almost immediately got derailed by major life events, most notably a new job and a wedding to plan. This year's combo of less training plus some weight gain has resulted in some of my slowest times ever. It also meant feeling like was I essentially "crashing" the year's major events.

By August of this year, I was so far behind in my MCM training that I seriously considered deferring to 2013. (Read about that decision here.) When I decided to go ahead, I jumped into a month of crash-training: ramping my long runs up from 10 miles to 20 during September. I got through that training, as well as the Metric Marathon (16.3 miles) and Baltimore Half, but I was still nervous about attempting the full distance.

As race weekend approached, my nervousness was amplified by a little event they're calling Hurricane Sandy. Over the past week, my fellow racers and I watched in horror as the previously predicted race forecast of sunny and 60 degrees morphed into soaking rain and 20-30mph wind gusts. On Saturday, I saw this image several times in my Facebook newsfeed:

For about the millionth time, I considered bailing. I kept thinking "I've run a marathon before. Heck, I've run this marathon before. What is the point of running it in a hurricane?" I decided to get up Sunday morning and let the conditions decide for me.

So, Sunday morning came. A little cloudy and a little drizzly, but not too bad. Game on. Andrew and I went to the Metro and began the long journey to the start line. First, a ride on a couple of packed trains. Then, a long slog around the Pentagon to the start area, where I quickly found my Striders' buddy, Noreen. Finally, another walk into the packed corrals with 30,000 or so other crazy people:

Can you find me? 

In 2010, it took me close to 40 minutes to get across the start line. This year, is was only 17. I started the race with Noreen and some of her friends, but fell back around mile 3. My strategy for this race was to stay at a 12-minute/mile pace. That's a little slower than I naturally run, so I planned to walk every 10 minutes if necessary, just to keep the pace down. For the first 9 miles, I paced it perfectly, without walk breaks. I literally hit mile 9 at 108 minutes.

Then, nature called. I started needing a bathroom break around mile 3, but I held off as long as I could because of long lines. When we came into Georgetown, I knew I couldn't wait much longer and the lines weren't too bad. I stopped and then sped up a bit, taking advantage of the great crowd support to try to make up for lost time. By mile 10, though, I was 4 minutes behind and I never got those minutes back.

At mile 11, I saw Andrew for the first time. I was feeling good and the weather had held out, so I gave him my jacket and hat and ran away feeling much lighter.

Bye, rain gear! 

I was really happy to see Andrew at 11, as I was approaching what I knew would be the biggest mental test of the race. Miles 11-20 were where everything fell apart for me in 2010. Would it happen again?

I hit mile 13 more aware than usual of pain in my feet and legs. I was carrying two Advil, which I usually save for the final third of a long race, but I went ahead and took them. Then, I continued through the dreaded, desolate Hain's Point section of the race. This was where things really collapsed in 2010, but I made it through this time with no problems. As I passed the mile 15 marker, I felt a huge wave of relief: I was done with Hain's Point, and I knew I would see Andrew soon!

I met up with Andrew again at mile 16. I had asked him to carry an extra pair of shoes with him in case of rain. By that point, I hadn't felt so much as a drop, but my feet were hurting. So, I switched out of my new Brooks shoes and into my trusted old Nikes. Instant relief! I don't know if it was the shoes themselves, or just the change, but I will do this again in future races!

Mile 16! 

Miles 16-20 are a particularly scenic, crowd-heavy portion of the race. In 2010, I was in so much pain that I literally noticed nothing. This year, I was able to take it all in and enjoy it. Approaching mile 20, a women's drumming group was cheering people onto the dreaded "Bridge" (back into VA) and I felt ecstatic passing them...

...and then came the bridge itself. The actual "bridge" portion is rather short, and it leads onto a long stretch of highway overpass. In just a few minutes, the race changes from monuments and huge crowds to diesel fumes and hurting, lonely runners. Andrew actually walked a portion of it himself while heading to his next stop. He snapped this photo and told me later "That bridge really does suck."

Slogging toward Crystal City. 

Miles 20-22 were rough. The accumulated fatigue of the race really set in, with no scenery or crowds for distraction. I just pushed ahead for Crystal City, where I knew I would see spectators again, along with my coaches and Andrew at the Annapolis Striders water stop.

I hit 22, and there they were! My coach Susan, who had seen me when I was a complete mess in 2010, took one look at me and said "Better this time, huh?" I gave Andrew a quick kiss, but didn't hang around. Instead, I told him "Not stopping. I need to finish this f'ing thing."

I continued through Crystal City, where the course was a little different this year. In previous years, the Crystal City section was an out-an-back loop through downtown. This year, they changed it to a wider loop around the area, eliminating the out-and-back. I preferred it the old way. The back half of this year's loop basically ran along the highway, with no spectators at all. I really missed the crowd support.

We exited Crystal City just before mile 24 and headed for the finish. This is another less-than-scenic portion of the race, so I just put my head down and tried to get it done. By this point, I was having trouble hanging onto to even a 12-minute pace. Dreams of finishing in 5:20 were past, but I knew I could make it under 5:30 if I just kept pushing. When I hit mile 26, I immediately started choking up. I had made it! I pulled out a little sprint and crossed the line at 5:28:24.

A new feature this year: in lieu of space blankets, a "Mission Accomplished" jacket. 

After chatting with some friends at the finish festival, Andrew and I made the l-o-n-g trek back home. We stopped en route for probably the best Mexican lunch I've ever eaten. Once we got home, we started to really focus on the weather forecasts. Both of our offices officially closed, which was a huge relief. Through some kind of brain lapse, I had scheduled myself an 11-hour day on Monday. I have no idea how I would have accomplished that, as I can barely move right now! Still, I feel amazing. My MCM rematch was a success! My only disappointment comes when I think about NYC in 2011. I was in great shape then, and now I realize just how well I could have done if I hadn't had the bathroom issues. Oh well.

Now, I have to decide if I want to go for best 2 out of 3...

Bittersweet Baltimore.

My 3rd Baltimore Half medal!

Some countdowns for you: 68 days until my wedding. 3 1/2 days until the Marine Corps Marathon (gulp!). At least 14 days since I last went grocery shopping and a good 7 days since I pretty much ran out of food at home. 14 days since my last blog post, and 10 days since my last race. Things are getting pretty crazy over here, but I want to take a minute to tell you about that last race: the 2012 Baltimore Half-Marathon.

The Baltimore Half is one of my favorite races of the year. Last year's race was the site of my still-standing half-marathon PR. This year, I knew I wouldn't be nearly as fast, but the race was a milestone for another reason: it was Andrew's first half!

This year, for the first time, I stayed in downtown Baltimore the night before the race. I had a work event in town the night before, which was the only reason I could justify the expense. I probably won't do it again, but it was very nice to start the morning at a reasonable hour (about 7AM) mere blocks from the start line rather than at 5AM a long car ride, a crowded Light Rail trip AND a few blocks from the start line. Also, we had the excitement of seeing the marathoners (who start early) from our hotel window:

These people have a long, hilly day ahead of them! 

Aside from the expense, there's another reason I may not stay over the night before again: I made a packing mistake. A big one. I forgot my shoes. How does this happen to an experienced racer, you ask? See the countdowns above. Mercifully, I realized this mistake en route to the expo, as opposed to the morning of the race. None of the vendors were selling my usual Nikes, but I was able to explain my situation to one of the guys from Charm City Run, and he directed me to a similar Brooks shoe. Running a half in totally new shoes? Not the best plan, but still way better than crying by the side of the start or trying out barefoot running on race day!

For my 3rd time in 3 years of running Baltimore, we had perfect weather on race day. Sunny and a little cool. Just before my wave started, I repeated the advice I had been drilling into Andrew for weeks: run the first 10 miles easy, and then push it for the last 3.1 if you still have something left in the tank. Apparently, all of that repetition really sunk in... for me. For probably the first time in all my races, I paced this one perfectly.

I went out neither too fast nor too slow and I stayed at that pace (give or take a few seconds) for the first 10 miles. It was a little tough around miles 5-7, but it mostly flew by. I took it easy, enjoyed the scenery, and chatted with a few Striders I met along the way. Then, I hit mile 10 and felt great. I looked at my watch and knew this race was going to be one of my slowest half times. In fact, I risked coming in over 2:30, something I've only done twice and both times under crazy circumstances (110-degree heat and recent surgery). I could avoid hitting 2:30 if I ran the last 3.1 miles at just a hair above 5K pace. Challenging, but I decided to give it a shot. I sped up to a pace over 1 1/2 minutes/mile faster than I had been running and literally raced to the finish... and I made it! I sprinted into Camden Yards and crossed the finish line at 2:28:18. It was my 3rd slowest half time, but I felt like I had won.

Once I finished, it was time to think about Andrew. I was tracking him on my phone, so I knew he made the half-way point and was projected to finish about 10 minutes behind me. So, I rushed through the crazy, packed finish area and stationed myself at the finish line. A few minutes later, I saw him- and he was smiling! He looked thrilled as he crossed the finish line. I was too far back to get pictures, but Andrew's Dad and brother captured a few along the course. Here is Andrew, looking strong at mile 12:

I agree with that sign. :)

 
A few minutes later, I met up with Andrew and learned that he also had a great race! He finished well under his goal time and is actually ready to sign up for another half.

A medal and a space blanket: he's legit now! 

After the race, our whirlwind weekend continued with a lovely bridal shower thrown by my sister. Here we are opening gifts with my niece:

Andrew is making his "I'm talking to a kid" face.

This is where the "bittersweet" portion of the weekend comes in. During the shower, we learned that Andrew's last remaining grandparent, his 93 year-old grandmother, had died. I only met Andrew's grandmother once, but she was a remarkable lady. She got a Master's degree at a time when many women didn't graduate high school, overcame some major hurdles to marry Andrew's grandfather, served as a pastor's wife for many years in PA coal country, and then spent over 30 years as a single mother and grandmother after her husband died. When Andrew was 14, she took him to Alaska by herself! Andrew has always appreciated my independence and active life, and I think I know why! His grandmother will certainly be missed, but I think he honored her by doing something active and adventurous on her last day with us.

Two rainy races and marathon training.

Its October, which means that its officially crazy time for both fall races and wedding planning (83 days to go!). So, this post is a catch-all: a long-overdue report on the A10, a recap of this past weekend's Metric Marathon, and a quick update on my fall marathon training.

The A-10.

The night before.

As previously noted in this blog, I've had a bit of a curse going with the Annapolis 10-mile run, better known as the A10. The A10 is an iconic Annapolis event, and something I dreamed of running for about 10 years before I was fit enough to do it. I finally entered for the first time in 2010. Two nights before? Emergency appendectomy. In 2011, I entered again. Three nights before? Race called off due to a hurricane. So, that's about $120 in non-refundable entry fees and two years of buildup with no actual race to show for it.

I might have sworn off the A10, had it not been for Andrew. He and I went on our first date the very night of the cancelled 2011 A10. The next day, I told some friends "I met someone awesome last night. Maybe he'll break my A10 curse!" At that point, my wildest dream was that I would still be dating him when the 2012 A10 rolled around, and that he would cheer for me as I crossed the finish line. I never imagined that I would be engaged to him and he would also run the race!

The morning of this year's A10, it looked like we might be in trouble again. We drove to the start in the middle of a thunderstorm, with lightning and soaking rain. Not again! Fortunately, the storm abated just as the starting gun went off... for about 10 minutes. Just as I spotted the mile 2 marker (and took off my rain jacket), the sky opened up and it started POURING. I didn't mind being cold and wet, but pretty soon, I was having visibility issues. The rain was actually getting under my contacts, knocking my visibility down to about 6 inches. Naturally, I didn't have a hat, but I did have sunglasses. I put them on, and saw an instant improvement. For the record, foggy sunglasses are way better than wet contacts!

The rain lasted probably 20 minutes- just long enough for me to give a grateful thumbs-up to my hearty future brother-in-law, who stood in a poncho at the bottom of Main Street to cheer for us! Ultimately, the rain was probably a blessing. It held off the notorious A10 heat for a good hour. I didn't start to feel uncomfortably hot until about mile 8. By that time, I was already on my second trip over the dreaded Naval Academy bridge and headed for the finish. I crossed the line at 1:50:17. That's a slow 10-mile time for me, but I felt great for the whole race, so I wasn't complaining.

Then came the best part: watching Andrew finish! He had a rough time in training, and was worried that the race would take 2 1/2 hours. I was worried that he would be miserable the whole time. Instead, he finished in 2:09:51 and felt great! In fact, he felt so great that he signed up for his first half-marathon. I was so proud of him that I actually got a little choked up when he crossed the finish line.

Finishers! Next stop: Baltimore Half! 

The Metric Marathon. 

This past Sunday, I ran another rainy race: the Striders' Metric Marathon. This 26.2K/16.3 mile race is the longest of the Striders' Champ Series, and it has not been a great race for me in the past. In 2010, I ran it with a miserable cold and spent the first half trying not to throw up and/or drop out. In 2011, I ran it in miserably cold weather (45 degrees and drizzling) and went out way too fast, making for a very painful finish. Given those two experiences, I was not excited about this year's race, but I knew I had to do it in order to get my 2012 IronMan award.

In true Metric Marathon fashion, I awoke on Sunday to less-than-ideal conditions. The day before: a cool, crisp 65-70 degrees. Race morning? 55 degrees and raining. Not drizzling, but raining. The rain and cold accompanied me for most of the race. Fortunately, so did my friend Mike. I met Mike when he started joining my running buddy Val at Striders events in 2011. That year, we were both feeling pretty fast, but Mike was faster than me. This year, we've both had some training issues and slowed down to about the same pace. We ran pretty much the entire race together. I like having company in any race, but I really appreciate it in the Metric, which is both challenging and so small that you can easily go a couple miles without seeing another runner. My 3:08:54 finish was nothing to write home about, but it was better than 2010 and WAY better than I expected.

As an added bonus, Andrew volunteered at a water stop along the course. It was great to get a little boost and some sympathy about the rain!

Marathon training. 

I haven't written much (or anything really) about my marathon training for this fall. That's mainly because I haven't been training. Between work, wedding prep, and life in general, I somehow got to early September having run no longer than 10 miles all summer. According to my training plan, I should have been doing regular 16-milers by then, with two 20-milers thrown in. Oops.

The deferral deadline for the Marine Corps Marathon was August 31st, and I strongly considered deferring. The only things that kept me from making that decision were sheer stubbornness and our save-the-date cards. What do save-the-date cards have to do with running a marathon? I'll show you:

What was I thinking? 

In case you can't tell, that's Andrew and I holding up New Year's resolution signs, in honor of our New Year's Eve wedding. And what's the second-to-last resolution on mine? Run the Marine Corps Marathon. So, I could have deferred, but then I would have had to face my failure staring back at me from every refrigerator at a close friend or family member's house.

So, I made a plan. I would join the Striders' marathon training group for every long run in September (after IG Rocky Gap) and try to build up to 20 miles before October. If I could complete an 18-20 mile run somewhere in there without collapsing or being in horrible pain, I would run Marine Corps. If not, I would bow out gracefully.

For better or worse, I did it! I ran 14 miles on 9/15, 18 on 9/22, and then 20 on 9/29. They were not fast or easy runs, but I made it! Between those runs and my better-than-expected performance at the Metric Marathon on Sunday, I'm actually feeling okay about Marine Corps. I doubt it will be a fast race, but I believe it will be do-able and maybe even a little fun. (But I'll settle for do-able.)