Location: Washington, DC
Date: October 25, 2009
Placing: 41st Overall (21,211 finishers)
Race Photos
Results: Click Here

The human body never ceases to amaze me. Take for example the ability to run 26.2 miles...not really THAT amazing. But running 26.2 miles and having to pee the entire way and not stopping? How does the body do that? Unfortunately, that unsavory nugget of information is absolutely true. Lucky for me, the feeling came and went throughout the course of the race and only reached 'critical mass' 2 or 3 times - primarily on downhills. At one point I seriously debated jumping into a wooded area and told myself that I would only loose about 30 seconds. The day I was having, I wasn't willing to take the chance...

I have found through past seasons that an end of the year running race typically plays out well for me. I am usually pretty fit from the traithlon season but I suddenly only have to train for one sport and that makes for a perfect situation both physically and mentally. And since I knew it would end my season, I decided to pick a venue where Janis and I could enjoy a few extra days...and we have always loved the culture and history behind our nation's capitol. Of course, we are also not big fans of the 'uber'-large events but you've got to do some of these to see how you really stack up. I mean, first place at the "Country Bumpkin Festival 5k" is awesome, don't get me wrong. But for me, I gotta put that in perspective and the Marine Corps Marathon is the 5th largest marathon in the US...I figured that should do it.

An awesome view of a huge event. Notice the cannon in the lower left; I knew it was coming but it still scared the bejeezus out of me.

I'm going to cut right to the chase because this event was unlike any distance event I have ever done. It was one huge experiment. Now people experiment a lot when they do races - but usually in small chunks. Not me. Not today. I broke the biggest rule of experimentation; "don't change multiple variables". If you do, you'll never be sure which variable created which outcome. The way I saw it, I had 30 years of learning my body - as well as some empirical data from thousands of runners before me. In essence, I KNEW what things would most likely make me faster; I was always just too nervous to change my ways. But the stars aligned for me. Which basically means that this race had absolutely no importance to me. 2:30? 4:30? It did not matter. I wanted to do well, but truly did not care if I didn't. And that situation made for what I term as "The Perfect Storm".

In order to see my experiment through, I had to have an idea of what I was 'trained' to run. The last 3 marathons that I trained for ranged from a 2:52 down to a 2:42 and seemed to be comesurate with my training committment. On a scale of 1 to 10, I trained about a 6 for my last marathon (2:52), about a level 8 for my Boston qualifier in 2005 (2:47) and a level 9 for my Boston run in 2006 (2:42). I would call my level of training for this marathon right at about a 7 and fully anticipated to run almost exaclty a 2:50.

So, what was going to be different in DC? Let me give you a quick synopsis of my typical marathon: 1. Start out fast. My first mile is always under a 6:00 mile. 2. Take a gulp of liquid at every aid station - no food. 3. Slowly and methodically 'fall apart' in such a controlled manner that I manage to hang onto a great time even though my last mile is 1.5-2 minutes slower than my first mile. Most runners can spot some of what 'conventional wisdom' would call 'obvious flaws' in my strategy. Racing this way would most assuredly spell disaster for many people but the 2 things (I beleive) that have made it work for me are that I raced bikes for so many years; and in criterium racing you take off like you were shot out of a cannon with no regard for the miles ahead (recovery during a bike race is easier than recovery during a run). The other thing is that I seem to have a unique ability to suffer which translates to the fact that I rarely ever die suddenly. My body somehow manages to keep squeeking out miles (although slower and slower).

The single biggest piece of empirical data that I keep hearing over and over again is that every record ever set for every distance running event was done at negative splits. This means running the second half of the race faster than you run the first half. I'm still not sure that I beleive this works for everyone, but I do believe that a small difference between the first and second half produces better results. So my goal was to try not to slow down so much over the course of the race. To accomplish this, here was my plan:

1. First mile slower than 6:00 - could it be I over exert myself initially and have trouble bouncing back?
2. Eat a lot - my body has always seemed to burn more than most endurance athletes. Am I simply running out of calories to burn?
3. Run by heartrate - am I prematurely spiking my HR and building lactic acid too quickly?

Here's how it all went down...

Based on my submitted time estimate, I got one of the first 500 numbers and had the privelege of starting in the first coral. Being the 'cold weenie' that I still am, I was the last person still wearing tights, a long-sleeved top, gloves and a ear-warmer. With 2 minutes on the start clock, I slipped all of these things off, excet the gloves and threw my disposable clothing into the crowd. I was cold but knew that it would only last for a minute. I also knew the 50-degree temps and sunny skies were perfect conditions for me. The weather mirrored my Boston Marathon from 3 years earlier. I had all but forgotten the fact that the race began with the firing of a cannon, but "remembered" the instant it went off and I nearly jumped out of my skin. Away we went. I was wearing my Garmin as I always do in running races but instead of looking constantly at my pace, today the only screen I would be looking at was my heartrate.

I look like I'm about to start a polar bear run. Having a low body temperature is rough on cold days but it's a godsend when others start overheating.

Mile 1: The group charged ahead but for the first time ever, I pretended like none of them existed. I would not be sucked into a 5:45 first mile. Only once - when a small group came running by - did I have to remind myself that the race did not end at mile 1. As I ran by the first mile marker, they called out "6:12". I pretended in my mind not to hear it...but I smiled just the same. My first goal was accomplished and I felt as relaxed as ever. Mile 2: Since I was running purely based on HR, I never even looked at the elevation charts...and boy was I surprised to see a long climb in the second mile. I started glancing at the HR and made sure I never hit 150 on the hill even as others passed me. Mile 4: I passed the 5k mark at 18:55 and was happy with how 'easy' I was running. I caught the 2 lead women and stayed with them for a mile as the crowd yelled things like "looking good, ladies!"...I was pretty much invisible. At this point, I began implementing part 3 of my strategy. With the help of Rick Kattouf, we decided that I should eat early and often. I told Rick that I had an 'iron stomach' and that I could probably eat a pizza at mile 10 and keep running. With that in mind, he suggested an energy gel every 4 miles in addition to water (more than just a gulp) every 2 miles. That's 6 gels in 26 miles. I was used to eating 1 or none. It felt wierd to be eating so early in the race but in my head I knew that I was selling myself short on calories in the past so as the mile 4 sign came into view - I slammed my first gel.

Mile 6: For the 3rd time, I found myself next to a guy who was sporting sideburns and 'chops'. He had elicited several comments from the crowd as we passed and I made a little small talk with him; I told him "you shall forever be known as 'sideburns guy'". We traded small talk and laughed about it. A group of about 12 caught us and we merged in. Mile 8: A good hill forced me to back off of the group so as not to get my HR over 150. Although the group would dwindle much later in the race, I stayed within 15 seconds of them for the next 11 miles.

Mile 9: Out of nowhere, I heard someone cheer for me in the crowd and looked over to see Greenville runner Martine Mumford (who recently moved to DC). It was funny to see a familiar face this far from home. Mile 10: "Sideburns guy" pulled up next to me yet again. This time we chatted about our goals. He was a sub-2:30 marathoner but had not trained to be that competitive at this race. When I told him that I too had not trained for my fastest race but was expecting a 2:50, he responded with "you realize you are currently running a 2:39?". I responded that I hadn't really thought about it and was trying to run based on heartrate. He then imparted some wisdom on me just before he ran ahead. "just remember, there's no such thing as a cushion - only a sponge". Oddly enough, I had run all my marathons with the opposite thinking. Trying to build up a huge time cusion so that I could afford to slow down. Based on the outcome today, I'd say he knew what he was talking about.

I've said at this point that I was ahead of schedule. In reality, I was running by heartrate and had no time schedule. According to my average heartrate, I was right on time.

I still felt as though I was hardly working but my watch read just over an hour and 1 minute. Since I had to give Janis an estimated schedule and didn't know how successful my experiment would be, I had told her that I would pass the 10.25 mark at an hour and 6 minutes ...I was about 4 minutes ahead of that schedule when I saw her through the crowd. Miles 11-15: I hated this section. It was the flattest and straightest section with little change in scenery as we ran around a piece of land that jutted into the Potomac. I started the section staring at the backs of the runners in the group that had caught me at mile 6 - and next to 2 runners. After 4 miles, we were all in the exact same position. I crossed the half-marathon timing mat at 1:19:39. I knew this was a sub-2:40 pace...but I'd been there plenty of times before when my pace deteriorated rapidly late in the race. Would it happen today? I had no idea. All I knew was that my average HR at that point was 144 and I had already consumed more calories than I ever had in a marathon.

I would later come to learn that my splits through the first 20k (12.4 miles) were unbelievably even without even watching my pace once:

1st 5k: 18:55
2nd 5k: 18:53
3rd 5k: 18:50
4th 5k: 18:54

Mile 15-18: For the first time today, I started to feel it. I gave Janis a smile as I passed her in the crowd again at mile 16 shortly after sucking down energy gel #4 and I hoped that I could produce a result that she would be proud of by the end of the day. I noticed my HR creeping up very slowly. As I ran down the Mall towards the Washington Monument, I forcibly slowed down several times when I saw 148 or 149 on my watch. I felt like I was really slowing down but I stuck to my guns and found that I was also catching more runners. I knew my HR would eventually begin to climb but I wanted to control it at least until mile 20. What I would learn after the race was that my pace DID slow down from 20k to 30k but only 5 seconds per mile...and I held it even again:

5th 5k: 19:12
6th 5k: 19:11

Mile 16 was about the time I started feeling the effects of the effort. Fortunately, it was also the time that we were greeted with distractions of some inspirational monuments.

Mile 19-22: Halfway through mile 18, I saw Martine again and she made me smile with all her excitement. I also hit a short hill and glanced down to see my HR hit over 150 for the first time today. I had a feeling that the flood gates were opening and I immediately fell back into my old habit of thinking that my body would now deteriorate rapidly and that I would still do OK even if I averaged 7-minute miles. Apparently, some of the things I did today worked even better than I could have anticipated...but I wouldn't know that for several more miles. I was completely alone when I saw Janis for the last time at mile 20 and I hammed it up for her photo. I slammed gel #5 and for the next mile, it was almost like I found a little something extra in the tank. We had 2 good hills in this section and while I felt a bit slower, I was amazed to top the hill at mile 22 without feeling like I was working beyond myself. Normally by this mile, I am in 'survival mode'; almost in tears to push my body to the end. Here I was at mile 22 and so far...?? At mile 20, I could no longer keep my HR below 150. The distance was taking its toll but in a much more controlled way and my body was fine with my heart reaching higher.

7th 5k: 19:42

Even in a race of 20,000 I still manage to find myself in 'no man's land' at mile 20. I ham it up for Janis.

Mile 23-26.2: I remember these miles well in Boston. It was all I could do to keep moving. I made deals with myself just to keep from walking. Today, the thought never crossed my mind. It was tough - but I didn't feel like I had to dig so far down that I was ripping my soul out. I focused on runners that were ahead of me. One by one I ran down 6 or 7 in the final miles. When I hit mile 24, I skipped my last and final gel but took some calories in the form of energy drink instead of water. I distracted myself for a minute or two as I realized that my pace never really plummeted - at least not yet - and that unless I fell off a bridge, I was pretty much going to crush my expected goal. There was even a chance that I could set a new PR. That thought was in my head for no more than a few seconds when I reached the top of a ramp and was instantly smacked in the face with an unrelenting headwind for nearly a mile. It was a brutal thing to deal with less than 3 miles to go and it took a bit of the wind out of my sails. The last and final nail in the PR coffin was the final .2 miles as we passed the line where we started the race...and then climbed up to the site of the Marine Corps War Memorial; a pitch so steep, I might as well have been walking. As always, they fumbled with my name as I gutted out the final steps to the line. 2:43:13. 25 seconds short of my personal record and nearly 7 minutes faster than anticipated. 41st overall out of 21,211 finishers. I could not have been happier. Oh yeah, the first thing I did was find a port-a-potty.

8th 5k: 20:21

The last .2 miles of this race single-handedly robbed me of a PR. An unbelievably short, steep climb. At one point, I could reach forward and pick things up off the ground. OK, not quite THAT steep...

Did the experiment work? Hell yeah. To put it into perspective...at Boston, I was 3 1/2 years younger, had trained quite a bit harder for a course that is downhill (point to point). It was a great way to end the season and give me a new goal for next year: Master's National Marathon in October in Minnesota. By breaking 2:48, I earned Masters Elite status for the event and I think I have the ability to eclipse the 2:40 mark - and a good shot at a podium spot. But for right now...the season is over and it's chillin' time!

Thanks to our marines - and all members of the military for helping make the USA a great place to live, work...and RUN!

Race Notes:
* Racing around some of our nation's most cherished monuments was simply amazing.
* The day after the race, Janis and I did a night tour of DC...on Segways! What an amazing technology. If you've never ridden one, take the opportunity.
* For the 'umpteenth' time this year, I raced outside of the Greenville area...and experienced a huge drop in my allergy/asthma symptoms.
* Every chance I got - I made sure to personally thank the military volunteers. Not for their help at the marathon, but for their service to our country.

Next Up: Time to rest a bit and to enjoy some group runs and rides. Janis and I will do the Tree Greenville 8k on turkey day and my training partner Dan and I will do our "2nd Annual Ride to Atlanta" in November...