2010 Marathon Corps Marathon: Finally, A New Personal Record

Main goal heading into yesterday’s race was to finally break the 2:51 marathon PR set way back in 2006 at the Thunder Road Marathon, Charlotte, NC. Next up was to duck into the 2:40-somethings (wouldn’t that be sweet?) with a super-stretch goal of somehow going as low as 2:46.

Saturday was the usual sleep-in-a-little-late, enjoy a nice breakfast, head to the expo, back to the hotel for lunch, lay out the race gear, afternoon nap and then dinner at CPK for my lucky thai chicken pizza and a Guinness, before retiring to bed early in anticipation of the 5am wake up call.

For the most part everything went to plan. The metro ride to the expo took longer than expected due to huge crowds in town for a political rally at the National Mall, but packet pickup went smoothly and back to the hotel we headed. Lunch was just a simple Subway sandwich – no point risking anything fancy the day before a big race – and then it was time to lay out the race day apparel, nutrition and post-race gear for the drop bag. The afternoon nap never really materialized, but it was nice to close my eyes for 20 minutes and gather my thoughts.

Dinner was great. We met up with a couple of DailyMilers (Brodie W) and (Michelle J), and had a really nice time chit-chatting about all kinds of stuff. After a lucky Guinness back at the hotel, we said our goodbyes to Michelle and headed to bed.

The only other thing worth mentioning is a weird pain in the piriformis muscle that developed as we made our way around the expo. It seemed to get worse as the day went on, and despite stretching and foam rolling pretty crazily, I couldn’t make the pain go away. Sleep came pretty easily, and next thing I know it’s 5am and time to get up.

Breakfast was the usual Hammer Nutrition Sustained Energy which I sipped as I continued to stretch the niggly piriformis muscle. All I could do was hope the discomfort would disappear as I started running, so with that thought in my mind, we checked out of the hotel, jumped on the metro and arrived at the Athlete’s Village at the Pentagon just a few minutes later.

The hour or so before race start was fairly uneventful; just hanging out chatting with a friend, stretching and some easy jogging to loosen up the legs. 7:30am quickly arrived and it was time to dump the drop bags and head to the start line, peeing in the bushes on the way in the hope of not having to stop during the race as I’ve needed to do in the last three marathons.

After wishing Ally good luck, she made her way to her corral and I fought my way through the crowds to pick a spot a few rows back from the start line. A few quick stretches later and we were off sharply at 8:00am.

[Mile 1] – was all about getting into a steady rhythm. It’s kind of an odd first mile, with a two lane merge, a sharp right turn and a slight uphill. My goal pace for the race was around 6:24, but wasn’t really concerned when the Garmin beeped 6:33. Plenty of time to make it up in the remaining 25.2 miles!

[Mile 2] – another uphill mile with a split of 6:29. I found myself puffing and panting a little going up the hill, so tried to stay relaxed and not push the pace at all. I was amazed at how many runners were already struggling this early in the race – really breathing hard and flailing their arms in an attempt to propel themselves up the hill.

[Mile 3] – slight uphill, followed by a nice downhill stretch down towards the river. Didn’t try to force the pace (unlike others who screamed down the incline like they were in their final mile!), but still managed to log a 6:11 split. Hopefully this wasn’t too fast.

[Mile 4] – came just before we hit the bridge over to Georgetown. Another swift mile [6:08], but I finally felt like I was flowing and despite the nagging pain in the posterior (which, incidentally stayed with me the entire race), I’d found my groove.

[Mile 5] – grabbed my first cup of water before hitting the flat section along the river. Nice and easy 6:13. A little speedy perhaps, but everything felt relaxed and I made sure *not* to be dragged along by a wave of runners who’d picked up their pace. Stick to the plan Steve. Long way to go!

[Mile 6] – still along the river. Very scenic, nice and relaxed. 6:20.

[Mile 7] – shorter stretch along the river before making a 180 degree turn into the sun. Slight incline to negotiate, so I eased off a little, made sure to take in some Perpetuem and washed it down with water from the aid station. 6:30.

[Mile 8] – past the reservoir, and back towards Georgetown. Fairly flat section if I remember correctly, in which I chatted to “Gina” from Tuscon who was hoping to run a 2:46. She was running strong, so I let her go and figured it was too early for me to be pushing the pace. 6:13 – hopefully not too fast.

[Mile 9] – through Georgetown. Nice crowd support. Slight downhill. Another 6:13 split. Feeling good, but still a long, long way to go. Several shout outs early on in the mile from runners heading out on their Mile 5 gave me a nice boost.

[Mile 10] – think mile 10 was along the river, but don’t remember too much about it. 6:18 split.

[Mile 11] – heading towards Hains Point. Time for more Perpetuem and three Endurolytes washed down with water. Banking on the Endurolytes to keep cramps at bay for the remainder of the race. Bladder starting to feel full, so my thoughts turn towards when would be the best time for a pit stop. 6:13.

[Mile 12] – across the bridge and into the traditionally lonely Hains Point section of the course. At least it wasn’t windy today and I remember looking across the river thinking how good I was feeling and how amazingly, I was almost half way done with the race. 6:17. I think there were a couple of overhead cameras in this mile, so I’ll be interested to see how the pics turn out.

[Mile 13] – time for the inevitable pit stop. No need to find a port-o-john at least as there were enough bushes and trees lining the road to shield me (I’m sure my ViZi-PRO Kinvaras were a bit of a giveaway though). I figured it was wise to stop now while my legs were feeling good, so I could get back into a rhythm before my planned attack on the second of the race. I guess I stopped for around 30 seconds, which accounts for the 6:40 mile split.

[13.1] – reached the half in 1:23:30; about 30 seconds faster than planned, but still feeling great. Hopefully I’d be able to pick up the per mile pace slightly and run the slight negative split I’d been dreaming about for weeks.

[Mile 14] – still in Hains Point. Passed one guy with calf cramps and one guy with his Green Silence shoe off, who appeared to be massaging his foot. Could have been blisters I guess. 6:17. Good enough.

[Mile 15] – 6:15; a bit of a struggle but nice to see a friendly face (Team in Training Bob) from Virginia Beach. Piriformis muscle caused my left leg to almost give way a couple of times. Weird sensation, so I switched to a bit of a heel-striking mode for a while in an attempt to utilize different muscles.

[Mile 16] – nice bit of crowd support as we headed towards the Lincoln Memorial. Managed a 6:10 to get back on track. Just over 10 miles to go. Anything can still happen, but a first wave of emotion hits me as I realize I’m going sub-2:50 today! Calm down Steve. Long.Way.To.Go.

[Mile 17] – dodgy camber and pot holes along Constitution Avenue, so I moved out towards the middle of the road for some better road to run along. 6:12 and for the first time in the race I’m having to force the pace to keep the splits where I need them.

[Mile 18 ] – along the National Mall. Good crowd support. Several shouts of nice shoes. Seeing my Welsh friend, Nigel spurred me on for a speedy 6:10. Still on track. Just over 8 to go.

[Mile 19] – around the Grant Memorial. “Bang on pace” shout out from Kevin from KaleRunning, who was manning the 30K timing, mat gave me a lift. Probably pushed a bit much on this mile [6:09], but more time in the bank at least.

[Mile 20] – more Perpetuem, Endurolytes and water at the aid station. Pressed on, but a little disappointed with the 6:20 split. Dug deep mentally, regrouped and promised myself a strong bridge crossing into Crystal City.

[Mile 21] – missed the mile marker, but the split was a 6:13. Much better. Passed several runners on the bridge. Getting thirsty, legs tired, but still managing to maintain goal pace. Just over 5 miles to go….

[Mile 22] – 6:16. Raging thirst, really dry mouth, but at least we’re off the bridge. Slowed slightly at the water stop to grab an extra cup of water and wash down the last of the Perpetuem. Digging deep now and aware of the grimace on my face. Tossed my empty Perp flask into a trash can. Great skill for this late in the race!

[Mile 23] – suffering in Crystal City and for the first time in the race the wind became a factor. I hit mile 23 in 6:17, but the legs had gone and it was time for survival mode to kick in. Dig deep Steve, like you’ve never dug deep before.

[Mile 24] – think there was another aid station in this mile, but can’t really remember. I *do* remember fighting the wind, trying to stay relaxed, but also pushing the pace. Didn’t look at my Garmin for the remainder of the race. Also tossed my home made pace band and the emergency Espresso Hammer Gel I’d been carrying in an attempt to feel as light as possible. Effort level was 110% and now it was just a step-by-step effort to the finish. 6:36.

[Mile 25] – close to home now, but oh so painful. 6:40 and struggling to maintain any kind of decent form. Hang in the Steve. The PR is there for the taking. Just keep moving as fast as you can….

[Mile 26] – another 6:40. The final mile threw me off a little. I was expecting to have to run along the highway, past the finish area before doubling back towards the Iwo Jima Memorial as per my last running of MCM in 2007. I was caught off guard on two counts – first of all, unbeknown to me, Matt Lofton had taken up position on the right side of the road. I heard someone shouting my name and “Sub-2:50 all the way!!!!”, looked over and there was Matt. He even ran with me for a while, which gave me a huge boost and a new pair of legs for a final push to the finish. Secondly, the course had changed from 2007, and now we just had to make a sharp left turn, negotiate the cruel final incline before making a right to the finish line. I knew the PR was in the bag, but after slowing in the last three miles, wasn’t really sure what the actual time would be. I was stoked to see the clock displaying 2:47 something…..

Official time – 2:47:20
Overall place – 58th out of 21873
PR by 3 minutes 40 seconds.

Fantastic way to cap off an amazing season of racing and to finally smash my marathon PR is like a dream come true. The sad thing is I know I can still run faster and am already planning another fast race at P.F. Chang’s Rock ‘n’ Roll Arizona Marathon in January.

Thanks for all the support, comments, and congratulations. Really means a lot having such a great army of friends!