Wed 7 Nov 2007
32nd Marine Corp Marathon 2007
Posted by Jon under Marine Corp Marathon
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All I have to say is thank goodness this race is ALL DONE….. The Marine Corps Marathoners had an interesting weekend. I was very worried about my Plantars Fasciitis problems and less worried about nutrition than I should have been. The crew (Nick and his wife Katie, Me and my wife Dawn) arrived in DC two days early so we could visit relatives and relax before the marathon. This worked out perfect, as Nick and Katie were able to spend time with Katie’s Aunt, Cousin and new baby while Dawn and I were able to visit with Uncles, Aunts, Cousins and Cousin John’s new baby. We made our way down to the Expo and all went well Friday, as we were able to actually enjoy the exhibition this year since we were not fighting the normal Saturday crowds. Saturday Dawn and I went to visit Uncle Johnny who is in the hospital battling cancer. All went well there and he was looking pretty good considering what he’s been through. Since we were visiting and doing other things we neglected to eat a good lunch which will come back to haunt me later. We arrive back at Aunt Peggy and Uncle Harvey’s place around 3:00 PM and were expecting to eat by 5:00 or so. Bad news is we’re eating steak and bake potato. Bake potato is good but steak tends to sit in the stomach for long periods of time and takes a lot to digest. This will also come back to haunt me tomorrow. We didn’t get to eat until the Cousins arrived after 7:00 PM so this means I could be in trouble. Bad nutrition the day before the marathon is not good, I know better but don’t want to be a pain to our hosts. This will come back to haunt me. No nice guy stuff the day before a marathon. Lesson learned.
It was a perfect day for a marathon. Reports said that it was in the 40s at the start with it warming up to the low 60s in the afternoon. Helicopters came flying by, the National anthem was song and shortly after the gun was fired. The first wave of the 32nd Marine Corps Marathon was under way along with Nick, myself and 12,000 other crazies (about 18,000 more started 30 minutes behind us in the second wave). Good thing this year was the corrals were by predicted finish time rather than bib number so Nick and I were able to get into the 3:20 – 3:30 corral with no problem. We were right near the front, which really helped. We expected our first miles to be held up slightly by the massive crowd, which they were but nothing like years past. Right around 8:30 pace for the first two miles, with the next miles settling in right where we wanted them, a 7:45 pace.
Immediately my fasciitis started shooting sharp pains up my heel. So much for the 10 rest days off hoping for some recovery, didn’t help at all. After a few miles the shooting pains dulled and I was able to get into a rhythm. No big deal at this point. We were enjoying the massive crowds to cheer us on. Through the first thirteen miles we were feeling good, hitting our 7:30 7:45 pace fairly consistently. We were able to see our lovely support group three times during the marathon, which is always nice. Coming through the halfway point I was feeling pretty good but knew if I kept this pace I would be in trouble. The fasciitis was causing me to run with a limp and causing other problems. Nick was feeling good so somewhere after mile 14 I told him to go ahead that I was getting into difficulty. The miles started slowing down fast after this point as my lack of good nutrition and fasciitis problems were beginning to take a toll on me. The miles from 15 –18 were generally about 8:15 – 8:30 but by mile 20 I had to stop several times as my reserves were sapped and I had nothing left. The calves were cramped due to overcompensating for the painful heel but I gutted it through 20-22 as I watched the 3:30 group pass me, what a disappointment. I kept taking in fluid (mostly sports drinks) but it was too late, my body was out of fuel. Luckily got some encouragement from a guy who was running past me. We ran together for about a mile when I saw the 3:40 group pass by. I told him I had to get moving and used the 3:40 group as inspiration. That inspiration was short lived as they dropped me like a bad habit. I managed to jog (yes I was only jogging at this point, not running) for the next miles and finally saw the finish line. What a bad joke. This year you actually run about a half-mile past the finish line, then do a turnaround and then up the hill to the finish line. I was feeling awful at this point and jogging very slow. I gritted my teeth and gave the last half-mile all I had and there it was the finish line at last. I crossed the finish line in 3:45 and some change. Thank goodness, this race is over. I was glad this was over and I learned some very valuable lessons about nutrition. Nick on the other hand had a good race and managed a 3:24 + change (top 900 finish for him).
A great weekend and a great race for anyone looking to do a marathon. I was hobbling around for a few days but was looking for vindication by Friday. Oorah! I’ll be better prepared nutritionally next time.
I’ll be posting some nutrition advice later.
