This past Sunday I finished my 5th Marine Corps Marathon. Going in I knew it was going to be a challenging race. Thanks to my heel, I was undertrained. Not only had I not done much in the way of long runs, I had completely lost my strong base that I've had for the last few years. But I wanted this race and I was pretty sure I could finish if my heel cooperated. I admit I was feeling a little bit bitter about the near perfect weather and the fact that I was not in shape to run a PR. But I was given the opportunity to run to honor a fallen soldier and that pretty much led to an instant attitude change. After that, everything else was just the small stuff. Marine Corps Marathon 2018 October 28, 2018 5:39:15 Temp: 48 at the start, low 60s … [Read more...]
Marine Corps Marathon Runfessions
I'm not sitting here counting down the hours until the Marine Corps Marathon. OK, maybe I am. I haven't been this nervous about actually finishing a marathon since my very first MCM in 2008. And then I was nervous because it was my first, not because I was undertrained. This weekend should be... interesting. I mostly have to make my self stick to my goal of doing it slow. If my ego gets in the way and I push at the start, my race is going to suck. So feel free to send me "stick to the plan" vibes. And maybe a few, "hang in there, heel" vibes. I must runfess that the only reason I want to run this year is to get into Runner's Club. I know life is just going to get crazier for the next few years between ZOOMA and the kids getting … [Read more...]
Race views and ZOOMA challenges
Today's topic for Tuesdays on the Run is "Best things seen at a race". I've seen some pretty amusing things: guys running only in thongs, jogglers, dribblers (literally a guy dribbling a basket ball the whole race), awesome costumes, awful costumes, etc. But, despite running with my phone, I pretty much never take pictures and I have the memory of a gnat, so I leave you with this... Moving right along.. Here are our upcoming topics: 10/23 – Standout Post-Race Food 10/30 – Halloween! 11/6 – Racing Mistakes 11/13 – The Best City I Ever Ran In Is… 11/20 – Black Friday And October 16 at 10am EST, ZOOMA opens its winter challenges. You can join us for the Holiday Challenge - a movement and self care challenge for … [Read more...]
My “undertrained” MCM training plan
I am currently 14 weeks out from my 5th Marine Corps Marathon. I've done Hal Higdon's training plan twice and attempted Hansons training plan twice. I say attempted because it's a really hard plan and I've never been able to hit all of the mileage at all the right paces. Last year was closer than the previous year and I went into the race feeling strong and ready and planning to gun for a PR. And completely fell apart at mile 16. I know some of that was the ridiculous heat and some was poor fueling choices on my part, but the race felt hard from the first step. And it never improved. The first mistake I made was not admitting it was not my day and slowing down after mile 2 or 3 or 4 or... (Mile 1 might lie, but you'd think I'd listen … [Read more...]
Marine Corps 17.75 2018 Race Recap
Marine Corps 17.75 March 24, 2018 2:00:29 Temp: low 30s What I wore: beanie, tank top, half zip top, Ragnar jacket, Happy Girl skirt, Toasty Cheeks tights, and Altra Escalante I have a love/hate relationship with this race. I love the course, despite it being one of the hardest races I run each year. I hate having to drive down 95 on Friday to get my bib. I hate even more having to get up by 3:45am so I can leave my house by 4:45am to drive down 95 for the race. But I'm also way too cheap to get a hotel room and I'd have to leave DC around noon on Friday to get there in time to make it worthwhile. But I've still done it in 2015, 2016, 2017, and now 2018. Saturday morning came way too early, but I hadn't slept much at all, due to … [Read more...]
Tips for running the Marine Corps 17.75
Saturday morning I will be running my 4th Marine Corps 17.75. Every year I debate signing up for this race. It's a challenging course at a time of year when weather in this area is iffy, but the Golden Ticket is a huge incentive. This year I got into the Marine Corps Marathon through the Rush Registration (which I only used because of the crazy weather.) So, I don't have to run it if I don't want to. But I'll be there. Probably overdressed because I've been a total weather wimp this winter. And I'll love every minute of what is likely to be a freezing cold and muddy race. Because it's just that awesome. Get there early. There is no parking at the start/finish and the shuttle lines get longer the closer you are to start time. Catch … [Read more...]
Marine Corps Marathon, I just can’t quit you…
It's almost that time of year again. Time to start sorting out my registration for the Marine Corps Marathon. Do I try to get online and sign up for 17.75? And then run one of the hardest races in the area for the pleasure of handing over my credit card to pay for my guaranteed entry? Or do I take my chances and enter the lottery? Or is it time to give back and fundraise for a worthy cause (there are so many, I'm not sure who I'd even pick). Regardless of what method I decide to use to enter the Marine Corps Marathon, one thing is certain: I will be running it again this year. I didn't mean to fall in love with the Marine Corps Marathon. I truly believed I would be one and done. Even after I returned to the world of marathoning, I … [Read more...]
Marine Corps Marathon 2017 Race Recap
This past Sunday I finished my 4th Marine Corps Marathon. It wasn't my fastest and it wasn't my slowest. It did, however, have one of the lowest points I've had in a race in a very long time. My recap is super long, in part because I don't want to forget any of it. If you don't feel like reading the whole thing, my Facebook status from after the race pretty much covers it: "At mile 13.1, I was on pace for my goal race. At mile 15, I considered DNFing. At mile 16, I drank all the Gatorade and realized I could walk 10 miles if I needed to. In the end, it wasn't my worst race. 4:57 and change." Grab a coffee or a beer and come along for the ride... Marine Corps Marathon 2017 October 22, 2017 4:57:17 Temp: 55ish at the start, 75+ at … [Read more...]
Rating October: did my running pass or fail?
October has felt a bit like a roller coaster. The weather has been cold and hot and every where in between. That could pretty much describe my running as well. I kicked off the month with a long run with a "meh" half marathon in the middle. The distance and pace were fine, but the course surface left me with achy hips and general muscle soreness. I'm giving this run a Pass as it served its purpose. As soon as I finished that run, I overembraced the taper. Yeah, I dropped mileage faster than a politician changes their opinion. I was just OVER the Hansons Marathon Method. Don't get me wrong, I think it's a great plan. It's just a lot of miles and my body was ready to recover. I did get in 2 "long runs" of 10 and 8 miles as well as … [Read more...]
Marine Corps Marathon 2017: Mission Accomplished
Note that I chose MCM's wording of "Mission Accomplished" rather than "Goal Accomplished". Finish time: 4:57:17. I ran. I finished. I learned some lessons about myself and about running a marathon. Marine Corps Marathon #4 in the books. Marine Corps Marathon #5 next year will be a love run, not a redemption run. More on all of this in a day or two. … [Read more...]
Marine Corps Marathon 2017 Goals
If you've been reading my blog for any length of time, you already know that time goals are not my thing. I run because I need to run, so anything that takes away the enjoyment of running is something I don't do. Speed work is not my jam and tempo runs kind of suck. You also won't find me out there running for 4 hours on a training run (unless that training run happens to be a race). So my goals don't generally focus on pace. I run to finish. To have fun. To see my friends. To do a certain number of states in a row. But to actually hit a number on the clock? Nah, that hasn't been a huge priority in a while. But (you knew that was coming, right?) this year, I have some goals for the Marine Corps Marathon. I know I can finish (this … [Read more...]
If I wasn’t a runner, I would be…
... an overweight alcoholic. (afflilate link) I mostly jest, but running is my stress release, my anti-depressant, my coping mechanism, my "me time". I am also a huge stress eater. Running both keeps my stress levels down so I don't feel the need to eat an entire box of cookies (or a whole container of frosting or ice cream), but when I do, running helps burn off the calories. As far as the alcohol, despite my love of craft beer, I've never actually leaned on it to help me survive a stressful situation. (In fact, I often choose to have dessert instead of a beer if there aren't any good beers available. Yes, I'm a beer snob but I'll eat sugar in just about any form.) So, I run. Right now I'm a third of the way through my … [Read more...]
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