Marine Corps Marathon 2011

I can't believe its been a week since the Marine Corps Marathon! It feels like race day was so long ago. This was my second time running this race, my third full marathon this year, and my sixteenth full marathon ever. Its been a busy few years!

Heading Out to DC

Since I've been burning through my PTO like crazy this year and I'm trying to preserve some days off for the holidays, I decided to work a full day last Friday and then take a redeye out to DC Friday night, arriving at 9am the next morning. Worst. Idea. Ever. I don't think I slept for more than 20 minutes at a time on the flight and I was so exhausted all of Saturday.

Left  Beautiful San Diego Friday

Landed in Rainy DC Saturday

Race Expo

David picked me up from the airport, and after having lunch we headed over to the race expo. It was raining at the start of our drive to the expo and by the time we got there the rain had turned to hail. Awesome. AHHH! I have to admit there were several negative thoughts circulating in my mind at this time. "Why did I sign up for this stupid race? Why does the East Coast weather suck all the time? Why do I leave California for races?? Why are non-California races always cold?! Am I really going to run in this?" Sigh.

Freezing Outside the Expo

I forgot about the crappy weather outside though once we entered the expo. I love race expos! Well actually, I just love shopping. Shopping just for running stuff? Why not! I actually have curbed my expo-shopaholic tendencies for the most part and usually only allow myself to pick up a few necessities. I ended up letting myself buy a neon yellow Marine Corps Marathon shirt (safety first!), an iFitness belt (I forgot my Spibelt at home), and a neck buff from Bondi Bands. 

Resisted Buying This Shirt

Gave Into Buying This Shirt

David's sister was meeting us at the expo but hadn't arrived yet even by the time we were done walking down every single aisle. We went over to an empty area to sit and wait for her and just enjoyed the fact that we weren't outside. Once Kelli arrived we walked around the expo a bit more and helped her pick out her own neck buff. ( Maybe I'm trendsetting?)

At the Expo With Kelli & David

Wrote a Good Luck Note to David

Race Eve Prep

After leaving the expo our next stop was REI where we loaded up on some race fuel and some hand warmers. I was so freaked out by the cold that I went a little crazy with the hand warmers. I bought the family max pack with several pairs hand, feet, and body warmers. I wanted to make sure I did all I could to stay warm the next day!

Race Day Fuel (We only needed half of that)

We decided on Noodles & Co for our carbo loading dinner which has a great variety of varying 'ethnic' noodles. I got udon of course (so Asian!) and David got mac and cheese (so American!). After dinner we laid out our race outfits and made Metro drop-off plans with David's brother Ken who was kind enough to host us for the night at his place in Arlington. We agreed that Ken would drop us off at the Metro two stops away from the race start on his way to a different Metro stop where he was meeting his girlfriend who he'd be running the 10K with.

Race Outfit Ready to Go!

Race Morning

We only had about 6 hours to sleep Saturday night which normally is fine for me, but I was still tired from barely sleeping the night before. Oh well, what can you do? I made some coffee, prepared our breakfast, and got dressed and ready to go. The drop off and Metro ride went by in a flash, and suddenly we were headed towards the start line in the freezing cold. We had about an hour to kill and I was not happy at all to be outside in the cold for that long. 

Trying to Stay Warm in the Metro Station

We waited in line for the portapotties which passed a decent chunk of time, but we still had 1/2 hour to go before race start. We ended up making another loop through the bathroom line (I have a nervous bladder before a race!) and after that we were only about 15 minutes from the race start and I finally accepted that we'd have to peel off some layers to bag check and strip down to the clothing we were going to race in. It was about 35F at the start which felt like 10 below zero to this California girl. I managed to make it through the last 15 minutes before we started with minimal complaining on my part. I was dying to get going so we could warm up!

Long Lines in the Cold

Excited to Just Get Running!

 

Race Time!

Finally the race started! Yay! We could run! We started to run with the crowd and I waited for my body to warm up after a mile or two. Standing still I'm usually cold ,but the second I get moving my body turns into a furnace. I blame my defunct endocrine system. I almost always end up peeling off layers during cold races until I'm just wearing a short-sleeved shirt and shorts. Well, not this time. I had my neck buff, fleece headband, and gloves on for the whole first half of the race. Even with the hand warmers in my gloves my fingers were still numb! I tried taking my arm warmers off a couple times when my arms started to feel warm, but soon after doing that an icy gust of wind would blow by and I'd have to roll the arm warmers back up. I don't think I finally got rid of most of the extra items (gloves, headband, arm warmers, neck buff) until mile 16 or 18! By then the sun was up but it was so windy and I was so sweaty that I constantly felt cold if the wind hit just right. Ugh!

Covered Up Trying to Stay Warm

David's parents came out to watch the race and we first saw them around mile 16. We saw them two more times on the course and each time they had new signs. Best course support ever! There is nothing better than seeing the smiling faces of loved ones when you're cold, tired, and weary. David's brother and sister had joined his parents after finishing up with the 10K and in the final few miles when we passed his family for the last time Kelli actually ran with us for a mile or so towards the finish. 

Running Past the Capital

 Running Past the Washington Monument

I was amazed that David and I had stuck to together for the whole race and as each mile ticked by I became happier that my goal of us finishing this race side by side was coming closer and closer to becoming true. (More on my blog Running For Love.)  Along the course we saw several runners in costumes (my favorites were a couple dressed as Where's Waldo), on the sidelines we saw dozens of spectators in costume (my favorites were the two sock monkeys of course!), and throughout the course we saw a lot of funny spectator signs. My three favorite signs were 1 - "Worst Parade Ever", 2 - "Chuck Norris Never Ran a Marathon", and 3 - "Honey Badger Can't Run a Marathon". (If you haven't heard of Honey Badger, you have to watch this video!)

David's Parents' Sign #1

David's Parents' Sign #2

David's Parents' Sign #3

The greatest thing about doing a race that you've done before is knowing what to expect along the way. I knew the race was almost dead flat from mile 7 on, but that there was a hill at the very end towards the finish line. Cruel if you ask me. We were doing pretty good as we ran through the final miles, and we kept strong right up the hill to the finish. I've joked with David before that I've wanted to be one of those couples who crosses the finish line hand in hand. In previous races he's turned me down maybe thinking I was joking. For this race I stuck my hand out when we were about 20 yards away from the finish .... and David took it and we crossed the finish line hand in hand. :) Aww!

Finish Line/Wall of People

BUT ... we crossed the finish line and ran almost smack into a wall of runners. I mean we literally had to push forward a bit to make sure our chip registered over the finish line. Eek what a mess! We then shuffled slow motion ahead towards the place where we'd get our solar blanket, get our medal, and take our finisher's pictures.

2011 Finisher's Photo

Flashback - 2009 Finisher's Photo 

Post Race

After making our way through the mob scene, we finally got to the bag check and then the family reunion area where we were meeting the rest of David's family. By then it was about 1pm and we were all starving. We ended up going straight from the race to my favorite post-marathon eatery - Chevy's! 

Race Shirt - Cotton Mock Turtleneck??

2011 Marine Corps Marathon Finisher's Medal

Its a Spinner!

Day After the Marathon

The next day I had the extreme luck of getting to "work from home" since I was staying in the area for a couple more days and taking a class with my boss on Tuesday and Wednesday in DC. I spent Monday in my compression socks and comfy clothes answering emails and catching up on some work. The day went by really quickly and soon we were heading over to David's other brother's house to go trick-or-treating with his three little nieces. 

Doras & Blueberry Muffin

After a couple hours with two Dora the Explorers and one Blueberry Muffin (and way too much candy grazing on my part), we were headed back to DC where I was checking into my hotel to switch back into serious work mode. 

Allen Kids 2011

Flashback - Allen Kids 2009

They Grow So Fast! Little Marathon "Finisher" 2009 vs 2011

Working in DC

The course started Tuesday morning and I was silly enough to try to get up early and hit the gym before class. I did 20 minutes on the elliptical before hopping onto the treadmill to see if I could run one mile. I could! And the next day I ran three! Yipee! I was a bit sore but nothing compared to how I've felt in the past. 

Working on my Fitness

Loving the Residence Inn Free Breakfast

My course wrapped up Wednesday afternoon and soon I was back at the airport getting ready to head home. I got home close to midnight Wednesday night and sadly had to be up early for a marathon work and post-work day the next day. I went from work, to coaching Girls on the Run, to going to a 5K planning and Marketing meeting for Girls on the Run, to coming home and laying out our next month's newsletter. O M G I was exhausted by the time I went to bed Thursday night. At midnight again! Ack! Luckily I was able to catch up on some sleep this weekend. What great timing for Daylight Saving.

Drinks With my Boss at the Lincoln Room
This is the "Gettysburg" - red from beet extract

Next Up

My next race is this coming weekend! I'll be running the Santa Barbara Half Marathon. After that I have two races over Thanksgiving weekend (The Nitro Turkey 10K Thanksgiving morning and the Quarry Turkey Half Marathon that Saturday), and then finally my last big race of the year - the California International Marathon! In addition to my two trips for races I have two or three more trips for work in the next month or so. The end of this year is going to go by in a blur!

Running For Love

Better title than running "from" love right? Haha. This past weekend David and I ran the Marine Corps Marathon in DC. This was David's second full marathon and my second time running this race with him. Running a marathon is hard. Running another marathon with another person the whole time is hard as well! Unless you both run the exact same pace, one person or the other is constantly trying to adjust their stride or pace. It makes sticking together somewhat challenging, but having someone by your side for a whole marathon is really comforting.

My Favorite Person & Running Partner

Back in 2008 I was living in Hillcrest (San Diego's Castro) and heard that they were having a 5K down the street that coincided with Pride Week. How could I pass up a race that I could walk to?? I quickly signed up and talked David into signing up as well. This was going to be his first road race but he was confident. He had played sports his whole life, was in good shape, and was sure to smoke me in the race. Uh huh. Amazingly I came in first in my age group for the first time ever and beat David to the finish line! 

After the Run & Stride With Pride 5K

Our next race was a 15K trail race. We ran the Xterra Mission Gorge 15K. The course was pretty hilly which back then was the kiss of death for me. I stuck with David for most of the race but towards the end as the trail snaked up a never ending hill, I succumbed to walking and David plowed on. 

Xterra Mission Gorge 15K - Ugh Hills!

Soon David became interested in running a half marathon, so we ran the Austin Half Marathon in 2009. If you haven't run this race I highly recommend it! The course is scenic and mostly flat. It has a few moderate rolling hills which slowed me down a bit, but David kept by my side and we finished side by side. Technically my race results showed that he came in first, but if you look at our finish photo my foot hit the mat first! Just not the foot with the timing chip. Darnit. haha.

Austin Half Marathon

After the Austin race we decided to run the Marine Corps Marathon in DC in 2009. As we laid out our training schedule I noticed that our first 20 mile run occurred on a weekend that I'd be in Boston for a tradeshow. I emailed my friends Martin and Meredith (locals) to see what course they recommended we run to get our miles in. Probably not thinking we'd take his suggestion seriously, Martin mentioned that he'd be running a half marathon in Plymouth that weekend and we could always do the race, and then tack on 7 more miles after we finish. Who does that? That's crazy! Oh wait, that's what we ended up doing. And um, it was pouring that day. So we raced 13 miles in the rain, and then plodded on for 7 more. Misery! (Race recap here.)

Plymouth Run to the Rock Half Marathon

A few more months passed and it was finally time for the Marine Corps Marathon! Our plan was to stick together for the whole race, and even with some lagging on my part around mile 19 and cramping on David's part around mile 22, we finished side by side! My dream of finishing a marathon with someone had finally come true. I loved it. (Race recap here.)

 Marine Corps Marathon 2009

After the Marine Corps Marathon I thought I had dreams of David and I finishing every race going forward side by side! Err ... that totally didn't happen. David was fairly turned off after the race and while he felt accomplished, he was more on the camp over "never again" versus "what's next?"  Shoot. I gave up on getting him to race with me for the next year and a half until it came time to register for the Marine Corps in 2011. My friend Christina was urging us to run and totally out of the blue (to me) David said okay, let's do it. And we can run the San Francisco Half Marathon as a warm-up. Huh?! YES!!!

I ended up registering for the San Francisco Full Marathon (since I was an Ambassador and thought it would round out the experience) and David and I planned to run the first half of the race together before I split off to complete the second half alone. We cruised through the streets of San Francisco side by side and up and down the hills (which by now were something that didn't slow me down). After racing alone for so many years, I loved having him next to me mile after mile. (Race recap here.)

San Francisco Marathon 2011

The months flew by between the San Francisco Marathon and the Marine Corps Marathon, and I couldn't believe that it was finally race time this past weekend! David's training hadn't gone quite as planned and he had been running a slower pace than me in his training runs, and anticipated a slower pace for the race. When we discussed running the whole race together again David said there's no way we could, he'd be going much slower than me. For a while I thought shoot, I was hoping that this would be the race where we'd focus on breaking 4 hours! A goal I've been chasing down for several years, but hadn't really focused on this year since I was just coming back to embracing full marathons again. It crossed my mind to run the race on my own, for me .. but then I shook some sense into myself and thought what is wrong with me?! I've spent years dreaming of someone racing side by side with me. I finally found him! And now because he is going to run slower than I want to I'm going to race on my own? Who am I? A selfish only child? Err wait, I am. But - in the end I decided we'd stick together, no matter what the pace. Guess what - it was worth it! Having your favorite person by your side for 26.2 miles is fun, comforting, and heartwarming.

Marine Corps Marathon 2011

Since we ran this for the experience and not for time, my appetite for a sub 4 hour race hasn't been satiated. Because of this I made a silly rush decision a few weeks ago to sign up for a fourth full marathon this year. On December 4th I'll be running the California International Marathon in Sacramento. This will be the closest I've ever done two full marathons, but hopefully my body cooperates and I am able to throw myself back into training. I've never run this race before and have heard good things about it. I'm giving myself the rest of this week to recover and run just for fun, but next week my game face is back on! Four weeks to a sub four hour marathon. I think I can do it. "I think I can, I think I can." - The Little Engine That Could

 

Why I Run Marathons

As my next marathon approaches, I've been thinking a lot about why I run, and more specifically why I run marathons. I ran my first half marathon (Rock N Roll Phoenix) in January of 2005 as a way to quit smoking. I ran my first full marathon after that (Rock N Roll San Diego) in June of 2005 to see if I could actually do it.
After that I ran another marathon to see if I could finish with a better time, and all of my subsequent marathons have involved chasing down that time goal. 

Hot Mess After My 1st Marathon

There are a lot of things about marathon training that I really like. You set a goal, you create a plan, you commit to that plan, you work hard, you adjust your plan when you stumble, you put yourself to the test on one big day, and you celebrate your victories. The goal setting and planning is part of what I like so much about marathons, but more of what keeps bringing me back is a need for achievement. I've been an achiever my whole life, and marathon training and running fits into that perfectly.

Finishing RNRSD - Current PR 4:00:32

I remember one night in particular years ago that really made me think about marathons and achievement. I was out on New Years Eve having a conversation about various things, and the topic finally settled on my marathon running. The person I was with looked me square in the eyes and said to me "Monika, I think you keep running marathons just to prove to everyone that you're better than them." My heart stopped and my eyes almost popped out of my head. I searched that person's face to see if they were A - joking, or B - trying to me mean. Neither was the case. They sat there looking at me expectantly, as if waiting for me to agree with them. As I realized that this wasn't a joke, I suddenly had a horrible feeling. This person didn't get me at all. They didn't understand the core of what I'm about. Sadly, this person was my husband at the time. After being together for six years, he had no idea who I really was.

I brushed off the topic and we continued on with our night, but that moment has haunted me for years. I don't run marathons to prove that I'm better than people. In fact, its almost the exact opposite. I run marathons to prove to myself that I'm good enough. I want to know that I can try to do something difficult and achieve it.

Growing up I was pushed a LOT. Thanks to Amy Chua's book Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother, the idea of a tiger mom is fairly well known now. I grew up under a tiger mom who pushed me constantly to exceed. She had my best interests in mind, but I think it might have been in a short-sited way. My mom was obsessed with pushing me to do things younger and younger. I started school with first grade when I was 5 (because according to my mom Kindergarten was a silly American way of calling finger-painting "school)", I skipped fifth grade and started middle school when I was 9, I ended up starting high school at the ripe age of 12, and I was off to college hundreds of miles from home a few months after turning 16. Along the way I was pressured and pushed to always do my best, and to then do better than that. 

Dressed Up Like a Go Getter

 

(In the center, flanked by my cousins)

I'm reading Bart Yasso's book right now and in it he tells the story of how he qualified for the Boston Marathon and finished the race in 2:40. He called his father to share his accomplishment, and his father asked why he hadn't won, and told him he needed to train harder. Hmm, I think I know how he must have felt.

After being pushed so much growing up, once I was released to go off to college, I continued to push myself in the same manner. I pursued my dream of majoring in Engineering, and put every ounce of energy I had into studying and completing my Mechanical Engineering degree. Undergrad was horrendously hard for me. Maybe just because the major was hard, or maybe because I started when I was only 16, but I struggled throughout my 4 1/2 years at UCSB. When I finally graduated (at 20!) I thought my mom would be impressed. Taking note from Bart's fathers mentality, she told me how she was disappointed because she had always dreamed of having a "real child prodigy" who could finish college by 16. Sigh.

Proudest Moment of My Life

Once I entered the real world my mom stepped back from my life, and it was now up to me to push myself. I was so used to trying so hard to be the best at everything or to constantly cross a certain line or achievement that I worked like crazy at my job the first few years. After a few years when I got comfortable with things though, I didn't feel like I was being challenged enough. So I decided that I should go back to school. While I was in  grad school I was working at a start-up and balancing working 80 hours a week with going to school at night. I was run ragged and exhausted all of the time, but being pushed to the limit is what felt natural to me. Upon graduation I felt a bit lost. My company filed Chapter 11 about a month later and suddenly I was both out of a job AND out of school. Luckily I found a job soon after, but with normal 40 hour work weeks I didn't feel like I was doing enough to maximize my time and test my limits. Two months after starting this job is when I started training for my first half marathon. And the obsession to test my body and improve my race times hasn't let up since. 

The Next Era of My Career - Marketing

(I'm in the center holding a bag)

I've gotten to the point in the past few years where I've just about plateaued in my marathon training. Although I want to run faster I don't have it in me to commit to train that much harder.  I'm like a person who wants to lose weight but doesn't want to change their eating habits. I only run about 30 miles a week. My friends who have qualified for Boston are running close to 60 miles a week. Two workouts in a day? No thank you. Last year after a terrible burnout marathon I decided to try to test myself in a different way. I signed up for my first triathlon! I had terrible fears to overcome before the race. I hated swimming, I am a major germ freak and didn't like the open water, I was terrified of falling off my bike,  and I was worried about doing something new and doing something poorly. My first race turned out great though and I signed up for a few more triathlons after that. I've had a number of mediocre triathlons since that first one (exactly a year ago this weekend!) and now I've decided that my next year's goals will be to improve my speed on the shorter distances, and then work my way up to a longer distance triathlon (namely a 70.3 Half Ironman). 

 My First Triathlon

After that, who knows what will be next? I doubt I will ever want to do a Full Ironman (the hours you need to train are ridiculous!), so I wonder what I will need to do to feel accomplished once I meet these other two triathlon goals. Maybe I'll move onto some other life focus after that either personally or professionally. I wonder what that will be, and I can't wait to try to be the best at it. ;o)

Music on the Run

As long as I've been running, I've always run with music. I listen to music almost all day - at home, in the car, at work - seems totally naturally that I'd listen to music on my runs as well! I think its odd that running with music can sometimes turn to a heated discussion. I understand that in some races its not safe to have zombies running around zoning out to music, but that doesn't mean that you can't listen to music and still be alert and safe. Although I run with music 99.9% of the time, I don't bike with music for safety reasons. This has made triathlon training extremely boring for me, but over the past year I've gotten used to the silence of swimming and biking. 

Back in college when I started running I ran with my trusty Walkman tape deck. I of course had a great mix tape for running! I ran with my Walkman for years and years until technology brought us the MP3 player. When iPods first came out they were way too expensive, so my first MP3 player was some cheap knock-off form China that I bought on eBay.  I ran with that for about a year until I forgot it at the gym one day. This loss came the week before my first half marathon. Ack! In a move of total desperation I ran my first half marathon (Rock N Roll Phoenix) carrying my Walkman. We bonded.

I had heard runners complain about running with their iPods in the early days so my first running MP3 player was a pink Creative Labs Zen Micro. I ran with this for a year or so until the prices of iPods finally came down and were usable on runs. My first iPod was the 1st generation Nano. That Nano was with me for a couple years of races until I ran the Chicago Marathon in 2007. You know, the year of the massive heat wave where three people died, hundreds went to the hospital, and they cancelled the race mid-race! It was extremely hot that day and on several street corners they had the fire hydrants open and water spraying the street. I ran under the water several times to cool off. I felt great. My iPod did not.

After getting soaked my Nano called it quits on me. By then the next generation Nano came out so I bought that instead. It had video! Very cool. This next Nano was with me for a couple years until it too died a wet death during a race. David and I ran the "Run to the Rock" half marathon in Plymouth, MA. It was POURING rain that day and my Nano died around mile 7. Awesome. You know what's even more awesome? We were training for the Marine Core Marathon and had a 20 mile run scheduled for that day so after the race we ran 7 more miles in the rain. In silence. Misery! (More on my blog 20 Miles in the Rain)

I bought a replacement Nano right after that one died and after having it for a year or so I finally decided that I wanted the Shuffle. I was sick of wearing the arm band and didn't need the full functionality of the Nano on the run. I ran with one playlist on shuffle - perfect for the Shuffle! My Nano was retired to my car and I started to run with the Shuffle.

I really love the Shuffle for running and thought it was the perfect music companion. Its tiny and holds enough songs to get you through your longest runs. The only thing I didn't like about the shuffle was the earphones and chord, but that's been a constant problem with all of my MP3 players. I feel like I've tried every earphone and earbud known to man. The Nike ones were my favorite but died after a few months. I got some SnuggBuds from the SF Marathon and was impressed that they actually did stay in my ears on the run, but I didn't like how snugg they fit (ironic) at times because they felt like earplugs 

Several months ago I applied to be an Active Ambassador for Team Sony Walkman and was thrilled when I was not only picked, but given their new MP3 player the Sony Walkman W Series! The Walkman was all one piece, held as many songs as my Shuffle, and was barely noticeable on my runs. The only downfall was that the earphones were kind of big and funny looking, and David was constantly telling me I looked like I was running with two bluetooth earpieces in. Hey, its how I roll! jk. 

A few months after we received our first Walkman, we got the newest version in the W Series. Now I think this one is PERFECT! Its a  lot smaller and has the same memory size and functionality. AND .. its waterproof! (Its also the same price as a shuffle ~$50) This will be the last MP3 player that dies on a rainy run with me. Well, not like it ever rains in San Diego .. but if one of those other cities dumps rain on me during a run, I'm prepared! Obviously as a Sony ambassador we are encouraged to promote the Walkman, and I am happy to do so because I honestly think it is the perfect MP3 player for a runner.PC Magazine recently gave it an Editor's Choice award. For more on their review click here.

In addition to the right device, you also need the right jams. A friend of mine from college recently launched the website and service Rock My Run. Their site offers fresh running mixes put together by DJs. The music is great and its interspersed with motivational messages. They have music for a wide variety of tastes. Check them out and download one of their mixes! (Rock My Run Website)

Well its now time for me to head off on my morning run! Time to grab my Walkman and go!