2018 MARINE CORPS MARATHON RACE PREVIEW

The start of the MCM. The race starts on both sides of the highway at 7:55am sharp.

Hard to believe, but it's here... my first marathon in three years! It's been a long road since the last one, the 2015 Detroit Marathon. If you hold told me after that race that I wouldn't run another one for three years I would have thought you were crazy. I had plans of running another marathon in the fall of 2016. However, this was the beginning of a descent into the psoriatic arthritis this took a couple years to crawl out of. But crawled I have, and finishing the Marine Corps Marathon is going to be my "I'm back!" moment. Hopefully, haha.

In terms of the course, it is not the fastest course, but it is pretty fast. The biggest challenge in terms of elevation is the first two miles, where you go up 200 feet. Now 100 feet a mile isn't too bad, definitely noticeable, but nothing tragic. On fresh legs it is going to feel easier than normal, so I'll have to make sure to reign myself in and not go too crazy. I need to do these at like 25 seconds over my target pace. You should always start a marathon a little slower anyways. I'm then going to take advantage of the downhill, but also make sure not to attack it too hard and trash my legs. Once that is over, the course is pretty flat with some rolling hills.

Course map. You'll want to enlarge this.

I plan to utilize every aid station at my disposal, alternating Gatorade and water. That'll keep the electrolytes up but not also overpower my stomach with too much sweet drink. I also plan to eat three packs of gummies along the way at 200 calories each. In previous marathons I have tried to eat these one or two at a time, but this time I think I'll just eat the whole bag at one time. Probably miles 6, 12, and 18. Just get them in my stomach. Previously I've been annoyed at having to chomp on stuff too often as it breaks my rhythm and is hard to breathe while doing so.

There should be a lot to see at the race! Starting at the Pentagon, going through Arlington National Cemetery, up and down the Mall with sights of the Washington Monument, Capitol Building, Supreme Court, and more. I haven't been to Washington, DC since I was 14 during a school trip, so it will be really cool to see everything again. It will be good distraction for a while at least. Even the parts that don't have famous things to look at should be interesting, whether it be beautiful tree lined streets with fall colors, or intense cheering sections. It will be fun to experience it all! I actually haven't analyzed the course too much because I want it to be new on race day.

One thing I always hear about this race is not only are the sights cool, but the crowds are awesome too. There should be a lot of support on the course to keep me motivated, which is good! I like hoopla in long distance races, so hopefully that will keep me energized and going. The hardest part of the race might be a boring stretch where we climb a highway bridge and cross the river. There is some uphill here on the bridge along with no spectators and a reputation for wind. Once that is over, shortly after mile 21, it is into Crystal City, which is supposed to have really good support. And finally, the finish line is actually up a pretty steep hill. The Marines can't make anything easy. Luckily it is only a quarter mile!

A flavor of the sights during the race!

Once huge factor that will affect my race is my corral. This is the first year of corrals at the MCM, which is surprising, considering the number of racers usually tops 25,000. Anyways, when I signed up I put a finish time of 4:15. Well, I ended up getting faster a lot quicker than I thought, so that is going to put me in the wrong spot. I emailed them hoping to move up but the bibs were already printed with the corral. Luckily, there are only three corrals, and mine appears to be 4-5 hour people. So they suggested I just scoot up to the front of my corral to avoid being pinned in by too many other slower runners.

However, even if I manage that, I'm still going to have an issue trying to get my "A" goal. This race is HUGE, which tens of thousands of runners. I watched a couple clips of it and yeah... there isn't going to be much room. Even if I mange to get with 4:00 paced runners, if I want to go any faster, that is going to be a big problem. I am going to have to weave around and generally be frustrated. Even later on in the race it stay pretty packed as the route moves to smaller streets. There will be some more room after halfway or so, but still, that is going to be a major challenge.

Alright, what you have all been waiting for:

"A" Goal: Under 3:50. This is 8:45 a mile or less. I would be *so* happy with this time. To get a 3:4X marathon in my first one back, after basically doing no speedwork... heck yeah! I will try to start out at a clip that can achieve this. Whether I am actually able to run it (due to the crowds) or finish at it (due to miles 18+) remains to be seen.

"B" Goal: Under 4:00. This is really my main goal. If I can walk away with this one, I'll be as happy as a clam. This is 9:09 a mile or less. Unless I have some major walking issues, I think I can get this one. However, it is going to take a solid effort and the crowds to cooperate to achieve. If my time starts with a three, happy I will be!

"C" Goal: Finish. You (mostly) ran a freaking marathon. Two years ago you were hobbling around with no idea of what was wrong and the thought of never being active again. You've come a long way baby, enjoy it!

FOUR DAYS FROM MCM

Quick update! Good news - the weather forecast has improved significantly since last check in. Wohoo! The rain appears to be shifting to hitting earlier, with the area getting close to an inch on Friday on the latest forecast. Saturday actually looks pretty dry, some showers in the morning and then clearing. And then race day Sunday we have partly sunny skies with some showers later in the evening. Right now it looks perfect! 48 at race start and 55 when I should be finishing.

I just completed my last run before the marathon. Three miles at an easy pace. On Monday I did four miles at an easy pace. I can already feel the recovery in my legs from the taper. They feel pretty fresh! I think by race day, with three additional days of no running, they'll be primed and ready for the race. Feel pretty confident about that! The part I don't necessarily feel confident about... finishing strong without much issue going at an aggressive pace. However, that's always the question in a marathon! I *am* confident I can go out there and give it my best shot.

My plane takes off tomorrow morning - direct to DC thankfully! My next post will be the race review complete with my goals. Eek!

RACE WEEK

The weather watching has begun! Just need that storm to hit Friday/Saturday and leave Sunday dry!

Well, I am inside of a week until my first marathon in three years. The nerves have started! Luckily they are just when I start thinking about the race, which includes typing this post. Eek! Otherwise, it is not the 24/7 impending feeling of doom which tends to crop up the last few days leading up to the race. That'll start the moment I land in our nation's capitol.

I can take comfort in the fact that I am ready for the race though. I had a highly successful training cycle; and, while running 26 miles at the pace I am going to try for sounds near impossible, I know from experience it can be done. I've done it before and I can do it again! The only thing left to do is shuffle along at my final two easy runs and get to Washington DC healthy and rested.

In preparation for the marathon, I have woken up early the last two days. Up at 8:00am on Sunday and then 7:30am this morning. I'm going to try to keep waking up a little earlier each day so I can make the adjustment to east coast time more easily. My flight on Thursday is at 8:15am, which means probably like a 5:45am wake up. Maybe I'll wake up even earlier just to make sure I am extra tired Thursday night. Hopefully that one day will get me into the east coast groove, I can get my eight hours Friday night, and then try my damnedest to salvage 5 or 6 hours Saturday night before the race.

Luckily the race doesn't start until nearly 8am, so much more reasonable than going east to do one of those Disney races or something. We're also pretty close to the Metro station, so I'm thinking we'll probably wake up around 6am. Not great, but better than my Miami wake ups and hopefully I'll also be much more acclimated to the time zone. I'm happy I'm actually following through on trying to adjust my schedule. It's always all talk and no game for me in that area. I know I can bullshit a half sleep deprived but a marathon is a whole different matter.

The weather forecast has improved somewhat from the last update. It appears the bulk of the predicted rain is now on Saturday. Now, that can shift right back of course, so not celebrating yet. They are predicting nearly a half inch, so a pretty decent amount. For now, Sunday looks like chance of sprinkles but otherwise just overcast. Overcast weather would be PERFECT. Even in colder temperatures the sun can zap you. So if it could be overcast and dry, that would be ideal. Right now the predicted temperature at race start is 46 with a high for the day of just 54. That would be IDEAL. Fingers crossed!

NINE DAYS OUT

They FINALLY added some photos from the Portlandathon!

I cannot believe it is only nine days until the race. Just thinking about it gets me anxious and my heart all fluttery. This never happens with a half but always happens with a full. Plus, it will be my first full marathon in three years, so I almost feel like a rookie again! However, I am not a newbie when it comes to this, so I should find some comfort in the fact I have done it before and know what to expect. Still, it is a massive undertaking!

My training for the MCM started in the middle of May. It is honestly hard to believe I've been training for five months straight. Back when I created my plan, it was almost comical how far away the race was and how many miles and long runs I had to do. Now, here I am, almost 23 weeks out of 24 done. Only one short long run and two short midweek runs away from lining up at the start of the People's Marathon. It's satisfying to look back at my training schedule at all the hard work I've done. I've put in the effort, now it is time to reap the rewards!

Training cycle to date.

Altogether, I think this might have been my most successful marathon training period. I hit every run I had scheduled. I did have to rearrange a few times, but I always hit my three weekday runs and weekend long run at the distance planned (spare a few weeks where I purposefully planned only two weekday runs to rest up for a race). Now, most of these runs were of the easy variety, but I did sprinkle in some speedwork here and there. I forgot to note it at times on my spreadsheet, so some of those "easy" runs actually weren't easy.

In terms of my legs/knees though, I don't think I've ever felt better during a marathon training cycle. It's amazing! I remember being a lot more sore during my marathon training cycles, to the point where I was basically some level of sore every day. This time around, I was only sore on select occasions, usually after races or the longest of the long runs. I've said this before, but it bears repeating... I think I had psoriatic arthritis at a low level for years before it flared up badly. To be able to attack this training cycle with that in remission has been a revelation. I hope the "good vibes" continue into the race, but to be honest, I don't think it affected me much during the marathon previously... mostly afterward. I'll probably feel decent for the first 20 and then have to fight like hell for the final 10k as always.

Now that we are within 10 days I can also obsessively look at the weather too. Right now it looks like highs in the mid 50s, lows in the high 30s, and potential rain. So temperature wise it should be fine! Hoping for the rain to hold off and just have overcast skies. Anything from the high 30s to mid 50s with overcast skies is just about perfect marathon weather! Regardless of the forecast, I'll come prepared with a variety of outfit choices so I can make sure I'm dressed for success.

Anyways, I am excited for the race and want it to get here already! I am also going to try to adjust my sleep schedule a flew days before flying out... we'll see if I can manage that. Updates to come.

PEAK WEEK & PORTLANDATHON FIVE MILER

My squiggly spaghetti route twenty miler. Contains a 6 mile, 10 mile, and 4 mile loop. 

Recently I had my "peak" week of the training cycle. I ended up running 40 miles, including my final twenty mile run before the race. The day after the twenty I ran the Portlandathon 5 Mile race, although at a very casual pace. All told it was a busy week with five days of running but my legs responded well. It definitely gave me another boost of confidence headed into race day. Overall I am feeling strong and my body has responded really well to the training.

Long run with Sunstone.

In order to "rest up" for the busy weekend, I run 7 miles on Monday and then 4 each on Tuesday and Thursday. That left me feeling pretty spunky for my twenty miler on Saturday. Originally I thought I was going to have to run this alone, but after some thought I decided to incorporate Sunstone's normal ten mile Saturday morning run into my longer run. They were going to be running from the school by my house at 8am, which would mean I just needed to run ten more. The real question is how I wanted to break those ten up. All after the group run? Some before, some after?

I decided, despite how painful it was, to wake up at 6:30 and start running at 7:00am. That meant I could get six miles in before the ten mile group run, leaving me with just four more afterward. So before the sun even rose, I was up and getting dressed. The things running makes me do. I ended up getting to run through the sunrise, which was pretty cool. All told those six miles went pretty quick. I made myself an aid station at my car, so I ate a some snacks before joining Sunstone for their ten.

The ten with Sunstone also went really well. It was a pretty small group because of a bunch of regulars were either doing the Chicago Marathon or Portlandathon the next day. The weather was great though, nice and clear, and the fall colors are starting to hit, so it was really the perfect running day! I took two fruit snacks with me and ate those along the way. I also carried a bottle with me the whole time to stay hydrated. Definitely missing the PMC aid stations, but was able to replicate them pretty nicely on this run with the car stops.

So after the run with Sunstone I was sixteen miles in. At this point another four miles didn't sound too bad. My legs actually felt really good for the distance and I would chalk this up as one of the more successful twenty mile runs. So after another brief stop at the car, it was out to finish off the twenty miles. Went off without a hitch. What a sense of relief it was to finish! No more 20 milers! Nothing but downhill from here! Even though there were a couple weeks left in training I felt like I was basically at the finish line.

Portlandathon with Katie.

All told my legs felt pretty good, which was a positive thing, because the next morning I had to wake up early *again* and head downtown to Portland on the MAX to run the Portlandathon 5 Mile race. Katie and I had signed up for this a while back to support the race, which stepped in last minute to take over for the Portland Marathon, which folded after last year's race due to the owner's mismanagement. The Portlandathon filled the void for that first Sunday in October, offering a full, half, 5 mile, and 4 mile walk. So we signed up for the five miler just to show our support because I had no intentions of doing more the day after my key final twenty miler.

There is actually some history with me running a race the day after a twenty miler. Twice, in 2013 and 2014, I ran the Pints to Pasta 10k the day after the PMC Brunch Run twenty miler. The difference between this time and previously though was I actually raced those 10ks back in the day. This time, with Katie, we just happily jogged along at 10:20 pace without a care in the world. Really, there is not much to report from this race, it was just a giant out and back along Naito/Front, something I have done a bajillion times now, but it was still fun to be out there. The atmosphere of a race is always good to be around; plus, there was a delicious meal of mac'n'cheeese and garlic bread afterward.

I obviously took Monday off, then proceeded to run Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday. Wednesday was even a race pace test at 8:25 that went pretty well. So the legs really held up and responded great. Less than two weeks to go at this point. Eek!

HOMESTRETCH TO MCM

Can you spot me? Final PMC run in 2018!

I can't believe the Marine Corp Marathon is almost here and that I'm nearly done with my training. In some ways it feels like I just started training like two months ago, however, in other ways... it feels like I've been training forever. I remember looking at my marathon training plan, seeing those 24 weeks, and thinking about how long and impossible that looked. Yet, here I am, 20.5 weeks in and feeling pretty confident about things. The question of whether or not I could handle the marathon training has definitely been answered.

The half marathon in Boring definitely did a number on my legs though. I ran that thing 100% and I was sore from it for a few days. Even once the soreness passed, my legs were tired and lacked any "spring" for another week or so. I just now feel like I am back to normal. The good news is, I was still able to get all my runs in and keep my mileage up. I just did a lot of easy runs, knowing that the miles were more important than the speed. Eventually my legs caught back up and now I'm ready to attack the final "peak" week in the training cycle with vigor.

The weekend after Boring I had to do 16 miles on my own, as Oregon State had a football "game" at 1:00pm that precluded me from attending the PMC run. So on Sunday I went out from my house and did a 10 mile and 6 mile loop. My legs started feeling it maybe 7 miles in. Like I said, my legs had not recovered from the race by that point. However, I just kept plodding along, and while my legs ached, it wasn't anything hateful. The pit-stop at my house after ten miles was an upper too, as I snarfed down a couple fruit snacks and a tall glass of water. The final six miles wasn't as bad as I imagined.

Apparently PMC thinks I'm motivational?

Last weekend I was able to run with PMC but they were doing only 8 miles. The Portlandathon is this coming weekend, so they were in major taper mode. I still woke up early and went because I had missed the previous two weeks and wanted to say goodbye and good luck to all my pals there. So I ran eight with them and then added six more to hit 14 on the day. I had the misfortune of trying to add six by running around the waterfront in Portland while there was a Pancreatic Cancer awareness walk taking place. The place was PACKED and I had to do quite a bit of weaving (important cause though!). Anyways, I ended up scrapping my out and back plans and did a loop around the Tilikum Crossing to avoid having to go back through it. Worked out nicely and my legs definitely felt better than the week before.

Which brings me to this week. FORTY miles (I know actual marathoners, that's not a lot). Twenty on Saturday and then five at the Portlandathon 5-Miler on Sunday. The peak of the training cycle! My fourth twenty mile run! The long run is going to suck because no more PMC. Twenty isn't too bad when you are running with a group and stopping at an aid station every four miles. Twenty on your own? Ehh. I think my last two by myself was during my first cycle in 2013. It's been a while. Still haven't quite decided what to do, but probably two or three loops from the house with stops for water and snacks. It's going to suck but whatever. Just get it over with and then it's all downhill from there.

I know I'm going to start freaking out when it's closer to race time, but I feel like I'm ready. I've had a really successful training cycle and my knees honestly feel better than they ever felt even before the arthritis flared up. The marathon is still probably going to suck, I'm still going to be questioning everything and praying for death at mile 23, but yeah, let's get this show on the road!