Marine Corps Marathon

I have forgotten to mention it in my last several posts, but I registered for the 32nd Marine Corps Marathon to be held on 10/28/07. I registered back on 5/9 (the first day registration opened) thinking that the race would fill up quickly as it has in the past. Now that they are planning to field 30,000 runners every year, I guess that there are plenty of slots available for all who want to run the race as the race is still not full. I read some negative feedback on marathonguide.com about the race organization in 2006, which may be having an impact on registration numbers. Hopefully, the MCM race management is reading the comments too and working to correct the shortcomings.

I ran the MCM back in 2005, and I can't really say that I enjoyed it that much. I ended up running a PR by about a minute, which is nice, but that was far short of what I was capable of at the time. This is evidenced by the fact that I ran Harrisburg 15 minutes faster two weeks later. The MCM was very crowded for the first four or five miles and some dumb-ass stepped on my shoe while cutting across the shoulder-to-shoulder swath of runners to hug her friends on the other side of the road. My shoe flew off of my foot and got kicked several times before I was able to retrieve it. The worst part was that she tweaked my ankle slightly when she stepped on my foot and it bothered me for several miles. I expended a lot of energy trying to make up time after losing so much during the early miles which took a toll on me later in the race. It was a warm day for October, and I wasn't carrying any fluids on me. The aid stations were about every two miles so that by the time that I reached mile 16, I was becoming dehydrated. Somewhere around mile 18, they were handing out Subway cookies. I would have liked one, except that I had absolutely no saliva in my mouth. Had I attempted to eat a cookie, I probably would have choked on it. Going up a hill at mile 22, I had a cramp fly into my right hamstring. So as you can see, it was not my ideal race. I ran right through the heart of DC past the Washington Monument, the White House, the Mall, etc. and I barely remember seeing any of it. I was completely focused on running.

After all of that, you may be asking why I'm going back. There are several reasons. First, I did run a PR at that race; although it was short-lived. Second, I want to really look around and enjoy the atmosphere and scenery on the course. It is a great honor to run among all of the Marines that run in the race and help out on the course. It really makes me proud to be an American. Third, I have a little something to prove to the MCM, but let me elaborate on that. I'm not all that concerned with my overall time this year. I know that the first four or five miles of the race will be very congested for me and that I will lose time. I am prepared for that this time around. My goal this year is to go with the flow early, pick it up a little once things open up, and then run at or above my goal marathon pace for the last 10 or so miles. Effectively, I am using the MCM as a practice run for Harrisburg two weeks later despite the fact that the MCM falls at the conclusion of my 16-week training regimen. If I can run the last part of the race strong and finish feeling fresh, I will be happy. I want to go down there and just enjoy myself this time. I don't want to stress about the details.

So that's why I'm giving the MCM another shot. Hopefully, my experience will be better this time. I am already looking forward to the race. There's something to be said for registering early for a race. Even though the MCM is still five months away, it seems more urgent and real to me now than it did just prior to registering. I guess once you're registered, it's like you've made up your mind to do it and you're more committed.