General Discussion Race Reports! » Marine Corps Mrathon Rss Feed  
Moderators: k9car363, alicefoeller Reply

Marine Corps Mrathon - RunMarathon


View Member's Race Log View other race reports
Washington, D.C., Washington, D.C.
United States
55F / 13C
Overcast
Total Time = 3h 31m 47s
Overall Rank = 1233/23532
Age Group = M45-49
Age Group Rank = 113/1745
Pre-race routine:

Decent taper during the week leading up. Rode down with friends on Saturday, got lunch when we checked in, but couldn't get my traditional spaghetti dinner. Went with a small deep dish pizza with minimal toppings. Took it easy and was in bed by 9:00 PM. Woke up around 4:45, and we had decided to drive in, but not too close, so we could get back out easy. Had a banana and a small granola bar before leaving the hotel. We ended up parking at the Kennedy Center, paid for parking, but it was definitely worth it. Walked across the bridge, and up to the start area. Plenty of Porta Potties, at least we found some with no real lines.
Event warmup:

The walk there was pretty much the warm up.
Run
  • 3h 31m 47s
  • 26.2 miles
  • 08m 05s  min/mile
Comments:

About 8 miles in, the left quad started to hurt, like an over use type of pain. Not long after the right started to hurt as well. Left hip/glute, which has been an issue the last few weeks, also hurt, but warmed up and felt OK. Both Achillies felt fine, thanks to my PT who worked on them over the summer. Even my arches felt OK, though maybe the leg pain was distracting me from them.

I held with the 3:25 pace group for the first 16-17 miles, and just really started to feel like the legs were losing energy. Didn't need to walk, but just had to back it down a bit. While this would be a classic "positive split", I'm not sure I could have done better. My goal time was 3:30, so I couldn't have run the first half much slower.

Getting through Crystal City was really tough, even with the crowd support. I know the last 5 miles is pretty much the real race, but it was getting hard, and painful. The last long stretch around mile 25, coming off the exit ramp, was also tough. I like running in enclosed areas, vs an open area, so I have some sensation of speed. Seeing your goal area way down range is so discouraging to me.

By the time I was near the memorial, I really turned it on, even though I pretty much knew 3:30 wasn't happening, you never know with chip/clock timing differences. "Taking the hill" was painful, but fun. I don't know how many people I passed climbing that hill.
What would you do differently?:

Need to do LSD runs a little faster, and/or more tempo runs. The real training didn't start until after Vegas HIM on 9/9/12, and I wanted to get to the race healthy. With the longer strides at 7:30 pace, I think my legs weren't quite ready for that pace over 26 miles.
Post race
Warm down:

Tried to stretch a bit, but grassy areas were limited. They wanted to keep the traffic moving from the finish area towards the finish 'fest. Also had to be careful with cramping from bending the legs too much.

What limited your ability to perform faster:

Training. LSD runs should probably be a bit faster for my goal times. Probably also need to do more tempo runs so the legs get a workout with more of a race form.

Event comments:

This was a well organized event, with great scenery, a lot of volunteers, and a nice shirt. One thing we noticed was there was no pile of flyers for races, discount coupons for some place I'll never go, etc.




Last updated: 2012-03-07 12:00 AM
Running
03:31:47 | 26.2 miles | 08m 05s  min/mile
Age Group: 113/1745
Overall: 1233/23532
Performance: Good
1st 13 miles, 7:42 mile pace average. 2nd half, 8:17 mile pace average. Average HR 153 between first and second half, and over entire course.
Course: My first time running this course. The majority of the hills were in the first 6-7 miles. Being a climber, I was fine with them, and didn't mind the surprise hills. A friend hit the last big climb, and that's when he said he really felt the energy drop.
Keeping cool Good Drinking Just right
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall: Good
Mental exertion [1-5] 4
Physical exertion [1-5] 4
Good race? Yes
Evaluation
Course challenge Just right
Organized? Yes
Events on-time? Yes
Lots of volunteers? Yes
Plenty of drinks? Yes
Post race activities: Average
Race evaluation [1-5] 5

{postbutton}
2012-11-03 8:38 AM

User image

Extreme Veteran
645
50010025
Media, PA
Subject: Marine Corps Mrathon
General Discussion-> Race Reports!
{postbutton}
General Discussion Race Reports! » Marine Corps Mrathon Rss Feed