"Take it off if you have to, but keep on running!"
My new favorite quote is what was shouted to me by a Marine this morning as I stripped down during the MCM10k.
I pretty much prepared exactly how I wanted to for this race. I got a great night's sleep Friday into Saturday, and even better Saturday into Sunday (especially with that extra hour). I stayed very low key on Saturday, just did some errands and stuff around the house. I got caught up on all my TV shows that I taped as well as some good tennis matches (watching, not playing!).
But I noticed...I was nervous. I ripped off all my fingernails before I even realized it (old habits die hard). I think I was more nervous about the logistics and getting where I needed to be on time than the actual running part. *That* part I prepared for. Anyway, before I went to bed I got all my stuff together. They gave a crap load of free stuff in our packets, and one thing was a little card holder stocked with towelettes, band aides, and pain killers. I took that and added my metro card, ID, and $20 bucks. I decided on longer pants with pockets that I could also stuff things into, and tied my chip to my shoe. Right...everything else I could deal with in the morning.
It was in the low 40s when I got up around 6:30am. I could not for the life of me, decided what to wear on top. I knew I would be cold until we started running, but I also knew that I could warm up in the sun. And the wind was another factor...if it kicked up I would freeze. So I put on a sleeveless wicking tee underneath my warmer Adidas running jacket.
Navigating the metro was not a problem, and as usual, people just started talking to me (but honestly, if you're all wearing race clothes and a bib, it is easier to strike up those conversations). I chatted with two ladies on the metro, which became absolutely packed by Crystal City, until we got off at Arlington Cemetery for the start. And...wow. Two huge arches were up over the start on 110. I got there just in time to see the wheelchair competitors start. I knew that next would be the scarlet wave (marathoners), then the gold (marathoners), and then the 10k at 9am. I was glad I got to see the starts...they were incredible. The runners just kept on going, and going, and going, and going...and all that time I'm thinking to myself...hmmm, maybe in a year or two, I bet I could do it! (YES! I'M NUTS!)
Of course, as it always is with me, I started chatting with the lady next to me while waiting for all the starts to happen. She was from California, and had gotten signed up by her husband to do the 10k while he ran the marathon. She said he never started running until age 57, but that it was his passion, and he tracked everything with his training...from miles, to shoes, to times, and even all the aches and pains. She said she always got signed up for whatever smaller event was happening while he ran the marathon. She stuck with walking, though, but even still...that is neat that he wanted her to be involved with something that means so much to him. We chatted for about the next hour as the starts got pushed back about 15 minutes, and then wished each other luck as we went our separate ways.
It is nice, though...it made it feel a bit less lonely for me. I struggle with the fact that, in a crowd of tens of thousands of people, nobody was there for me. Selfish?
Anyhoo...we finally got started in the opposite direction of the marathoners. Our course basically took us down to Crystal City and back, finishing at Iwo Jima just like the marathon (which I thought was super cool).
Right away, in that first half mile, I got hot. I had frozen solid waiting for the start, to the degree that my toes and feet were numb. But I warmed up fast, and the wind wasn't really kicking up, so I had the task of unpinning my bib, taking off my jacket, putting the jacket around my waist, and re-pinning the bib to my shirt. I only stuck myself a few times. I'm thinking, this would make a *great* picture, here I am half undressed with pins in my mouth. This is when "Take it off it you have to, but keep on running!" was shouted to me by a Marine. I would have laughed, but I had pins in my mouth!
I felt like I had a slow start, due mostly to how crowded it was, but that was ok. My plan was negative splits...starting slowly, and doing each mile faster than the previous. I know I did that for at least the first 4 miles, and then I lost track a bit. Once we got into Crystal City we had more spectators cheering us on, and one of my favorite moments had to be going through the Target tunnel...they started playing the Rocky theme right when I was going through...ohhhh yeeaaah!
It was about this time that I noticed I was having no knee pain. Very nice!
Crystal City was a breeze, nice and flat, and the spectators and music really helped. Then it was back up to the Pentagon. There was some uphill stuff, but not too bad. I felt like I was staying nice and comfortable, and had a good chance at a strong finish. And then we turned for the last mile...right into the wind! HOLY BEJEEEBUS!!! Right in your face! Oh, I hated it...it made me cry (ok, not cry, but my eyes teared up.)
And it was slightly uphill, but I just kept plugging along. I could feel that I wasn't keep the pace I wanted to, but oh well. Finally we got to the 6 mile mark and you think, great, only .2 to go! And that .2, was straight uphill!!!!! ACCCKKK!!! This is the same finish as the marathon...how mean! That little, steep grade really did a number on my legs, and at some point I shouted out "Whose idea was this ending?" And the woman running next to me said "It was mine!", and as she turned to me I saw she had a painted face, like a ghoul, and a crazy grin. I laughed, pointed at her and said "You are evil!" Hey...it got me a laugh from a cute Marine!
But yeah, that uphill took the wind out of my sails, and if there is a finish photo of me, I'm sure it ain't pretty. We go through the chutes, and got medals! Cool! I didn't know we were getting medals! I went and got my picture taken, and only then realized I was right at the base of Iwo Jima. I had never seen it in person before (yes, I know...I've lived here how long?)...it was breathtaking, and bigger than I thought it would be. There was a Marine shouting directions, basically saying one way was food and water, and the other way was barbed wire (oh, a Marine with a sense of humor!). So I asked him, "Alright, so which one do we want?" He laughed. I smiled. Ahhh, a moment.
I walked through and grabbed water and a bagel from the tent, and then walked along all the booths set up at the finishing festival. Man, if you want free stuff, this is the race to run. Between the stuff I got in my packet, and the stuff I got today, I'm loaded up with free goodies! I've got enough tylenol samples to start a small pharmacy, a stress ball, two t-shirts, three different listerine thingies, an Adidas coupon (oh yeah), and just a bunch of other stuff that escapes me right now. Very nice.
And then I metroed on out to Melissa's place in Ballston where I finally got to pee, and she took me for pancakes. I was *very* cold by then, and she bundled me up in one of her sweatshirts. I need to start leaving warm clothes for after the race in the baggage pick-up instead of trying to run with everything on me.
And now, here I am, all done, and considering running a Veteran's Day 10k.
Oh, my time! Well, my watch says 1:06:44, which is not great for me(just over an 11 minute mile by my vague calculation), but would still be a personal best. I know my fastest two miles were in Crystal City, but I didn't get the finish I wanted...the conditions just kind of took that out of me. Oh well...can't really complain, at least I did it!
Time for a shower and a nap!
I pretty much prepared exactly how I wanted to for this race. I got a great night's sleep Friday into Saturday, and even better Saturday into Sunday (especially with that extra hour). I stayed very low key on Saturday, just did some errands and stuff around the house. I got caught up on all my TV shows that I taped as well as some good tennis matches (watching, not playing!).
But I noticed...I was nervous. I ripped off all my fingernails before I even realized it (old habits die hard). I think I was more nervous about the logistics and getting where I needed to be on time than the actual running part. *That* part I prepared for. Anyway, before I went to bed I got all my stuff together. They gave a crap load of free stuff in our packets, and one thing was a little card holder stocked with towelettes, band aides, and pain killers. I took that and added my metro card, ID, and $20 bucks. I decided on longer pants with pockets that I could also stuff things into, and tied my chip to my shoe. Right...everything else I could deal with in the morning.
It was in the low 40s when I got up around 6:30am. I could not for the life of me, decided what to wear on top. I knew I would be cold until we started running, but I also knew that I could warm up in the sun. And the wind was another factor...if it kicked up I would freeze. So I put on a sleeveless wicking tee underneath my warmer Adidas running jacket.
Navigating the metro was not a problem, and as usual, people just started talking to me (but honestly, if you're all wearing race clothes and a bib, it is easier to strike up those conversations). I chatted with two ladies on the metro, which became absolutely packed by Crystal City, until we got off at Arlington Cemetery for the start. And...wow. Two huge arches were up over the start on 110. I got there just in time to see the wheelchair competitors start. I knew that next would be the scarlet wave (marathoners), then the gold (marathoners), and then the 10k at 9am. I was glad I got to see the starts...they were incredible. The runners just kept on going, and going, and going, and going...and all that time I'm thinking to myself...hmmm, maybe in a year or two, I bet I could do it! (YES! I'M NUTS!)
Of course, as it always is with me, I started chatting with the lady next to me while waiting for all the starts to happen. She was from California, and had gotten signed up by her husband to do the 10k while he ran the marathon. She said he never started running until age 57, but that it was his passion, and he tracked everything with his training...from miles, to shoes, to times, and even all the aches and pains. She said she always got signed up for whatever smaller event was happening while he ran the marathon. She stuck with walking, though, but even still...that is neat that he wanted her to be involved with something that means so much to him. We chatted for about the next hour as the starts got pushed back about 15 minutes, and then wished each other luck as we went our separate ways.
It is nice, though...it made it feel a bit less lonely for me. I struggle with the fact that, in a crowd of tens of thousands of people, nobody was there for me. Selfish?
Anyhoo...we finally got started in the opposite direction of the marathoners. Our course basically took us down to Crystal City and back, finishing at Iwo Jima just like the marathon (which I thought was super cool).
Right away, in that first half mile, I got hot. I had frozen solid waiting for the start, to the degree that my toes and feet were numb. But I warmed up fast, and the wind wasn't really kicking up, so I had the task of unpinning my bib, taking off my jacket, putting the jacket around my waist, and re-pinning the bib to my shirt. I only stuck myself a few times. I'm thinking, this would make a *great* picture, here I am half undressed with pins in my mouth. This is when "Take it off it you have to, but keep on running!" was shouted to me by a Marine. I would have laughed, but I had pins in my mouth!
I felt like I had a slow start, due mostly to how crowded it was, but that was ok. My plan was negative splits...starting slowly, and doing each mile faster than the previous. I know I did that for at least the first 4 miles, and then I lost track a bit. Once we got into Crystal City we had more spectators cheering us on, and one of my favorite moments had to be going through the Target tunnel...they started playing the Rocky theme right when I was going through...ohhhh yeeaaah!
It was about this time that I noticed I was having no knee pain. Very nice!
Crystal City was a breeze, nice and flat, and the spectators and music really helped. Then it was back up to the Pentagon. There was some uphill stuff, but not too bad. I felt like I was staying nice and comfortable, and had a good chance at a strong finish. And then we turned for the last mile...right into the wind! HOLY BEJEEEBUS!!! Right in your face! Oh, I hated it...it made me cry (ok, not cry, but my eyes teared up.)
And it was slightly uphill, but I just kept plugging along. I could feel that I wasn't keep the pace I wanted to, but oh well. Finally we got to the 6 mile mark and you think, great, only .2 to go! And that .2, was straight uphill!!!!! ACCCKKK!!! This is the same finish as the marathon...how mean! That little, steep grade really did a number on my legs, and at some point I shouted out "Whose idea was this ending?" And the woman running next to me said "It was mine!", and as she turned to me I saw she had a painted face, like a ghoul, and a crazy grin. I laughed, pointed at her and said "You are evil!" Hey...it got me a laugh from a cute Marine!
But yeah, that uphill took the wind out of my sails, and if there is a finish photo of me, I'm sure it ain't pretty. We go through the chutes, and got medals! Cool! I didn't know we were getting medals! I went and got my picture taken, and only then realized I was right at the base of Iwo Jima. I had never seen it in person before (yes, I know...I've lived here how long?)...it was breathtaking, and bigger than I thought it would be. There was a Marine shouting directions, basically saying one way was food and water, and the other way was barbed wire (oh, a Marine with a sense of humor!). So I asked him, "Alright, so which one do we want?" He laughed. I smiled. Ahhh, a moment.
I walked through and grabbed water and a bagel from the tent, and then walked along all the booths set up at the finishing festival. Man, if you want free stuff, this is the race to run. Between the stuff I got in my packet, and the stuff I got today, I'm loaded up with free goodies! I've got enough tylenol samples to start a small pharmacy, a stress ball, two t-shirts, three different listerine thingies, an Adidas coupon (oh yeah), and just a bunch of other stuff that escapes me right now. Very nice.
And then I metroed on out to Melissa's place in Ballston where I finally got to pee, and she took me for pancakes. I was *very* cold by then, and she bundled me up in one of her sweatshirts. I need to start leaving warm clothes for after the race in the baggage pick-up instead of trying to run with everything on me.
And now, here I am, all done, and considering running a Veteran's Day 10k.
Oh, my time! Well, my watch says 1:06:44, which is not great for me(just over an 11 minute mile by my vague calculation), but would still be a personal best. I know my fastest two miles were in Crystal City, but I didn't get the finish I wanted...the conditions just kind of took that out of me. Oh well...can't really complain, at least I did it!
Time for a shower and a nap!