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March 25, 2006
Oops
So I kind of ran the National Marathon today. As a training run, but I kind of PR'd. That's because my old PR--and new one!--were soft, I think. Getting over the 3:30 barrier was good for me mentally (I ran 3:28 and it was very nice and easy) but I still believe I have a better one in me. My training times and other races make me think that I do, but I need to prove it to myself.
I just wrote a whole long entry about today and then erased it accidentally. I have to run out now and may not have time to finish until tomorrow, but I'll get to it!
Here's the rest of the story:
I'm finally getting around to finishing my National Marathon story. The rest of my day was not particularly restful—we walked around for hours looking at apartments (sometimes we got a ride from the realtor who is helping us) and I had only a half hour to lie down and try to nap before we had to leave for a wedding. I was really doing okay until about midnight, when I completely crashed. But the walking around seemed to loosen up my legs a lot; I was able to dance and everything—for a couple of hours, anyway.
Anyway…I didn't decide to run the marathon until Wed. of this week. I knew I'd be in DC this weekend way ahead of time because of the wedding, so I had planned to run with one of my running friends from DC Roadrunners. I checked in with her at the beginning of the week and she told me about her plan to run the marathon as a training run, if only to take advantage of an early start, a marked course and Gatorade stops. I've hardly ever done a race, let alone a marathon, on a whim, so at first I was thinking it sounded crazy. But having company on a long run means a lot to me. I figured, why not? If I needed to stop early I could probably find transportation back to the start/finish. I didn't particularly want to pay the entry fee, but I knew I would be taking advantage of the fluids along the course, so of course I coughed it up. (It turned out that the street closings were fairly complicated, so I know getting the police presence and the permits must have cost the marathoners a lot of money. Happy to help.)
This was the first "Washington, DC" marathon since the canceled one in 2003 (I think that was the year.) When I first heard about it I thought late March sounded like a terrible time for a marathon in DC, but the weather really was great. Cold at the start but I finished in shorts and a t-shirt. It was also pretty cloudy. I'm 85% sure that this weather will be better than what we get in a few weeks for Boston (another motivator for me to do this race!) Except for the fact that we had to wait in line forever for the port-a-potties, I really didn't feel like I was about to run a marathon when I started. I think that was a good thing.
The marathon was run concurrently with the first annual National Half Marathon. There were many more participants in the half marathon, which went from RFK Stadium to the Capitol, around the mall and back through Southwest DC. The first 11 miles (at which point we split from the half marathoners) were flat and pretty scenic, so I would highly recommend the half if they continue it. For the first couple of miles, the course was marked every half mile, which was driving us crazy! Thankfully that didn't last long.
We definitely started out nice and easy, 8:30 or so for a couple of miles. Then we pretty much clocked 8's consistently (except when we got into the 7:40s and backed off, every couple of miles) and were chatting the whole time. It was really a lot of fun. There were a few hills, but nothing like any of the New England races I've done this season. When we split from the half marathoners, we headed into Fort Dupont Park, which I've heard of but never been in. We were on the border of DC and PG County (MD) at that point and I do not know that area at all. The park seemed to be the beginning of the hills in this marathon—there were maybe a couple of flat stretches after that but it was pretty much rolling, gentle hills from then on. In every marathon I've done, I've had freak-out moments, around mile 15 or 16 and again at 22, kind of wondering whether I really even WANT to continue. I had a bad one at 15 but just made myself suck it up and remember all my training. I also realized that the doubts were reminders to eat. (That was another reason I wanted to run the marathon, to practice eating again.) I ate mostly gummy bears and drank Gatorade at nearly every station, and even tried a bit of a vanilla PowerGel. It wasn't too bad, actually. I still think I'd have even more energy in the last 10 miles if I could get myself to like the gels. It's a work in progress.
There was an annoying pace group in front of us at mile 18 or so (the 3:30 group) and I was a little afraid to pass them, but we did and it was fine. The last 6 miles were probably the hilliest, which was definitely tough on my mind if not my legs. I started to lose confidence right before mile 24 and my friend went ahead (with my blessing, of course!) She ended up a couple of minutes ahead of me, but I think I could have gone with her if I believed in myself more—and I was being extra cautious because I know it's almost taper time and I didn't want to do anything stupid. Actually, in the last mile I passed a bunch of people because I was like, hey, this still feels easy…and I knew at that point I'd make it. It felt good to see the clock when I finished and know that I didn't reach that deep in the tank. We were both fine when we finished and it was nice to be able to make a quick escape.
The thing about this marathon experience is that I really enjoyed it, probably because I started out slow and ran so comfortably. I honestly don't know if I have it in me to really race a marathon. I think it's more realistic just to try and cut a few minutes off with each one I run. In any case, I'm glad it was a positive experience and that I made it through the rest of the day with no (obvious) ill effects. I think it's time to start to taper a little and as much as it drives me nuts, my legs are looking forward to it!
Posted by becky at March 25, 2006 12:43 PM
Comments
Oops? I love it, great job. I can't wait to read the rest of the story. Indeed, I think you have something lots faster than you, after a few weeks of tapering and resting!
Posted by: Meghan at March 25, 2006 8:52 PM
Awesome job Becky! If 3:28 was easy, I can't wait to see how fast you'll run in Boston.
Posted by: Caitlin at March 25, 2006 11:22 PM
Nice job! Congrats on the PR. I bet you are super excited (and clearly very ready!) to run Boston!
Posted by: Paige at March 26, 2006 10:14 AM
I want to hear more!!!! If you ran a 3:28 and it felt easy, it's SUPER exciting to think about how fast you can go =) Congratulations!!!!
Posted by: bridget at March 26, 2006 11:17 AM
I'm pretty sure I'll never "accidentally" run a marathon! :) Congrats on your PR though! What a huge confidence builder going into Boston. :)
Posted by: Beth at March 26, 2006 1:58 PM
On a whim? Accidentally? Oops? I like this idea. Nice run. Keep healthy, Corrado.
Posted by: corrado giambalvo at March 26, 2006 4:45 PM
Congratulations! I knew you had it in you. And I also know that if anyone can recover from a marathon quickly, it's you.
I think a very small percentage of people actually race an entire marathon. However, one of my friends told me about conversations she had early on in her PR marathon, and friends she made. When I ran my marathon PR, even if there had been anyone around to speak to, I wouldn't have spared more than a sentence at a time. But the frustrating thing about a marathon for many people, I think, is that by the time they have permission to "race," their legs are shot.
I hope you're recovering well, you crazy person!
Posted by: Alison at March 26, 2006 4:53 PM
AHHHH!!! This is so great. Congratulations on your PR!!!!!!
Posted by: Audrey at March 26, 2006 6:32 PM
The best races are the ones that aren't planned. There isn't any way to freak out because it's just a whim. Having said that, pretty much the only way I'll do a marathon now is a last minute decision. Congrats.
Blondie
Posted by: Blondie at March 26, 2006 8:33 PM
Congrats on getting over the 2:30 hump! Can't wait to hear how Boston goes for you!
Posted by: alweiss at March 26, 2006 9:09 PM
Wow, Becky! Congrats on your PR. I don't know if I'm more amazed that you ran a marathon as a training run, that you PRed while doing it, or that you ran the next day as well.
Good luck at Boston!!
Posted by: barb at March 28, 2006 1:02 PM