Marine Corps Marathon (Race Recap)

Sunday, October 28
Marathon #14
State #7
Arlington, VA (Washington DC)
Weather - Overcast, slight breeze

We had registered for the Marine Corps Marathon on March 7, opening day. We were some of the "lucky" ones that got in before registration closed THE SAME DAY, in something ridiculous like 3 hours. And this is a race that has 23,000+ runners!

Saturday (Expo)

I got up at 4:35 in the morning to take a shower and eat a quick breakfast before heading to the airport. Our flight was scheduled to leave at just after 7. L had to work the night before so we took separate cars. Stopped at the light heading to the parking lot, and she was right behind me. Talk about perfect timing!

Security was a breeze and we got to the gate in plenty of time. The only excitement before leaving Denver was a guy freaking out and asking to be let off the plane. AFTER the cabin doors were closed. He claimed he didn't want to get stuck on the east coast. FYI, Frontier does NOT do any sort of security check if someone gets off the plane. Anyway, I was happy the outbound flight was on Frontier, and I was more than willing to pay the $6 for tv for the 3ish hour long DIRECT flight into DCA.

I watched crime shows for three hours, randomly checking the weather channel in between to see how bad it was going to be. According to the radar, it looked like we were going to be gone for a bulk of it. Sweet!

Arrived on time, then we made a quick stop at Dunkin' Donuts. Pumpkin spice lattes and red velvet munchkins were a must! We followed the signs to get on the metro. Thankfully, there was someone there to help us understand the ticket purchasing. $3.05 each would get us to the expo at the DC Armory. It didn't take long, and thanks to the billions of other runners, we did not get lost. While we were in line at the tent to get our bibs, Ruth managed to end up right behind us. Hilarious. The expo was tiny and cramped and a giant cluster of people.

Me, Bart Yasso, Ruth

We stopped by the Runner's World booth and Bart assured us that the chance of rain had been lowered. He was pretty certain we would have good racing conditions. I believe you, Bart!!

My friend Rose lives in Maryland and was graciously picking us up at the expo and letting us stay at her house. Her and her husband were planning on spectating and were also going to drive us to the race in the morning. Most awesome friends ever!

Rose picked us up and we spent the remainder of the afternoon sitting around and talking. I had a few beers and her husband made us a delicious dinner of lamb, chicken and beef, with tons of veggies. He is the best cook!

L was the first to head to bed, around 8:00. She had been up all night and was exhausted. Ruth was staying at a hotel near the cemetery and another friend was going to drop her off on his way home. I headed to bed around 9:30.

Sunday, Race Day

Woke up to THIS email:

EXCELLENT. Notice it was sent at 10:00 the night before??? I immediately text Ruth to let her know, she is on our same return flight. I get ready as fast as I can and head down to use the computer to see what we can do to rebook. Apparently, they were not doing anything over the phone, or online. All we could do was wait.

Breakfast was a half bagel with cheese, BACON, an egg, and cantaloupe. Have I mentioned that our hosts were the BEST?? We had plans to be out the door by 6, allowing 2 hours to get to the start. The weather looked perfect. Overcast and no rain and not much wind. 30 minutes after we left, we were trying to turn into the lot at Crystal City. After sitting at the light for 20 minutes, the lot was full, and we had to find somewhere else to park. We parked in the Radisson's lot across the street and hoped we would not get a ticket/towed.

The line for the shuttle to the start was FREAKING INSANE.

It took us almost a half hour to get through. The shuttle ride only took about 10 minutes, and we arrive at the "start" area just as the gun was going off. Of course we still had to use the bathroom and do our pre-race pictures:

I had opted to skip my fuel belt this time, using my Flip Belt again. It worked awesome, like always (in other words, ignore the slight bulge under my shirt, I haven't gained THAT much weight). By the time we lined up, we were at the VERY back. While standing in line, I noticed a man with a Kauai Marathon backpack and I commented that it looked big and nice and that we should have gotten one of THOSE for our travel bags. Turns out L recognized the man, we had met him and his wife when we ran the Kauai race in 2010... Small world. I say, "Chuck! Is that you??" He says, "Colorado girls!!" I guess we are memorable too!

The start was chaotic. They were already cleaning up all the throw-aways and honestly, we were at the very back of the pack. It took a LONG time to get to the actual front - I'd guess 10-15 minutes from when we got there.

Not a picture of the lady in front of me, trying to get a picture of the flag

I had to walk within the first half mile. Stupid calves were so tight, I was limp-running. I could tell this was going to be a LONG day. I bet I had to stop 5 times in the first two miles to stretch them out. Every single step hurt and I felt tired from the very beginning.

I'm going to keep the race recap itself brief since it never got any better. Every single step of this entire race was miserable. I didn't enjoy myself at ALL. I would have quit at the 11 or 16 miles if I could have accessed my stuff. Seriously.

Anyway.

The course was really pretty.

Dr. J used a jump rope the ENTIRE RACE. I think I may have actually beat him.

Georgetown

Rose and Toly were at mile 11 handing out beers. I told them I wanted to quit and instead of letting me stop, they gave me a can of beer. We talked for a minute and then I walked and drank for a minute. Sad I had to keep going.

This is the most depressing section of the course. Along the sides are photos of those KIA

Washington Monument

Jefferson Memorial

Smithsonian

Smithsonian

At some point I know we ran past the Holocaust museum, down some city streets that had some pretty cool shopping. Wish I knew the city a bit better!

We FINALLY caught up to Dave at mile 20 - while we were on the bridge. He took some pictures, but I haven't seen them yet. I'm sure they are awesome.

Between Mile 23-24

I'll add here that Dunkin' Donuts had an aid station on the course. It was easily the hilight of the race for me. Even though we were practically dead last on the course, there was still tons of stuff. We each had three donut holes. I had 2 cake and one pumpkin, L had 2 red velvet and one pumpkin. It gave me a teeny tiny boost to keep going.

Around mile 24(?) we came back up on the Pentagon. At this point, spectators (family and friends) began joining people on the course. Yes. For the last few miles. This was only minorly annoying in most cases. Although. One woman seriously was running with a kid and one of those 6 foot long umbrellas. ON THE COURSE. L made a comment about how rude that was with all the people on the course. Long story short, I almost grabbed the umbrella and beat her. For the next half mile, they screamed at us - "those people are walking, do you think THEY deserve to be on the course" and "you can tell a bitch by the color of her stripes." All in the presence of this 9 year old kid. WHAT GREAT PARENTING.

Anyway, if you don't have a freaking bib on, you do NOT belong on the course, I don't give a crap what stupid reason you want to justify it with.

Ironically, Rose joined us at mile 26 and ran next to us (lol, I know, I know) - but pretty much just walked up the big hill at the end. I barely hobbled through the finish line, and she met us on the other side.

Finishers with one of the super cute marines

Iwo Jima

Needless to say, this was a very painful and disappointing run. Anyway.

Thoughts on the Race:

• We were for REAL the back of the pack. With our super slow pace and LATE start, we were in the back. They NEVER ran out of gatorade or water at ANY aid station.
• The course has EXCELLENT spectator support.
• Very, VERY pretty on the course. You get to see pretty much of all DC and with the leaves changing, it was super nice.
• The weather was FANTASTIC. Never once got rained on, not ONE drop. The breeze was nice because it eliminated the humidity.
• Super cool medal - the center SPINS!!
• Expo - meh. Super crowded and stuffy and not that many vendors.
• Unimpressed with the race shirt. Cotton mock turtleneck. I will never wear it again.
• Overall - a great race. Do it if you can.

We head over to where the shuttles are supposed to pick us up, with a brief stop to visit with friends in the Beer Garden. The line for the shuttle is even LONGER than it was before the race. It took close to 45 minutes to get on the bus, and then because of road closures we had to go all the way around the city to get to the parking area. Luckily, the car was still there and there was no ticket. Woo hoo! The airport was VERY close, just a couple of minutes away.

Sunday - Monday (Getting out of DC)

Ruth had been in line for over 30 minutes and had barely moved. NOTHING was happening. After an hour, we had moved maybe 20 feet. I ran over to the Delta counter and the best they could offer was $2400 for us to leave out of Virginia (on Monday). Yeah. Do I look like I have that kind of money? Meanwhile, EVERY OTHER AIRLINE still has planes leaving, except stupid United.

We are pretty sure we are not going to be able to get re-booked on anything that day, so we start planning our alternate way back. We book a one-way car rental (at $200) to Akron/Canton (OH), where it looks like there is a Southwest flight. We try calling to see if there are any flights ANYWHERE out of Dulles to get out, and we can't get through. By the time we get to the counter there is NOTHING they can do. They can't even guarantee we will get a refund since we have non-refundable tickets. SCREW YOU, UNITED. You shouldn't have cancelled our flight, every other airline still flying and the weather was still FINE at 5:00.

I get my "Ma'am, you need to stop talking now" from the United agent. But seriously, WTF. FOUR people working? TOTALLY unacceptable.

We then head over to the A terminal to buy our tickets on Southwest. There is no one in line at Frontier so I ask what THEY have. Turns out their flight at 6 am out of Akron is $25 cheaper than Southwest's, so we book the last few tickets they have (a "steal" at $254). Then we head to the shuttle to the rental car garage. The "basement" where you book IS PACKED. Everyone else clearly had the same plan. The line only had about 30 people in front of us. We waited even LONGER than we did for the flights. Only THREE people working the Budget line. By the time we had our reservation and were in the car, it was 9:10 pm.

Did you know the drive to Akron is over 6 hours long?? It was pouring rain by now and luckily Ruth offered to drive. I am a scaredy cat in the rain and I do NOT have the greatest night vision. Not to mention I was freaking exhausted. L passed out in the back and Ruth and I chatted. We still had not eaten anything since breakfast (WTF) and there was pretty much no where to stop (since it was so late). Ended up having to eat at McDonalds, but in my condition it tasted freaking delicious.

Stopped twice to get gas (and did you know Starbucks was open at one of the places at 1:00 am??) and arrive at the Akron airport just before 3:30 am. The entire drive was rainy and windy, and we were DONE. We lounged by the Frontier desk until they opened around 4 to get our boarding passes. I was FIRST in line for security when it opened about 4:15. We got quick breakfast at Cinnabon (delicious) and then sat around until we boarded around 5:45.

We had seats together in the last row of the plane. Took off on time around 6:10. BOUNCIEST AND SCARIEST FLIGHT EVER. I was pretty convinced we were going to die. Thankfully, we did not, and landed in Denver just after 7:00 am. Drove home, during rush hour, took a shower and CRASHED.

Summary:

LONGEST FREAKING DAY EVER.

#runalltheraces WINNERS!!

Here is a condensed list of the prizes. If you are picked, please send me a list in the order of which you would want them. That way we can get everything sent out ASAP. Prize choices (probably easiest to copy and paste to email me - squirrelgirl44@hotmail.com):

1. Team Sparkle - one basic skirt and one pair of race legs.
2. Pro Compression - one pair of marathon socks, any color
3. Pro Compression - one pair of marathon socks, any color
4. Aspaeris Pivot Shorts - one pair
5. Razzy Roo - one headband
6. Nuun - 4 pack and water bottle
7. Nuun - 4 pack and water bottle
8. Allied Metal - one medal rack - (nothing custom)
9. Run Pretty Far - one shirt
10. Ink n' Burn - one pair of arm sleeves
11. Flip Belt - one belt in your choice of color
12. YMX - one classic shirt OR classic run tank of your choice
13. YMX - one classic shirt OR classic run tank of your choice

PLEASE BE SURE IN YOUR EMAIL TO.... include your full name, mailing address and phone number. Every company has different requirements to ship, and almost everything is shipping directly from the company (not from me).

With that said... THE WINNERS ARE (selected via random.org)!! (will update as prizes are selcted so you know what is left if you haven't contacted me yet!)

1. Donation #29 (E. Kalifeh) - Team Sparkle package!
2. Donation #55 (L. Larsen) - Allied Metal medal rack!
3. Donation #71 (S. Klassen) - Aspaeris Pivot Shorts!
4. Donation #95 (G. Kurdziel) - Nuun 4 pack and water bottle!
5. Donation #34 (E. Kalifeh) - Pro Compression Socks!
6. Donation #56 (L. Larsen) - YMX shirt!
7. Donation #12 (M. Plummer) - Flip Belt!
8. Donation #11 (M. Plummer) - Run Pretty Far shirt!
9. Donation #42 (L. Larsen) - Razzy Roo headband!
10. Donation #84 (A. Brocato) - Pro Compression Socks!
11. Donation #27 (E. Kalifeh) - Ink n' Burn Sleeves!
12. Donation #75 (J. Johnson) - YMX shirt!
13. Donation #62 (L. Larsen) - Nuun 4 pack and water bottle!

Please send me your info ASAP, and thanks again for all of your support to AFSP, and congrats to everyone that won!!

I of course am still fundraising (will be through the beginning of January, so if you ever have a couple bucks you can toss my way, the link is on the left column of my blog!)

Run All the Races - VIRTUAL RUN!

About a year ago, I posted that I hoped to do a big giveaway when I completed my 50 half marathons in 50 states goal. It is hard to believe that day is almost here. In just a few weeks, on October 14, L and I will complete our goal - in VERMONT. We will have completed a half marathon in all 50 states + DC, and we will have done it together.

I have really enjoyed my journey and have met TONS of great people along the way, both runners, and those that go the extra mile to provide awesome products to runners (and other athletes).

I didn't want to do *just* a giveaway. I have blogged about it a few times already, but I have joined Team AFSP (American Foundation for Suicide Prevention) to run the Tinker Bell half marathon in January. I am running in memory of my friend Bob, who was lost to suicide two months ago.

So this giveaway is a bit different, and I hope to raise money for Team AFSP while celebrating the completion of my 50 state goal at the same time. So... keep reading:

When: Starts... NOW and runs through midnight MST October 14, 2012
Where: Wherever you feel like racing. #runalltheraces

Here's where the fundraising comes in. 

$5 donation = 5K = 1 entry
$10 donation = 10K = 2 entries
$25 donation = half marathon (13.1 miles) = 5 entries
$40 donation = FULL marathon (26.2) = 10 entries
$50 donation = ULTRA marathon (50K or longer) = 15 entries

HOW THIS IS GOING TO WORK (hopefully):

1. Choose your distance - obviously you can donate the amount you are comfortable with, and extra donations are happily accepted. (Additional entries 1 = $5 donated beyond the amount noted above. Ex: Run a 5K and donate $15, receive 1 entry ($5 for the 5K) + 2 entries (for the additional $10) = 3 total)
2. Click here to donate to Team AFSP.
3. Leave a comment or email me (squirrelgirl44@hotmail.com) with your race distance and donation amount (I will calculate your number of entries, but if you want to include that in the email, it might help me out).
4. Please, please, PLEASE tweet and/or Facebook and/or blog about this! These vendors have very generously donated products for this giveaway/cause and a few shout outs to them would really make me (and them) happy! (copy me on any tweets please!! @squirrelgirl44 )
5. Run your race (or bike, or swim or whatever) take some pictures, write a race report, and email it, send me the link, or comment.

PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE leave me a comment so that I can get everything logged ASAP.

I'll post a link to all of the race reports once compiled.


Now, the million dollar question....


WHAT do you get out of this?


First off, knowing what your tax deductible donation does:

For every $50 I raise, AFSP can provide educational materials to 25 people, emphasizing the importance of early identification and treatment for those suffering from depression and other disorders that put them at risk.

For every $100 I raise, AFSP can educate a mental health professional or primary care physician about the warning signs of suicide; they, in turn, will reach hundreds (maybe thousands)of people.

For every $500 I raise, AFSP can train a new Survivor of Suicide support group facilitator, and the members of the group will be given a chance to be with other survivors who understand, and will know that they are not alone.

ALSO!!! You will get entered to win some of these cool prizes...


From... TEAM SPARKLE! Your choice of one regular sparkle skirt AND a pair of race legs!! You can find them on twitter @runTeamSparkle

From... PRO COMPRESSION! TWO people can choose from ANY color of the awesome marathon sock. I have FIVE pairs of these. LOVE them. The neon yellow MIGHT be my favorite. You can find them on twitter @procompression

From... ASPAERIS! These truly are #magicpants. If you haven't tried them yet, now is your chance. I put these bad boys on after the Austin marathon and was not sore. Not one tiny bit. You can also wear them under things like... sparkle skirts! Winner may choose any color of pivot shorts. On twitter @AspaerisPivot

From... RAZZY ROO! My favorite headband lady! She is now even doing custom work. Made in the USA, inexpensive, and the best customer service you can ask for. Winner chooses any headband! On twitter @RazzyRooBands (also, she is running a sale right now. 20% of EVERYTHING, use the code FALLSALE at checkout). Look at the cool band she made for Rock 'n' Roll Denver!!

From... NUUN! I have been using Nuun for about 3 years. I use it just about every day. I have tried every flavor (except banana... I can never find it!). Nuun has been kind enough to donate for TWO winners. Each will get 1 4-pack of Nuun and a Nuun water bottle. Sweet!! On twitter @nuunhydration

From... ALLIED MEDAL! Any standard metal rack. What??? Yes!!! These are the best metal racks out there! Anything on their site that is NOT custom and it is yours!! So many things to choose from! I have this one (obviously):

From... RUN PRETTY FAR! I first heard about these AWESOME shirts when I ran Ragnar back in April. These are the most comfortable shirts you will ever wear, hands down. Jenn at Run Pretty Far will donate ONE tank or shirt of your choice! My personal favorite is the "cake" shirt. I'll be sporting a tank at the Palo Duro 50k next month! Find them on twitter @runprettyfar

From... INK N' BURN!! They are generously donating ONE pair of arm sleeves! I personally LOVE the new Halloween line they have out and have ordered the Zombie sleeves for myself. This one is a great one if I have any guys out there interested in participating. Find them on twitter @INKnBURN

 
From FLIP BELT!! They are going to donate one of their awesome flip belts... IN ANY COLOR to the winner. Their website states that it even works with the iPhone 5 (I have tested with iPhone 4, and it worked great). I wore my Flip Belt during the San Francisco marathon, and it held everything I needed for the race. LOVE THESE!! (PS - the nuclear yellow looks AMAZING). On twitter @FlipBelt

From... YMX BY YELLOWMAN!! YMX is generously donating to TWO winners. Each winner has their choice of any classic tank or run top!!! I was lucky enough to win a long sleeve tri jersey from them during a twitter contest last fall. I ADORE IT. They are my go-to brand for stylish tops to wear - especially in winter. The only time I've ever (intentionally) raced in long sleeves, I was wearing one of their shirts. I am PSYCHED to be able to offer this to you! Aren't these beautiful?? Find them on twitter @WearYMX

One winner a day will be selected via random.org beginning OCTOBER 15. Winner will have 24 hours to get in touch with me to select their prize. After the prize has been chosen, this post will be updated to reflect that it is no longer available. (This MAY have to be adjusted... I have enough to give out that this could go on for weeks.) Thanks to overwhelming support from the above companies, I am going to do the giveaway prizes a bit different. I will select ALL the winners via random.org on October 15. If you are selected as a winner, email me ASAP (squirrelgirl44@hotmail.com) and rank the prizes in the order you would want to win them, with 1. being the items you would want the MOST. (On the day winners are announced, I will list the prizes so you can copy and paste - hopefully that will make things go a bit smoother).

Also... I might have a few other things to toss in there, and will add at my discretion. I wanted to get this up and running so that you would have THREE weekends to race!

****NOTE**** If you've already donated, THANK YOU, and there is NO NEED to donate again to join the race. To the two AWESOME ladies that have already donated, I have already set you up with entries.

Disclaimer: ALL of these items were donated to me by those fantastic companies. All of the opinions are my own. I only approached companies that I personally use and love. Let's show some love to these awesome AWESOME companies.

Flip Belt (Product Review)

I first heard about Flipbelt at the Platte River half back in April. One of the girls we were running with had one. She wasn't quite sure where she had gotten it, but I was impressed with the lack of "bulk" that is common in most belts. Most impressive was that it could still hold an iPhone, and she swore it didn't move around. Hmmm.

As the months went by, I still didn't see one for sale anywhere, then I had another friend try one out during the Colorado marathon. I wanted one so bad but couldn't find one.

Thankfully... I was able to get a hold of the company that manufactures them and I finally ordered one. They are based out of a suburb of Denver, so I received it super quick. I was able to try it out this weekend. First... I wore it to the bar while having drinks. Don't judge me! It was awesome! Couldn't see it under my shirt, AND, I didn't have to dig in my purse for my keys. Then, I was tested it out during a hot 5 mile run on Saturday morning. Sure enough, as promised, there was NO bouncing, nothing fell out, and I forgot I was even wearing it. I ran with my iPhone in the back and keys in the front. No "bunching" and the belt DID NOT MOVE.

Front (or back)

side view - flat

iPhone in there, flipped over

I LOVE THIS BELT. I love that there is nothing on this belt to ruin my clothes (velcro, snaps, etc) and that it is available in so many colors. I picked mine in red, but comes in about a dozen colors. At $24.99 it is worth every penny. Pick one up, I promise you won't regret it!

From their website:

Product Description

No need to fumble with fasteners while you’re active, you don’t have to wear a fanny pack... just slip your phone & items in/out of the pocket openings & slide them anywhere you want. Flip belt inward to securely lock in your items... It’s so easy & looks great.  Patent Pending

o Multi-access pocket openings throughout belt

o Turn items & pocket access up/down/inside as convenient

o Flip to lock in items

o Reflective logo - stretch non-crack 3M Quality Reflective

o Non-Bounce, Even Design

o No buckles to cause uncomfortable chafing

o Machine washable

o EPA Certified, Odor Resistant, Pilling Resistant, Anti-Bacterial High Tech Poly Spandex Fabric

o Available in colors, accent your workout wardrobe

Care:

Machine wash cold water, tumble dry low, Non-Chlorine Bleach as Needed

Unisex Size Guide*				Belt Circumference Unstretched
	Waist	Womens	Mens
XS	22"-25"	0	23-26	25"
S	26"-29"	2-4	26-30	26"
M	29"-32"	6-8	30-32	28"
L	32"-35"	10-12	32-36	31"
XL	35"-38"	14-16	36-41	34"

*Size Tips: To ensure the most comfortable fit, choose the size appropriate to how you prefer to wear the belt.  If you prefer it around your waist go smaller, your hips - go bigger.  If your body type experiences ride from belts, try a bigger size that allows the belt to sit comfortably on your hips.