Richmond Marathon Recap

Just a quick recap of marathon #5.  To sum up: it wasn't my day. My hip felt off from the moment the rain soaked race started. By mile 3 when the rain subsided I had managed to convince myself that my hip didn't hurt at all (LIAR!!!!).  On a steep downhill at the end of mile 8 it just gave out. There was actually a quick stab of pain where it felt like lighting  ran through my veins. I had every intention of dropping out of the race and taking my first DNF except I couldn't figure out the logistics. I couldn't figure out how the hubs would come get me, how I would stay warm, and then I realized I still had to make my way to the finish festival because I checked a bag.  I tried to look for a medical tent and to be completely honest I couldn't find one the rest of the course. 

Race Takeaways: wasn't my day. Back to the drawing board. 

Race Logistics: Look this was a smaller race. I think there are roughly five thousand marathon participants, eight thousand half marathoners, and four thousand 8k runners. The start times are staggered and the marathon goes off last at 8am. That staggered start made everything really easy. The hubs and I stayed at a hotel 3 miles from the start line and it took us less than 10 minutes to drive to downtown. The hubs dropped me off at 7:05am and I walked a few blocks over to bag check. I was able to check my bag, get through the port-a-potty line, and down a bottle of water before the half marathon went off at 7:30am. This was the quickest port-a-potty line I've ever been at in a race. 

Race Tip: Find the port-a-potties farthest from the start line. They generally have the shortest line! Unless they are the first port-a-potty spot from a major line of transportation, then go to the second farthest ones. 

Security was nothing like any of the other marathons I've been to this year. NYC took wands to people just to enter certain sections of Central Park, all bags were searched, and all runners had to pass through security checkpoints. Baltimore had security checkpoints and all bags had to be examined. Richmond required that all checked bags be in the clear bags handed out at the expo. That was the extent of the security.  There were plenty of police present at the start line and at the finish expo. 

Post-Race Festival: I got there later than expected and I'm sure things were more crowded during peak finish times, but I received my fleece blanket (nice touch!), medal, bottle of water, and a slice of pizza within 3 minutes of finishing.  The signs made it appear that bag check would be farther away, but it took two minutes to find my UPS truck and get my bag.  There was plenty of pizza left when I got there and that makes me think anyone who wanted pizza could get pizza. The beer line was quick and efficient as well! 

Crowd Support: This race has the tagline, "America's Friendliest Marathon" and that set the bar pretty high. To me, nothing has come close to the crowd support during the 2010 Marine Corps Marathon. I get the weather was absolutely pristine that day and that definitely helped and it was a bigger race so it isn't far to use that as a comparison. However, there were lots of "dead" spots during the Richmond marathon. I wasn't expecting NYC-like crowds, but there were just so many areas that had zero crowd support that I was a bit bummed. Yet, when there were crowds they were absolutely amazing. There must have been hundreds of signs posted along the way that were encouraging and funny as heck. Some of my favorite crowds were along Main Street in The Fan district. One of the bars had a sign, "you cheer, we drink!" in which they encouraged runners to cheer as they ran by so the guys at the bar would do shots. Highly entertaining. The hubs and I made sure to bar hop later that night in that district just to pay it back to some of the bars.

There was a massive wall right after mile 20. I've heard about it from other runners who have done Richmond and every year the wall is decorated to say, "the wall." It's a really nice feeling to run through the wall during a marathon. Totally mental, but a really nice touch. There was lots of beer, candy, soda, and other treats to pick up along the course from plenty of nice folks. 

Course: This baby is hillier than the elevation map leads you to believe! I know that's said of every marathon, but there are a lot of stretches where there felt like it was just small enough of an incline that you're like, "I'm running up a hill, right?" Mile 15 is this massive long, concrete bridge and it's just one long gradual incline. There are some serious downhills on this course and they are STEEP. I might be in the minority of runners here, but I absolutely hate downhills. Those suckers hurt. The finish line is one massive downhill and by that point I didn't care, but every one of those hard steps at the end hurt. 

Overall: Look, I didn't have my day. I finished in 50 minutes longer than I wanted to and that part hurt.  I'm not going to let that ruin my outlook on Richmond because the hubs and I had a great weekend, minus the three hours of pain during a marathon. Our objective was to have a drinking weekend without the pups. Mission Accomplished! He had a great time drinking on Friday night while I was the designated driver. Thanks to Urban Spoon I was able to find amazing gluten free bison meatloaf at McCormack's Whiskey Grill & Smokehouse and the hubs enjoyed a bison sandwich and whiskey. Saturday night we went bar hopping (well, I hobbled), ate small plates at a few different pubs, had the best bar pizza ever at 31 Monkeys, and tried a host of local Richmond brews (Hardywood, Center of the Universe, and Legends were among the best). The night ended with good karma and walking out of the last bar to find not one, but two cabs waiting on the corner. 

A great weekend indeed. 

My marathon medal will keep me straight over the winter. I'm signing up for my next marathon that is going to require I train during the colder months and I'll gladly take it because as soon as my hip gets better I'm going to be chasing that sub four hour time. 

Inspired at Marine Corps Marathon 2013

I absolutely love the running community. That welcoming camaraderie among runners was one of my favorite pieces of Bourbon Chase, yet it is probably the most difficult to explain. Runners are a crazy bunch, but I'm constantly inspired by other runners and if I could bottle up that feeling I'd never have to fuel again. 

This past weekend I went down to DC to cheer on some of my running group buddies as they trekked through DC to complete the Marine Corps Marathon.  I got to my spot on the mall just in time to see the lead women go by and then I started walking the mall to cheer for runners.  I only snapped a few quick photos because my hands were too busy clapping, holding up a sign, and doling out high fives to passing runners. 

I was inspired by the kids who strategically waited near the top of a hill to cheer on competitors with a safe, "you've got this hill!" In the world of video games, cell phone games, and a million other distractions it was amazing to see a group of kids stand outside for hours and never complain once that they were bored. 

Running a marathon is hard enough, but I can't even comprehend the strength it would take to push an adult the entire 26.2 miles. And this guy was flying! 

Inspired by the Marines who showed up well before I did and stayed far long after I left to watch the 5:30 pace group make the last turn around the mall to head over the dreaded bridge.  These Marines were cheering the entire time, but ready to provide assistance at a seconds notice. 

Inspired by our brothers in sisters in arms who ran in their gear and many honored their fallen brethren. 

Inspired by those that take a different path in life and say, "running a marathon barefoot isn't so crazy." 

Inspiring is watching Dorothy Beal run. Her 3:13 on Sunday was impressive on its own, but add to the equation that she's worked her way down to that blazing time from more earthly times and the work she's put in makes her marathon time super human. And she has three kids! Dorothy - you are an inspiration. 

And then there are the inspiring moments where words escape me. 

Dear Marine Corps Marathon runners. Thank you for the inspiration. My runs this week will be fueled by witnessing your determination. The strength and perseverance you displayed will guide me through my darkest miles in my next marathon. And for that I can never thank you enough. 

Marine Corps Marathon: 2012 Recap

For the record, I started to "write" this recap while riding down the metro escalator at the Rosslyn metro stop while blinking back tears.  It really was going to be a whole, "pity party for one" type of recap and then Hurricane Sandy blew into town.  Sunday night the rain started and thankfully Monday morning I was able to run over to Target and get some basic provisions before the full force of the storm hit.  Sandy really put things into perspective for me.  I had a bad race.  That was it.  Yes, I was in a lot of physical pain, but that pain has subsided over the past few days.  The hubs and I came through the storm incredibly lucky. We had a few big tree limbs come down and thankfully they missed our front porch and my car.  

My heart goes out to everyone who was affected by Hurricane Sandy.  My own family up in NY isn't expected to have power in their house for another 10 days.  

Last Monday, October 28th, I woke up and felt "off."  By Monday night I realized I was getting a cold.  I did what any normal human would do and I started to dope up on DayQuil and NyQuil, took in lots of fluids, and popped vitamin C tablets like they were breath mints.  I started to feel better, but I was definitely still drowsy and lethargic all week, which isn't ideal the week leading up to a marathon.  Granted, I'd have my normal tapering hyper moments, but they weren't as frequent as they had been in the past.

Race day morning I woke up at 4:40am, toasted a flaxseed whole week muffin, grabbed my stuff, and drove down to the New Carrollton Metro station to meet other members of the Annapolis Strider's Moore's Marines.  However, in my rush to get into the metro station I left my bottle of water in the car.  I had already downed one bottle of water on my drive to the metro station, so I wasn't overly concerned, but I would have liked that other bottle of water.

The hope was to meet the rest of our Moore's Marines running buddies by the UPS trucks at 7am.  Well, we left the NC metro stop at 5:50 and still didn't make it to the UPS trucks by 7am.  I think we finally got to bag drop-off at 7:20am.  Thankfully, the guy in front of me at bag check at an extra bottle of water and I had zero issues with asking him if I could steal a bottle of water from him.

The craziest thing happened - my core running group all found each other at the port-a-potties near the start line.  The lines for the port-a-potties at the Runner's Village were super long and I said we should try the ones near the start line.  It was funny because that's where we found our other running buddy who came in from a completely different metro line.  30,000 runners lining up and the four of us found each other - that's awesome!

Even though I had been fighting a cold all week I still had delusions about going for a four hour marathon.  Right before the start I left my running buddies with the 4:30 pace group and headed off to see if I could find the 4:00 pace group, which I didn't.  So I started the race alone.  Looking back I should have listened to my body and ran with my running group and tried to have fun during the race.  It probably would have been a lot more enjoyable.

The howitzer went off and I started the 2012 Marine Corps Marathon.  I tend to start off fast, so my goal for the first three miles was to actively try to stay slow and not pass people.

Mile 1 - 9:11
Mile 2 - 9:30
Mile 3 - 9:04

First three miles - mission accomplished.

However, I felt like I had sand in the back of my throat at the first water stop.  It got bad when every two miles I was looking for water even though I knew there weren't water stops that frequent.

Even though I felt tired and thirsty I was running well.  Miles where I didn't have to slow down to fuel or drink water were clicking by in the 8:40 - 8:50 range.  Slowing down to take in water and fuel only slowed me down to 9:06 - 9:11 miles and usually I'm much slower than that when it comes to water and fuel.

I definitely noticed there was less crowd support than MCM 2010, but I figured impending Hurricane Sandy might have forced a few people out of town.  However, running through Georgetown brought chills down my spine.  I can't even describe the euphoria that occurs when I run down a street that is jam packed full of spectators screaming, beating drums, dancing, and just going nuts.  I pledge to cheer at just as many races as I run next year so I can give back to other runners in someway.

The wind was definitely stronger in some areas than I remember from two years ago.  Again, there was a hurricane coming and if I forgot that for a second the countless signs that proclaimed, "Run faster! Sandy is coming!" definitely reminded me.

I saw the hubs for the first time somewhere around mile 11.  It was crazy, I was wearing a hat and definitely had tunnel vision, but somehow I saw him across the road.  I immediately cut across the road, stopped, gave him a kiss, and then went on my merry way.  We saw each other three more times before mile 20.  He left the camera at home because of the weather, but he tried taking a few pictures with his cell phone.

Exhibit A:

Thanks for the photobomb topless dude! This was just before the dreaded bridge as I saw the hubs one last time before the finish line.  I shouted to him, "4:10" because at that point that was the time I thought I was going to beat.  I kind of gave up on 4 hours at that point, which maybe I shouldn't have done with that many miles left, but I knew I'd start slowing down soon.  I just didn't know how soon and how badly I'd slow down.

Somewhere over the dreaded bridge it happened.  My right quad muscle spasmed and badly.  It looked like I was having a mini Alien moment because I could see the muscle jumping up through my capris.  Ever single time I extended my leg the muscle jumped.  I literally had to keep my hand on my quad muscle in order to move forward and it's sad that after the race I had a hand imprint bruise on my leg from pushing down so hard.  

I had a great 20.5 mile run and a craptastic 5.7 mile walk.  I was just so frustrated because I trained more for this race than I had for my previous marathons combined.  I did three separate 20 mile runs and two of them were in intense heat and humidity.  

I was just dehydrated on race day.  That silly little cold got the best of me and it sucked.  Since July I woke up 4 times a week at 5am to go running and then come race week I had a little cold.  That's what ticks me off the most.  All that training can get wiped out by a tiny cold.  

Besties.  Still not putting much weight on my right leg.

Screw it. I quasi-ran a marathon and I'm going to smile for a darn picture.  

At some point I hope I remember this race not for the quad spasm, but for racing a hurricane.

Mission not accomplished this time around, but I know I'll get to sub 4:00 soon. 

Anyone else run Marine Corps?  How did you do?

20 Milers: Wake me up when September ends!

September 1st started out with a bang as I woke up at my usual 5am in order to eat and meet up with my marathon training group for our long-run.  Thankfully it was Labor Day weekend and I think everyone at running group was looking forward to having an extra day to recover after the first 20 miler. Mother nature decided that she was ticked with all this "transition to fall" talk and she roared out with 84 degrees and high humidity at the finish.  That pretty much summed up the morning.

The goal for this first 20 miler was to do the distance and not worry about the pace.  We saw a HUGE black snake on the trail around mile 9 and that was not the increase in heart rate I needed at that point in time.

The water in my stomach started to slosh around mile 15 and that led to a pretty miserable last few miles.  When I finished I told the training coaches that for the first time in my life I was happy to have more than one 20 miler on my training program because if Saturday's run was my only one then I was going to be in poor form come marathon time.

I was also pleased that the training coaches knew the run would suck and it would be hot out, so they brought frozen fruit pops for everyone.  Honestly, my little running pack was talking during the run about what we wanted to eat post-run and frozen fruit pops came up more than once.  It was like they read our minds!

The rest of Saturday was a blur as I rotated between napping, eating, reading, napping, eating, etc.  I think I woke up at one point with Jax sitting on my chest trying to get my attention.  It's going to be a tiring September.

Here's my long-run schedule for the rest of the month:

Sunday, September 9th - Parks Half Marathon
Saturday, September 15th - 20 miler #2
Saturday, September 22nd - 18 miles
Saturday, September 29th - 20 miler #3   (22 miles if I'm feeling crazy)



Yeah, I'm doing three separate twenty mile runs in the month of September.  In a nutshell: don't expect much out of me for the rest of the month!

September is going to be the most highly scripted month of my life:

Mondays - Work, Yoga/Pilates with the hubs
Tuesdays - AM Run and work
Wednesdays - Work, Yasso 800s on the track with the hubs
Thursays - AM run, work, and dodgeball (beyond excited for dodgeball season to start)
Fridays - Work, sushi Fridays and early to bed
Saturdays - long run, shower, rest, recovery, and eat everything in the house.
Sundays - AM recovery runs, errands, football, etc.


How is everyone else doing with their running? Any other fall marathoners out there? I know I'm looking forward to the idea of running in cooler temperatures. Bring on the capris and long-sleeve shirts!

Cincinnati Flying Pig: The Race

Leading up to to my third marathon I was feeling pretty good. All that was really freaking me out was the weather forecast! I had run two marathons previously, so that whole mental component of, "are you freaking kidding me? How far are you running?" was no longer a concern.  Or so I thought!

Sure enough, the crew of Roy, Patrick, Bee, and I met at 5:30am sharp in the hotel parking lot.   I've got to say, three marathons in and I've got my pre-race routine down to a science.  Bee and I looked at each other  at 5:27am and we were like, "we're ready with 3 minutes to spare."  I ate 3 cranberry and dark chocolate chip mini-scones that I made Friday night.  Yeah, it's weird but that's what I make the night before a long run and it works.  I suffered major tummy issues in my last marathon and didn't want to repeat that mess. 

Our hotel in Covington, KY was a mile from the start of the race and that was the perfect walking warm up for the race.  Except for that freakish moment over the bridge when a HUGE truck rolled by and I got freaked out when the pedestrian bridge started shaking.  Alright Cincinnati, let's do this thing!

Weather update:  60 degrees and 90% humidity.

The start went off without a hitch! I was able to actually start slow for once.  I was in the corral for the 4hr to 4:10 folks, which was awesome because it was such a large group of people running pretty much the same pace.  A 10 minute spread was pretty small for such a large race.  

The humidity was brutal! At mile 2 I was already wishing I wore a sports bra rather than a sports tank top.  I knew I was going to have some serious chaffing during this race.  

Miles 1-5 passed pretty easily.  

Then, the hills came. 

Seriously, miles 5.25 through 8.25 were nothing but brutal hills. I am a freak and absolutely love hills, but these suckers were long and never ending. Normally I like to charge the hills because I firmly believe, "charge the hill and you're done with it quick."  Yeah, that didn't work with soul suckers like these.  

Thankfully, there were amazing bands and an amazing speaker setup in the hills BLASTING Beastie Boys.  I yelled out a quick, "RIP MCA!!!!" and took the next hill with a bit more vigor.  

Then, mother nature called.  Quick pitstop right before mile 10 and I was back out on the road.  

 Bee's dad, Dr. D., and stepmom, Marcy, were camped out at mile 10 to take pictures.  Bee looked amazing!

Normally I race all races in capris to cut down on the dreaded thigh rub, but this race was just going to be too hot for that.  So at the expo I did everything you're not, you know buy something new and use it the next day.  I bought this little pocket wristband type thing to stash my fuel in and it worked amazing.  Best $10 I've ever spent!

 

Dr. D joked that my braided pony tail could kill someone.  I think I might have to cut my hair here soon because I could feel it swatting my back throughout the race.  It's rough being a girl sometimes. 

Here's my splits for the first half of the race:

Running a bit slower than I would have liked, but with the heat I knew I had to slow down in order to survive.  I definitely slowed down during the hills, but I didn't want to charge them and use up too much energy. I will give major props to the Flying Pig organizers because as soon as the weather forecast was made for higher than normal temperatures they added additional water stops.  There was a fluid station on every mile of the course, which at first sounded like a bit much, but I only skipped the first water station because the crowds were too thick still.  After that I welcomed every cup of water. 

 Mile 16 and feeling good!  Running with the 4:10 pace group and having a blast.  It's hot and I've stopped at all of the medical tents for additional petroleum jelly (Vaseline is a brand people, not the product!), but other than that I was feeling amazing.

Then, there was a quick, steep hill right before mile 17.


I don't know what happened, but 10 seconds up the hill my right leg slipped back and my left leg crossed over my right leg and my back just snapped to the side.  It was like a lighting strike ran down the course of my spine and everything became solid.  My butt became numb, which has been one of the most odd experiences I've ever undergone in my life. I couldn't rotate my back at all, which meant that swinging my arms felt like a serrated edge knife was jamming down my spine and getting caught on every vertebrae.

It sucked.

I really did try to keep moving.  Some moments were easier than other, but it seemed my whole body started shutting down.  Miles 20-26 were nothing but asphalt and the open road, which mean lots and lots of sunshine.  It was so hot that I was practically melting.  People started running on the sidewalk just to tuck into any bit of shade they could find.  

Miles 25 and 26 felt like they would never end.  A medical technician on a bike actually rode next to me for most of mile 25.  Yeah, it felt like the vultures were circling.  I had to keep reminding myself that every step forward meant that was one less to the finish.  

It's crazy, I knew that that faster I got to the finish line meant the faster I'd be out of the sun, but I just couldn't get there.  My body wouldn't cooperate.  I felt like I still had energy in the tank, but I just couldn't put together the right physical movements to make it happen. Every time either one of my feet pounded on the ground I started to cry.  Then, I'd get pissed at myself because I didn't want to waste any body fluid with tears.  It just hurt so bad.  

I got there eventually.  It took a heck of a lot longer than I wanted, but I finished in just under 5 hours. Yuck!  It was 82 degrees at the finish, which sucked.  I got so sunburned and I think I was more embarrassed by that than anything! I take my sunscreen routine very seriously. 

Here's some more photos from the day.  Marcy was great and took a ton of pictures with my camera. 

Roy, "didn't feel it" at mile 2, but still finished in a 3:32.  Marathon #27 is in the books! 

Of course Dr. D jumped on the course at mile 25 to run a bit with Bee.  She jumped in the New York City Marathon and ran a few miles with him during what turned out to be his last marathon.  

Everyone knew he's jump in for a bit, but no one was sure for how long.  

Finally at the finish!  Patrick busted out a PR and ran a blazing fast 3:24.  On such a tough course that was awesome.  Everyone said that as soon as they hit mile 20 the weather felt really hot.  It must have been the way the course was laid out!

I was super embarrassed that everyone had to wait so long for me, but they all found a spot in the shade and had a good time.   That's what friends are for -  they wait for you at the end of a ridiculously long and hot race with nothing but smiles and encouragement.

I know I'm not happy with my time, but I'm happy I finished. That pig medal was all I could think of in order to get over the finish line.  As the pace groups kept passing me by I didn't even care about the time, I just wanted to finish and be done.  It took every ounce of energy and toughness to walk by the medical station at mile 25 and not give up.  

 It's all about the details people! Not only was their a pig on one side of the medal, there was a pig butt on the other side!

I literally earned that medal in blood, sweat, and tears.  That medal means more to me than a lot of other medals I've  earned over the years.

I do have to finish with a massive thank you to all of the volunteers or "Secret Service Grunts" as they were called at the Flying Pig. Everyone was amazing.  A heartfelt thanks to all off the spectators during the race. Your enegry and care was amazing.  There were random strangers with signs like, "Don't POOP your pants," and people that threw house parties along the course.  There was a church around mile 9 that set up a series of water sprinklers that were such refreshing treat.  There were two women around mile 19 handing out ice chips to all the runners. The volunteer fire department at mile 21 (I think, it was all a blur at that point!) that handed out cold water logged towels and they were just what I needed.  Someone tucked a water bottle into my hand at mile 25 and I carried that bottle like a safety blanket to the finish of the race. Seriously, when it came time to go through the finish festival a Grunt tried to take my empty water bottle and I looked confused. 

I thank  anyone who had anything to do with the Flying Pig Marathon.  It was an amazing time and I'll never forget the kindness.  I don't know if I'll run the Flying Pig again, way too much pink for me, but I'll have nothing but positive things to say about the race.  

IT'S JUST 4 - 10Ks

I came into work this morning and these inspirational/motivational signs greeted me at my desk: 

 Okay, it's go time.  T-minus 46 hours until I run the Cincinnati Flying Pig Marathon.  

Heck, in 48 hours I hope to only have to run an additional half-marathon.  Those are easy at this point! 

Oh, that's right. I've been FREAKING out about the weather forecast because it keeps changing by the minute.  At one point this week it was projected to be a high of 88 degrees on Sunday and chance of serious lightning.   My co-worker decided to make light of my weather related freak-outs. 

So yes, I've been a little down in the dumps about the weather.  I'm a red head and I just don't do well in the heat. I have no idea how the heck I used to run around a soccer field during the middle of the summer for so many years. It's like I used up all my heat time playing soccer and I have nothing left. 

Um, beer at the end?  Try beer at mile 22! It's like a liquid form of bread and it's good for you!

Still rocking the Converse :)

Have I ever mentioned that 10Ks are my least favorite racing distance?  I haven't done one since high school!  Although I've been toying with the idea of running one next month just to see how it goes. 

Well, at this point there's nothing I can do to prepare for running this next marathon besides pack my clothes and make sure I don't forget anything important (shoes! watch! sports bra! BODY GLIDE!!!).  My rational is that besides broken in shoes I can buy everything else at the expo. I'd rather not buy a new watch, but I know I could if I absolutely needed to and was in a serious bind. 

Crap, I need to remember to check into my flight and print off my boarding pass. Maybe I need to start a to-do list. 

See you on the flip side. Marathon #3 is about to happen. 

Marine Corps Marathon: 2 hours and 41 minutes

HECK NO IS THAT MY TIME!!!!

Wednesday at 3pm ET registration opened for the 37th running of the Marine Corps Marathon which will be held on Sunday, October 28th in parts of our nation's capital.

(Seeing the family around mile 16 during 2010's MCM)

I tried registering promptly at 3:01pm and couldn't access the registration site through Active.com. There were so many people attempting to register that it shut down the website!

Thankfully, at 3:20pm I was able to register! I was nervous because I didn't get my confirmation email for a few more hours.

However, the race sold out in 2 hours and 41 minutes and according to RunningUSA that's the fastest sell out of all U.S. marathons! For reference, Tezata Dengersa, the 2011 Women's Winner of MCM ran the course in 2:39:19. The race sold out in just over two minutes slower than the fastest woman last year ran the race!

It's crazy and inspiring that there are so many people out there in the world that want to run the People's Marathon. I don't know if Marine Corps will go the way of Boston and introduce some type of rolling admission because that seems counter-intuitive to the entire notion of having a "People's Marathon." I just know that in future years I'm going to make sure to have a calendar reminder setup for registration time and register ASAP.

I've already been shut out of one race this year and I wasn't about to let Marine Corps be my second.

I'm really looking forward to running MCM again. I've run the same half marathon three years in a row and it's really nice knowing a course and having a heads up on where the hills and trouble spots are located. It'll be very calming on October 28th that I've survived the course before and I can do it again.

The only downside to 2012's MCM edition is that my bestie isn't running :( She's in the lottery for NYC and I hope to goodness she gets in. Unfortunately, the races are just a week apart so there's no way she could do both. I know I can count on her to cheer for me during MCM and perhaps I need to return the favor and go to to New York to cheer for her as well.

I'm kind of nervous, this will be the first big race I've run without her. She's been at the start line with me and has waited at the finish for me for every half marathon or marathon I've run. This is going to be weird. However, I do remember her cheering for me during the 2010 Cherry Blossom and it was amazing to hear her voice pop up all over the course. Okay, it looks like I definitely need to go to New York and return the favor :)

Anyone else running Marine Corps? Any other fall marathons on your calendar?

18 Weeks Out: Up next Flying Pig

After a disastrous showing at the Philadelphia Marathon, my bestie and I verbally committed to running a spring marathon. A quick look at what was available in May 2012 led us to finalizing our decision on the Cincinnati Flying Pig Marathon. Darn, that is a mouthful. She's going to call it Flying Pig and I'm going to call it Cincinnati.

However, just a few weeks ago we were talking about our different training plans and I commented, "you know, 18 weeks out from Cincinnati is the first week of January."

Echoing silence.

It's a amazing how quickly these things sneak up on you!

As I thinking up this post last night, I was sitting on the couch, wrapped up in a warm blanket, watching tv with a hot water bottle puppy at my feet. Outside the wind was shrieking and I thought to myself, "bring it!"

Running in the cold may burn my lungs and chap my lips, but I can always throw on another layer of clothes run hard enough to warm myself up. Running in the dead heat of summer makes me melt faster than Frosty the Snowman in the desert and it's not a pretty sight. Perhaps training for a spring marathon will go better than training for a fall marathon.

No matter what happens, signing up for a spring marathon should prove to be much more beneficial for my health than any New Year's resolution. I can resolve to give up Chick-fil-A until I'm blue in the face, but I know if I'm running the next day I can't get moving with that sludge in my body. Mmmm, no wonder most runners are so damn skinny. I think they're on to something!

Anyone else gearing up for a Spring 2012 marathon? Which one? What training plan are you following?

I'm going to post my tentative 2012 racing calendar in the coming days as more inspiration to get my butt in gear.