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RR Natinal Marathon, LONG!! (Read 779 times)

ironTriKev


IronMan ;)

    The National Marathon on 29 March 2008 was my third marathon of 2008 and my second in the month of March (BA Trail on 3/2). The day before I decided to go over my training log and realized that I probably didn’t really have enough quality long runs to support a real bid for 3:30 (my BQ time). I was also feeling my left IT band since the previous evening, so my confidence in a well run marathon was not very high. The weather reports seemed to deteriorate throughout the week with the final report for marathon morning to be a breezy cold morning with temps in the mid 30’s I had originally planned on wearing my race ready shorts with the extra storage pockets for my nutrition plan, along with a long sleeve compression shirt and long sleeve tech shirt. I was able to get some good quality sleep on both Thursday and Friday nights, of about eight hours each which is a bit more than my normal 61/2 to 7 hours. Marathon morning I woke at 4:30 to get ready. My IT band was feeling much better. I decided to take my long running pants and put them on at the last minute if needed. I grabbed my Clif blocks and power bar along with a couple of succeed tablets, I had trouble locating my bottle if ibuprofen (vitamin I) and remembered there was a bottle in my study so I grabbed it, took one for insurance on the IT band) and put a couple of tablets in the baggy with my Succeed. My plan was to take on at mile 17 and still have one just in case. I drove over to RFK stadium via Benning road, and may have got a speeding ticket with one fo those automated speeding cameras, but I’m not sure as I don’t think I was going over the speed limit. I guess I’ll know in a few weeks if I get a present from the city in the mail Sad I arrived and found some great parking. Took the short walk over to the club zone. On the way I decide that I would bee too cold in my shorts so I went back to the car and grabbed my running pants. Once at the RR tent in the club zone, I met up with Kona Kev and chatted a bit with him and some other running buddies. It was chilly and the wind seemed to be picking up as evidenced on the flags over the Armory. All the while I was waiting around I kept having a few negative thoughts, I just really didn’t feel the big excitement of the impending race and actually felt a little like either running the half or just going home and heading out to my sons soccer tournament. Of course I didn’t and soon we were called to the start line. It was cold and windy and many of the runners were shivering. I saw DonnaR and she was shaking. My race plan was to run the first 13 miles at a HR of 145 bpm, then miles 14-21 at a HR of 150 bpm and then the final miles at whatever HR I can sustain. My other plan was to stick with my nutrition plan as I tend to forget to take in enough calories. I set my Garmin watch to remind me to eat two Clif blocks at 4.74, 6.75, 8.75, 13, 16.75, 19.75 this would give me time to get the block down just before a water stop. At 7:02 we were off and running down East Capitol Street towards the Capitol Dome. Miles 1 and 2 of the course is nicknamed the Capitol Hill Charge and I ticked them off at 8:16 and 7:52. I passed Mayor Adrian Fenty in the first half mile and said hello, nice guy. I was getting erratic HR readings as my strap was dry and would take a bit before the readings settled out so I went on perceived effort and felt like I was under my target HR. Miles 3 and 4 are named National Mall Madness, I really like this part of the course as there are a few more spectators it is pretty flat and there are all the museums. I ticked these mile off at 7:47 and 8:06 my HR readings were stable enough to use and they were right on target. My watch signaled me to eat at 4.75 and Mile 5 (Dupont Circle Dash) came and went. This was the beginning of a series of climbs that we would face up to about mile 8.5. I saw TimC, the president of our running club here and chatted with him a bit. My HR here was a bit high at 150 so I dialed it back and let Tim run on ahead my pace was 8:26. Mile six is the Kalorama Climb and the steepest hill we would face. It wasn’t as bad as I envisioned and I ran it in 8:16 and an average HR of 146. This felt pretty good and I began to entertain thoughts of a PR. My watch again reminded me to eat at 6.75. Mile seven, is the Adams Morgan Minute or more realistically the AM 8:21 This section rolled a little bit and my HR was back up to 150but since it is now a bit of a downhill I ran mile eight and the Bison Bend and the Children's Hospital Scramble in 8:07 HR 147. 8.75 and time to eat a couple of Clif Blocks again. Mile nine, the Bloomingdale Bustle, also takes us around the reservoir and is still downhill so I ran it 8:14 with an HR of 146. Mile 10 is the Eckington Oomph I got into a groove here and ran it in 7:49 with a HR righ on target at 145. I wasn’t really keeping track of how I was doing overall, I was just trying to focus on HR, nutrition, form and breathing, but I thought I might be on track for a PR. I also knew there was a lot of running left and that anything could happen. A quick overall systems check came up very positive as I had no issues, aches or pains. Mile 11 is the H Street High-Speed I chatted with a runner from New York who was doing the half, other than that it was pretty uneventful I ran it in 8:15 with an avg HR of 147, still on track. The next two miles took us the Half split, Mile 12 and 13 were both around 8:15 and avg HR was 148, a bit high but I was ready to get to the next HR stage where I would bump it up to 150. I took two more Clif Blocks and declined the Red Bull. This course had three scheduled Red Bull stops but I couldn’t imagine taking that stuff in, I don’t care for it even when I’m not running a marathon! We cruised around RFK Stadium and into a nice headwind. I saw another friend, DeeDee who was running strong and motored right by me. We both commented on how the wind picked up and seemed to be coming from two directions at the same time. I really didn’t care much for passing the finish for the half marathon and then cruising around right by it again you can hear the announcer calling out names of finishers and the crowd is cheering for the finishers and you know you still have a half marathon to go. On the positive side I did happen to hear a announcement about the Marathon leaders and learned that my favorite, Michael Wardian was in a c comfortable leading position. We were now back at the Capitol Hill Charge and cruising back toward the Capitol Dome again. I came up to the water stop at mile 15 and saw a bicycle lying half under that table. As I passed the table I saw a runner also lying half under the table. I hope she was ok. Mile 15 was 8:41 with an avg hr of 150. I think the wind had something to do with this split. Mile 16 led us around the Capitol dome and mile 17 was on the mall. That with the wind I would dial my HR strategy back a bit and keep it closer to 145, hmmm I was going to be conservative Smile Mile 16 and 17 splits were both around 8:30 and avg HR was 146. At the water stop I slowed to get out my succeed and vitamin I, insurance tab. As I did my friend and Trail Dawg Team mate Bruce, tapped me on the shoulder and cruised on by. We Turned into the 9th street tunnel and I decide to keep Bruce in my sights, I ran mile 18 in 8:43, HR back to 150. We turned onto Water Street and could get a glimpse of the Cherry Blossoms over on Haines Point. Kind of a rough patch coming up for miles 19 and 20. Where I and probably most middle of the pack runners experience the first bite of the Marathon Dawg. I ran both of the miles in 8:57 with an average HR back to my target 150. There was a strange little out and back on 2nd street that was not indicated on the map. I saw Bruce here and another fellow RR, and our previous Club President, JimA, cruised past me. I ate half of my power bar just before the mile 19 water stop which was another Red Bull stop that I only drank water at and then we went by the new Nationals Baseball stadium that was having it’s opening exhibition game that evening. We cruised over the S. Capitol Street Bridge to mile 20. Splits were 8:56 and 8:59 with avg HR still at 150. Now on to the most mentally challenging part of the course, the Anacostia Annex. The nice part was it was along the river. But there was a constant head wind and frankly it is pretty boring scenery. If you have run the Marine Corp. Marathon, it reminds you of Haines Point but just not as nice. Miles 21 and 22 were 9:16 and 9:45 with average HR at 148 as I consciously tried conserve energy for the upcoming rolling hills and finish. Mayor Fenty passed me just after the 21 mile marker and looked very good. Just after mile 22 we made a wide circle and ran back down river. The wind was at our backs but I knew were going to turn back into it and face the rolling hills of Minnesota Avenue. I ate most of the remaining Power Bar at the Mile 23 water stop, Mile 23 split 9:25, HR 147 as I readied myself for the final surge. The next section I had ran last year on the half marathon course and new the hills were more challenging then the course profile map leads you to believe. I ran mile 24 at 9:53 with a HR of 147 and then mile 25 at 8:57 with a HR of 153. I was glad to see that I could get my HR up as I had problems with that at B&A which indicated a bonk at that one. So I knew my nutrition plan was working. As I was running this mile I fell in with the 3:50 pace group being led by two women mid shipman. They indicated that they were running about 2 minutes fast. I made the decision that I had to come in before this group so I would be guaranteed to be under 3:50. As we neared the last water stop a guy in very tight running shorts heaves his guts up. We were about 50 yards away and it sounded like he was puking up his intestines. I think he was a victim of Red Bullicitis. The Navy pace team women cracked that it must have been caused by his tight shorts. That made almost everyone crack up but he continued doing what he was doing. The volunteers at the water stop had horrified looks as he was approaching them. I felt bad for the volunteers. We were now cruising onto East Capitol Street and back across the Anacostia River to the finish. I picked up the pace and ran the last mile at 8:24 with an HR of 153. The last ¼ mile took us back around RFK and to the finish. I ran this at a pace of 8:19 and a final sprint down the finsh chute at 7:15 m/mi. I completed my third marathon of the year in 3:47:44. Overall I place 520 out of 1387 and 58 out of 129 in my age group. My average pace for the 26.2miles was 8:42. I saw Mayor Fenty as he had finished his news interview and congratulated him and shook his hand. I also so Jim and Bruce at the finish. I wondered over to the food tent and grabbed a few bites and my stuff from our club tent. I walked back to the car to drive the hour up to my sons soccer tournament where later that afternoon I was an assistant referee for the second match so I had to chase the boys up and down the sidelines for an hour (they tied the first and won the second). As I was driving up to the match I called Suzanne. She was glad I was done and in good health. Then she asked me why I left so much stuff behind. Well the gloves were a spare pare, I didn’t want the race belt and I took only a couple of Succeed tabs from the bottle. She then asked me was about the Imodium? I said what Imodium; I don’t have any lower GI issues. Oh man, I wasn’t taking ibuprofen I was taking Imodium!!! Well it might be a while before all systems are back to normal Wink All and all I’m glad I ran the whole thing but I’m really looking forward to triathlon season.

    Tri-Kev Here are my favorite links:
    My "kick @ss" running club ;)

    Swim 2.4 miles.
    Ride 112 miles.
    Run 26.2 miles.
    Then brag for the rest of your life.
    -Commander John Collins, Ironman Triathlon creator


    Dave

      Very nice run, Kevin. I'm curious how you set the Garmin to remind you to eat. Seems like it worked well for you. Appreciate the detail. 3 marathons in 3 months is amazing. Reminds me to get back out and get some runs in (haven't run since our ski trip last week). Well done!! Remember to sign up for the Army 10 miler if you're interested. Opens tomorrow.

      I ran a mile and I liked it, liked it, liked it.

      dgb2n@yahoo.com

        Let me guess, March Madness up at Soccerplex? I much prefer last year's course, with Anacostia in the first half, the big hill at 18, and then bombing through city to the finish. The last few miles were just desolate and the half-mile uphill finish is less than thrilling. Still, I love running in DC. I'm a little biased because this is where I PR'd and qualified for Boston after basically cashing in every stamina chip I had on the table. This year, I ran as a long run tuneup for Beantown (and coming back from an injury-filled year). Much different experience and really a lot more pleasant in the last few miles. I actually had fantasies before the race about shutting it down at mile 21 and just smartly walking it in, but who was I kidding? Pros: Better t-shirts, good crowd support for first 13 miles, cherry blossoms, kites, and everything that is DC in early April. Cons: That last 6 miles, running down that weird path near the waterfront. Wind. Red Bull (what? i almost drank some by accident). Oh, and standing in the cold wind in Germantown was not pleasant. Nice race.
          Smile Great job. I did the half( 1:58:58) for the third year and have to say I'm not happy with the quality of this race. For my money I can do better at the local running clubs and better food. The actual run was pretty good and the hills were trying, but volunteers were great and the young people around mile 8 were a much needed lift-they get a 10. Kathy
          ironTriKev


          IronMan ;)

            Let me guess, March Madness up at Soccerplex? I much prefer last year's course, with Anacostia in the first half, the big hill at 18, and then bombing through city to the finish. The last few miles were just desolate and the half-mile uphill finish is less than thrilling. Still, I love running in DC. I'm a little biased because this is where I PR'd and qualified for Boston after basically cashing in every stamina chip I had on the table. This year, I ran as a long run tuneup for Beantown (and coming back from an injury-filled year). Much different experience and really a lot more pleasant in the last few miles. I actually had fantasies before the race about shutting it down at mile 21 and just smartly walking it in, but who was I kidding? Pros: Better t-shirts, good crowd support for first 13 miles, cherry blossoms, kites, and everything that is DC in early April. Cons: That last 6 miles, running down that weird path near the waterfront. Wind. Red Bull (what? i almost Anyway back to the race, drank some by accident). Oh, and standing in the cold wind in Germantown was not pleasant. Nice race.
            Yup, up at the soccerplex. How did your team fair? We failed to make the finals. I didn't like that tournament, we had to provide a ball, a Field Marshall and an AR for all home games, two out of three of which were home for us! What in the heck were we paying for, this was more of a friendlies to me! Since I had to run up and down the touch line I really didn't get all that cold up there but the rest of the parents were freezing Smile I agree with your Pros and Cons and where did that weird little out and back on 2nd street along Ft. McNair come from?? It was not on the map that was posted on-line. I really hated the race after leaving the new Nats Stadium. Seems to me they could design a course that stayed in side what most people think of as DC, in other words don't cross a bridge. Yeah I know that Annacostia is DC but it doesn't feel like it and besides the great volunteers, there is no real way for spectators to get to that area which is were you really start to need a little crowd support. BTW looks like both our measurements had the course a bit long, I know I didn't run all the tangents but I had it about .5 miles too long.

            Tri-Kev Here are my favorite links:
            My "kick @ss" running club ;)

            Swim 2.4 miles.
            Ride 112 miles.
            Run 26.2 miles.
            Then brag for the rest of your life.
            -Commander John Collins, Ironman Triathlon creator


            Another Passion

              Nice job, Kevin. Congratulations!

              Rick
              "The will to win means nothing without the will to prepare." - Juma Ikangaa
              "I wanna go fast." Ricky Bobby
              runningforcassy.blogspot.com

                Yup, up at the soccerplex. How did your team fair? We failed to make the finals. I didn't like that tournament, we had to provide a ball, a Field Marshall and an AR for all home games, two out of three of which were home for us! What in the heck were we paying for, this was more of a friendlies to me! Since I had to run up and down the touch line I really didn't get all that cold up there but the rest of the parents were freezing Smile I agree with your Pros and Cons and where did that weird little out and back on 2nd street along Ft. McNair come from?? It was not on the map that was posted on-line. I really hated the race after leaving the new Nats Stadium. Seems to me they could design a course that stayed in side what most people think of as DC, in other words don't cross a bridge. Yeah I know that Annacostia is DC but it doesn't feel like it and besides the great volunteers, there is no real way for spectators to get to that area which is were you really start to need a little crowd support. BTW looks like both our measurements had the course a bit long, I know I didn't run all the tangents but I had it about .5 miles too long.
                Kid's team just missed the finals. Que sera. I know they do their best, but it would be nice if they covered all the main bases. I think it's sponsored by my youngest son's club, so I can't be too critical. Another thing I missed from last year was that big ol' hill from Rock Creek Parkway up to the street above it. It was harsh at 19 or 20 or whatever and I thought it lent some character. I'm sure it's all about getting streets clear for DC, which is too bad. They'll probably change it again next year. I think I'll run the half.
                christine808


                  Congrats on a great performance!! I also did the marathon this weekend in 4:23, which was my first. I really enjoyed reading your detailed recap of the race. Miles 20-26 were incredibly tough, and what I found mentally challenging was the fact that you really didn't see RFK until the middle of Mile 25. Though slightly disorganized, I thought the marathon as a whole was enjoyable.
                    Kevin - Great race w/ a very detailed report. I have to say, leave it up to you to take the imodium. Big grin
                    Happy Running,
                    Troy
                    "Start with your Head, Finish with your Heart!"
                    


                    Mr. Chip & Mizz Rizzo

                      As I was driving up to the match I called Suzanne. She was glad I was done and in good health. Then she asked me why I left so much stuff behind. Well the gloves were a spare pare, I didn’t want the race belt and I took only a couple of Succeed tabs from the bottle. She then asked me was about the Imodium? I said what Imodium; I don’t have any lower GI issues. Oh man, I wasn’t taking ibuprofen I was taking Imodium!!! Well it might be a while before all systems are back to normal Wink All and all I’m glad I ran the whole thing but I’m really looking forward to triathlon season.
                      OMG Kevin - that is SO funny! It amazes me how much detail you can remember. I think you did a great job. Congratulations!! ~mary

                      ~Mary

                      "My sunshine doesn't come from the skies,
                      It comes from the love in my dog's eyes."

                      ~unknown

                      http:www.rawleypointkennel.com

                      Kimmie


                        Great job Kevin! I did see the Reston Runners tent afterwards and I ran into some friends of mine. What's next for you?
                        ironTriKev


                        IronMan ;)

                          Cherry blossom 10 miler is this Sunday. I'm not racing it, I promised my DW that I would run with her, so it will be fun and enjoyable. then two weeks later starts Tri season with the Kinetic Sprint down in Lake Anna. I'm definitely looking forward to Tri season Smile

                          Tri-Kev Here are my favorite links:
                          My "kick @ss" running club ;)

                          Swim 2.4 miles.
                          Ride 112 miles.
                          Run 26.2 miles.
                          Then brag for the rest of your life.
                          -Commander John Collins, Ironman Triathlon creator

                            Since you didn't note it, I'm assuming this occurred after the speedsters blew through, but the 26 mile marker was way off by the time we back-of-the-packers waddled through. My overall pace was 10:40, but I got to the Mile 26 sign 6:21 after I passed #25. Then it took almost 5 minutes to run the last ".2!" Overall, though, I enjoyed it. It was a nice race. (Except for that Anacostia stretch. Good god, that lasted forever.) Now, if only they could do something about that wind next year. I don't know how it's possible to run in circles all day and feel as if the wind is in your face the entire time!
                            ironTriKev


                            IronMan ;)

                              you're right I forgot to note it but I never even saw the mile 26 sign, and boy was I looking for it. Mostly because I was curious as last year on this part of the course (the 1/2 ran there) they misplaced a cone and we ran about .2 too far so I was curious to see the 26 sign and it's placement. Never did Confused Yes the wind always seemed to be in my face as well, Good job on your run. Question would you run it next year??

                              Tri-Kev Here are my favorite links:
                              My "kick @ss" running club ;)

                              Swim 2.4 miles.
                              Ride 112 miles.
                              Run 26.2 miles.
                              Then brag for the rest of your life.
                              -Commander John Collins, Ironman Triathlon creator

                                Yep, I think I'd run it again. My only other marathon experience was MCM. I really enjoyed that one, but I gotta say I kind of liked the smaller field, even if it means fewer supporters. Water stations were a breeze, no crowding at the finish. And it only took about 5 minutes for those of us in Corral 8 to get to the Start. (Was NOT a fan, however, of the port-o-potty placement right along the starting area. Who wants to stand there and smell that before running 26 miles?!) Anacostia was pretty rough, though. I'd almost rather run 2 loops of the first half.
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