Notes
Round (Year) 2 for Captain Back! Finishing this 17.75K guarantees an entry into the Marine Corps Marathon, and since I didn’t quite hit my goal last year, it’s time to circle back and try again! I promised Jason a sub 4, and one way or another I’m going to get it damn it!🏃🏼♂️🇺🇸
I had one goal for this run: beat my time from last year! Due to poor planning at the start, that didn’t happen 😒
I have heard runner friends talk about this happening to them, but it’s never happened to me. I’ve never been so frustrated at the start of a race, but it’s my own fault. I decided to try and use the bathroom prior to the start, and anybody who runs knows how much of a cluster those lines can be! I thought I had it timed right, but after waiting 35 minutes in line, I realized the race was going to kick off in 5 minutes! 😱 I scrapped the bathroom plans and figured I’d deal with it, and started heading towards the start, only to get stopped dead by a massive wall of people in the chute, packed in like sardines! It looked like Woodstock was standing between me and the start! 😬 Ugh... no WAY I was going to be able to fight my way to the front where my pace group was! I was stuck almost in the very back... this was terrible! No WAY am I hitting my goal time now! 😢
So yeah, needless to say, I played frogger for the first three miles, trying to bob and weave my way through the crowd. Think of it as trying to street race in DC rush hour traffic— it sucked! In addition, because of the bathroom situation that started this debacle, I had to stop on the course a couple miles in.
I almost said screw it after seeing my goal float out the window— I’ll just jog it and make it a casual long run instead of racing it. But then I looked down at my shirt and basically heard Jason Back yelling at me for even HAVING such a thought. So I listened to him, and pushed through to make the best of the situation! I eventually found open space and was able to open up and get back on track.
Despite the setback, I only came in 2 minutes 36 seconds behind last years time. So it’s not hateful given the traffic jam and bathroom break I had to deal with. Thanks Jason Back for motivating me to keep pushing through! I WILL hit the sub four this year for you!
Gone, but NEVER forgotten! ❤️