Anyway, marathon #8 is complete! My brother Gabe and I ran the Marine Corps Marathon on Halloween. The trip was pretty good and it was fun to be in DC again. I love how much there is to see there!
Gabe had an injured foot and had concerns about being able to run the whole thing. Lower back pain struck me at mile 9 (grrrr), so I was not a very happy camper either. The BEST part of the race was around mile 20 on the bridge. There I was running along, trying to stay positive, and my bro comes up beside me. Let me relish this moment for a minute - my brother (uber-athlete) caught up, to ME. (Sure, he had an injury, but let's just pretend he didn't, mmmkay?) Anyway, we ran together very briefly, but long enough for me to snap a picture of us with my disposable (cheeseball) camera. To date, said camera has not been developed, so the picture could very well be of our heads.
Gabe moved on so he could keep whatever pace he was doing and I stayed my course. I looked for him in the last miles, but never did see him. We ended up finishing about a minute apart! How crazy is that? If either of us had known that would happen, we could have just run the whole thing together!
So, here's a bit more detail on the overall race. A howitzer kicks off the 26.2 mile journey and it's incredible! I crossed the start line after only a few minutes (over 21,000 people ran this race). Overall, I felt pretty good. I saw Dad, Pat, Julie, and new niece Sydney, at mile 1. I was amazed that in a race that big, with that many spectators, that I could see them!
I ran pretty much on pace for the first half of the race. Like I said, around mile 9, my back was aching, but I tried to stick to my plan. I crossed the halfway point nearly on pace for 4:00. But, the back had other plans. I made it to mile 16ish and saw my family. I decided it would be worth it to stop and take a picture. When ELSE can I do that? So, I gave my new baby niece a kiss, told my Dad I was in a lot of pain, and took off running. At this point, I wasn't sure if Gabe was still running or not. Then he and I saw each other at mile 20. I ran/walked from mile 15ish on, I think.
We had perfect running weather, it was gorgeous! But, at mile 24, a lovely headwind decided to swoop in and stay for the last 2.2 miles. Good times, good times. I finished somewhat strong (as much as I could) and was greeted by Marines at the finish (and all throughout the race!).
Here's the thing, as disappointed as I am that I still haven't hit my 4:00 goal, I'm not THAT upset this time. Had either Gabe or I run any faster/slower, we wouldn't have had that moment at mile 20. And that moment will always be special to me (however brief it was). Because I highly doubt he and I will ever be in that situation again. It also allowed me to get that picture with my family cheerleaders during the race.
Overall, this marathon was an incredible experience. My dad so appreciated that we ran in his honor (we had t-shirts made for the race). And it was very inspirational to see so many amputees/vets doing the race. I certainly couldn't complain about my back if these guys were charging up hills on hand bikes!
Below are a few pics from the experience:
The shirts we made/wore for Dad
Mid-race pic (mile 16ish)
Gabe & I post-race, modeling our stinky shirts!
Cutest. Cheerleader. Ever!
Best post-marathon activity? Feeding my beautiful niece, Sydney!
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