Rosswog Running Blog

Happy Halloween!!!  Okay, my Marine-Corps-Marathon splits pretty much tell the story of my race:  7:07, 7:46, 7:06, 7:13, 7:08, 7:24, 7:21, 6:37, 6:35, 6:17, 6:28, 6:15, 6:17, 6:17, 6:18,6:14, 6:16, 6:19, 6:15, 6:23, 6:22, 6:32, 6:31, 6:43, 6:50, 6:38, and 3:13.

First of all, I started probably somewhere between 10,000 to 20,000 runners back in a pack that contained over 41,000 runners.  The 2008 Boston Marathon has really been my only running experience in a big city marathon with tens of thousands of participants (i.e., I have run Baltimore and Philadelphia, which are certainly big city races with tons of runners, but they both also had half-marathon races time which contained the majority of runners, thus breaking up the congestion).  Compared to the MCM, Boston is much more organized with corrals that are easy to access and two waves.  In addition, everyone that runs Boston is fast, so even though you are in a sizeable crowd at the start, the pace is fast.  However, the MCM did have one section at the very front that I never made it to for participants with the bib numbers 1-500.  These bib numbers represented runners with the top 500 fastest times based off of a personal marathon best within the past year.  My bib number was 328, thus I could have and wanted to stake out a position up front.  However, I discovered that you really need get to the MCM starting line an hour-and-a-half to two hours before the official start of the race.  My wake up call was at 5:00 am (three hours before the start); however, I dilly-dallied around two much in my hotel room (probably because I was so nervous; I was doing a lot of stretching and my standard sit-up and push-up routine) because I did not start walking down to the start until 6:50 am.  As a result, it’s completely my own fault for my middle-of-the-pack starting position.  After the starting cannon was fired at exactly 8:00 am, my first seven miles were relatively slow.  I was really lucky to get the seven-minute-plus splits that I posted, because I was running in the gutter, on the sidewalks, and on the dirt/grass embankment of the George Washington Memorial Parkway to earn these splits.  Also, miles 1-3 and 7-8 are the only hills on the course beside the final 0.2-mile hill (i.e., the rest of the course is sea-level flat); therefore, miles 4-6 are the downhill part off of the first hill, but my splits were 7:13, 7:08, and 7:24.  Needless to say it was crowded and I have to admit I was a little frustrated when I passed the 3:40 pace team at mile marker seven.  With that said, I kept my poise and the congestion started to break apart as we climbed that second hill and went by Georgetown University.

Secondly, it is evident by my splits that as we passed The Kennedy Center and began to run around the East Potomac Gulf Course my minutes per mile began to decline and I was able to get into a nice rhythm.   With that said, I was hoping to get in a few sub-six-minute miles, but I was only able to dip below a six-minute pace a few times for a quarter mile or so before my left hamstring really started to tighten up.  It’s almost like I have a barrier at the 6:10 pace before I start doubting if my hamstring will hold up (note: good progress from a few weeks ago where this barrier seem to be at 6:40); therefore, I tried to keep my pace at sub-6:20, which I was able to accomplish this until mile twenty.

Thirdly, my splits depict that after running around The Mall (by the way, what an awesome feeling to run by the Jefferson Washington, and Lincoln Memorials and by the White House and Capitol Building) and by the famous red-brick Smithsonian building, my pace began to slow. At mile twenty, you reach the 1.1-mile 14th-Street Bridge (a.k.a. Rochambeau Memorial Bridge) that goes back over the Potomac into Crystal City.  Race folklore is that the 14th-Street Bridge feels like eleven miles long and I can vouch that it seems to go on forever.  The last miles of the course takes you on an up-and-back through Crystal City--where the energetic and loud fans really turn out to cheer on the runners--and by The Pentagon and Arlington National Cemetery to the finish line at the Iwo-Jima Memorial.   As I neared the finish line, my hamstring seemed to tighten up a little bit as my legs began feel heavy and according to my Garmin, I ended up running a third of mile longer than the 26.2-miles mainly due to inefficiencies caused by trying to navigate through a large crowd.  However, I finished with a pretty good kick leading up to and over the infamous 0.2-mile hill.  It really felt awesome and patriotic ascending the Iwo-Jima-Memorial hill with all the marines lining the road to cheer us across the finish line.  Marines even awarded all finishers with a very neat looking medal (i.e., an Iwo-Jima design with the Marine Corps slogan of “Semper Fi” printed on them).

In summary, I finished with a respectable time of 2:56:24 (i.e., an average pace of 6:44 minutes per mile).  On one hand, with a better starting spot I might have been able to run under 2:50.  On the other hand, with my left hamstring, starting out too fast might have caused it to tighten up much earlier.  Either way, I’m not even close to my goal of a sub-6:00 pace for a marathon, which is frustrating, but will provide me with plenty of motivation to improve.  Also, after I took a shuttle over to Crystal City and returned to my hotel, my legs were still feeling pretty good; therefore, I jogged two miles down to the finish line to cheer in all of the runners until they officially closed the course then I jogged back to my hotel.  Since they have given me such great support during a number of races, I was hoping to see my sister and brother-in-law cross the finish line.  This was their first attempt at the marathon.  They have run and number of half marathons and were planning to run-walk this full-marathon since they had not run over 13.1 miles before.  However, my sister’s knee began to lockup after the halfway point (i.e., dreaded IT band issues), so unfortunately they were unable to finish.  The run walk strategy does not go well with IT band issues because you cannot run through it in that every time you walk your knee stiffness up and running on it feels really painful.  Nevertheless, they set a personal best for distance and are motivated to keep at it which is always great to see!  In addition, I had a fantastic time with cheering in all the runners as they made their final push up the hill and through the finish line.  It was extremely motivating to see the determination and perseverance of these runners; it’s what running is all about!!!  Supporting my fellow runners really helped put everything into perspective, even though I motivate myself to run a PR (i.e., provides great incentive to push myself during training), I realize that running is about so much more.  It’s a little bit corny, but running has provided me with the confidence that hard work does pay off, taught me lessons on how to deal with not meeting my goals, given me the opportunity to spend quality time with family members, helped me establish new friendships, and taken me place that I would have never visited otherwise.  With that said, a MCM OORAH from Arlington!!!

This post-MCM morning, I slept in then had an exceptional breakfast with my sister and bother-in-law (quiche, french toast, and plenty of fruit juice), before heading out for an early afternoon jog around Arlington.  For this 4.1-mile workout, I ran around the National Cemetery and completed a lap around Towers Park.  In short, I just took in the views on this recovery run.  On the Arlington side of the Potomac the view of Robert E. Lee’s old house (i.e., Arlington National Cemetery) is an impactful reminder of the sacrifices that so many men and women have made for our country while the view of D.C. on the other side of the Potomac depicts our freedom through its great monuments.  Needless to say, Washington D.C. is one of my favorite cities.

We drove back up to Baltimore in the late afternoon; therefore, after unpacking I went for an evening run over to Johns Hopkins University.  I completed three laps on the school’s track before heading back.  The total distance of this run was also 4.1 miles at an easy/recovery pace.

Lastly, my non-running workout consisted of 300 sit-ups and 30 push-ups.

Following a great night of sleep, I headed out for a mid-morning run down to Mt. Vernon Place and back.  I love running on the cobblestone streets surrounding the Washington Monument and just taking in the historical (statues of Lafayette, Peabody, and Tawny) and culture (Peabody Institute and Library) feel of the place.  Also, it was neat to see the number of people heading to the polls on this mid-term Election Day.  The total distance of the morning run was 7.2 miles at an easy/recovery pace (i.e., 10:47 minutes per mile).

In regards to my non-running workout, I was able to get in 300 sit-ups and 30 push-ups.

This morning I headed over to Goucher College for a track workout.  Since I’m still recovering from the MCM, it’s too early to even start thinking about a speed workout.  However, since I heard good things from the Baltimore Road Runner’s Club on the Goucher track (i.e., they regularly meet at this track), I wanted to check it out.  Plus I figured it was a good opportunity to work on my form while knocking out some miles without worrying about the traffic and everything else that a big city like Baltimore entails.  So after a brief warm-up jog to the track, I proceeded to run 31 laps before a nice cool-down jog.  In total, I completed 8.2 miles at a relatively relaxed pace (i.e., 7:36 minutes per mile).  By the way, the Goucher track is pretty neat in that it’s Olympic size (i.e., eight lanes and a steeple chase hurdle) and it’s located down an embankment from the school surrounded by woods.  Supposedly there is a scenic trail through these woods that the school’s cross-country team practices on.  I’ll have to check this trail out next time I venture over to Goucher.

For my daily non-running workout I completed 300 sit-ups and 30 push-ups.

Waking up to a rainy morning in Baltimore, I headed out for a run down 33rd Street to Johns Hopkins University.  Running around Hopkins is pretty neat in that you experience an old-college ambiance, especially with the cobble stone pathway in front of the gymnasium.  I completed four laps around the school’s track (which is really just a running path around the parameter of the lacrosse/soccer field) before heading back to my sister’s house.  The total distance of this run was 4.4 miles at an easy pace.

In the evening, the rain was still coming down, but I head out for another run in order to get in a few extra miles.  For this run, I ran down to Lake Montebello and completed one lap around the lake before heading back to my sister’s house.  The total distance of this run was 3.4 miles at an easy pace.

Before I headed out this morning, I completed my non-running workout of 300 sit-ups, 30 push-ups, a 60-second plank, and a 90-second wall sit.

Today, after spending the morning studying, my sister and I headed down to the Maryland Athletic Club.  For my workout, I hit the treadmill and completed a 10.1-mile tempo run.  In regards to this distance, 5k was at a marathon pace, while the rest was at a relatively easy pace (my overall pace for this run was 7:13 minutes per mile).

This Saturday morning, my sister and I drove over to Cornwell Farms which is located in the suburbs of Baltimore near the Loch Raven Reservoir.  Cornwell Farms consist of country roads, eighteenth-century looking farm houses, and a pretty extensive trail system.  I ran 12.9 miles over the roads lined with white fencing and along the trails.  I mainly just took in the fall colors.  Some of the trails were pretty steep and covered with wet leaves; therefore, I ran at a slow pace on the way up and down on these trails.  This was fine with me since it made for a good recovery workout after yesterday’s nice tempo run.

To top off my running routine for the day, I headed out for an evening run over to Stadium Place (the site that use to be the home of Memorial Stadium; they are finishing up building a neat little field in the middle of this lot) and completed three laps around it.  The total distance of this run was an even 2.0 miles at an easy pace.

My daily non-running workout consisted of 300 sit-ups, 30 push-ups, and a 60-second plank.