Marine Corps Marathon 2013 - A Review

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It took about 13 minutes after the gun for us to reach
the start line

By the most objective measure, time, the Marine Corps Marathon was not a successful marathon for me. It was my third full marathon and I had hoped to finish it in the range of 4:30. In fact, I finished in 5:04. And yet, by every other measure I can think of, it was a success.

Our Cornerstone Striders Marine Corps Marathon Crew including
 Cynthia, Amy, me, Andrea, Hank and Melissa. Jessica joined
 us as we were running up the Mall

Let me start with the people. We had a group of six Cornerstone Striders and one alumna running this race. For four of them, it was their first full. They all finished. Along the course, we saw lots of signs, but one of them stuck with me. It said "If you want to run fast, run alone, if you want to run far, run together." Although we did not all manage to keep together, we did for much of the race and we did have fun. In that regard, this was a great race.

The course is nothing short of amazing. I ran Richmond last Fall and loved it. But Marine Corps was better still. First of all, you are running with lots of other people. Something on the order of 30,000 I think. From the time the race officially started with the firing of the howitzers, it took about 13 minutes for us to cross the start line. With all those people, the run is much harder, because you get boxed in and spend a considerable amount of time and energy dodging and weaving around other runners. 

Running along George Washington Parkway toward Key Bridge
with Georgetown across the Potomac River

We navigated our way through Arlington and down the hill to Spout Run. Great downhill that opened up on a vista of the Potomac River with Georgetown on the opposite shore. The majestic spires of Georgetown University looked incredible. We worked our way up onto the Key Bridge and then turned right onto M Street into the heart of Georgetown. By Mile 5, we left Georgetown and passed the Watergate on the way up to Rock Creek Parkway. This was a long, gradual climb up and back spanned by some amazing bridges.

The Capitol marked the turnaround between Miles
18-19. An incredible sight.

Miles 10-11 took us past the Lincoln and Jefferson Memorials and on to the long loop around East Potomac Park and then toward the Mall. Miles 17-19 took up the Mall and past the Smithsonian and the Capitol. The crowds were amazing lining both sides of the street. We then turned off the Mall and headed for the bridge. The street was stickered with footprints that read "Beat the Bridge."

At that point, the marathon was getting tough. For some, it was too tough. We saw a number of runners sitting down along the curb looking like they were done for the day. We were faced with some overpass hills going into Crystal City. Miles 22-24 took us through that part of Arlington on our way to the finish line. I was beginning to experience some significant upper thigh pain, which forced more frequent walks and required me to drop away from my Cornerstone friends. I got a much needed boost by seeing my wife and daughter cheering me on at Mile 23.

Courtney and Anne met me at Mile 23!



You could begin to feel the finish line ahead. We passed the Pentagon and passed back along the starting area on our way up to Iwo Jima. The sacred grounds on Arlington National Cemetery was on our left as the Mile 26 sign came into view. Only 0.2 miles left. Only one problem, they were uphill. And this was no small hill. I joined those around me chugging up the hill to the finish. What a feeling! The best part was having the medal placed around my neck by a young 2d Lieutenant along with a crisp salute. That was hard to beat.

Andrea, Me, Amy and Cynthia posed for a picture in
front of the Iwo Jima Memorial

Although I was disappointed with my time, the Marine Corps Marathon was a great race and one that I will remember for many years to come.

Marine Corps Marathon - Get Inspired!

Marine Corps Marathon - 26.2 Miles in the Nation's Capital

In less than four days, I will be participating in one of the great marathons in the United States - the Marine Corps Marathon. It will be my third full marathon, but my first national marathon with over 30,000 runners. And getting in was not easy. The original registration was back in the Spring, but, despite anticipating heavier than average registration traffic, Active.com had significant computer problems (think Obamacare). I was finally able to get a transfer bib, but not without difficulty. And don't get me started on the possible cancellation of the race because of the government shutdown.

Fortunately, I will not be running it alone. We have a group of seven of our Cornerstone Striders crew running the race. For the last couple of months, we have been dutifully putting in our long run miles on Saturday mornings. When you are running 20 miles on a weekend morning in July or August in 80 degrees and 90% humidity, you know it must be important. And we did it. Through the hottest part of the summer. And the payoff comes this Sunday.

Running a marathon is hard work. It takes effort and endurance. It is, however, a small effort compared with the sacrifices made by Marines and other members of our armed forces, who have fought and died to secure the freedom we all take for granted. While I plan to enjoy the experience of running this race and taking in the sights and sounds of Washington, D.C., I will do it with an appreciation for those who made it possible.

Running the Colonial 200 Relay - Part 4 - Running Into the Night

Keith Hands Off to Mark at Leg 10 at
Mechanicsville Baptist Church

As morning gave way into afternoon and the shadows became longer, we began to realize that before too long, we would be running out of daylight. Literally. We figured sometime during Legs 14 or 15, it would be time to add headlamps and flashing lights to our running equipment per the Relay rules.

 

"Invisible Woman" Andrea on Leg 14 is
almost invisible except for her safety gear

 

Now, running after dark was nothing new for anyone on the team. Most of us were regular morning runners used to starting before sunrise to log long runs as part of marathon or half marathon training. However, there was some mystique associated with running through the night. It was a new challenge and everyone wanted a shot at it.

The whole team put on tutus to support Andrea
as she climbed the hill on Leg 14



We continued to pull together as a team. On Leg 14, Andrea was faced with a tough uphill climb. We drove ahead of her and everyone (guys included) donned tutus to cheer her as she made it up and over the hill. Not bad team spirit. We all tried to squeeze in some shut eye when possible, but even the best of us nodded off unexpectedly.




Steve Grabs an Unplanned Nap Waiting for a Runner

 
The whole sleeping thing was a real challenge. Even assuming that you could get comfortable enough to catch a few winks, inevitably the interior light in the van would come on or something else would disturb your nap. The net result was a whole bunch of punchy people. The best solution was to send the chase truck a couple of Legs down the course so that a couple of runners could snooze and wait for the rest of us. Maybe a second van is not such a bad idea.

Melissa Hangs Out the Window Waiting
for Hank on Leg 19

As we made our way around Richmond and into Ashland, we could feel the end of the Relay pulling us closer. My last leg started at the Ashland YMCA at just before 2:00am. When I crossed Route 1, there was not a car in sight. Once the street lights were behind me, the darkness of Hanover County was amazing. And quiet, except for the occasional dog. The darkness was broken only a couple of times by a Hanover County deputy cruising the length of the leg with his blue lights on. He slowed and asked me how I was doing. Nice gesture on his part. After 30 seconds, he too disappeared into the night. It was nice to reach Leg 24. We were 2/3 finished!




Running the Colonial 200 Relay - Part 3 - Running Toward Richmond

Jeff on Leg 5 in Ruckersville, Virginia

I could probably write a post for almost every one of the legs we covered in the Relay, but no one wants to read that much. It is, perhaps, better to give you a sense of how we were doing as we moved East from Albemarle County toward Richmond. One by one, our team members stepped up and ran their assigned legs. Twelve individual runners were becoming a team. We even had our own volunteers.

Kathleen was unable to run with the team, so she stepped up
and volunteered. Kathleen and Andrea at Leg 7 (Preddy Creek
Trail Park)

Those who have run the Colonial 200 know that Leg 8 holds a special distinction. It is the greatest rise in elevation over the shortest distance. In short, it is one heck of a hill and the person who completes it gets the title "King of the Mountain." For our team, that person was Kevin. He volunteered to run the leg and, when he was done, he knew he had earned that title.

Kevin earns his "King of the Mountain"
status on Leg 8

Not only was his leg over a serious hill, but much of it was on unpaved road. Those of us following Kevin got a sense of the difficulty when the van had trouble making the pull up the hill. The title "King of the Mountain" comes with its own sticker.

As the hours and miles began to roll by, we moved closer and closer to Richmond. Along we way, we made lots of memories and enjoyed the run. We also began to see runners from other teams. Some of those runners had started earlier than we did and we were catching up to them, while others had started in our wake and catching and passing us. Here are a few highlights.

Amy on Leg 7

The Cornerstone Century team waiting for Keith on Leg 9

Mark running Leg 10 in Louisa County

Danny, Hank, Andrea and Kevin take a well-deserved rest at Leg 11







Running the Colonial 200 Relay - Part 5 - Enough with the PB & J!

Sunrise Over Hanover County in Leg 28

Inevitably, the darkness of Hanover County gave way to sunrise. At 9.15 miles, Leg 28 was the longest of the Relay. Keith was our designated runner and he toughed out the miles to the New Kent Airport. He even picked up a friend along the way, who seemed intent on joining our team.

Keith conquered Leg 28....all 9.15 miles of it

Our unofficial mascot ran with Keith for
several miles in Leg 28 before giving up



Napolean is often credited for saying that an army moves on its stomach. I am not sure what a relay team moves on, but by early Saturday morning, we were all thoroughly sick of all variations of the peanut butter sandwich. At the outset of the Relay, our food inventory included all manner of snack bars, candy, homemade cookies, etc. It was at that point that Jeff and Mike departed on a mission of mercy, returning with a bag of McDonald biscuits and coffee. Although I did not take a team vote, I feel fairly certain that those were, perhaps, the best sausage biscuits that we had ever eaten.

Coffee and biscuits anyone?



Revived by breakfast, we watched Keith hand off to Danny on Leg 29. We all piled back into the van and leapfrogged ahead to cheer Danny on along an almost 8-mile leg. Danny is our "running ninja," because he doesn't say a lot, but he gets it done.




Danny negotiates a busy part of Leg 29


The end of the Relay was practically in sight. Up until Leg 29, we had been running on only 11 of our 12 runners. Our 12 runner, George, joined us at Leg 30 with the challenge of running his three legs before the end of the race. George is an experienced long distance runner with marathons, ultra marathons and even 100-mile races under his belt, so he was up for the challenge. I was also, no longer, the most senior member of the team. Thanks George!

George run Leg 32 along the Capital Trail

Mark keeping watch for our runner

As we closed in on the end of the Relay, it was time to amp up the speed a bit. After our experience with the Colonial 70 in 2012, it was clear that you close with your fastest runners. Thankfully, ours were rested and ready. Time to step on the gas.


Running the Colonial 200 Relay - Part 2 - Albemarle County

Much of Leg 2 was run on unpaved road

 

One of the benefits or burdens of being a relay team captain is that you get to make the leg assignments. It's a benefit, because you get to see the whole array of available legs and make the decision on which runners best fit which legs. It's a burden for the same reason. I spent many hours matching up 12 runners with 36 legs.

Leg 2 was the next to longest leg of the entire relay at 8.88 miles over rolling hills. After considerable thought, I decided that I should not ask one of my team members to do something that I was not prepared to do myself. So I put myself down for Leg 2. It was fine for a while, but as I continued to run, I was afraid I had missed a turn. The course was marked by yellow signs telling you where to turn and reassuring you that you were still on the right path. After running what seemed like several miles without seeing a sign, I began to become convinced I was on the wrong road. What to do? No other runners around me. I had not seen our team van. I did not have a cell phone to call anyone. All I could think was that I would end up running needless miles to get back on the course.

About the time I was getting ready to reverse direction and back track, I saw a cyclist approaching. I waved him down and asked if he had seen any runners. He said "no", but to my relief said that a group was ahead to cheer runners on. I cannot tell you how relieved I felt. Sure enough, about another half mile ahead, my team was by the side of the road waiting for me. At that point, I made the turn happy in the knowledge that I was on track. What I did not know was that I had just started along an unpaved portion of the course and that I would be running on loose gravel and concrete for the next several miles. At one point, I rolled my ankle slightly, but recovered; however, not before I cut loose with an "F bomb."

Steve making a turn on Leg 2 in Albemarle County

The approach to Leg 3 was up a good hill, but looking at my Garmin, I knew I was close. I pushed hard and made the hand off to Mike. The distance and the terrain had been more of a challenge than I had imagined. The great thing about a relay, though, is that you know a fresh runner is just over the hill. It's your job to get there!

Steve approaches Leg 3 to hand off to Mike

Mike takes off on Leg 3

Melissa in her trademark tutu waits at
Leg 4 in Earlysville

Running the Colonial 200 Relay - Part 1

Last year I talked about our team's experience at the Colonial 70 Relay from Hanover to Williamsburg. It was my first experience with a long distance relay and it was nothing short of amazing. Our 2012 team consisted of six running friends from Cornerstone Striders and we ended up placing third out of a field of 16 finishers. Not too shabby for a first effort! We had hardly finished the Colonial 70 when we began to talk about the 2013 Colonial 200.

Although it was a year away at that point, we knew that it would take a good deal more work and planning. After all, the distance was almost three times that of the 70 and we would be running 36 legs over a period of almost 30 hours. More importantly, we would have to recruit an additional six runners to get our full compliment of 12. At the time, getting additional runners did not seem like it would be a problem. Indeed, we had lots of running friends ask us to be included in 2013 based on our experience with the 70.

When the Spring rolled around, I applied and was lucky enough to be selected as a Race Ambassador for the Colonial 200. This required me to spread the word about the race to vendors and potential runners. Given my experience with the Colonial 70, I was more than happy to do that and, in the end, I think I convinced a number of folks to give the relay a try.

As the relay drew closer, we began to formalize our team, which was dubbed the Cornerstone Century team. Although I had hoped to include all six members of the 2012 team, two were unable to join us. That left eight unfilled spots. Initially we got our 12 with a few to spare, but inevitably, injuries and scheduling conflicts dropped our number to 9 with less than 30 days to go before the race. After some scrambling, we filled out the team and on September 19, 2013, we headed up the Charlottesville in our rental van. Fortunately, one of our members had suggested taking a second vehicle as a chaser. That proved to be a real saving grace.

After a brief stop at Maggiano's in Richmond for dinner, we made it to Charlottesville in time for a good night's sleep. By the next morning, we were ready to go. We made it to the starting line at Beaver Creek Park in Crozet in plenty of time for the 9:00am start. The relay was originally set to start at the King Family Vineyard, but there was a late change, because that venue had a wedding scheduled. At any rate, Beaver Creek Park was beautiful that morning.



The start of the Colonial 200 is staggered to allow those teams running a slower pace an earlier start and putting those burning up the pavement at the end. We feel somewhere in the middle with a 9:00am start by our Cornerstone founder and co-captain, Andrea. Just like that, she was off with three other runners.

 

 One of the great things about a relay is that you work as a team. Many teams, ours included, see their runner off and then hop in the van to get ahead of the runner and to cheer him or her on. Because you are running on rural roads, you can't follow the runner, but we got ahead of her at Wyant's Store and let her know she had fans.

 

 

Yours truly assigned himself Leg 2, so I headed to the Mount Moriah United Methodist Church and began to get ready for the handoff. After almost four miles of rolling Albemarle County hills, Andrea was ready to hand off. It was my turn to start the second longest leg in the entire relay.