Marine Corps Marathon

Marathon #6 is behind me, thank God. Without His strength, I could not have gotten through it.

What a weekend it has been! With hurricane Sandy approaching, everyone has been up in arms about everything. For a moment, I actually wondered if the marathon was going to be canceled. Thankfully it wasn't, and we completed the run, as planned!

This was not an easy run by any means. Not sure why. I suppose no marathon is easy, correct? 26.2 miles of running, which equates to four plus hours of running for most people, is mentally challenging and physically defeating. After about a month or two of running the long runs with Leon, we decided we would run the marathon together. I wouldn't have thought to do otherwise. We helped each other through most of the long runs, and we ran well together, so I didn't think we would run marathon separately, nor did I want to. Having a partner/friend to run with helps immensely.

Leon and I ran well for the first twenty miles. There were some moments along the course that we needed to slow down or stop and get water, regroup, etc. We definitely helped each other through some walls, we had the usual laughs along the way, and conversations about this or that, but at mile 21 we separated. Leon was having a hard time and discomfort because of his sneakers, and I was having my own hard time due to blisters on my toes, and the stopping and starting up again. We decided it was best to separate so we could each get through the remainder of the marathon as each of us needed to. Leon did some walking and running until the end to compensate for the pain he was feeling, and I just ran as quickly as my body would take me, which wasn't too quickly, by the way. After mile 19, I got no more water, and just continued along the way. Stopping and starting became too painful, therefore I knew I had to keep moving. I did make one last stop before the finish line, though ... There was a food stop that had Dunkin' Donuts munchkins! I forgot to mention that in a fit, I threw my coveted snack pack away at mile 2. Really? Really! So, anywhere I found a food stop along the course that had something I would enjoy, I certainly made a quick stop for something! I am a hungry runner!

All in all, I loved this race. I have a particular love for DC, so that in itself made this run very special to me. I also love destination marathons. They give me a reason to take a short road trip, get out of town and visit a new city for a few days, if nothing else. The memories of this marathon & weekend will be fresh for a long time to come.