I would be remiss in not discussing the Marine Corps Marathon (MCM) this past weekend, which starts in Virginia and runs through the nation’s capital. DH and I both received entries in the lottery this year, which was really exciting. I ran the MCM last year, but it was DH’s first (and only…he claims) marathon.
The MCM is really quite the event–hotels are booked, and nearly all of the race course (yes, all 26 miles of it) is lined with people. This is one of those times where crowds of people are actually nice…gets a little dull running 26 miles without something to look at! Plus, they are great about encouraging you (and handing out candy). Yes, the MCM desperately snarls traffic for a bit, but with 25,000 or so runners, it is quite the sight and the Marines and volunteers do such an amazing, amazing job putting the race on, staffing the aid stations, and cheering.
If you are a runner, you’ll be putting things together–DH and I went to Thailand and Bhutan over what would have been two very long runs in our marathon training. And we were gone for two weeks. And…here it comes…we didn’t run at all. Last year I went to Uganda and Rwanda and nearly the same time of year, and made a huge effort to run while I was there. I ran on the treadmill when available (can’t just go running in Queen Elizabeth National Park on your own), and also on the roads near Bwindi (which was so much fun). I thought I had stayed in shape–I mean, I ran at 6000 feet and figured I would be good to go!What I didn’t factor in was the sitting and flexibility issues that come with travel. Yea…not so big on yoga in my room in the morning. And when I returned last year, I had major, major ITB problems. I think–in part–I tried to do too much too soon when I returned, and was a bit neglectful in my stretching and rolling.
So with a new plan in hand, this year I decided to front load my training so I was way ahead of schedule before we left. Then I decided to really ease back into it when we returned. Finally, I’ve been better about stretching and rolling and ensuring my core strength compensates for my lack of running so at least I didn’t get injured.
So DH and I finished the marathon. DH did awesome, though he continues to swear it’s his ONLY one ever. I came off happy to improve on my time but cursing the world, and swearing I’d never do another. But already the hatred has worn off a bit (and it’s only been 24 hours). Do I think my not running for 2 weeks made a difference? Probably, but that mental break might have done some good, too. I’m not an elite runner so I’m the only one who cares, seriously, about my marathon time.
If I was a great runner, I probably would feel differently about all of this, but I refuse (for now) to put marathon training ahead of travel plans. And I have refused (for the most part) to feel guilty about not running on vacation, despite the availability of perfectly nice gyms or roads to run on. It was a vacation, and I absolutely wasn’t into it after sweating all day in the heat (sorry Chaing Mai, I still hate your weather).
Are you good about running or keeping up with race training on vacation? Or did you come to DC for the marathon?
