Race Report: 2013 Marine Corps 17.75K

The 2013 Marine Corps 17.75K, a distance chosen to honor the birth year of the Marine Corps, served as the "golden ticket" race for the 2013 Marine Corps Marathon; simply put, running this race would guarantee you entry to the marathon. So almost every runner of the 2,200 was simply there to earn the right to run in October. As a side note, if folks are willing to drive to Quantico and run 11 hard miles to avoid your general registration system, there's probably some room there for improvement.

It was almost silly how much the organizers focused on the marathon in October; even the tech shirts said "Access Granted" on the front rather than mentioning the actual race. This dynamic made for an interesting atmosphere at the race, one that I can't really come up with a good word to describe other than apathy. It was a mood I really didn't like, but more on that in the final section below.

The Course

The course looked like a bear on paper, and the elevation chart made it clear that this was no easy cruiser.

It started along a three-mile stretch of paved roadway leading to the Prince William Forest. The course then took a turn into the National Park and the first major hill was on a dirt and gravel fire road. This quickly ended and the course picked up a paved park roadway that plateaued from miles 4 to 8 before some pretty steep rollers started. The final kick is along a double-track gravel trail with another incline to the finisher arch.

Race Day

Race day started with a 45-minute drive down to the Quantico area. I arrived early, hit Starbucks to mooch the indoor plumbing, and grabbed a parking spot in the business lot next to the starting line (most runners had to park in a nearby commuter lot and take shuttle buses to the start). This turned out to be a great find, as the temperatures were very chilly, topping out around 28 degrees or so before the race; getting a parking spot at the line allowed me to drop a bag of cold weather gear for delivery to the finish line and then hop back in my car with the heater on until minutes before the starting gun. The starting line logistics were okay, but the five portajohns for 2,200 runners (plus spectators and family) was a little short-sighted; the lines were far too long, people were trying to get in every building in search of bathrooms, and ultimately men and women ended up ducking behind large trashcans near my car.

A few minutes before the starting gun, I hopped out of the car looking ready for summer in short sleeves and short pants, but armed with a pair of throwaway gloves. Not going to act tough...it may have been a bad decision as it was very, very cold out there.

Just minutes after the starting gun went off I found myself in a pack of runners that was very quickly separating from the main field. I felt I had "heavy legs" already in the first stretch, but since the pack contained most runners in the top 14, I got greedy and started thinking top ten finish. That resulted in me committing the cardinal sin in running, going out too fast and ignoring my pace plan; I ran the first few miles in 6:25s but was starting to 'yo-yo' off the back of the pack by the back end of the big hill around mile 4.5. If you watch cycling and are familiar with the back of the pack yo-yoing on uphills and catching up on downhills, you know it's only a matter of time before that person blows up. And I did. By mile 7 I was a lonely man, seeing my pack ahead on straightaways and occasionally catching a glimpse of a solo runner behind me, but for the most part through the curving park road, it was just me and my thoughts. That's a very tough race to run, and one I dealt with in the 2011 Flying Pirate half marathon; running solo without being in contact with the race makes it hard for me to keep pushing and leads to constantly glancing over the shoulder to see if I'm getting caught. It's a big mental part of racing that I need to improve. And on this morning I knew I didn't have "it" and my heavy legs through the hills left me laboring.

The Marines left some great signs along the course, including
motivational gems like "You're not even close!" and my favorite,
"You'll quit when I'm tired."

I ran 6:25s through the first six miles (never, never, never go out too fast!), but in the rollers after that I paid for it and started running closer to 6:50s, probably 7:00+ in final two miles. I was caught and passed fairly easily on the mile 8.5 hill and again on the mile 9 hill. Pretty demoralizing to know I didn't have the legs, go out too fast, and get rolled a couple times in the final miles. Just a brutal feeling to get passed like you're standing still, and a feeling I don't get too often, but today was not my day. Though I didn't exactly enjoy my run and didn't finish strong, still ended up 17th overall and beat my goal time over the unconventional distance.

At least finishing among the first runners meant there was no line at the massage tent, and some nice massage school student had a free table waiting. She certainly didn't rush through anything, spending a long time on each leg and really working out my muscles to make the drive home a little easier. I also grabbed a bottle of Muscle Milk and used their foam roller station. After that I picked up my finisher's coin and most importantly, the card with my online access code to register for October's Marine Corps Marathon. Then it was just a quick shuttle bus ride by to my truck and a sunny drive back to northern Virginia.

The Results

17.75K (11.03 mi) :   1:12:47  |  6:35/mile   (7th AG, 17th overall)

The Swag

All runners received a long-sleeve technical shirt; as mentioned before, the front referenced the Marine Corps Marathon access codes waiting at the finish line, and the race logo was on the back. The finisher award was a coin, but unlike the metal Army Ten Miler military-style finisher coin, this one was closer to a poker chip in construction material and quality. It was still a nice takeaway and tucks neatly into my coin display case with the Army Ten Miler coins and some age group awards.

But really, there was only one piece of swag people were interested in, and that's the magical golden ticket that had a unique password on the back to grant advance access to the 2013 Marine Corps Marathon.

The Verdict

To go back to my thought from the opening paragraph, this race was clearly secondary to the Marine Corps Marathon, from the runners to the organizers. I feel bad for anyone who was running this race as a standalone goal race, because to put it bluntly, no one cared. The organizers played up the Access Granted angle at every turn, in communications, signage, and attitude. The general apathy at the starting line was shocking, folks weren't really connected at all to the race; most people were just going through the motions to get their access card. I spoke with some people who were injured and just going to slog or walk through it to get that card. It was just an odd, almost disconcerting, attitude in the air; I'd never been to a race and never toed a starting line with so many competitors seemingly unmotivated and apathetic about the entire event. I felt silly taking this thing seriously and actually putting in an honest effort.

Ultimately, it was a very hard course and it was fun to test myself on a day I know I didn't have my best. Assuming this remains the "golden ticket" race in 2014, I'll definitely be back, but unless the general attitude changes, it isn't a race that I'm overly excited about or really looking forward to on my race calendar.

Race Report: 2013 Rock 'n' Roll USA Half Marathon

The 2013 running of the Rock 'n' Roll USA half marathon was the second year for this race in DC; prior to RnR purchasing the race, it was the National Half Marathon, which I ran in 2011. The previous race had time requirements for entry and was much less crowded, so I was interested to see how RnR and the course handled 30,000 runners. I figured a for-profit running company like Competitor would put on very effective and efficient race, especially since they run about 30 RnR events a year. I was wrong.

The Expo

Following the same script as the Army Ten Miler and Marine Corps Marathon expo, packet pick-up was at the DC Armory on Thursday and Friday. Parking in Lot 8 was a bit of a hike over to the expo, but I went on Thursday morning and didn't experience a bad wait to get through security and inside. The organization inside was good, with lines by corral/bib number and shirt lines by size. Thankfully corral 2 and the mens small shirt line were the shortest in the building. But the lines for mens large stretched for 40 yards, and this was on Thursday morning; so whereas the organization was good, the staffing levels and placement of them was lacking if you needed a common shirt size. I rushed through the Brooks store, picking up a 'See Daddy Run' onesie for my little one - best deal in the store at $12. Again the staffing level seemed low, as I didn't expect a long checkout line only an hour into the expo being open.

Brooks "Smile Machine"

The rest of the expo contained the usual DC companies, national sponsors, and booths you see at other major events. CEP compression had a nice set-up in the middle with a rainbow of colors, but I wasn't in the market for socks. So I picked up a bunch of free samples, stopped by the Marine Corps event booth, and chatted with a few other event booths that are on my long-term calendar including Ragnar Relay and Bike for MS.

It was just your standard expo, and I lucked into short packet and shirt lines, but the efficiency of the overall pick-up area was pretty bad for many other runners. This was the first glimpse that RnR's significant event experience may not translate into an efficient race day.

The Course

(click to enlarge)

Starting along the National Mall near the Washington Monument, the course runs over Memorial bridge and back to mile 3, then turning and running a lonely, but scenic, stretch of Rock Creek Parkway through mile 6. That's where the elevation turns up, with a steep final climb to Calvert Street. It then cruises along some rollers, to the McMillan Reservoir, and down past Howard University. The final stretch along North Capitol Street, K Street, H Street, and 13th Street is pretty much just DC city running; some scenic spots, some general neighborhoods, and some dips under highways.

Race Day

I think I played the race day morning game as well as I could. There were horror stories of bag check lines, bathroom lines,  and corral chaos, but I cruised through the morning with a little advanced planning. The starting line was at the National Museum of American History, and the website mentioned Federal Triangle Metro stop; in researching beforehand, I noticed the bag check buses were on the Mall, so I got off instead at the Smithsonian Metro station. This saved me from walking with the masses through the starting area, to the bag check, and back. I arrived about an hour before the race and made my way directly to my bag check bus, dropping my bag without a line. Then I just loitered on the Mall and tried to keep warm. The bathrooms near Federal Triangle Metro, the starting line, and the main street to the bag checks were completely overwhelmed; the lines stretched across the Mall for the bathroom bank at 12th street. But if you just walked down the bag check bus line to the very end, there were about a dozen bathrooms and the lines were never more than 3-4 people long, even 15 minutes before the race. A few volunteers pointing people down in that direction would've really alleviated lines elsewhere and led to a better experience for a lot of runners; Pacers has bathroom spotters ("Follow me to pee!" shirts) at the Parkway Classic, and that's a big need at RnR.

My start corral was basically at the front, so I just stood around, stretched a bit, and waited to see when local running legend Michael Wardian showed up to defend his title. They cranked a bit of rock 'n' roll, the few wheelchair participants took to the streets, and moment later the first corrals were barreling into the DC morning.

The course had some familiar stretches I'd run during the 2011 National Half and 2012 Navy/AF half, so I knew to expect some sharp turns and hills, and I was waiting for the Rock Creek Parkway downhill straightaway. The first few miles clicked by quickly, and as we doubled back on Memorial Bridge I kept my eye out for Wardian and others up front. Coming off the bridge and onto Rock Creek Parkway started a slow incline that peaks with the Calvert Street turn. I felt pretty dialed in at that point and started to adjust my race goal from running 7:00 miles to something a bit quicker. The early water stops were manned by only two or three volunteers, which was shocking, but the pack had stretched out at that point and I lucked into getting a cup. The hill up to Calvert was all it was advertised to be, a grueling climb that was thankfully lined with cheering spectators and a group from Ragnar. The climbing portion of the day mercifully ended at mile 7; the impact on my pace was evident, as I was running 6:44/mi pace through 5k and only 6:49 at the 10k mark.

Running down along the Reservoir and past Howard University was a welcome change in elevation, and it's also one of my favorite parts of the course. It's a bit more scenic than the neighborhoods that proceed it, and the crowds at Howard can be fun. The breeze coming off the Reservoir wasn't too bad in the morning, and as I came up on the 10 mile timing mat I'd managed to maintain a steady 6:48/mi pace. The final few miles aren't too memorable, just going through some neighborhoods, up and down some small dips (darn you sunken underpasses!), and they were probably highlighted by me being heckled at mile 11. Some folks were standing in line for a food service and evidently didn't think much of the runners choice that morning. Coming up the small climb at mile 12 was the final challenge, and that's when my legs remembered they were in uncharted PR territory and started to question if we were there yet. But in the end, my final miles were a slightly negative split and dropped my final pace to 6:47/mile, a much better day than my planned 7:00s.

I grabbed the standard post-race food and a few other pleasant options, chocolate milk FTW!  The gear pick-up buses were waiting, but completely disorganized. When I showed up, they said they were still organizing the bags into numbers, so they had to search the entire bus for my bag. There were only two of us waiting at that moment, and it still took about 10 minutes to locate my gear. It was a welcome feeling to add some warm, dry layers and head to Metro; no Cowboy Mouth concert for me, I had a little girl to get home to.

Ultimately, I think I was lucky to "out-run" the problems of this race. I arrived early to check my gear and found bathrooms, but there were horror stories online of 20-minute waits to drop off bags and 1-hour bathroom lines. When the main pack hit the water stops on course, many of them basically became self-service; there were simply not enough volunteers to handle pouring water and handing out cups. Later runners found post-race food gone, frozen chocolate milk, and a chaotic finishing chute. Worst of all, later runners encountered hour-long waits to get their gear. By keeping a fast pace, I managed to avoid a lot of these problems, but it's really shocking how many people had negative experiences with simple logistics that RnR should be on top of considering their price and their experience.

The Results

5k :           20:51  |  6:44/mile
10k :         42:13  |  6:49/mile
10 mi:    1:07:55  |  6:48/mile
Final:   1:28:54  |  6:47/mile 

The Swag

The Brooks tech shirt had a colorful design, wasn't plastered with sponsors, and is a nice change from the usual white shirt. The medal was nice and an upgrade from the DC Half days; it was attached to a cheap generic red ribbon.

The Verdict

The course was familiar and the race went fairly smoothly for me, but overall I wasn't too impressed with Rock 'n' Roll given the higher price and heightened expectations when running with a for-profit company. They seemed to skimp on a lot of runner needs, especially at the expo in the other corral/shirt lines and on race day staff. On top of that, they charged for a lot of extras that most races offer free - like $5 for runner tracking...what? I had big expectations of entertainment on course, it's RnR after all, but was again disappointed. When I think rock 'n' roll, I don't think a couple guys with an acoustic guitar, I don't think acapella, or vocalists, or a drum line. I heard the final concert was good though.

Overall, between the price and missed expectations, and the subsequent horror stories online, I'll probably skip it in 2014 and head down to Virginia Beach to run the Shamrock Half Marathon, a race known for taking care of runners with tons of amenities, extras, and premiums.

Race Report: 2013 St Patricks Day 8k

It was a wonderfully joyous (stressful) off season of becoming a father, dealing with a knee injury (seriously running gods? already? in January?), and finding out what sleep and training schedules looked like with an infant. So after some time away from racing, this morning's Pacers event was the first of my 2013 season. I figured it wasn't going to be a PR race for me, so I decided to dress up and theme myself out for the first time...may as well have fun with it.

So I rocked some green 'BEER' knee-high socks, bought a clearance rack green Asics shirt, and put a couple big cans of Guinness in my iFitness hydration belt. The beer was on my back, so I was business up front and party in the rear - mullet runner!

As with all Pacers events, it was logistically flawless and the check-in tent was well staffed with fellow Pacers Ambassadors. After quickly grabbing the swag and bib, I took advantage of another Pacers perk, the pre-race drink tent which offered hot chocolate, coffee, and water. It was a bit chilly, I'd considered arm sleeves, but ultimately the temperature was supposed to rise quickly through the morning so I just resorted to sipping some coffee.

My only complaint, the swag shirt was white and when I tried it on later...it was slightly see through. The A4 brand shirt from the Jingle All the Way 8k is one of my favorite to bum around the house on weekends, but it was a dark color; maybe white just isn't their (or my) best look.

Lots of fun costumes at the race, as everyone was appropriately Irish for the day. "Irish I ran faster" and other slogans had me smirking through most of the warm-up. And a few folks were complimenting my carrying of dual Guinness race fuel.

The Course

And I'm off!  Guinness hiding on my back.

The course carves through the streets in downtown DC, and even though there are a few U-turns around traffic cones to slow you down, it's overall a very flat and fast course. Starting at Freedom Plaza, runners launch toward the Capitol Dome, providing a great morning view. It crosses the National Mall, takes you past many museums, and gives you several views of the Capitol. There's also a funny dog-leg off the main straightaway just before the end - no matter how many times I reminded myself the finish wasn't as close as it looked...it still messed with my finishing sprint to cut off and back for a half-block turnaround.

The course was familiar from December's Jingle All the Way 8k, so I felt comfortable letting go and pushing the pace a bit.

The Results

Ended up with the PR I wasn't expecting, came in at 31:06 (6:15/mile). Was a great morning for a run and was a great way to start the season. After a couple tries, I think I'm getting used the unconventional 8k distance, and I look forward to racing on this course in the future.

Entering picture at left, passing the Capitol.

Both in-race photos courtesy of amazing work by Swim Bike Run Photography.

Indoor Trainer Workout: Flying 40 Intervals

Earlier this year I picked up the Flying 40 workout from Bicycling magazine, and it has quickly become my go-to workout when I want to spin up my heart rate and increase muscular endurance. Done in 15-minute blocks, the workout is easily tailored to the time you have a available, anywhere from two sets (30 min) to four sets (1 hour).

The workout:

• Warm Up: 5 minutes; easy gear at cadence of 80-90.
• Interval Set: 10 minutes of alternating 40 seconds of hard effort and 20 seconds of recovery. Complete the hard effort intervals in a large/medium gear and high cadence. For example, my 40-second intervals usually have a cadence of 105-115 and speed of 19-21mph. After 10 intervals, complete the set with 5 minutes of recovery spinning in an easy gear.
• Repeat: Repeat 10-interval set two to four times for complete workout.
• Cool Down: 5 minutes, easy gear and easy cadence.

(image from http://www.bicycling.com)