Yesterday morning we got up and drove to the Metro at 6:30am where we hopped on with a million other runners. It’s a good thing we got on when we did in Arlington because it got super crowded the closer we got to the start. One girl even got her arm caught in the Metro doors!
The crowds in the Metro
We had enough time to go to the bathroom once (the lines were long and slow) and then I had to sprint to get to my corral #2 in time for the start.
I started running and almost immediately met reader Katie R. who’s also originally from Alaska. We ended up running nearly 12 miles together, and since she was running the half so we sorta inadvertently pushed the pace beyond what I would have run on my own.
We passed the 5K mark in 23:19, 7:31 pace. I knew it was going to be warm out and I knew I was screwing myself for later in the race with a fast start, but I enjoyed talking with Katie and decided to forget all about that negative split stuff. wasn’t gonna happen.
We passed the 10K in 46:39, also 7:31 pace. It was getting warm out and I felt like we were going a little fast but not terrible. I also met reader Meg within the first couple miles – hi girl!
Katie split off around mile 12 since she was running the half and I took my turn off for the full marathon. My one thought at this point was that I just knew the second half was going to be boring, hot and slow.
I passed the halfway mark at 1:38:45 which was about the same split as my PR race which surprised me a little but also solidified that I was setting myself up to die later in the race. knowingly. awesome.
I turned my music on at mile 16 and settled into the grind – the course got more and more boring and un-scenic as we went along and hotter.
(These were from the first couple miles)
I hit 20 miles at 2:30:56, 7:32 pace and that’s when things got tough. I was hating the ugly course, the nonstop rolling hills, the headwind, the heat, everything. The last 6 miles were absolutely miserable. a death march.
scenic, no?
The heat really got to me: a couple times I threw up water instead of keeping it down, and I really struggled mentally those last couple of miles. And my pace slowed down too, from 7:30s to 7:45s.
But I kept at it somehow and (barely) kicked to get to the finish.
I finished in 3:18:21, 2nd in my division, 8th woman and 118th overall. average pace: 7:34.
Katie snapped this pic of me dying at the finish:
I chugged some water, chatted with the cute Refuel with Chocolate Milk ladies, pounded a low-fat chocolate milk and then took off again in search of my friend.
I walked out of the course area and doubled back in a very slow walk/jog to mile 22.5 to find my friend R and run her in to the finish.
We ran and walked a few hills to the end. I pulled off to the side right before the finish line chute but sprinted alongside it watching her cross the line with a 6 minute PR in 5:02!
My Garmin said 33.72 total miles, but it was really long for the marathon (.32) and I walked some so I’m going to count it as 32 miles (some were pretty slow, for me) in the books.
I’m so proud of R who had some digestion issues and still had a PR. And it was pretty dang warm out, not an easy day to run, but she killed it.
**The winner of the Pro Compression socks is #211 Katherine from NeonBlondeRunner. Email me at sr@skinnyrunner.com.
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{ 55 comments… read them below or add one }
Good job! Yay Reese!
Congratulations to both of you! Glad to see you had sun to run in versus ugly winter weather.
CONGRATULATIONS girl, 3:18 is awesome, especially since you felt so bad and were throwing up on the course! And you must have looked awfully badass out there
PS – love the outfit, so fun!!
Great job hanging in there towards the end when you were throwing up water and all. Your pace still stayed in the 7s so that’s impressive! WTG!
Congrats on being so speedy Despite the heat and boringness! I would love to get a bit of that heat up in Seattle! And way Togo Reese!
I cannot believe you were able to deal with those high socks and the headband when it was so warm out. I would have died. As always, you rock. Congrats!
2nd in your age group? 8th woman? While in costume? Girl – you are FIERCE. It’s not a PR, but it’s not shabby.
And go Reese!
Sorry everything didn’t go exactly as planned! You still rocked it and looked super stylish in your green get-up! I hope you enjoyed the cherry blossoms too – I’m running the “cherry blossom 10-miler” on the 1st, and normally the trees peak the last week of March… well what do you know, they’re all blooming right now and will be past their prime by my race day! I think they decide to come out, since they heard you were coming to town
HOly Hannah…I could not do that!! How hot was it?? It looks HOT…way to go!!!
Awesome!! The course looks so boring, I wish they would keep the views for the second half when you really need something to look at.
Awesome job! The heat was getting killer at 10am…I can’t imagine running for another hour or so. Way to go!
Congrats!!! Sure, no PR, but you FINISHED when the last half sucked. That’s a WIN in my book!!! And you’re SO AWESOME for going back and finding Reese!!! I bet she really loves that you did that! I say you treat yourself to a massage tomorrow. A physical and mental reward for dealing with a physically and mentally demanding race!
Congrats!! Great run despite the less than desirable elements!
Congrats to you and Reese! I was counting the women at the finish line and was excited when I saw you come in as #8! Glad I got a picture of you at the end. And you didn’t look like you were dying – you looked focused and FIERCE!
You’re a rockstar!!!
sheesh girl, you amaze me. strong work on covering 32 miles and how nice of you to finish with reese!
Yeah, I felt the same way about the race. Super hot.. and boring. not scenic. But I live here…Sorry you didn’t enjoy it!
Congrats Reese on your awesome finish!
Congrats to you and Reese! This early onset of spring temps has been great, but I’ve got a bad feeling that I’ll have similar weather for my half in Toledo next month. Meaning my plan to wear my very own SR “Don’t Stop” shirt may have to be scrapped in favor of something sleeveless…thankfully I still have a little over a month to pray to the weather gods
I think all miles should count, even if they’re slow your legs still moved you through them.
I heard about the heat, sounds brutal. At least you got that RnR under your belt.
Somehow it’s warmer in DC than here. In March. Weird.
Good job gutting it out – considering how you described you were feeling you really didn’t slow down that much. Plus the extra .3, you were close to an even split. All that time working for sub 3:20, now it’s like routine for you!
Nice job and you are a complete BA to run your friend in.
That is badass, puking and 8th woman overall? I actually dreamt I ran the DC marathon last night and I was killing it…definitely keeping my goal of running one before I’m 30 alive and you are definitely adding to the inspiration!
WOW….You are amazing!!!!! I mean seriously, your pace is ridiculous…….have you ever won? I’m sure!!!! Your awesome
Congrats to you! Yesterday was my first time volunteering at a water station …..and I saw you whiz right by me! In was so excited….we were right along Capitol Avenue probably pretty close to where you snapped that shot if the Capitol Building…
Congrats on your great finish, despite our warm weather, puking and hills. Sorry about our ugly Anacostia area….it’s a shame that the last 13.1 miles of the marathon are not though our most beautiful areas. Hope you had fun though and were able to enjoy the after festivities!
So did the tie stay put? That’s also cool you got to run your friend in for her PR! Congrats on another great race!
I’ve read a few other bloggers review of the race and it seems like the heat got to quite a few people. Great job in pushing hard!
Did they really have to make the course so boring? There are plenty of great sites in DC that I’m sure they could have found a better route.
Love the socks! Congrats to you both!
Congratulations ladies! Way to go Reese on your PR!
Not envious of that last half, that’s for sure! I’m pretty sure I saw you cross the finish line (outfit was a dead giveaway!), no trace of the misery you speak of was visible
Way to go girls!!! At least you had nice weather for the race, it was cold and rainy in SoCal all weekend. Enjoy the rest of your trip!
I actually like the 2nd half of National because it’s a part of DC we don’t usually get to see. Most of the DC races pass the Capitol, Monument, etc., so it’s interesting to see something else! Admittedly it’s not the prettiest, (but then I like barred windows, grunge, sketchy neighborhoods) although I like the part where you run along the river. The old course had a lot more residential running and it was fun to see people hanging out on their front porches. The Howard University students are usually a fun bunch, too. I ran Shamrock today where we were offered beer at least a dozen times!
i can relate with reese, damn gut! haha. WAY TO PR!!! And i think it was the socks… lucky.
Great job! You are a rock star runner for sure!
Well done. Good effort in warm conditions.
I was wondering if you could do a post about pacing a marathon. I’m due to run my third in a couple of months (Great Ocean Road in Australia, you should come and do it!) and in my first two I didn’t feel like I got my pacing spot on. I think it’s hard to get the right balance between going out too fast, and not really giving it your all and having a bit left in the tank at the end. Do you have any tips for running a smart race and making sure you leave everything out on the course without blowing up? Thanks.
Congratulations to you both!!
Huge congrats to you and Reese! How wonderful that you two got to run the marathon together.
Your time is hugely respectable, I am so proud of you.
And thanks for the socks! Can’t wait to try them out.
Congrats mi amiga on another awesome, awesome race…AND that was one LONG run girl! 32 miles!!
))
Congrats also to Reese!! She’s the cutest!! You two looked soo adorable in your St. Patty green.
Haha: hot, windy, gross, and zero scenery… sounds like all my runs! :-/ Way to go, Reese!!!
Double thumbs out to the both of you!
I was really curious how you would run with that tie on… Great job and way to beat the heat. My runner girls and i almost all threw up or felt dizzy during our race this weekend. Crazy
Way to keep chucking along even when things got tough. Love the tie, though. http://www.dashingdiva.net
That sounds freaking awful! Way to push through and finish, but gross!
wooo congrats! another one in the books for you!
Congrats on surviving DC! I never in a million years would’ve been able to hang in there and still run 7:30s!!! You are a machine!
I’m convinced DC races are cursed. My worst race ever was the Army 10 Miler back in October where I had the same problems that you did – it got REALLY hot and I had serious digestive problems for the last 3 miles. And the “scenery” during that time was highway and underpasses. Y-U-C-K.
Congrats to Reese too for pulling through with a PR despite all of the less-than -perfect conditions!
Great job to both of you!!
I must admit, that while I was running, I kept hoping to catch up to you. I know ambitious goals for a first timer.
Thank you for the motivation!
Awesome job to both of you.
You were dehydrated, throwing up and STILL turned around and ran more miles? Are you out of your mind? This has got to be the stupidest thing you have ever done. There is no race that is worth hurting yourself over and there is no reason to continue to tax your body when it is giving you huge signs that you need to stop. Posting this was so irresponsible. You have a following, and you know that, yet you continue to showcase your exercise addiction and irresponsible training as if it were completely healthy and appropriate. You have a responsibility to not only your readers and your sponsors, but also to yourself. Take care of yourself and realize that you have a lot of influence over new runners. Your blog may be for “fun”, but you should take its influence seriously.
Calm yourself down and go have a drink of water.
Completely agree. That, and you refueled with some chocolate milk and a grilled chicken salad. That is NOT enough food–it is not even close. Now, maybe you ate more, but you should really think about posting this stuff so that other people don’t try to copy you and end up hurting themselves. Sometimes, when your body says stop, you should listen. It doesn’t mean you’re weak!
my body didn’t say stop. i felt great that day and the next day and the next. if you have ever run a marathon HARD, you know the last 6 miles are miserable. because i was at a point where it easier to spit water back up rather than swallow it doesnt mean my body was somehow sick or breaking down
i never post everything i eat and i didnt that day either. i am positive ive said that many, many times on here.
we are all adults reading this which means we all are PERSONALLY RESPONSIBLE for our OWN behavior. i cant police my readers and not push myself or run hard just in an effort to make sure that other people dont copy me. come on!
Great job girl! I bet the scenery was amazing! I love DC!
I saw you (and shouted Skinny Runner!) around mile 23 as you were doubling back. You looked great, and props for running back after a hard race!!
Congrats. You are a true inspiration to me. In fact, I wanted you to know that I am running/walking my first 1/2 in June in chicago. I am running, my husband, my oldest son, my sister and both my cousins. We have named ourselves “Team Mulligan” all our moms were Mulligans. We are running for our cousin who is suffering from terminal cancer. Thinking of you, please keep us in mind June 9th for our run. Thanks again for your most pleasant blog, it keeps us going.
thanks for reading and what a great thing to run in honor of and for, family. thats awesome.
Awesome finish despite the crap second half-Im with ya, I ran it last year-they really put all the pizazz in the first half, dont they??
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