I was pretty calm showing up to the starting village, and didn't have TOO much time to wait around, about an hour, most of which was taken up waiting in line at the porter potty. It was SO cold, and that's pretty much all I could think of- but I had sweats, gloves and hand warmers to take to the starting corals with me.
Once I got in the corral it was a little lonely, if you can be lonely among thousands... but it was just time I used to take it all in- there were so many people and so much going on around me. Once I passed the start, and got on the course, I felt great! I was still timid to talk to anyone until I found someone at a pace I liked, I didn't want to commit. I made small talk with a few people throughout the first few miles, and wished them well as either I passed or they passed.
The mile markers seemed to be FLYING BY in the beginning... However, I had my watch and I was splitting time so I could track mile by mile and be sure I was keeping a steady pace that felt really comfortable; it only seemed super sonic.
It wasn't until I was approaching Georgetown that I finally noticed I was next to a lady, and we naturally kept pace together... I was super excited because I was dying to talk to someone! Her name was Tracy and I quickly found out her goal was to keep between 11:30-12 minute miles throughout the entire race- sold! We weaved in and out of people the entire way, kept a really feel-good pace and were both able to stop along the course to see our families and friends (Thank you: my awesome husband, Steve, Kristen & Geoff and my amazing parents who trekked from Brooklyn!).
It wasn't until I was approaching Georgetown that I finally noticed I was next to a lady, and we naturally kept pace together... I was super excited because I was dying to talk to someone! Her name was Tracy and I quickly found out her goal was to keep between 11:30-12 minute miles throughout the entire race- sold! We weaved in and out of people the entire way, kept a really feel-good pace and were both able to stop along the course to see our families and friends (Thank you: my awesome husband, Steve, Kristen & Geoff and my amazing parents who trekked from Brooklyn!).
I was mostly surprised with how many people there were- the entire time- on the course... I mean, I almost felt like I was in Frogger. I was constantly bobbing and weaving in foot traffic... the entire time... wow! It was a benefit in that it kept me very engaged and focused in the moment, simply because I had to make sure I wasn't bumping into the next person. It got mildly annoying at times, but nothing to take away my smile!
A little more than halfway through, the mile markers seemed to pass by a little more slowly- even though we knew we were keeping our pace while running, mentally the markers seemed to come by less often... it became a little harder to ignore exactly how many miles were left, but we decided it best to start counting only by water stops. They seemed to be popping up right when it felt like we wanted one. We started to stop at every water stop to go to the side and stretch our legs- better to get a little more comfortable at each stop for the next couple of miles than to push through and feel like hell... this was a huge help!! It felt so good to stretch those old bones!!
Crossing the 14th street bridge was a stand out moment for me- there were SO many people who looked like they were just trying to "hang in there", and despite me battling a lot of pain I still felt SO strong- I had no doubts we were going to keep pace and get to the finish feeling strong enough to give it our all, it was just a matter of time.
Despite some of the less exciting course mileage after Crystal City, we kept pushing forward and once we reached that final strech, we wished each other well, thanked each other, and told each other to push through and just get to that finish!! I moved ahead alone, feeling a burst of energy, especially after seeing my Mom and Dad who came down in hopes to see my finish, and kicked butt up the last "challenging hill"... thanks to my Carroll County training that last hill seemed more like a joke- ONLY because I was expecting MUCH worse (i.e. John Hyde, a hilly back country road on many of my training runs, was in my head).
And all in all, that's how I felt about my entire race- I was expecting a lot worse. I truly enjoyed my time and even my friend Kristen who is a marathoner herself was so happy (and maybe a little shocked) with how much fun I looked like I was having... I guess the Flying Feet program really made a runner out of me!!
And all in all, that's how I felt about my entire race- I was expecting a lot worse. I truly enjoyed my time and even my friend Kristen who is a marathoner herself was so happy (and maybe a little shocked) with how much fun I looked like I was having... I guess the Flying Feet program really made a runner out of me!!
