After last week's failed long run (8 miles cut short to barely 6 because of the hip pain), I took the whole week off. I had hoped to get in a run or two, but the pain was persistent and I thought I better save it for race day. We did do a lot of sightseeing though, probably not the best way to rest up! I did make a point to keep up with icing, stretching, and ibuprofen.
On race day, I woke up early, had a cereal bar for breakfast and took the Metro to the Mall to join the hordes of runners converging at the base of the Washington Monument for the start. The weather was gorgeous--cool enough that I wore a throw-away long-sleeved tee for the start, a light breeze, and clear skies. Nice! I immediately went to wait in line for the port-o-let, just because. After waiting with a couple thousand other folks for half an hour, they started the race while I was still way in the back of the line. No worries, I'm in the 4th of 6 waves so I figured the folks starting ahead of me would start heading to the start line. Nope, they were determined to wait it out. I waited...and waited...they called my wave...they started my wave...and waited. When they called for the wave after mine, I gave up and took off at a jog for the start. It's not like I HAD to go, I just wanted to be sure, you know?
I jogged up to the mob of folks heading for the starting line, it was a lot like the start of any other huge race: walk, crowd, and press toward the starting line then ease into a jog right before you hit the starting mat and spend the first 1/4 mile trying to get to a run. I was planning for the first mile to be a warm-up anyway, a chance to feel things out with the hip and get a gauge for what to expect. About 0.6 mile in, I heard a loud cheer go up in the crowd ahead of me. TV cameras? Fans? Nope, it was the elites and their motorcycle escort--they were already 4.5 miles in and on their way back to take the loop out in the opposite direction! Incredible! As for me, the hip is already being cranky. Damn it. First mile in 10:16.
During mile 2 I was starting to worry: the hip was hurting worse, my lower back had joined in, and I just wasn't feeling like the effort was easing up like I wanted it to. Yes, it usually takes me 2 miles to warm-up but I thought the excitement of race day would speed that up. We're running along the Potomac and over the Arlington Memorial Bridge, so the scenery was gorgeous even though the cherry trees weren't in bloom anymore. We ran by the Lincoln Memorial but it barely registers until later. Oops, I wanted to take it all in! Time to toss the long-sleeved tee, I'm working up a sweat now. There's a hairpin turn right before the 2-mile marker at the Kennedy Center--awful tight turn for a race! Skip the first water break, it's crazy congested and I don't really feel like I need it. It's "only" 10 miles after all. Mile 2 in 10:18.
Not much to say about mile 3 besides I'm starting to feel the effort ease a little. This pace feels comfortable and I notice that the jostling of runners is easing as we all settle into our respective paces and groups. Mile 3 in 9:50.
Mile 4 started with an oops as I look down at my Garmin and realize that I'm putting out an 8:48 pace--yikes! I dial it back and realize that the hip is a non-issue for the moment and my back has eased up a little too. Good. Feeling good. There's another water stop that just about brings me to a dead stop, what a bottleneck! I grab a cup of water at the last table and take a couple sips on the run, just enough to quench the dry throat. Mile 4 in 9:39.
Mile 5...I guess I was there...all that I remember is another stupid hairpin turn. Whose idea was that anyway? At least I saw it coming and was on the inside of the turn. That meant I got to march in place and wait to move for a second. Mile 5 in 9:48. My official 5 mile split time is 50:50. My Garmin is reading the miles short...or is the course long??
Somewhere during mile 6 we must have passed the Jefferson Memorial but I have absolutely no recollection of it. So much for this would be a good way to see the sights! Mile 6 in 9:55.
Mile 7 starts to feel like work again. I bypass another water stop, but the congestion just about brings me to a walk in spite of my attempts to stay to the outside to get around everyone coming to a deadstop to grab water. Grrrr...why do they want to get water at the very first table? They have several tables set up with water and Gatorade, don't everyone friggin stop at the very first one! Yes, getting a bit irritable at this point. Mile 7 in 10:14.
During mile 8, I just want to be done. Two of the toes on my right foot feel like they're breaking off (is that the grating of bones that I feel?), my hip is acting up again, and I'm tired. I'm really tired. Keep running, keep moving. I tell my hip that I really don't care what it has to say about all of this, I'm running and it can just complain away because I'm not having it. If I can't run for 3 weeks, I am running TODAY and that's that. I'm chanting "pain is weakness leaving the body". Damn, I sure have a lot of weakness. Mile 8 in 10:13.
Mile 9 is hell. My hip really hurts. Now the ball of my right foot hurts too. I think there's a rock in my shoe, so I stop to get it out. Nope, just getting a blister. Oh, well. Shoe back on and back to running. Damn it, now the hip is really tight. Stop, stretch it out, back to running. How much further is this mile anyway? Shouldn't we have finished mile 9 by now? I swear, we were able to see the Washington Monument a while ago, where'd it go? It's at the finish, I just want to see the Monument again because I know I'm getting close when I do. Mile 9 in 10:32. Stupid walk/stretch stops.
Hey, this is the LAST mile! No reason to hold anything back now. Earlier in the day I saw another runner with a shirt that read "Leave Nothing in the Tank". It's time to go. Pain is weakness leaving the body is my mantra. Screw the hip, damn the foot, this is MY race! Some way, some how, I dug deep and found a gear that I thought had already been used up. Over the course of the last mile, my pace got faster. Then a little bit faster. Then I got a real surge for the finish. My Garmin read the 10th mile at 9:53, but it also said that there was another 0.15 after that. My pace for that last 0.15 mi was 8:58 and I was passing runners right and left for that last stretch. That. Felt. Great. :)
Final time: 1:41:42. When I signed up for the race, I put my goal time as 1:40:00. When the hip injury wasn't letting up, I told Aaron to expect me at the finish line at 1:40 if I had a perfect day, maybe more than 2 hours if I was in pain. I am thrilled beyond words that I ran what I did in spite of it all. In the past 3 weeks, I took 2 weeks off trying to heal the hip. I think if things had gone better in the training, I would have surpassed my original goal but I'm very happy with what I did on this day.
I love this course. LOVE it. Flat, gorgeous, and in spite of the stupid hairpin turns and congestion, I'd love to run it again.
