Race Day

After all the sweat and preparation, race day is finally here. Although it is early (4AM), I feel well rested and mentally prepared. I am still running through my final selection of gear. It is currently 61 degrees but the temperature is supposed to drop a few degrees when the rain arrives. There is no doubt about it - I will be getting wet today!

Finishing up my first cup of coffee (I will have 2 cups) and then on to some stretching. That will be followed by my Whole Berry Blast flavored ProBar for breakfast. Then a quick shave and shower before I do my final assembly.

Let's do this!

John

On the Heels of Sandy

Hurricane Sandy is churning her way towards the eastern seaboard. She is expected to make landfall somewhere between Virginia and Massachusetts on Monday afternoon. She is aligning herself to converge with another frontal system to create one of those 'perfect storms' that the weather forecasters are touting to be of a magnitude that has never been seen before. Millions of people will be impacted; there will be billions of dollars of damage due to flooding and wind.

Here I am in Washington DC lulling in the quiet before the storm. All I want to do is run 26.2 miles tomorrow. This is what I've been training for the last 16 weeks. It doesn't seem reasonable that some wind and rain should prevail. if I'm lucky enough, the worst of the storm will arrive after I've crossed the finish line and I have a new medal around my neck. I'll be safe and sound in the comfort of my hotel room licking my wounds wondering what in the world was I thinking? Why would I subject myself to such discomfort? And then I will remind myself of the exhilarating feeling I will experience once it's all said and done. Within 48 hours after finishing, I know I will begin planning and deciding which marathon I should run in 2013. That's when a new journey will begin.

Good Luck to all of my fellow Marine Corps Marathoners who are in the midst of their final preparations for tomorrow!

John

MCM 2012 - My Training Journey

Back on July 9, I started my 16-week training program for this year's Marine Corps Marathon. Here it is, October 26, just 2 days before the 37th Marine Corps Marathon. I am checked into my hotel in Washington DC. I've already visited the Expo and have retrieved my bib and shirt. I ran my last easy run (2 miles) early this morning. I've logged 445 miles and 83 hours since I embarked on this training journey. I've run 3 Half Marathons (Chicago, Providence, Philadelphia) in the Rock 'n' Roll Series and an 18 Mile Race in Long Beach Island, New Jersey.

It's helpful for me to look back and reflect on what I've accomplished during my training because it gives me an opportunity to appreciate it is exactly that - a journey. It has to be well planned and deliberate. It takes commitment, grit, determination and lots of sweat. You cannot half way commit to training for a marathon. It has to become your number one priority. No excuses. No exceptions.

Everyone who has talked to me about their experience with running the Marine Corps Marathon has conveyed to me the same message - it is one of the best marathon experiences of their life. Now, that is certainly setting very high expectations for me but something tells me that these expectations will be spot on. I am ready and I remain focused and committed.

OORAH!
John