After work and dinner, I headed over to LAX to catch yet another late night American Airlines flight this time out to Washington, DC for the Marine Corps Marathon. This was one of the few times where the race didn't land on the same date as the Rock n' Roll Los Angeles Half Marathon.
Saturday 10/21
I had a very quick layover in Charlotte Douglas Airport (CLT). Thank goodness we got there a bit early because upon landing we were instructed to stay in our seats for the paramedic to access the aisle. He ushered a women off the plane. She looked fine to me, but I think she had some sort of panic attack. All was good since the plane for my second leg was a tad late. It would be about a 2 hr flight into Washington Dulles Airport (IAD).
When I got off the plane, I went outside to find the bus stop for the 5A MetroBus. It was located at curb 2E. Since I had to wait about 40 minutes for the next bus, I went back inside the airport to find a power outlet to charge my phone. The bus ride into Rosslyn cost $7.50 and took about 1 hr. At first I was planning to get off at L'Enfant Plaza, but the bus driver informed us that it was not running out there because of the Marine Corps Marathon Kids Run event. So from Rosslyn, I took the Blue Line out to Van Dorn St where I caught the free shuttle over to the expo at the Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center.
Taking the 5A into DC
Blue Line: Rosslyn to Van Dorn St
Expo
After getting my bib, I picked up my race shirt. Although I wasn't fond of the color, it was good to get a shirt that actually fit me. The last time that I ran this race in 2009, I barely made it to the expo before it closed and all they had left were XL.
Race shirt, front
Race shirt, back
I went through the official merchandise looking to buy a jacket, a pair of arm warmers, or a visor, but the design for all of the available merchandise were either very boring or not very good. So I then ventured through the rest of the expo checking out all of the vendor booths. One of the cool things at the expo was a Hyundai car wrapped up with a clear wrapping so that people could sign it. There was also a cask raise contest to see how long anyone can hold it up. On the way out of the expo, I even saw a Fast Pass sign... I'm not sure what it was for as I didn't see a line for anything.
Pony MM1971 was here
Test of stamina
Disneyland?
Upon leaving the expo, I looked for the line for the shuttle that would take me over to the Eisenhower Metro Station. From there I took the Yellow Line up to L'Enfant Plaza where I then took the Green Line down to the Navy Yard Station. I noticed that some of their Metro trains looked really nice and clean!
Shuttle to Eisenhower Metro Station
From the Navy Yard Station, I walked over to my hotel, the Hampton Inn & Suites, located at the corner of First St SE and N St SE. After getting checked-in to my room, I took a shower and then took a short nap.
I then walked down to the nearby CVS to pick up some drinks. I was feeling pretty famished at this point because I haven't eaten anything all day. So I decided to swing by Shake Shack for a ShackBurger even though I was going to meet up with my friends shortly for dinner. I was so hungry that I inhaled that burger in seconds.
Single ShackBurger
I went back to my room to drop off my drinks before heading right back out to take the Metro over to the Gallery Pl-Chinatown Station to meet up with my friends. We had dinner at Rosa Mexicano. I'm not one to ever pick a Mexican restaurant, but I wouldn't have ever guess to find a decent one in Chinatown! We shared an order of the guacamole which we were a little disappointed since they didn't make it in front of our table. I ordered their Pollo Adobado. According to the menu, it was ancho-marinated chicken breast with slow-cooked peppers and Chihuahua cheese. It came with corn tortilla, chile de árbol salsa, tomatillo-jalapeño salsa, and crema to make tacos. It tasted good and had good flavors, but I was expecting the portion to be a bit larger for the price.
Pollo Adobado at Rosa Mexicano
Back at my room, I laid out my flat runner for tomorrow's marathon and then watched game 7 of the ALCS between the Houston Astros and the New York Yankees. The Astros blanked the Yankees 4-0 to win the series and will play against the Dodgers in the World Series.
Flat runner
Sunday 10/22
The final instructions for the race advised race participants to use the Metro to get to the starting line and that Metro service will begin at 6 am. So I got ready and started heading over to the Navy Yard Station. On the elevator down to the lobby, I saw that the hotel had put up an encouraging sign.
Encouraging note in the elevator
When I arrived at the Navy Yard Station, there was already a group of runners waiting there. The gate hadn't opened yet. Right at 6 am, a Metro employee showed up and opened up the station. I rode the green line up to L'Enfant Plaza, then from there I rode the yellow line over to the Pentagon station. While catching the yellow line, I noticed that the first and last few cars were pretty empty. However I was waiting near the middle of the platform and those cars were all packed to the gills! Once the train reached the Pentagon station, it was like herding cattle. It was so crowded! We were finally able to spread out a bit once we had gotten closer to the 110.
So many runners behind me!
So many runners ahead of me!
I got in line to use one of the portapotties just outside of the gear check area. After I was done taking care of business, I walked over to the corrals and positioned myself in the 4:00 - 4:15 estimated finishing time area since I was planning to run the first half in about 2 hrs. During the walk, we had a couple of Ospreys fly overhead.
A couple of Ospreys flying overhead
When the cannon was fired, it was time to run the marathon. It actually took a while to get up to the starting line from where I was positioned in the corrals. Without wave starts, it was crowded from the get-go and pretty much remained that way for the majority of the race. The course started with some gradual climbs. My legs felt tired. I had no spring to my step which was completely different from last weekend. The out and back section on the Rock Creek and Potomac Pkwy was a bit hectic as the course wasn't all that wide with wheelchair athletes trying to push through. Runners were constantly shouting at other runners to make room. It didn't help that a lot of runners were running with headphones. My energy levels really took a dive starting at mile 10. I had to somehow convince myself to keep moving until I reached the Blue mile at about mile 12 which was where the course had us go around the perimeter of the East Potomac Park and Golf Course. I slowed down to read each of their names. I got through the first half in 2:11:41.
Blue mile
The second half of the race had me in survival mode. I just wanted to get to the finish line in one piece. The left ankle got pretty sore and the sun would come out to make things warm. Whenever the ankle got sore, it would lead to tightness in the glutes and hamstring as well as foot cramps. It was slow going over the 14th St Bridge, but it was fun seeing some funny signs and great knowing that you had beaten the bridge. My legs really cramped up during the short out and back into Crystal City. During that final mile or so, I started talking to a guy named Mike. We had pretty similar races and we ended up jogging most of that final portion of the race together.
US Capitol Building
Beat the bridge! :)
Finish line
Finish: 5:18:15
Click here for my Garmin data.
I was hoping to finish under 5 hrs or to beat my previous time (5:13:34), but I failed at both goals. Looks like I'll be eating a salad later tonight! :)
After crossing the finish line, I got in one of the lines to receive my coveted finisher medal. I was awarded a medal by a marine and saluted by the same marine. It felt a bit awkward to be saluted because I didn't feel like I did anything worthy of such honor. Anyways, it was such a beautiful medal! Unfortunately this year the US Marine Corps War Memorial was covered up due to refurbishment. It was such a stunning and awesome background for a finisher photo.
Afterwards, we received post race drinks, a banana, a snack box, and a throwaway jacket. I liked that the box included beef jerky! The Beanitos white bean mac n' cheese crunch was just downright gross. I will have to remember not to eat that next time! The throwaway jacket looked nice enough to hang on to for a while. I'll be sure to use up all of my mylar blankets before resorting to using this jacket.
Contents of snack box
The finisher secure zone had runners cross over the Meade St overpass before we were allowed to exit. Since the nearby Rosslyn Station was more than likely to be very packed, I decided to head over to the Arlington Cemetery Station to catch the Metro. I also figured that the walk would help loosen up my tired legs. So I headed back the other direction on Meade St and turned east on Marshall Dr. From there, I hopped on the bike path that ran parallel to the 110 highway. From the Arlington Cemetery Station, I took the blue line over to L'Enfant Plaza Station and caught the green line back to Navy Yard Station.
Back at the hotel, I ate most of the contents of the snack box, got cleaned up, watched some TV, and eventually KO'd for about 4 hrs. Normally when I don't meet my race goal, I would have a salad for dinner. However I was feeling pretty exhausted, so I decided to break tradition and just go to the nearby Shake Shack for a Double ShackBurger and a Cookies & Cream Shake.
Double ShackBurger and Cookies & Cream Shake
Monday 10/23
I slept in a bit since my flight home was an evening flight. Eventually I got ready, packed up my bags, and was ready to go visit some popular tourist sites before heading to the airport. When I went to check-out, the lady at the front desk said that I owed 68 cents even though I had pre-paid through a 3rd party booking agent. It turned out that the booking agent that I used underpaid the tax or something. Well, that's a first!
After taking care of that, I hopped on the green line and took it to the L'Enfant Plaza Station. From there I walked over to the National Mall. For sure I wanted to visit the Lincoln Memorial, so I first took a picture of the US Capitol Building before I began my long trek. Along the way, I saw the Washington Monument, the World War II Memorial, and the Reflecting Pool. The sun had come out, so I was a sweaty mess by the time I got up the stairs to see Lincoln.
US Capitol Building
Washington Monument
Reflecting Pool
Lincoln Memorial
I took a brief rest break before making my way over to the Korean War Veterans Memorial as my last stop before making my way back to the L'Enfant Plaza to catch the bus to Dulles Airport.
Korean War Veterans Memorial
The bus stop for the 5A bus to Dulles Airport was located near the L'Enfant Plaza on D St SW on the east side of 7th St SW. This pick-up spot was about a block away from the drop-off spot on the west side of 7th St SW. While waiting for the bus, I got to talking to a guy from the UK. He was giving me some tips and advice on how to get into the London Marathon.
5A to Dulles Airport
Once I had arrived at the airport. It was the normal routine. I finished off my drinks before getting in line for the TSA security screening. After getting through the TSA checkpoint, I had a few hours to pass, so I did a quick walk-through of the terminal to check out my food options. I ended up eating a chicken salad at Chipotle. I have found it to be a place much like McDonald's where I enjoy their food and save money at the same time.
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