The Washington DC Marine Corps Marathon

"Never have so many smiled when they hurt so much!!"
-- Unknown finisher of the 2007 Marine Corps Marathon in DC

Okay .... So I'm that “unknown finisher”. :)

A few days after completing my first marathon, I can only smile at what has happened - not only during the last 6 months of training but also what happened the day of the marathon.

I've kept you abreast of my journey through my training. Now here's what happened on Oct 28, 2007. It’s long and it’s got pictures... so get some coffee/tea/margaritas... and settle in.

Saturday evening was spent getting nervous. I hung out with my NYC cheerleading team in the Georgetown area. As we walked around the small student town we were amazed at the number of people who were there for the marathon. Estimates were at 30,000 runners and about 100,000 supporters!!

[My Buddy Runners - Sarina, Irma and Freyan]

After that, I headed to the hotel where all the Asha marathon runners were staying. Most of us were fairly stressed and it really showed!!

[Prasanth - How will I run 26.2 tomorrow?]

As we loaded up on carbs during dinner, plans were formed and re-formed. How many gu-gels should we carry, how much water, which water stations to take walk breaks, where would we see the Asha cheering squads, etc. etc. We left for our rooms, full of carbs and none the wiser for all that planning.

[Pigging out on pasta]

Sunday October 28th. Hotel alarm goes off at 4:20 am. Being an early riser, it wasn't a problem waking up an hour earlier than normal. Strangely, I had slept very well at night (as it’s very common for first time marathon runners to toss and turn and not sleep too well).

Out the door by 6:00 am. Main thought process - hopefully from now till the start, the body will remain consistent in it’s ... ahem... “morning functions” and I'll be able to rid myself of some excess "weight". :)

[Leaving the hotel]

Consistency rules the day and I'm happy to line up with the 4:30 pace group with two of my other running buddies - Reddy and Sapna. Our fourth (Amita) had lost her running bib and had to scramble around to get a replacement. We did not see her till the end of the race.

But before that, the Asha runners got together at the tent to encourage each other.


[Precious words of wisdom to Mili]

[Nervously waiting for the race to start]

8:00 am: The shot goes off. We cross the start line 5 minutes later. Reddy is so nervous that he's chattering away. I tell him to shut up and conserve his energy. He refuses. I tell him that I'm not talking to him till the end of the race.

Miles 0-4: Very steep hills. This is really draining!! This is steeper than the hills in Central Park. I'm feeling my heart rate go up!! I check my heart rate monitor. HR is 175. No way!! I can’t keep this up. I'm going to loose all my energy in the first 10 miles and I won’t be able to complete the race. All my training will be for nothing!!

I tell my mind to shut up and start to nervously talk to Reddy and Sapna. I crack a couple of jokes. Sapna and Reddy aren’t amused.

Miles 5-8: Ashish (Amita's brother) catches up and the four of us run together. We talk about IPOs and the Watergate scandal (as we cross the Watergate complex). Unfortunately, Ashish and I begin to run faster than our planned speed and quickly loose Reddy and Sapna. But we're feeling good. We've warmed up, the hills are behind us, and the scenery is amazing. Things can't get any better.

[Ashish and Me]

Miles 9-13: The DC Mall. Things are looking good. The monuments in DC are spectacular. Jefferson memorial, the original Smithsonian, Lincoln Memorial, Capitol Hill… we run past all of them keeping a steady pace. I high-5 a family of 6 (Dad + 5 children ranging in ages from 3 - 10). One kid tries to pronounce my name (printed on my shirt)....and fails miserably!! :)

[My personal cheering squad: Roy and Rayat on their way to Mile 13]

Looking out for my NY cheering squad, I can't spot them. They probably got drunk the previous night and did not wake up in time. I'm furious. They come all the way from NY and don’t land up at the race. WTF!!

[Freyan and Roy trying to figure out where I may be]

Anyway, got to keep going. Ashish and I start discussing some of the cute women marines we saw at the last water station.


[After crossing the DC Mall]

Miles 14-22: We enter the golf course segment. Very boring stretch. No crowd support. Body starts to feel some fatigue. But still strong. Feet moving nicely. A little soreness in the quads. I hope my quads don't cramp up like in my last long training run. Ashish's arches start to bother him so he slows down and he tells me to go ahead. Time to bring out my iPod and run to music. Very select music for the occasion. Songs from Rocky, Top Gun, Punjabi beats, and cuppycake (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=12Z6pWhM6TA) because it reminds me of my niece.

At mile 18 both my quads start to cramp. No!! This can't be happening. I still have 8 miles to go!! I can probably finish with a cramp in one quad. But cramps in both quads!!! I won’t be able to even hobble through. Time to think. First, stop panicking. Second, think how I can reduce the strain on my quads. Maybe stretching will help. I stop and try a stretch...it makes the cramp even worse. Ok.... what else. Maybe if I modify my running gait that would work. I start to run slower with my feet doing outer half circular loops instead of shooting straight ahead. Quads feel better. Not bad... this may just work!! Cramps recede. I'm feeling mighty proud about keeping my wits about me.

Two of my buddy runners were supposed to join me at mile 19-20 and run till the end. I had been looking for them the last mile. Couldn't spot them in the throng of people. Damn these crowds!! As I cross mile 20, I feel bad. I was really looking forward to running with them. Looks like I'll have to finish alone. No probs. Have done long runs alone before.

[Freyan and Irma: Waiting to join me at mile 19]

I start doing complicated math in my head … what’s the closest number to 16780 that is a perfect square without going over …. (the answer is 129).

(If you think that’s not complicated enough, you run 19 miles and try to multiply 2 and 2!)

Reddy and Sapna catch up with me at mile 20. I'm really glad for the company. Reddy’s back had started hurting and he had stopped a few times to stretch it. But Sapna looks like she had just woken up and was starting her race!!

My faster pace in the earlier miles starts to slow me down and both of them overtake me. I’m angry at myself for not sticking to plan but that’s something I will have to deal with later.

Miles 23 - 26: The dreaded "Wall" hits me like a ton of bricks!! I'd never experienced it during my training. My cramps had receded and except for general tiredness and soreness in the legs I was feeling fine. But all I wanted to do was stop - for no bloody reason!! I didn't have the heart to run anymore. Many more people were walking-running. My mind says…. Just walk and finish it. Everyone else is doing it. I stop and start to walk. This feels better. I can walk all the way to the end. No need to run.

Something kicked in and I thought “NO!”. I knew I had get out off that comfort zone. I had to do something. Maybe the music will help. I restart my music and play Survivor from Rocky 4. The words hit me:

“In the warrior’s code, there’s no surrender.
Though his body cries stop, his spirit cries…NEVER!”

I picture Rocky training in the snow-covered mountains in Russia.

[BTW, this is NOT a pic from the marathon :)]

I start to shuffle and increase my speed (I know... that was a little dramatic... but that's how it happened!). I had unknowingly walked for about a mile and lost a lot of time. I increase the volume to max and start to run again. I cross some other walkers and tell them to keep at it and not stop. A 50-year-old woman starts to shuffle along with me.

Just before mile 26 I feel completely drained of energy. I can't run anymore. A 30 second walk break should work. I start to slow down when I see our coach (Coach Jane) - the person who has brought all the Asha runners till this point. There is no way I'm going to let her see me walk. She looks at me and is jumping up and down in glee. I start to run and high-five her before taking the final turn to the finish line and up the final hill.

[Thanks a lot Coach!!]

As I power up the final incline my quads immediately start to cramp. But I’m less than 100 yards away from the finishing line. It doesn’t matter any more.

I can see the finishing line. I can see the Marines standing just behind it.

I look around to see if I can notice my friends, cousins and the Asha cheering squad. Too many people! Its impossible to locate people when one is running so fast!! :)

[My cousins keeping an eye for me close to the finish line]

I start to increase my speed as I get closer to the end. Have to finish strong. Have to finish with a smile on my face. Have to make sure no one is near me so they can get good pictures as I cross the finish line!! :)

I finish with a smile and tears streaming down my cheeks. I can't help it.
A marine looks at me and says “Congratulations Sir. You did it!”

I thank him and say, “Yes, I did it.” I finished in 4:49:42.

[Crossing the finish line]

After crossing the finish line, it was all a blur. I met up with my friends and family. Saw some of the other Asha runners grinning and limping. Got a massage to relax the muscles. Ate some samosas..etc..etc..etc. Checked my phone. Some voicemails and SMS messages were waiting for me wishing and congratulating me. Pure elation!!

[Eating a samosa at the Asha tent]

[Posing with the family]

So that's it folks!! In the end, with all the pain that I'm in (the change in my running gait at mile 20 meant much more strain on my knees than normal and so they've swollen up and hurt when I walk), it’s still worth it!! And I'm coming back for more. Some more planning and a little more hard training should see me through the next one in better form and timing.

I admit that the original goal of these postings and emails were to coax (okay... maybe pester) you to donate to Asha. But after all the support and encouragement that I got over the course of the training, I feel that I have come even closer to a lot of my friends and family.

So I’m going to be back next year. Watch out for a sub-4 hour marathon!!

Manav... Over and out.