Marine Corps Historic Half - 2016
Marine Corps Historic Half 2016 was my 8th time running this race - It hurt. I knew it was going to hurt and my extracurricular activities leading up to the race made it hurt worse than it should have. For each of the ultras I've run these past few months I exercised discipline by going to bed early, doing my best to eat well, hydrate and limit my alcohol intake. In the days leading up to the half I was very stupid. Starting on Thursday night I stayed up until 2 am talking with Matthew in Kuwait. Ori had me up at 6:30. Instead of going back to sleep I stayed up, worked (work from home on Fridays), ran and called it a day about 3 pm. Friday night was fun - I drank way, way too much - more than I should have and that's all I'm going to say about that. I came home and stayed up talking w/ M again until about 4:30 - dumb, dumb, dumb. I don't know what was going through my head; clearly I wasn't thinking about my health or needs heading into a big race. I think I just answered the question myself - I wasn't thinking, i.e., this was a shorter, hometown race - no waking at 2am to drive for 3 hours. .when all was said and done I'd have rolled out of bed, run the race and be home in the shower in less time than it takes to run an ultra. Dumb, dumb, dumb. . . I get the stupid award. Thankfully Ori let me sleep in on Saturday morning - I woke up around 10:00 with a nasty hangover that I just couldn't shake. . .Saturday night I set my alarm for 4:45 and crawled into bed around 8:30 - I tossed and turned all night, waking every few hours checking my phone for the time - When the time finally rolled around to wake up for good it wasn't pretty. I was nauseous with a nasty headache behind my eyes. Now, I could make the argument that it was allergies - because hey, the sun had finally come out (after 16 days in a row of rain) and the flora were releasing copious amounts of pollen. Maybe.. .maybe not. I started whimpering to M-, he lent a listening/supportive ear kinda (sorta but not really... - the dude forgot I had a race. pffft!) Instead of toasting a bagel and brewing coffee and getting on with my morning I opted not to make the bagel and popped a few ibuprofen with my focus on just getting to the start line. The roads around Fredericksburg close at 6:00- I pulled out of my driveway at 5:35, arrived at 5:50 and snagged a parking spot right next to the VIP tent in Wegmans parking lot - score! Years of experience = muscle memory (?)
It was 46 degrees - the sun was out - it was a perfect morning. I opted to wear my Fisher House singlet and a running skirt w/ my team jacket and packed a pair of gloves. There's nothing worse than cold hands. I met up w/ Colleen in the VIP tent, still unable to eat - she suggested that I eat a banana - the banana seemed to help. At about 6:45 we made our way to the start line. The plan was to meet up with Bill but I couldn't find him - I think that I went to the wrong time tower (you know, the towers that help runners self select where they should line up based on their expected finish time) Colleen wanted to run under 1:45, I wanted to run a 2:00 - We went to the 1:45-1:59 tower and said our goodbyes. I think that Bill was at the 2:00-2:15 tower. Doh! Honestly, I wasn't really concerned. He always, always, always catches me somewhere along the course with a, 'Hey, Biz!' and then we run the rest of the race together. There was no doubt in my mind that today would be any different. Sidenote: just before the race started - as we're all standing there waiting for the Howitzer to boom, boom, boom and signal the start of the race - I turned to the guy next to me and said, 'this is going to hurt'. He gave me the strangest look, like I was a freak for talking with him. I laughed - some people don't get my dry sense of humor.
Mile 1: You reach Mile 1 just before you cross over 95 and start your descent down Cowan Blvd. I thought I was being conservative but I hit mile 1 right about a 9 min/mile. Okay, maybe not so conservative but I was feeling good (better than expected) and those ibuprofen were probably the reason why. I was running and talking w/ Vic - if I could keep that pace and talk there was no reason to worry. I was heating up and looked around in amazement at everyone who, IMO, were overdressed - to each his own.
Mile 2: The course between Mile 1 and 2 is a steady decline down Cowan Blvd. . . Other years if you hang out on the left side of the pack you get to see the 5k runners making their way up the hill. This year was the inaugural 5miler- I really missed seeing the runners but hey, I didn't stay there long. It's on this stretch that the course passes by Bryan's apartment complex. . I wondered if I'd see him out - I didn't see Bryan or his vehicle in the parking lot - Bryan gets a pass for not being out and cheering, he probably had a work project (I later learned he had left early and was out fishing. . gah! sucker - good for him!)
Mile 3: Right at Mile 3 you leave the neighborhood between Cowan Blvd and Rt3 - between Miles 2-3 you encounter your first set of undulating hills. It was a good place to test the legs - yeah, no. I have ultra legs - no pushing my ass up those hills and burning out early - My buddy, Anthony, was voluntold to post at Mile 3 - it was good to see his friendly face there cheering with the other Marines. He gave me a highfive and told me I looked strong. Thanks, buddy!
Mile 4: there's a long stretch of road between Mile 3 and 4 - you get your first 'real' climb coming up William St. and make your way into the downtown. I powered up the hill - still no sign of Bill - hmmm. Saw Ruth and then Al by the catholic church - and settled in for the long stretch of snaking behind the college. Sidenote: this was my normal running course when I lived downtown. I used to dread running this portion of the course because, hell, I ran it every day and muscle memory is a bitch when you're used to running/walking a certain street. You are forced to do something different from what you're used to. Running along I heard a guy comment to the woman next to him that we were running an 8:47 pace. Shit! He was encouraging her to keep this pace (apparently she goes out way too fast and burns out early); I, on the other hand, needed to back off - I was going out too fast and really needed to back off.
Mile 5, 6, 7: These miles are all a blur - I remember hurting but also playing that game in my head that you do - I knew if I kept this pace (yep, still running about a 9 min/mile) I knew if I kept this pace I'd have a PR and stupidly my rational went something like this. . this is your last real race for a few months, might as well trash your legs and get your ass kicked now - I have mentioned a few times that everything I did for this race was dumb and stupid, right? Hell, the weather conditions were perfect - why not?! Just after crossing the 10k point I usually get to see my buddy, Doug - It wasn't until I approached his street that I remembered that Doug and Erin had moved. :( - I also looked for Maggie but then I remembered that Nick was in Denver and she had no reason to bring her two toddlers out early on a Sunday morning. . and then, then I passed by Woodie's street - I thought maybe I'd see Woodie out there cheering - nope. No Woodie. . okay - that's okay. :)
Mile 8: coming down through the downtown area, down Princess Anne and Caroline streets was a blast - I saw my friend, Kaley, and poor Kaley, I threw my gloves at her and asked her to hold onto them for me. (she brought them to work for me on Monday - I owe her) The downtown businesses really did a great job of getting everyone out - they dubbed this normally dead area 'Thunder Alley' and for the first time it really was thunder alley - well done! But I'm ahead of myself. . as I came down Charlotte St. and made the turn onto Caroline I heard someone calling my name - whoa! is that? Whoa. . Karen?! no, she's deployed. . I looked and it was Leila, Karen's twin - silly Holly - I waved and pushed on. On the corner of Hanover and Caroline I saw Fred from Team RWB and Clyde from J.Brian's - they both got bit sweaty bear hugs. . . further down Caroline St. I heard someone calling my name and saw my coworker, Sarah-Emma. . and yet further down Caroline St. I saw April and Keith from River Rock out with their cowbells - Seeing everyone really pumped me up up and got the adrenaline flowing.
Mile 9, 10: Miles 9-10, again these miles merge together in my mind. I was still holding a low 9min/mile pace - what the hell was I doing?! Still no Bill - Hey, he's caught me as late as the hills before. I was holding out hope. At this point of the course you're wrapping around the edge of the city, along the river and Old Mill Park. By the park was Wear Blue to Remember. . . there was about 1/4 mile of placards set up w/ photos and details of service members who had died in service to their country. It was a somber 1/4 mile. . .followed by another 1/4 mile of volunteers wearing blue shirts and holding American flags. Thank you! - Sidenote: right about the time that we run under Rt 1 I turned to the guy next to me and said, 'hey, on the bright we've got less than a half an hour until we're done.' he didn't appreciate my sense of humor, either.
Mile 11: Between Miles 10 and 11 is Hospital Hill - It's the stretch of road that runs behind the hospital and connects Rt 1 w/ Cowan Blvd. At the base of the hill I saw Janice and her daughter, Sarah. We exchanged pleasantries - and I pushed onward. . walking up the hill until I saw Jack - sigh. I yelled to Jack, 'Get me up this hill?' and he did!! We ran together, caught up (Jack was the president of FARC when I was the secretary - we'd traveled to SF and FL together - I haven't seen Jack in at least a year. . catching up helped me forget we were running up a steep hill and how bad my legs hurt. . and yes, they hurt) Thank you, Jack!! Jack peeled away after we hit the traffic circle and I pushed through to Cowan Blvd on my own, waving at my coworker, Jason, and then setting my sights on the next (and last) hill before bringing it home. That's another trick I play with myself when I'm tired and at the end of a race. It's not really something you can do on the trails but on the roads it's a surefire way to keep moving forward- pick a point in the distance and run toward it. Sigh. At the base of the last hill I knew that my legs were shot. I was slowing down and my quads burned. They didn't just hurt, they burned. <3 nate.="" nbsp="" p="">The good folks at VA Runner (I used to be on their race team) are always here, running people up the hill. Most years I'm okay on my own - either walking or running - this year I looked at Anne, Chris, Nate, and Vic and asked, 'who's getting my ass up this hill?' Nate, bless his heart. .I love Nate. He ran along with me, coaching me, 'shoulders back, chest open, move your arms up (you can drop them once you get up the hill, great job, Holly!
Yes, I love Nate
<3 nate.="" nbsp="" p="">Mile 12: At the top of Cowan there is always a fire truck w/ a huge American flag strung between the two towers. It's very moving. My legs were trashed - they hurt- they felt like they were encased in cement. I had nothing in the tank - and I pushed. I looked at that flag and was overcome with emotion - the last time I'd felt this way was MCM 2009 - my cousin Jim was injured in Iraq and I told myself that this was nothing compared to what he'd been through. It was my fastest MCM. Between Mile 12 and 13 I pushed, telling myself it would be over soon - just keep moving - just keep moving -
Mile 13.1: Coming into the finish is a blur - I was tired. My legs were trashed and hurting - I normally like to sprint into the finish. . there was no sprinting this year. . just hauling my tired self over the line, getting a great big bear hug from Rick, the race director - he's always at the finish line to give me a hug and making my way through the finisher lines. . Official Time: 2:02:19 I didn't break 2 hours but it's one of my fastest half marathons- after my aggressive ultra schedule this winter I'm happy. I ran better than I should have.
Before heading back to the VIP tent I sought out Stacey, the trainer for Team Fisher House - - I've known her coming up on 10 years and I love Cathy and Stacey for all that they do for the team. We chatted, figured out when we'd see each other again, hugged and wished each other well. oh, and we had a good laugh about Prince Harry - she'd recently seen him at the Invictus Games and since we're all gingers. . .
After changing, attempting to eat, etc. I drove home, took Ori for a walk - good boy - and proceeded to mow my lawn (for the next two hours!!!) Needless to say that I was exhausted. It's now Wednesday morning and I'm finally feeling like myself again - I was wrong to assume that this race would be a walk in the park.. I definitely get the stupid award for, well, being stupid. .. Onward and upward. . Legs still hurt - at least I know I gave it my all - Well done, body, well done!
It was 46 degrees - the sun was out - it was a perfect morning. I opted to wear my Fisher House singlet and a running skirt w/ my team jacket and packed a pair of gloves. There's nothing worse than cold hands. I met up w/ Colleen in the VIP tent, still unable to eat - she suggested that I eat a banana - the banana seemed to help. At about 6:45 we made our way to the start line. The plan was to meet up with Bill but I couldn't find him - I think that I went to the wrong time tower (you know, the towers that help runners self select where they should line up based on their expected finish time) Colleen wanted to run under 1:45, I wanted to run a 2:00 - We went to the 1:45-1:59 tower and said our goodbyes. I think that Bill was at the 2:00-2:15 tower. Doh! Honestly, I wasn't really concerned. He always, always, always catches me somewhere along the course with a, 'Hey, Biz!' and then we run the rest of the race together. There was no doubt in my mind that today would be any different. Sidenote: just before the race started - as we're all standing there waiting for the Howitzer to boom, boom, boom and signal the start of the race - I turned to the guy next to me and said, 'this is going to hurt'. He gave me the strangest look, like I was a freak for talking with him. I laughed - some people don't get my dry sense of humor.
Mile 1: You reach Mile 1 just before you cross over 95 and start your descent down Cowan Blvd. I thought I was being conservative but I hit mile 1 right about a 9 min/mile. Okay, maybe not so conservative but I was feeling good (better than expected) and those ibuprofen were probably the reason why. I was running and talking w/ Vic - if I could keep that pace and talk there was no reason to worry. I was heating up and looked around in amazement at everyone who, IMO, were overdressed - to each his own.
Mile 2: The course between Mile 1 and 2 is a steady decline down Cowan Blvd. . . Other years if you hang out on the left side of the pack you get to see the 5k runners making their way up the hill. This year was the inaugural 5miler- I really missed seeing the runners but hey, I didn't stay there long. It's on this stretch that the course passes by Bryan's apartment complex. . I wondered if I'd see him out - I didn't see Bryan or his vehicle in the parking lot - Bryan gets a pass for not being out and cheering, he probably had a work project (I later learned he had left early and was out fishing. . gah! sucker - good for him!)
Mile 3: Right at Mile 3 you leave the neighborhood between Cowan Blvd and Rt3 - between Miles 2-3 you encounter your first set of undulating hills. It was a good place to test the legs - yeah, no. I have ultra legs - no pushing my ass up those hills and burning out early - My buddy, Anthony, was voluntold to post at Mile 3 - it was good to see his friendly face there cheering with the other Marines. He gave me a highfive and told me I looked strong. Thanks, buddy!
Mile 4: there's a long stretch of road between Mile 3 and 4 - you get your first 'real' climb coming up William St. and make your way into the downtown. I powered up the hill - still no sign of Bill - hmmm. Saw Ruth and then Al by the catholic church - and settled in for the long stretch of snaking behind the college. Sidenote: this was my normal running course when I lived downtown. I used to dread running this portion of the course because, hell, I ran it every day and muscle memory is a bitch when you're used to running/walking a certain street. You are forced to do something different from what you're used to. Running along I heard a guy comment to the woman next to him that we were running an 8:47 pace. Shit! He was encouraging her to keep this pace (apparently she goes out way too fast and burns out early); I, on the other hand, needed to back off - I was going out too fast and really needed to back off.
Mile 5, 6, 7: These miles are all a blur - I remember hurting but also playing that game in my head that you do - I knew if I kept this pace (yep, still running about a 9 min/mile) I knew if I kept this pace I'd have a PR and stupidly my rational went something like this. . this is your last real race for a few months, might as well trash your legs and get your ass kicked now - I have mentioned a few times that everything I did for this race was dumb and stupid, right? Hell, the weather conditions were perfect - why not?! Just after crossing the 10k point I usually get to see my buddy, Doug - It wasn't until I approached his street that I remembered that Doug and Erin had moved. :( - I also looked for Maggie but then I remembered that Nick was in Denver and she had no reason to bring her two toddlers out early on a Sunday morning. . and then, then I passed by Woodie's street - I thought maybe I'd see Woodie out there cheering - nope. No Woodie. . okay - that's okay. :)
Mile 8: coming down through the downtown area, down Princess Anne and Caroline streets was a blast - I saw my friend, Kaley, and poor Kaley, I threw my gloves at her and asked her to hold onto them for me. (she brought them to work for me on Monday - I owe her) The downtown businesses really did a great job of getting everyone out - they dubbed this normally dead area 'Thunder Alley' and for the first time it really was thunder alley - well done! But I'm ahead of myself. . as I came down Charlotte St. and made the turn onto Caroline I heard someone calling my name - whoa! is that? Whoa. . Karen?! no, she's deployed. . I looked and it was Leila, Karen's twin - silly Holly - I waved and pushed on. On the corner of Hanover and Caroline I saw Fred from Team RWB and Clyde from J.Brian's - they both got bit sweaty bear hugs. . . further down Caroline St. I heard someone calling my name and saw my coworker, Sarah-Emma. . and yet further down Caroline St. I saw April and Keith from River Rock out with their cowbells - Seeing everyone really pumped me up up and got the adrenaline flowing.
Mile 9, 10: Miles 9-10, again these miles merge together in my mind. I was still holding a low 9min/mile pace - what the hell was I doing?! Still no Bill - Hey, he's caught me as late as the hills before. I was holding out hope. At this point of the course you're wrapping around the edge of the city, along the river and Old Mill Park. By the park was Wear Blue to Remember. . . there was about 1/4 mile of placards set up w/ photos and details of service members who had died in service to their country. It was a somber 1/4 mile. . .followed by another 1/4 mile of volunteers wearing blue shirts and holding American flags. Thank you! - Sidenote: right about the time that we run under Rt 1 I turned to the guy next to me and said, 'hey, on the bright we've got less than a half an hour until we're done.' he didn't appreciate my sense of humor, either.
Mile 11: Between Miles 10 and 11 is Hospital Hill - It's the stretch of road that runs behind the hospital and connects Rt 1 w/ Cowan Blvd. At the base of the hill I saw Janice and her daughter, Sarah. We exchanged pleasantries - and I pushed onward. . walking up the hill until I saw Jack - sigh. I yelled to Jack, 'Get me up this hill?' and he did!! We ran together, caught up (Jack was the president of FARC when I was the secretary - we'd traveled to SF and FL together - I haven't seen Jack in at least a year. . catching up helped me forget we were running up a steep hill and how bad my legs hurt. . and yes, they hurt) Thank you, Jack!! Jack peeled away after we hit the traffic circle and I pushed through to Cowan Blvd on my own, waving at my coworker, Jason, and then setting my sights on the next (and last) hill before bringing it home. That's another trick I play with myself when I'm tired and at the end of a race. It's not really something you can do on the trails but on the roads it's a surefire way to keep moving forward- pick a point in the distance and run toward it. Sigh. At the base of the last hill I knew that my legs were shot. I was slowing down and my quads burned. They didn't just hurt, they burned. <3 nate.="" nbsp="" p="">The good folks at VA Runner (I used to be on their race team) are always here, running people up the hill. Most years I'm okay on my own - either walking or running - this year I looked at Anne, Chris, Nate, and Vic and asked, 'who's getting my ass up this hill?' Nate, bless his heart. .I love Nate. He ran along with me, coaching me, 'shoulders back, chest open, move your arms up (you can drop them once you get up the hill, great job, Holly!
Yes, I love Nate
<3 nate.="" nbsp="" p="">Mile 12: At the top of Cowan there is always a fire truck w/ a huge American flag strung between the two towers. It's very moving. My legs were trashed - they hurt- they felt like they were encased in cement. I had nothing in the tank - and I pushed. I looked at that flag and was overcome with emotion - the last time I'd felt this way was MCM 2009 - my cousin Jim was injured in Iraq and I told myself that this was nothing compared to what he'd been through. It was my fastest MCM. Between Mile 12 and 13 I pushed, telling myself it would be over soon - just keep moving - just keep moving -
Mile 13.1: Coming into the finish is a blur - I was tired. My legs were trashed and hurting - I normally like to sprint into the finish. . there was no sprinting this year. . just hauling my tired self over the line, getting a great big bear hug from Rick, the race director - he's always at the finish line to give me a hug and making my way through the finisher lines. . Official Time: 2:02:19 I didn't break 2 hours but it's one of my fastest half marathons- after my aggressive ultra schedule this winter I'm happy. I ran better than I should have.
Before heading back to the VIP tent I sought out Stacey, the trainer for Team Fisher House - - I've known her coming up on 10 years and I love Cathy and Stacey for all that they do for the team. We chatted, figured out when we'd see each other again, hugged and wished each other well. oh, and we had a good laugh about Prince Harry - she'd recently seen him at the Invictus Games and since we're all gingers. . .
After changing, attempting to eat, etc. I drove home, took Ori for a walk - good boy - and proceeded to mow my lawn (for the next two hours!!!) Needless to say that I was exhausted. It's now Wednesday morning and I'm finally feeling like myself again - I was wrong to assume that this race would be a walk in the park.. I definitely get the stupid award for, well, being stupid. .. Onward and upward. . Legs still hurt - at least I know I gave it my all - Well done, body, well done!
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