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SRRC Race Reports

Marine Corps Marathon, Arlington, VA —October 29, 2006
by Kathy Hoenig

WOW! What an amazing experience. Especially since I was dreading it throughout my training.

In June, I ran my first Marathon—the San Diego Rock and Roll Marathon. The training was so much fun. I surpassed all of my expectations on my training runs. The biggest challenge was finding people to join me for my long runs—most spring marathons were complete. Nevertheless, I completed my training and felt ready other than a minor ankle pain that started in the last mile of my 20 mile training run. I bought new shoes and thought I would be fine. Apparently not! The different running surfaces (cobblestone, cracked streets, railroad tracks, etc.) and sloped roads inflamed my ankle very early on. I had never experienced any sort of pain so early on a run; it scared the heck out of me. But, I chugged on despite the pain.

At around mile 23½ I looked at my watch and knew it wasn't possible to finish the race in my projected 4 hours. Very disappointed, I started to walk. As I was walking, I realized it was possible to finish the race in 4:10, if I started running. So, I did. I ended up finishing in 4:11:42; I forgot about the last .2 mile in my calculation! Anyway, I finished feeling defeated and burnt. I wasn't sure if I would ever recover. All I could think about was that I had signed up for Marine Corp Marathon and how could I get out of it? So, instead of a time goal this time, I really wanted to enjoy the Marine Corp Marathon and feel good after the race. So, I decided to look at the Rock 'n Roll marathon and learn from my mistakes. First, and foremost, try and heal my ankle through physical therapy. Second, I decided to eliminate all of the junk miles I racked up training for RnR marathon. For example, I ran 26 miles the week before the marathon. Third, try nourishment during the race – Gu and Gatorade. Fourth, take Endurox after the race to aid in recovery.

Unfortunately, my ankle was not doing great the few weeks before the marathon. I ended up getting cortisone shot a few days before the marathon. It did wonders. I couldn’t, and still can’t, feel the pain. HURRAH!! I wasn't sure how fast to go. I have always felt that the faster you go, the less time for pain! There was a pace group targeting a finish of 4:30 and a good friend targeting a finish under 4:00. One, I was hoping, was too slow, and the other too fast. Afraid to run alone, I went back and forth. I was thinking about averaging a 9:30 pace. Then I was talking to a friend the day before the marathon, and they said they were just going to run their own pace; this gave me the courage to do just that.

Very anxious the night before the marathon, I was up at 1:30 in the morning making lunch for my family to bring to the marathon! Thank goodness I got a great night sleep on Friday night. Up and out by 5:15am, I was really excited! I couldn't believe the day was here and almost over. The race was phenomenal. I had so much fun running it. I just took in all the spectators and sights. I couldn't believe the support. There are few points that really stood out for me. I loved running down M Street and seeing all the places I used to frequent in high school and after college. It brought back so many fun memories. I was feeling so good. I was almost at mile 10, where my family was supposed to meet me. I was looking back and forth until mile 13, when I realized I either missed them or they were too late. I started to get very worried since my husband is always early. But then, thank goodness, I saw them at mile 13. This was the highlight of the marathon; it was so awesome to hug and kiss them.

I was a little nervous about Haines Point. But, I had loaded up my ipod with some great tunes and popped in on as I entered Haines point. I figured that could get me through. Also, Catalina was going to meet me at mile 20, just before the 14th street bridge, to run with me. That really kept me going. I can't believe how time really flew between mile 18 and mile 20. The crowds after Haines point were overwhelming. I will never forget looping around to the 14th Street Bridge, I was in awe of all the support and noise. At mile 19 I turned my ipod off to just take it all in. When I didn't see Catalina, I was very disappointed, but chugged on. Apparently my family was there also. They both missed me.

Finisher . . .

Somewhere after Crystal City I grabbed some water from a Marine and he screamed "you can do it Kathy." That just pumped me up. I got a huge burst of energy and was super excited that I had made it this far without hitting the "wall." All of the sudden, at mile 25, Catalina popped out. It was so awesome to see someone I know; although, with the crowds shouting my name, I felt like a hero. Just before the 26 mile marker, I started to hit "the wall." I really needed something. Maybe even to see the finish line. Catalina was great. She kept saying "you have done this before, you can do it!" We had done a training run in DC a few weeks before. I ended up walking up the hill. But, in retrospect, I wish I had done a little bit of GU at mile 25 just to give me the energy I needed to go the last ¼ of a mile. All in all, I achieved my goal. My husband could not believe the difference in me when I finished compared to the last marathon. Not only did I recovery so quickly, I had a lot of fun. But, next time I will finish in under 4:00 hours! I can't wait.

THANKS so much to everyone who helped me in both marathons. Especially Joy and Dave for helping me train for San Diego, even though they didn't run. Phil for his encouragement, advice, and support in both marathons. And a special thanks to Catalina for company, advice, navigating my MCM familiarization run (which I probably would've attempted to run on 395 without her) and trying so hard to meet me on the course the week before her NYC marathon. Also, THANKS so much to the South Riding Running Club; without your support I would never have gotten this far in my running endeavors. And last but definitely not least, my loving husband. His support has been amazing. I could never have done this with 2 small children without him!

October 2006

The SRRC would love to hear about your running, racing, or crewing experiences! If you would like to submit a race report, to be posted on the SRRC website, please email srrunner@srrunners.org.