The Commoner and the Marine Corp Marathon

This race was hard.  So much harder than Chicago.  I did NOT look like this at the end

I looked like this

I knew there were hills but I did not expect this to matter all that much.  It did it mattered a lot and I was a full 26 minutes from my goal pace. I blame my Garmin for that-more later.

Let me tell you the story in pictures.
But first
I wasn't sure how a race of 30,000 people would start a race without a wave start but we did and it was organized and roomy and awesome.  Marines -tell everyone else how you did that.

More notes from the start

• Way millions of port a potties meant I went to the bathroom 3 times with no lines before the start.
• Marines are awesome
• The sky divers with the flags made me happy
• the fly over was cool
• Sean Astin -Rudy gave a Rudy type of speech which was awesome for a hobbit.
• America is a badass country and I wouldn't live anywhere else.

So pictures.

This is waiting for you at the finish and each and everyone of them will shake your hands and thank you for running-and it starts at that famous .2 uphill.  Thank us?  No thank you

I finished and I actually way beat the bridge-so this will be my Facebook cover photo for ever now

The start is based on the honor system.  I really expected to finish with this goal but that didn't happen partially because this was the hardest marathon ever

This is us-in the dark-waiting to start.  It was the most relaxing start ever.  For a nano second I thought the security was really lax-until i remembered the thousands of marines hanging around.  Most secure marathon ever.

Super proud to be American today

Last week firemen -this week Marines-who will cheer my running next week?

Official picture to follow-but you finish here.  Again -America is badass

Some people can run on feel.  If I do that I run 15 minute miles. I can not run without a Garmin.  I simply can not.  My fully charged Garmin died at mile 20-I had no idea how to manage the rest of the race without it.  I'm mad and will be complaining to them.  This Garmin has always been a problem....

And this is the medal.

Rob said all along he was retiring from the marathon.  I love the marathon and until the Garmin incident I was on pace to make my goal.  

There are only 3 marathons I will consider running and they all chose by lottery.  If I got into this one again  I would train harder and hire a coach.  I'm old -it's hard.  Every injury I ever  had and a few I didn't know I had acted up on this run-to do it again I would need more help.

Oh and The Giants won which was a nice surprise at 415 AM and I'm not going to lie-I though of Hunter Pence often and gave my self Hunter Pence inspirational speeches many times during the race.