Marathon planning - Update and race report in replies!

[Mrs.flang]

I've only lurked over here lately, but I was hoping to run through my plan for the MCM this weekend and see if I'm missing anything.  It's been a while since I've done this.

I'm coming into town saturday night and staying in the capitol area so I was going to take the train to the start between 6-630, so hopefully arriving around 7 for a 7:55 start.  Is that too much or not enough time?

As of now, the weather says high of 72 with a 90% chance of rain  .  I'm thinking joggers and light-weight long sleeved shirt with a poncho, and down to shorts and tank for the start.  I'll bring arm warmers but don't think I'll need them.  Extra trash bags to sit on and for coverage in case its rainy.  I don't usually run in a hat but maybe I want a visor if its raining.

For food - I'm going to be on the road saturday evening so I'm not sure what I should try to eat that night.  I might have only fast food options, or room service at the hotel.  In the morning, all my long training runs have been so early that I don't ever eat beforehand but I'm thinking toast and a banana before I leave my room.

Is there anything else I need to think about?

[sassystace]

Sorry, I have no advice on MCM logistics, but good luck and have fun! I'd try and eat a fairly 'normal' dinner the night before, stuff you know you can handle pre-long run.

[lilypad1126]

I think arriving at the start an hour early is a good plan. That gives you plenty of time if you need to wait in a long port-a-potty line and still get to your corral. I hate running in hats, but I do when it rains. It is so nice to have the brim to keep water out of my face.

As for food the night before, what do you usually eat the night before your long runs? I'd try to go with something similar. I'm not one for pasta the day before a race, so before Chicago, I had a turkey sandwich and fries. Food in the morning was half a bagel with peanut butter, then a pack of pop tarts (LOL) that I took with me and ate in my corral while I was waiting to start. I've never eaten pop tarts pre-race before, but it worked out so perfectly, I'm already planning for the half a bagel and pop tart routine again at my next race.

Good luck! I hope the weather turns out nice than currently predicted and that you have an amazing race!

[vcubergirl]

I think your plan is solid! I would definitely want to be there in plenty of time. The only thing I can think of that you didn't mention is body glide and checking a bag with dry clothes to change in to after.

I'm doing the 10k, my plan is to leave our hotel in Crystal City around 6:15 (breakfast starts at 6) for the metro station. I'm running in a tank, sleeves, capris, and a hat, plus a throwaway poncho for the start.

Can you pack something to eat for dinner? I know someone who did that last year.

Our local moms run this town (I live in a DC suburb) posted these suggestions:

1. Wear a hat with a brim that is COOL to keep rain off your face;

2. Use a lot anti-chafing ointment, such as Skindurance or Body Glide, including on your feet, to prevent chafing and blisters. Some runners also like to use Vaseline on their exposed skin to form a barrier between the rain and your skin. This is a personal preference and may require some thought as to what you think will make you most comfortable;

3. While waiting to start, wear warm clothes under a trash bag or a throw-away poncho. Bring your running shoes and socks with you and wear old shoes and socks that you can remove with your warm clothes before the start.

4. Check a bag with dry clothing to wear at the finish;

5. When running, dress for weather that is 20 degrees warmer than the actual real feel temperature. Do not wear pants/tights, even if it's raining if the real feel temps are above 50. For example, if the real feel temperature is 50 degrees and you are running in tights or capris, you will be running in wet tights/capris in temps that feel like 70 degrees. Shorts do not absorb water like pants. DO wear gloves that you can toss. Our extremities tend to stay cooler than our core, so covering those hands will help, particularly early in the race as your body warms up.

6. While running, continue to hydrate, even if you do not feel as thirsty and put your nutrition in a place that is easy to access. Zippers are hard to navigate when our hands are wet;

7. Get mentally strong! Once you start running, even if it's POURING, embrace the less-than-ideal conditions and recognize that your accomplishment will be even sweeter when you cross that finish line! You will have a fantastic story to share with your grandchildren.

8. As the forecast evolves, we will continue to post tips on our page this week. Please share these tips with your fellow MCM participant. We want everyone to have the right gear and preparation to feel excited and comfortable about running the People's Marathon, regardless of the conditions, this weekend!

[wambam]

Bring whatever you need to eat the same things you eat before a long run at home.

Signed,
Brought a toaster to her hotel for her last marathon

[moreace01]

I would be very careful about where you put body glide on your feet if you even thinking of doing that - it can make your feet slip around in your shoes (yeah...I did that on a 20 miler once....).

Ditto on the visor to keep rain off your face. Ditto on the garbage bag before the run. Keeps you warm and dry. And the least amount of clothes for the actual run you can get away with - less clothes, less chafing.

I'd bring food with if you can. Or order delivery? But for me, I get ravenous and cannot run a marathon on a banana and toast. I'm a weirdo and eat poke bowls before marathons.

Good luck! Have fun!!

[vcubergirl]

The forecast just changed, looks like the rain is going to move off! Woohoo!

[Mrs.flang]

Dry clothes to change into is not something I would have thought of!

vcubergirl , those are excellent tips! I can't believe it went from 100% yesterday to 90% today, to 0% in the last few hours. Running in the rain wouldn't bother me, its the before and after logistics of the rain that had me annoyed and worried!  Good luck in your race!

[gt7301b]

I'd plan to get to the start more than an hour ahead of time because the last couple of years it took people a while to get through the security.  If it were me I would plan to be there around 6:30, so I had time to get through security and use the bathroom before the race.

I'd avoid true fast food options the night before the race.  I would try and order pizza or something along those lines.  My husband swears by a Paneraas his pre-race meal.

[Wines Not Whines]

Is it not supposed to rain anymore? I'm confused. Anyway, I've run MCM 5 times, so here's some possibly useful info:

When Metro says it opens at 6 am, that usually means trains are leaving the end of the line at 6 am. It will take a little while for them to get to stations farther down the line. Metro has a "trip planner" thing on its website where you can type in when and where you want to ride it, and it will give you an estimate of the train schedule.

If you're taking Metro to the Pentagon, there's a long walk from there to the start line. It takes at least 15 minutes of continuous walking to get there.

I haven't run MCM since 2015, so I don't know if they still do this, but in 2015 they made everyone go through metal detectors before they could get into the start area. If they still do that (maybe you can confirm on their website or facebook), that can take a little while.

Checking a bag is usually easy. They're very efficient. Portojohn lines can be long.

I agree with others to try to eat a "normal" dinner, whatever that means for you. I'd pack food for breakfast. I don't eat a lot before a run (my stomach can't handle it), so toast and a banana sound perfect to me. If you think you may want to drink some water before the start, bring a bottle with you and throw it away before you get in your corral.

I don't know what you use for anti-chafing, but someone on this board told me about Sport Shield from 2Toms. It works SO much better than Body Glide. I highly recommend it.

[vcubergirl]

The rain was gone, but now it's back plus a possibility of thunderstorms. Ugh.

[wanderingback]

I’ve never run MCM so I don’t have advice with logistics. I got to Chicago 2 weeks ago a little over an hour early. I usually don’t like to get there that early, but it worked out well to be able to go to the bathroom.

As far as food I wouldn’t deviate too far from what you normally eat. I can have a sensitive stomach so I stuck to easily digestible food which are pretty much simple carbs for the night before. I didn’t want to have to worry about the slightest chance of something like chicken or seafood not sitting well in my stomach.

For awhile I hadn’t been eating before long runs but the past year I’ve been experimenting with white bread and peanut butter and that hadn’t been causing stomach problems. So I bought that at a shop near my hotel. No way would I personally eat anything new the morning of.

Good luck!

[mrshandy]

Plan for rain in your packing, who knows what is going to happen.

Definitely wear a hat.

If you're arriving the night of, I'm assuming you got your bib already.

Get there with plenty of time. There have been security issues in the past. I usually like to eat 30-45 minutes before race. Usually a banana. When I get up I'll have almond butter toast (maybe two)

I like Panera for real "fast food." There are lots of yummy options that aren't greasy or gross. I rarely eat fast food so eating the night before a race would not be good for me.

[scm1011]

How'd it go, Mrs.flang?

[Mrs.flang]

UPDATE/race report:

So, I drove down to DC Saturday night alone, got in around 6:30. I had brought a turkey sandwich and fries with me from my favorite take out place, so I ate that, relaxed, and tried to fall asleep around 930/10. It was my first night totally alone in YEARS and I actually felt pretty lonely. But I'm glad DH and the kids didn't come because the hotel room was tiny.

Sunday I got up around 5. I tried to force down a few pieces of bagel and a banana but I just wasn't really that hungry. I pumped, packed up, and headed out around 5:45. It was raining pretty hard. Someone upthread mentioned a long walk from the metro to the start and since I was alone I decided to drive to the shuttle instead so I'd have my car to head straight home. It was very easy to park and pretty quick getting on the shuttles, but still a pretty decent walk to the start from where they dropped off. I wore a poncho and plastic shopping bags tied onto my feet. I went to the bathroom, checked my bag, stood under a bridge for while, and then back to the porta potty right before the start. The rain had started to let up, and I tossed my poncho and shopping bags.

The beginning it felt a little crowded and like I was weaving around a lot so its always hard to tell how you're doing. I usually use my phone to track my pace, but I didn't bother turning it on at the start because it was double baggied and my pocket was wet and I just figured it didn't really matter at this point because knowing my pace wasn't going to help me. It stayed pretty clear for the first 7 or 8 miles or so, and I felt ok, although still kind of wet from earlier.

Then it started to pour. There were at least 2 times I remember a significant pickup in the rain like buckets, but overall it just consistently was coming down. It started to get to me around mile 15 or 16 and I began negotiating my goals and felt like I really slowed down. Even with the timers every so often I didn't really bother doing the math to see how I was doing and I let the rain be an excuse for if I did miserably. I got really emotional at the mile to remember where they had signs up of fallen service members. It seemed like it just got really quiet and it really got to me.

Then the rain stopped at around mile 20. The crowds were great throughout, but from mile 20 or so and on there were people handing out candy, bananas, beer, so much stuff. It was really great. What I did not like about this course is that there were a few spot where you loop back and are running opposite of everyone in front of you and then everyone behind you. In both directions that just didn't play well with me mentally. There was a long stretch like that near the end. Then the crowds started to let up and were more sparse right before the finish. Some random guy yelled out that there was about 800 meters left but he had to have been lying, lol. The end had a tiny little hill, and then a big blow up arch, and then there was still a bit to go to get to the actual finish, so it felt like it dragged forever. But it was really cool to get presented with a medal from a marine. My dad texted me right then with my official time of 4:16:17! I had trained for around 4:10 and hoped to finish between 4:10 and 4:15. Given my mental state with the rain, I was really happy with my time! Not a PR, but my second best time (out of 5), so I'm very happy.

Even after driving 4 hours home right after I feel pretty good today. I definitely think if not for the rain I would have been better mentally and could have done better, but it was a wild experience.

I also have to give a shout out to the best spectator sign - it was at mile 2 or 3 and it said something like "You're almost there! #alternativefacts #fakenews". It had me smiling the whole rest of the race and I kept trying to find one that topped it.

[lilypad1126]

Mrs.flang, sounds like you had a great race! I'm sure the rain made it more difficult, and I'm super impressed that you finished so strong!

[wambam]

1 minute off your goal in a downpour is impressive! Congrats on that mental game!

[sadlebred]

Congratulations on a great race!

[Wines Not Whines]

Congratulations! I was out there spectating and the rain was brutal! You’re a rock star for running in that.

[Mrs.flang]

Wines Not Whines, as much as running in it sucked, I was super impressed by all the crowd support!

I looked through my pictures and I think I’m going to order this one that sort of captures how wet it was at one point lol.

[Mrs.flang]

vcubergirl, how was your 10k?

[scm1011]

Amazing job, Mrs.flang! You should be very proud

[vcubergirl]

Oct 29, 2019 5:34:56 GMT -5 Mrs.flang said:

vcubergirl, how was your 10k?

Wet, hahahaha! Actually, it wasn't bad but I was just getting off the metro to walk back to the hotel (almost a mile) when the downpour started. And for some reason my ankle hurts although I don't recall doing anything to it. Fingers crossed that it's better for Richmond in a couple of weeks!

I'm glad you had a good race in spite of the rain!

[moreace01]

Congratulations on a great race!! I can't imagine the mental toughness to get through that!

[mrshandy]

Congrats!!!! Mrs.flang,

That's a great time especially considering the weather. I was out there in Crystal City and it was so miserable for a while. We were one of the groups handing out candy and water, I think around mile 22.5 I think.

[gt7301b]

Congrats!! The weather was miserable and I am impressed at everyone who powered through!