Training = COMPLETE!

I honestly cannot believe I am two days away from running my first ever 26.2 miles!  Yesterday, I officially finished my training program, which also blows my mind - in the last 18 weeks, I have ran 378.40 miles, who am I?  But I do feel a huge sense of accomplishment and am getting really excited for the actual race!  My longest training run of 20 miles seems like it was ages ago, but maybe that's the point?  I guess we will find out...

We're kicking off the weekend's festivities with a big carbo-loading dinner tonight with 15 of my favorite DC people!!

I'm so excited to have everyone around the same table together -  I know this group will definitely help me ease my nerves!  Then Saturday, my parents are coming down to DC as well as a few of my NYC friends, all of whom I cannot say enough how thankful I am of their constant support during all of this!  We'll spend a little time on Saturday at the Expo, which has been up and running since Thursday.  The MCM posted a sneak peak on their Facebook Page last night:

I'm excited to pick up my official bib # and race packet and peruse some of the booths they have set up - but I want to be sure not to spend too much time on my feet during the day Saturday...

I made my race day playlist, which needs a few tweaks and then will be ready to go.  I'll definitely post it after the run.  Just putting the songs together got me pumped up and made me want to go out for a run!  I have a good mix of pop songs, some old teeny boppers that of course I know every word to.  And, I've realized, I also have a song that reminds me of each of my closest friends who can't make it to the race, so I can think of them when their gem comes up on my playlist :)

I just have to say, my parents have been beyond supportive this entire time, but especially in these lase few weeks - picking up last minute fuel, cold gear, and everything in between to bring down to me this weekend.  I am so lucky to have them so close by and that they will be able to come out and watch! 

I've been watching some You Tube videos from last year of runners who made video journals of their experiences training and running the race - some spectators took videos while they were on the metro hopping form mile marker to mile marker to watch their runner - I'm definitely going to ask JS and my parents to do that, so when I'm finished I can see what the experience was like for them too!  The videos I saw are all so moving and have gotten me really motivated about doing this!

Now, I just have to remember to stay hydrated and eat and sleep VERY well.  Last night I was in bed by 9:30 and already feel great today!  The countdown continues...

Fun Fact

When I made the decision to run this marathon, I knew I needed all the advice and tips I could find.  Just like in middle school, when I went to the bookstore and wanted to find out what was going on in the world, I picked up that month's BOP.

 So what was the first thing I did back in March?  I got a subscription to Runner's World Magazine.

I've enjoyed reading the stories, tips, and advice over the past 6 months, and will probably renew my subscription even after this marathon. 

I was reading this month's issue and came across some interesting Fun Facts - one of which actually relates to me (and when does that every REALLY happen in a magazine?).  There are lots of races in the fall, I am very grateful for this because although training occurs in the hottest months of the year, race day is not likely to have a humidity index of 100 degrees.  Back to the point...

According to Runner's World, nationwide marathon registration numbers have been on the rise - up 26% in the last 5 years - causing race day supplies to be on the up and up as well.

Chicago Marathon (October 7th)
48,250 gallons of Gatorade and 58.420 gallons of water - enough liquid to pump through Grant Park's Buckingham Fountain for seven minutes 33 seconds.

ING NYC Marathon (November 4th)
2.3 million paper cups, enough for every resident of the borough of Queens (2.3 million people)

Twin Cities Marathon (October 7th)
314 Porta Potties, which, if stacked, would rise 2,032 feet, or nearly as high as Minneapolis's three tallest buildings combined.

Philadelphia Marathon (November 18th)
3,800 pounds - the total weight of the race's 16,000 finishers' medals - nearly twice as heavy as the Liberty Bell.


...and last but not least...

Marine Corps Marathon (October 28th)
24,000 yards of ribbon used for finishers' medals; enough to surround the Reflecting Pool 15 times.

That's all she wrote.

Home Stretch

Only 20 miles left in my MCM training!!  With just 10 days left before the big day - today's 6 miler felt pretty good.  It's gotten chilly here in DC, my entire run this morning never broke 45 degrees, a definite change from the early months of training when it was hotter than Ben Affleck.

WEEK	MON	TUES	WEDS	THURS	FRI	SAT	SUN
1	REST	3 m run	3 m run	3 m run	REST	6	XTRAIN
2	REST	3 m run	3 m run	3 m run	REST	7	XTRAIN
3	REST	3 m run	4 m run	3 m run	REST	5	XTRAIN
4	REST	3 m run	4 m run	3 m run	REST	9	XTRAIN
5	REST	3 m run	5 m run	3 m run	REST	10	XTRAIN
6	REST	3 m run	5 m run	3 m run	REST	7	XTRAIN
7	REST	3 m run	6 m run	3 m run	REST	12	XTRAIN
8	REST	3 m run	6 m run	3 m run	REST	REST	½MARATHON
9	REST	3 m run	7 m run	4 m run	REST	10	XTRAIN
10	REST	3 m run	7 m run	4 m run	REST	15	XTRAIN
11	REST	4 m run	8 m run	4 m run	REST	16	XTRAIN
12	REST	4 m run	8 m run	5 m run	REST	12	XTRAIN
13	REST	4 m run	9 m run	5 m run	REST	18	XTRAIN
14	REST	5 m run	9 m run	5 m run	REST	14	XTRAIN
15	REST	5 m run	10 m run	5 m run	REST	20	XTRAIN
16	REST	5 m run	8 m run	4 m run	REST	12	XTRAIN
17	REST	4 m run	6 m run	3 m run	REST	8	XTRAIN
18	REST	3 m run	4 m run	2m run	REST	REST	MARATHON DAY!!

Kelly and I seem to be on the same pace, which is really reassuring and has made us both even more excited for the race together!  Being in different cities, but on the same training program has had its benefits but also probably is not ideal.  We have both trained alone, but that will just make it that much more fun to be together and in the masses on race day.  We've been good about encouraging each other via txts and gchat :)

As I've said before, I was a bit apprehensive about this whole marathon thing when she asked me to run it with her, but more than that - Kelly is dedicated to her workout regimen and was logging about double what I was before we picked a training plan.  I have to say, I am beyond thrilled with Hal Higdon's Novice 1 training plan.  I never would have been able to be this successful in my training without it.  I truly feel prepared for this race, physically and mentally.

This year, the MCM has made some changes to the course:



I am really excited to run through DC, by all the historic landmarks like the Pentagon, the Lincoln Memorial, the Jefferson Memorial, the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial, the FDR Memorial, through the National Mall, the Korean and WWII Memorials, the reflecting pool, the Washington Monument, the US Capitol, the Smithsonian Castle, and the Marine Corps War Memorial.  All of the sightseeing plus the incredible energy from the crowds should make this one of the most memorable experiences of my life.

Looking forward to my 3mile run tomorrow - who would have ever thought I would say that??  Loving taper time!