Marine Corp Marathon - I'm in !

It took serious persistence and knowing some html, but I managed to get registered for the MCM, running Oct 27, 2013!  The event sold out in 2 hours, 27 minutes.  Registration started at noon, and crashed immediately as thousands of runners hit the site.  I am just grateful that I had the time to be able to dedicate to getting registered.  Now I'm just hoping for a strong training period and a good run!
HooRah!  Here we go!

Goals?  Right now my goal is to cross the finish line vertical and preferably running !

hillwork

I suddenly realized today that I have been using a very subtle trick when running a route with hills.  After running for a while, every hill I hit becomes harder and harder for me (hey – I’m not 20 anymore and I get tired…. not an excuse, it’s a fact).

I realized (today) that when I start running out of gas going up a hill, that I often tell myself to just get to the top and then I can walk a bit to recover.  But I never do that, I don't slow down to a walk when I get to the top – I get to the crest and then I keep running – no walking.

And today, after all this time, it suddenly occurred to me why: once I get to the top and I’m on a level or maybe even a downhill slope, the effort diminishes so much that I feel good enough to continue running. Crazy, huh?  The trick was simply telling myself to get-to-the-top and then reconsider my needs.  I don’t know if that makes me a better runner or not, but for me it makes a psychological difference, a mental victory, that I didn't slow down to walk while on the uphill part.  And in the end, it’s all about the small victories.

But maybe this little trick will help someone else…

it's like religious experience

It’s almost like what I would imagine a religious experience to be.  It is a sudden rush of release, of what I don’t know, followed by a flush of new endorphin's that make me feel like I could run forever, up any hill, through any wall.  I’ll share that I am sometimes moved to tears as I run – me a mid 50’s guy who thinks that he doesn't stink and is bullet proof (my injuries clearly prove that I’m not, and yes I do stink). 

It wells up on me at different moments, and at different levels of exertion, and it doesn’t happen on every run.  It is so unpredictable, but is something that I am constantly chasing and hoping that will happen.  And as it starts to happen I almost always say “here it comes….”

It’s the physical effort. 

It’s the mental tenacity to continue. 

And it is a great feeling  - so good.    It is awesome.