Marine Corps Marathon 2009 - Race Report

Yay! I finished my very first marathon! (05:31:18)

To tell you the truth, I had no idea how big a deal it seemed to be to other people for me to finish. I went out to D.C. because I had a very personal goal and it was very surprising to me that so many friends and colleagues were interested in supporting me and cheering me on. So thanks friends! :)

The Marines run such a fantastic and organized race, and it's very evident why it's so popular. I think it took less than 5 minutes to pick up my race packet. For such a huge race, that was incredible to me. When I ran Long Beach last year it took 20 minutes easily, and I've had to wait in packet pick-up lines for many 5Ks as well. So to basically show up and have the Marines there almost immediately produce my bib, race packet goodie bag, and shirt was incredibly impressive.

Very funny side story: As my friend who I was staying with and I were approaching the queue for bib pick-up, I realized I had forgotten what size shirt I stated on my registration that I should get. It wasn't listed on my e-Confirmation either. My friend said, "Oh, don't worry. I'm sure they'll have some young strapping Marine size you up and say, 'oh, I think you're a size C!'"

I go pick up my bib and head over to the table to get my goodie bag and shirt. The Lance Corporal handing out shirts asked me what size I needed and I said, "You know, honestly I don't know!" He blatantly looked me over and said, "It's just me, but I think a size small would fit you best" and laid out a shirt for me to compare myself to. Just wow. He totally lined himself up for volunteering for this job, and he is having an awesome day. :)

The weather on Race Day was absolutely perfect. It started off pretty chilly in the morning but it turned into such a gorgeous day. It was nice to be running the start of the race in the neighborhoods around Georgetown and see the trees whose leaves had started to turn.

Watching the 2 Osprey V-22s fly by overhead in both helicopter and airplane mode before the race was pretty awesome to witness. It was also nice feeling followed by the black Army helicopter throughout the race.

A big "Ooh Rah" to the Marine Captain who ran the marathon in full cammies and boots, carrying his unit's guidon. I saw him around mile 2, and thought if I kept up with him there was definitely no way he would be put onto the stragglers bus if we didn't beat the bridge. At this point in the race I was very worried I wouldn't be able to keep up my pace. I did eventually pass this Marine around mile 4 and I hope he made it OK.

The amount of support this race has is absolutely astonishing. Not only do you have Marines along the course cheering you on you also have A LOT of spectators. The sidewalks are literally lined with spectators and at times it feels there isn't enough room to get past them.

I did see the White House when I was running around the Mall. I'm not familiar enough with Washington geography to really know any of the museums or memorials I saw, and my eyes were more focused on the road than they were on the monuments.

Beating the bridge at mile 20 was a great feeling. It was something I was worried about and to know I had made it was such a relief. There was a runner who caught up with me around mile 18 and said that he must have seen me 100 times that day; he commented that our strategies were different but we had the exact same pace. I was run-walking and he was running the whole thing. He said he might try my strategy some other time. I'm pretty sure he passed me for good by the end of the race though; I was pretty worn out by the end.

Those last six miles were absolutely brutal. After beating the bridge, my feet swelled up around mile 22 and made it very painful to run (on top of my legs feeling very tired). I walked most of the last six miles. The leg of the race down into Crystal City was also fairly demoralizing, despite the spectators. The course is such that you run down one side of the street and come back up the other, but there's no real clue as to *how far* you need to go.

I was lucky to not really hit the wall. I can't imagine how difficult it would have been to just finish if that had happened to me. So I'm glad that I was careful in pacing out my calorie intake during the race. Those oranges they had at mile 9 were soooo yummy and satisfying! I wouldn't have minded taking a Gu from all the Marines calling out that they had Mocha flavored Gu, but I've *tried* Mocha flavored Gu and it's truly nasty. So I skipped that. The sport jelly beans were a god send as I had run out of my own fuel by that point and I was starting to get ravenous.

I only had the urge to sit down once. But I knew if I did I wouldn't finish.

It's a cruel joke to tell people "they're almost there" when they have 5 more miles to go. I thought the Grim Reaper hanging out around mile 24 with the sign "The End is Near" was hilarious.

The last two miles, but most especially the last mile are really tough. The course runs you through the starting area, which looks to be a bit of a ghost town by the time I made it there. Then the course winds down a ramp before finishing at the top of a really steep hill. I tried running up the hill but had to walk part of it.

The post-race organization was also very impressive. Lines of congratulations from all the Marines is truly humbling. There's a line of Marines who are handing out space blankets; the Marine who gave me mine made me turn around and wrapped the space blanket around me. You get herded into chutes where 2nd Lts give you your finisher's medal; the Lieutenant who gave me mine must have seen how I was hurting and pointed out where I could get my finisher's photo at the Iwo Jima War Memorial, Powerade, and food packet. Immediately after getting your medal there are photographers taking candid finisher photos. I headed over to get Powerade before I got my photo taken; the Gunny who gave me a bottle of Powerade looked at me with kind blue eyes and said, "There you go dear." After getting used to being called "ma'am" by Marines all day, it was kind of nice to see this guy who was old enough to be my uncle or dad say something compassionate.

I thanked each and every Marine who helped me out that day, and they all said "You're welcome" back to me. I sort of feel like there's a Hemingway/Donne-esque "No Man is an Island" thing going on. It's very humbling.

Actually finishing the race was anti-climatic for me. Even now I have mixed feelings about it. I don't feel triumphant, I don't feel instantly more special or more unique than I did the day before. I don't even feel like I've accomplished anything extraordinary and I'm not even sure I gained what I set out to gain by doing this. I'm surprised at how many people have commented on how big of an accomplishment it was for me. I honestly wasn't looking for recognition from my friends and loved ones, so to be getting so much of it was a real surprise. It was such a relief just to trot across the finish line. I started weeping and kept thinking to myself, "I did it! I did it!" When I called my parents my dad asked me what was wrong because he could hear me crying over the phone.

I recommend skipping the shuttle buses and just taking the Rosslyn metro back to wherever you started from. I waited about an hour for a shuttle before I decided my bladder couldn't wait any more and I dropped out of the line to use a port-o-potty. Then I tried the metro line which went *much* faster.

At any rate, I want to run it next year. It's on Halloween, so I guess I'll be chasing more than my own personal ghosts. I'm pretty sure I can beat my time.

Why I Run

I'm running my first marathon in a few short days. I'm undertrained, but I know I can at least walk the distance. I will probably be able to run at least half the distance, and I don't expect my time to be less than 5 hours. I've never claimed to be a fast runner.

I've been a bundle of nervous energy, excitement, and anxiousness. I don't doubt that these feelings will only intensify in the time between now and the start time.

Running this marathon has been a goal of mine for such a long time. Whenever people ask me why, and I try to explain it to them, some of them get it, and others don't. I had several people chew me out that I *shouldn't* have this as a goal, and that my purpose for doing it was silly and unnecessary.

A few years ago, I was a Marine Officer Candidate for a few short days. But what a glorious few days that was for me. It was my dream to become a Marine Intelligence Officer, a dream I fostered and held dearly for 15 months. 8 weeks before I was to ship out, I rolled my ankle during an OCS prep weekend. 4 weeks later, I contracted a cold that turned into a sinus infection. I was not physically ready to go the day I shipped out. I failed the initial physical fitness test (PFT) on the run and my dream ended before it even had a chance to get started. A star winked out for me that day.

Could I have tried to apply to OCS again? Sure, but I would have needed a perfect score on the PFT, something I knew I could not obtain on my own.

I had never failed anything I had wanted like that in my entire life. I was personally devastated.

Life has since taken me on a different path, one that most would argue has been for the better. But I still felt that some lost part of me lay discarded somewhere in Virginia. An idea was born.

What better way to regain face than to run the Marine Corps Marathon? Since I had fallen out on the run, which was a measly 3 miles, what better way to tell the Marines that they had made a mistake if I could go back and traverse 26.2 miles on their turf, not far from where I fell out of the PFT?

I'm no longer bitter or disappointed with the way things turned out, although I do think of it from time to time and wonder how my life might have turned out. And my experience with the Marine Corps has changed my life for the better. Through the Marine Corps I was introduced to running. Were it not for the lessons I learned while running and for having running as a hobby I would not have had the resilience to bounce back as well as I did earlier this year. I am much healthier today than I was then. So I have the Corps to thank for that.

Is it a silly goal? Perhaps. But it is my goal and if I drop out of it now, what does that say about me?

Miramar Air Show

OK, the photo isn't from the air show, but I like it.

I have a soft spot in my heart for Marines, and for Marine rotor craft units. My dad used to maintain them, and as a child I remember going to Marine Corps Air Station Tustin and just being in awe of the huge hangars they had there. The city of Tustin desperately wants to tear those hangars down in the name of development, and when that eventually happens a part of my childhood, a part of whatever mythology I crafted for myself, will die forever, to only live in my memory. When I am gone what will be left?

I went to the airshow last weekend, and had a blast. When I was a little girl my daddy would take me to the air show in Chino, and I imagine the air show in Tustin as well, to see the planes. To go down to Miramar last weekend and touch the aircraft again was a delight for me. To smell that odd, distinctly military smell of sweat, dust, and motor oil was a treat. To feel that cargo webbing and steel painted over in olive drab again was heaven. To touch the nose of the Super Stallion that touches the sky - is ecstasy.

To be among Marines again, to be among the few and the proud. I was comfortable in that environment, being on a military base again. If you know how to talk to them, they'll let you in their world.

"Hey Marines! Do you know where [Parking Lot] Silver 1 is?"

"Oh sure - it's all the way down this road. Here; I'll walk you out."

"Oh that's not necessary"

"It's OK. We're not doing anything around here anyway. (To his buddies) Hey watch that van and make sure nothing happens with that."

"How are you tonight?"

"Oh, we're all right - been doin' this since seven this morning. We'll probably be here until midnight tonight, and then we get to wake up at six AM tomorrow and do this again." I don't know anyone in the military who doesn't complain about this all-encompassing duty that seems to allow for less-than-optimal sleep. I mean, they ALL do it, and they all use the same phrases.

"I see." A car approaches from behind, and the Marine's buddy says, "Hey man, move over to the side of the road."

"Eh, he can go around." He waves his arm so the car will pass.

They're all so young. When we walked onto the flight line that afternoon, there was a slender Marine wearing cammies that looked oversized for his tall frame, and BCGs that made him look geeky. I wonder if he joined to prove his friends he was tough. He gave us a big grin and waved us into the correct direction.

One Marine stopped me to check my bag and called me ma'am. Whenever grocery checkers call me ma'am it kind of irritates me, because I am NOT old enough to be a ma'am. I make exception for the military.

Some psychologist says that the sound of car engines arouses women. I think jet engines work better. :)

Sign Spinning Mile Markers

The Marine Corps Marathon folks have just announced they are having sign spinners for 9 of the mile markers along the course. This will be the first race in the United States to have sign spinners for mile markers.

Marine Corps Marathon 2009 Registration Starts Today!

My registration is confirmed. Is yours?

Powerbar For Dinner

It's not really a powerbar. It's a Kashi GoLean! Protein and Fiber bar.

I went hiking in Tustin this morning. I saw the derelict hangers where my dad used to maintain helicopters (2nd link). They really should renovate those structures and turn them into an Air and Space museum or something. It was way too hot to be out hiking and myself and my two companions complained a lot.

Afterwards we went to Denny's and had breakfast. Then I went home and showered, slept for 7 hours.

I was hungry when I woke up and after I put my laundry in the washer I had my protein bar for dinner. I really wanted to make pasta or something but it's way too hot to touch the stove.

I Must Be Living In A Cave

I've been looking for an appropriate Father's Day gift and I stumbled across it today. Turns out they released the Space: Above and Beyond DVD set a while back, and I just found out about it. I remember watching this show with my dad when it first aired, and being really sad when it was cancelled. (Thanks FOX!) I also remember when they re-aired it on the Sci-Fi Channel and my dad and I had a system down where we would tape the episodes to cut out the commercials (this was before TiVo).

One of the many great things about the series was the memorable music composed by the late Shirley Walker. I just found out today that she passed away last November, and that the Academy failed to recognize her during their "In Memoriam" segment of the Academy Awards this year. And I thought Hollywood was big on being liberal and recognizing minorities/rarities in industry.

After watching and enjoying the Firefly series (recently for the first time - I was away in college when it first aired), I think it's sad how many great shows get cancelled before their time, while some shows (Enterprise, anyone?) drag on way past their expiration date.

Did I mention I ended up buying two copies of that DVD set? One for Dad, and one for me. It'll be nice to rewatch all those episodes again.

Wartime Racial Prejudices

When I drove past South High School in Torrance on my commute to work today, I noticed a memorial composed of flowers, photographs, and warm-hearted notes for a PFC Joseph Anzack Jr.

His was the body found in the Euphrates this week. He had been MIA.

Body Found In Iraq ID'd as Torrance Soldier
Soldier slain in Iraq joined Army to 'keep us free'
Body of Missing GI Identified as PFC Anzack

Today at work I saw posted notices pretty much everywhere; in the elevators, in the halls, near the front desk, with a synopsis of Anzack's life and career in the military. The notice was pretty gung-ho; proclaiming the virtues of wanting to serve one's country, as Anzack did, how noble he was for wanting to be in Special Forces.

Near the end of the notice was a remark that included some very derogatory and racial slurs towards Iraqis, which I thought was very inappropriate. I did not know PFC Anzack personally, but if Anzack truly believed in the United States' cause in Iraq, if he truly thought he was there to make a positive influence on the lives of Iraqi citizens, he would have been disgusted with such a remark.

I read something once when I was studying stuff on the Marines, I think it was in Making the Corps. One of the rules you must follow when liberating/occupying a country is to respect the natives of said country. Once you don't respect them, once you start to treat them as sub-humans, they will turn on you and, instead of helping you help them, they will turn against you and harbor hate for the United States.

Fostering and encouraging hate will not bring our soldiers home. It will not bring the dead back to life. It only continues the hate and racial prejudice that runs rampant in certain parts of the world, and it doesn't encourage peace.

What I read in the bulletin disgusted me.

I wish the very best for his family, and hope that PFC Anzack rests in peace.

The Commandant's Own

I had a real treat today; I drove up to the Rose Bowl in Pasadena to watch the Marine Corps Battle Color Ceremony be performed by the Marine Corps Drum & Bugle Corps (The Commandant's Own), the Marine Corps Silent Drill Platoon, and the Marine Corps Color Guard.

I was most impressed with the Drum & Bugle Corps "Music in Motion" presentation. These Marines not only perform great music, but they change formation at the same time! Pieces they performed included: Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy, a James Bond Medley, You're Beautiful (James Blunt was a captain in the British Army), and Stars & Stripes Forever. They also performed the Star Spangled Banner and the Marine's Hymn.The Marine Corps Silent Drill Platoon was very cool to watch, but not as impressive as the stuff in the film "A Few Good Men". Still, they have some great tricks. One of my favorites is this rifle toss, during the fancy rifle inspection sequence of their routine.
Also, while I was close to the field, I wasn't nearly close enough to catch the precision movements on my digital camera. Bummer. (And yes, bayonets are attached to those M-1s!)After the Battle Color Ceremony the crowd was invited onto the field to meet the Marines in the Drum & Bugle Corps and the Silent Drill Platoon. What this really meant was that parents could drag their children down for a photo-op. It was really cute. There's something really charming about children and military men, especially Marines.

Cpl. Dunham Posthumously Awarded Medal of Honor

Stars & Stripes Article
The Gift Of Valor

Corporal Dunham dived onto a live grenade to save his comrades. He died eight days later in Bethesda, Maryland.

Semper Fidelis.

Toys For Tots

I work near a Mattel Store, and yesterday I got a coupon for mega discounts there. Turns out I had to get a Mattel Toy Store membership card to use the coupon, and the parking there yesterday was hellish, so I didn't buy any toys. I don't have any kids of my own, nor do I know any little ones well enough to buy them a present for Christmas. You might be wondering why I'd want to spend money in a toy store.

The Marine Corps' Toys For Tots Foundation has always been one of my favorite charities, even though I've never made a donation. (Yes, I'm partial to the Marines. Haven't you noticed?) So I had this great idea that I could buy a toy from the Mattel Store to donate to Toys For Tots, and do something nice to make a little one's Christmas great. Dad told me to stop by the local Marine Recruiting office and get the nearest donation drop-off point from them.

There's one on my commute, so after not buying any toys (because of the parking situation - I can try again today), I stop there anyway to find the drop-off point. As I walk up to the office a Marine walks out, gets into his truck and drives away.

I enter the office and there's six Marines sitting around B.S.ing, which amazes me because I thought at almost-5-o'clock they would either be on their way home or busy finding warm bodies to send to Iraq and Afghanistan.

"Can we help you miss?" (I'm amused at how polite they are, or rather I'm just amused when anyone is formally polite to me - I could probably write a blog on the subject)
"Is this a Toys For Tots donation drop-off point?"
"Yes it is!" One of the Marines points out a pile of toys lovingly arranged, guarded by a line of tinsel garland.
"Great! I don't have any toys to donate today, but I'll bring them back later."
Thank you ma'am, have a good evening, etc., etc. I get out of the office and walk back to my car. When I'm halfway across the parking lot one of the recruiters leaves the office and calls after me,
"Miss?" He catches up with me and says,
"Here's our card with the office cell phone number. Give us a call when you're going to stop by and we'll make sure someone is in the office waiting for you."
"Excellent! Thank you!"
Have a good evening, etc., etc. The Marine sergeant goes back into the office.
I look at the card. Maybe this sergeant does this to all his cards, but I notice another cell number penciled in on the card.

Maybe I'm paranoid (he could have easily just been doing his job), but I've noticed that the men in California are generally 100x more lecherous than men from other places I've been (except for maybe Italy). While I could easily get caught up in the romantic notions of dating a Marine, I think it would end up poorly for me. Not that I necessarily think that Marines are bad people to date (quite on the contrary), but I think on some level it would reinforce the pain I feel regarding my failed attempt at their Officer Candidate's School.

And that's not something I think I'm ready to revisit or process anytime soon.

Happy Birthday!

Guess what? It's the U.S.M.C.'s 231st birthday today!

Commandant Hagee wrote a nice birthday message to Marines.

Go Marines!

Movie Review: Flags Of Our Fathers

I went to Flags Of Our Fathers this weekend, at the cushy new Del Amo 18 Cinema. I thoroughly enjoyed the movie, which I feel can base a lot of its "goodness" on Clint Eastwood's direction and score. Or rather we can just say that Clint is "'da Man" and leave it at that.

As a war film, Flags of Our Fathers doesn't glamorize or try to sell the idea of war as being good for the human race. While anti-war is a common theme in war films, Flags of Our Fathers also sympathizes with the Marine-on-the-ground, and reveres the good Marine who served in silence. Rarely does one see a movie that gives you both.

While there is one very funny practical joke that Mike Strank (played by Barry Pepper, of Saving Private Ryan fame - he makes a much better Marine) plays on a one unsuspecting fellow Marine, most of the humor comes from Ira Hayes (Adam Beach) irony and sarcasm at glorifying the simple job of doing what the flag-raisers were told, when "uncommon valor was a common virtue" at Iwo. I must also add that Adam Beach does a fantastic job as Ira Hayes, who was wracked with guilt that credit wasn't given to flag-raiser Harlon Block until after the bond drive and excitement over the flag-raising was over, and the fact a Marine he revered, Mike Strank, did not survive the battle.

A thumbs-up to Neal McDonough (who plays Captain Severence) as well. I've been a fan of his since seeing Band of Brothers.

Casting was wonderfully done, with actors looking like their real-life counterparts. I also really liked the cinematography in the film, with the color being almost washed out of the scenes from the battle.

While almost cliched, a creative shot that was particularly disturbing was a dessert (ice cream, baked alaska, meringue, ?) depicting the flag raisers being topped with a dark red strawberry sauce.

While some may say the film is hopelessly one-sided, I think the film does a great job within the scope of the story it tells - it's about the flag-raising and the aftermath thereof, and not the battle itself. Also, Clint Eastwood directed a second film, back-to-back with Flags of Our Fathers, regarding the Japanese version of the battle, entitled Letters from Iwo Jima (also Red Sun, Black Sand). You can see a combined Flags of Our Fathers/Letters from Iwo Jima trailer here. From the rumors, it looks like the movie will be in Japanese with English subtitles (Didn't I tell you that Eastwood was 'da Man?) and the source material is from letters the Japanese soldiers wrote home from Iwo. Expect that one next year.

On the Eve of the USMC's 230th Birthday

I was originally not going to comment on this subject at all, but I made the mistake of finding this Slate article and the book the author of that article wrote. And that opened all sorts of old wounds and reminded me of that hollow I have yet to fill again with some other crazy dream.

There's something that fundamentally connects me to the Marines. And the sorrow that I can't be part of that culture really tears at me. The fact that they don't want strong-willed, independent, motivated people in their organization for the stupid fact that they can't run fast enough is beyond me. I remember that, when I was sitting in sick bay after I fell out of the run, the corpsman dabbing iodine on my knee said to me, "I've seen you out there. You're one motivated candidate." Motivated. The highest compliment you can give to a Marine-in-training. And then they sent me home. Their loss.

I remember, as a toddler, getting up at 0430 in the morning so I could eat breakfast with Dad before he left for work. I remember helping him lace his boots up before he left. I remember missing him so much when he was deployed for six months out of every year, leaving in June and returning in December. During the first Gulf War, I remember he didn't return home until April 17 because they sent his replacement squadron to Iraq. Dad later told me that if that conflict had dragged out any longer he would have been sent there as well.



A couple years ago I got the wild idea that I needed to try this Marine Officer thing out. And spent the next fifteen months of my life devoted to that one thing. Obviously, it wasn't enough in their book. I wouldn't say that I'm really bitter about it; I have a lot to thank the Marine Corps for. Without the Marine Corps, I wouldn't be the good Catholic girl I am today (OK, you can blame my friend Charles for that too). Without the Marine Corps, I would be struggling with financing school. Without the Marine Corps, I wouldn't be in such great shape (which I've let slide in recent months) and look so good in . . . .whatever it is I look good in. Without the Marine Corps (and Dad's influence), I wouldn't be so pro-American and devoted to doing something for the sake of national security.

Let's not forget the Marines have the coolest uniforms, and their band is called The President's Own. Let's not forget the Marines were training for urban warfare back in the 80's while the Army was still planning for a mass land war in Europe.

There's all sorts of intangible qualities, like respect, honor, and self-confidence that I want so painfully to incorporate into myself. I knew that I could get those things from the Marines, and I don't know where to find them as a civilian.

So sometime this weekend I'll have a drink to the Marines and the Corps they serve. American citizens owe much to those Teufelhunden, the "Angels of Death" who guard our freedom and the walls that keep us safe at night. Oohrah.



(Yeah, I didn't buy into any propaganda at ALL)