Marine Corps Marathon

It wasn't the best and it wasn't the worst, but I finished the Marine Corps Marathon in Washington, D.C. on Sunday. This was my 25th marathon since 1978. My time was 5:45:54. Half Marathon time 2:27:59. I had better training runs this year, but got a cramp in my left quadriceps at 17 miles. Ran through to 20 miles, but slowed to a walk after that. Once you start walking in a marathon, you're done. The legs tighten.


At my age (60) and ability (slow), I judge a marathon on how I finish the last 6 miles. Last year I accelerated through the last six miles of the course and finished at a very strong run. A good marathon goal is to run the first half and the second half at around the same time. In my case, that usually equates to around five hours.

Another good way to judge a marathon is how you recover. The guy who took this photo for us was lying flat on his back at the finish area-- the worst thing you can do. He couldn't get up. I find that walking a mile or two immediately AFTER the marathon helps. I also take an ice bath. Then the next few days I do a lot of walking and light stretching. I feel pretty good after this one.
Fortunately, my wife Cathy is very supportive of my marathon running. She was there at the finish again this year, cheering everyone on. Also received a very nice phone call of support from Charlton Machado, who ran the marathon with me last year. Charlton and his wife have a new baby, so he's taking a year off from marathons.