What You Don't Know About MCM...

No, this post isn't about what you think.  I don't have any secret insider scoop on the Marine Corps Marathon.  Sorry, folks, you'll have to look elsewhere for any juicy gossip.

But what you may not know is that I made a commitment back in August to train for an event in February.  With a slew of other events on the race calendar, I decided that Marine Corps Marathon would serve two purposes.  Now, don't get me wrong.  I signed up for MCM because it was absolutely on my bucket list - for the phenomenal course scenery and course support.  I also really wanted to run a marathon near where I grew up.  A marathon where my mom had a chance to be at the finish line. 

But part of being a raceaholic is making your race schedule work within the grand plan.  So, on a more basic level, I also wanted it to serve two purposes.

First, I wanted it to serve as a long training run for White Rock Marathon - my goal marathon in 5 weeks. The bonus of this was that if I ran MCM at a comfortable pace, I'd really get to enjoy my surroundings and everything happening instead of solely being focused on the pain and misery of a body pushed to its limits.  I even ran with a camera and snapped over 99 shots.  I definitely would not be able to do that at goal pace!  It was a great day.  (Yes, I know, I will write a race report.)

Second, I wanted to know whether or not I could run 26.2 at a comfortable pace and truly feel ok at the end of it.  I mean regardless of pace, 26.2 is a long way to run and can be a real beating on the body.  There's a reason I needed to know this about myself...

You see, what I commited to back in August, and have revealed to a couple of close friends and runners, but not announced to the world, is a 50-mile race at Rocky Raccoon on February 4th, 2012.  I needed to know that if I pulled back the pace, I was fit enough to keep going after 26.2.  Well, I'm happy to say, that I felt amazing after my 26.2 on Sunday.  No cramping, only minor aching, and I'm really not sore at all.  I only had some minor inflammation on my left ankle that is already long gone.

So after feeling great running this:

And reading this on the flight home:

I pulled the trigger and officially registered, even though I already felt 100% commited:

Somehow everything is coming into focus now.  Let's do this!!!