Race Day!

Who would have thought that getting to a 12K race would be the tough part?

Not I.

Back in September when I impulsively signed up for the Marine Corps 12K Crossroads race, the only thing on my mind was the training that I would have to do so that I didn't pass out by mile 3. For all of you die-hard Red, White, and Blue folks out there, 12 kilometers is approximately 7.5 miles. I've never been much of a runner, as in, I hated running my entire life. If I'm not chasing something or someone, running isn't worth it. I get bored easily. With running, all I could focus on was the pain/strain in each of my legs as each foot smacked pavement. My logic in obtaining from running was this: cost vs. benefit...the cost of feeling like crap with each stride multiplied by the number of strides taken in a 2-3 mile run (which is..... too damn many) is not worth the health and self-esteem benefits of running. Period.

However, when I decided to do crew in college, I was more or less forced to love 'long distance' exercise. While it felt like hell, the euphoria after it was all over almost made it all worth it. Almost. After quitting crew my junior year I turned to the weight room, and spent two years on my physique. Weightlifting appealed to me because once I got in the routine, I felt like I was missing something in my life if I couldn't make it to the gym for a day. Lifting is all about short periods of intense pain/strain. I could easily justify this because I knew that in 8 reps or less, (for the most part), the pain would be over, and the feeling of relief after seemed so close. For this, I didn't do much running in my later years in college, but on occasion would force myself to doing a late night run after a heavy meal.

Fast-forward to this year.

One of the values that the program instills in its members is simplicity. While if I really wanted to, I could dip out of my savings and put $20 a month to joining a DC parks & rec gym. When I sat down and thought about it, I realized that exercise can and should be free. Why pay money get on a boring treadmill so that you can chart exactly how long you run, how many calories you burn, and maybe...just maybe... look like a complete idiot when you screw up your dismount and get thrown onto the floor.....when you could run around and explore the place you live? Push ups are free, situps are free, heck, even Rock Creek Park has pull up bars and tons of other outdoor exercise equipment that don't require a membership fee.

This is how I started running, and why I wanted to have something to work towards... ie, a 7.5 mile race.

Back to how running the race was the easy part... So when I signed up for the race, I wasn't thinking about where the race was. I assumed that being in DC meant that public transit could take me ANYWHERE and ANYTIME.

Not so.

Quantico, Virginia is about 45 minutes away by car. While it is accessible by train, the service does not run on weekends. Also, while there is a shuttle service that goes from Reagan National Airport, it costs around $30 a person.

Weak sauce.

So I discovered this, only too late in the game. With no ideal means of transit at my disposal (IE a car), I found that the cheapest alternative was to rent a car, being that there were two other jesuit volunteers coming into town to go to the race as well.

Here's the break down:

Rental Car for 1 day (no options whatsoever ie insurance, blah blah blah...): $25
Cost of being 21-25 years old: $27/day
Taxes: $10
Gas: $13
Total cost: $75
Split between 3 people = $25 each.

Not to shabby...

Though to all you youngins out there, I didn't realize this but when you rent a car, don't be surprised when you give them your credit card and they say that the total will be $350.

I about shat a brick. But, that money is a deposit that you will get back when you return the car.

All in all the car rental went very smoothly and got us to the race so we didn't have to stress about using public transit. Oh ya, and I got an upgrade from a subcompact to a PT Cruiser, fo free... NBD.

The race, while I did say it was easy, really wasn't. I'd been doing a training schedule which has a mix of running, cross training, and strength training that starts out easy, then keeps upping the distance and intensity as you get closer to race time. This really helped, as I had never run a race before. However, I found that at mile 5-6, it felt like hours went by. I started to feel nauseated. My heart was pounding, my ankle hurt, and I about lost the will to keep running, but I couldn't stop. When you're in a race, you don't want people to judge you, to think you're weak, so you push yourself much harder than you ever could alone. This is why I about vomited when  I finished the race. With 250 meters to go, there was one guy ahead of me within sprinting distance, so to the frustration of my legs, I sprinted, passing him up and finishing the 7.5 mile race in 55 minutes.

Where to next?

Half Marathon in March.

Cherry Blossom Run (10 mile) in April, (A DC tradition).

Who would have thought that this guy would be running races by his own will? Not me for sure. But hey, I guess I'm a running junkie now.