Marine Corps Marathon 2025: Motivated, Not Frustrated

As I’ve said a few times this year, something changed in my head this past summer. It was time to put less focus on time and pace and more focus on the enjoyment of running.

But when my alarm went off at 2:30am (yes, you read that right), my first thought wasn’t one of enjoyment. It was all part of the experience though – and also my way of saving over $1,000 on a hotel.

As I ate my breakfast of a peanut butter bagel, I checked and re-checked that I had everything I needed and headed out the door just before 4am!

A 35 minute drive got me to where I needed to be to catch the short shuttle ride to the start area. Once I got through security and to the start area it was still only 6am, which allowed me plenty of time to sit and relax before the 7:20 start.

With the start time approaching, I used the bathroom, dropped off my bag and walked the short distance towards the start line.

Finally, the sun was starting to come up and the national anthem was playing.

Now, if you remember from my last post, I mentioned what I thought I would be thinking about at the start line.

Yes, I thought about the other times I had run this race.

But mostly, I thought about the many experiences, both good and bad, that I’ve had in the 20 years since my first marathon. I thought about the people that helped me get to this particular start line by helping me to enjoy running again this year.

I’d be lying if it didn’t get the emotions swirling inside me a little bit.

But luckily, it was almost time to start running. So I stripped off my sweats, downed my first gel and peed one last time.

Finally, the starting gun went and we were off!

There were so many spectators (and runners) in those first few miles that it would have been hard to focus too much on how I was feeling, which was probably a good thing.

Before I knew it though, 5k was done and I was thinking, ‘this is going well, just relax and keep it going just like this.’

As we went through another swell of spectators in Georgetown (mile 5), I made a quick pit stop to pee and reminded myself to stick to the fueling plan and try to get into a good rhythm for the next several miles.

But then I felt something in my stomach.

And I didn’t know which way it was going!

I was still maintaining a good pace and keeping up with my carb drink and gels/chews, but something just felt off.

I don’t really know how else to describe it. I seemed to be sweating more than I should for what the temperatures were like that morning, but I told myself ‘keep going.’

After about 7 miles or so, I was looking for an open Port-a-John as I approached the aid station, but not seeing any available, I decided to take my chances and see if any were open along the way to or at the next aid station.

Another couple miles down and still not much improvement in how I was feeling, but I was still moving ok and thought as long as the miles are still going by it’s not all bad, is it?

So I kept going…

…with the gels and chews – in the hopes that whatever this was went away – and with my steady progress in the race.

We were now approaching Haines Point, which in my previous experiences here was the quietest and loneliest section of the entire race. It’s 3-4 miles along the water but there aren’t many spectators, and in my other times here that provided just enough quiet and time to begin to question if I could really make it the rest of the way to the finish.

But this time, it felt anything but lonely.

It just so happened that the 1st mile of this section was the ‘Wear Blue Mile’, with photos of military men and women who died while in service lining both sides of road.

Thinking about it after the race, this is where things started to turn for the better.

I stopped my music, listened to all of the footsteps of the runners around me and looked at the passing photos. Whether it helped me to focus or maybe make me appreciate how lucky I am to be running in races like this, I’m still not sure. But as we reached the end of that mile, and the families of those who had died in service lined the sides of the road with American flags and cheering for all of the runners, I wasn’t thinking about feeling sick anymore.

We passed the half marathon point along this section also, which could have helped mentally. But whatever it was, things were starting to feel positive for the first time in several miles.

And to add to the positive feeling, I was now coming into the section of the course with the most spectators – the National Mall.

Running near, around and through the National Mall – past the Washington Monument, the White House, the Capitol building and all of the museums and other monuments – was incredible. And actually running the whole time (which I hadn’t in my other times racing here), made it even better.

I had been here before, of course, and knew from experience that stopping to walk now, would make the final 7-8 miles extremely difficult.

Before the race, a friend reminded me, don’t forget to look up and smile.

Yes, it was hard to keep going, but that reminder kept popping into my head, and when it did, I lifted my head and shoulders and smiled.

At least I think I was smiling!

One of the biggest challenges in any marathon is the conversation happening in your mind – with one side trying to get you to slow down or walk and the other side saying suck it up, you’re almost there.

This conversation reaches it’s loudest point usually anytime after 18 miles or so, which is where I now was.

I knew that there were still some tough miles ahead, but because of my experience in this race I was also able to breakdown the route in my head.

Not just by distance, but by landmarks. I knew that once we were done with the Mall, we would only have two miles until the bridge leaving Washington DC and going back into Virginia. And as we got to the bridge, we would have completed 20 miles.

Then, there would ‘only’ be 10k left! And I could really start to count down to the finish!

It was also about now that I started thinking about my time. Even though I wasn’t overly concerned with my time in the days before this race, I still had a general goal of sub-4:00. And I thought on a perfect day, I could maybe get down around 3:45.

But some quick calculations in my head told me I was well on pace to beat one if not both of these goals.

But there were still six miles left, so let’s get back to it.

While it wasn’t too warm for most of the race, there was no hiding from the sun as we crossed the long bridge back into Virginia. Between that and no spectators being allowed on the bridge, it felt like this might be my biggest hurdle yet.

I made it a point to keep my effort level consistent during these miles especially. Sure, I still looked at my watch periodically, but I needed to feel like I was putting forth a consistent effort.

With my drink bottle now empty and one gel remaining (or so I thought – I actually had two but somehow I missed the other one in the inner pocket of my shorts!), I was torn between taking the gel now or in a few minutes to make sure I could get to the finish.

I decided to take the gel now, which would help get me through the next 2-3 miles and from there I would finish as strong as I possibly could.

As we finished crossing the bridge, I started to feel like I badly needed a drink. As fate would have it, we were now coming into a section with a lot of spectators again and a lady was handing out small water bottles, which I gratefully accepted and carried with me for the next few minutes taking a sip as needed.

There was a turnaround point here and, from there it was just 5k to the finish!

So I just kept running as I had time and time again today. I thought about how many times I had run 5k in the last 20 years and knew that I could keep going to the finish.

The last 5k is very quiet. With the exception of one aid station, whose volunteers were doing their best to cheer the runners on, and the audio that we could hear from the finish line, it was dead quiet.

Just footsteps and heavy breathing.

And in those last few quiet miles, I had a lot of time to think. Time to think about what the last 20 years of running have been like since I ran my first marathon here in just under 5:50. Time to think about all of the improvements I’ve made since then, both in my running and my overall health. And time to think about the running friends I’ve made along the way.

I could feel myself slowing down a bit, but I knew that every step was one step closer to the finish. And as I made the last turn and started up the final hill to the finish line, I couldn’t believe that I was still running.

Crossing the finish line in 3:37:49, I was kind of in shock. I didn’t think a time like this was even in my range of possibility heading into this race. And for the rest of the day and most of the days after the race, I remained in a little bit of shock.

Looking back, it’s amazing how quickly things changed. From how I was feeling 7-8 miles in to the race, to how I felt during the second half.

In all but one of my other 12 marathons, I had to stop and walk in the later miles. And while there’s noting really wrong with that, in my experience it has felt better at the finish if I’ve run the whole way.

I kept my pace and effort consistent, my energy up and I was spurred on by passing runner after runner in those final miles.

But I think most importantly, I constantly told myself to ‘keep going.’ And for the first time in a while, I actually listened!

In the days before the race, I was talking to two friends about my plan, my goal and just how I was feeling in general. I remember saying I was determined to be motivated for the future rather than frustrated about the past at the end of this race.

And that was exactly how I felt and have continued to feel in the days and weeks since.

Completing my 13th marathon, I’ve felt all the different emotions at the finish line.

Joy, relief, disappointment, frustration and many other emotions.

This time, though, I finished feeling something different – not frustrated by what did or didn’t happen, but instead motivated by what did.

If you’ve made it down this far, thanks for reading! And if you are someone that’s helped me over the years, but especially this year, thanks for the support.

If you enjoyed it or know anyone else that might enjoy it, please share it with them!

I’d love to hear any feedback or comments if you have any!