The Army Ten-Miler (ATM) is one of my favorite races to run. But don’t take my word for it. Registration for the ATM opened to the public on May 15 at midnight. Within 9 hours all 30,000 spots were filled.
Put on by the U.S. Army Military District of Washington, the race starts and finishes at the Pentagon, passing by DC landmarks including the Lincoln Memorial, Washington Monument, and the Capitol Building.
I ran the race in 2006 (1:13:05) and again in 2011 (1:17:29). This year, because the NYC marathon is just 2 weeks after the ATM, I decided to hold back a little and use the race as a barefoot warmup.
Pre-Race
Two weeks before the ATM I set a marathon personal record at the Chicago Marathon. One week later, after running .7 miles while pushing my toddler son, pain in my calf forced me to stop running. Adding insult to injury, my son told me to, “Go fast dad! No walking!” the entire way back. Thanks buddy.
Over the next couple of days I iced my calf, stretched it, massaged it, and did a myriad of strengthening exercises. On Monday, I hit the greenway up for 5 miles followed by calf therapy. On Tuesday, I ran 7 miles. On Wednesday, after running an easy 4 miles, I decided to run the ATM.
Two days later my friends and I arrived in D.C. We grabbed our packets at the Armory, and then joined a couple of friends for dinner. On Saturday morning we visited the National Cathedral, grabbed lunch at Union Station, and learned about bamboo at the National Botanic Garden. That evening we met up with another runner and his family from back home and the lot of us had a home-cooked pasta meal (including salad with 90 proof salad dressing).
Race Day
The alarm sounded at 545AM. I met my buddy, Jim, in the hotel lobby at 615AM. By 6:30AM we were exiting the Metro station at the Pentagon. Once on the grounds we dropped off our stuff at the garment check, hit the porta-Johns, and walked to our respective starting corrals; Jim in Wave 1 and me in Wave 3.
Although the race weather forecast was perfect (b/t 49F & 55F) standing around in shorts and a T-Shirt was making me a wee chilly. To keep warm I paced, like a cow, in my corral. Around 7:30AM paratroopers fell from the sky. 7:40 I was back in the John. Wounded Warriors took off at 7:55. Wave 1 at 8AM. Wave 2 at 8:05. And at 8:10 the cannon fired, and Wave 3 and I were off and running.
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I spent the majority of my first mile weaving in and out of traffic. Some folks darted across the road to pee in a bush. Others were already walking. Miraculously, and after running an extra fifth of a mile, I crossed the mile mark at 7:24. By mile two, things were beginning to clear. That’s when I came upon the second water station.
Chaos is the best way to describe it. It was as though the end of the world had begun and the folks in front of me were the looters searching for supplies. Needless to say, I passed on the water.
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By mile 4 the crowds had tamed enabling me to settle into a comfortable 7:18 pace. This is also when I passed the first of a few Wounded Warriors. Seeing the veteran running with a cheetah leg prosthetic sent goosebumps over my skin. I couldn’t help but holler and clap for him.
I left the Potomac Parkway for Ohio Drive and eventually Independence Avenue where I crossed the 10K mark at 45:25 (7:18 pace). So far, everything about the run felt great. My legs felt good. My bare feet were doing fine. Breathing was normal. It felt like just another training run.
When I crossed mile 7 and turned the corner at Independence and 14th, I decided to pick up the pace a little. Over the George Mason Memorial Bridge and on to the final mile at the Pentagon I crossed the finish line at 1:12:06 (7:12 pace).
Post-Race
My feet survived with only a single blister on one of my toes. My legs survived thanks to my new neon yellow Zensah compression leg sleeves. My friends and I all finished and have plenty of great stories to share. Better still, I am feeling pretty darn good about my feet’s chances at the NYC Marathon.