11/13/2025
A little over 2 weeks ago I completed my 7th Marine Corps Marathon, I wanted to share how this one was different. When I signed up last spring, I had every intention of running the 50th Anniversary Race for my 50th trip around the sun. But then I had a bit of an injury, life got in the way, and I doubted my ability to train at a late stage so I decided I wasn't going to run.
Fast forward to last month when I started to wonder if I could gut it out without training. Could I walk a marathon and actually finish with ZERO training? Dumb idea right? But then I saw the Superman cape, finisher Blanket and kick-ass medal....and I really wanted that cape.
I made up several scenarios of how I could bail out if things went south throughout the course. I even had an escape route planned at Foggy Bottom to bring me back to the hotel. But once I got moving and felt the energy of the crowd, and thought about the reason I started running the USMC Marathon back in 2004 after losing a friend, I felt a strange sense of confidence- knowing I would beat the 14th street bridge and get my medal at the finish.
This was the most fun I've had in a marathon. I did not care about my time (other than beating the bridge) and I got to take in the sights of DC in a way I haven't been able to on my previous runs. I was able to take the time on the Blue Mile to read every name. Of all of the races I've finished, I'm most proud of this one. Yes- it took me almost 7 hours, and yes I am still sore 2 weeks later, and NO I would not recommend to anyone else to run a marathon without any training. But I proved to myself that I can do hard things. My husband said it was a gut check. I like to think of it as my way to show that I have the ability to be INVICTUS.
So whether your hard thing is a 5k, a marathon, a weight lifting PR, or even just a walk around the block- know that you can dig deep and find that inner strength. You are more powerful than you know. And our team will be here cheering you all along the way.
