The marathon is now just around the corner. With less than three weeks until the race, my running partner Staff Sgt. Jeremy Boutwell (ret.) and I each completed a solid and steady 19-mile run over the weekend. We both finished in about three hours, causing us to slash our goal in the actual marathon by 45 minutes, from 5 hours to 4 hours, 15 minutes. “That’s my goal. I think that’s realistic based on training,” Jeremy said over the phone. Last weekend was the final long run for each of us. Our schedule has us slated to run 12 miles…
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Marine Corps Marathon is exactly one month away. With just a few weeks left to embrace the blisters, multi-hour training runs and insatiable cravings for carbohydrates that accompany marathon prep, my running partner, Jeremy Boutwell, and I have encountered a number of challenges in advance of the race. Last weekend Jeremy and I both missed one of the longest (and arguably one of the most important) training runs on our schedule. I got hit with a sinus infection that kept me in bed for a couple of days and Jeremy wrestled with a fever and increased pain in his lower…
In preparation for next month’s Marine Corps Marathon, retired Staff Sgt. Jeremy Boutwell and I decided to run the Navy-Air Force half marathon last weekend in Washington, D.C. Jeremy flew in from Texas on Sept. 14 and after a well-balanced meal of spaghetti, Oreos and Gatorade Saturday night, we felt ready to run 13.1 miles. Before crossing the start line, we had a chance to mingle with other Run and Remember teammates who were racing. Several runners, in addition to Jeremy, flew in from out of town. “It was a beautiful morning,” Jeremy said, “Just perfect weather, nice and cool.…
As we get closer to the marathon, the perks begin to appear: training runs in cooler weather; running sneakers that are comfortably broken in; and an escalating confidence in athletic ability. For me, the idea of running 26.2 miles starts to become palpable in mid-September (a realization that I have to keep up with a Marine is also incentive to stick to my training schedule). For Jeremy Boutwell, my marathon teammate, his long training runs are becoming more comfortable as he continues to train in the Texas heat. Another perk of getting closer to the race is the increased buzz…
Walk into any running store and you’re bound to get lost in a sea of neon-colored, fancy-treaded, gel-patterned athletic sneakers. Got flat feet? There’s a shoe for that. Do you overpronate — i.e., does your foot tend to roll toward the inside with each step? There’s a shoe for that, too. Want to channel your inner ultra-athlete? Go barefoot with a glove-like minimalist fit. If you had a chance to pick up this week’s edition of Marine Corps Times, you read about Staff Sgt. Jeremy Boutwell and how we’re running the Marine Corps Marathon together on Oct. 28. Boutwell medically…
Yesterday, I posted about ‘MuscleFest’, the sixth event of the 2012 Commanders Cup at Marine Barracks Washington 8th & I. The event was part of a series designed to introduce Marines to a variety of physical fitness activities and enhance camaraderie through friendly competition. This morning I spoke with two Marines who participated in the event on July 30. Staff Sgt. Noel Min Just 10 minutes before our conversation, Min was informed that he won the Masters Division for Marines 33 years and older. The Huntsville, Ala. native participated in MuscleFest in 2011 and said the preparation of knowing what…
On Monday, Marines stationed at Marine Barracks Washington 8th & I, competed in MuscleFest, the sixth event of the 2012 Commanders Cup. Events are designed to promote diverse forms of physical fitness and athletic competition. The series includes events ranging from indoor rock climbing to an urban challenge to the ‘Raging Rhino’, an alternating combination of running and swimming. MuscleFest competitors focused on heavy lifting and functional fitness. Marines had to bench-press half their body weight in two minutes, push a 2.25 ton pickup truck 40 yards for time, flip a 100-pound tire 40 yards, pull a 90-pound sled 40…
For some, CrossFit is just a hobby. For others, like Marine Staff Sgt. Christen Wagner, it’s a way of life. Wagner, a training chief attached to III MHG in Okinawa, Japan, recently traveled to California to compete in the 2012 Reebok CrossFit games. The world famous competition is open to individuals from around the globe who qualify and challenges athletes to take home the title of “Fittest on Earth” by completing high-intensity combinations of weight and endurance training. The 25-year old Marine began CrossFit in 2010 and was hoping to make her debut at the 2011 CrossFit Asia Open. Unable…
Fuel TV has posted the Brian Stann profile that aired last night. In it, the former Marine officer turned pro-MMA fighter recounts his time in Iraq including a six-day battle for which he was awarded the Silver Star. [HTML1]
‘Tis the season for turkey, tailgating and that classic game on the gridiron, football. But all that rough play with your best buddies can sometimes turn into a trip to the Doc or, worse, the emergency room. Over Thanksgiving 2010, the Naval Safety Center got 54 reports of injuries, including Marines and sailors who “attempted to work off their turkey tryptophan with a pick-up game.” Some of them suffered poked eyes and sprained ankles from playing on the football field. No word about any resulting lost work days. The fall season typically sees double the number of football injuries than any…
