Marine Corps Marathon

On Oct. 31, thousands of runners converged in Washington, D.C. for the 29th running of the Marine Corps Marathon. Among them: world-class marathoners, lifelong runners and washingtonpost.com's own Dan Jung. The event marked Jung's first marathon and first major race since he took up running a few years ago. Jung has no idea why he's submitting himself to running 26.2 miles, but he thinks ignorant bliss may have something to do with it.

Jung was online, live from the pavement as he ran the marathon course, on Sunday, Oct. 31 at 11 a.m. ET to answer questions about the race and his progress.

Editor's Note: Washingtonpost.com moderators retain editorial control over Live Online discussions and choose the most relevant questions for guests and hosts; guests and hosts can decline to answer questions.

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Dan Jung: I just passed mile 13 and am going pretty strong, but lost about five minutes at one point -- but otherwise doing pretty good. Looking forward to the chat.

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Washington, D.C.: What's the oddest thing you've seen so far?

Dan Jung: I saw a woman dressed like Madonna with pointy cones on her dress. I don't know if she's a runner, but she was up at the starting line.

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Dan Jung: The other thing was, the fireman wearing a full oxygen tank. He was pretty hardcore.

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Bethesda, Md.: Are you eating anything while you run?

Dan Jung: Yes, I had a powerbar and there are bananas on the way, too, which is kind of dangerous because of the banana peels on the floor. They have food throughout the course. Some pretzels and that's about it. They have cookies at mile 18.

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Fairfax, Va.: Would you say you're at the beginning, middle or end of the pack?

Dan Jung: I'm probably in the middle. They place you at the beginning. There are 14 corrals depending on your level. I think I'm going to take a another hour to finish. I'm going to last the four hours.

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New York, N.Y.: What's the first thing you plan on doing on completion of today's race?

Dan Jung: Well, I want to walk around for a while. There are expos at the finish line, then I want to go take a cold bath. Then I think I'll take a nap. That's about it.

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Washington, D.C.: What kind of time are you getting on your miles?

Dan Jung: I did a lot of training. I do a long run on Sundays. The longest I did, two weeks before the marathon, was 22 miles.

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New York, N.Y.: How are you doing this chat while you're running?

Dan Jung: I thought it was an interesting thing to do. I'm hoping for a big bonus!

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Falls Church, Va.: How are you feeling so far? Think you're going to make it? I cringed when I saw the route going straight uphill on Rock Creek Parkway.

Dan Jung: Ya, I'm definitely going to finish. I'm made it to the halfway mark. If you take your mind off the actual running, it's pretty fun to do.

Rockcreek was actually really pretty.
(Dan's cell phone was breaking up here, so we missed a bit of the answer.)

The elevation of Rock Creek parkway wasn't too bad. You don't realize you're going up a hill the whole way.

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Fairfax, Va.: I ran in the Marine Corps Marathon once and what I didn't expect were the friends I made along the way. Have you made any yet?

Dan Jung: Not really. There were two people I chatted with along the way, but we're all running our own pace. But it's definitely a friendly atmosphere.

There's some bumping and shoving, but folks apologize for getting in your way.

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San Francisco, Calif.: What made you decide to run a marathon? Good luck, keep on running Forrest!

Navarro

Dan Jung: Well, a few years ago I started running and I always thought about marathons and thought it'd be really cool to do. My fiance's mom was a marathoner and can't do it anymore because she hurt her back. It's neat to see her cheering me on.

I'm in good shape and may as well do it now while I have a chance.

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Atlanta, Ga.: What do you do when nature calls?

Dan Jung: That's pretty funny. People go along the road. Especially in the beginning along Lee Highway and Spout Run, there were a lot of trees and you'd see people lined up along the street going.

There are some porta-potties along the way, so you just hop out and back in.

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Bib# 21706: I have no idea how you can do a chat and run the marathon at the same time, but best of luck to you!

Dan Jung: Thank you!

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San Francisco, Calif.: Do you have anyone cheering you on?

Dan Jung: Ya! My fiance and my fiance's mom and my dog are out here, along with some co-workers.

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Walt Disney World, Fla.: Have you thought about doing other marathons after this one? We have a nice one here at Walt Disney World.

Dan Jung: That's actually what I'm thinking about doing. Thanks!

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Dan Jung: I just passed mile 15, keeping pace.

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Washington, D.C.: Dan, is this your first marathon? If so, did you train with a group or solo?

Dan Jung: Mainly by myself. Running for me is a solitary sport. That and none of my friends wanted to do it with me.

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Boston, Mass.: Go Dan go!

Dan Jung: Thank you!

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Arlington, Va.: I went and watched the runners pass this morning and saw firefighters in full firefighting gear... soldiers dressed in fatiques with combat boots on. Are these guys gonna make it dressed like that?

Dan Jung: Definitely. Those guys are in really good shape. There are people carrying flags the whole race, too.

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Dan Jung: Thanks for asking the questions, thanks for the distraction and hopefully I'll be done in about an hour!

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