I ran the whole time except for when I was taking in calories (gels or perpetuem tablets) - I haven't quite mastered that eating-and-running thing. Probably my best mental effort in any race ever - I focused on what I was doing and not what others were doing. Got a little discouraged at the end on the out-and-back loop, but knew I would meet my goal if I kept pushing.

Drink more fluids - I was getting thirsty at the end because I wasn't drinking enough, probably due to the cold weather.

Met my husband at the finish line, walked around, drank water, stretched.


Maybe more longer runs in training to build muscular endurance - maybe more 16, 18 mile runs. I was doing a "just finish" training program, so maybe I could improve. But I was very happy with my run, and met my goal of finally running a sub-5 hour marathon.


Great course, great volunteers, great organization. The only glitch was that they ran out of water cups at miles 6, 8, and 10 - plenty of water and gatorade, but unless you had your own bottle for them to fill, you had to improvise. It's only the second year of this race, so I know they will fix the glitches. A beautiful course in a beautiful city - I highly recommend it and look forward to running it again!