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Comments: Had a GREAT time the first 18 miles. Ended up pacing with a few guys in their late 20s, just out of school and starting new jobs up in Maple Grove. Eric and John. They were definitely there to have fun. First marathon for both of them. Trying to break 4 hrs. Life of the party. I called them 'college boys' just to get on their nerves. They'd sing a few lines of 'classic' songs, and I'd try and sing the lines that would come next. Ran with them on and off for the 1st 18 miles. Once again, hit all my mile markers on time until mile 18. Started sipping gels almost continuously starting at mile 13. Caught the college boys again at mile 20 and greeted them with a big 'BOO-YAH!' They shouted back 'SAL!' in unison. At that point Eric wasn't looking too good. He started cramping up. 4 hr pace team passed me at the bottom of Lemon Drop Hill (mile 22). Kept them in my sights as I ran up the hill. Lost them at about mile 23. Saw my wife and kids at mile 24. What a welcome site! Stopped and gave Cindy a kiss and continued running. Glanced at my watch and realized that to hit sub-4, I would need to run 7:45 pace. Lost some of my will there. I was giving it all I had, and all I could manage was an accelerated shuffle. It felt like I was running through downtown Duluth for FOR--EV--ER. Hit the wall at the end of mile 25. My body said 'this is all you're running.' My mind was saying 'just finish.' I stopped to walk at the underpass under Lake Street, when I heard 'SAAAAL!!! Noooooo! Keep going!!!' from behind me. It was the 'college boys' screaming encouragement. They had to be about a block behind, but with that encouragement, I gave it my last best effort. Had no kick, nothing left, but didn't walk it in either... What would you do differently?: Start sipping gels a little earlier, starting at mile 10. Other than that took a water and Ultima at every water stop... Keep my race number in view. Many times during the race, my number was covered by my shirt. Probably missed out on some good photo ops! :) Wished I had a chance to cheer the 'college boys' in. They helped me get through the majority of the race, and I lost them at the end...things you don't think about when you're struggling to finish yourself... :(  Post race
Warm down: Walked a bit, sat on the curb. Felt very nauseous. Drank 3 bottles of water. Wrapped a reflective blanket around me and just laid on the ground for about 4 minutes. Didn't feel like any more sugar. 26 miles of gels and replensher...couldn't eat another drop. Had a ham sandwich with mustard, though. Hit the spot. Met up with the family... What limited your ability to perform faster: Heat 74 and humidity 90% Event comments: Thanks for all the inspires and encouragement! Sub-4 is just another marathon away! :) Profile Album Last updated: 2006-02-15 12:00 AM
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United States
74F / 23C
Sunny
Overall Rank = 2255/6909
Age Group = M40-44
Age Group Rank = 313/706
Met up with Roger (rabkaman) and Dave (goodav) at the Pasta Dinner on Friday night. Introduced the family and snapped a quick photo. Grandma's can get pretty chaotic with over 7,000 participants...
Woke up at 4:30. Drank some Berry Juicy Juice (100% juice), 2 bites of a bagel and sipped some PowerBar gel. Met Alicia, Gretchen, Jason and Scotty in the hotel lobby. Scotty drove us down to the Miller Mall for bus pickup. Spent most of my time talking to Jason and Scotty on the bus about previous marathons.
No warmup...are you kidding me? The 1st 10 miles of a marathon are warm-up! :) Did the usual wait in line for a Port-A-Potty and Bodyglide app. Put Bodyglide around and between my toes for this race. No sweats necessary for this race. Already warm outside at start. Did a few stretches and hung out and talked with Scotty for a while, then lined up at the 3:50 pace marker.