St. Jude Memphis Marathon - RunMarathon


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Memphis, Tennessee
United States
Sunny
 		Total Time = 4h 35m
Overall Rank = 1246/1923
Age Group =
Age Group Rank = 65/119
Pre-race routine:

one slim fast before bed, and one at 1am when I woke to use the bathroom. Coffee, water, and snickers energy bar for breakfast.
Event warmup:

Massaged my muscles a bit with The Stick before we left for the race. No warm-up other than stretching and bouncing around to keep warm before the start of the race.
Run
  • 4h 35m 36s
  • 26.2 miles
  • 10m 31s  min/mile
Comments:

I wore my HRM, but tried not to look at it. I started in front of the 4:30 pace group and ran at a pace that felt good. I check my HR about 2 miles in, and it was 170. This seemed high to me, but it felt good, so I kept the pace. I ate a powergel with water every 4 miles. At mile 15 I started to feel icky and needed to use the restroom (I hadn't "taken care of business" in over 3 days, and it finally caught up with me). Felt much better after using the portalet at mile 15. The next few miles were kind of tough mentally, but soon I got into the grove. At mile 20 I needed to use the bathroom again, and this time I spent more time in there than I wanted to. Started running again and felt pretty good. My legs were tired and sore, but I was still good mentally. The last couple rolling hills were especially rough, but I was able to finish strong.
What would you do differently?:

Nothing. I think I nailed my nutrition.
Post race
Warm down:

I walked around the baseball park for at least 10 minutes, and then I headed up to get some food.

What limited your ability to perform faster:

The bathroom! But that was out of my control. I had back spasms 3 days before the race, and I think the muscle relaxers stalled my system.

Event comments:

My first marathon, so I have nothing to compare it to... but I think it was well organized. The course was very enjoyable. I'd love to do it again! The weather was PERFECT. The start was about 45 degrees, but it warmed up to 65!




Last updated: 2007-11-14 12:00 AM
Running
04:35:36 | 26.2 miles | 10m 31s  min/mile
Age Group: 65/119
Overall: 1246/1923
Performance: Good
Average heartrate 170!
Course: Rolling hills through downtown Memphis and finish at Autozone Park
Keeping cool Good Drinking Just right
Post race
Weight change: %
Overall: Good
Mental exertion [1-5] 5
Physical exertion [1-5] 5
Good race? Yes
Evaluation
Course challenge Just right
Organized? Yes
Events on-time? Yes
Lots of volunteers? Yes
Plenty of drinks? Yes
Post race activities: Good
Race evaluation [1-5] 5