P.F. Changs Rock 'N' Roll Arizona Marathon - RunMarathon

My goal was a 3:50 marathon.

This was my first marathon and I made the mistake of starting off too fast too early. I paced myself with the 3:45 pacer until about mile 17. That was when I was following the 3:50 pacer. I lost the 3:50 pacer around mile 20.

I hit the wall at mile 23 and at mile 25 I saw the 4:00 pacer pass. I couldn't let that happen after going for an under 4:00 marathon for 25 miles. I picked up the pace and barely made it!

The Accelerade they were serving did not work well with my stomach. I got cramps at mile 13 and had to stop and walk for about 3 minutes.

What an experience! I had a great time and it was an awesome learning experience.

Don't start off too fast too early!!
Train with the event sports drink before the race or bring my own.

Stretched (20 mins) and walked back to my car (30 mins).
Had to hurry to the airport to catch my 2:30pm flight!


I will increase my long runs to 22 mi and my mileage to 50-60 mi / week in my next marathon training program.

For this event, my long run was 20 mi and I was running between 30-40 mi / week during my training.


The volunteers were very attentive. They assessed my situation and made sure I was able to walk / get back to my car.

I met a lot of nice and friendly people! It was my first trip to Phoenix and I enjoyed it.