I started by following the 4:00 pace group. I had been right on target in my training to finish in about 4 hours, maybe 4:10, and had done my last training 13.1 in under 1:55, so I figured I'd follow them for the first few miles and see how it went. By mile 2 I was warmed up enough that I took off my top layer.

My personal race plan included stopping at each of the aid stations after mile 3 for sport drink, to have them top off my handheld water bottle, and to get a gel every 45 minutes. The pace group wasn't stopping at any stations, so I was having to play catch-up. After mile 6 I stopped trying to catch up and decided just to keep them in sight; after mile 8 or 9 I decided to just let them go, and eased off my pace - I had run an 8:45 half marathon pace in training, but it didn't feel at this point like I could hold onto a 9:09 pace for 26.2 (see "What limited your ability" below). I then decided to just keep a sub-10:00 pace until mile 22, when I promply lost the will to live. I walked a LOT of the last 4 miles, but mustered up enough will to run the last half mile or so. I didn't want my wife, kid, and mother to see me walk across the finish.

My nutrition plan (stopping for a swig of sport drink, carrying my own easily refillable handheld water bottle, and getting a gel every 45 minutes) worked well - I never felt like I was bonking. I just felt like my legs were going to fall off and I wanted to die.

I'm not sure what went on with my shoes (I've worn the same shoes and socks in training before), and I've never had this problem, but I could feel rubbing just behind the knuckle of my big toe starting at about mile 4 or 5. It continued until the upper teens, when I couldn't feel it rubbing anymore so I figured it had resolved itself. Turns out it resolved itself into a giant blister.

Consider more carefully whether I can hold a given pace for a full 26.2. Everybody said "go out easy", and I listened to that advice, but - never having run past 20 miles before - I wasn't quite sure how easy "easy" needed to be. Experience is the best teacher, and I've learned a valuable lesson.

Walked around, stretched. Talked about the course with my family. Went and helped myself to some free pizza and locally microbrewed beer, and got a free post-race massage. There were plenty of halloween family activities going on, but I was sore and tired, my 3-year-old was getting crabby, and we all just wanted to go get lunch at the pancake place.


I had been training for a half iron (my second) in conjuction with my marathon training by using the FIRST marathon plan and adding in my bike and swim workouts. Since August, I've been running between 30 and 40 miles per week. I had planned in taper weeks before the HIM, but hadn't planned any real recovery after - the week following my HIM, I jumped right back into marathon training and experienced some bad IT band and hamstring/medial knee issues during my long run(13+ miles) that weekend - an issue I had never had before the HIM, and up to that point I was doing long runs of up to 16 miles with very focused interval and tempo runs mid-week. I was able to roll and stretch the IT band and hamstrings during the week, but I continued to experience issues over the next few weeks as the injury threatened to recur. It limited my ability to train, and I wound up basically doing just what I could for running during the week (a few of the weeks it wasn't much - just 20+) and making sure I was rolled out and flexible enough to get my long runs in on the weekend. I did get all my planned long runs in, and my leg issues had fully resolved by the week before the marathon, but I feel like having to ease off during the midweek (over the course of about 4 weeks) to be able to make it to my long run on the weekend limited me.


This was without a doubt one of the best organized and best supported races I've done. Aid stations were incredibly well-stocked and spaced out every 1 to 1.5 miles. There were plenty of port-o-lets along the course. The whole race was halloween themed, so there were lots of folks in costume, but I was a little disappointed that more aid stations weren't themed. Props to the Mile 7 aid station with all the zombies, body parts, and fake blood galore. The video game aid station was cute too, around (i think) mile 13-ish. With a race this well-run on its first year, I can only imagine it will get better for following years. I'm looking foward to doing this event again.