The Garmin Forerunner is an invaluable tool for racing. As the splits show to the right, it enabled me to maintain and learn a steady pace. The real help came early in the race when I was feeling springy to slow down to a sustainable HR + pace.

Thinking I still have something to learn about gait/stride efficiency but am overall pleased with the preparation for the race. This is the first time I have run unabashed >Z2 and was happy to see that the base training paying dividends in terms of sustained stamina.

First things first ... Body Glide; use it liberally. Second, while the nutrition worked out just fine, it was done without a lot of thought. If I am to complete a full marathon, I am going to have to develop a cognitive nutrition + hydration strategy.

Lastly, I seeded myself at the back of the pack -- my usual place. The thinking is that it is better to pass than to be passed. This also, unfortunately, led to a bottleneck of runners during the first 1/4 - 1/2 mile (there were 2500+ runners) that you had to pick through to get to your pace.

As this was a timing chip race, I am not so concerned about the effect on the 'official completion time' insomuch as extra effort to juke and jive.

Walk it out after the finish line to the water stand and grabbed a couple bottles. Waited for my running partner (who didn't want to kick it up at Mile 11) to cross the finish line so I could hand him the water.

We got our finisher medals and downed the water while the volunteers took off the timing chip and immediately went to the Michelob Ultra truck ... and pulled up a chair. (Not a pretty sight to see two grown, sweating and relatively smelly men drinking keg beer at 9:30 am but we felt like we earned it!)

After more than a couple, we cheered on the participants finishing and then watched the awards ceremony to cheer the winners. (We were in a cheering mood by then ...)

Lastly, we got absolutely incredible post-race massages ... not the hurried once-over and get 'em off the table variety, but deep + long lastly where they worked through the different muscle groups.

At this point it was after we found yet another free beer tent, this one with local microbrews that were requesting donations for LLS, and took the opportunity to contribute and contribute some more ... and then some more.

So, by this time, we were pliable massagees and very grateful for someone to work out our now stiffening legs and backs. I am not sure, but I think I mentioned that I loved her ...


Think the strict base phase regimine + lack of high intensity training limited my ability to go faster during the sprint. While I felt good about the endurance part of the race, miles 1-11, I did not think that I was terribly efficient while sprinting nor that I hit the full stride I should have.

I also think I could have done a 8:30/mi pace and sustained it at ~Z2.5 instead of limiting myself to Z1.8-2.1.


Well done race that I plan to do again next year - perhaps as a marathon. Very impressed with the well though out and supported organization.

The only complaint is that the course is bit crowded at times when it narrow downs to one lane ... a little too much juking and jiving, especially when folks are running 3-4 abreast.