My plan was to start off easy and for me that meant staying around a 9:15 to 9:30 pace. Dad and I ran together chatting it up for at least the first 13 miles and every time a mile went by, we were under a 9 min pace. We decided that it was better not to force ourselves to slow especially since we were both able to talk so easily. The first 1/2 mary was very easy and even included a quick pee stop at mile 10. It wasn't until mile 18 that I started feeling fatigued and my calves seemed to be getting stiff. This makes perfect sense because my longest run was only 18 miles. I still felt good though. I had kept my hr at or below 160 the entire run, so I was definitely where I wanted to be from a hr standpoint. Unfortunately, nature demanded a pit stop a bit past mile 20. I had to walk a bit before I found a port-a-pot because things were getting pretty dire. After hitting the restroom, I felt much better but also knew this was where I'd have to buckle down if I was going to get under 4 hours. I simply tried to zone out everything. For a while, it worked. My legs hurt but I focused on the pavement about 8 ft in front of me and felt myself floating along. With 4.2 miles left, I needed to hold about a 9 min pace, but couldn't do the exact math in my head. My right leg felt fine, but my left leg from my calf to hip was about as tight as a dried piece of leather. I started walking through the water stations trying to loosen it up which help but was loosing time. With only one water station to go, I decided to "run" straight through and thought I may make my sub 4 hour goal. I saw the 26 mile sign, looked at my watch and saw 3:58:xx. I knew I wouldn't make my goal but also knew that the faster I finished, the sooner I could walk, so I kept on. The rest was actually pretty easy.

Train more consistently. This is always my problem - inconsistent training.

Met up w/ my dad, got a blanket, water, Accelerade, pretzels and a cup of sliced peaches. Walked a bit and waited for Rachelle to finish. Dad finished in 3:51 and I think he could have actually gone 3:40 or so if we hadn't talked so much. Rachelle finished in 4:50, shaving 34 minutes of her previous time!!! Other than being typically tired from a marathon, it was a great day.


Training consistency!!!


One of the big draws to the Country Music Marathon is a rewarding concert from a quality performer later that night, but this year it was Steve Cropper. Who's that?? Come on, this is Nashville. I'm not a giant country music fan but I do know that some of the best artists live in Nashville. Why not get them? More importantly, some of the streets were too narrow for the number of runners. Overall, I really did like the race, but I don't think the expense of traveling there from Colorado is justified.