Well, the morning started off well enough and I started right up front on the starting line. I was going to shoot for a 7:15 per mile pace and that would put me right at a 3:10 BQ Marathon for the race!

The horn blew and we were off... I felt FANTASTIC and looked at my GARMIN... I know I had run at least a quarter mile by this point and it read that I was going on 15 ft in distance. Uh-oh... looks like a technical screw up! "Oh well", I thought, "at least I can look at the mile markers and try and pace myself that way!"

I hit mile one and I was at 6:40! Whoa... SLOW down! So I thought I’d lie back a bit and then hit 6:30... "What the hell is going on?!" I tried to slow down more and then hit a 6:00 mile on mile 3! I busted out a 20:08 around 5K and then I said this is CRAZY! I HAVE to slow down! So I did... then I was averaging about a 7:08 pace per mile up to 8 miles or so.

Then I hit the half way point (13 miles or so) and I was still feeling good and was finally right on target with 1 hour and 34 minutes in... just about 12 seconds under. Not bad! Let's do this thing!

I looked down at my watch at mile 18 and I was at 2:10:50 and that was only 24 second over where I needed to be at for that mile. I carried on...

Then at mile 19 looked down at the watch and then the wheels had come off! I should have been at 2:17:41 and I was at 2:22:06. I had lost 5 minutes in one mile... I knew I was in trouble.

Each step was getting harder and harder and each mile seemed longer and longer... I hit the wall! I had gone out way too fast and hit that darn wall! Then I went into survival mode! I just wanted to finish now...

I got to about mile 23 and was thinking about walking or even giving up... I was cramping bad in my calves and in my hamstrings. I kept on going and then... I heard one of the spectators say, "GO Fil!"

I looked over to my right and there was my best buddy FIL!!! He said "What the hell are you doing?!" I told him I hit the wall and was cramping bad. I ran with Fil the rest of the race! I ran with him like I have for so many hundreds of miles in the past! He has always been a great friend, supported me as an athlete, and inspired me to become a better person. I was SO happy that I could run with him at the end. I even gave it a little kick at the end to beat him at the finish line! I was cramping SO BAD and it hurt like hell but I had try and beat Fil at the end! As Dick Dime always says, “When your legs give out, race with your heart!”

His official time was 3:29:39 seconds! 27 seconds faster than me! He had an AMAZING 1st marathon and I’m SUPER proud of him! I didn’t get a Boston Qualify this year but I know I am capable and learned a great lesson! This was a new PR by 11 minutes though... Plus, I got to finish a great race with my best buddy Fil in honor of Dick Dime!!!


Not go out so damn fast, not ride my bike to the race, not break my tailbone 2 weeks ago when mountain biking, and not get the flu a week ago! Other than all that crap... I wouldn't change a thing!!!

Walked around with my best buddy Fil and my pals Brad & Chris.


My GARMIN and my Nike+ iPod were all jacked up... I'm SO guilty of going out too damn fast, riding my bike to the race, breaking my tailbone 2 weeks ago when mountain biking, and getting the flu a week ago! This was a tough training season for me and went to crap all at the end... Boston Next year for sure!


Over all this race was a new Marathon PR for me by 11 minutes but I could have pulled out a 3:10 BQ if I just had a done a few things differently. People always say that a Marathon is all about strategy and proper planning... THEY ARE VERY RIGHT!!! I blew up and could have had a great race if I had planned it right! Lesson learned... I should have listened to FF Stock!