This was the slowest marathon I've ever done.

Based on how I did the day before in the half-marathon, I thought this one would tick off just as well. However, this run kicked my ass. I kept my pace until mile 21.5, and then the calfs cramped up and I felt like I was going to vomit. I was whipped.

I walked through Disney's Hollywood Studio park, a/k/a NYC, which was cool. It was also -- literally -- freezing. The wind chill dipped the temp to 21, which just iced up the sweat on my back.

As I approached the Flat Iron building, I looked up the side street to my right and saw San Fran's Lombard Street and the Golden Gate Bridge.

I totally thought my race was over and contemplated abandoning the course. But then chocolate saved the day! Some folks were handing out Hershey's miniatures, and a few dark chocolates and Mr. Goodbars seemed to settle the tum and invigorate the legs. Once I got about 20 slow strides in, I felt the legs awaken and I finished the race.

It was just cold cold miserably freaking cold. Who goes to Florida for a winter marathon to run in the same temps you have at home?


Carry a pace/time chart. At about mile 12, my brain fogged up and I just could not do the math in my head to calculate if I was on pace. I blame the weather, but it would have been so easy to have a cheat sheet on my wrist with the miles and my anticipated times listed along side them.

Carry my own gels. I ran out, and despite what I read in the race packet, I never came across another gel until mile 16. I have to carry my own gear so I can stick to my plan.

Pay attention to what I drink. Again, I relied on the race, and while there were water stops at every mile, I lost track of when/what I drank.

Eat more in the morning. I had just a Cliff bar, and I should have packed the oatmeal for my traditional pre-race/long run breakfast.

Figure out when I really have to listen to the bladder. For whatever reason, it kept telling me to stop, but there just wasn't much reason for it.

Thinking it would be easy. I have to train for longer days. While my legs were fine from Saturday, once I got off pace, I started to realize that I had never been out on a course for this long. Which then got the mind thinking that the body was done. Which then got the body thinking it was done, too. Had I done more "exhaustion" training, I would have appreciated the feelings but would have had the confidence to keep pushing.


I want a rematch.

Interestingly, the body feels great. There's a little tightness in the legs, but nothing is sore, and I'm not hobbling around.

I'd love to do this Goofy challenge again when the temp is in the 60s and I can wear the shorts and t-shirt I had anticipated. I wonder if I got into trouble because of training errors, or if it was just the obscenely cold temperatures.