The start went off with a blast!

A blast of fireworks that is and it was pretty impressive. The music played and the runners went. We’re off!

I maintained my 11:00 min pace pretty well for the first half except for miles 8 & 9 which had me caught up in a group of runner doing the half. I wasn’t careful and was just running.

The running was tight but not a problem I had to weave in out of a few groups and some slower runners but I was easily maintaining my pace. I was cruising on auto pilot when we hit the split for the half.

Life changed after the split.

4450 runners did the half only 735 did the full. It got lonely real fast!

Once I hit mile 13 I increased my pace a little which was my plan. Things were heating up (temperature wise) and it was my only concern that I was never really able to do any running in warm weather. The parkway was starting to roast me – I was feeling it.

Around mile 19 I was going up an over pass and my body stopped running! I was walking………

I had to get off the parkway – it was another 4 miles. I tried to break it down into small goals but it seemed like it was never going to end. I was now trying to only walk through the water stops and try to cool down as much as possible.

I firmly believe that if I hadn’t had such a strict nutrition plan and if I hadn’t followed it during the race I would have not made it. At one point I looked down at some recently patched asphalt and saw shoe print in it – yeah it was hot enough to melt the repair. I was drinking 2 cups of water and cooling my head off with the 3rd cup. I finally learned how to drink water from a cup while running – a skill that will be useful in the future!

Finally we are getting off the parkway! However you need to run up and down 3 out of the 4 clover loops. Just plain cruel!

3 miles to go – I will make it. For the first time I knew I was going to make it!

I walked a good bit of mile 25.

But mile 26 was mine and I wasn’t walking now! I finally saw it mile marker 26 – I broke down and cried!

I looked up and saw the photographer taking my picture –JUST GREAT! 26 miles of running and the best shot at a good race picture and I’m having an emotional meltdown……

I turned the corner and there it was – THE FINISH LINE!

I waved to my wife and listened to my name being called and ran across. I did it!

After I stumbled through the finish line I picked up my finisher metal. This was the biggest metal I’d ever seen! They handed me a bag, which I thought was odd – it was all kind of surreal at this point. I wandered around trying to figure out how to find my wife – thankfully she found me. I was a little hungry and was trying to find some real food. My wife found some chips and I asked her if she could find something cold to drink for me. I’m looking around wondering where the bagels and the bananas are that people are eating. I’m still holding this bag when I get a little inkling that maybe I should open it – Guess what was in the bag - FOOD!


A couple things to note:
1.) In hind sight my plan was to finish. I used a beginner marathon plan (well hell I am just a beginner marathoner) and it would have been a miracle to hit my time goal. Maybe next year – why do I keep saying that!
2.) In a cruel twist of fate I used my phones run keeper app for pacing purposes. The GPS on the phone was off from the course by almost a ½ mile at the end. My phone said I ran 26.63 mile – that’s a killer when you have to cross the finish line twice!
3.) Also the gear I used was PERFECT! No chaffing! The new race belt was an excellent buy! I was so glad to not take my hydration belt – I’m sure I would have drank more water but I don’t think I needed to.