I was nervous about starting too fast. The steepest downhill of the course was in the first mile, so it was hard to gauge my speed. I tried to let the downhill carry me because I know braking can increase the impact and energy cost. It was a little under goal pace. The next four miles were rolling hills. The strategy here was not to push too hard and to use the later downhills to make up time. I settled in to what felt like a good effort. Several people passed me here, which was disheartening, but I tried not to get sucked in to their pace. Oracle is a small town and a few of the townsfolk came out to cheer on the runners. I hit Oracle road and checked the virtual pacer and was feeling good. I had about 2 minutes to make up. Now for some nice downhill running.

The next couple miles were right around goal pace. At about mile 7 I started to feel like I had to go to the bathroom (again?!?!). There were some bushes at the side of the road. I debated with myself for about a quarter of a mile whether to use them or wait for the port-o-potties before I decided to take the detour. I lost about a minute, but I felt much better. I continued to cruise along until we came to Biosphere road. The temperature had risen and I tossed the gloves and arm warmers. This was one of the hilly sections of the course and I had been warned not to expend too much effort here. I tried to run by feel. Some of the hills weren't easy. I saw Keith running back the other way, so he was a couple miles ahead of me. He was also ahead of the 3:15 pacer, but all of the pacers I noticed at this race had been running fast.

When I made my way back on to Oracle, I checked the virtual pacer and I was 4+ minutes behind. The next 10 miles were a nice, gentle downhill so I thought I would make up the time. There were a few miles sprinkled in there that were close to 8, but more of them were in the 8:20 range. I kept checking that pacer. 6 off, 7 off, 8... Around mile 19 I just started to feel bad. I wasn't bonking, I hadn't killed my quads (some people do on this downhill course), I just wanted to stop because the level of effort over the distance was starting to catch up with me. On the other hand, keeping the pace wasn't making me feel worse.

I heard a male voice cheer for me at one of the water stops (it was my friend Paul), but I didn't turn to see who it was. When I talked with him later I told him I was both "focused and disoriented" at that time. He said I looked zoned out. Around mile 20 - 21, the course seemed to flatten out. I know the Garmin and the course map say it was still going downhill, but what are you going to trust, instruments of measure or a loopy runner? The good news is that in the later part of the race, I was passing a few people here and there, and I am pretty sure that the only people who passed me were a couple of relay runners.

I was looking forward to and dreading mile 24. I wanted to finish this thing, but I was not looking forward to running uphill again. It wasn't a large climb, but I had heard from other runners that at that point in the marathon, it felt monumental. I was keeping my eye on that virtual pacer it was hovering around 8+ minutes behind. I started to doubt whether I would hit the BQ or not. All I could do was keep that steady effort. This felt so much worse than my first marathon, which I had run at a very conservative pace. I kept thinking, I will do another marathon, but I don't know if I ever want to race one again.

I saw a few running friends after I turned off Oracle. One of them ran with me for a little bit and cheered me on. I appreciated it, but at the same time it was annoying to see how fresh and springy she was :) I saw one of my other friends who had done the half. He told me that "Your form looks good, even if it doesn't feel like it," which gave me some confidence. It was finally time to climb that hill. Not fun, but it didn't do me in. I passed the 3:40 pacer with just under a mile to go. He was just standing there. I made the final turn heading toward the school, knowing that the end was in sight. I was still 8+ over my virtual pacer, but now I was pretty sure I would make the BQ, even though I was much slower than my original goal. When I saw the finish line, I saw the 3:39 and heard my husband cheering. I managed a very weak kick and I was DONE. The BQ was mine.

It's possible I started out a little fast. Some of the things I had eaten the day before might have contributed to the GI issues. Aside from the whole wheat pasta, I had a little bit of lentil soup at our work Christmas party. My friend who loves meat more than anyone I know, made a special vegetarian side batch just for me, so I felt I had to have some. It wasn't spicy, but maybe it had too much fiber. I know people say not to have much fiber the day before a marathon, but I also think that you shouldn't vary your diet too much. I normally eat a lot of fiber...

I think my on course hydration and fueling were fine. I took in Gatorade at most of the stops (sometimes water). I ran with a 2-bottle Nathan belt and had 4 Clif blocks and 3 Power Bar bites during the run. I ended up topping off one of my bottles on the course. When I train, I am used to drinking small amounts of water frequently and wanted to stay with that during the marathon, even though it meant carrying a little extra weight.

I stumbled over to my husband and let him support me for a few minutes. I saw Keith (3:13:08!) and some of my other friends and talked to them. Some people were selling smoothies, and normally I don't pay for food after a race, but I really wanted one. After I sat down with the smoothie, my husband noticed that my thighs were bleeding. I don't know if I didn't put enough anti-chafe on or I didn't put it down low enough or what. Ouch. I sent my husband to pick up my checked bag and we went to the hotel. I didn't even make my way over to see what free food they had.


I was a little disappointed with my time because I think I probably am capable of faster based on my half time. On the other hand, I know I don't train like pure a marathoner, and I don't love it enough to give up my swimming, biking, shorter races, and group fitness classes. My heart is definitely in the shorter distances, so this may be as good as I get at the marathon.