I screwed this up. I trained for a flat course and I really expected a flat course. So when I hit hills almost right away I didn't think much of it, just that each hill would be the last. And I continued to think that way for most of the first 1/2 of the mary. I had my heart set on a time and I pushed to keep my goal pace...and completely fried myself out in the process. At about 8 miles I realized I'd better slow down a little, so I did that and walked the last couple of uphills. I felt done already, and I still had 18 miles to go. At the halfway point I was fighting tears. I have never wanted to quit a race so badly. I looked at my watch and was around 2:07, which really wasn't horrible, so I told myself to suck it up and try to pull at least a respectable race. And I did try pretty hard, but the negative thoughts just crowded in. At hot and tired and sore as I was, I think I blew this race in my mind before my body gave out. Knowing that I wasn't going to make either my stated OR unstated goal just sapped my motivation and I kept catching myself walking. It was horribly humid too...when we started water was dripping off the trees like rain. Then it got pretty hot. I think I heard 78, or something. Not horrible, but I'm from Wisconsin!

Coming up to the end you run into a park, then around under this gazebo kind of thing. I saw the clock at 4:59:48 and I thought "oh hell NO, I am not going over 5 hours" and I picked up the pace considerably, as close to a full out sprint as I could manage right then. When I was just about to cross the finish line I heard "say hi to Auntie Cindy" and there was Gwen and Caroline!!!! I didn't know they were coming, and I was SOOOO happy to see them.

Train hills, then slow down on them.

Wander over to grab a half bagel, then find a bench.


Painful feet. I've had fascitis through most of this training, then to top it off my soaking wet socks gave me a few beautiful blisters.

Heat and humidity...couldn't control that.

My own stupidity. I knew I was going too hard but I wanted to stick to my plan too much. I should have gone to plan B when I realized plan A wasn't working.


As much as I had a lousy run, this is really a nicely done race. The pre-race dinner was at the Radisson hotel, so it was good. It was fabulously organized, and there was enough spaceman style hype to make it fun without being overkill. The race started with a huge TV showing a sort of montage historical space video clips set to music, and the RD "counting down to takeoff". The aid stations were run by local cross country teams, and there was a $500 prize for the best space-themed station. It could have used at least one more aid station on each side of the course but really wasn't too bad. Overall, this was a nicely done smallish race (1500 entrants total, most of them did the 1/2). I was planning to swear off marathons for my feet's sake...until Gwen said "I'd like to do one of these." So I may be doing it next year :)