[Results] [Photos]

Why am I always bent over after these things?
My second marathon was far, far better than my first… mostly because I didn’t start the stupid thing with an injured leg and because I actually had trained sorta correctly for it. I know, who would have thought that proper training = a better marathon experience? But for as good as it was, I still learned some new things.
The race started chilly but super-well organized. Way better than last year, they had the street more walled off with barricades so the start was pretty quick and straight forward. Unlike last year where Dan and I basically had to merge with traffic from the vendor area to get going.
We both started with the 3:30 pace group but I quickly realized that they were moving a bit too slow for my preferred pace, so I sped up to catch the 3:20 group. This meant I left Dan around mile two and didn’t see him for the rest of the race.
Catching the 3:20 group around mile five, I hung out with them for three to four miles before deciding that I had to try to catch the 3:10 group. 3:10 is Boston Qualifying for me but was going to be a lot of work since the last few weeks of training fell off the tracks with my accident.
Miles nine through fifteen were me trying to find 3:10, never getting there, and getting picked back up by the 3:20 group… and learning my first lesson from this marathon: Just because you feel like you can catch the next pace group in the first half of a marathon means you’ve not considered that you have another half marathon to run after you actually accomplish that task. In short, I over-ran trying to catch 3:10 (something that I knew I shouldn’t have done) and now hanging with 3:20 was going to be very very difficult.
Mile fifteen is also when I met the Wife and her friends for the second time and exchanged water bottles. Actually, this year, the water I carried was a 3/5 mix of Gatorade and water. Second lesson: electrolyte replacement is hyper-important while running three or more hours. Duh, I know, but I didn’t pick up on this nugget-o’-truth last year.
Miles sixteen through twenty-three were all about trying to stick with the 3:20 group and ultimately failing. This section winds through Water Works park, which is little more than grass and some trees… and as boring as watching both grow. Little to no spectators, shitloads of wind (I even had drafters at one point), and the ultimate realization that once you’re out of this place, you still have six more miles to knock out.
Mile twenty-three is where I was forced to walk last year. This year, it’s where my brain was remembering said walking and was doing everything it could to convince me that “Hey, walking would be soooo good right about now”. The brain in the later stages of a marathon is worse than any physical pain. It’s only trying to do its job, I know… but the damn bastard is an evil, unrelenting son-of-a-bitch that has nothing else to do but to tell you “Stop! Slow down! You’re so going to hurt tomorrow… just stop now” and so on. I ignored my Evil Brain and kept running.
Mile twenty-four, I guzzle almost eight ounces of Gatorade/water mix. This would normally make me ill. Instead, it gives me a huge boost… for about a minute. Mental note: learn to drink more Gatorade (or whatever) next year.

Mile twenty-six is right after the last turn and you can clearly see the finish line. Oh, thank you Marathon Gods, this shit’s almost over. I get closer and I see the race clock reads 3:28:something. Wait, what? I can still pull out a sub-3:30 if I move my ass a little? So I find what I’ve got left in the tank and push myself. It ain’t much, but I am moving faster. Somewhere around here my wife is yelling at me and taking pictures, I don’t hear her… must… beat…stupid…clock.
And I do. Official chip time was 3:29:47. Thirty-seven minutes, one second faster than last year. Next lesson learned: if I had stuck with the 3:20 group (like I knew I should have) it that time most likely would have been sub-3:20. But I’m happy, really. I’m not a complete cripple this year post-race like last year. Sure, it hurts and my hips, which were angry with me back at Mile ten, aren’t even speaking to me now, but I did so much better this year than last. And while the pain is pretty crazy, I already think about next year… even as Dan finishes and says to me “hmmm… maybe the half-marathon next year?”. I laugh, I know he’s not serious.
Food
Something I didn’t do last year was make note of everything I ate during the day. Why would I? Because I burn roughly 3600 calories during those three-to-four hours, the equivalent of two days worth of energy. And when you tack on the 2000 calories I’ll burn just to be alive during the day, a 5600 calorie deficit can make for some interesting eating. So here’s the list of what I ate on the 19th… who says distance running is about the food?
- Bowl of Kashi
- 2 cups of coffee
- 2 granola bars
- 4 8oz bottle of water/Gatorade mix
- banana
- 8oz bottle chocolate milk
- bag of apples
- grilled cheese and bag of chips
- 1/2 SoyJoy bar
- 2 slices pizza
- 3 cheesebread sticks
- slice of apple pie a la mode
- small bowl of grapes
- 2 glasses of V8 juice
- Handful of fruit trailmix
- Chinese takeout