I was quite nervous at the start since I knew it was going to hurt and boy was I right. The weather at the start line was perfect (for sitting around waiting for the race), but it was obvious however from the first mile that it was going to be a hot day. It was 61F at the start and by the time I hit the midpoint it was in the 70s. I tried to be wise and kept well hydrated.
Now yes it was hot and I may have run a little quicker and hit my target if it was cooler but the reason the time I attained was off from my target was simple; I committed the classic new marathoner mistake. I knew I had to start slow but I got sucked along. At the start there is simply so much energy and you feel just great and so excited to be finally off and running. Between miles 5-13 I ran about 15 sec a mile faster than plan and ultimately paid the price. By the time I hit 19 miles, whist I was still on target, my hamstrings were screeching and I was now going a little slower. By the time I was at 23 miles, I was going a little slower even still and really wanted it all to end. I was so glad to see the 26 mile marker indicating 0.2 miles to go!!
It has been a great weekend here in Chicago. Had a huge pasta dinner last night with Brad (finished in 4:29) and Kay has been such a wonderful host. See the picture below, she is celebrating our marathon finishes harder than we are :))
And so it ends, this has been a great marathon journey, nine months in the making. Finally and most importantly, big thank you again to all of you who helped and supported along the way, this was not possible without you, you know who you are.
1 comment:
Well done Paul - fantastic achievement! What's next now? Ultra-running? :)
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