It's Beginning To Run A Lot Like Christmas

Running on the Town Lake trails under a gray drizzly sky, church bells ringing Christmas songs. It's cold and wet but I'm nice and cozy in my oompa-loompa style hooded jogging suit. My core is telling me I haven't been doing this enough, could be yet another New Year's Resolution. But for now it's just the trails, the runners, and the promise of a peppermint mocha afterwords. It feels good.

More Marathon Musings

It was like running on another planet (a planet with ten times Earth's gravity and half as much air), a lovely country road on a beautiful sunny day, just the way it always looks when suddenly everything is different now. Each step sent a new shock wave rolling up my body.

Live intensely.

There comes a place where you have only six point two miles to go. I can run that distance in 40 minutes, jog it in an hour, or keep walking until I get there. For most of the race, though, you're not there yet.

We pass the Lone Star Brewry. Twice. This truly is a test of willpower.

We run past the old Spanish missions. Prayer might help, but I can't risk putting stress on my knees. If you think about it, you do have time to run in and say a quick Hail Mary.

When I look back now, I think about crossing the finish line less than I think about all the rest of the race, beginning, middle, and end. Every mile has its own character, its own challenges.

The Sabermetrician in Me

Yes, it is a baseball term, and I don't know if there is an equivalent for running, but I discovered my time is better than third place in the female age 12-14 division. That's right, I only got beat by two 12-year-old girls! Something to be proud of, I think.

Half Marathon PR - It's Official

My finisher certificate from the San Jose Rock 'n' Roll Half Marathon came in the mail. My offical time was 1:45:29. I placed 189th (out of 766) in my division, 938th (out of 4222) among men, and 1174th (out of 9625) overall. I'm very happy with that result.

My "age grade" is 57.2, less than 3 points below "local class," the lowest grade. Presumably if I don't run fast enough to be in a grade, does that I'm just casual runner? Judging by the results, there's a lot of us.

I like half marathons, and I'm thinking if I can run an 8:03 pace, I can shave a few seconds off and run in the high-7s.

A Long Long Way to Run

I remember the best parts first. The anticipation waiting at the starting line under a waning gibbous moon, then rounding the many street corners ol' San Antone at sunrise, down familiar country roads and back again to cheering crowds. I'm convinced they added that last .2 miles to marathons because the excitement and exhilaration of the last .2 miles completely erases the pain of the previous 26. Afterwords, there is laughter and jokes, crawling in and out of cars, baby giraffe walks, merriment and beer.

Niamh (that's prounced Neeve, for the non-Irish speakers) had a great day and qualified for Boston on her second marathon, a fact I had to point out to as many people as possible as we walked back to the car. Me, I had a slightly worse time. The good news is I'm not so sore because I didn't run as fast as I expected. The bad news is I didn't run as fast as I expected. I probably started out a little too fast, and it soon became clear I would have to I take my time and enjoyed the scenery on that country road home (hey John Denver!). It was run walk run walk run cramp walk run walk walk walk run whew!

Pre-Pre-Race Dream

Dreamed I was late. Not for the race, but for the day before the race. The reason? It involved a girl and class I had in college, along with an unlikely cast of celebrities. Other than that, the dream didn't make a whole lot of sense.

The plan today is a pancake breakfast, then to Run-Tex to buy clothes for unexpectedly cold weather. I probably shouldn't dress for temps between 50 70 when it's going to be 30 to 50.

Dream What May

In a funny way, I actually enjoy the anxiety dreams that come the night before a big race. It's part of the process, part of the excitement, and it's fascinating the stuff my brain comes up with under stress. So I thought I'd list a few of the dreams I've had the night before past races.

San Jose, 2007, my first half marathon, I dreamed I couldn't find my shoes and socks. I looked everywhere, found one under the bed, one in the closet under a pile of junk, found my socks in weird places. Then I finally had them all gathered, I put them on. Ready to go, I looked down and discovered I was barefoot. My shoes and socks had disappeared. I frantically looked everywhere. I found one in the kitchen, the other behind the TV. I put them on and next thing I know they're gone again. This went on, each time I put my shoes on they disappeared, and I found them scattered around the house in progressively more unusual places after much frantic searching. Oh, and there was a girl in this dream. Or rather, would have been if I could ever find my shoes and get to the starting line.

Several times I've had a dream where my clothes shrink and grow to impossible dimensions while I'm trying to put them on, or is it me, like Alice in Wonderland eating magic cakes.

The night before Nike in San Francisco, I dreamed had to run a quick errand before the race. Next thing I know I'm in Palo Alto - 30 miles away - on my bicycle, asking for directions to the starting line.

In Hawaii, I dreamed that half way through the marathon I stopped for lunch. By the time I finished and stepped back outside, night had fallen. I wondered, do I finish running the course in the dark?

Also the night before Nike, I dreamed I overslept and woke up an hour after the race started. I wondered, should I run the race anyway? And what do I tell everyone afterwords? In my dream I considered hiding out another hour and then just pretending I ran.

I often have dreams about oversleeping, yet I don't think I've ever overslept. I seem to be able to wake up at the right time, even under normal circumstances. Often I wake up less than five minutes before my alarm goes off. It's like I have an internal alarm clock with remarkable precision. As long as I know what time I want to wake up I seem to just wake up. My clock radio is just there for reassurance, it seems. When I was a kid I practiced lucid dreaming.

I'm sure there's more, I remember having more, but dreams are fleeting. Most are gone as soon as they arrive. Even jarring dreams are lost within hours of waking. A precious few stay long enough to tell a friend. One, perhaps, might linger for years, haunting, reminding, but it is not the dream that stays, it is we who hold on to it, refusing to let it go, afraid of losing something we never had. Dreams want to be forgotten. Dreams, dark vacuum cleaner of the mind, throwing out the day's clutter and making room for another.

Dreams. They come and go like trains, and my sleeping mind but a whistle-stop on their way.

And Away I Go

Bags are packed, ready to go. How ready? Did I prepare? Were the workouts enough? The 20 mile run? Did I rest enough? Too much? Race day it's come as you are. I'll step out on that starting line and I won't stop until I'm across the finish. Whatever comes in between, I can take it. Ready or not here I come.

To Endure

In 2000 I took part in something called the Everest Environmental Expedition. No, I didn't see Nepal, I only helped with the web site and attended all the fund-raisers. How about that, I worked for free AND donated money. Lately I've been thinking about the time I heard someone say that climbing Everest isn't about athletic ability, it's about how much pain you can endure. I guess you start walking up that mountain and just keep going. I ran 20.2 miles last weekend, through the wall, past the landmarks of tired, sore, to the point where all I want to do is stop. Asking myself one question. How do I get to a state of mind where I can keep going?

I'm still not sure.

Dirt Trails Good for the Feet, Not Hands

I fell hard, just like the real marathoners. Nine miles into my 20 mile run. I was dodging high-fives for the rest of my run, and couldn't shake hands with anyone for a day or two afterwords. Luckily by mile 20 the pain in my legs made me forget about the abrasions. The last few miles I got to that point where each step is an act of sheer willpower. For me, that's what marathon running is about. Keep going when all you want to do is stop. With 2 miles to go I walked for a minute, but walking didn't feel any better so I ran. After 20 miles I'm not so sure I want to do this. How do I get to a point where I actually want to run 26.2 miles?

The evening featured seasonal beer, grilled salmon, a fire pit, and smores. Feel much better now.

Owie Owie Owie

Classic rock and weight training is a dangerous mix. I was pumped up and rockin' out! Now I'm very sore. That's alright, the important thing is it's game 1 of the World Series and I got nachos.

Don't Know Much Biology...

...but I've heard there are major muscle groups that are strengthened with weight training, and the increased endurance carries me through a longer run to give an equally big workout to all the surrounding and supporting tissues, strengthening the entire skeletal-muscular system. Or something like that. Whatever it is, as long as it feels good I guess I'm okay.

I had the best gym workout in a long time. They were playing XM BigTracks, rock hits from the '70s, '80s, and beyond. GnR, White Lion, Yes, Bon Jovi, even REO Speedwagon. I'm going to be sore tomorrow. I know it.

Definitely for the Girls

The first thing that struck me about the Nike Women's Marathon was the overwhelming smell of nail polish. The second thing that struck me was the long line, not for packet pickup, but foot massages. The third thing, standing in Union Square at 7am, was that us few guys out there were outnumbered 20 to 1, even if officially the ratio was 19 to 1. Some women were running bandit, but I'm not naming names.

I wanted to run slow. I got my fast time and needed a slow run in prep for the full marathon next month. So I estimated a 9-9:59 pace, which is really sandbagging it. Now, in a normal race I can pass pretty aggressively, but in this case my chivalrous side took over and I spent the whole time going no, please, after you, I insist. While any day spent surrounded by 20,000 beautiful women is a good day, I know this is their race, not mine. Besides, I explained to any passing female, why would I want to rush this?

My goal was a slow race, but in the end I couldn't help running at a faster, more comfortable stride. I wanted a 2:05 time, but fell short, getting only a 2:04.

I Feel So Weak

After the 16 miles, a short recovery run the next day, and a hard track workout the day after that, today I went for my weekly medium-distance run. It started bad. I felt weak, my legs hollow, my muscles unwilling, my torso and shoulders askew, my head bobbing, wondering how I was going to run like a total train wreck. I was tired, sore, miserable, and (suddenly noticing) running pretty darn fast. I slowed down to a more normal pace, felt much better, and within a mile or two was able to relax and watch the scenery jog slowly by.

Setting The Next Goal

My goal for next Sunday is to run my slowest half marathon ever. In fact, if I finish in less than 2:05 I'm going to be disappointed. It won't be easy, but I think I can do it. A 9:30 pace? A full minute and a half per mile slower than last weekend? Aim high. Reach for the stars.

A PR, an anti-PR, and another PR would cap off a great fall run series. Besides that there is the training factor. Next Sunday's half marathon is sandwiched between two long runs so I need to take it easy and give my body a chance to recover. Make it a rest weekend. While I haven't found as much time for training as I had hoped, it turns out my baseline is pretty good. Credit my typical 12 mile Saturday run consistently for the past year or so. I surprised myself with my 1:45 PR in San Jose. I should be able to do a sub-4 hour marathon in San Antonio. So next weekend it is imperative I relax and not push hard. I have nothing more to prove. Nothing more to prove? Where's the fun in that? I have to prove I can hold back my pace. A social run. Conversation pace. You can do it!

1:45:29

For the first two miles I was wondering if the title of my next blog post would be "No PR For Me!" That is what a big dork I am. A beautiful day, fresh air, vibrant crowds, rock-n-roll bands, the purity of running, and I'm thinking about my computer. More to my worry, my legs felt stiff, especially my left leg, adding to the fact that I hadn't trained quite as hard as I planned. Putting that aside, I figured I'd run at my target pace for a while and see what happens.

After a few miles I loosened up. After a few more miles I really started to relax. The last half of the race I was totally relaxed and feeling good. The whole race I figured I'd keep up my target pace for a while longer and see what happened.

By mile 12 I knew I had a personal best. All I had to do was keep it up and the question was how fast could I actually do it. Stay relaxed and loose. Micro-adjustments to my stride and posture as needed.

As I rounded the second to last corner the band started playing "Fortunate Son." Adrenaline tingled up and down my spine. All I saw was the finish line banner, running hard as I could to bring it in. Stomach cramps be damned. After walking that off, and enjoying a banana, yogurt, and fruit cup, we sat out on the grass with free beer. That's a good race.

Considering I was partially composing this post on the run, I took long enough to actually write it.

Quantum of Pain

When I was young my mother told me to listen carefully to what my body was telling me. Even though she was probably talking about eating too much candy, I am thinking about how it applies to running. I'm wondering exactly how closely I can listen to what my body is telling me.

This is the Wong Pain Scale, where 0 is "I'm feelin' fine" and 5 is "Oh dear, I seem to have accidentally cut off my hand with a chainsaw."

A 1 might be natural soreness after a long run, a 2 might mean it's time for an ice bath, and a 3 means you may have injured yourself. But what about the difference between a 1.1 and a 1.2? or a 1.25? If I feel a slight twinge in my IT band, isn't it better to hit that spot with the foam roller sooner, before it gets worse? If I can't tell the difference between a 1.1 and a 1.2 then I might not take corrective action until I hit a 1.5. An injury will be easier to reverse if caught early. Recently my left IT band went from 1.5 to the low 2s. I worked it for 5 minutes every half hour until it was down to a 0.5, which to me felt like a -3. Ahhhhhhhh.... Ready to run again! Since then I've watched it closely, giving attention to anything over a 1.0

So what is the smallest unit of detectable injury, my own quantum of pain?

Early Early Early

Yearg. Time to get up and go. Mark the trails. 14 mile run. Golden Gate Park. I need coffee and rock-n-roll to get started.

Cue iTunes.

Hey, Ho, Let's go!

Fourteen Miles!

In a way, I'm managing my workout schedule around Team in Training. I guess I'm about 4 weeks ahead, so the long TNT runs alternate with my long runs every other weekend. The good news I don't have to be so timid with the distance. At 14 miles I felt great, I could have easily done 16. So in 2 weeks, should I do 16 or 18? I feel like I'm ready for 18 if it's flat, or at least on Sawyer Camp Trail, mostly flat. That's the 12 out-and-back, with a 3 mile retrograde. Can I use the word "retrograde" as a running term?

My time was 2:04:54, an overall pace of 8:55, roughly my target marathon pace. Which is great, except I have to practice my half marathon pace also. If I can run 14 miles at 8:15 then I'm on track for San Jose.

Managing tapers is going to be interesting.

Friends and Tacos

Today's track workout was harder for me than it should have been, thanks to today's lunch. P.F. Chang's is yummy, but not good run food. Marathon training has its own way of enforcing a healthy diet.

The way I was feeling, if it had been a PARC workout I probably would have skipped it. But it was only 3 miles (a short pyramid 400-800-1200-800-400). I powered through - grrrrrrrr - and then we had tacos. It was a good day.

Buddy Run Becomes OYO Run But At Least I Ran

I missed the 7am run and both evening runs (sorry everyone, my bad), but I finally got myself around the Stanford trails by sundown. I must be getting in better shape because I just motored right up that steep hill past the hay sculptures and over the whole upper dish. Then, feeling good and relaxed, I took the campus tour. A lap around Lake Lagunitas, then Campus Drive to Serra Street, past the computer science building. I ran between the quad and oval before coming back up Stanford Ave along the creek. It's one of my favorite routes. I don't know how long it took because I forgot to set my watch. It felt like a good time, though.

I was going to muse on tired stretchy muscles but I think I'll hit the foam roller instead.

Good Recovery Run Today

Twice around campus loop. I needed a slow pace run and I got it. In fact I ran with the group straggler. She kept me slow and steady, and I kept her from using her iPod. I think the recovery run is going to prove important this season. Like heel-toe walks and the IT band, I know when it feels right.

Love. Live Intensely. Enjoy Life.

Travis lived an extraordinary life. That much is clear. I think we all take to heart a little piece of advice given at the service this afternoon, because this morning Travis' run buddies shared as much fun and adventure and friendship as we could get in today, which as it turns out is a whole lot.

And I'm a-gonna blog about it.

What a run! I love Portola Valley trails. So many hills, and I was feeling pretty good. A few trees had fallen across the trail. That and the rope bridge gave it a real Indiana Jones kind of feel. Next time I run Toyon Trail I may try that rope swing. This run starts with a nice long flat stretch, then suddenly runners find themselves facing an almost staircase-steep hill, marked with an arrow pointing up and a smiley face. Although I didn't run the flat part or see the smiley face hill I sure heard people talking about it. What a friendly welcome to marathon training.

I didn't see the smiley face because I marked the upper trails, starting at the water stop and doing a few loops to mark and sweep. It was my first "solo" trail marking and I think I got the hang of it. It takes a bit of planning and strategy to mark five different routes on a network of trails! Teamwork! It's a beautiful thing. I think next time I can take on an area even a bit larger.

Everyone who spoke at the remembrance this afternoon reminded me why people do so much for LLS, and that some people are so passionate about it and live so intensely and achieve so much. Though I can never match their efforts, whatever little I can help seems easy by comparison, like 85% of what I do is just showing up.

Where I can live with more intensity I will do so knowing the rewards. I'll have to occasionally remind myself to enjoy life just a bit more, ask myself if there's more I can share, and and incidentally can I do it today. That's some good advice.

Here's hoping you're loved by everyone you want to love you.

Travis' Memorial is Today

It feels weird to say that.

I have to mark a 12 mile run tomorrow?

With hills and trails and roots and rocks? Dang it dang it dang it dang it dangit dangitdangitdangit!

Why did I sign up for this? Can I do it? Is it going to hurt?

On second thought, there's a motivation to be sharp in the morning and a good excuse to see the sunrise. It's a challenge, and the first time didn't feel so good but I've been training so I think I'm going to pleasantly surprise myself. Running, weights, core, stretching, yoga strap, foam roller, it all feels so good when I'm out on the trails.

So why did I sign up for this? Oh yeah, that's why.

Time to Ramp Up

This is not a picture of me saying "Hooray for my accomplishment!" This is a picture of me saying, "Okay, I can stop running now."

Lately it occurs to me that I will actually be running 26.2 miles again. It's time to ramp up the weekly mileage, hit the gym, bike after work, get into PR shape. Core, track, all the little things that add up over several months.

It feels good.

Using My iPhone for Proper Nutrition

It was a great morning to run Rancho San Antonio, even if nobody else showed up. It's early in the season yet, and anyone who wants a good workout will soon get a clue that 7am Tuesdays are where it's at. Weekly hill work for long distance runners. Being on my own, I ran the Upper Wildcat loop as fast as I wanted, 0:55, a big improvement over the last year's standard 1:05. Feeling good in cool weather. We'll see how Dave is when he gets back from Ironman, much slower for at least the next few weeks I bet. Donna, the constant runner, was there. It's good to see a friendly face, even moving at a good clip in the other direction.

Fast forward to the grocery store after work and I'm prowling the aisles, hungry but unsure. With iPhone in hand, I googled around until I found what turned out to be a very good vegetable lasagna recipe. There's my shopping list. Some of these web sites even list the nutritional values, so I have no excuse for anything less than an optimal running diet. The Internet can do that for us.

I'm in much better shape than I was a week ago.

Who Needs Sleep, Anyway?

Grumble grumble run.

Goodbye Travis Wallace

I was on the spring 2007 mid-pen run team with Travis and Amy. We ran the San Diego Rock-n-Roll Marathon and had an absolute blast. Travis was always good cheer, whether we were running for the finish line or the airport security line. We went through a lot of lines on that trip. Right now I just want to go on one more long run together. Someone far more qualified to speak than me already said it better. Travis would not want us to be sad, he would want us to celebrate however much life we're given, and treasure friends and loved ones for however long we have them. If anything, the unfairness of it all is why we do whatever we can to find a cure. So in the spirit of Travis having fun on a run...

Old TNT friends are still running together! A few of us from last year's mid-pen team did the Sawyer Camp trail this morning with the Palo Alto Run Club. Those training for the San Jose and Nike half ran 8 miles. I continued up the hill for 12. My first 12 mile run in a while! The 7am Tuesday Rancho run is shaping up to be a real workout, 60 minutes of hills with the fast runners. This means I must keep up the cross-training and do core exercises every other day.

I'm in much better shape than I was two weeks ago.

Through the Beginning

Fully in training now. Got through the initial stiff-and-sore-all-over feeling, during which I found the areas I want to concentrate on. First, toe and heel walks. I can feel it doing good things in a critical area. I have new improved stretches (especially IT band and hamstrings), core every other day with balance exercises. My distance plan is gelling, the final series of weekends looks like this: half marathon, 18 miles, half marathon, 20 miles, then only 12 miles, taper, marathon. If all goes well, the first half marathon and the marathon will be PRs. That's the goal.

So far, so good. I've been hurting in all the right places, much better now.

All The Things That Get In The Way (really don't)

It's shaping up to be a busy week. By mid Monday morning my to-do list at work took up half a page. Then it was off to a talk by the inventor of a popular application framework, and in between I got in 20 minutes of cardio and half an hour of weights, plus core, plus I got everything ready for my 7am run the next morning, not to mention regular blog posts (something I never got around to doing the first time). I'm watching my DVR fill up with more Olympics coverage than I could ever possibly watch. I have two computers running, I have three books to read, a hundred programming exercises to complete, and that other thing which may or may not amount to anything at all, it really could. I've completed two pages of diagrams and two pages of written specifications so far tonight. I still have to decide when and what my next hour of cross-training will be. All in all, things are right on schedule. Two half marathons in October, a full marathon in November.

Most running books talk about the psychological component of such undertakings. When I step back and look at a mountain, it's big. Sometimes when I'm thinking about the goals I set, and everything it takes to get there, it seems impossible. Yet as soon as I dive in, concentrating on whatever small part I'm doing right now, a lot of things go pretty quick. Maybe that's something I can learn from a 26.2 mile perspective on things. On a map it looks impossible, but wherever I find myself on the course, the next few steps are right there in front of me.

Hey, I got this far, right?

Groggy, but Motivated

Coffee, peanut butter toast, and Joey Ramone singing What a Wonderful World. But what really gets me up and out the door this early? Responsibility. Run buddies are counting on me.

The sunrise with the full moon and fog rolling over the ridge is beautiful.

Running with a Purpose

This morning was my very first course marking run and it's a different kind of workout, like intervals where I'm constantly running to the next corner, stopping, and drawing arrows every few hundred meters (with the occasional exploratory detour to check my bearings against the map). It doesn't hurt to have a compass on the wrist, either. This was an 8 mile out-and-back in the Mountain View Baylands which means only 4 miles of marking. On the way back I ran a relaxed, steady cadence which soon became a conversation pace. Coach Dan gave lots of great advice to a new runner. I may have to try that run/walk thing myself.

For this first one I had a nice, easy course to mark and I didn't do it alone, but now I feel confident I can take on something more challenging. I'll mark a course through those twisty Portola Valley trails before this is all done.

Go Team!

Time to Mark the Trails

Our first trail run and I have to be at Baylands at 7:30am to place the markers before the runners start. Grrrr. What gets me going this early on a Saturday morning? Coffee, peanut butter toast, the promise of a new sunrise, and Joey Ramone's version of What a Wonderful World.

Life Happens, Apparently

Maybe Shakespeare was right about all that sound and fury. The current state of disarray in my house could be the metaphor of a not so dissimilar life. I look at things placed in various spaces and see some inspired, some stupid, all enjoyable, but not really amounting to much.

Speaking of running...

A week into my commitment as a Team in Training captain and I haven't set up my fundraising web site yet, I was almost late to the first track workout in spite of the fact that I drove faster than a easy-going person like myself should. I haven't done a long run in weeks. Lots of reasons, but no more excuses.

This time I stick with the program. I do the core, I do it all, I do it early. I'm setting a PR. The whole schedule goes in my calendar tonight. The letters go out this week, the money is raised this month, the races are run this year. I already have my first donation. Thanks Carol! It's happening in spite of all the things that have and always will come up in the meantime. This weekend it starts. Right now.

In fact, right now is the only time I do anything.

Go Team!

Woody Allen once said that 85% of life is just showing up. Personally, I like to think that much of the remaining 15% is showing up early. I guess I'll find out as I just signed up to be a Team in Training run captain for the fall season, I will be showing up early to organize the water stops, mark the course, and make sure everything goes to plan. I'll even stay late and sweep. First to arrive, last to leave. Yay! I'll get to know who is really motivated and who is really slow. Plus - fair warning - I'll hit up all my friends and family for donations again, though this time not as much. I'll have to give my run blog much more attention, but that's a good thing. Writing and running are both healthy activities.

Nike half marathon, here I come. Kickoff August 2nd. Now everyone GO TEAM AND GO SIGN UP!

Don't Tease Your Run Buddies

Send them before and after pictures of your feet.


My feet before the marathon:



And the same feet after the marathon:



Yes, this is for everyone who didn't have the time or inclination to run Hilo with me.

Training and Post Race

I think I hit on the perfect post-marathon recovery.

Immediately after race: Ice bath, 10 minutes foot and ankles, 5 minutes waist down.

Then eat, then sleep.

Next day: light jog to get the legs working again. More food, more sleep.

Stretching, lots of stretching, using yoga mat, foam roller, straps, and other implements of torture.

Hot tub.

More stretching.

2.5 hours of boogie boarding at Hapuna Beach.

drinks, more hot tub.

More boogie boarding.

More stretching, foam roller.

Ahhhhh...


My training for the race was this:
Saturday: long run
Sunday: recovery run
Monday: weight training
Tuesday: track workout (intervals)
Wednesday: medium run
Thursday: yoga
Friday: rest

Two days before the race: Yoga on the beach.

Big Island International Marathon

Hilo!

Second marathon. Complete. No question about it. Unless that question is, Why?

The run was absolutely beautiful, but the airport road will forever be burned in my memory. It started about half way and continued through mile 17, it was the hottest part of the race. It drained me and I couldn't recover before I hit the wall. Which is a shame, because the road from mile 20 to 25 was beautiful. And if I hadn't slowed down so much I could have broken 4 hours.

4:16:29. Better than 16 minutes off my previous time. At this rate of improvement I have to run 4 more marathons to qualify for Boston.

At mile 24 I asked myself, do I enjoy this?