Here, I am up before dawn, getting ready to head off to the start. I feel pretty good, once I wake up.
Morning of the race
My experience at the Jersey Shore Marathon unpleasant, but not so bad that I wanted to give up.
I decided that my training had been too intense, giving me tightness in the lower leg, and producing sore achilles tendons. This ultimately led to the cramps that made the marathon so painful. This time I made sure I stayed healthy, and I hoped I would be able to improve my time.
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This is the first time I had travelled overnight to run in a race. We had a
pleasant day Saturday, visiting with Carrie and seeing a play. I got to bed a little
later than I would have wanted, and I did not sleep well. Maybe I am taking this too
seriously ?? Here, I am up before dawn, getting ready to head off to the start. I feel pretty good, once I wake up. |
Morning of the race |
| I figured I could run 3:40, a few minutes faster than my previous time.
But for weeks I had been running 8 minute miles, feeling pretty comfortable at that
speed. So I decided to run at that speed for as long as I could. After running the first mile in 10 minutes, I felt really good at 8 minutes per mile. I kept telling myself to slow down, but by mile 14, I had made up the two minutes I had lost at the beginning. I was still on schedule at mile 18, but aster that I had to slow down. It was really tempting to stop and walk back, but I just tried to keep going.
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The finish |
| Finally, I struggled across the finish line in 3:40, slowing down 10 minutes over the
last 8 miles. I should learn to look up at the camera when I cross the line. |
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After the race, I felt surprisingly good. I could still walk (comfortbly).
Although I drank before the race, and at every water stop, I was still very
dehydrated. Recovery was very different from the last marathon: I was able to run comfortably the next day, and back to normal by the middle of the week. |
After the race |
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