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Smarty writes:
So yeah, you can remove the question mark after PR for me. Definitely wasn't expecting to run that well.
I'm sure people will have better accounts of the race, but here we go. I started out with the 3:30 pace group,
thinking I should be able to do that if I don't go out too hard foolishly as usual I should be able to do that.
Ran the first three miles with the pace group, but ended up finding the pace too easy for my liking and decided
I'd risk it and find the pace where I was comfortable.
Gradually I picked off a second/mile pace and thought
I could bank the time if I struggled later. Miles 9 to 19 were around White Rock Lake where I used to run
during my residency. It was flat but also pretty exposed and having to contend with a headwind for significant
portions was not great but manageable (I caught up to Rich at mile 12 who did great considering the lack of
long runs. He could see how good I felt and just told me to keep running strong).
Leaving the lake, we all
knew that up until mile 21 or so there was a hill. It really didn't present a problem as I was fueled by
seeing Johnny Coco and hearing Take On Me by a-ha. It was also cool to run by Baylor where I used to work
and even see my apartment building where I lived in Dallas for a year. Now, I knew one more challenge was
where the half marathoners and marathoners joined back up at mile 24.
The half starts an hour after the
marathon, so you essentially have 3:30 marathoners merging with 2:30 half marathoners. I zigzagged my way
through, knowing that I basically had a PR sewn up (about 8 or 9 minutes ahead on splits at that point).
One of the cool things was they put your name on your bib right above the race number. I hadn't been called
Christopher so many times since childhood, but it was wonderfully encouraging to hear your name so many times.
The crowd support was great. Anyway, I finished in 3:19 something and it was cool that Claire and I both
PR'd and finished 268th overall.
Never have I felt so good mentally and physically after a marathon. And after 12 attempts, I finally know
how to run one. Or maybe it was just the Saturn hat Dan let me borrow and the Mr. Woodcock wristband.
--- Smarty
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