I read a great article during my marathon training that said it was a good idea to have multiple marathon goals–you know, in case your top goals don’t quite work out. In that spirit, I had a whole slew of goals to make sure I’d have something to feel good about by the time it was all over. As it turned out, I have a lot to feel good about.
My Time!
My official time was 3:57.56. With this, I did not achieve my REAL time goal, which was 3:45, but I DID achieve my secondary time goal, which was to get in under four hours! For my first marathon, I’ll take that.
Final standings had me 6th of 33 in my age group, 17th of 169 women, and 65th overall. (It’s a small marathon…the race was capped at 500 runners, and it says that 358 people finished.)
I Fueled Brilliantly!
As I wrote yesterday, my eating and drinking plan was all a big 
experiment, but it worked out perfectly. This morning, in addition to a couple glasses of water, I drank my lemon water and a Verve before I left the house, and a coconut water while I was waiting at the starting line. I consumed a gel at mile 4 and at mile 10, and I started in on one I didn’t finish around 15. I drank water and ate an orange slice at each aid station. I tried pretzels once and regretted it for the three minutes it took me to chew it up and swallow it without choking on the dryness.
Here’s the great achievement: I never hit the dreaded wall. Yes, my knees and hips ached and sent that ache traveling through my entire leg (the last six miles were brutal in this regard) but my lungs and muscles held up just fine.
No Pit Stops!
We were at the starting line an hour early. I know myself, so I got in line for the bathroom as soon as I got there. When I finished, I just went and got in line again. Hey, you’ve gotta kill time somehow. The line was long. I figured by the time I got up there, I’d have to go again. (True.) I drank a coconut water during my wait and made it through the bathroom line four times before the race started.
It was possibly the best strategy I employed during all my marathon preparation. I did not once have to stop during the race, and I was able to run in empty-bladder comfort.
No Wardrobe Malfunctions!
I chose my clothing carefully based on what I had worn successfully during my long training runs, but you never know what weirdness might occur after you’ve been running for that long.
My Toenails Lived to See Another Day!
At the beginning of marathon training, I told my toenails they had one job: stay put. And they did! One seems to be at risk, as the toe is a little bruised and sore, but I think she’s gonna pull through.
I Can Do It!
This, perhaps, is the greatest achievement of all. (Even bigger than the toenail thing.)
Distance running is not something that comes naturally to me. I knew I’d have to work for every mile, and there were times during the last four months when I still wasn’t sure this was a real great idea. But that training, it adds up. You’ve got to trust it, and that’s what I did when I got to the starting line.
What goals did you have for your first marathon?