Short story:  3:29:06 chip 3:29:19 gun, 76th OA 14th Female 3rd AG.  BQ-10 

Long Story:

Preface; I don't recommend trying this at home:  So like many I watched Boston and was determined to qualify for next year, but I didn't realize that would mean I needed to run a Marathon ASAP in order to do so.  I initially thought I'd be able to find a Marathon in the mid to late fall but then discovered registration was going to be in September that's no good.  So I registered for this race on about April 27th, 8 weeks ago.  I knew a late June was a risk weather wise even in Northern Michigan but I also knew that I couldn't be ready for Bay Shore on Memorial day, in August I have a 50 mile race I want to run well and a September race is not feasible with work.  A year ago, 8 weeks while not ideal wouldn't have been a problem but then I moved, as in moved 1000+ miles, and the selling the house, packing the house, unpacking the house meant my mileage fell off big time along with my longer runs as I ran but just whenever I could for whatever I felt like that day for about 6 months from October of 2012 until about March.  In fact other than 2 trail Marathons that I ran real slow and easy and today, my longest run of 2013 was my "Learned Foot Run" at 17.4 miles on 2/24. 

So Training plan:  8 weeks is not enough to follow any type of canned plan; therefore, I followed a plan that has served me well in the past, I call it throw everything against the wall and see if enough sticks to make it work.  Well I kind of looked at the later part of Hansen's and Pfitz's 12/55 and pulled some workouts from it.  I wrote in 2 races a 25k which had been my goal race of the spring that I ran full out on 5/11 and a Trail Marathon 3 weeks ago that was the start of a series of aided long runs I'm doing this summer in preparation for the August 50 mile run, I finished that Marathon in a PW of close to 6 hours.  My other long runs consisted of two 16 milers, a 12.5 mile, an 11 mile and a 10.4 mile, I did however run them at the faster pace for Long Runs that Hansen's recommends which for me ended up being around 8:30.  In addition, when it came to speed and midweek runs I favored the Hansen's workouts of MP runs up to 8 at MP and MP-10 second longer intervals.  I managed only about 1 a week thug as 3 weeks ago I was diagnosed with low iron which I think lead me to needing more recovery time from a quality run.  Overall I had one 55 mile week run a 45 mile  week run and the rest non taper were in the low 40s.  From my 25k in May, I knew I was getting some of my speed back after cutting back for 6 moths but I didn't know if I'd have the Stamina to keep it up for the entire Marathon.

Race Weather:  Turned out to be pretty darn good for the 2nd day of summer, temps stayed right around 60* cloudy with some mist at times humid but cool enough that it wasn't oppressive.  This changed in the last 12 hours before the race as was suppose to be in the high 60s with possible thunderstorms but they went someplace else along with the warmer weather.

The Course;  An out and back mostly on the Bike path that runs along side M-31 between Charlevoix and Pestoskey, Mi.  It's flat for Northern MI but did have a few hills mostly long and gentile but a few, including one in that last 2 miles were not so nice.  It did finish on a nice little downhill just before the drawbridge going over the Pine River as it flows between Charlevoix and Lake Michigan.  I think it's overall a pretty course, or at least it would be on a day without fog as you run along Lake Michigan several times.

The Plan:  I was hoping to run pretty even splits between 7:55-8:10 with a goal of seeming if I could get the sub 3:30.  I pretty much threw that out the window on the course by going out too fast but managed to basically hang on.  I also had to well go 4 times during the race which has never happened to me in a race before so I did lose time there and probably ran a bit fast for the rest of pitstop mile trying to stay on track.

Splits
 
1 7:49
2 7:42
3 7:46
4 7:52
5 7:53
6 7:39
7 8:09 (pitstop 1)
8 7:44
9 7:43
10 7:59
11 7:46
12 7:44
13 7:42
14 8:24 (pitstop 2)
15  7:43
16 7:46
17  7:34
18  7:47
19  7:49
20  7:55
21  8:24  (pitstop 3)
22  8:39  (pitstop 4)
23  8:23 
24  7:54 
25  8:47  The low point then basically channeling my Inner Chicago Robin and deciding that I was hurting but I was not going to let myself completely blow up darn in because I will do this even if I don't think I can.
26  8:04
the last .2  7:01 Downhill aided.

Overall:  It wasn't pretty and I think I could have run better but I really don't care.  I met my goal of sub 3:30 which I wasn't sure I had the training for so I'll take it.  I worry about being upset especially about my last 10k when I actually have time to train properly for one.  Plus I finished 65 seconds slower than my 25k Predicted a la McMillian.  Oh and based on her error on the side of caution ways I'm glad I didn't ask Ilana. 

Great job, considering everything you went through.  Hope the iron issue is over.

Congrats on the BQ-10!

I cannot wait to see how much faster you will run once that issue is normalized.  Great job!

Impressive!  Now you just need a way to market your C2BQ plan.....

An 8:47 mile 25 is impressive, I think I ran an 18:47 going up it last year.  The placement of that hill on the course is not funny.  Congrats.

My bad.  I read that wrong.  Still...WOW

Congrats!  BQ -10 is no small feat, great job.

Congratulations!  I'm in awe that you has to stop four times to go and still managed the paces you did.  You're fast.