Notes
Warmer than expected: about 65 at the start and mid to upper 70's by finish. Still approached the starting line feeling strong and confident. Felt really good the first half and then started to labor more than normal on mile 15 as we made our way into the sun. The first half of the course is mostly in the shade of the building. At mile 16 the wheels really started to come off and I knew it was going to be a tough final 10. Somewhere around mile 20 I felt my right toe pop (literally). I tried to just tough it out and ignore it but after about half a mile I stopped and noticed red on my shoe - I was actually bleeding through my shoe! At mile 21, I pulled over, removed my shoe, and losened the tape I had on it before the race. Finally got it adjusted enought to make it the rest of the way.
Lesson learned: Don't tape your toes for a marathon unless you're sure you won't have problems. I've been taping for about the past 4 weeks because of a wart on my other toe and that seemed to work well in training runs up to 18 miles. But, after about 20 the tape actually formed a blister on my other toe and that was the pop I felt.
No excuses though - even with a good right foot it wouldn't have been a PR day - just too hot for me to maintain that pace for a full 26. Overall, I'm happy with my time and effort and looking forward to trying again in December at WhiteRock.