Notes
9 hours sleep (Thanks end of daylight savings!), yogurt and V8 for breakfast, cup of coffee and half a plain bagel in the village about an hour and a half before the wave start. Water every 3 and 2 miles, with shot blocks at 5. Amazingly beautiful morning - perfect for a marahon - 45, no wind, sunny, temps in the low 50s for the finish. Felt great before the start. 11:00 pace for first mile up the Verazzano bridge and kept a perfect 9:50-10:00 average pace through mile 18 (not counting 12:58 for the Queensborough bridge). Muscles started cramping into mile 18. No exhaustion, just pain, even some knee pain. Walked a good chunk of the rest - feeling completely miserable, discouraged and angry, but managed to pick it up the last two miles or so to break 5 hours. Felt very very wonky after the finish. nasueaus, dizzy, short of breath extremities tingling. Got worse whenever the flow of humanity stopped moving. Ended up going to the medical tent - the shortness of breath and tingling really scared me. Once I hit a cot, my calves completely cramped up - excruciating pain. Two PTs helped. Couldn't catch my breath at all and hands and face felt like they were being attacked by bees. A nurse then gave me some salt - sprinkled a regular old food service packed of it under my tongue. Everything pretty much cleared up within a minute. Legs still crampy, but not extreme. Looking back, I did do gatorade every five miles or so for the last two Boston's, and only did it once or twice here. Clearly those additional electolytes made a difference. Need to find a way to get them without upsetting the stomach.
Overall, a most amazing marathon for the first two thirds. Absolutely worst ever for that last third. But I finished and PRd!