Notes
Well this was the peak race for me this fall. Reflecting on my goals and approach, I achieved what I wanted to: I am a sub 2:30 marathoner. Of course, like any barrier, this one was artificial, but I did it. I pushed my body to the limit, partially because I was maybe not completely fueled. Calf was tweaking out around 23 miles. Legs were rubber at 22. I took zero chances the first 3 miles, and then got to work from there moving forward. I cannot under estimate the power of having people in front of me to catch, as I spotted who I wanted and just kept after him. I caught him at 14.
Ran from 14-19 with Mike A. from Columbus, who I was hoping would go with me the whole way. He crapped out around 19, and then I was on my own all the way home. That was tough, but should have been expected.
Breakfast: 2 bagels @ 4:15 AM, Coffee, Gatorade mixed with water
Warmup 5 minute jog; stretch; 5 minute job w/ last 30 seconds at marathon pace [stick with this]
Fueling: 3 gels; took half at 6, 12, and 18 with water from bottles; found that I liked to have the gel in my mouth and let it dissolve while I was running. I would do that again. Also, might consider just getting it in my mouth around 21. Also would consider drinking more Gatorade on the run. Need to get cups down.
Pre-Race: I would take Tylenol before if I did it all over again. Foot was painful and back was painful, maybe enough to slow me down slightly.
Training: I knew that 5:35 pace felt pretty easy from training; however, I never ran more than 10 miles straight at marathon pace. For this segment that was fine; I would try at least 12 in the future. Will average out my mileage over the last 12 weeks to see what I come out at, but that will also make a huge difference if I can continue to progress.
10 weeks of training w/ average of 77 miles per week