Mile 20- Mile 25 – I love mile 20 and the sculptured walls you run through. The design and shapes are so interesting; it takes your mind off of what has happened for a few moments. If you have trained properly, have a CONSERVATIVE estimate of your finish time, your pace time should be holding right on the money, or if you are feeling good, pick it up just a few seconds a mile to add a bit more in the bank. Not a lot, don’t go crazy and burn yourself out, the 6.2 left are the toughest in the race. From Mile 20 through Mile 22 is a rolling set of hills. You are also getting back into civilization. Around 21 ¾ you have a nice drop so pick it up just a touch and let the hill help you out. I hold my pace, losing a few seconds on the ups, and gaining it back on the downs. At Mile 22, life will change; we are now entering the Highlands. Mile 22 begins with a very nice uphill climb, take it conservatively. This hill separates the runners from the wannabe’s. By now you have passed many people walking, most are walkers, but if you picked out that special someone cutting through the crowd at the start, you remember the one with the really loud outfit cutting people off in panic mode to make up time from the start, this is where you might see them walking. The hill runs about ¼ of a mile, but seems relentless at this point, but as you reach the top, you will get onto a nice downhill. However the cant in the road at this point becomes killer on the ankles and knees. If you duck down really low on the road onto the shoulder, you get just a very slight amount of relief in a few spots. REMEMBER: YOU MUST REACH MILE 22 BY THE 5 HOUR POINT!!!! That is a 13:40 pace!!! They will pull you off the course and put you on the Group W bus (Alice’s Restaurant). Sometimes it can be tough to maintain your pace, but keep telling yourself, “You do not want to be on the sweep bus with that person wearing the obnoxious outfit!!!” Keep your feet moving forward all the time and you will make it!!! The next hill takes us up to 23 and an aid station, a very welcome sight at this point. I always go for the Gatorade and water mix. Before I figured out a problem, I would begin to cramp at this point. Now I grab Gatorade out of habit. Again the climb is a bit steep but short, so be conservative. At the top of this hill you lose more marathon runners to walking. You are probably slowing down by now. If you are a bit slow, don’t worry, it’s just a few more miles left and you should still be within 5 – 7 minutes of your finish time The road begins to flatten out just a bit, so hang in there and try to maintain. For me, Mile 23/24 are the longest ones in the Marathon and the most non-descript. When I get to the Chevron station on Mile 24, I go over and yuk it up with the crowd. Some of those people have been there a long time and are tired, so they need some cheering and encouragement!!! As you progress along 24, you will finally see a sign “Point Lobos ¼ of a mile” that gets me motivated to pick it up just a touch, no matter how whipped I am. That ¼ mile to 25, is just a 3-4 minutes away and a huge psychological boost. As you get closer to Point Lobos, you will see cars parked along the shoulder, this is where I start scanning the horizon for the 25 Mile marker.

Isn't it around 22 or 23 where they are handing out fresh strawberries? It's always a nice excuse to slow down and walk a little. You know. "I'm not tired, I'm just eating strawberries." Yankee Point was always the killer for me. After that, I'm done.