Notes
This was a tough marathon with 70 degree weather by 9 am and a bright, bright sun with no shade. I was feeling pretty good through the first 6 miles and I was happy with where I was. The sixth mile was where things started to feel tough as I came out of the neighborhoods with trees and shade into a the sun where there wasn't a single cloud in the sky. Miles 7-8 didn't feel bad but I was just in an area on a bike trail where it was constant turns and it was kind of a pain in the ass. 9-10 were more of the same and that's when I began to feel sick in the heat. I tried to get some fluids in and I had to spit it back up because I didn't feel well. Miles 11-14 were really bad. I felt as if I was going to throw up and I even stopped once and bent down because I thought I would. At this point, I was just disappointed because I had not run a marathon in this heat before and my legs were feeling so good leading up to it. I came through the half in 1:26 and change and I was just disappointed because of how much I fell off. The second half felt like a death march at times- the guys all around me were struggling just as much as I was. We would run for a bit and then stop and walk. My goal was just to stay ahead of the 5 guys around me and I was able to do that. It wasn't until around 16 when I was able to start taking fluids that felt good. It was just that segment in the middle that was tough. It was just disappointing that I was in such good control of everything that I could control and I got sick in the heat trying to run that pace for 26.2 miles. I really wish I had the weather of 2015 when it was 37 degrees at the start but there was nothing I could do about it and I finished in 75 degrees.
It's funny because I had a bad race (according to my time) and yet I felt more confident about where I was at than I had in the previous 16 weeks. I feel that I am on the verge of a good racing year and that I can PR in both the 10 mile and the half before finding a solid marathon. I started so well and I now believe that I can maintain that given the right conditions. Today wasn't my day but there will be other days, hopefully finishing this year with a solid marathon PR.