Sun Trust National Marathon 3/26/2011 - 2:52:49

Last Saturday 3/26, I raced in the Sun Trust National Marathon. I went in with the goal of finishing in 2:50, a 6:30/mile pace. I was nervous because I'd never run further than about 8 miles at this pace. Further, I could barely sleep the night before. But I still went into the race with high spirits. 

The race started at 7AM, at the same time as the Half-Marathon, and I had to push my way through quite a few people before I felt comfortable. It didn't take me long to settle into pace, though. I couldn't believe it - I was running comfortably at a sub-6:30 pace (according to my Garmin)! In fact, I had to actively slow myself down to keep from going sub-6. 

The 10k mark was in DuPont Circle and was accompanied by the largest crowds as well as my mom and my girlfriend. I felt awesome! My mile split with the CT Ave. hill was 6:48 without (subjectively) spiking my heart rate.

Right after the 10k mark, I began running with a couple of guys with a similar goal time. We talked and the miles passed quickly. We came through the 1/2 marathon checkpoint at 1:25:12 - right on target and exactly a 6:30/mile pace. At this point, I could feel my legs beginning to get a little bit heavy but not too bad. It was great to have a couple of people to keep on pace. 

I think it was about mile 20 where I started to lose it. The mile 20 split was perfectly even, around 2:09 and still an even 6:30/mile pace. My lower back hurt like crazy and my quads were on fire from some of the earlier descents. However, I managed to keep even splits up to mile 22. I found myself dropping behind the two guys that I had been running with and felt helpless to keep up with them. This was hard to accept, but I just pushed as hard as I could. My mile times did drop by about 20 sec/mile, but I knew that I would still finish well sub-3:00 and tried to keep my spirits up. 

Miles 24-26 were a blur. My tank was empty. But I pushed an finished in 2:52:49. This was a 21 minute PR and a huge accomplishment. Of course I wish that I could have held my perfectly even pace for the last 4 miles, but I'm trying to be optimistic. This was only my 3rd marathon; I've got plenty of time to improve. I am confident that with more similar training I will be able to keep dropping my times. 

If there is one thing that running the marathon distance has taught me, it is that you can do anything that you set your mind to. Three years ago, I was overweight, lazy, and a smoker. I never EVER would have imagined myself to accomplish what I have. I would go so far as to say that running saved my life. I honestly believe that I am a better person because of it. I hope that I never forget what it has done for me and that I never lose passion for this incredibly simple sport.

****Photo courtesy of M.V. Janzen's Flickr****