Sorry to keep you all waiting!

The marathon was a blast!! I really had such a great time and already I can't wait to do another one. Well... in a few months anyway

The morning of the race, I got to the starting area about 30 mins. early and walked around a bit to calm my nerves. It was supposed to be in the mid-50s during the race, but it was probably only 38 F at 8am. Luckily I brought a pair of gloves along, so about 15 mins. before the start, I removed all my extra layers and stood around in just shorts, short-sleeved shirt + gloves. Thankfully there were enough people at the starting line to block the wind and keep me warm!

The race started out really well. I typically start out way too fast b/c of adreneline and the excitement of the crowd, but I tried to keep an easy pace knowing I had 26.2 miles to go! My first two miles were 8:05 and 7:55. Too fast!! But still slow enough that I wasn't breathing hard and was really enjoying myself.

Miles 3-13, I felt smooth and steady (especially after slowing my pace more). Took some GU's at miles 6 and 12, drank Gatorade at the water stops and got some inspiration from friends and family along the course - espeically exciting b/c I wasn't expecting most of them! I think my time was around 1:48:00 at the half-way point, which I was really pleased with.

Mile 15 was where I first started to notice the tightness in my legs. Nothing extreme, just noticed that they were being well used. Unfortunately, by mile 18, my pace started to drop a few seconds per mile. Then I turned into a headwind and started slowing even more. My head and heart were telling my legs to 'go faster!' but at each mile marker, my pace was either the same or a bit slower than the last. But not to worry! I was breathing easily the entire time and never once felt fatigued. Just the lead in my legs slowing me down

For the first 24 miles I ran pretty much by myself. Of course I caught other people and was passed by other people, but didn't really stay with anyone. At Mile 24 though, I caught up with a man that I had been randomly talking to at the very start of the race. It was his first marathon too, so we ran the last 2 miles together and talked about how our races had been going, how our training went, etc. It was nice having some distraction during those last few miles.

So the conclusion: even with a few slow miles, in the end, I finished in 3:49:05 I'm so psyched about that time!! Everyone that saw me finish said I looked strong and relaxed even up until the finish line, which were such perfect compliments after you run a marathon. I now have a nice shiny medal and some beautiful flowers courtesy of my boyfriend, who I owe so much for making me eat and stretch and get warm after the race. Overall, it was everything I could have asked for in my first marathon and I loved every minute of it.

I think my next goal is to try to qualify for the Boston Marathon. I would have to run a 3:40, which I now think I am capable of. Major thing to improve for my next marathon: running longer distances at a goal pace. All of my long training runs (10mi+) for this race were at a much slower pace than my actual race, and I think that will be a big help in keeping my legs running smoother in the last half of the race.

Hopefully I will get some pictures soon and will try to post them. Thanks for the encouragement!

KayAyZee