Marathon #3: Independence Series – New Jersey

Independence Series: New Jersey
May 1, 2015
5:08:53 (or 4:58:59)

Temp: mid 40s and sunny for start but high 60s by end
What I wore: hat, short sleeve shirt, arm sleeves, Skirt Sports Happy Girl skirt,
PROCompression socks, and my new Altra Intuitions

The day I’d been training for had finally arrived and I was mildly panicked. It was chilly at the start (I even started with a half zip on), but I knew it was going to be warm by the end. My plan was to run .45/ walk .05 for the first lap, but to change that for subsequent laps if there were hills. I ended up running the first lap with a new friend, so I did not walk any that lap. Oops.  I quickly fell into a rhythm though. I ran about a half mile to a hill, walked the hill, ran about 3/4s of a mile to a hill, walked the hill, and then hit the aid station for a drink and/or a snack. The course was 1.872 miles, so we had to run 14 laps. I stopped for an actual snack every other lap.

Generally speaking, this race went well for me. My paces were pretty consistent and I felt really good throughout. As one might expect, I had moments of hating the race and I will admit that when I finished the first half, I was not happy that I was only half way done.

I took my water bottle with me for the last two laps and I may have told Kim I was done running when my Garmin hit 26.2, regardless of whether I was actually done or not LOL. (Despite that declaration, I did actually “sprint” to the finish.)

The good:

• The course did not have any really big hills.  Just a couple of little ones that kept things interesting.
• The path by the lake was beautiful.
• The people were awesome. I could never run these loops without having people to chat with.
• The food. I ate hard boiled eggs with mustard (so good!), part of a panini, part of a pb&j, a few pickles, and a few gallons of Gatorade.  Yes, during the race.
• I finished 26.2 on Garmin in 4:58:59.
• The pool of ice water waiting at the end. I didn’t even bother to take off my socks before plunging my feet in.
• The 30 minute massage I received after the race. Absolutely worth every penny!

The bad:

• The varied surfaces on the course. I made a last minute decision to wear my Intuition instead of the One^2 because they had less of a groove. I knew we were going to have some gravel and did not want it stuck in the bottom. Unfortunately, there was also some pavement, so my feet felt pretty beat up by the end.
• It was pretty warm by the end.
• The fact that the course was a bit long. I had no interest in running an ultra but Garmin says I ran 27.1.
• Knowing I was going to have to do it all again the next day.

The ugly:

• The completely unshaded portion of the course. By the end of the race, I was dreading that section each time.
• The loop after I ate 3 olives. I spent the entire loop wondering if I was going to hurl.
• My poor toe that apparently did not like running a full marathon in the Intuitions (I was afraid it was broken.)

[Tweet “Thinking about running 2 marathons in 1 weekend? Here’s what it’s like! #racereport #marathonmaniacs”]

Would I do it again?

Boy, that’s a hard one. I’ll do another Mainly Marathons series again for sure, but I don’t know if I’ll do another marathon with them. The loops that I love so much for a half marathon are tedious by mile 20. Perhaps if I was the type who could just walk and enjoy and chat, I’d not mind, but I can’t help pushing myself. BUT, if I were ever going to do two in a row again (I will not), I’d totally do it with Mainly Marathons. You’ll understand more after my day #2 report.