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| Mile 21 |
The 2011 Philly Marathon was my first and a bit scary. The worst part like anything new is the unknown. I have heard so many horror stories about hitting the wall around twenty miles and everything shutting down, so I had some apprehension. I had put in the long runs and averaged 50-65 miles a week, the intervals, and felt fit (even though I only had eight weeks after 70.3 Triathlon World Championships to dedicate to the marathon). I planned to race my first Marathon to see how far I could push before the tank went empty, not run to experience the distance. I respect the distance and ran conservative early and kept waiting to hit the wall.
I really did not hit the wall but did fall off pace in the last three miles into the finish. Those miles gradually climb up and I lost 15 seconds a mile and my left knee and calf was tight with a constant pain (over used tendons ? ). The twenty five mile banner came up and I could not wait to cross that finish line. I crossed the line and was glad to have raced my first marathon. I was lucky enough to run 2:46:19 and finish 76th out of 10268 and finish third in age group 40-44. I really have a lot of respect for anyone that trains and races this distance. Intense is the only way to describe 26.2 miles.
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