One City Marathon: The Planets Aligned!

"The stars need to align" is an often (and perhaps overused) phrase in running. It means that for a runner to maximize performance, everything needs to go well: weather, fueling, sleep, having a good day, and more. But the planets literally aligned on the Friday before my marathon in Newport News, VA. Along with it came ideal racing weather.

Race Week
Race week arrived and it was without a doubt the most eventful race week of my life. Our house would go on the market on Friday so that meant staging it for photos on Monday, having cleaners come Wednesday, and being out of the house all day Friday while potential buyers came to visit. On top of that, we had some things with the new home to manage, and work was also very eventful. 

I couldn't help but wonder if all of this stress would weigh me down and impact my race, leaving me feeling stale. In fact, I DNF'ed the Shamrock marathon back in 2019 because of all the "life stress" leading up to that race.

I refused to let it be a self-fulfilling prophecy. I told myself that the 2019 DNF might not have been stress related and I could have been overtrained (I ran an 81- mile week just three weeks out). And there was actually nothing to stress over anyway. We got the house where it needed to be for putting it on the market, and the rest we would leave up to our realtor. We decided that we wouldn't interact with her until after the marathon, so we could spend the weekend focused on the race and not thinking about offers. 

I slept relatively well all week. The previous week I had been waking up at 1:00 in the morning consistently with anxiety, but that abated the week before the race, thankfully. I'm proud of myself for not letting everything going on in my life impact my ability to focus on having an excellent race. And the last thing I wanted would be to use it as an excuse to not push hard in the later miles. 

After the cleaners came on Wednesday, we didn't want to cook anything messy in our kitchen, which made it challenging to eat heathy meals. On Thursday night we opted for sushi. On Friday we got a buffet of cold appetizer-style foods from the grocery store and had them for dinner: smoked salmon, fresh bread, stuffed grape leaves, fresh mozzarella, hummus, etc. We really wanted to start eating early, like at 5:00, but the showings lasted all the way until 6:15. 

Shoe Choice
I am down to my last pair of my all-time favorite adidas Adios Pro 2, and they have a half marathon and full marathon on them (both PRs). I could have worn them again for this race, but I felt like perhaps they had lost some pop after two hard races. In the weeks leading up to the race I sought an alternative. The adidas Adios Pro 4 unfortunately didn't fit me - I was between sizes. In my normal size my toe was hitting the tip of the shoe and when I sized up by half a size the shoe was too roomy overall and not locked in. I was bummed because the Adios Pro 4 is supposedly a great shoe. 

Then I tried the Saucony Endorphin Pro 4. I loved version 2 of this shoe, and with an 8mm drop I thought it could be the answer. But I did an 18-mile run with 11 miles at marathon pace and I didn't love them. I thought they were fast, but towards the end I think my forefoot was getting sore, which means they were likely too firm for a marathon. I also felt like they were too much "shoe" - the stack height felt too high. 

I then tried the ASICS Metaspeed Edge. I had worn their counterpart (the Sky) in Boston last year and liked those. But I didn't find the Sky to be particularly fast. They were too bouncy with not enough ground feel. The Edge felt faster, but I noticed my forefeet were getting a bit sore towards the end of my run so those were a no-go. Probably good for shorter races. 

I tried out the Brooks Hyperion Elite PB on the Tuesday before the marathon. I loved everything about them. The fit, the ride, the feel. But I didn't want to take chances. If I had another week to train and ensure they felt good during a long run, then I would have used them.

That left me with one option: The New Balance Fuel Cell Elite V2. I wore these shoes for Richmond back in 2023, so they only had one marathon on them and I figured they would be good for another one. These shoes don't feel fast when running but I think they do their job "behind the scenes". They are super comfortable and they save your legs. During Richmond, my legs didn't get tired until very late in that race and I attribute it to the shoes. My theory is that they allow you to run at your marathon pace for longer without straining your legs, as opposed to propelling you forward with an aggressive carbon fiber plate. They have a carbon plate, but it's not as propulsive as most other shoes. Unfortunately, the new version of this shoe is totally re-done with a 4mm drop that would never work for me. And bonus: my running club is sponsored by New Balance and they like us to wear that brand when we race. 

Saturday
On Saturday morning, I ran a 2.62 mile shakeout run. I felt energized and strong and ready to go! Then it was time to shower and ensure the house was perfectly staged for the open house that would occur later that day. I had a banana at the house and then we went to a local bagel place where I stocked up on bagels. The drive down to Newport News took about three hours and I slept for about 30 minutes so it seemed to go even faster. 

We got to the hotel and I laid out all of my gear to ensure I hadn't forgotten anything. Usually I have all my race gear laid out on my bedroom floor during race week and I keep adding to it. But this time I had to keep everything inside the bag so I was out of my natural packing routine.

Next up, lunch! We went to a local deli and I ordered the world's most bland sandwich: turkey on white bread with lettuce and tomato. No cheese or anything else. 

We then proceeded to pick up my bib. I was part of the elite masters field for this race, which meant I was able to have bottles placed at three locations along the course: miles 7, 13, and 21. When I picked up my bib, I handed them my three bottles, each of which contained about 12 ounces of water mixed with Skratch Labs hydration + energy. It would be nice not to have to carry my own bottle for very long or have to stop at the water stations. This benefit was part of the "planets aligning"! 

We then met up with Mike Wardian for a game of chess. Greg and I each played against him. I had a strong attack but he made one brilliant move that thwarted me and he was able to checkmate me. Greg also seemed to have an advantage against him, but as the clock started ticking down, Mike came back strong and Greg lost on time. Mike's goal for the marathon was to set a world record for the fastest marathon while wearing a Forrest Gump costume!

Throughout all of this I made sure I drank plenty of water+ electrolytes throughout the day. I estimate that I probably consumed about 80 ounces of fluids. I also snacked on my bagels and almond-butter filled pretzels. When I carb load, I don't count carbs. I just eat whatever feels comfortable. I don't want to overload my digestive system with an unusually high amount of food that it's not used to.

After chess with Mike, we went back to our hotel and figured out where Greg would go to cheer for me and take photos. He would drop me off at the start and then take photos at four different locations. Greg had run this race back in 2019, so I also spent some time analyzing his data to get a sense of where the hills were. I had run the half marathon here twice (2020 & 2024), which is the second half of the full marathon. I was very familiar with the second half, but not the first. I noticed that Greg's Garmin had him at 26.37 miles. Yikes. Other runners seemed to log similar mileage - around 26.4. The course is curvy in places and has a good number of turns, so I would have thought 26.3 would be reasonable, but 26.4 meant I would have to run faster than I did at my recent Tidewater marathon (26.25) just to get the same time. 

Once we had figured out Greg's spectating plan, we made our way to dinner. We ate at the same restaurant that we did last year, the night before my 1:29:50 half marathon. I ordered the same meal: chicken parmesan with no cheese. We got to the restaurant at 5:00 and we were back to our hotel by 6:00. Nice and quick! 

Throughout the day, we often checked our home security app to see how many times the doors opened and closed. We wanted to get a sense for how many people were coming in and out. But we didn't stress over it. 

We went to bed early at around 8:00. I brought my Lagoon pillow because hotel pillows are notorious for being the wrong height. One pillow is never enough, but two is too high. With Lagoon, you can adjust the height of the pillow and customize it to how you sleep! (Use discount code ELIZABETHCLOR if you want to try it and save 15%!). I slept relatively well and surprisingly had zero anxiety dreams about the race. Usually I dream about missing the start, showing up without my shoes, showing up without gels, or being unprepared in some way. 

Before the Race
I woke up naturally at around 4:00. I laid in bed for a bit just trying to relax and get myself in the right headspace without psyching myself out. Because I was overwhelmed all week with the house and with work, I hadn't given as much thought to the marathon. To perform well, you really have to want it. If you are too relaxed or focused on other things, then it's easier to give yourself permission to not push as hard. The goal was to be excited and focused enough to really push, while remaining relaxed. Today I would run the race of my life. I visualized it. I visualized myself pushing really hard at the end to make it happen.

I got out of bed and had breakfast: one banana and a handful of almond butter pretzels. I tend to keep my pre-race breakfasts on the smaller side, only eating what feels comfortable. I had eaten plenty of carbs the day before and I would be fueling throughout the race.

I got dressed in all of my gear and went to the bathroom a million times. My CW-X tights unfortunately only have one small pocket that barely holds a key. That's why I didn't wear them for my December marathon - I had wanted pockets in my tights. During training, I wanted to wear them for my long runs and workouts because they are my fastest tights. So I trained with sticking gels in the waistband and that worked beautifully. Because they are so tight and compressive, the gels stay locked in between the waistband and my hips and don't bother me at all. I also stashed two gels in my sports bra, which was a first. I used the small pocket to hold some Honey Stinger chews. I wish I had thought to do this in December because the gels are much easier to grab at the waist with numb hands than to fish out of a deep pocket. 

Having missed the start of my previous marathon because I got the start time wrong, I wanted to get to the start extra early. We left the hotel at 6:00am and arrived to the race just before 6:15. We waited in the car until around 6:30, at which point I said goodbye to Greg. 

I headed over to the Elite tent where we had our own porta potty. It was thankfully empty and I got to use it right away. Then I hung out with Mike Wardian in the tent while I untied and re-tied my shoes a dozen times. I had my UCAN gel 15 minutes before the race start at 6:45.

Weather
It was very cold at the start line. Not as cold as the 18 degrees from my marathon in December, but still cold. It was 27 degrees with 10-15 mph sustained winds. The windchill made it feel closer to that 18 degree mark! Greg said he was colder spectating this marathon than the one in December because of the wind. At least we had no wind at the other marathon. It was sunny without a cloud in the sky. Start temp was 27 degrees, finish temp was 33 degrees. Sustained wind of 10-15 mph, which was mostly a tailwind. I give this a 10 out of 10 on my race weather scale. That said, if the course were a loop or an out-and-back, I'd have to downgrade to an 8. Not only is a headwind challenging, but when the temps are in the 20s it feels brutally cold. So generally this is "8" weather that I upgraded to a "10" due to the direction of the course. 

Strategy and Goal
Everything pointed to a sub-7:20 marathon pace being perfectly attainable for me. My two longer marathon pace runs (11 miles inside of 19 miles) averaged 7:15 and 7:13 respectively. And I felt great during those. Taking the longer course into consideration, this would yield a time of around 3:13. My "A" goal was to run a time of 3:12-3:13. My "B" goal was to PR with sub 3:15:11. My C goal was to finish healthy and strong. Ultimately breaking the 3:15 was really the most important. I had run 3:15:34 and 3:15:11 but never under. And I was so close last December!

My strategy was to to run the first 10 miles at pace of 7:20-7:25. After that, I wanted all of my miles to be faster than 7:20. 

Race Start
I didn't really warm up aside from doing a few strides around the park for 20 seconds at a time. I did some dynamic stretching and I had used a lacrosse ball in the hotel to loosen my glutes. The race had two pacers for 3:15. I had not been expecting that, which meant I had to decide if I was going to run with them, purposely avoid them, or just ignore them altogether. If I could stick with them the whole time, then I would get my sub-3:15 goal because pacers notoriously run faster than their goal pace. But pacers often go out too fast. I decided I would not try to stay with them but if I happened to be near them I would feed off of their energy. The ideal situation would be to run slightly behind them for the first 10K and then catch up or pass them. But once again, I had no idea how fast they would go out. 

When I ran the One City Half Marathon exactly five years ago in 2020, I decided to stick with the 1:30 pace group. That ended up being a mistake. They went out too fast and I lost them at the 8th mile, coming in at 1:31:xx. I think if I had a more conservative start I would have been closer to my sub 1:30 back then. Lessons learned - pacers usually go out faster than I would. 

Anyway, a few different people approached me at the start line and told me that they followed me on Instagram. I took photos with them and wished them good luck in their races. I love meeting Instagram runners in real life!

The national anthem was sung, and it was almost go-time! I tossed my jacket off (they donate them) and waited patiently to start. It was so cold! The sun hadn't fully risen and with bare shoulders I was quite uncomfortable. 

Mile 7

Miles 1-6
Alright, time to run the fastest marathon of my life! But to do that, I had to take it easy and chill in the beginning. Be patient. Enjoy the ride. I decided to focus on other runners and their outfits. Some runners were wearing tank tops and shorts. Others had long tights and multiple layers. I was running near someone in a sweatshirt that she kept on for the whole race. Quite the variety! 

I ended up being tucked behind the 3:15 pace group for these miles. I counted about 20 people in front of
me who all seemed to be part of the pace group. I was able to run my target 7:20-7:25 without having to weave or pass people. There was a turnaround at one point when you could see the runners coming in the other direction. I noticed that the pace groups really formed packs in this race. Most people seemed to be running totally alone or with just one other person. I was grateful for my pack because there was some headwind here and I was shielded nicely. 

I had the luxury of only needing to carry my water bottle for the first three miles because I knew I would get another at mile 7. I had been unable to drink enough fluids during my December marathon because my hands were too numb to hold a bottle or even take water from volunteers. I did not want that happening again. I planned to take my first gel at 40:00, but in the spirit of trying get more fuel in early, I took it a little early at 37:00. I knew that meant I would have to take my next one early, too, to maintain the 40 minute gap. It's better to fuel early when your stomach can properly digest it.

I was happy with how these miles felt. Controlled and easy. My gels were staying put in my waistband and in my sports bra. I was happy to discover a new way to hold gels because that opened up more options for me in future races. 

Mile 1: 7:24
Mile 2: 7:22
Mile 3: 7:24
Mile 4: 7:23
Mile 5: 7:17
Mile 6: 7:22

Miles 7-13
I saw Greg at mile marker 7 and broke away from the pace group to get closer to him. Shortly after that I grabbed my bottle from the elite table. My bottle was identifiable because I had put zebra duct tape around it. I held onto this bottle for a few miles. At mile 8 I saw something almost as good as Greg: a Zebra U-
Haul! I first noticed that U-Haul had a zebra on some of its trucks maybe 10 years ago. Now, whenever I see a U-Haul, I have to check to see if it has a zebra on it. Usually it doesn't. I ran a 4-mile race eight years ago and a Zebra U-Haul was parked at the race holding all of the water and supplies for the race!

Zebra U-Haul from a previous race

It was a sign that this was my day! A Zebra U-haul! I will also note that during the Myrtle Beach marathon there is a zebra statue on the course at around mile 20. 

I had another Maurten gel at around 1:12. The original timing of this was 1:20, but since I had taken my other gel a little early and I wanted to err on the side of more fuel earlier. I had five Maurten gels with me plus honey stinger chews. (And I had consumed the UCAN gel right before the race).  The plan was to take 4 Maurten gels + chews during the marathon. But I was worried that the chews would be hard to access because they were tightly wedged in a small pocket and my hands weren't fully functional. 

I saw Greg again at 11.5. This part of the course was very narrow and I was stuck in the middle of the 3:15 pace group. There would be no breaking free to get a good photo but that was fine. At least he would know that I was on track for a time of 3:15, if not faster. 

Things were going along really well and I still felt like I was having exactly the race I wanted. At around mile 12 I started chatting with another runner. He said his PR was 3:14 and he was hoping to break that. I also learned where he was from, that he likes to ski, and so on!

Mile 11.5

I learned from the Richmond marathon back in 2023 that it's good to have little conversations early in the marathon. It gets me out of my head and reminds me that I'm still running at a conversational pace, which builds confidence. He was perhaps more chatty than me, but that's fine. We stopped running together when I had to get my bottle from the elite table at mile 13.

These seven miles were the fastest of the race. They were all sub 7:20 except for mile 9. I am pretty sure I was ahead of the 3:15 group for much of this stretch. I was executing almost exactly as planned. I hit the halfway point at 1:36:55 on my watch (I don't have the official split yet) so I was on track to run just under 3:14.

Mile 7: 7:17
Mile 8: 7:16
Mile 9: 7:24
Mile 10: 7:18
Mile 11: 7:17
Mile 12: 7:16
Mile 13: 7:19

Miles 14-20
Mile 14 was my first hard mile. It was directly into the headwind, which was a rude awakening after so much tailwind. I knew it was just temporary and I allowed myself to slow down and go by effort. I was able to draft off of the guy I had been chatting with previously and that helped somewhat. But then I lost him and was on my own. The 3:15 group was behind me. I logged a 7:29 mile which was disheartening but I told myself things would improve when I reached the Promised Land.

What is the Promised Land? I had run the half marathon twice, so I was fairly familiar with the second half of this course. The Promised Land was a long, straight stretch of road that had a slight downhill profile and tailwind. Once I got there I would cruise all the way to the finish. I pictured this as the last 6 miles of the race but that was not reality. . . 

Mile 16.2

Once I got out of the headwind, I was prepared for things to get easier. But they didn't. Mile 15 had a slight elevation gain and the wind was now at my side. I started to think "things shouldn't feel this hard at this pace at mile 15." I started to wonder what I would feel like during that last 10K, but then I quickly stopped. It would be best to focus on the mile that I was in. Part of me felt like this could mean disaster and a huge bonk. But I reminded myself that I have had rough patches in races before, and I could recover. The 3:15 pace group passed me and that helped because I was motivated to stay with them and not be left in the dust. Mile 15 was 7:28 and things were going in the wrong direction.

I saw Greg at mile 16.2 and I wanted him to know that I was strong and running well. So I perked up and it really helped energize me. 

Up next were the miles that Greg remembered being the hardest - the park near Christopher Newport University. I remembered the park being annoying, too. I was prepared for a rough patch, but then. . . the Promised Land would show up and I would glide my way to a PR!

It was hard to stick to the tangents during this part because the road was curvy. I tried my best though. The next gel would be my only Maurten caffeinated gel. I only like to take one caffeinated gel when I race because I typically avoid caffeine altogether and too much is a shock to my system. I had originally planned to take this gel at 2:00 but I took it ten minutes early at 1:50. The caffeinated gels never go down as easy as the regular gels, but I managed to consume the entire thing without any gag reflex.

Unfortunately the 3:15 pace group was getting farther and farther ahead. Every now and then I would get a burst of motivation and try to close the gap and that helped me keep them in my sights. But I never caught up fully. I didn't care that much because I knew that by my calculation I was still on track for a PR. Pacers are notorious for getting people to the finish line early. I wasn't going to let that pace group make me think I wasn't still in this. I kept thinking "this is your day, make yourself PR" and "there's no reason you can't PR - you have the fitness for it and the weather is perfect."

I logged a 7:21 for both miles 16-17 and that pepped me up and rebuilt my confidence. I had imagined things deteriorating after mile 15, but instead they were improving. 

Mile 14: 7:29
Mile 15: 7:28
Mile 16: 7:21
Mile 17: 7:21
Mile 18: 7:23
Mile 19: 7:28
Mile 20: 7:22

Miles 21-Finish
I told myself this was it. Now was the time to PR. I kept telling myself I needed to make it hurt. I remembered back to my December marathon and how I felt like I just accepted the fade at the end until I realized a PR was within reach. "DON'T ACCEPT THE FADE" I kept telling myself over and over again. Don't accept it. Keep pushing the pace. You know you can be right around 7:20. If you want this you will need to make it happen. You will have to push for it. Do not accept the fade.

I grabbed my final water bottle from the elite table at mile 21 and took a few big swigs before tossing it. I reminded myself that I was in a much better spot fueling wise than I was last December. I was fitter. There was no reason not to be faster! I had to work. 

The 3:15 pace group was fading into the distance and I kept waiting for the Promised Land. The stretch where I made 1:29 happen last year at this race. But the course kept turning more than I remembered. I just wanted to put on cruise control and go. Mile 21 was 7:29 and once again I was dangerously close to the land of 7:30s and I did not want to be there for the rest of the race. I got a stomach cramp. I told myself to ignore it and that it would pass. It was pretty bad for about half a mile but then it went away entirely. Phew. I perked up a bit during mile 22 knowing that I was so close to the end and ran a 7:27 mile. 

This was truly a test of mental grit. Dare I risk fueling again knowing that my stomach was potentially having issues? I figured I would try to take a 5th gel during the 23rd mile. I wanted all the help I could get on the way to the finish line. 

It didn't go well. As soon as the gel was in my mouth, the gag reflex was triggered and I knew I had to spit it out. I slowed down a bit, turned my head to the side to spit, but I ended up vomiting instead. Not a ton, but just enough to be taken aback by it. I needed a mental reset. I stopped and walked about 4-5 steps. Oh no. I felt like crap. This was bad. Really bad. I would be walking to the finish. But within seconds I started running again and realized that vomiting was just what I needed! I suddenly felt so much better and could run faster than before I threw up! And where was that Promised Land with its straight road with a net downhill tailwind?

I came across one of the two 3:15 pacers. The pacing group was far ahead, maybe about 30-45 seconds up the road at this point. I said "Oh you're the 3:15 pacer!" He said "Yes, but the rest of the group is up ahead. But actually, he's planning on running 3:14 so you are still on track." And then he said "I'm running catch up pace right now so you need to keep running this pace to get it." That really helped me so I kicked it into high gear and I tried my best to catch the group. And I actually ran faster than the pacer who had talked to me!

Mile 24 was therefore the fastest mile of the race in 7:15. I was so excited about that. Yes, it was part of the Promised Land. But no, it was not downhill - actually a slight net gain if you consult Strava! Suddenly I felt amazing. The vomiting must have really helped and also knowing that I was closing the gap on the pace group up ahead. 

I remembered last year when I worked so hard to push my pace to a sub 1:30 in this exact spot so I channeled all of that.

I started checking the time on my watch during the last mile. I saw 3:08. Okay, I could rally. Just six more minutes and the PR would be mine. Just like last December, I had no idea if I would be able to PR or squeak under 3:15 but I was going to give it everything I had. 

I ended up running the last 0.39 at a pace of 6:50 and my last full mile was a pace of 7:06 according to Strava. The mind is so amazing. When you believe that your race could be over it's so easy to fall into the trap of believing it and to stop trying. When you think there's a chance you could get your goal and it's all come down to this one moment, the motivation allows you to do things you thought would be impossible. The last mile (from 25.4 to 26.4) was 7:06 and it was not downhill, it was flat! 

Mile 21: 7:29
Mile 22: 7:27
Mile 23: 7:44
Mile 24: 7:15
Mile 25: 7:27
Mile 26: 7:18
Final 0.39: 6:50 pace

I was brimming with joy as I crossed the finish line and saw 3:14:xx on the clock. My official time was 3:14:42, which is a PR by 29 seconds!

After the Race
Shortly after I crossed the finish line I threw up. I typically throw up after marathons and half marathons so this was nothing new and it made me feel so much better. It was all liquid. I think I drank too many fluids. Because I kept getting new bottles it was easy to just keep hydrating like I was running in 50 or 60 degree weather.

But when it's only 30 degrees, your hydration needs are different and it's easy to over drink. I think that's why I got the stomach cramp and why I threw up during and after. Nutrition will forever be a formula that needs to be fine-tuned. 

I re-united with Greg and I was so happy! I was on cloud nine seeing that I had gone under 3:15. It wasn't my "A" goal, but it was the main goal. 

They handed me a lightweight jacket at the finish line to help me stay warm but I got cold very quickly. I think it was only 33 degrees at the finish and still windy. Brrrr. We didn't linger around the finish line because I was very cold. We headed straight to the car and then to grab lunch. While waiting for our lunch I started shivering really badly. I needed to get warm. We took the food back to the hotel and unfortunately there was no bath tub, which is the fastest way to warm up. Instead I took a lukewarm shower with the world's lowest water pressure. It was like torture. I ended up wrapping myself in the bed blankets and drinking hot tea to finally stop shivering. Once I felt like myself again I was able to truly bask in the joy of a new marathon PR!

Stats
This was my 36th marathon.

I ran a PR by 29 seconds and a BQ by 30:18. I ran the men's BQ time for my age!

I don't have my official half marathon split, but I think I can approximate 1:36:55 and 1:37:47. Slightly positive splits. I think that final mile really helped bridged the gap. 

According to Strava I ran a marathon time of 3:13:25, at an average pace of 7:22. Yipee!

I placed second in my age group (45-49). Interestingly, the top three finishers in this age group were all faster than the 40-44 age group. The top three in 40-44 were 3:29, 3:30, and 3:37. 

The woman who won my age group ran a time of 3:14:05 and likely kept up with that 3:15 pacer, who clocked in a 3:13:56. The pacer who I passed ran a time of 3:17. 

The Newport News One City event now holds my half marathon PR (1:29:50) and my full marathon PR (3:14:42).

Final Thoughts and Key Takeaways

I am really proud of this race! It was a lot harder than I anticipated given the ideal weather and the tailwind. I thought my fitness supported a sub 7:20 pace for the entirety of the race when in reality I had to fight hard to run a 7:22 pace. My heart rate data supports me running a faster time because my heart rate was relatively low. 

I think I need to work on:

• Not being afraid to push to my goal pace around the mile 18-20 mark even if it's getting hard. 
• Getting the right balance of water/electrolytes/fuel (I probably could have had plain water without electrolyte mix in each bottle at these low temps)
• Not worrying about how it will feel later in the race if I push hard now. I am getting better at this but I think I could still improve.

I am most proud of:

• My mantra - Don't accept the fade
• Rallying hard after I vomited
• Running a 7:06 final mile (from 25.39 to 26.39)
• Not letting the stress of my house being on the market impact my running
• Staying relaxed the whole race
• Believing that I can still PR at age 46, given that I started running marathons at age 27
• Actually getting my goal!

Of course I am wondering if I could have just willed myself to keep up with that pace group. I think my training supports a time of 3:13:56 even on a "long" course. But I think I am always going to be second-guessing if I could have pushed harder, no matter what the race. That's part of being an athlete. Always trying to determine where you could have improved.

Pace groups can be a mind f**k though. It's easy to see a pacer and believe that they are perfectly pacing to the goal time and then freak out if they pass you. Most runners have experienced being demoralized when a pace group blazes past them. But pacing is a strategy and different strategies work for different runners. A pacer is just one runner approaching a goal time in one particular way and encouraging others along the way. I don't think the 3:15 pace group helped me or hurt me, but it just gave me something else to think about as I was running. 

I had the advantage of the tailwind during this race. Yes, it was a headwind and a sidewind during portions, but it was a tailwind for about 70% of the course. I did finally enter the Promised Land! But I think the fact that the tangents were hard to hit, making me run 26.39 miles was a disadvantage for sure. So maybe the two counteract each other and 3:14:42 is a fair & square time! 

Do I think I will ever get dramatically faster and run under 3:10? That's still TBD. I am not sure how many fast years I have left at this point. I certainly want to try. I have chipped away at this PR from 3:15:34 in 2018 to 3:15:11 in 2024 to 3:14:42 in 2025. I'd love to see a big dip but to do that I think I will need to re-examine my training and figure out what I need to get there. 

I was very fortunate to have Greg cheering for me in multiple places during this race. Of course I totally missed him at the end as I was laser focused on breaking 3:15. He did an excellent job with the photos and the videos, but that's just the tip of the iceberg. I don't know where I would be without his support.

We didn't make PR cake last night because we were so tired and we have to keep the kitchen clean with our house still on the market. But we have an offer in hand, so it won't be long before our kitchen is back in action. And I think it will be the last PR cake I make in it. Very sad. We are absolutely looking forward to our new kitchen for future PR cakes. 

Next up, Boston!

Better Late Than Never: Tidewater Striders Marathon Report

Yesterday I ran my 35th marathon in Chesapeake, VA at the Tidewater Striders marathon. I'd love to say that I'm so experienced I would never make a rookie mistake. But alas- it seems like it's time for me to go back to basics.

We drove down to Chesapeake on Friday and it took us about 3.5 hours. When we got to the hotel I laid out all my race gear to ensure I wouldn't forget anything on race morning. Because this was a small race, there was no packet pickup the day before. Everyone would be getting their bibs on race morning. I brought two options for my top (short sleeves or tank) and two options for my bottom (capri tights or long tights). Either shirt would go with either pair of tights. It was going to be very cold throughout the entire race so I didn't even bother bringing shorts. I had originally considered wearing the adidas adios Pro Evo shoes, the ones that are $500 and super light. But I ended up returning them because if I PR'ed, I didn't want it to be because of the shoes.

We had dinner at 5:15 at a restaurant we had been to before. Back in 2021, I ran a 10-mile race on this same course so we were familiar with the area and the course. I had my standard chicken parm with no cheese and loads of bread. I made sure to hydrate really well throughout the day with water and electrolytes. I was worried that I would not be able to carry a cold water bottle with numb hands so pre-hydration would be critical. 

All day on Friday my right knee and shin felt injured. My knee had started bugging me a week prior during a run and now my whole shin felt achey. I had gone to PT earlier in the week and he thought I probably had some mild bursitis in my knee. I didn't run on Thursday or Friday just to be extra safe. I wasn't freaking out about it, but I could definitely feel that my knee/shin was off. I decided I was still going to race at full effort and hope for the best. 

Race prep and outfit decisions
I slept ok for the night before the race. As usual I woke up a bunch of times and kept falling back asleep. I probably got about 5.5-6 hours total. I had my usual anxiety dreams about missing the start or showing up without my Garmin or my shoes or whatever. I almost never have anxiety dreams about the race not going well - the anxiety is always about getting there on time and having everything I need. 

I woke up naturally at around 4:00. For a 7:00 race start, I knew I wanted to be done eating by 5:00. So at 4:45 I ate a banana and almond butter filled pretzels. I also drank plenty of water with electrolyte mix. Now it was time to finalize my outfit: the short sleeves or the tank? (Both options would include arm warmers). The capri tights or the full length tights?

Weather
According to my weather app, it would be 17 degrees at 7:00 and rise to 35 degrees by the end. I decided to go with the capri length tights because they had a more compressive fit which I thought would feel warmer. But given that the majority of the race would be in the 20s, I opted for short sleeves with arm warmers. I prefer this to a long sleeved shirt because I feel like too much air gets trapped in long sleeves. This way, my arms are still covered but the air flows. 

I suffer from Reynaud's syndrome which means my hands easily go numb. I wore thin gloves under convertible fleece mittens with hand warmers in each mitten. This would allow me finger access to get my fuel. 

I give this weather an 8 out of 10 on my race weather scale. Normally nothing is too cold for me, but when it's in the high teens to low 20s and it's a marathon, no amount of mittens/gloves/handwarmers will prevent numb fingers and this means fueling issues. The fact that there was no wind was a huge blessing. Temperature wise, this was my coldest marathon out of 35. But "real feel" wise, Boston 2018 with its torrential downpours and punishing winds felt far colder. I was uncomfortably cold for the first half of this race but I think once it got into the upper 20s I started to feel less chilled. 

In reality, this weather impacted me beyond just race conditions, but I'll get to that later. 

The Course
This course was pancake flat. Two out-and-backs. Greg would be able to drive to several spots and see me at multiple times. As much as I wanted him to hand me water bottles, that's against USATF rules and I didn't want to get disqualified for getting extra help.

A cool thing about this race is that they set out a table shortly after the half marathon turnaround and you can put your bottles and fuel on that table. 

There was also a 50K and a 100K, but those had earlier start times. The email said that those runners would need headlamps for the dark start, but the marathon runners would be starting in the light so we wouldn't need headlamps.

Car windshield

Before the Race
Our plan was to leave the hotel at 6:10 and get there at 6:30 for a 7:00 race start. Normally I would have left earlier but I didn't want to wait around at the start line in the cold. When we got inside the car, the entire windshield was ice. We didn't have a scraper so we had to wait for the windshield to defrost. This gave me so much anxiety. I even said to Greg "this is giving me so much anxiety". I was at the mercy of a frozen windshield to get to my race on time. 

Thankfully it only took about 5 minutes to defrost and we made it to the race at 6:32. I immediate got my bib and walked back to the car to pin it in. It was dark out and I could see runners around but I didn't pay too much attention to what was going on because I had to get my bib on. 

After I pinned on my bib, I asked Greg what time it was and he said 6:41. It was time for my UCAN gel, I dug it out of my jacket pocket and made sure to eat the entire thing. 

We got out of the car at 6:44 and started walking to the start line. It was still quite dark and we couldn't see much. There was an indoor bathroom on the way so I stopped in and was pretty quick about it. Nobody else was in the bathroom which I thought was odd, but I didn't question it.

I got out of the bathroom at around 6:47 we were at the start line a minute later. There were a few people lingering around the start line but not many. This was a small race and I assumed most people were still in their cars and were waiting until the very last minute. There was also a 50K and 100K race occurring, but those had started earlier in the morning. 

I went to set my bottle down at the half marathon turnaround table and I noticed that there were only 10 other bottles. I guess people were waiting in their cars and would put their bottles out right before starting. I knew that just over 100 people would be running the marathon, so I envisioned 100 bottles and I hoped mine wouldn't get lost or moved. It was 6:50 and with 10 minutes to go I decided to have Greg film a quick video for Instagram of me at the start, talking about my pre-race thoughts. After the video I knew it was time to line up at the start. Someone asked me, "are you running the marathon alone?" I replied "no, why?" He said "the marathon already started."

What? This guy had to be joking with me. "No, it's not 7:00 yet. The marathon starts at 7:00," I said.

"I started at 6:45," he insisted.

"But I know the email said 7:00."

At that point he walked me over to the race director and the timing people and reality hit me. I somehow got the start time wrong. The marathon had, in fact, started at 6:45. Probably while I was in the bathroom. It was dark so I couldn't see a bunch of people lining up, and I didn't hear anything. I didn't have time to think about any of this or to get emotional. No time to panic. No time to get emotional. I had to focus on what to do. Here was the conversation:

Race director: It's timed by chip, so you can start now.

Me: I know but I was kind of hoping to win. (Geeze that sounds cocky)

Race director: With what time?

Me: Around 3:10

Race director: Well, okay just go ahead and start. 

As I ironically posted about in my Turkey Trot race recap last week, overall winners are determined by gun time, not chip time. It's a race and you have to know who you are racing against. With a 14-minute delayed start, I would have to run 14 minutes faster than the next fastest woman to win the race. Not likely. 

I did not get emotional. I shed my heavy coat and my light jacket (that I was originally planning to wear for the first hour). But I guess that late start made me take it out on my jacket so I didn't start out wearing it as planned. I had just a thin t-shirt and arm sleeves in 19 degree temps. 

I turned on my Garmin and waited for it to locate. As soon as it did I crossed the start line. 

So I started 14 minutes after everyone else. WOW. 

I figured I would get emotional later. I would kick myself later. I would figure out how I got it wrong later. Now was the time to focus on running. 

Now is later, and here's what I think happened.

How I Got it Wrong
I had been 100% sure it was a 7:00 start so there was no need for me to double and triple check like I
always do. I think it was a combination of these three things:

• I had a lot going on this month with buying a new house and getting ready to sell our current house and also switching jobs. I didn't have a lot of free headspace to do my normal "triple check the start time".
• The race was on December 7. Every time I opened the final instruction email, I kept seeing 7.
• At some point I must have looked at the start time, but mainly for the purposes of weather. I kept looking at the 7:00 temperature, so my brain must have assumed a 7:00 start.

A few things confirmed my belief in a 7:00 start time. First, 7:00 is a much more standard time than 6:45. I was almost late to a 5K last summer because it started at 7:15 and I thought it was 7:30. Second, they had sent an email saying that the 50K runners and the 100K runners would need headlamps, but it would be light for the marathoners. It was still mostly dark at 6:45. 

The race director helping me start

Finally, the reason that the weather impacted me more than running conditions is because I would have been at the start line much earlier if it hadn't been 19 degrees. And the lack of people at 6:50 would have concerned me more if I didn't think everyone else was in their cars. The fact that the water table only had 10 bottles also confirmed my false belief.  If it had been warmer I would have gotten there earlier. Sure, I would have been thrown for a loop but I think I would have still started on time.

On the plus side, if we had been delayed by the windshield for 10-15 minutes, or I knew in advance that I would miss the start, I would have much more time to be anxious. But given the fact that I was going to start immediately I had no time for anxiety or stress. The stress comes from the anticipation of being late, not actually being late.

I can analyze this all I want but plain and simple, I made a mistake. After 34 marathons, I forgot one of the most basic things which is knowing the start time. I don't have any excuses, but I do understand why it happened. It will never happen again, I can guarantee that!

Miles 1-6.55
So I started alone. Not a big deal. I was planning on running this one mostly alone with only 120 registered runners. No headphones. No crowd support. I would be fine. This is how I do my long runs. There were, however, runners in the 100K and 50K around me so it was not completely desolate. 

My first thought was to think of this like a fun game. I know there are Santa races where Santa starts at the back of the race and sees how many people he can pass. He does it for fun. That would be me! It would be a fun challenge to pass as many people as possible. I convinced myself that I probably wouldn't have won anyway, there was probably a super speedy woman running sub 3:10, so the win wouldn't have been possible anyway. 

Mile 5

My goal was sub 3:15 and ideally around 3:10-3:12. I started out conservatively and it felt ridiculously easy as marathons always do in the beginning,

I was holding a bottle of water mixed with Skratch labs. Normally I would evenly space out my water sips but I was worried that the bottle would soon be too cold to hold so I drank a lot of it during the first 10 minutes. During the second mile the drink started to develop icy bits and was more like a slushee. As I said, it was about 19 degrees and so liquids freeze quickly. 

I didn't want to litter the bottle so I had to hold onto it until I could toss it in a trash can or at a water station. That was hard. My hands were already cold despite the hand warmers and glove/mitten combo. But what a relief to get to an aid station at 2.5 miles. 

One thing that amazed me about this first stretch was how quickly the miles went by. My Garmin kept beeping and I was like "already?!" It seriously kept beeping for the mile splits and I thought I was only half a mile in. I guess my mind was pretty active so I wasn't really paying attention to how far I had run. 

I had my first Greg sighting at mile 5 and I said to him "I'm losing!" as a joke. He replied "No you're not!" My spirits were high and in my mind I had turned this into a game. It would be fun to play and a fun story to tell. (Yup, I'm having fun now!)

I took my first gel at 40 minutes. The pockets on these capri tights were a little lower than ideal so I had to reach to grab the gel tightly. My fingers only half worked and I was afraid that the hand warmer would fall out of the mitten if I was not careful. I was successful in taking the gel. That felt like a big achievement.

As I approached the 6.55 turnaround, I could see the other marathoners on the other side of the course. They looked fast. Even though I knew I was ahead of some of them by chip time, I had no idea how much and it was impossible to tell how fast they were going. I immediately honed in on the first female. She looked strong wearing shorts, a tank, and arm sleeves. Okay - she was fast. She would probably go sub 3:10 and I would not have won against her. I convinced myself of that. I am not sure how many people I passed during the first section. Maybe about 15? There were also 100K and 50K runners, so it was hard to know who was doing what race from behind. From the front you could see their bibs.

Mile 1: 7:29
Mile 2: 7:27
Mile 3: 7:25

Mile 4: 7:26
Mile 5: 7:23
Mile 6: 7:23

Miles 6.55-13.1
After turning around I thought to myself "I can definitely do 3 more of those. This race is going so well!" They were handing out water at around mile 7 and I decided I would take the time to stop and properly drink it. I hadn't had any water since mile 2. 

I took a big gulp and then continued on my way. But the urge to vomit hit me suddenly. Oh no - was I having digestive issues! I really felt nauseous at that point. There was no logical reason for me to be feeling like that after just 7 miles at a pace that felt totally moderate. I convinced myself that it would go away, I would be fine. I would not have digestive issues. 

Mile 8

Greg was at mile 8 snapping photos. It was so awesome to see him. Even though this race lacked crowd support, I got to see the one person that really matters a bunch of times. I had planned to toss him my jacket at mile 8, but I had ditched it at the start and he had collected it there. 

Now it was time to do math. When did I want to reach the halfway point? My Garmin was reading an average race pace of 7:24 which was in line with my plans. I figured 1:36:xx would be a good half marathon target. 

At 1:20 it was time for my second gel, which would be a caffeinated one. My hands were mostly numb and I had a really hard time grabbing a gel. There were two in my right pocket and I grabbed one of them and I hoped so badly it was the correct one. YES! It was the caffeinated one. I was worried about this one going down because I find the caffeinated gels much harder to digest. My nausea had subsided but wasn't completely gone. I took the gel in 2 servings and told myself to swallow it like a pill so there was no time to taste it. It was not easy but thankfully the gel did go down and I think I was able to get the whole thing down. Not seeing a garbage nearby, I stuffed the wrapper into my tights pocket which was challenging with the numb hands. 

Mile 7: 7:22
Mile 8: 7:23
Mile 9: 7:23
Mile 10: 7:20
Mile 11: 7:20
Mile 12: 7:18

Mile 13: 7:17

Miles 13.1-19.65
I glanced down at my watch as I crossed the mat and I think it read 1:36:5x. So that would put me on track for slightly under 3:14. The high 3:13's. Perfect! Now it was time to negative split. I felt like I could do it!

I grabbed my water bottle from the fuel table and it was mostly slush. Not a ton came out when I squeezed it and what did come out was icy. Plus, the gag reflex came back and my body did not want to digest this. Unfortunately I probably only got about 3-4 ounces of fluid. This was not ideal because my only other two hydration spots were mile 2 and mile 8. But I wasn't sweating and I know that when it's very cold I can get away with minimal water if I am pre-hydrated. And I was definitely pre-hydrated.

I also think that the way the Maurten gels work is that they combine with fluids to form the hydrogel. So this may have impacted the effectiveness of my gels. If I had it to do over again I would have fueled with UCAN gels. They are watery and work without any extra fluids. 

Mile 14 was a little bit slower because I slowed down to grab the bottle and open it with my teeth. When I saw the 7:28 split on my watch I picked up the pace again and redeemed myself with a 7:17 mile for mile 15. 

I felt mentally strong. I was still passing people and the half marathon turnaround showed me that I was starting to close the gap on the pack ahead of me. That one woman was still way out in front and she looked strong.

At 2:00 it was time for another gel. My hands were totally useless and I could not grab it from my tights pocket. I actually had to stop and go fishing for it. I used my entire hand to grab ahold of it (fingers were not cooperating) and I took the gel. Greg was nearby so I tossed it and hoped he would get the wrapper, which he did! He later told me that the gel was only halfway eaten. I thought I had gotten it all but with numb hands and lips, there was no way to know. 

Ideally I would have been drinking from my bottle this whole time which had water, electrolytes and also carbs. And I would have been snacking on honey stinger chews in between gels to supplement. But those chews were tiny and there was no way I was getting my fingers around them. I was under fueled and I knew it. But I hoped for the best.

At mile 19 the race suddenly started to get hard. It went from comfortable and manageable to hard all at once with nothing in between. I had plenty of energy but my hamstrings became sore. They didn't want to run anymore. Mentally this was the hardest part of the race because I hadn't even reached the turnaround yet! I told myself "just get to the turnaround and that will give you a mental boost to be running towards the finish". 

Mile 14: 7:28
Mile 15: 7:17
Mile 16: 7:19
Mile 17: 7:38 (stopped to get the fuel)

Mile 18: 7:17

Mile 19: 7:23

Miles 19.65-Finish
I was so happy to be on my way back. It was go time. I really wanted to race these last six miles. I had the energy to do so but my hamstrings were so achy. It was time to pull out the mental tricks. I knew I was on track for a PR and I reminded myself that the next 6 miles would be make it or break it. And I didn't train that hard to just let it slip away. I kept the effort level high and was trying to run under 7:20 but my Garmin wasn't reading as fast as I felt like I was going. 

Mile 22.5

I passed a lot of people during this final stretch. Some of them were walking. It helped distract me from my achy legs to pass people. I had one more gel to take at 2:40 and after struggling to grab it I was finally able to take it and surprisingly it went down well with no issues. 

It was go time but my legs did not want to go. I told myself I should have done more hamstring exercises. But I also reminded myself that marathons are hard. Even though I was struggling the last six miles are never going to feel good. They felt AMAZING in Richmond last fall but that's because I fueled properly and the course had more variation than being all flat. I had this expectation in my mind that this race would feel exactly like Richmond - just flying at the end with little suffering. 

But I suffered. I worried that I wouldn't make it to the finish. Every time I had that worry I told myself to keep doing what you are doing. And then I told myself to give even more. Sometimes that worked, sometimes it didn't. I hadn't felt this kind of hurt at the end of a marathon in almost two years. 

With 3 miles to go I felt super confident in myself but my Garmin clocked a disappointing 7:37 at mile 24 and an even more crushing 7:46 at mile 25. With one mile to go I reminded myself that a PR was on the line. I hadn't set a marathon PR since 2018! I really, really wanted it. I didn't want to look at my average race pace because I thought that would be discouraging, so I just focused on pushing super hard. I was able to knock out a 7:35 last mile, which was impressive given that all I could manage was 7:46 for mile 25. Mile 25 is always my slowest. 

When my Garmin ticked at 26 miles I looked down at my watch time and I thought that if I sprinted I could finish under 3:15, which was my goal. I ran hard, hard, hard!!!! My average pace for the final 0.25 was 6:52! Amazing what you can do when you set your mind to it.

And I finished  and my watch read 3:15:12. A PR by 22 seconds. Not my goal of sub-3:15, but a PR that I fought hard for on dead legs with low fueling and only about 15 ounces of fluids throughout the whole race, most of which were consumed during the first two miles.

Mile 20: 7:29
Mile 21: 7:30 

Mile 22: 7:29

Mile 23: 7:34
Mile 24: 7:37
Mile 25: 7:46
Mile 26: 7:35

After the Race
I was a little disappointed to learn that my final kick wasn't enough to go sub 3:15, but a PR is a PR. And at the age of 46, I'll take it!

Once I recovered for a few minutes, I talked to the race director. He said my time was good enough to win my age group and handed me an age group award and a Boston Qualifier t-shirt. The results weren't posted yet (and they still are not posted as of right now, Sunday morning) but he said he had to wait until all the 50K and 100K results were finalized to publish them. I did not ask what the winning female time was because I assumed she was faster than 3:15:12.

Final kick towards the finish

When we got back to the hotel room, we looked at Greg's photos and found the bib number of the woman who was in first place. I Strava stalked her and saw that she ran a time of 3:18:50. Three minutes and 38 seconds slower than me. Sigh. I probably would have won if I had started on time. That stung.

I've never won a marathon before and I am fairly confident I would have won this one, although there is no way to know for sure. That's why gun time is the official time because you have to be able to see who you are racing to truly race against them to the best of your ability. If we started together we likely would have run together or near each other because we had similar splits. I believe that we both may have run even faster if we had started together. Competition is a huge motivator. 

But that's the point - we could have both run totally different races if we had been together. But we will never know and that is why gun time is king. And my stupid error lost me what was probably a likely win. It's my fault. I've learned from it.

WAIT WAIT WAIT ---- THIS JUST IN! 

It's now 8:35am on Sunday and Greg just got a result notification. The results are posted! My official time is 3:15:11.

I just learned that the 3:18 woman did not win. There were a few fast women behind her and one of them must have passed her in the last stretch. The winning time was 3:13:57. So I guess I would not have won with my time. But I would have had two women to run with and compete against. 

And as it turns out, the race used Chip Time as the official time, so I was officially second place. 

Final Thoughts and Key Takeaways
My biggest takeaway here is how I handled the mishap at the start line. I did not get emotional or frazzled. I focused on what I needed to do and that was to start running as soon as I could get my jackets off. I stayed positive throughout the race and I didn't mind running alone. I turned it into a fun game.

My second biggest accomplishment was how I handled those final miles when I knew a PR was on the line. I fought really hard and I did not give in to the pain in my hamstrings. 

I think I could have run sub 3:15 if I didn't need to stop to fuel due to numb hands and if I had been able to access all of my fuel. So in that sense, the cold weather slowed me down due to numb and useless fingers. And if I had started on time and was competing against the 3:18 runner and the 3:13 runner, I might have had even more motivation. But I did the best I could in the situation that was dealt to me.

My 3:15:11 is a PR by 23 seconds and we are making a cake tonight! It beats my 3:15:34 from Rehoboth beach exactly six years ago. I can't believe it took me six years to PR in the marathon again. WOW. 

I qualified for Boston by 29 minutes and 49 seconds. I was so close to getting the men's BQ of 3:15:00.

I was self-coached and I only had 6-8 weeks to train depending on when you consider my training to start and end. If I had it to do over again I would have incorporated more Fartlek and shorter intervals. I lacked high-end speed and I think those workouts would have helped my legs in the final miles. I sacrificed those shorter workouts because I had such a limited amount of time to train.

I was officially the 2nd female finisher out of just 21. I placed 11th out of 73 overall runners, which means that nearly 50 people were a no-show. That's almost half the registrants!!

My official half marathon split was 1:36:55 so I ran a positive split by 1:21. My plan was to negative split, but if I have to positive split, that's pretty good and it shows I didn't leave anything out there on the course. 

I hope that I can finally break into the 11xxx bib numbers for Boston. I have received 12xxx bibs for the last three Bostons. In 2024 a time of 3:15:11 would have been enough, but maybe not in 2025. Times are getting faster. 11 is my lucky number.  My dream bib is 11111.

My knee/shin was totally phantom taper pains. I had zero knee or shin issues during the race.

Greg was such a great cheerleader and photographer! I saw him seven times!

This race affirms my love of running in really cold weather. Even though the sub-20 degree temps impacted my ability to fuel and made me unaware of my late start, I would still prefer these conditions over anything that got into the 50s. My outfit worked well and the only thing I would have done differently is used warmer heavier gloves under the mittens instead of the thin gloves. 

Up Next
Next up are some shorter races and then Boston 2025!

Rehoboth Beach Marathon Race Report

I did it. I ran the Rehoboth Beach Marathon and I attained my goal! My first two races in my 40s have both been huge PRs, and they were both within a 3-week time period.

Before the Race
My longtime friends Jenna and Jenny both ran this race. Jenna in the full, Jenny in the half. The three of us used to race together all the time over ten years ago. I ran my first four marathons with Jenny, including the Miami Marathon back in 2007. In fact, it was Jenny who inspired me to run my very first marathon. So the fact that I would be sharing this experience with two long-time friends (who do not live locally) was special to me.

Greg and I drove to Rehoboth Beach on Friday morning. The drive took just over three hours. I made sure to hydrate well, which meant drinking a 24 oz bottle of water mixed with Generation UCAN Hydrate powder. And then another 24 oz bottle of water without anything in it, but plenty of salt in my meals. I know that I typically cannot take any water in the later miles of the race, so pre-hydration was key. I had drunk the same amount of water with UCAN hydrate on Thursday, too.

We arrived in Rehoboth Beach at around 1:00, ate lunch, got my bib and relaxed in our hotel with HGTV. We don't subscribe to cable at home, so HGTV is always a treat for us when traveling for races. We then met up with Jenna for dinner. Jenny arrived too late for us all to have dinner together. I had an appetizer of beats, garlic knots, and chicken parmesan (with spaghetti) without the cheese. I had never had chicken parm the night before a race because of the cheese, but I realized that if I removed it, I would have my ideal pre-race dinner: pasta with red sauce + chicken. Jenna and I chatted about our goals and our training. It was good to catch up with her, as we hadn't seen each other since Boston.

After dinner, Greg and I went back to the hotel and I realized I was really tired, and wanted to get into bed right away. It was only 7:30, but I was tired and I had been tired all day long. I fell asleep almost immediately. We stayed at the Boardwalk Plaza hotel and the beds were extremely comfortable. I'm very picky about my hotel beds, and this was one of the most comfortable mattresses ever.

Typically, I don't sleep well the night before a marathon. I wake up frequently and don't sleep deeply. But on Friday night, I slept shockingly well. I only woke up one time, and it was only for 20 minutes. I slept for 8 solid hours, with 1 hour and 30 minutes of deep sleep, according to my FitBit. This is pretty much unheard of! When I woke up, I was still tired. I wanted to stay in bed and I didn't want to get up and eat and get ready. This is so unlike me. Normally I am raring to go, and I can't wait to start the race morning ritual.

I didn't feel excited-- I felt sleepy and sluggish. I just wanted to relax in bed! The thought even crossed my mind that I could be getting sick. Instead of worrying, I just told myself I would perk up once I got into my race outfit. I wore CW-X capri tights, a singlet, arm warmers, convertible mittens with hand warmers inside them, and sunglasses. I made my UCAN gel, stored it on my hip pouch, and put my Honey Stinger chews into the front pocket of my pants. With about hour to go before race start, I finally started to feel a bit more energized.

Our hotel was less than half a mile from the start line. At 6:30, I went out on the boardwalk and did a quick jog to the start area and back. This gave my Garmin time to locate satellites (it can take up to 15 minutes in a new location) and it allowed me to get a sense for the weather. I wore a throwaway jacket over my outfit and was quite comfortable during the warm up.

Sunrise before the race

It was 32 degrees with no wind. No wind! At the beach! Very abnormal, and perhaps a nice payback for the wind I endured at Boston last spring. I knew when I signed up for this race it would likely be windy, and there was a chance it could be very windy. But instead, it was abnormally still. Who's ever heard of only 3 mph winds at a beach? My body seems to run about 10 degrees warmer than the average person's, so 32 degrees was absolutely perfect for me.

I went back to the hotel lobby, where I finished drinking my Generation UCAN and went to the bathroom for a final time. Then, at 6:45, I set out for the start line with Greg. This race is relatively small, so there were no corrals, just a start line with pacers holding up signs. I lined up about 7-8 rows back, near the 3:15 pacer. I noticed that other runners were shedding their top layers, and many were in singlets and arm warmers. That inspired me to shed my jacket as well, which I thought I would wear for the first 4-5 miles.

Miles 1-6
The race started exactly on time at 7:00 and we were off! My plan was to stay in the low 7:30's for the first 6 miles, but I could run the first mile as a warm up, as slowly as I wanted. My goal in the first mile was to establish a rhythm, relax, and settle in.

Greg had positioned himself at around mile 2.5 and I knew to expect him there, taking photos. Of course everything was feeling great at that point, and I loved having him there to support me. After

Mile 3

about three miles, the half marathon runners turned around and the full marathon runners continued onto a gravel path. I knew that a good portion of this race would be on packed gravel, and I didn't love that idea, but I wanted to run a December marathon, so this was it.

The first mile on the gravel was discouraging. I had to watch my footing because it was uneven in places, there were lots of twists and turns, so I had to pay close attention to the tangents. It felt like I had to put out more effort to run the pace I had been running on pavement, and it didn't feel "smooth". I made these observations without judgement and accepted them. I wasn't sure how long we'd be on the trail until we hit road again. I stuck with my pacing strategy, and didn't run below 7:30 during the first six miles:

Mile 1: 7:43
Mile 2: 7:33
Mile 3: 7:32
Mile 4: 7:33
Mile 5: 7:39
Mile 6: 7:32

Miles 7-11
We came upon a bridge in the middle of the park. At first I thought it would be better than the gravel, but then I realized it bounced and was a little slippery. Thankfully it wasn't raining. The bridge only lasted about a quarter of a mile and it offered a nice view of the park and the ponds within in.

I noticed that there were no women anywhere around me. I was running with a few guys who seemed strong and I hoped I could stick with. Due to the size of the race, I suspected there could be times when I couldn't see runners in front of me. And I don't like that because I worry that I have gone off course. Since there were so many twists and turns in the park, it was even more likely that this could happen.

It was a little bit hilly during these miles, but I focused on keeping the effort consistent and not worrying about the pace. Even though I was now "allowed" to run under a 7:30 pace, I wasn't going to force it. I wanted the progression to feel natural, like how it does when I do my long runs. Now that I see my splits, I realize that the downhill mile got my legs turning over quickly and was the catalyst to faster splits.

We exited the park and returned to road running during the 10th mile. It was a relief and I was thankful to be off the bumpy gravel. The 10-mile timing mat was oddly situated in an area where we had to make several turns, on pavement, with sand all over the road. The sand was slippery, so I had to slow down a bit out of caution. The combination of sand and sharp turns was particularly annoying, but thankfully it was over quickly.

Then we passed a Dairy Queen, and there were little cups of soft-serve available for runners to take! I didn't have any, but perked up at the idea of having ice cream after the race.

Mile 7: 7:31
Mile 8: 7:09 (downhill)
Mile 9: 7:21
Mile 10: 7:21
Mile 11: 7:19

Miles 12-16
Throughout this race, I had been carrying a 24 oz disposable water bottle with a Koozie around it. I had initially filled it with piping hot water so it would be comfortable to hold, and hoped that adding the Koozie would shield my hands from the coldness of the water as the water cooled down. Every 15 minutes I drank from the bottle, getting 2-3 large swigs. By mile 10, it was getting really difficult to hold onto because it was so cold, but I figured out a way to hold it that (between thumb and forefinger, and squeezed) that allowed me to keep it until mile 12, when I would take my UCAN gel.

My plan was to take the UCAN gel one hour and 25 minutes into the race, and no sooner. I was tempted to take it sooner so I could drink the water with it, and then ditch the cold bottle. But I remembered that I did that in Boston and wished I had waited a little longer. The gel (which is the UCAN performance energy mixed with water, put into a disposable baby food pouch) went down well. I took it over the course of a half mile, and finally ditched the baby food pouch and the water bottle.

This meant that I didn't have to "do" anything else in the race other than run. What a relief. I didn't have to carry the water bottle, and I knew the only extra fuel I would need would be the chews at mile 20. And I don't need to drink water with those.

Somewhere in mile 11, runners from the other side of the course yelled out "Go Elizabeth!" They were Instagram followers, I assumed, and that perked me up. On Instagram, I had posted that I would love to run "Pi" - 3:14:15-- as my "Pi in the sky goal" and have PR pie. So there were a few points during the race when I heard "Go get that pie!"

I crossed the halfway point in 1:37:42. My plan was to hit it at exactly 1:38:00 (3:16:00 pace) and then negative split. But even if I ran a positive split, I would still be setup for a PR and fast time. So I was 18 seconds faster than planned. That was a little scary, but I had confidence in myself. I was now on track for 1:15:30.

Queen of the Gravel!

During the 13th mile, we had entered the park again, and ran the same gravel path as before. I realized that I had passed about 10 runners during the last mile or so (all men), and now there was nobody in front of me. I was happy to have passed all those people, but it was a little scary to not see any runners up ahead. Finally, I caught up to a guy running about my pace and we stuck together throughout the rest of the gravel portion. It was really helpful to be running with him, because there was no one else around. No one else in sight. We didn't talk to each other and I wish I had found him after the race.

That morning, my friend Allison had sent me a text telling me to "dominate that gravel." I wasn't a fan of the gravel, so I told myself I was Queen of the Gravel. Over and over again, I kept telling myself I was dominating the gravel and I was Queen, and that fun thought kept my spirits high until we finally exited the park at mile marker 17.

Mile 12: 7:26
Mile 13: 7:18
Mile 14: 7:21
Mile 15: 7:16
Mile 16: 7:21

Miles 17-21
Since I had ditched my water bottle, I figured I should take some water from the water station that came up as we were exiting the park. I drank a few sips and my stomach instantly revolted. This is why I use UCAN- my stomach doesn't want to take in anything at all after about 13 miles. Not even

Mile 18

water. I decided that I wouldn't attempt any more water throughout the race, and that I had pre-hydrated well enough to be fine through the end.

It felt amazing to be back on the roads again. I started looking for Greg, and it wasn't long before I spotted him with his camera. I was feeling really good and I wanted him to know it so I waved at him and gave him a big smile. I passed quite a few runners during this section of the race, all men, and I had yet to see a woman anywhere in my vicinity.

Up until mile 18, the pace had felt comfortably hard, and now it was beginning to become a little uncomfortable. I reminded myself that I could still maintain my pace even though it wasn't going to be easy. It was time for the mental toughness to come into play.

I had some Honey Stinger chews stashed in the front pocket of my tights. They were unwrapped, which made them easy to access given my numb hands. In Boston, I wasn't able to get to my chews so I ran out of gas during the last three miles. I reminded myself of that, which motivated me to expend the extra energy to get the chews out of my pocket and put them in my mouth. It doesn't sound like that difficult of a task, but at mile 20, you don't want to have to do anything other than run.

I sucked on them for awhile and finally chewed them slowly, and then digested them. My stomach was okay with this very slow consumption process, and I didn't need to take any water to help them go down (like a traditional gel).

I enjoyed the last bit of road before beginning on yet another gravel path. As I approached this other park, I saw my friend Jenny and her husband coming out of the park. They were running the half marathon. That was a huge pick-me-up. I knew I would be running about 2 miles out on the trail, turning around, and coming back. This allowed me to see the leading marathon runners, which was really motivating. Someone told me I was the second female, but I counted at least three ahead of me.

Mile 17: 7:17
Mile 18: 7:22
Mile 19: 7:18
Mile 20: 7:27 (on gravel)
Mile 21: 7:28 (on gravel)

Miles 22-finish
This gravel trail was more even than the previous one, thankfully. I didn't have to watch my footing as carefully, and there were no twists and turns. It was pretty much just straight out and back. My pace slowed slightly once I got on the trail, but it's hard to say if it was because of the gravel, or because it was so late in the race.

Mentally, it was difficult to be running out on the trail and away from the finish line. Watching the leading marathoners and the slower half marathoners on the other side of the trail was a good distraction. But if I focused on that for too long, I noticed I would slack on the effort, so I had to stay focused on maintaining my pace. It seemed like the turnaround point would never come. The trail just went on and on and on.

Mile 26

Finally, the turnaround came, along with a timing mat, so I knew that Greg and others tracking me would have another split. There hadn't been any timing mats since the halfway point. I noticed that the 3:15 pace group was still about a minute ahead of me. I thought I could possibly catch them, but that wasn't my goal. I wanted to run my own race.

It was now time to start counting down the minutes until I finished. Just 30 minutes left! That's not too long at all! Just stay strong and keep pushing for 30 minutes! When I reached the 24th mile marker, I started doing the math on when I would finish. I figured 15 minutes = 2 miles, and of course I had to factor in the 0.2.

I thought to myself that if I just "hung in there" instead of pushing hard, I could end up with a 3:17, which wasn't nearly as appealing as 3:16. Based on my math, I wasn't sure if 3:15 was in the cards, but then again, my math skills aren't so great when I am exerting 100% effort. So that motivated me to keep pushing and to not slack off. I knew that no matter what, I had a strong PR in the bag, and I could have just glided my way to the finish feeling comfortable. But instead I decided to continue making myself feel uncomfortable by pushing really hard. This resulted in me passing a good number of runners during that final stretch.

With about a mile and a half to go, we exited the park, and I was able to speed up. It was easier to run on road than gravel, and I was so close to being done! I started looking around for Greg, and I saw him about half a mile from the finish line. I waved to him, but was far more focused on pushing hard than smiling for the camera. Shortly after passing Greg, I came to an intersection filled with cones and barrels, and it was unclear which way to go. I was only 0.3 away from it, and I couldn't see it.

Heading for the finish

And there were no runners ahead of me to follow. I yelled out "Which way?!" and someone pointed me in the right direction.

Where was the finish line? I was still a little nervous that I was running off course, which distracted me from giving a final kick. But finally I was confident that I was on course, made a turn, and boom- the finish line was right there. I wish I had known how close it was, or had been able to see it further in advance. I think I could have had a faster kick at the end, but instead I actually ran a little slower than my pace for mile 26.  This is my only negative feedback about the race. The last half mile is confusing directionally, and I would have liked to have seen the finish line at least a quarter mile out.

Mile 22: 7:23
Mile 23: 7:37
Mile 24: 7:28
Mile 25: 7:39
Mile 26: 7:17
Last 0.2: 7:30 pace (wish that was faster!)

After the Race
As I crossed, I looked at the clock and realized I would be comfortably in the 3:15's. According to my calculations, I was thinking it would be on the borderline of 3:15 and 3:16, but I guess that last 7:17 mile solidified a mid 3:15's time for me. 3:15:34 official! This is a PR by 6 minutes and 20 seconds. It's a Boston Qualifying time by 24 minutes and 26 seconds. This means I'll be in the very first group to register for the 2020 race.

It's so crazy to think about the seven years it took me to go from 3:51 to 3:40 and get that first BQ. 3:40 seemed so hard for so long. But once I broke through, I was able to make significant gains.

Shortly after crossing, I was met by Jenny and her husband. And then Greg came and found us. It was such a wonderful reunion. I was elated that I had run such a strong, well-executed race. It was a lot to

Jenna, Jenny, and me

process and all I could think about was getting into warm clothes. After I got my jacket from Greg, we waited for Jenna to cross. She ran 3:37, which was a BQ for her. Meanwhile, Jenny's husband went to get a car to drive us all back to the hotel. It was only half a mile away, but none of us felt like walking it.

I noticed that my shoulders hurt a lot. In fact, my shoulders hurt more than my legs and I had no idea why. It couldn't have been the water bottle, since I was used to carrying that. Was I maybe relying on my arms to keep my balance on the gravel paths? That was the only thing I could think of. Both shoulders were in pain, and I couldn't raise my arms without them hurting.

We looked at the results, and saw that I won my age group! And I was the 6th female finisher.  They had a separate "Masters Winner" who ran 3:06, and therefore was pulled out of the age group awards. So, even though another 40-year-old beat me, she won the Master's award, and I won the age group award.

There was no awards ceremony, but Greg was kind enough to pick up my award for me while I relaxed in the hotel room in an epsom salt bath. Later that day, I felt well enough to walk around the boardwalk area, where we had a delicious lunch and some homemade ice cream. I think ice cream and french fries are my favorite post-race meal. My legs felt pretty good and I was able to walk at a normal pace. My shoulders, however, would hurt whenever I tried to move my arms in certain ways. So weird.

Final Thoughts and Analysis
I'm so, so, so very happy with my new PR!

• My time of 3:15:34  is a PR by 6:20, and a BQ by 24:26
• I ran the first half in 1:37:42 and the second half in 1:37:52. This is just 10 seconds slower in the second half, so almost perfectly even.
• In March, I ran the Rock 'n' Roll New Orleans half marathon in 1:37:41. Just goes to show that heat (60 degrees) is not my friend, and my body loves cold weather

In reflecting about how I was able to shave off so much time, I think it was because I have been building this fitness over the course of nearly two years. I ran 3:21:54 at the Myrtle Beach Marathon

Age Group Award

in March 2017. Then, in the fall of 2017, I had a pretty good training cycle for Indianapolis Monumental. I believed myself to have gotten to "the next level" and in shape for 3:18. But instead, my body just didn't show up and I bonked.

Then, I once again got to the next level with my Boston training cycle, running 75+ miles per week. I ran 3:26, which wasn't a PR on paper, but given those insane conditions, it was a PR performance. I would say the equivalent of 3:16. 

Because I had established a new baseline level of fitness with my Boston cycle, I only needed six weeks of true "marathon training" to get back into marathon shape this time. This allowed me to peak at just the right time. So, even though a marathon PR of 6 minutes seems huge, it's not that big of a leap when you look at the times I was physically in shape for in Indianapolis and Boston. If I didn't have such an amazing Boston training cycle, I don't think Rehoboth would have been as fast. Consistent training over a long period of time is what leads to fitness gains in the marathon.

Today, the day after the marathon, my shoulders are still in a world of hurt. My legs feel pretty good. In fact, they feel better than they did they day after I bonked my long run three weeks ago! How I managed to hurt my shoulders is a true mystery, but both of them hurt substantially when I move my arms. It's quite painful, and I have no idea how it happened. But my legs are totally fine!

I am beyond thrilled that everything came together for me. Less than three weeks ago I broke 20 in 5K for the first time. And yesterday, I broke 3:20 in the marathon. After nearly a year of PR draught and disappointing race times, it finally all came together for me at the end of the year, once I turned 40. Patience and trusting the process is very important in this sport. You can't get discouraged with races that don't go well-- just keep on doing the work.