The Background
It had been six weeks since I raced. I had maintained some fitness, regularly running the 1.9-mile loop around my neighborhood. Looking to train for a couple of 100 milers in the summer, it was time to run a marathon.
Originally I was going to run on the Lone Star Hiking Trail, but it was raining. I went to Dennis Johnston Park to run on the Spring Creek Greenway.
The Race
It was cool, and only lightly rained off and on during the race.
On the spur of the moment, I decided to make it an out-and-back, running with 72-oz. hydration pack full of Gatorade and one extra 24-oz. bottle.
I ran 5 miles or so, then started hiking. I kept up 16-minute miles, up until mile 18, when I ran out of Gatorade. Hitting a low, my pace dipped to 20-minute miles.
With one mile left, I realized I could possibly make it under 7 hours. I tried to run 3 times and couldn't do it. Finally, I told myself I'm just going to run a quarter mile and was able to start running. I stretched that to a half mile, then kept running to the finish.
Reflections
I was happy I could do 16-minute miles, even though this was on pavement. I bonked with the lack of calories, but maybe this was good practice for lows in the next 100 miler. I need to get a 100-oz. hydration bladder.
It always feels good to finish another marathon!
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