As you know from yesterday's article, I posted a short quip about preparations for today's Long Beach Marathon.
Well, try as I did, I didn't beat Governor Palin's time. When it looked evident that my sub-four-hour marathon wasn't gonna happen (it sunk in between mile 17 and 18 that I wasn't gonna be able to make up the times that kept bleeding away with every mile I logged after mile 15), I instead opted for shooting for a PR (personal record).
Based on my split times, you can see I was holding pretty close to a 4:00 hour finish. With that, I think I would've been giving the esteemed Governor from Alaska a run for her money during the first, oh 15 miles. But after that, I would have steadily been eatin' her dust.
As you can also see, through mile 20 I was still holding a pretty good pace that would have earned me at least a respectable stone's throw from the governor, at about 9 minutes behind her crossing the finish line. (Note to Secret Service: it's a figure of speech. I wouldn't actually stone her.)
But, alas. I kept crumbling after that dastardly "wall" they keep tellin' you about. (Though, they tell us about that "second wind" thing, too, but I have yet to experience it.) And, finally came in at 4:31. A full 31 minutes and change behind the governor's time.
The short of it: She kicked my ass.
Quotes for the day:
- "Dream in miles, run in feet."
- (Overheard) "...this race is 'this' much of your whole life, you can do this..."
- "Halfway doesn't really start until mile 18."
Most annoying phrase of the day:
- "Good job...You're almost there!"
(Note to spectators, I love you all for coming out to support us, and you know that I take every opportunity to sincerely thank those of you I meet along the course, but those words should never be spoken before Mile 24. And for darned sure, they should never be spoken at mile 14!)
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