October 2013.  This was a lot of fun.  There were some challenges along the way but I definitely enjoy the long distance runs.

Not too much of a story here as it’s a pretty standard marathon. Goal: Sub-4:30.

Biggest drag was that the hotel room was loud as it was overlooking the Portland bars, and they managed to mess up their breakfast schedule so I wasn’t able to get any calories before the race.  I was able to make some up with consciously drinking Gatorade at every water stop but definitely would like more food to offset the calorie deficit.

I held a pretty flat 8:30 pace for the first 18 miles or so… they my stomach revolted.  I stopped long enough for the lead to return to my legs and wasn’t able to get my momentum back.  My pace fell dramatically and I had hit a wall.  The calorie deficit had caught up.  The last three miles were tiring but overall, the race wasn’t nearly as hard as I thought it would be.  Everyone on Facebook talks about marathons being a monumental milestone in their life.  I didn’t get that sense of satisfaction or accomplishment.  Maybe that’s a reflection of the company I keep – tough to be proud of “just” a marathon when you have friends setting race records, completing multi-day adventure races, and crushing Ironman triathlons.

Even if that Facebook-worthy pride was missing, I did enjoy the long distance run.  I’d like to try a longer run (preferably dirt) to see if 50k or 50 miles feels appropriately difficult.

Lesson for next time: Bring my own food!