First marathon since returning from the Ukraine in May, second lifetime marathon. My first half was 1:14:45, then I gradually faded and ran a 1:17:08. Definitely not a reflection of my half speed (1:08:21) but still a good PR (previous best was 2:35:45). The limiting factor was impact tolerance. My lower back and legs got pounded pretty hard. I could feel this from the start and so didn't pace it as aggresively (the plan was to go out at 1:12-1:13). I think this spared me a major blow-up and possibly a DNF.
With the exception of the last six miles, I always had someone to run with, a really nice thing about this big of marathon. There was a bathroom stop during mile 11, which probably took 25 seconds, and a stop in mile 22 to take off my pants (I had shorts on underneath). It was very cold at the start, so I needed the pants. They were pretty tight-fitting, a purchase from Walmart the day before the race. I had forgotten my sweatpants at home. I think if I'd been wearing those, I wouldn't have needed to take them off.
In any case, I'm grateful for the PR and the experience. Was definitely a lot less miserable than my first marathon. Need to figure out what to do about impact tolerance.
The next marathon will probably be Grandma's, but we'll see. For now, I need to recover.
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