Didn't BQ or break 4 hours.
I was 7 minutes ahead of BQ pace for much of the first half, which was flat. In fact, my first half was 1:53, 30 minutes faster than my half marathon PR. Then the hills started. By mile 20, I was hurting. By 22, I knew I wasn't going to make the BQ time. Pain and cramps in my stomach, calves, lower back, and butt made me start walking a little. I felt awful and knew I could pretty much walk the rest of the way and still PR, but I wanted to break 4 hours. So I ran as much as I could tolerate with short walking breaks. By 24, I was done, but I could still taste the sub-4-hour time. I used up everything in my tank and crossed the finish line in 4:00:20. Ugh! Oh well.
It occurred to me that this marathon was as hard as my first marathon. The ones in between were much easier. Maybe the first time trying to BQ is like the first time ever running a marathon. Maybe if I tried to BQ again, it'd be a lot easier. I need to know the answer to that question because I absolutely do not want to make myself suffer again like I did today. It wouldn't be worth doing that again, but if just having an intense run like that under my belt means I'm that much more experienced next time, it might be worth it....
http://www.j-chipusa.com/results.php?bib=60&eventid=2784&p= | 