The Marathon is Like a Box of Chocolates....

You never know the weather you will get. I knew it would be a tough day when I woke up and it was already 60 degrees. This is a bad thing for me who has never been a warm (60+ degrees) weather runner. I decided I would just gut it out and if a good time was not in the cards I would just try to enjoy the run. Things went downhill around the half and I pulled my chip off to relieve any pressure I may place on myself abut the time. After that I just ran when I felt like it and walked when the urge hit. I stopped at mile 17 to give the kids a hug and then kept on chugging. I stopped a few more times to say hi to a few friends I saw. When I saw the beer booth just after mile 20 or so I pulled over and had some. I have never actually had beer during a marathon so that was a first. This was good because it was very warm and cold beer was my friend. The last few miles were pretty cruddy with much more walking than running but I bumped into a friend from BCRR and we were able to finish together (a PR for him, congrats Eddie!). I was happy to enjoy the day and I got to do things I never have in a marathon like high five kids and laugh with friends. This being said I look forward to shorter races where I think better times can be found. I hope those who were out there today had a great race!