Sun 2006 Oct 1 Twin Cities Marathon, 59 deg average temp

Twin Cities Marathon 26.22 miles, 3:36:02, pace 8:14. I ran a dumb race, but mostly got away with it. Intended to run 8:05 until mile 20, then 8:35 to the end. Instead, I ran 7:53 to the half, and7:56 to the 20-mile, then 9:14 to the finish. Tsk. A lot of walk / running in that last 10k, sneaking peeks over my shoulder to see if LS or HL or ER were about to overtake me. But nope - I finished third of 39 in 65-69, first Minnesotan. Good enough. Furthermore, I ran a PR 30k (2:27:26) and a PR 20 miles (2:38:34). This was a good day to run, but not a great day. Temp was 48 at the start, but 69 at the finish. Kinda warm, plus there was a 10 mph wind most of the way, facing us much of the time. But I’m not aware that either the temp or wind bothered me very much. Quad muscles are sore tonight, and calves. More than usual after a marathon. Probably because of the pace and the temp; I may have let myself get a little too dehydrated. Some of the water cups weren’t very full, and I didn’t take a second one. Also, I never dumped water on my head, which I should have done. But no injuries; the sore muscles will repair themselves and become stronger. Other good news is that I don’t have an upset stomach. I ate a Clif bar at 3:00 am, five hours before the start, apparently without negative effect. I had some cramps in calf muscles around mile 22 or so, after climbing the hills, especially when I tried to slow down. But I took a packet of salt, and the cramps gradually subsided. :-)