Kiawah Island Marathon 2008

Went great.  Mike PR’d and qualified for Boston with a 3:17.  I PR’d and broke 4:00 with a 3:56.  Patrick was on pace to break 4:00 (we were running together), but started to fade at 18.  He finished with a 4:07.

The temperature on race day was great: 45 to start, low 50’s at the finish, overcast all day.  The difference between this race and Chicago was amazing.  I know I wasn’t in better shape for this race, both courses were flat, so the only difference was the weather.  I ran an 8:50 pace for the first half; did not feel like I was pushing it.  At mile 18, I thought, “Only 8.2 to go!”  In Chicago at mile 18 I thought, “8.2 more @#$%^& miles!”  Big difference.

At the water stops where I had water, I did walk for a few seconds while I drank the water.  But it was really only for a few seconds.  My first and only real walk was around mile 23 or 24.  I got water and walked for 30 seconds.  I needed that short break.  After that, my pace did slow, the last 2 miles were around 9:40.  My legs were worn out, but I was in a good place because I knew I would reach my goal.

Later that day, I was surprised how well I felt.  I had a blister that hurt, but other than that, I wasn’t walking funny.