Goals for the day were simple, 1) take some photos, 2) make it an easy run, and 3) enjoy the miles.
My training has been subpar this year and i've had some painful sciatic nerve issues so i wanted to just take it easy and make sure i finished. I started out at the back of pack (they announced that 5800 runners had crossed the starting grid before i took off). Headed out and slowly picked my way thru the crowds for the first couple of miles til it thinned out a bit, then settled into a comfortable pace. By the time i hit 20 miles, i had already surpassed my longest run for the year (and that was back in May) so i was starting to run out of steam and was seriously considering walking it in. I was very surprised to catch up with RAD at about 21 miles. She had trained really well and i had hoped that she was already near the end by then. Unfortunately a lot can happen on marathon day. We'll get 'em next time, right? We paced each other to the end from that point. Running with Rachel really helped me out and gave me the motivation to keep going thru the final miles.
My 8th St. George Marathon is now in the books. Now i just have to complete the Runner Series this next year, then I can bypass the lottery forever. (unless the 10 year club goes away).
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