Official Time: 4:47:40

Hi all!

My chip time was 4:47:40, good enough for a pace of 10:59 / mile. It's obviously not as well as I hoped I would do, but I'm thrilled that I was able to finish with a smile on my face. Looking back, I think I made two mistakes:

1) I didn't drink nearly enough during the race. I hydrated well beforehand, but I should have grabbed more gatorade AND water early on. I started cramping up in the 14-16 mile range, and that forced me to walk a lot during the last half of the race.

2) I started out too fast. I should have kept my early splits in the 9:10-9:30 range, rather than the 8:40-9:10 range. It one was of the contributing factors to my quick burnout.

What's Next?
I'm not sure at this point. But the idea of setting a 10:00 pace for my next marathon sounds like a good idea -- that should give me enough room to keep going strong throughout the race. I'll probably run another marathon at some point in my life, but I may wait a few years to do it. It's still too early to tell.

Thanks to everyone who posted comments, and special thanks go to family (Jenelle, Mom, Dad) and friends (Steve & Mary) who came out to watch me race. Also, thanks to my friend Matt Salomone, who accompanied me at several points along the race -- he finished in 4:43:05, so congrats are in order for him as well.

I'm off to get some more quality rest. Until next time! :)