Had a good time running the SG marathon. This was my first marathon in 2007 and every marathon since then I've 'raced.' Today was the first time I didn't race a marathon and just ran for fun. Took it very easy to the bottom of Veyo and maintained my pace up the hill to the volcano. I'm not going to lie...it was a strange feeling to be running slower than normal in a marathon and not racing, but I kept telling myself I have bigger goals next month and it wasn't worth going too hard today and feeling the effects for a week. Given the course layout, I naturally picked up the pace the last 10 miles and with 3 miles to go, I felt completely fresh so I picked up the pace and ran 6:06, 5:31, and 5:20 with the final .2 in 5:08/pace. It was fun to cruise and run quickly at the finish--totally different than the normal battle/struggle.
I crossed the line, grabbed a drink, and then ran back up the course 1 mile to meet my buddy who was trying to BQ. We met at 25.2 and then I ran with him back to the finish. Pace was 7:30 on the 2 extra miles and my legs felt great. So...the day was a success. My legs feel great, my lungs feel strong, and I think with a few more weeks of training, I'll be ready for my first 50 mile race.
I think I'll run Boston in 2020 as a 40 year old, then be done with road marathons(?). I'm enjoying the trails more and get a greater sense of accomplishment with ultra marathons than roads. Perhaps not. Either way, I'm done with the downhill road marathons of Utah.
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