Since I was 15 years old I had always wondered what it would be like to run a marathon.  I can remember eagerly tuning in to ABC Wide World of Sports back in the early 80's to watch the coverage of the New York City Marathon.  I can remember getting goosebumps watching the leaders enter Central Park.  Being a former high-school and college cross-country runner, I had many a opportunity to participate in marathons throughout the 80's and early 90's - but I never answered the call.  That is, until today (March 12th, 2011).  Now forty-six years old and much slower than I was in my youth, I now know what it feels like to experience the sense of accomplishment with a marathon finish line looming just yards away after having ran over 26 miles.

Welcome to the Land Between the Lakes (LBL) Trail Run.  This is a race that has been around for several years now and it starts out in Grand Rivers, Kentucky - located on the far northern tip of Kentucky and Barkley Lakes.  The race is sponsored by the West Kentucky Runners Club and it features a 23k, marathon, 60k, and 50 mile ultra - all ran simultaneously on the same 11.3 mile loop trail known as the "North Canal Loop" The 23k'ers run one loop while the marathoner's do two, 60k'ers - three - and you guessed it - the 50 milers do four loops.  In addition to running the trail loop(s) the race actually starts at Lighthouse Landing right in the middle of the town of Grand Rivers so all of the runners must endure a 1.7 mile run down the paved road before entering the trail head.  Of course - that also means once you complete your final loop you must endure a "mostly uphill" 1.7 mile return to the town of Grand Rivers before you get to experience the glory of the finish line.  And that final 1.7 miles of pavement - as I experienced it today - was challenging to say the least.

My plans and inspiration to run this race came about by accident.  I had planned to run a local (Evansville, Indiana) road race marathon as part of my preparation and training for Ironman Louisville 2011, however; much preferring to run trails and turf as opposed to running on pavement, I stumbled across this race via an old friend of mine who had mentioned it on his Facebook page.  Upon researching the website I noted that the entry fee was reasonable and the trail was a great venue for running.  I registered within the day and decided to shelve plans for the local marathon as it was pricey plus 26.2 miles on the pavement at effort did not sound too enticing.  The LBL race would also be a good "tune-up" and indicator for another trail marathon I had (have) planned in June, The Indian-Celina Challenge. Indiana Celina 2010 was my first and only trail race (until today) and both myself and my son (Tyler) ran a half-marathon there last year.  It's a very challenging course featuring around 3000-3400 feet of gain per 12.89 mile loop.  While LBL claims a 1100 feet per loop gain.  For this reason I knew LBL would be a more favorable first marathon experience as reaffirmed to me by several friends who had previously participated in the race.  You can check out a full race-report of our 2010 Indian-Celina half-marathon experience here.

During the month prior to the race I had managed to make two trips to LBL to "get-a-feel" for the loop and get some long training runs in.  In fact - my longest training run (20 miles) took place on the LBL loop just a few weeks before the race.  After completing that 20 miler I became a bit nervous about the upcoming marathon because I was hurting pretty bad after that run.  Yet I was confident I could go the distance.  The question was simply how much pain I might be in and how much walking would be involved. One more visit to the loop a couple weeks later for an 11 miler and my taper would begin.

As I began my two week taper for the race I also took the opportunity to see a nutritionist about race day fueling and normal daily nutritional needs.  Having completed two half-ironman distance triathlons in 2010, I knew I needed to find a better nutrition/hydration strategy as my previous experiences had me running out of steam to soon.  So while I was looking to improve my nutrition strategy for this race, more importantly I was experimenting for my ultimate goal this season - Ironman Louisville 2011 which takes place at the end of August.  Breann Ellis of Absolute Wellness conveyed some very good information and insight as to my nutritional needs during the course of a normal day and the days leading up to a race. All of the suggestions she shared with me were put into practice days before the race and followed through on race day.  And I believe - it made all the difference in regards to my race experience today.  So just a quick recap of my nutrition and hydration execution today.  Firstly, as I normally do not drink much water and am somewhat fond of Coke Zero's, Breann and I made an agreement for now that I would drink at least one bottled water for each soda I drank.  So three days before the race I started drinking water in place of the sodas.  And per our agreement, if I drank a soda, I had to drink a water also.  Additionally, I started trying to take in some carbs during the early morning hours as I am not normally a breakfast eater.  Also, an extra PB and JY late in the afternoon may help out the major hunger pangs I always see to have in the evenings.  I did all this as discussed.  So here is what I did on race day:  Aid Stations - (about 30 minutes apart) consume 1 Hammer Gel while refilling my 20 oz. Amphipod water bottle with Hammer HEED.  I drank very consistently throughout the race requiring refills at every aid station.  I would guess I was drinking about 15+ oz every 30 minutes or so.  Additionally, I took two Hammer Endurolytes (electrolyte "salt" capsules) about every 45 minutes. I stuck to this plan like clockwork and only bypassed the last aid station with only 1.7 miles to go as I still had fluids and didn't need another gel.  Without going into great detail - this is the first longer duration event I have ever finished with fuel left in the tank.  In fact, after crossing the finish line, I was neither thirsty or hungry.  Thanks Breann.

The day before the race Tyler (my son) and I departed for Grand Rivers as soon as he got out of school.  Only being  a two hour drive we managed to get there with some daylight left so I took Tyler down to the trail head to show him where he could meet me at the half-way point, which also happened to be the location of one of the primary aid station.  We also took the opportunity to drive around the North Canal Loop area a bit just to take in the sights and show Tyler the general layout of the course. The location of the porta-potties which had already been put in place confirmed my "guess-ti-mate" as to the locations of the aid stations.  In my opinion the aid stations were placed at perfect intervals over the course.  After about 30 minutes of scouting the course Tyler and I made our way back up the road stopping by to pick up my race packet and proceed to America's Best Value Inn (1-star accommodations) - less than 5 miles from the start of the race.  The close proximity would enable me to get as much sleep as possible prior to the 6am race start time.  Our lodging choice was about the cheapest place I could find and it was so close to the starting line - but lets just say - "Value" was the key operator in their name.  The joint looked nice enough from the highway and the rooms were reasonably clean, and the staff was very nice - but as we entered the lobby to check in it was obvious that it was a hotel that simply did not maintain or make repairs to their facility.  In our room alone, the heater was dead, the shower faucet broke off, the electrical outlet for plugging in our laptop was loose in the wall and had previously shorted out as indicated by the scorch marks on the outlet cover, and the crapper paper holder was busted off the wall also.  The good news - it had two double beds that were comfortable enough to get some sleep the night before the race - and that was enough for us.  Fortunately the temps only dropped into the high 40's that night so the room didn't get too cold.  Honestly, I'd stay there again as the location is great for this race, but if I were hauling the family along, I'd look elsewhere.  I set two alarms on the trusty ole iPhone, one for 3am, and another for 4:45am and we were crashed out by 8pm that evening.  With the exception of several trips to the water closet to offset the effects of a good hydration strategy, I slept pretty good and wasn't really suffering from any pre-race nervousness.  I beat the 3am alarm and woke up at 2:45 and quietly dined on a PB and JY and a banana while Tyler slept.  Chased it down with a few gulps of Gatorade and went back to sleep.  This early morning feast was another of Breann's recommendations.  I guess somebody else had seen a nutritionist also as I could smell cinnamon oatmeal cooking in one of the adjacent rooms.  An hour and a half later Tyler and I were up and getting ready to make the 5 mile drive down to the starting line.

It's also worth noting that I had been tapering for this race for the two weeks preceding this event.  That mostly involved just cutting way back on the running and biking volume.  I also invested in a foam roller to begin working on loosening up the legs, in particular; the IT bands as they had been giving me a bit of trouble on my longer runs.  The good news is that the taper was working as evidenced during the two or three days before the race - I was feeling like a caged animal.  I was definitely ready to run!

And at 6AM that beautiful Saturday morning, that's exactly what I did.  There was a slight chill in the air as the temps were in the high 40's at the start of the race, forecasted to reach 63 degrees later that afternoon.  Just a few short words from a race official and the 465 runners were off.  As we made our way down the 1.7 miles of pavement towards the trail head, I wondered just how tough it was going to be to get around people once we were on the trail.  The trail is fairly narrow and expending excess energy getting around slower runners did not sound too appealing for my first marathon experience.  There were 100 entrants registered for each race except the 23k which had 165 registrants.  That meant that after the first loop the traffic would thin out significantly.  Yet my immediate concern was how it would play out on that first loop around the trail.  Anyway, we all progressed south on Hwy 453 and within a mile it seemed that everybody settled into their pace.  I wasn't passing too many people, nor getting passed.  Over the canal bridge and a right turn into the camping area, past the aid station, and we were on the trail.  There were at least a dozen or so runners directly in front of me and at least the same at my six-o-clock.  I don't like much running in traffic and for some reason I find it really annoying when people choose to run right on my six - especially when it sounds like they are getting ready to have a heart attack.  Yet, here I was - running a nice steady rhythm as were everyone in front of me and behind me.  I was running my pace and I guess everyone else had settled into theirs also.  In fact, I would estimate that during those first 5 or 6 miles trail I didn't pass 3 people or get passed by 3 people.  I was very pleased to say the least.  A couple miles into the trail there were 3 or 4 folks a few yards out in front of me and 3 or 4 right behind me but everyone seemed content running right where they were.  I gotta note however that I always feel a bit "pressured" when someone is running right behind me as I always feel like they are trying to get around me.  I'd try to stay to the side of the trail where possible but after awhile it was apparent the folks behind me had no desire to go around.  Generally, I like to hang back a few yards when trail running so I can get a clear view of my footing.  I guess I can't understand why folks would choose to run "right behind" you.  In summary though - it really wasn't bothering me too much.  I had my MP3 player going but left one of the ear-buds out so I could hear people coming up behind me.

The 11.3 mile loop is a pleasure to run and the trail is very well taken care of.  It is also a favorite destination for mountain bikers from all over the region.  However, today they would have to enjoy one of the other trails in the area as runners from all over had "taken over" their domain.  Running the loop clockwise sends you along very gentle rolling terrain for the first 6 to 6 1/2 miles.  The trail skirts the very northern fringes of Lake Barkley in a couple spots (some very nice views) before making a westward turn towards the North Welcome Center.  After crossing over HWY 453 and making your way past the Welcome Center, you have less than a mile to go before you start encountering some notable hills which also feature some spectacular views of Kentucky Lake.  Chances are, you won't enjoy the overlooks too much as you will be out of breath by the time you reach the top of these climbs.  As you continue in a northerly direction along Kentucky Lake the runners get to experience about 4 or 5 significant climbs and descents over the next 3 1/2 miles.  Eventually, you come to the base of a large microwave tower and that marks the end of the big climbs and signifies that you only have about two miles to go before reaching the primary aid station and the end of your first (or only) lap around the North Canal Loop.

I was now about 3 1/2 miles into my race so I took a quick glance of the Garmin and although I don't remember the exact time, I knew I was under a 10 minute per mile pace - which incidentally - was my "optimistic" goal for this marathon - 4:20:00.  A few minutes later I arrived at the first of 4 aid stations and quickly refilled my Amphipod water bottle with HEED and took advantage of a Hammer raspberry gel.  I was in and out of the aid stations usually under a minute each and one of the volunteers would generally top off my HEED supply while I consumed a gel.  The spacing of the aid stations worked perfectly for my nutrition strategy as I needed to do a gel about every 30 minutes - plus my HEED was generally needing refilled about the time I arrived at the next station.  My pace brought me to each aid station very close to 30 minute intervals so "living off the course" was quite easy for this race.  Just a few minutes after departing the first aid station, I popped my first pair of Hammer Endurolytes and would continue them every 45 minutes throughout the race.

So having departed the first aid station on the first loop, I struck back out again feeling quite well.  My breathing was good.  My knees didn't hurt, and I had plenty of energy and "rested" legs as a result of a two week taper.  I reflected on some race strategies as provided by a couple good friends and triathlon training partners.  Drew F. advised me that I had the engine and the training under me and "don't be scared" to go out and run your pace, while Dennis K.  suggested I "leave some on the table" for the second lap as it would be a large mental boost and momentum builder catching people on the second lap who had possibly went out too hard.  Personally, I found both strategies to be quite attractive so I tried to balance both of them out.  I knew that regardless of how fast I did the first lap - the second lap was going to be slower.  That being said - I decided to pace the first lap at a steady consistent tempo and push it just ever so slightly.  I figured if I had any chance of making my time goal it was going to be made on that first 13 miles.  Yet - I wanted to make very sure that when I arrived at the primary aid station which would represent  the 13 mile mark - that I was feeling very good and well in control.  I figured that if my legs were starting to "feel it" at 13 miles I would be in for a challenging second lap.   Five miles into the race and I was running right where I needed to be.  Pace was good and I was feeling great.  A few minutes later I would make my way up to the 2nd aid station located at the welcome center and get my HEED refill and another gel.  Less than a minute later I was off again and began mentally preparing myself for the 3 1/2 miles of ups and downs rapidly approaching.

I wasn't sure if I would walk the steep sections of hills or if I would shuffle my way up them as quickly as possible.  As I arrived at the first climb I noted about 3 or 4 runners spread out over a 100 yards in front of me.  All of them were walking up the hill.  Quickly but walking.  Having always prided myself in running up the hills - I chose to keep my momentum and jog easily up the incline.  I passed one of the walkers but only to have "her" quickly come back around at the top.  The other walkers that I did not catch on the first climb - were off and running again and there would be no catching them.  So much for a reward for speeding up that ascent.  Climb number two arrived and the cycle repeated itself.  I passed the same girl as I quickly shuffled my way up the second hill and she quickly came back around after reaching the top.  But more notably - I had not narrowed the gap on the other "hill walkers" that were a hundred yards or so out in front of me.  Right then I made my decision - "I'm going to walk the big climbs"  The excess energy expended running up them was not yielding any result.  In fact - it was probably hurting rather than helping.  I walked the remaining two or three hills on the first loop and interestingly enough, the other "hill walkers" were still about the same distance in front of me.  Lesson learned.

Another quick stop at aid station number 3 and I was off again.  Still feeling pretty good - I kept my tempo pace going and started the final ascent which would bring me to the microwave tower - which also signified the end of the hilly section of my first loop.  So as I steadily made my way up that last half mile of ascending trail in search of the tower, I heard a voice calling out right behind me.  "So how do you like your shoes?"  Meet Ultra-Dude #1.  A quick glance over my right shoulder revealed a gent who was running the 50-miler as evidenced by his 3-digit bib number which began with the number "4" - indicating 4 loops for his race.  Within seconds me and ultra-dude struck up a steady conversation covering all kinds of topics from TV sitcoms, Youtube videos, and shoes.  In fact - ultra-dude #1 talked so much I had trouble just listening fast enough!  I had to wait almost five minutes before I could slip in a question that weighed heavily on my mind at that moment - "how hard is it to run 50 miles?"  Well ultra-dude #1 finally came up for air and I was able to get the question off before he could start up another topic.  "So I'm really wondering - how in the heck can you run 50 miles" I asked.  His answer was quite simple - "Just keep running!"  OK, well so much for that enlightening answer.  On to the next.  "So have you ran a lot of ultras?"  Reply - "How many would you define as a lot?"  My response - three or four.  That started the ball rolling and ultra-dude spent the next five minutes telling me about all ultras he had ran pretty much all over the nation.  As a matter of fact, this was his fourth year participating in this event.  He had done so many races that I couldn't even start to remember them all.  Ultra-dude was quite the experienced long distance runner and that became even more evident as we approached the end of our first loop.  Less than a half mile to go before completing the first loop and reaching the 13 mile mark, ultra-dude and I checked our Garmins and it was evident that I was going to come in right at 2 hours flat for the first half of the race.  That also meant ultra-dude was running incredibly fast for a 50 miler. Having previously reviewed the winning times for that race in years past, I knew he was running close to a record pace for that race.  I had to ask, or rather comment - "So you're moving along pretty quickly for a 50 mile race aren't you?"  "Is there a benefit to going out this quickly for that long of a race?"  And in true ultra-dude fashion - his reply was - "No - I'm just being stupid"  We both laughed both commented about how fast the last two and a half miles had went by as we were so busy talking.  Ultra-dude #1 was a pretty cool guy and I really enjoyed his company for the 20 minutes or so.  Moments later we would emerge onto the asphalt for a moment and take advantage of the primary aid station for the course.  And Tyler was right there waiting for me.

Here is me with Ultra-Dude #1 right on my six as we came up to the aid station which represented the 13 mile mark.

And here is a better pic of Ultra-Dude #1 probably talking to himself.  Note the blue shirt.

I felt really good.  I wasn't breathing hard.  My legs felt good and the knees were not bothering me at all.  I pulled up for a minute or two and talked to Tyler while I got my Heed refilled and did another gel.  Tyler snapped a couple pics and we exchanged a few words and I was off again.  Tyler had commented on how good I looked at that point and I would certainly have to agree that I felt much better than expected.  I was also very glad he was there to see me at the halfway point.  During that entire first loop I was looking forward to seeing Tyler at the aid station.  Right before I headed back out onto the trail I told Tyler that I thought I would be finishing somewhere between the 4:15 to 4:30ish mark.  I knew I was going to give up some time on the second loop but I had no idea to what extent.  Twenty-six miles was six miles further than I had ever ran and there was still a good 4 miles of hills to contend with.  However, I felt fairly certain I could come in under 4:30 even if I started falling apart.

The primary aid station located at the trail head.

As I headed out onto my second loop it took a minute or so to get the legs fluid again.  I probably stood still a bit too long talking to Tyler.  Yet a few hundred yards later and I was back on the move.  I also took a moment to do some quick calculations.  As part of my plan - this was the spot that I needed to "up the effort" a little bit and try and gain some time advantage.  Firstly, I had about 5 miles of "less hilly" trail in front of me, and secondly, I still had my legs under me so let's take advantage of them.  So I picked up the pace a bit and tried to hold onto some 9 minute miles.  By this point the pack had thinned out so much that I was running by myself most of the time.  I recall a couple runners coming by me while passing a few others.  But mostly - I was doing what I really enjoy, running through the woods, jammin' to my tunes and - at that moment - reflecting on the fact that less than a year ago an 8 mile run would have been a challenge.  How cool was this that I was coming up on 16 miles and still trucking along!  Just a couple minutes later I was back around to the first aid station.  Another gel, a HEED refill and I was off once again.  And just minutes later somewhere around 17 miles I could finally start feeling the effort.  I could feel it both in my legs and in my lungs as my breathing had become more shallow, albeit ever so slightly.  The last 4 miles of extra effort and the sheer distance into the race was finally coming to the surface.  I didn't let it concern me as this was "expected" and I knew there would come a point when I would start to fade.  I had went out at a pretty good pace and held it for 17 miles and I was a bit ahead of pace to reach my time goal.  I just needed to "hold it together", stay relaxed and keep executing my nutrition / hydration strategy and my legs should get me to the line right on target.

Now at 17 1/2 miles - enter "Ultra-Dude #2".  Less than a mile from the second aid station one of the other 50-milers came up on my six-o-clock and started up a conversation with me.  Another very nice guy and not quite as talkative as ultra-dude #1.  He was asking me questions and honestly I can't remember exactly what we talked about.  What I do remember was that it was becoming more difficult to carry on a conversation at this point.  My breathing just wasn't as relaxed as it had been those first 16 miles.  And then somewhere in the middle of one of my sentences it happened - "Nosedive!"  Right in front of ultra-dude #2.  He had been running right behind me and I think the extra exertion to keep talking wore me down enough that I failed to lift my right foot high enough and caught a root big time.  I went straight down but fortunately unhurt.  Ultra-dude #2 stopped and pulled me up off the ground and after I dusted the mud off my clothes, we were off again.  He asked if I was ok and offered up some ibuprofen but I was fine.  We talked just a bit more but our paces became varied so we kinda see-sawed past each other for the duration of that second loop.  These ultra-dudes are really nice guys.  Seriously!

Meet Ultra-Dude #2

Anyway, just a few minutes after kissing the mud, I had arrived at the welcome center aid station.  That meant I only had about 6 more miles of trail in front of me followed by 1.7 miles of "hard" asphalt all the way to the finish line.  That also meant that I would soon be entering "unexplored territory" as I had never ran over 20 miles and I would be right in the middle of the hilliest part of the course when I breached my previous distance record.

Another HEED refill at the aid station but this time I had a small piece of banana rather than a gel.  The gels were starting to taste really sweet so I elected for something different and a banana just sounded good.  I gotta say - the aid stations had all kinds of goodies.  It was like a runners buffet.  Once again reloaded,  I "walked it out" for about 50 yards and kicked it back into second gear.  I was still trying to keep up a reasonable pace because I knew in just a mile or so I was going to give back a lot of time on the hills.  And just a few minutes later, I had arrived back at the first climb.  Quickly I downshifted to a walk and reminded myself to try and walk a "brisk" pace up the hill.  I was tired enough at that point that it was really easy to just slip into a nice relaxed walk pace and I caught myself doing it a couple times.  I was tiring but I still had legs under me and I didn't want to give up any more time than I had to.  Even walking up the hills still left me winded but once again I forced myself to get back up and running as soon as I caught my breath.  I also noticed I was starting to pass some people on this hilly section of trail.  Several folks were walking up the hills and would continue walking after they reached the top.  I probably passed 5 or 6 folks in this area.  I also had a couple younger marathoners come screaming by me at a pretty good clip with about 6 miles to go.  But mostly, I ran alone.  Ultra-dude #2 was walking the climbs and even some of the flats.  I'd come around him and a few minutes later he'd catch back up with me.  Climb 2 completed, climb 3, then climb 4.  Just a few minutes later I would arrive at what would be my last aid station stop.

I filled the water bottle to the brim with HEED, did another gel, and chose to eat a handful of M&M's.  I love those things!  Caught my breath and embarked on the last 3 miles or so of trail.  I once again made my way up the long ascent to the microwave tower just stopping to walk briefly a couple times to catch my breath.  Now at the microwave tower I took a gander behind me to see that there was nobody in sight.  Looking for that last little bit of adrenaline that I could pump out of my body, I put in my second ear bud in and cranked up the volume on my tunes.  No more leaves shuffling, no more huffing and puffing, just me, my tunes, my feet hitting the ground, and whatever energy I could muster to get me to the finish line in tact.  I once again picked up my tempo to try and gain back some time lost on the hills and the walks.  I checked my Garmin several times over those next couple miles to see what kind of pace I was mustering at that point.  Not terribly surprised, what felt like a 9 minute pace was actually closer to a 10 minute pace.  With less than 4 miles to go to the finish I did the math and it appeared that 4:20 was going to be out of reach.  Yet 4:30 was still very attainable.  That became my new goal and I had a little time to spare.  My legs just didn't have any 9 minute miles left in them - or so I thought.  I continued my effort for the next two miles while taking two quick 25 yard walks to slow my breathing back down.  I was still fading ever so slowly but I was now 24 miles into the race and still had legs under me.  I was feeling much better than anticipated.  Less than 3 minutes later I emerged from the trail head and back to the location of the primary aid station.

My second loop had been completed and all that was left between me and the finish line was 1.7 miles of pavement which I was not looking forward to.  As a minimal runner, hitting the pavement after running many miles on soft trails hurts.  The jolt just goes right through you.  As I emerged onto the roadway I was pretty winded once again so I elected to walk up the long incline from the trail head to once again catch my breath.  A couple minutes later I was back on the move again.  As I made the left turn onto Hwy 453 heading north back to the town of Grand Rivers I saw a few walkers and one other runner way out in front of me.  I made my way over the canal bridge, past some road guards and a very long gradual climb came into view.  Ouch!  It had to be at least a half mile to the top!  I simply did not remember that hill being that long as I had just ran down it some 4 hours earlier.  I could see an American Flag way off in the distance and it appeared that would mark the summit so I set all my focus on Old Glory.  I kept on running but once again elected to do another 25 yard walkout to slow down my breathing.  A slight twinge in my left calf signaled to me that it was on the verge of cramping.  Hydration was fine yet 25+ miles of minimals was working the calves harder than ever before.  Quickly getting back up to speed I made it to the flag and although a bit more hill came into view, it was only a couple hundred yards further before I would find flat ground.

By now I was clipping along pretty quickly.  I knew I was close but I didn't know exactly where the finish line was for the race.  It really didn't matter at that point however.  I had conserved enough energy that I knew I could sustain my tempo for another mile if necessary.  Yet I figured I was much closer than that to the finish.  A few hundred yards further down the road I saw some guards on the highway at one of the intersections going into the town.  I kept up the tempo and a quick glance at the Garmin showed that my legs still had another 9 minute mile left in them.  In fact, they had better than that.  As I drew closer to the road guards they flagged me to turn right at the intersection.  I still had the tunes cranking so I couldn't hear a dog-gone thing they were saying but I got the hint.  I made the right turn and in front of me there was a pretty good down hill but nothing I could make out as a finish line.  I didn't care, I kept on hoofing it and made my way over to some grass along the side of the road to take the sting out of the descent.  About this time the left calf decided to knot up a bit and there it was!

Just a few people and a finishing chute that was just 300 or so yards away off to the side of the road.  I buckled down and kept up my tempo and with about 50 yards to go I ran past Tyler as he was snapping a pic of me.

As I came through the chute I saw the time clock.  4:23 something.

I had no idea I was that close to making my "optimistic" goal of 4:20.  Either way - I was ecstatic.  As I crossed the line I couldn't help but smile from ear to ear.  Over 30 years had passed since I had first pondered what it would be like to run a marathon.  Now I knew.

As I was catching my breath one of the race volunteers came up and gave me a finisher's medal and removed the tag from my bib number.  Tyler was there just seconds later and that's when I started to shed a tear or two.  I was extremely grateful that the race gods were on my side that day and equally as grateful that my son had come down to watch his father race very early on that Saturday morning.  Tyler came up and gave me a hug and offered his congratulations.  We talked for a minute or two and interestingly enough,  I felt fine.  I took advantage of the curb to stretch the calves back out and realized that I was neither hungry, nor really thirsty.  This was a huge deal for me as all of my previous longer duration events left me dehydrated and starving.  I directly attribute 75% of my race success directly to the nutrition / hydration suggestions suggested to me by Breann.  It made all the difference in the world.

After a couple minutes of telling Tyler about the race, he excused himself for a minute while I continued to try and stretch out the calves.  A couple minutes later he returned with a six-pack of  - you guessed it - ice cream sandwiches!  Now I wasn't hungry, but nobody in their right mind would ever turn away a good ice cream sandwich so I had myself two of them.  Tyler had a couple also and he was kind enough to give the remaining ones to a couple children waiting for their loved one to show up at the finish line.  After my Muncie half-ironman in 2010,  they were giving away ice cream sandwiches and I remembered how good they tasted.  I guess Tyler had remembered that also and was thoughtful enough to replicate the gesture for his dad.

I felt great.  I never hit a wall so to speak and still had some legs under me all the way to the finish line.  I never had to go into "survival mode" and I didn't get hurt.  The weather was great and my race preparation was right on the mark.  Everything went right.  My official time was 4:23:11.  A couple days later I would discover that I had finished 21st/105 overall and managed to get 3rd in my age group.  That just added to the positive experience.  Tyler was kind enough to make the 2 hour drive home and outside of getting fairly stiff, I had no post-race issues.  I'll definitely return to this race next year.  If I can get the knees lined out, I'd really like to take a shot at the 50 miler.  Time will tell.  Tyler - "Thank You" for supporting me at the race.  Knowing you would be waiting at the finish line helped to keep me motivated.  I look forward to being able to watch you come across the line for your first marathon.