Self Awareness, the Chattanooga Marathon and a Rest Day!!

Today is a rest day after completing my marathon this weekend. When I started the pursuit of this goal I was hoping to beat my time from 15 years ago. After 6 months of training it became clear that I am more Clydesdale than racehorse now and it would probably not happen the way that I had originally hoped. I had worked for NOLS for 16 years and one of their core leadership skills is self awareness. When getting into the corrals just before the race I placed myself between two pace setters... the 4:20 pace setter and the 4:40 pace setter. This seemed to line up well with my split times from training and the number of crushing hills on the course. In the end, after lots of simple carbs and some brutal thigh cramps around mile 22, I pulled in at 4:39:37. What really got me to the end was my wife who met me along the route and was there at the finish line, the wonderful people of the Chattanooga community along the route cheering me on and the 4:40 pace setter who really made me push myself at the end of the race. I am pleased with my run and I am going to take what feels like a well deserved day of rest before getting back to lifting tomorrow.

Have a Great Day!!