This was one tough marathon! It was the first year for a new course, and since it is in my hometown and I love challenging courses, I had to run it. I had my fair share of doubts because I just ran Vancouver two weeks ago and I wasn't really sure my legs were up to another hilly marathon. I knew I would be plodding along and just running to finish.
The start was fast. I started in the very back and still had an 8:00 first mile. It took a huge mental effort but I managed to slow down and settle into a nice, comfortably slow pace. We started up the first hill at mile 2, rolling hills continued to about mile 9, then we really started to climb. Big hills attacked us from mile 9 until mile 18 or so (I didn't pay much attention to mile markers so I could be off a little). The downhills were much tougher than the climbs and my joints were starting to complain. I hit the half way point in 2:07, slightly faster than I had planned. The course flattened out for a few miles then we had another significant climb at mile 22. I was feeling great when I hit the 24 mile mark and knew it was down hill from there. I also noticed that I was faster than Vancouver by several minutes and I may just get a PR. I cruised the last two miles, crossing the finish in 4:13 (by my watch), a PR by 2 minutes! I quickly grabbed a mocha at the local coffee house and walked the 2 miles back home, feeling pretty darned good about my run.
This is a great course for those who like a challenge and visiting Olympia Washington can't be beat. (I'm so lucky to live here!)
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