The weather was nearly perfect for a marathon. Slightly overcast with a little breeze to keep things cool. It did look like it would rain several times during the duration of the race and near the end it finally did. I felt very strong during the entire race which is not always the case. My upper hamstring seemed to bother me on the downhill portion of the race which made my feet turnover not clearly as quick as I would have hoped. I think stretching and some strength training for St. George for the next two weeks could really make a difference. I caught up to Debbie and Kris about mile 10 and they both looked very strong. I stayed with Debbie until mile 20 until she wanted to back down a bit. I was wondering how I would stay motivated for the remainder of the race. I listened to the new Metallica album probably a bit louder than I should have put it got me pumped up. I believe I ran one of the strongest last sixes I have ever run. It felt great and I was able to push it. I finished in 4:16 which is not even close to a PR but was the best time this year by ten minutes. I felt great at the end which means I need to push harder on the next marathon. I am always worried about running out of steam at the end but need to have more confidence in my abilities. The strategy for St. George is to start out slow, run the hills strong but not push and when mile 15 comes… give those hills absolute hell and get a new PR. Bring it on. | 