Numbers up front as always!
Chevron Houston Marathon on 18 Jan 2009
Old Lifetime Marathon PR: 5:31:06
New Lifetime Marathon PR:
4:41:56 
Improvement:
49:10 
Pace: 10:45 min per mile, 5.6mph
Place: 3193/5396
Gender: 2275/3502
Age Group: 224/306
The other numbers they give on the site are pretty elaborate, like my speed per 10 clicks: 6.2, 6.1, 5.9, 4.6. Also the fact I was at mile 12 when the male winner finished, at 13.5 when the female winner finished, and at 25 when the "average" runner finished.
My splits (goal pace 9:41 for a 4:22:00):
10:11, 9:14, 9:14, 9:25, 9:34, 9:30, 9:32, 9:33, 9:42, 9:45, 9:18, 9:58, 10:10, 9:50, 10:20, 9:49, 9:53, 10:26, 10:28, 10:15, 11:59, 14:43, 13:21, 13:15, 14:41, 11:56, 5:45 (.55 on Garmin)
No rocket scientist required here to figure out how it went!
I actually ran with the 4:15 pacers for the first 12 miles or so, which is a bit entertaining due to the huge variety of splits. The first mile ended up slow due to crowding, so they decided to make up the difference all during the second mile. Then for unknown reasons they held close to that fast pace for two more miles, and didn't actually run a mile at the intended pace until mile 9. They stuck with it for two miles then sped it up again for mile 11 over thirty seconds faster than a normal split. I'm not blaming them for me not being smart enough to stick to the pace I thought I could maintain for the whole race, but it just showed me you have to be willing and able to run your own race if the pacer is doing their own thing.
I felt pretty solid right up through about mile 17. This was way over on the backside of the course and there was one more mile before I turned for home. Things started tightening up a bit and the sun was out full force, although it was still only in the low 70s. Not a cloud in the sky but there was a good breeze. I was able to hang on to close to my planned pace for miles 18-20, but at 20 I mentally knew the wheels had fallen off and my HR went up above 170 and stayed there, which is my "danger zone" that I simply cannot maintain for any lengthy amount of time that late in a race. I'm not really sure what to point to that caused the implosion of epic proportions that took place for the remainder, but I suspect its a combination of many things. I'm still not getting enough salt in during a full marathon, as evidenced by the massive layer of it that was caked on my face afterwards. Although I didn't cramp all that much, just overall tightness was probably a result of going no longer than 18 miles in training, and then the minor concept of having put another 26.2 miles on my legs last weekend for my "taper".
The rest of the race was what is becoming an all too familiar exercise in pain management. A lot of walking, and a lot of random jogging intervals, mostly on downhills and some flats. Looking at the splits they really don't look as bad as they felt, and I was simply shocked that I was still able to cut so much time off my PR. The wind at our back helped out on the way back in, and just some sort of random underpass/overpass quick downhill/uphills to use different muscle groups helped.
Spectator help was all over the place, especially during the first half since the half marathon was on the same course. Never saw the other WISHers or heard anyone yellin at me, but sounds like they had good races also.
I tell ya during miles 22-24 I was certainly internally giggling, as I thought of the fact that many of the WISHers I ran/walked with last weekend were probably feeling just like I was at that point. It was impossible for me to think about giving up knowing I had to follow my own rules and "push through those last few."
So now since you read all this other stuff you can now be rewarded and instantly transport yourself to the finish line yesterday to watch me cross the line:
Watch MATT Finish!
Disclaimer: I jogged it in but certainly wasn't feeling all that "energetic" by the end. They weighed us before and after, even while drinking a few gallons and taking 8 gels, a banana, some graham crackers, and various other stuff out on the course I lost 5 full pounds! My hand gestures were 4 fingers for the first time finishing in 4 hours and something.
All in all, I'm doing my best to ignore what my time goal was and just listen to the words "Lifetime PR."
It's kind of bizarre to think of it as beating myself by like, FIVE MILES?!?
And now, a couple days off, and its back on the bike and into some serious training, easy at first but then pilin on the hours, as that Ironman in April is beginning to loom quite largely in the background, with only 88 days to go according to my desktop counter.
GO! WISH Team GO! 
Cheryl will be there with bells on though, so no worries!
!!! Our WISH team Cheerleader!!!
