It's Over in Jacksonville

(Update: 6:09 p.m. at the Jacksonville Airport using the airport's free wireless Internet. Albuquerque also had this too.)

With the mileage that I had on my legs (too much), I logged mostly sub 12-minute miles through mile 19. (In fact, I don't believe that there was a one under 11 minutes - anything over was to take a Gu or get fluids.) And actually, the first 15 felt real good!

The forecast was right, however. In the last 7 miles, I did a lot of walking to get my fluids in as the temperature rose.

My watch "gun time" was 5:27:26 and my watch "chip time" was 5:25:38. It was the fifth best of my 11 marathons. The end began to remind me of the Texas Marathon in Kingwood this New Year's Day. (Rick, Bill Dwyer, Dalton Pulsipher and Waverly know how warm it got that day.)

Did I do this under the best conditions or preparations? Of course not, but that only matters to me. If the temperature hadn't risen, I would have been between 5 hours and 5:12. I want to get to where I can go out and run a marathon at anytime and run under 5 hours.

There you have it. 8th marathon in 2006. 11 overall. Eight (8) states - and an ultramarathon to boot. Not bad at all.

Here are my splits:

Chip difference – 1 min, 48.08
Mile 1 – 11:01.05
Mile 2 – 11:31.75 (22:32.80) <-- ran with Lou Wilson from The Woodlands
Mile 3 – 11:22.06 (33:54.86)
Mile 4 – 11:27.93 (45:22.79)
Mile 5 – 11:10.81 (56:33.60)
Mile 6 – 11:12.72 (1:07:46.32)
Mile 7 – 11:52.25 (1:19:38.57)
Mile 8 – 11:34.67 (1:31:13.24)
Mile 9 – 11:39.90 (1:42:53.14)
Mile 10 – 11:25.37 (1:54:18.51)
Mile 11 – 11:44.93 (2:06:03.44)
Mile 12 – 12:34.85 (2:18:38.29) <-- to get a Gu down and get fluids
Mile 13 – 11:37.97 (2:30:16.26)
Mile 14 – 11:47.96 (2:42:04.22)
Mile 15 – 11:44.76 (2:53:48.98)
Mile 16 – 11:49.85 (3:05:38.83)
Mile 17 – 11:42.61 (3:17:21.44)
Mile 18 – 12:26.20 (3:29:47.64) <-- ditto
Mile 19 – 12:03.09 (3:41:50.73)
Mile 20 – 14:46.28 (3:56:37.01) <-- once I got to the 19-mile marker, the temps had increased and I was beat
Mile 21 – 13:44.19 (4:10:21.20)
Mile 22 – 13:59.29 (4:24:20.49)
Mile 23 – 12:59.50 (4:37:19.99) <-- not sure where this came in
Mile 24 – 15:12.72 (4:52:32.71)
Mile 25 – 15:35.59 (5:08:08.30)
Mile 26 – 14:43.86 (5:22:52.16)
Last .2 – 2:45.85 (5:25:38.01)

Nice marathon. The course is flat and not a closed course. (In fact, on the return, we were routed off the road to some sidewalks that, I believe, took us off the way that the course was measured and that was to the right side of the road.) Those of us who do Houston ... be thankful for a closed course!

Race day registration was $70, but they don't need to pay for all of the police protection that, for example, Houston does with the closed course. Nice medal. (It is the same as the logo on this page.) Volunteers - mostly high school cross country teams - and spectators were very supportive and enthusiastic. Almost in the same league as Boise, Idaho last month.

The course was almost pancake flat- and pretty scenic. A lot of the course going out was shaded (it is advertised as 80%). I would say maybe 70%, but a lot of the last many miles aren't. At one point, I know that we passed the winter home of Harriet Beecher Stowe. (Surprised that I could remember that, eh? I am.)

This guy, Phillip Little, was running his 232nd marathon. I passed him around mile 12 and he came back and reeled me in somewhere around mile 22.

Time to board .... More later.