Training/Leadup
It’s been nearly 18 months since my last marathon, which ended in mild disaster after my IT band flared up for the first time ever around Mile 19 and I had to limp the rest of the way. Until then, I thought I might be able to hit a 3:30, which previously felt incredibly out of reach. After dealing with the disappointment, I took about a year off of competitive running and tried to find the joy in running again…with moderate success. My weekly mileage varied quite a bit, but near the end of 2025 I was back to around 40 mpw and enjoying my time on my feet.
I signed up for a couple of shorter local races with friends in early 2026, and after some surprisingly good results I started to wonder if a late spring marathon with no real time goal might be possible. I thought the challenge of training and running a full might boost my motivation for the sport again. After a shortened training block and a couple of successful 18-20 mile long runs, I started to think that not only might I finish, but I might be able to beat my PR of 3:43.
Then, lightning struck again. After a solid but unremarkable 12-mile tempo run, I woke up with severe pain in my ankle, and all symptoms pointed toward post-tibial tendinitis. I was devastated at yet another tendon issue, since I knew how long they could nag at you. I stopped running entirely, started icing, compressing, and stretching the area, and did some work on my calf and glute for good measure. Two weeks later and at the beginning of what was supposed to be my taper, I started to accept that I might DNS the race. On a recommendation, though, I started a weeklong course of OTC NSAIDS (ibuprofen)…and it worked like magic. The pain was gone in a day, and although it came back as the meds wore off, the progression of improvement was dramatic. A week out from the race, I felt comfortable running again, and ramped up to a 12 mile distance over three days. I knew I might DNF if things went wrong, but I wanted to at least give myself a chance.
The Race
The morning of the race started a little wrong - I had trouble finding parking and barely made it to the start line on time. I didn’t have time to use the restroom before, and forgot to eat my granola bar in the rush. I did have my coffee and some water on the drive (which didn’t help the need for the bathroom). I wanted to start on time, though, so I decided to head out and find a restroom on the course.
Miles 1-5 were fairly straightforward…I remembered to eat my granola bar (in my pocket) just after Mile 1 and took a gel at Mile 4 for good measure. I have historically underfueled in races, and didn’t want to make that mistake this time. I managed the bridges without a hitch and the crowds through downtown were great. The only problem…I knew I was going way too fast at around 7:45 miles. I tried to slow down but couldn’t find a good rhythm, and finally settled on trying to manage my breathing and hope that I would settle in as the race went on.
Miles 6-9 were the infamous hills, and they were as brutal as I remembered. I still managed them well, though, and was really happy that my ankle didn’t hurt at all…but realized that my hamstrings were starting to feel like steel cables. I tried to focus on running loose, but I was worried they would continue to tighten through the race - a problem I hadn’t had before. I was still just under an 8-minute pace, and could see the 3:25 pacer in front of me. I decided I’d hold on as long as I could and run by feel, since I was still feeling okay. I also took another gel around Mile 9.
Miles 10-14 are largely downhill, and I was able to catch my breath a little even as my quads complained. I was still feeling fairly good and my hamstrings weren’t getting worse, so I kept focusing on breathing and not letting my heart rate get too high, and figured I’d see what the second half held.
That second half was…pain. Lots of pain. This was where my lack of training and those missed weeks came back, and it got progressively harder as I got toward Mile 22. Fortunately, this part of the course is fairly flat and I was able to keep things in the groove. I watched the 3:25 pacer pull away but knew that that was never in the cards, so it wasn’t difficult to let him go. In the back of my mind, though, I started to wonder about making 3:30. I knew that was a real stretch for my fitness, but the conditions were perfect and I had made it this far!
At Mile 22, though, I knew I wasn’t going to make it to that stretch goal. I had taken a few more gels along the way and my energy and cardio felt good, but my legs were just starting to give out. I decided to run one mile at a time with the goal of feeling reasonably good at the next mile marker, whatever pace that was. The 3:30 pacer caught me and pulled away at about Mile 23…and I let him go. I knew that if I didn’t blow up I was going to PR, and I wanted to finish with something resembling a smile on my face. I kept things moving through Mile 25, and managed to pick up the pace a little bit for the final mile. I crossed the finish line at 3:32:xx and was ecstatic - not only did I finish, but I did better than I ever could have expected.
Then I remembered that the clock was showing gun time, and I started to wonder. I had started well behind the gun…how much time did that account for? When I looked at my official results, I was even more happy to find 3:30:xx - only seconds off the goal that I thought was likely impossible. On a hard course, with a nagging injury and slightly undertrained, I turned in a performance that surprised me to my core.
Aftermath
Even more surprising, I was basically back to normal with almost no lingering soreness within 36 hours. I definitely recognize that I was lucky with my injury and that under other circumstances I would have DNSed or DNFed. Right now, though, I’m just grateful for the experience and the reminder that I can do hard things. This has done what I wanted it to and motivated me to start pushing again…maybe for a BQ, which is another thing that once felt impossible. Dreams don’t always come true - but sometimes they do, and they’re worth chasing.