NJ Marathon Wrap Up - Loop #1

It was hot, 87 degrees hot. I knew early on that this was going to be a long day. I let G Money go ahead and slowed my pace between mile 1 & 2. By mile 3 I was already up to a 10 minute pace and it just got worse from there. This was a loop course, in other words you run the same course twice for a marathon. This meant seeing the mile banners for 17, 18, 19 etc when you were at 4,5 and 6. It was impossible to believe that I would be running this loop again. I thought many times of the cardiac event last Aug and was determined not to duplicate it. So I slowed, walked, drank water at each and every water stop. If I felt funky, I walked. I tried taking pictures and blogging but it became impossible. The iPhone touch screen was not responsive to my sweat and water logged fingers. So I just gave up on the blogging. Mary met me at mile 11 with Powerade and other supplies which was a huge help. I stopped at race headquarters (ok, Amy's condo) for a bathroom stop and a general opportunity to assess my condition. I told Amy and Mary I had no intention to run the marathon, I was gonna finish the half and call it day. Of course, I didn't.