I started the race with the goal of being able to walk at the finish. I wasn't terribly confident in my training, as I hadn't gotten as many long runs in as I would have liked prior to the event. It was in the mid-50s and drizzly most of the day, which was perfect marathon weather! I lined up with the 3:30 pace group, thinking that I would stick with them for the first half and see how I felt after mile 13.1. I ended up connecting with a couple of rowdy guys shooting for 3:20 after the 5-mile mark, and I stuck with them because their pace was comfortable. We were together through rain and not-quite-shine, pacing each other to perfection.

I had to take a Port-A-John break around mile 17, and decided I would try to quickly catch back up to the guys I was running with. The acceleration felt wonderful, and after slowing down for a bit to match their pace, I decided to gun it and see what I could do over the rest of the course. I took my leave of my pacing partners at mile 19 and sped up, passing people left and right (literally) as I drove for the finish line. By the end, I had dropped a minute per mile off my pace over the last seven miles of the race, leaving me with a 3:13 finish and a PR by four minutes. The best part was being able to walk down the finish chute with almost no problems at all!