My First Marathon: A Learning Experience

I ran my first marathon last weekend. I went into it confident that I would qualify for the Boston Marathon. Despite the confidence and trusting my training, I made some mistakes that affected my performance.

This was my first starting line in the dark, which was such an amazing experience. Crossing the Ambassador Bridge at sunrise was breathtaking and the Canadians were so great and welcoming.

I was so excited, maybe a little too excited, that my legs felt good on the bridge, so I passed the 3:30 pacer after shortly into Canada. As an experienced runner, I should have known to chill out and hang out with the pacer until the end.

The crowd in Windsor was chilling. It felt like the whole city was there. But the cheers faded as we turned into the Windsor Tunnel. The tunnel was hot and smelly. But I still felt good.

However, my mood changed quickly when the half marathoners turned right to finish, and I kept going to the second half. Running alone from mile 13 to 15 got into my head, and I made the decision to stop fueling.

Miles 19-24 on Belle Isle were the toughest part of the race. My legs were feeling the effects of not fueling, and I had to walk for the first time at mile 22. The lonely and cold island made things worse, but I kept going. At mile 25, my right quad seized, but I managed to slow jog and kick it in to finish strong with a sub 8-minute mile.

Looking back, I realized that fueling during a race is crucial. From mile 15 to the end, I only had water and Gatorade, which affected my energy levels and I went too fast at the start, which caused me to hit the wall too soon. If I do another full marathon, I'll focus on a relaxed pace for the first half and take gels regularly.

Participating in my first marathon was tough but rewarding. I learned a lot about fueling and pacing, and I'm excited to apply these lessons in future races.