OBX Marathon 2014

This was another great marathon.  It was overcast, but not rainy.  Not too hot, either.  My knees held up well.  The Tylenol before and during, coupled with wearing knee supports, does the trick.  I carried Gatorade and Twix bars.  I wore Body Glide, which prevents blisters and chafing.  My breakfast was a bagel.  I change up my race food, within reason, but most of this has become routine. 

I didn't see anyone I knew that day; we just didn't cross paths and they finished before me.  I had fun chatting it up before the race with strangers.  One was a high school student who has been accepted to West Point.  That poor thing thought that since a half-marathon was fun, this must be twice as much fun.  She is also interested in running on a marathon team at West Point.  Someone had to go and tell this kid about hitting the wall.  We caught up to one another during the race and she asked me if I had hit my wall. 

There are a lot of things I love about this race.  The community support is one thing.  It is fantastic.  The residents, visitors and churches are amazing.  One of the churches offered extra ice cream if you came back for their evening event.  I hung with a pace group for a while, but got behind.  The pacer either got left or left his group, as I saw him alone later.  The hardest parts, physically, are getting over the big bridge and running through the woods.  Some parts of the woods are actually hilly.  The soil is also soft and can be tough to handle.  Personally, I welcomed this part of the course.  It's a wonderful break for your knees.  At first, you wonder how on earth you'll make it through all those miles.  They go faster than I think.  The bridge always seems to take forever.  At the turn off the bridge, you see the CVS.  It's the most wonderful sight, but it still seems so long to the finish.  The finish line support, as with other parts of the course, is wonderful.  So are the shuttle buses at the end.  I had no desire to walk anywhere at that point, as you can imagine.  During the race, I usually think, do I want to do this again? By the time I finish, the answer is a resounding yes.  I signed up for the 2015 races before the month was up.