"g" approached this race with trepidation Yes, he and Long Shots ran the course a month earlier in 80 degree, pea-soup-muggy weather for a "look-see". But... could he run those HUGE hills between miles 4 and 12 and finish the race in 4-hr/30-min? Here's "g's" account:

I had a plan. I divided the race into 3 parts. I planned to run the first (relatively flat) 4 miles at a 9:30 minute mile pace. For the punishing hills between miles 4 and 12, I'd maintain a 10:00 minute mile pace. I'd complete the last 13 miles at a 10:30 minute mile pace and finish in 4-hr/30-min!

On race day, it was 50 degrees and over cast - and it didn't change. (Perfect.)

Bang! the race was off at 0900 hours. At mile-1, my pace was an amazingly fast 8:53! "Whoa big guy," I thought, "Time to slow down! I've still got 25.2 miles to go!"

I continued to run at a very comfortable pace, but the Gramin kept shouting out statistics proving I was still running too fast (average pace: 9:10 minute miles). After completing the HILL-leg at mile-12, I was surprise (and thrilled) to still be running a 9:10 minute mile pace! That's 1-minute/10-seconds per mile faster then my projected race time. And... I really felt good and relaxed!

At mid point, I had run 13.1 miles in 2-hr/3-min. (Perfect!) The second half would now be the real test! Could I maintain a <10-minute mile average pace and finish under 4-hr/30-min?

As I cruised past miles 13, 14 and 15, I could see my average pace begin to gradually slow. It slipped from 9:20 minute miles to 9:30... to 9:40... At mile-18, I ran an 11:24 mile. Mile-23 was worse - 13:46!

At mile-20 I realized. "Oh my gosh... Maybe I could still break 4-hr/30-min! But if I can... I have to get back to, runing 10:30 - 11:00 minute miles!"

At mile-22, my concentration began to wax and wane. All thoughts were filtered through a fog-like, hazy coating in my brain. After completing each mile, I'd spend the next 10 minutes calculating and recalculating and recalculating and recalculating the math in my head to determine how fast I needed to run the remaining miles to finish under 4-hr/30-min.

Needless to say, I finished my second marathon at the age of 52 in 4:32:57... 22-minutes faster then the first time I ran the course for distance training... 15-minutes faster then the Potomac River Marathon some 5-months earlier. This was quite an accomplishment for me. Now, my sights are set on an experimental recovery/training program as I now prepare for the Marine Corps Marathon... in 5 weeks!