Yesterday morning I ran my 9th marathon (26.2 miles) in Columbia, Missouri – “Heart of America Marathon”! When I arrived to the race headquarters at 5:00 am to get my race packet I saw the note that said “Welcome to one of America’s hardest marathons!” I wondered what I had gotten myself into – there were lots of hills there in and around Columbia and 5 major hills on the marathon course. The entire course was “rolling” at best – hardly any thing flat at all. The most profound hill – Easley Hill – coming up from the Missouri River valley at the half-marathon point, was incredibly steep for almost a mile long!
Anyway, despite the hills and heat I accomplished an important life goal of mine that I’ve had for a long time: a sub 4-hour marathon finish. I came in at 3:57:48 (52 of 137 participants)! This is 9 minutes faster than my previous best time and under the 4-hour mark with 2 minutes to spare! Something else that was new to me: a post-run ice bath! There was a huge pool 10 feet from the finish with ice-cold water and lots of ice. I got in 3 times for 5 minutes at a time and this greatly reduced my soreness and speeded up post-marathon recovery. In a few weeks I am going to try 31 miles!
Adam
