Miscellany: Mulliga Runs a Marathon, Part 6 - The Finale

The day of the marathon met me with strong winds and cold, driving rain. I shivered in the starting corral, anxious to get moving. Soon enough, the starting bell sounded, and the 2024 Garden of Life Palm Beaches Marathon was on:

The first 20 miles went well enough; I began running at a leisurely 10 minute-per-mile pace, and whittled a few seconds off each mile as the race wore on. I even purposely dialed back the speed around miles 10 through 20 to save something for the end, with my mile splits hovering in the 9'30" to 9'45" range.

However, I made a critical mistake at mile 20. I thought I felt good enough to at least attempt my goal pace (9 minutes per mile), but that surge sucked all the energy out of me and made the last 5 miles a hellish slog. My splits rose to the 10-minute mark and my perceived effort skyrocketed, especially with the back half of the course blanketing me in a 20-mph headwind.

It wasn't pretty, and I ended up walking a couple minutes just because I was out of juice, but I eventually finished. If you haven't run a marathon, it's hard to comprehend how far the distance is, and how long you are on your feet. Even just finishing the race really is an achievement, and anyone who has completed one has my respect.