Coastal Delaware Running Festival
My first marathon was such an incredible experience! The first few miles were so hard because I was feeling like I didn’t belong there. Around mile 3, I settled in with the 4:00 pacer for a little while, then felt good and moved ahead. I saw my family around mile 12 and my daughter ran next to me for about 30 seconds which was so special. At the halfway point, I was feeling so strong and was on pace for a sub-4 finish. Around that time, the headwinds kicked in and really made the entire second half so much harder. Since it was my first marathon, I decided not to push myself too hard. I knew enjoying the day and feeling strong at the finish was more important. I took some walk breaks and really loved everything about this. My fuel timer went off at a mile and a half left, and I debated skipping the fuel since I was so close to the finish. @amanda_katzz and @runnergirldietitian popped into my head so I knew I needed to take it! That definitely helped me get to the finish feeling strong. (I also saw my family 2-3 other times before the finish line!) All in all, this was an incredible experience and I can’t wait until my next one!