Gettysburg Marathon Mile by Mile

This Sunday was a scenic run thru the Battlefield at Gettysburg and the surrounding Apple orchards...The Battle was called the Battle for High Ground...for a good reason.  I live here, and I didnt realize just how up and down the terrain was...

so to start with some good news there was almost no chafing. The Band-Aid that I put under my HR monitor, ironically to prevent chafing, folded up and actually cut me…good times.


The weather was Perfect. 50 at the start 60 at the finish…cloudy all the way.

Here is the mile by mile run down…

Miles 1-2 /Split-16:27 /Heart Rate150 -first two, no mile marker…felt good…one big hill, but HR was primarily low...wore my lucky necklace...it was the source of a lot of good conversation...I got to tell people that my son was playing T-ball today.

Mile 3 /8:08 /153 - more up and down…HR started to climb, but still acceptable

Mile 4 /8:09 /153 – calmed down, stayed within myself – ate my first Gel pack, chased it with Gatorade...tasted like a strawberry lemonade...mmmm...

Mile 5 /8:16 /156 – Hill pushed my HR a little high.  More complements on the necklace.

Mile 6 /8:22 /155 – tried to calm down after pushing HR too high.

Mile 7 /8:22 /155 – relaxed into my pace but fought the hills…hooked up with a few guys that were holding my pace

Mile 8 /8:20 /156 – decided that was going to be my pace, finished the mile with a pretty big hill – ate my second Gel, again with the Gatorade...it coated my mouth like paint...not so mmm...

Mile 9 /8:05 /157 – nice downhill good solid mile felt like I was still strong...laughed about the Giant sheep and the alpaca out in the field...

Mile 10 /8:09 /157 – more down than up this mile feeling good...someone asked if I was wearing a candy necklace...and if he could have a bite...

Mile 11 /8:17 /159 – more up than down but still feeling good this was as far as I had run on course in my training...got passed by a Union Soldier...pretty sure it was a hallucination...

Mile 12 /8:45 /161 – Huge up hill…sapped my strength a good bit – the beginning of the end of my confidence – Third Gel, I would kill for a piece of pepperoni pizza...and holy crap...there goes a Confederate Soldier...

Mile 13 /8:23 /160 – another big hill and the turn around felt good but knew the second half would hurt

Mile 14 /8:41 /164 – up the other side of the big hill crested and felt strong but knew hills were taking their toll

Mile 15 /8:53 /166 – up hill at the start of this mile crested and was back on roads I had trained on, confidence returning…fourth gel, seriously, this stuff tastes like under-arm sweat...would it kill them to have a Pizza Hut out here...

Mile 16 /8:07 /166 – knew this mile well, recovered a bit, and was starting to feel better

Mile 17 /8:46 /169 – there is nothing flat on this course…still hanging on to the guys I hooked up with at mile 7...we are doing lines from Top Gun and Rambo...

Mile 18 /9:48 /165 – Walk break – the hill here was the worst on the course…probably 1/3 to ½ mile long – told the guys I was roasted…

Mile 19 /10:01 /164 – ok, that last mile hurt…quick down hill and right back up the next one…I was starting to feel wasted (it was going to be a long hour to the finish)

Mile 20 /9:41 /164 – Finally getting my legs back under me, but still suffering…ate my 5th gel, those things are starting to taste like Kindergarten paste...All I can think of is that stupid pizza!

Mile 21 /9:33 /164 – this was a rolley mile that I was pretty familiar with…tried to recover but HR was too high to come down much…

Mile 22 /10:52 /159 – officially hit the wall – had to walk (HR came down)...I have to admit this was where the mental breakdown happened - the place I need to fix if I am going to succeed at these things.  I didnt hurt, I was just out of energy, and my head couldnt make my legs go. 
Miles 23-24 /21:21 /157 – still walk/running never saw the 23 mile marker – ups and downs were a blur at this point…had one last gel in my pocket…but couldn’t remember how to work the zipper…(for the record, that gel ended up going thru the wash)...at this point I hurt...but couldnt pin-point any specific thing that hurt...my brain apparently couldnt process all the signals at once...does anyone else smell Pepperoni?...

Miles 25-26 /23:23 /158 – I swear there were no 25 or 26 mile marks…one last uphill…made the decision not to walk any for the last mile – Plus there was a super steep hill to run DOWN…my legs could barely hold me up at this point…but there was only ½ mile to go…I forced myself to run it…when I turned the last corner with about ¼ mile to go, I started seeing a white flash in my left eye every time my left foot hit the ground…I was cramping a little in both sides of my groin, and my right hip…but I shuffled in to the finish…didn’t even look at my time, just stopped my watch…

I don’t think my miles could have been any more consistent for the first 17…the hills just wouldn’t let me keep tempo…the hills at 11-15 just sapped strength that I should have reserved for that big one at 17…but…the upside – I know the course, and am already planning out how I can do better next year...wonder if I can fit a piece of pizza in that pocket...

PS if you want a good drinking game…drink every time I said the word ‘hill’