There I was in Erie, PA, a perfect weather for marathon (62 degree), a perfect course (flat with water station every mile), and a perfect opportunity for repeat performance (my second time). What could be better?
I felt ready. Everything was falling into place: My training had been going well. Tested my racing strategy at trial race and executed it flawlessly. Carbo-loaded to my eyeballs. Confidence galore and ready to go.
Half way through the race, my legs went dead on me. Like deflated tires on a car cruising down the highway, my pace was going slower and slower. I surged mile 14 to try to jump start my legs. My pace came back but went straight south after that.
I struggled to finish the race – a thought I had not experienced for a long time nor expected on such a perfect race day. The last five miles of the marathon was the hardest. My splits were showing my easy pace although I was feeling the opposite.
My finishing time of 3:48:50 was 14 minutes slower than my last year’s and a far cry from a repeat performance. It will take me some time to figure out the cause of what happened. But at least for now the marathon is over.
Have you ever experienced the “dead” legs syndrome?
Running with Buddha 