Twenty-three miles into twenty-six point two, my left knee was hurting so bad I knew I had to stop.

This is my first marathon recap. I went into the Maine Marathon with a public goal of sub 4:30, a year of training built around attacking my weak links, and a fueling plan I trusted. For 23 miles it all worked. Then it didn't.

We go through the whole race, start to finish: taper paranoia, a chaotic night before, the pacer who was "behind schedule" when I thought I was way ahead, the boredom in the middle miles, and the last 5K where every goal I had disappeared one at a time on my watch. Then I get honest about what actually cost me the goal, the questions I can't answer, and why I'm both proud and frustrated at the same time.

CHAPTERS

0:00 Mile 23

0:14 Welcome

0:37 The goal: sub 4:30

1:42 Attacking the weak link: how I trained

3:27 The taper and maranoia

5:02 The night before

6:26 Race morning

8:39 Four minutes behind the gun

9:05 The custom Garmin screen I built for pacing

9:50 Going out too fast

11:45 The 4:35 pacer who was "behind schedule"

12:32 Gun time vs chip time

13:28 Driving the course and my downhill strategy

14:42 Nobody warned me about the boredom

16:07 Mile 17: the hill that snapped me out of it

17:48 Latching onto two strangers

18:28 The last 10K

19:12 Mile 20: the knee

19:38 Trying to walk

20:17 Mile 23: I had to stop

20:56 Road camber and the sidewalk trick

22:17 The downhill that ended 4:30

23:09 Calling my wife

23:39 Walk, jog, walk, jog

24:55 The finish

25:53 Why you should grab the emergency blanket

26:51 The hot knee

27:20 What actually cost me the goal

28:24 Was 4:30 ever in me?

28:42 Did the downhills cost me the knee?

29:57 Did capping long runs at 18 miles matter?

30:38 Proud and frustrated at the same time

31:30 How far the knee has come

33:02 One more thing: your spouse

34:20 What's next

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Podcast links, socials, everything else: https://linktr.ee/evanblakeney

MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE

Maine Marathon - Portland, ME

How to Run Your First Marathon (book)

Jigger Johnson 20 Miler - White Mountains, NH

Tailwind Nutrition

Garmin

Quick disclaimer: I'm not a coach, a doctor, or an expert. I'm a newer runner sharing what I learned the hard way. Take what's useful and check anything important with a professional.

Until Next Time: Just Keep Running