Snickers Energy Bar Marathon

I made this marathon a weekend trip as to save crucial vacation time I will need this summer. I left Friday after work, around 2:30. I made to the airport about 2 hours early only to realize I left my credit card at home. After a quick taxi ride and fifty dollars later I made it back and quickly cleared the security lines. The flight was uneventful and I made it to Atlanta. A couple hours passed and I boarded my flight to Valdosta. I was the only passenger taking the rental car company, so I walked off the airplane gave my information to the clerk and walked to the rental car. When I entered the car it was past ten o'clock. I turned on my GPS and it was off to the hotel. Roughly two hours later I made it to the hotel. I checked in and fell asleep. I awoke a few hours early for the race because I knew it might take a while to get my bearings. After checking the website for directions I became mixed up and became very confused quickly. I walked 3 miles before finding any sign of the race, and the locals couldn't have been less helpful. The weather was frigid, and this normally was a race I could pack minimally. I eventually found the start line, and picked up a race packet. After completing my objectives I needed to find a way to get warm. Across the street was a Hilton hotel where I ducked into to warm up. After doing that I moved quickly down the street to my hotel where I dropped off my packet, picked up a bit of breakfast and put on more layers of t-shirts. Eventually the race start was nearing and I headed to the start line. The gun went off and we trailed off into the streets. We were immediately separated into half marathon and marathon groups. The marathoners went left while the half went right. I took the left and headed around the corner and down into the Albany state campus. We eventually left the campus, and headed out to the streets of Albany. The course was opinionatedly flat. The aid stations were constantly stocked with anything from fresh fruit to combos to (surprise!) snickers energy bars. I was in good spirits and feeling strong for the first 13 miles. Eventually my leg turnover was diminished and my performance took a dive. My emotional state and overall energy level was unwavering throughout but the last 10 or so miles were a mental struggle to keep from digging below a certain threshold. After mile 20 I realized that I was very close to a PR. Everything after that was a race to the finish. One thing that is always underestimated is the cheering from a crowd. As I came close to the finish I could hear the finish crowd. I quickly turned and sprinted to the finish. PR 4:21:26