Lessons Learned in Flying Pig Marathon

Ok, so I ran the Pig today and to say things didn't go as planned would be the understatement of the year.  I had goals of being under 4 hours, maybe pushing super hard and hitting 3:45!  That went way out the window.  I came in at a blistering 4:51:20, not exactly what I had planned.  I will write the race report later this week but right now I thought I would share a few things that I learned during this marathon.

1. If the race course is within an hour of my house and I know it is a hard course, I should probably try to run the actual course, or as close to it as I can, at least one time.  I did run with Mojo running and we did a little bit of the course, but there were a few "hills" I was not aware of.  There was at least one, maybe closer to three, where I saw them in the distance and some not so nice words came out of my mouth because I didn't know those walls existed.
2. Do not drive from Cincinnati, to Bellefontaine, to Bowling Green, then back to Cincinnati, all within 24 hours the day before a race.  Horrible idea.
3. Drink lots of water the day before a race.  I used to be great at this but lately I have severely slacked.  The last two races that I've done I know I needed more water.  It didn't help that today was crazy hot, but I still didn't drink nearly enough yesterday and paid for it dearly today.
4. Drink water at every aid station and dump water on my head during hot races, just dumping water on my head for 5 miles doesn't cut it.
5. EAT!!! I had 6 gels for the race today, I dropped one around mile 2 so I really only had 5 but still.  I ate one at 4.5, one around 10, and another around 15.  Seems like I should eat another between 18-20 right?  Wrong.  I didn't eat one until mile 25 because I thought my stomach was going to revolt, turned out it was grumpy because I was hungry and eating the gel made it feel slightly better, so I ate the other one at the next water stop a half mile later.
6. Pacing.  This isn't something I learned to do, but it's something I again realize that I need to learn to do.  I get fatastic ideas in my head about what I think I can pull off and use awesome positive talk to make myself run faster for a couple miles, then I die for the rest of the race.  I need to learn to pace the entire time!
7. The Flying Pig has a wonderfully organized race and they really do their best to take care of the runners.  They knew it was going to be hot and that people would be suffering, so they staffed the event more than adequately with volunteer medics, volunteers, and water.  I know everyone was grateful for all of their help, support, and services!

So those are just a few things that I learned.  Happy running!