Minneapolis Marathon

I completed my third marathon at the Team Ortho Minneapolis Marathon. Overall the marathon was very well managed and there were plenty of water stops and other refreshments (food). The volunteers were all AWESOME!

My only complaint was the road and trail conditions were pretty bad. There were large cracks and pot holes throughout the road course that I constantly needed to avoid to keep from hurting my feet or twisting my ankles. The trail was some gravel and some gravel embedded asphalt. The asphalt had worn away so that there was large pieces of gravel rocks sticking up that did not give at all and bruised the heck out of the bottom of my feet. In case you haven't read my other posts, I wear a minimalist shoe called Vibram Five Fingers. Several other runners I talked to commented about this and they were wearing regular shoes so it must have been pretty bad. I don't think I will run in Minneapolis again unless these issues are addressed. It isn't worth it.

I didn't run a sub-4 hour but overall when I was done I wasn't too sore. I think a combination of it being hotter than I expected and only having three weeks in-between marathons took its toll. I was pretty wiped toward the end (at about 22 miles) and had dipped below the pace I needed for a sub 4 hour so I took it easy the rest of the way with some walking.

*One tip I did learn, don't drink Muscle Milk after a marathon. It sat in my stomach like a big bag of chalk. I like it for a protein supplement and I would recommend it any other time but not right after a marathon.