The army marches on its stomach

Don't I know it!
In short, the best running was done by my bowels; I crashed at mile 14 or 15, pushed until mile 20, but in vain, and then drank some beer, helped a collapsed runner, and finished the thing in 3:56.

I will cut and paste my longer report soon, but I'm already (mostly) over the disappointment and plotting my next move.

I will have to somehow rein in my parasympathetic system because I am stressed in general. I hadn't noticed, really, and then the race tipped me over the edge. It didn't feel much different than the pre-race buzz of shorter races, but the distance is too long for the resulting diminished glycogen. However, this isn't just about me getting worked up consciously about the race, but more about minimizing daily stress (kind of hard with a deployed husband, lol) and being more strict with my daily routine, perhaps diet, and definitely sleep. This might also involve some large-scale changes as regular yoga/deep breathing, minimizing procrastination, etc, etc.

And this isn't just about running a better marathon. As sucky as it was, it is good that I had that sort of canary chirp to realize that I don't quite have my act together and that it may, as it has in the past, slam me hard.

So, I'll start off small. One sun salutation and 5 minutes of deep breathing in the morning, just to start me off right. No computer or homework, except for studying, after 10:00 pm, especially not late after the evening shift. LOL

That's it for now.

About one more week off running, and more stretching/yin yoga. Then easy jogging for December, gradually building mileage back up. Then, speedwork starting next year, and then the Hypo 1/2. And then I'm going to do an experimental marathon--the Winterman, here in February. It starts at the decent hour of 9 am, and consists of loops. I'll leave the Garmin at home and concentrate on being mellow and relaxed. And then there's the Ottawa full in May, which might be too hot, but that's a perfect scenario for, again, having lower expectations and less stress. It would be nice to try an ultra, too, but I haven't started looking.

So, a plan.
And I'm getting pretty close to that computer cut-off, and I have to order a few things online (including signing up for Winterman) and finish my bio assignment.