The Endurazone

  This was my 3rd marathon in about 5 weeks (Fort Worth, Logjammer Shreveport, and this one) so my legs weren’t super fresh and I wasn’t sure what to expect. I was hoping to get sub 5 and an outside hope at breaking 4 hours. Race morning – I drove my car from my nearby hotel to the finish line area and found free parking in the Beau Rivage casino garage. Then walked the couple blocks to the finish line to board a school bus. We had to take a bus from the finish line to the start (I think it was around a half hour ride). At the starting area, it was a bit cold (I think in the 40’s) and windy. It started drizzling so many of jumped back onboard the bus until a few minutes before the start. Then we were off. My legs felt sore from the get-go. Not painful and not tired (actually kind of strong) but sore. Anyway, I wanted to be near the 4:00 hour pacer and found myself there by mile 1. From the starting gun (technically a countdown) one could feel the wind. It came at me from my left an...