This was my second marathon and things still didn't go as well as I would have liked.
Here's what I thought of it in 1991:
I ran the marathon Sunday. I ran it in around 4:10. Not great, but 15 minutes better than last year. If I keep up this pace
of improvement I'll qualify for the Boston Marathon in four years. I'll also be 30 in
four years, so the qualifying time will go down. I recovered a lot faster this year than last. I still ran into a mental barrier
at about 18 miles. I was tired, but moving pretty well. I was on a pace for a 3:40, but I was afraid I wouldn't have anything
left, so I started running slowly. I kept this up until about the 22 mile point when I said "Hey dumb fuck it's only two more
miles. Get your head out of your ass and run!" I ran the last two miles in a little over 14 minutes. I suck. I should have
pushed harder at 18 and made it through. But I'll get it next year.
Back to the Running Vita of James B. Elliott
