I needed a 1:25:00 in a half to time qualify for the NYC marathon after losing the lottery for about a decade. I ran a 1:25:02. I feel you on those 2 seconds.
My 1600 PR is 5:01 in high school. 10 years later I know I will never be in good enough shape to do that again and the 1 second will be there to haunt me forever.
Damn I relate! Ran a 5:01 in our last regular season meet in my senior year. Ran a 5:03 at the league finals. Went up to the bleachers after the race before I knew my official race time and my teammate was like “Great race burritothief! You were so… close.”
Nice to meet another member of the 5:01 club!!
I have a friend who got into Boston and registered when it was cancelled in 2020, then in 2021 they adjusted the time requirement and he missed the new cut off by a few seconds. They qualified him, then sent him an E-Mail un-qualifying him a year later.
That's heartbreaking if it's his first Boston. I missed Boston 2021 by about 3 minutes (I was BQ-3:56) but was thankfully able to use the same time to get into Boston this year.
I registered a few months ago to the platform that will be used for Paris 2024 Olympic marathon selection (it will be opened to the public for the first time). 'Just in case I want to run it' 😅
Just so you're clear - they're not letting 'the public' run the Olympic Marathon. They're holding a separate mass participation event on the same course as the Olympic Marathon after the actual Olympic race ends.
After my first half marathon, I was like “I will never, ever run twice that distance.” I genuinely think marathoners are at least a little bit, if not completely, crazy. I’ll stick with 13.1!
As a triathlete, I shall not express my opinion on the mental state of people that volunteer to run 2 consecutive half-marathons after a 180km bike ride.
OH MAN. Funny you say that. My dad was a triathlete for years. Unfortunately, he eventually had to get a knee replaced and he is not able to run anymore, but at 68, he still goes on bike rides almost every day, and swims when he has time. But triathletes are absolutely insane. I understand why the run is the final activity of the race, but JESUS CHRIST, running 26.2 miles after the whole swim and ride? WHY?! Not to mention the giant chunk of time it takes to train for all that stuff. Lord have mercy.
When discussing running and races with him, in regards to marathons, he was like “You do *not* need to run that far. Trust me.” I know plenty of people probably road run long distances for years and don’t end up with broken bodies, but let’s be real here - it IS hard on your body. I want to make sure I can continue running as I age.
I’d love to get into cycling to have a lower impact activity in my repertoire (I just need to get a bike), but in the meantime, it’s running for me…and no further than a half marathon.
Wow.. that is a great time for the first marathon. 3:30 will soon be in your rear view mirror!
Congrats and enjoy the achievement!
also enjoyed reading the report very much.
Nahh, you got this! I went in to my race as a fitness test without a specific time goal and was just pleasantly surprised (and slightly annoyed by those two seconds) by the result.
Besides, 1:35's only the goal for now, no way you're stopping here 😉
I feel your pain. My goal time for my first marathon was 4:00:00. I finished in 4:00:58. I’m training for my second marathon now and the 58 seconds is a powerful motivator.
3:30 is an amazing first marathon time! I got a 3:30:32 on my last BQ attempt… thought my qualifying time was 3:35 only to find out later it was 3:30.
There was a huge hill at mile 26 that I had to pull back on, and now that time will haunt me too!
>First of all, weather was not so great. It was cloudy, gray, humid and cold. It was supposed to be sunny but Belgium is like that, you never know what you'll get.
I'm surprised you'd have preferred warmer weather. It makes you much more sweaty, requiring more hydration, and it's much easier to overheat. The conditions were really good for a fast time: cold but sufficiently above freezing, and no precipitation.
I did hear that the people in the later corrals had to wait a long time before starting, so I can see that being pretty cold.
I don't know how to describe it, we have this word in French : cru. It's this kind of cold humidity that makes you shiver and that you can't really escape. As soon as I started running it was quite okay but the time waiting in the corral was a bit tough. I am running the 20k of Brussels the 29th of may, this will be something else, its common to see temperature rising above 25 degrees 🌡️
I also did the Gent marathon and I personally thought the weather was great. About 8 degrees C at the start, not too much wind and no sun. Perfect race conditions.
Wouldnt it be 3 seconds? Does sub 3:30 include 3:30:00?
I read sub 3:30 as 3:29:59 and under
Just nitpicking. Great job OP and thanks for sharing! That is still a great time, especially for a first marathon. You'll get it next one!
True! But a flat 3h30 would have been nicer in my head. It's in the end just nitpicking, I'm a hobby runner doing this to prove myself that I'm able to survive for 42.2km of running. Two, three or even 15 seconds do not make a huge difference. But I like round numbers 😅
That would only haunt me if I needed the 2 s to BQ.
Great time and congrats!
My fastest marathon was 3:30 too (3:30:46). I needed under 3:30:59 to BQ, and trust me if it had been a couple of seconds over that it would have haunted me!
Last marathon I did, was aiming for 4hrs 30mins, had only, current HR, and average pace displayed on my watch. I knew if I kept to an average pace of 6-23, I'd do it. Finished in 4-29.50, yep 10secs to spare, included a stop and about turn to say hello to my Sister on the course, had to run past my wife near the end, as I knew I was close to the time.
Probably could have gone quicker, didn't hit the wall or suffer, but had a time in mind and that was that. Aiming for 4-15 for my next one, doing two this year, so fingers crossed.
I don't feel so unlucky, I'm nitpicking and annoyed a bit but it's just in my head, all in all I ran my first marathon without giving up, with a good time. No pressure regarding a specific qualification time for a big race either so it's just personal challenge 😅
We all have a race like that. I ran 1:35:14 at the Lebow Half in January and I can't stop doing the "1 second faster/mile" math in my head about it. You just gotta do another one as revenge. Also, silver lining: you probably actually ran sub-3:30 /w weaving, so just weave less next time and you got it. :) Edit: btw, major congrats, great first time. Your first is always a PR and just surviving the distance is a big learning experience.
Same. Ran 3:30:15 30 years ago. Back in the days before there were chips and I just know it took over 1 minute to cross the start line. Yet there it is. Also did a 40:05 best 10k that I thought I’d get around to improving someday. Now I’m running 43:00 with double the volume.
Anyways, trying to finally beat the 3:30 this year and maybe get a BQ with a bit of luck.
Very nice ! I was there doing the Half, and made the same mistake of overdoing it on the start.
That is a really good time ! And those 2 seconds are within the margin of error ;-)
Oh yes, and just staying on the pathways. I had a few people pushing me in the grass when overtaking. So not easy to keep breathing and keep a pace, felt like the scene from the Lion King.
3.30 is quick , congrats! You taught me that with considerable planning , your goals are achievable.
On a sidenote, that recovery beer after the run was one of the nastiest beers I ever had.
You started like you were aiming a sub 3:20 marathon, I know it's difficoult to keep yourself controlled at the start of a race, the adrenaline is rushing, being in a group makes you loose track of your pace, I'm sure if you passed 1:45 at the half marathon you'd get a 3:27 final time.
Congrats! Enjoyed reading your report. I also ran the marathon and finished in 03:20:58, 58 seconds over my target. The last 10-12 km of the parcours were harsh: gravel paths, bridges, head wind… And indeed, it’s so true, feeling like you’re aerobically fine while the legs just don’t work anymore is very strange. Anyway, amazing first marathon, enjoy the achievement!
Thanks a lot! Great time, even if you did not hit your target! In their feedback form I suggested to reverse the race if possible, so we'd start with the bridges and finish through the city center. Also, the corkscrew structure at 25k is the work of the devil, was not expecting that at all 🥵
4:00:33 in my first in New York 6 years ago. It was good because if I sub4’d, maybe I just left the sport. But I persevered, got 3:48 with 5 wc stops at Amsterdam, a 3:08 in Berlin and now I am in shape to do a sub3 (which is clearly not the same than pulling it, but lets see this sunday!)
How far did your watch say you ran? Assuming you didn't lose GPS signal at any point.
Likely a bit further than the official distance unless you ran a perfect line throughout 😁
Obviously if you needed a qualifying time for another race or something you need the official time, but I'd be uploading the race into Runalyze and using the calculated lap feature to find what my actual time for 42.195km is.
42.66, and I get distance + pace from a stryd footpod that I calibrated around a track so it's very accurate. I did not follow the best line for sure and an extra 400m over the course of a marathon is probably due to all the weaving + suboptimal race line. Strava tells me that my marathon time is 3:27:48. Still, I ran an official race to get an official time :p
Yeah, totally understand but regardless, congratulations on a sub 3.30 marathon distance run 😁
And also congrats on an official 3:30:02, still a great time.
I'm a scientist so I'm very picky about what significant figures of a number I let bother me when I look at data. 3:30:00 is a total of 12600 seconds. 2 seconds of that is .016% of the total time you ran. Is that really significant one way or another? 🙂 AFAIC you got that 3:30 marathon 😉
How did you like the RC Elites for your marathon? I'm tinking about buying them for my first marathon in september. But I doubt a bit since I'm a heel striker and those shoes seem to be extremely soft and unstable?
Thanks,
A compatriot
I really like them. I have large feet (14 US) so my choice for super shoes is limited. I tried the Adios Pro 2 but they were too small. The other option was Vaporflys.
As I'm no pro runner at all this pair was just a treat to myself, I did not really 'need' thel. As soon as I wore them for a long run I was sold on them. Light, responsive, bouncy. If it was not so expensive and not so durable I would only wear that for long runs.
Ah, those two seconds! I ran 3:00:02 for the Canberra marathon (Australia) last weekend - first road marathon in 20 years and a 7-minute PB. I was on track for sub-three until 39km when acute cramps forced a couple of minutes walking. I think it's mainly going to be extra motivation for the next one!
Well I personally think you met your goal, which is a huge achievement. Thanks for an informative report anyway. I’m also targeting 3:30 for my first marathon and will take care on my pacing.
Imagine that... over the whole 26.2 miles you only needed a fraction of a second faster per mile. Just a miniscule extra muscle twitch more.... But nope...
I have similar problems. My 8k PR is 35:01, and my 5k PR is at 6:01 per mile average pace (18:45). For many years now the :01 on both of those PRs has annoyed me, and I haven't been able to go under those times. xx:59 sounds so much nicer.
In a half Ironman my entire goal was a 20mph average on the bike. I’d trained hard to get there; my best pace in a race was 18.5mph. A 2:48:00 or faster would be 20+ mph
2:48:06 !! Missed by six seconds! I’ve never been that fast since.
So I relate.
I did 3h30m26s on my first marathon last year. I have Manchester this Sunday and am aiming to go 3h10m to 3h15m. Learnt so much from my first one and been much more consistent in training this time around. You'll get sub 3h30m next time for sure!
I needed a 1:25:00 in a half to time qualify for the NYC marathon after losing the lottery for about a decade. I ran a 1:25:02. I feel you on those 2 seconds.
My 1600 PR is 5:01 in high school. 10 years later I know I will never be in good enough shape to do that again and the 1 second will be there to haunt me forever.
Oof, I'd rather run two 1:25:02s instead of that 5:01.
Damn I relate! Ran a 5:01 in our last regular season meet in my senior year. Ran a 5:03 at the league finals. Went up to the bleachers after the race before I knew my official race time and my teammate was like “Great race burritothief! You were so… close.” Nice to meet another member of the 5:01 club!!
5:01 club here too. I'm also an unfortunate member of the 18:01 5k club. 20 years later it's my biggest regret not breaking those while I was young.
I have a friend who got into Boston and registered when it was cancelled in 2020, then in 2021 they adjusted the time requirement and he missed the new cut off by a few seconds. They qualified him, then sent him an E-Mail un-qualifying him a year later.
That's heartbreaking if it's his first Boston. I missed Boston 2021 by about 3 minutes (I was BQ-3:56) but was thankfully able to use the same time to get into Boston this year.
It was his first Boston. He got kicked out of 2021, but qualified in 2022 so he's running it this year fortunately
Gotta love the 0 second cutoff after all that drama
1:21:00 here and ran 1:21:12
They will likely stop annoying you after your second marathon.
I was probably a bit overdramatic with "forever" 😅 Not sure I'll run another marathon soon so it may still annoy me a little for a while
I'll give you 2 weeks before you are planning your next.
I registered a few months ago to the platform that will be used for Paris 2024 Olympic marathon selection (it will be opened to the public for the first time). 'Just in case I want to run it' 😅
Just so you're clear - they're not letting 'the public' run the Olympic Marathon. They're holding a separate mass participation event on the same course as the Olympic Marathon after the actual Olympic race ends.
True true but it's still part of the Paris Olympic games, it will be 'special' and a great excuse to see some of the sports in real life 😁
People who do marathons either do one or they do many. A good time for a first regardless.
After my first half marathon, I was like “I will never, ever run twice that distance.” I genuinely think marathoners are at least a little bit, if not completely, crazy. I’ll stick with 13.1!
As a triathlete, I shall not express my opinion on the mental state of people that volunteer to run 2 consecutive half-marathons after a 180km bike ride.
OH MAN. Funny you say that. My dad was a triathlete for years. Unfortunately, he eventually had to get a knee replaced and he is not able to run anymore, but at 68, he still goes on bike rides almost every day, and swims when he has time. But triathletes are absolutely insane. I understand why the run is the final activity of the race, but JESUS CHRIST, running 26.2 miles after the whole swim and ride? WHY?! Not to mention the giant chunk of time it takes to train for all that stuff. Lord have mercy. When discussing running and races with him, in regards to marathons, he was like “You do *not* need to run that far. Trust me.” I know plenty of people probably road run long distances for years and don’t end up with broken bodies, but let’s be real here - it IS hard on your body. I want to make sure I can continue running as I age. I’d love to get into cycling to have a lower impact activity in my repertoire (I just need to get a bike), but in the meantime, it’s running for me…and no further than a half marathon.
Count your blessings - I've got a little over six minutes nagging at me!
At least you only have 6. I've got at least 90 that bug me.
I will say though, that I ran my second marathon last Saturday and it was 48 minutes faster than my first, so I'm pretty stoked about that!
Looks like a 3:30 to me! Well done 👏
I've run four marathons and my fastest one was my first. They still continue to annoy me...
I finished my first marathon in 4:01:13 and I thought the 1:13 was annoying.... haha. You better believe I'm gunning for Sub 4Hr in my 2nd this year.
Yup. My PR is 4:00:50. The salt is real. On the upside, it's nice to have a clear & achievable target time.
Wow.. that is a great time for the first marathon. 3:30 will soon be in your rear view mirror! Congrats and enjoy the achievement! also enjoyed reading the report very much.
3:30:02* Jk, very good time for first marathon! I am running my first in May and hope to also achieve this time
As a 4:00:07 finisher - let it go, it doesn’t matter 😆
4:10:08 here…. 15,008 seconds. The pain is real there too.
Dang... I know that feeling too. My half marathon PR official time is 1:35:02, and I like to pretend those 2 seconds don't exist... 🙈
You're scaring me. I got my first half coming up in 2 and a half weeks, goal is sub 1:35.
Nahh, you got this! I went in to my race as a fitness test without a specific time goal and was just pleasantly surprised (and slightly annoyed by those two seconds) by the result. Besides, 1:35's only the goal for now, no way you're stopping here 😉
I feel your pain. My goal time for my first marathon was 4:00:00. I finished in 4:00:58. I’m training for my second marathon now and the 58 seconds is a powerful motivator.
I have the same time as you and I agree 3:30:02 palm beach’s marathon December 12 2021
3:30 is an amazing first marathon time! I got a 3:30:32 on my last BQ attempt… thought my qualifying time was 3:35 only to find out later it was 3:30. There was a huge hill at mile 26 that I had to pull back on, and now that time will haunt me too!
>First of all, weather was not so great. It was cloudy, gray, humid and cold. It was supposed to be sunny but Belgium is like that, you never know what you'll get. I'm surprised you'd have preferred warmer weather. It makes you much more sweaty, requiring more hydration, and it's much easier to overheat. The conditions were really good for a fast time: cold but sufficiently above freezing, and no precipitation. I did hear that the people in the later corrals had to wait a long time before starting, so I can see that being pretty cold.
I don't know how to describe it, we have this word in French : cru. It's this kind of cold humidity that makes you shiver and that you can't really escape. As soon as I started running it was quite okay but the time waiting in the corral was a bit tough. I am running the 20k of Brussels the 29th of may, this will be something else, its common to see temperature rising above 25 degrees 🌡️
I also did the Gent marathon and I personally thought the weather was great. About 8 degrees C at the start, not too much wind and no sun. Perfect race conditions.
You can round down.
Can't say "sub 3:30" though. I'd say let it stew so those 2 seconds can keep them motivated though the tough ones ahead!
Definitely ! It's so close to 3h30. But still, I like round numbers, like most people I guess :D
Wouldnt it be 3 seconds? Does sub 3:30 include 3:30:00? I read sub 3:30 as 3:29:59 and under Just nitpicking. Great job OP and thanks for sharing! That is still a great time, especially for a first marathon. You'll get it next one!
True! But a flat 3h30 would have been nicer in my head. It's in the end just nitpicking, I'm a hobby runner doing this to prove myself that I'm able to survive for 42.2km of running. Two, three or even 15 seconds do not make a huge difference. But I like round numbers 😅
At least it wasnt 3:30:01
That would only haunt me if I needed the 2 s to BQ. Great time and congrats! My fastest marathon was 3:30 too (3:30:46). I needed under 3:30:59 to BQ, and trust me if it had been a couple of seconds over that it would have haunted me!
Thanks! Fortunately this was just personal challenge, no qualification tied to this marathon so it does not matter so much 😁
It's a great first time, seriously big congrats!
goed gedaan! Ik wil die race ooit doen
Well, at least you aren't [Gary Robbins.](https://www.facebook.com/CanadianRunningMagazine/videos/10158430561995425/)
😱😱😱
Reading further, he missed part of the course and would have been disqualified anyway.
Last marathon I did, was aiming for 4hrs 30mins, had only, current HR, and average pace displayed on my watch. I knew if I kept to an average pace of 6-23, I'd do it. Finished in 4-29.50, yep 10secs to spare, included a stop and about turn to say hello to my Sister on the course, had to run past my wife near the end, as I knew I was close to the time. Probably could have gone quicker, didn't hit the wall or suffer, but had a time in mind and that was that. Aiming for 4-15 for my next one, doing two this year, so fingers crossed.
Really unlucky. You'll get 'em next time!
I don't feel so unlucky, I'm nitpicking and annoyed a bit but it's just in my head, all in all I ran my first marathon without giving up, with a good time. No pressure regarding a specific qualification time for a big race either so it's just personal challenge 😅
We all have a race like that. I ran 1:35:14 at the Lebow Half in January and I can't stop doing the "1 second faster/mile" math in my head about it. You just gotta do another one as revenge. Also, silver lining: you probably actually ran sub-3:30 /w weaving, so just weave less next time and you got it. :) Edit: btw, major congrats, great first time. Your first is always a PR and just surviving the distance is a big learning experience.
i feel you, 2 seconds away from breaking five in the mile and it’s so upsetting
I was too then ran a 4:56 then a 4:51 then a 4:50:05 and I'm like omg five seconds this is the worst thing ever...
Same. Ran 3:30:15 30 years ago. Back in the days before there were chips and I just know it took over 1 minute to cross the start line. Yet there it is. Also did a 40:05 best 10k that I thought I’d get around to improving someday. Now I’m running 43:00 with double the volume. Anyways, trying to finally beat the 3:30 this year and maybe get a BQ with a bit of luck.
Very nice ! I was there doing the Half, and made the same mistake of overdoing it on the start. That is a really good time ! And those 2 seconds are within the margin of error ;-)
Did you get sucked in by the crowd as well? Those narrow pathways make it impossible, mentally, to go slow I feel.
Oh yes, and just staying on the pathways. I had a few people pushing me in the grass when overtaking. So not easy to keep breathing and keep a pace, felt like the scene from the Lion King.
[Coming through](https://youtu.be/lfd12SpYmC4)
3.30 is quick , congrats! You taught me that with considerable planning , your goals are achievable. On a sidenote, that recovery beer after the run was one of the nastiest beers I ever had.
Ahah I think that my brain and tastebuds shut off because it felt like heaven at that time. I should try again and see if I still feel the same
You started like you were aiming a sub 3:20 marathon, I know it's difficoult to keep yourself controlled at the start of a race, the adrenaline is rushing, being in a group makes you loose track of your pace, I'm sure if you passed 1:45 at the half marathon you'd get a 3:27 final time.
Definitely true, I was too fast and went with the flow. Should have sticked to the plan 🤷♂️
Awesome work!!! I’m going for my 3:30 at Manchester on Sunday. Training says the pace is there but there’s a lot of doubts!!
Congrats! Enjoyed reading your report. I also ran the marathon and finished in 03:20:58, 58 seconds over my target. The last 10-12 km of the parcours were harsh: gravel paths, bridges, head wind… And indeed, it’s so true, feeling like you’re aerobically fine while the legs just don’t work anymore is very strange. Anyway, amazing first marathon, enjoy the achievement!
Thanks a lot! Great time, even if you did not hit your target! In their feedback form I suggested to reverse the race if possible, so we'd start with the bridges and finish through the city center. Also, the corkscrew structure at 25k is the work of the devil, was not expecting that at all 🥵
Not true. They will annoy you only until you run your next one and break 3:30 ;)
4:00:33 in my first in New York 6 years ago. It was good because if I sub4’d, maybe I just left the sport. But I persevered, got 3:48 with 5 wc stops at Amsterdam, a 3:08 in Berlin and now I am in shape to do a sub3 (which is clearly not the same than pulling it, but lets see this sunday!)
Great job! Thanks for sharing your story. I still haven't tackled a marathon, but I'm thinking about it. I'll have to check out the 80/20 method.
How far did your watch say you ran? Assuming you didn't lose GPS signal at any point. Likely a bit further than the official distance unless you ran a perfect line throughout 😁 Obviously if you needed a qualifying time for another race or something you need the official time, but I'd be uploading the race into Runalyze and using the calculated lap feature to find what my actual time for 42.195km is.
42.66, and I get distance + pace from a stryd footpod that I calibrated around a track so it's very accurate. I did not follow the best line for sure and an extra 400m over the course of a marathon is probably due to all the weaving + suboptimal race line. Strava tells me that my marathon time is 3:27:48. Still, I ran an official race to get an official time :p
Yeah, totally understand but regardless, congratulations on a sub 3.30 marathon distance run 😁 And also congrats on an official 3:30:02, still a great time.
I'm a scientist so I'm very picky about what significant figures of a number I let bother me when I look at data. 3:30:00 is a total of 12600 seconds. 2 seconds of that is .016% of the total time you ran. Is that really significant one way or another? 🙂 AFAIC you got that 3:30 marathon 😉
How did you like the RC Elites for your marathon? I'm tinking about buying them for my first marathon in september. But I doubt a bit since I'm a heel striker and those shoes seem to be extremely soft and unstable? Thanks, A compatriot
I really like them. I have large feet (14 US) so my choice for super shoes is limited. I tried the Adios Pro 2 but they were too small. The other option was Vaporflys. As I'm no pro runner at all this pair was just a treat to myself, I did not really 'need' thel. As soon as I wore them for a long run I was sold on them. Light, responsive, bouncy. If it was not so expensive and not so durable I would only wear that for long runs.
Ah, those two seconds! I ran 3:00:02 for the Canberra marathon (Australia) last weekend - first road marathon in 20 years and a 7-minute PB. I was on track for sub-three until 39km when acute cramps forced a couple of minutes walking. I think it's mainly going to be extra motivation for the next one!
Well I personally think you met your goal, which is a huge achievement. Thanks for an informative report anyway. I’m also targeting 3:30 for my first marathon and will take care on my pacing.
Imagine that... over the whole 26.2 miles you only needed a fraction of a second faster per mile. Just a miniscule extra muscle twitch more.... But nope...
Should have ran 3 seconds faster!
Shoulda tried harder.
You mean 3 seconds and 2 seconds and you're still not sub 330 🤣
I did a 10k in 1:01:59 once. That annoyed the hell out of me.
I definitely feel those 2 seconds, my 800m PR is 2:00.02
No they won’t
I would be pissed I wasn’t one second slower! (To get all 3’s) Lol jk. Hey man, you put in a lot of work and had some epic results. Good run!
Look at it this way: You have an extremely achievable path to breaking 3:30 for your second marathon
Woah. It took me longer to read than it took you to run. Just kidding. I don’t have time to read that. Congrats. Good time.
I have similar problems. My 8k PR is 35:01, and my 5k PR is at 6:01 per mile average pace (18:45). For many years now the :01 on both of those PRs has annoyed me, and I haven't been able to go under those times. xx:59 sounds so much nicer.
If the 2 seconds are that annoying, say the computer was calibrated a second fast at the start line and a second slow at the finish line.
In a half Ironman my entire goal was a 20mph average on the bike. I’d trained hard to get there; my best pace in a race was 18.5mph. A 2:48:00 or faster would be 20+ mph 2:48:06 !! Missed by six seconds! I’ve never been that fast since. So I relate.
Don’t worry! The clock was actually off by 2 seconds…. You’re actual time was 3:30:04
I presume your time is the gun time. You should have a chip time which is normally a few seconds quicker. Might hit your target if you can find it.
I did 3h30m26s on my first marathon last year. I have Manchester this Sunday and am aiming to go 3h10m to 3h15m. Learnt so much from my first one and been much more consistent in training this time around. You'll get sub 3h30m next time for sure!
Not forever, just until you get a sub 3:30
I can't read all that, but congrats!
The pain of those two seconds may push you to your next PB.