After a year of careful prep, religious adherence to coach's training plan. Ran through heat, rain, sleet. Coach says run, I run.
Couple days before race day, feeling pretty queasy for a couple hours. It passes, but I'm tired and no appetite. I make myself eat properly anyways.
Race day. Mile 14, hello! I'll spare details other than to note that I both finished and maintained dignity. But I finished 20-25 minutes slower than goal, all of that due to second half, with 6 minutes due to dignity-maintaining activities (God bless port-a-potties), unknown time lost to holding onto trees and hoping to discard more virus, and no nutrition for last hour (couldn't stomach it, so-to-speak). People at the end of the course were asking if I needed the med tent (glad I didn't go and spread the virus).
By evening, I felt as bad laying in bed (with exact same symptoms) as I did on mile 25. So I think that means that the time was (mostly?) attributable to the bug, not just a bad second half? Speak truth to me if not, I'm in this for the long haul.
Plan was to work on speed for the summer (I'm slow) and pick up another marathon next spring. But I really hate to waste all this work without a real measure of where I'm at.
So, do I do a late spring marathon (a couple pounds lighter!)? Do a fall marathon? Write this off and stick to plan? Or grab the person I'm pretty sure gave this to me and force him to do a race pace long run with me as punishment?