Looking for a challenge for the day, I decided to run the Pine Line Trail from Prentice to Medford (my home). The weather was favorable at the start - temps in the high 60s, complete cloud cover, and a slight rain. I carried a hydration vest with 2L of water in the bladder, a back up 16oz bottle of water, and my snacks for the day. A friend dropped me off at the Morner Rd trailhead. I snacked on some wild strawberries at the trailhead, and then set off. The trail was in great shape aside from one downed tree that I had to climb my way through. I enjoyed spotting the historic depot signs, noting where depots were when this route had been a railway. Overall, the miles felt easy. At the half way point, I switched from steady running to a run/walk strategy, in order to control my creeping heartrate. I would run to my mile split alert, and then walk 60-90 seconds. For the next seven miles, this kept my pacing very consistent and I was holding a 10:58/mi pace through mile 20. By that point it was mid-day. The clouds had cleared and the sun was out for the more exposed final 10K stretch. I stuck with my run/walk strategy but pace dropped a bit. I struggled in the last couple of miles and switched to a 4:1 run/walk to finish. I had to pull out the spare bottle of water as I crossed Center Ave (one mile to go). I had been pleased to find that there were mile marker signs counting down to Medford. These signs seemed to perfectly line up with the mileage on my watch and so they were helpful for pacing. The one thing I quickly noted at the Mile 25 sign, was that the route would add up short of the promised 26.2mi - I ended up with 25.87mi in 4:47:46 at Allman Rd in Medford. I hit the split at the Mile 0 sign, took a photo for documentation and then continued onto the mill pond trail towards home for a third of a mile to get my hoped for marathon distance. From there I walked the rest of the way home (just under a mile), stopping at the local gas station for a much needed cold soda.