win
well i survived the marathon, and not only did i manage to go the whole way without stopping but i ran it a lot faster than i was aiming for, finishing in 3:19 (good for a 7:36 mile pace). i owe this partly to the good fortune i had to avoid any gastrointestinal disasters, but also to the fact that i forgot to bring a watch. there were precious few timers along the route, so i just ran as fast as i felt was sustainable. it worked out well, and i found myself accelerating as the race went on, even kicking the last 6 miles or so when i got a little buzz from being back on my home turf of saint paul. but i surprised even myself when i saw the clock at the finish line!
in spite of running well, i can’t really see myself running another one. it’s just too long a race to be completely enjoyable. the first 18 miles or so are really a blast, there’s tons of spectators (thanks everyone who came to watch!), people are in a good mood, and you get a little rush from the cheering. it’s fun. but the last 5 or 6 miles of the race are pretty miserable. you’re hurting enough that you just want to be done, none of the runners are talking anymore, and people are dropping left and right. but when you get done it all seems worth it, it’s a pretty cool experience. and to top things off my parents managed to finish the 10-mile race, which is awesome. in the future i think i will probably stick to marathons/2 from now on, though =)
