Some early pictures from the marathon....much better ones coming!

http://www.marathonfoto.com/order_assigned_photos.cfm?BFI=nv2hom5dyi&OID=13692006F1&BibNumber=19230&CustomerNumber=D93382&Currency=USD&Language=en

4 hours 28 minutes 42 seconds

That's how long it took. 4 hours, 28 minutes and 42 seconds to complete my first marathon. Today was an unreal day, filled with excitement, pain, and fun. It started early as Ramsey and I headed out to the starting line. It was pretty chilly this morning (around 40 degrees) so the hour or so long wait wasn't too much fun. Not to mention the fact that we were anxious to get started. I've never seen so many people at a race in my life. As we all lined up it was amazing to see. As far as I could see in front of me and behind me was just a mass of runners (around 34,000 total). The first couple miles were good as we were very excited....they were a little slow just because of the number of runners. Really it didn't thin out until I got to mile 11 or so, and even then you would hit big pockets of runners. I felt really good as the marathon progressed, and was keeping a good pace, aiming at trying to run a 4:30 marathon.

I was actually running faster than that until I hit mile 20. That was in some ways a "wall" for me. Before today I had never run more than 18 miles.....and mile 20 on became more difficult with each step. But when it got real bad was around mile 23. Between mile 23 and 25 I was really hurting and had to come way back off my pace. Im proud to say I didn't walk a single step of the race, but during those two miles my running couldn't have been much faster than just walking.

Once I saw the sign for mile 25 I knew I had done it. At that point I was so close I knew I could do it. Things got emotional for me at that point. I guess looking back on the training and preparation I had made, as well as the injury I battled made everything a bit overwhelming. I found myself tearing up as I plugged along that mile. It was a great feeling as the 26 mile marker got closer and closer. The last two-tenths of mile of the race are uphill as you run toward the Iwo Jima Memorial. As I got to the bottom of the hill I picked up the pace considerably. I had a former Marine behind me who started pushing me harder. The two of us ended up sprinting all the way up that hill to the finish line. After we crossed he shook my hand and we talked for a while. He thought I was also a Marine.....was sorry to let him down. He seemed to be at least somewhat pleased that if I wasn't a Marine I was a police officer.

Overall, this was a great experience. I couldn't be happier that I had the chance to participate in this event and look forward to the next one.......

Pictures and more details coming soon.

This morning I woke up a little before 5:00 AM to start what would be my longest run before the marathon. I'm currently in Nags Head on vacation, so I thought the change of scenery would be nice. I plotted out my 18 mile course yesterday....the straightest stretch of road I've ever ran, thats for sure. I had one turn, beyond that it was pretty much like running in a straight line for 18 miles. One thing that I hadn't accounted for was wind. I was about a block off the Atlantic Ocean for the entire run, and from start to finish I felt like I was running straight into the wind. It certainly slowed me down a bit, but I still managed to complete the run in just a few minutes over 3 hours. This was certainly the most painful of the long runs, as the miles add up, the knees begin to feel the pain. Around mile 15 I started to feel my knees with each step. I pushed through and ran the entire distance, and after some stretching jumped into the hottub (benefit of being on vacation). That and a couple of Alleve have helped the soreness. The marathon is just over a week away, and there are no more long runs between now and then. Honestly I will probably only run 1 or 2 days between now and the race, and those will be short runs. The last week is going to be more about getting myself in a good position to start and finish the 26.2 on Sunday. Overall I'm really happy with how the training has come along. I had some serious doubts a few months back....taking 2 months off for a stress fracture didn't help. But my body has held up well, and the running has gone even more smoothly than I could have imagined. 8 days and counting........

I just ran 16 miles...All by myself.

Well, the 16 mile run is complete. I started this morning a little before 5:30 am and completed the run in about 2 hours and 38 minutes. I'm sticking right at my planned marathon pace of 10 minute miles. Everything went well on the run, and I'm glad to have that distance under my belt. To complete a marathon all I have to do is run another 10.2 miles! Cardio wise I'm sure Ill be fine, but the knees and joints do take a beating. I could tell I had run 16 miles when I did my stretches after getting back home. Overall I couldn't be happier with the results of the run, as indicated by my ridiculous smile above. 18 miler this coming weekend, then its time to coast into the DC and knock out the Marathon.

Me, just after completing my 14 mile run.

14 miles!

Well, I just completed my 14 mile run for the week and it went very well. Just under 2 hours and 20 minutes, right at a 10 minute mile pace. My schedule got a little messed up due to some heavy rains, but I got the run in. 16 miler coming up next weekend.