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.