And Scene.

Writing, as I am, on the morning after, is perhaps one of the few activities I can manage in relative comfort given the current status of my feet, legs, and lower back. All in all, I am happy to report that I finished the marathon yesterday in one piece (though towards the end I wasn't so sure whether a few pieces might fall off; namely, my right foot).

As previously indicated, I had no preset goal(s) for time. My goal was to finish and finish I did. Here is the rundown:

5K 33:03

10K 1:05:58

Half 2:24:41

30K 3:22:12

20mi 3:36:11

Finish 4:39:54

Pace 10:41

Carrie and I started at about ten after eight and it was wonderful running through the streets of downtown Minneapolis. Aside from the visual stimulation, the first seven miles or so went by unnoticed because we were far to concerned with the cold and the wet. By mile six, the downpour was ravishing our bodies, numbing both my hands and forearms, and slowing us down a lot due to the added water weight in our shoes. It finally cleared up, much to our relief, and the next thirteen or so miles went by without much extraneous physical effort. Both Carrie and I enjoyed all the enthusiasm from the spectators, which included my family, her family, and thousands of others, including live musicians, kids handing out candy, and people who cheered us on by name because we wore name-tags. At first I found this a bit unnerving but later came to appreciate being singled out by name (or number) as it quite literally boosted my energy level.

Between mile twenty and twenty-one, the tide turned as my right foot cramped up. Carrie and I started to lose each other time and again and when we got to mile twenty-three, Carrie opted to walk for a bit. I continued on, however, because it hurt my foot more to walk than run. Looking back, I wish I had stuck with Carrie because the last few miles were actually quite lonely, which in turn intensified the pain in my right foot.

Despite all the gloom and doom, I can't articulate how fantastic it was when the finish line came into view. I picked up the pace slightly towards the end, ignoring what now felt like a constant Charlie horse in my right foot. I crossed and finished; and just like that, it was over.

When I finally found Carrie and our families, my mom asked about the obvious redness of my left shoe, which, upon removing my shoe and sock, revealed a bleeding toe. Note to self: remember to cut toe-nails before running a marathon. Ha! Don't worry, it wasn't painful and the blood washed out quite readily with cold water (thankfully).

By and large, this was one of the greatest experiences of my life. It's still too soon to say whether I will run another full marathon - at least that's what my right foot is urging me to write this morning.