26.2....been there, run that!

We did it! We ran (over) 26.2 miles. The reason I say over is because you end up running more when you are on running from one side of street to another, etc. I wouldn't know for sure because my iPod locked up at 19 miles and I had to reset it... losing 3 hours and 33 minutes of running data. I think I want a Garmin for Christmas.

Here is the short version and I will post a complete race report after I get some much-needed sleep. I have some great pictures to post as well.

Pros:

• I finished! I have accomplished something only 1% of the population can say they have done.
• The culmination of months of training was well worth it. It was a great experience overall.
• Crossing the finish line hand-in-hand with Lisa after running for hours next to her was a wonderful experience. Since our names were on our shirts we heard "Go Lisas!!" quite a bit, which was fun.
• Chatting with other runners throughout the day was fun. We definitely were a big community, especially in the back part of the pack.
• I am officially a "middle-of-the-pack" girl too! I finished 8270 out of 16373 (just shy of top half, darnit!) However, in my age and gender groups I was well into the top half--yeah (382 out of 1017 and 3271 out of 8425).

Cons:

• It was FREAKIN' HARD.
• I didn't finish close to the time I thought I would and ran quite a bit slower than my training pace. I was hoping to run a 4:30, but we came in at 4:54.
• I didn't have as much energy as I would have liked. I felt pretty toasted by mile 16 or so. If it weren't for seeing my wonderful husband and family at mile 14, I probably would have faded around then.
• While Jen finished, she wasn't able to finish with Lisa and I. It was a bit of a sour note on a great finish.
• I became too familiar with race porta potties. The "runners trots" hit me in the late miles.
• My iPod had issues which was annoying and distracting. I think it got wet from my sweat and various sprayed water along the way.

I should have been in bed hours ago. I am exhausted. I am excited to talk about the race in more detail tomorrow sometime.