Toenails are for sissies!

Two days post race and I feel great!  Yes, my quads do remind me when I walk up the stairs that they worked hard for me on Sunday, and, my toenail is gearing up to fall off yet again, but already, the heat and the upset gut after consumption of large quantities of Gatorade are a fading memory!

The race itself was busy to say the least - it is hard to truly prepare yourself for the crush of people at the start - literally making adjusting one's shoe (or undergarment!) an impossibility. You really only know when to begin when the massive pack around you starts bobbing up and down in an attempt to move forward without stepping on anyone.  Tripping is the biggest worry at that point, so far away from the start line that you can't even imagine the finish!  

The heat - well, I heard many a runner echo our own complaints, that while the majority of the course is a beautifully scenic one, the hot sun melts away thoughts of a personal best time for many 'average' athletes.  And while personal best was not my goal this year, finishing strong was, and I did do that to the best of my ability.

This race was a bit of an experiment for me - didn't start off that way, however, by the time the month of April was all but done I recognized that my training and nutrition plan were going to affect my race.  That is, my lack of training and somewhat lax attention to best odds nutrition that had done me well in previous pre-race months.  However, I was confident in my ability to finish the distance, and, finish with a smiling flushed face I did.  Proud of the months of training I did do, the dedication to maintaining my fitness level in spite of juggling all of life's physical and emotional peaks and valleys, and the knowledge that when needed, I can 'dig deep' and keep my body moving through positive self talk and sheer mental fortitude!  Quite honestly, my proudest feeling about completing this race was that I hardly had to stretch my mind at all to reach the point where I knew I would keep going and finish.  Now that pure genuine contentment and confidence of knowledge is worth more than any number on the time clock!