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4:35:07

I can now testify to the truthfulness of running the last third of a marathon with your heart. Physique plays an important part of the game, but at mile 20, everyone feels crappy. At the end, it is the mind who keeps one going, keeps one persevering, and keeps one enduring pain. During the last few miles, I really wanted to stop. My legs are sore, my feet hurt, and my knees feel like they could buckle anytime. My body probably really hated me for not listening, but I had to go with my heart that said no stopping.

To my rescue, my friend Greg Hassen from Southcoast Road Runners found me and ran me in at mile 22. That was tremendous help. Perhaps I would have really stopped if he didn`t pace me and kept me companied. Thank God for sending help right when I needed it.

Although I didn`t meet my arbitrary goal of 4:30, I was happy about the race. It was arbitrary because I never ran 26.2 miles in my life. Running an 8 minute pace on a 10 mile run doesn`t mean I could do the same for another 16.2 mile. The last couple miles were unknown territory and I could honestly say that I did what I could. So 4:35 it is. That was my first marathon.
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