Long Weekend

OK, FFB is finally back "live." Sorry for the lack of posts.

The marathon weekend was great. We drove up to Philadelphia on Saturday morning, which was probably the worst part of the experience--I-95 traffic, especially through the "state" of Delaware. (Delaware reminds me of some Afghanistan province where the local warlords shake you down just so you can pass through.) Then we went to the Expo, got our numbers and t-shirts, bought a few things, and then checked into our hotel. Then dinner at "The Saloon," a traditional Italian restaurant that a friend tells me used to be frequented by, er, alleged participants in organized crime. (Didn't see anyone who looked, er, suspicious, but they did have a "Godfather" collage on one wall, and there was, really, a giant oil painting of a naked women over the stairwell. It was classy, though.) The food was good; I only wished that I could have eaten more. The place is best known for its steaks, but one shouldn't eat a massive steak hours before running 26.2 miles.

Sunday was just about a perfect day for a marathon. It was cool at start time and didn't warm up, too much, by the finish. It was clear and sunny, not too breezy.

We both did about as well as we had hoped, given the state of our training. I ran the marathon in under four hours, which was my goal (3:57 and a few seconds). But there's a reason for that old marathoner's saying:

You won't run another marathon until you forget the last one.

I won't be running another one for awhile. The last four or five miles . . . just hurt. Speaking of which, I still hurt right now.