Zosima’s Blog

I successfully completed my first marathon on Sunday! Yes, I am still sore. Yes, it was very difficult. Yes, it was worth it. It was crazy running around that many people, there were 11,716 finishers (both half and full marathon). Things definitely thinned out when the half marathon cut out, but it was crazy running with that many people. The weather conditions were rough, namely the rain. I do wonder how much my waterlogged shoes+socks weighed at the finish . At least I did not have to worry about overheating. The marathon was a cool way to tour the city, but when we started there was so much rain/fog you could only see the top of the arch “floating” in the air. As far as the run itself I was pretty strong up until about mile 19. I actually was ahead of the 4:15 pace group at that point. The next five miles were unbelievably difficult, but I am proud to say I kept jogging and only walked at the water stations. Not a quick jog (I was passed by one speed-walker), but it was a jog. I had a decent kick for the last mile and was able to sprint to the finish. My official results were finishing in 4:43:01, which isn’t bad considering my “goal” was a 4:30 (actually it was to finish, but you know). In retrospect, perhaps I should have paced better with the group but I am not at all disappointed with the result. Event photos are here, although there are none of me. Photos of me are here. Enjoy!