i tried not to post another entry so soon. i can't help it!

there are images from race day that i will never forget. being surrounded on both sides by big trees in the midst of the annual fall color change while "racing" past lake harriet, the leaves starting to sprinkle down on top of us in what seemed like slow motion. i will never forget those images. time stood still. i was in awe of my surroundings. i had trained here for months, but i never imagined it would look like this on race day. i will never forget it.

i have obviously been thinking about the race every waking minute since it ended. overall i'm so thrilled. i grin a lot during the day. i pump my fists in the air when i think no one is looking. if i could complete a marathon every couple weeks, i'd be a walking buzz of pure energy and positive vibes. maybe i can hold on to this feeling for a long time though!

i feel guilty posting again before thanking everyone individually. i apologize. i am very slowly getting back to you all. all of you supported me. and you, you, you, and you (and you and you) gave me advice that i directly followed on race day, before race day, and after race day. and all through my training. and i thought about the fact that you took the time to give me that advice and how much that rules!

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i felt really bad for this one girl who was grabbing her knee while walking, and crying, and pleading with her bf or husband about the fact that she could not go on anymore. but then i checked the results and she beat me!! ah crap! beat by a crying girl who had a sore knee. ha ha. just kidding, i'm glad she was able to pull through. i wonder where she passed me though. dang, how'd she do that!!! heh.
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ok, ok, the weather. it felt warm to me in the early miles but i didn't know how to put it into context. maybe what felt warm to me was normal for everybody else. because i didn't exactly know what to say about the temp and humidity, i didn't mention it in my description of the race. after the first couple of miles, i never thought about the weather (and i think this helped me mentally). zeke mentioned the weather in his comment, and i really appreciated that zeke because i didn't know what it was supposed to feel like out there under the "normal" conditions.

tri-mama is also a proud finisher of the TCM! she also talks about the weather better than i could, and she gives some interesting facts. she is also sporting the biggest blister i've ever seen (ouch!). check it out, and give her a nice pat on the back too.

i'm exhausted. i haven't been able to sleep since sunday. maybe i'll get to bed early tonight.