Marathon - The Aftermath

It's been 3 days since the Detroit Marathon and life is back to normal. I've been reflecting on the race - nothing too deep, but I thought I'd share some of my thoughts, feelings, blah, blah, yakity schmackity.

A.) I was hurting but still in good spirits on Belle Isle. Dude runs by me and he's bustin' booty - as in tooting, passing gas, cutting the cheese, etc. This is a very normal thing. What was abnormal was volume and duration. Channeling Caddyshack Rodney Dangerfield I shouted out "Did somebody step on a duck?!?" He was not amused...


B.) I'm wondering if I made the best shoe choice. I wore my Brooks Ravenna 4s, which are my current favorite shoe. They are comfortable shoes for mild overpronators, have good forefoot cushioning, etc. With how my knees felt, I'm wondering if I would have been better off in my Brooks Adrenaline 12s. They aren't quite as flexible, but they have a bit more support than the Ravennas. Before I switched from "any running shoe" to the Adrenaline 11s then 12s, I have had little knee pain (haven't really had any with the Ravenna's either). It probably wouldn't have mattered, but maybe it would have...
C) The Detroit Freep Marathon was a great race. Good organization, good course, support, drink stations, scenery, etc. I would certainly consider running this event again, though it may be the half marathon. The first half of the course is just better. Better scenery, more memorable landmarks, etc. It was better running when there were more people around too.
D) Overall, I am very happy with how the race went for me. I won't say it was a "dream" of mine, but it certainly was a big goal to complete the marathon. I gave it my best shot. With that said, I'm disappointed I didn't have a better finishing time. Trying not to second guess myself, but was I being too much of a wimp late in the race? Could I have fought through it a little better? Should I have run the first half of the race faster or slower? I think I should have finished 20 - 30 minutes faster if all went well. 3:57 something would have sounded better than 4:17 something. I don't want to run another marathon right now, but I want to run another marathon now and get another crack at it. Eventually...

Taking a knee after the race

E) Support from family, friends, co-workers, running pals and running groups was great. It was one of the best things about this whole adventure.

My cold honey & me

F) Whenever my next marathon will be, I think I'll be running more miles. Not sure how, but other people do it. Also more hills. My legs need to be stronger and more durable.
G) If you're in a group of spectators on the course and not cheering, I will make you cheer. All it takes is a well timed "Woooooooo!" as I run by. If you somehow still don't cheer, you're a punk.
H) I am going to put a 26.2 sticker on my car. If ya don't like it, too bad. :)
I) I feel guilty for how I feel in D. Being able to complete this race was a blessing and a gift.
J) While my current resting was planned, it felt strange not to run yesterday and today. I think I could have run just fine today, but I will run tomorrow or Friday.
K) While I would have preferred to run in a short sleeve tech shirt and shorts, I made the right wardrobe choice with long sleeves and long pants. (I wore my tech shirt from the 2013 Crim under my shirt. The Crim people got some negative feedback about the shirt. It is thin and a bit ugly, but I really like it as a running shirt.) 
L) I was expecting bigger crowds of spectators at the race. For the number of runners, I thought it was a bit sparse. Didn't expect people 6 deep throughout the course, but the Crim had much better spectator support. I think the neighborhoods in Flint take a lot of ownership in that race. Perhaps it was just too darn cold.
I think that is enough alphabetting for now. Later.