well i finished! 5:49:04 – not as good as i’d hoped, i was aiming for 5:30.

in the end, i hated every single minute of it. i mean, i knew it was going to be hilly, and my strategy was to walk up the hills and run everything else i could. but it was so hilly that huge swathes of it were more like an extremely steep, strenuous hike. the rest of it was very difficult terrain – i’m still not sure how i managed to avoid falling for the whole thing – loose rocky bits, slick grassy downhills, rooted forest floor, all threatening to twist an ankle with every step. much of the running was on a cant, making my knees complain.

the scenery was spectacular, but since i almost tripped every time i lifted my eyes from the path, i didn’t spend much time gazing at it.

and it was lonely – no spectators to speak of, no one to encourage you when you were struggling. crowd support is so important.

so when they said 3500 ft of ascent, i wasn’t really thinking about it like this (profile of the route)

still, i finished. it was the hardest marathon i’ve run, and i didn’t have much fun.

so is it really sick that i’m thinking about the next one?

(oh, and of all the things i could have forgotten? i forgot the camera. but of all the things i could have forgotten, i forgot the camera. so no pics, i’m afraid.)

the beatles – i’m so tired

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