First, I forgot to talk about how after the race, I found Team reGen again and got to help them distribute a bunch of samples in the finishers' village. It was great not only getting more involved with the team, but also meeting people that I'd previously only seen or heard from on Twitter or Facebook. For example, I met Marci who is a two-time Ironman finisher and a ten-time marathon finisher! That's right, the Baltimore Marathon was her tenth 26.2.
Second, I forgot to mention one of the biggest parts of the weekend and my Baltimore Marathon experience as a whole; I broke my streak. I know, I could hardly believe it once I realized what had happened. On Friday I was so concerned with getting to Baltimore, picking up my packet, meeting Team reGen and preparing for the race that I completely forgot to get my mile in. Totally forgot. I only remembered on marathon morning when I was packing up my bag. I was pretty disappointed since it happened accidentally, but I decided that there was something meaningful about its timing. Maybe it was symbolic. Of what, I'm not certain. I'm sure it could be spun a thousand different ways. But the fact of the matter is, my 8 month, 11 day streak is over. I've started a new one and I'm on day 4.
Third, part of the victory here was that I can go into the NYC marathon with many fewer worries. I'll still be nervous and I'll still get choked up at the start, but I'll feel much less pressure to run it under 4:30. I hope it happens, but I won't be broken up if it doesn't because I just love the experience.
Fourth, a few race specifics. Although I purchased those Clif Shot Bloks, I didn't eat them. As I was trying to determine what to check in my bag and what to keep on me, I didn't relish the idea of carting them along for 13 or 14 miles and I didn't have any sort of pocket in which to keep them. I decided to leave them in the hopes that there would be gels on the course. There were, but interestingly enough, I picked one up (around mile 15, maybe?) and held it the entire race. This may have been the first marathon in which I didn't consume any sort of nutrition (not counting fluids) during the race. Additionally, there weren't start waves! I suppose this is similar to the way it's done at the Big D Texas Marathon that I've done a couple of times, but I was surprised.
Never underestimate the value of a really good, upbeat playlist. I'm not ashamed to admit that I love listening to music when I run. The playlist I used began as one I created during the hour and a half or so I had before the Staten Island Half Marathon and later expanded upon when I realized that it was very effective as a race playlist.
I'll never stop being irked by people who say things like "It's all downhill from here!" I know they mean well, but 99% of the time, they're lying!
Finally, I met a woman who's trying to run a marathon in each of the 50 states on the bus to AND from NYC. I didn't get her contact info, though I probably should have because I'd be interested in following her progress. It was interesting to talk to her. She's covered 11 states so far and I wish her the best of luck.
So yes, I think that's finally everything. Now, everyone get excited for tomorrow's post and have a good run (or bike or swim...or other)! Oh, PS, here are a couple of pictures I was able to take with Team reGen:
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