Redemption? Hardly.

I ran another marathon.  Maybe I shouldn't have.  Yeah, I probably shouldn't have.  I'm not feeling all that poetic about the experience, even though the course was beautiful and I ran most of it with a dear friend.  I'm trying really hard not to be bitter, but you can see my frustration leak out in the small bursts of profanity.  I'm not apologizing, just giving you a heads up.  Here are the pros and cons from the experience:

Pros:
1. Sugarloaf, Maine is beautiful.  I wanted to make-out with the trees, but I don't think it would have been a satisfying experience for me, or the trees.
2. The course is perfect.  Seriously.  A few big hills between miles 8 through 10 and then it's basically down hill.  Too bad the scenery rocked and the lungs were still sucktastic.
3. Otter-Pops are amazing whilst running long distances.  I did make out with that Otter-Pop.  Oh, and it was good.
4. Holding back in the beginning is always a good idea.  I am grateful I had a friend to help me do that.

5. I am pretty damn mentally strong.  Because that marathon kicked my behind and I desperately wanted to just lie down on the ground and take a nap, but I didn't.
6. I got to see my husband's love for me in action.  He really loves me, and happens to be an awesome race supporter.  The best, I dare say.
7. My brother drove 2 hours just to cheer me on.  Wow.
8. I wasn't going to come to the conclusion on my own, so this race helped me realize something important.  I need to take a break from racing.  How long of a break that will be is still to be determined.

Cons
1. It was really hot.  80+ degrees, hot.  It takes my asthmatic lungs a little (like a month of trainign in heat) while to adjust to running the heat in the summer.  They did not feel adjusted for this race.  Poor bastards.
2. My feet wanted to be in Vibrams the whole time, but weren't strong enough, so I had to run in shoes for the first 20 miles.  I still can't completely feel the tips of my swollen toes 3 days later.
3. My ego feels like it just got kicked in the stomach, again.  Another barely-under-four-hour marathon.  Ug.
4. I am so very, very tired.  Embarrassingly so.  I think the SLC marathon and the Ragnar and then this marathon all within the same month was a bit to much.  I hate to admitt that because I want to go on with the delusion that I'm invincible.  Boo.
5. After about mile 11 I was just tired.  Just tired, heavy and slow.  The opposite of all the good things about running.  My brain was all:
"let's go!  I want to run fast!  Come on!"
and my body/lungs were all:
"Yeah, right, you go ahead."
 I crossed the finish line, stopped running, and shuffled my way to Jeff's arms, looking like I was 70.  Blerg.

So, I'll chalk this one up as another learning experience, swallow my pride and and try to work not only harder, but smarter.  Now here's a picture of us on a wire bridge that we found on the way home from the race.  That smile is a  "I'm so &;%$# glad it's over"type smile.  Sigh.