The Race

My stomach began turning flips Friday afternoon. So, you can imagine how I was feeling before we started out! I was in amazement at all the people; and all the fast people! The 1st mile, I had a side stitch in my right side. I never get them in my right side; I've only had them in my left side! Around mile 2 1/2, I thought I was going to throw up from the drainage in my throat from the cold I tried to catch the previous week. I put 8,000 mg of vitamin C in my body within 2-3 days! Once I was over that, it wasn't too bad.
I tried "running" through the 1st water station. Yeah, I'm not that coordinated I guess! The water stations were every 2 miles, so at all the rest of them I walked through them. This proved to be a much easier and smarter way to drink! I did hit a wall around 4 miles, 8 miles, and 10 miles.
Despite it all, I FINISHED! Which was my goal for the race. It took me 2 hours 35 minutes and 12 seconds to finish. Once I emotionally crossed the finish line, I thought that was it. I never wanted to run that long a race again and certainly not a marathon. However, now that my legs work properly and my lower back doesn't feel like I was punched; I'm thinking I can do better. I think I can beat my time...I just might be hooked on this running thing?!