"But it was the most pleasant exhaustion I have ever known."

Wow! First of all, I just want to say a HUGE thank you to everyone for being so incredibly supportive. It was amazing to have all of the friends and fellow TNTers out there on the course on Saturday. Thank you Chris, Lena, Brian, Brandon, Ashwin, Jess, Annie, Joey, Jonah, Jedi's mom, Coach Charlie ... and anyone and everyone else who was there that I have left off. Seeing friendly faces and hearing familiar voices was definitely a comfort during those many miles! As I've said several times before, my experience training for (and now running) this marathon with TNT was absolutely amazing -- I've been so fortunate to have met such wonderful people.

Congrats Crystal! You did it!! You should be so proud of yourself. And congrats to all of the other TNT participants who completed their events this weekend! (Chris didn't mention it, but he ran an amazing half marathon in Virginia Beach this past Sunday.) High fives all around.

I must say, I felt a great sense of accomplishment crossing the finish line. Not only did I prove to myself that I was capable of running 26.2 miles, but I also managed to meet my own personal time goal. Sweet! I don't think I could have asked for a better first marathon experience. My hips and knees were not too fond of me for a couple days after the race, but they're less sore now, and I have absolutely zero regrets about running that far. In fact, I want to do it again -- and soon!

The day itself was perfect for running: chilly at the start, but gorgeous once the sun came up. I think the fact that I was cold before the gun went off helped to calm my nerves a bit (I was too excited about getting warm to be nervous about the race!). Working my way up the pacing groups was also exciting, as I had to start further back in the pack than I had originally planned. (I suppose that's what I get for making one last trip to the bathroom ...). It was nice bumping into fellow runners Barry and Tricia, especially since we got to run with one another for a couple miles at a time. Thanks for keeping me going guys! I'll admit, the run through Anacostia was everything I had heard it would be. To put it simply, it was lonely and painfully long. But once I saw mile marker 24, I was rejuvinated. Ok, so maybe my leg muscles didn't feel fantastic ... but my spirits were certainly raised. I found myself saying out loud, "Just keep running. Don't stop, just keep running. You can do this." And as insane as I felt doing that, I honestly think it was completely necessary. I did stop to walk briefly a few times toward the end -- my legs just didn't want to keep going. Thank goodness for those random runners who shouted, "You can do it purple! You're almost there! Keep going!" I know you'll probably never read this, but thank you so much!

I could go on and on ... when you spend that amount of time running, there is a lot to reflect on. I won't bore you. I just want to say that I am so excited for everyone else who still has their marathon coming up! It will be amazing. Everyone will do great!

Once again, thank you all SO much for the kind words and support. Running this marathon with TNT has been even better than I thought it would. I have been inspired to do many more events in the future. I'm hoping to even continue training and possibly run in Nashville at the end of April ... so maybe I'll see you guys back on the trail! Now, off to my first run since Saturday ... :-).