331st place

The official Bear Water Run results are in! My pace, over 20 miles, was 9:08, which, as I said earlier, makes this the fastest race I've ever run. Even better than that, though, is the fact that my pace for the first half of the run (which included a Porta-Potty pit stop!) was 8:54! These numbers, which are surprising even to me, still wouldn't get me into Boston, but they would result in a sub-four hour marathon time, which I'd like to run at some point in my life. The problem is that the last few miles of a marathon are so much more difficult than the first ones that they pretty much constitute a second race. I'm still going to be thrilled if I can finish the TCM this year in under four and a half; a 10 minute average would give me that with a little room to spare.

After the race on Sunday, The Amazing Doctor Carter was giving free mini-ART sessions, and I had him work on my hips, which are what usually give me the most trouble during and after long runs. He helped me stretch them out, and though it was pretty painful, they felt amazing afterward and haven't bothered me at all since. In fact, I haven't had any joint pain--although my calves and shins remain tight, and my quads are on fire.

Woooo, marathon body, woooo!