More on the marathon

This is the shirt I wore in the marathon. It's not really that dark, but the shirt was soaking wet! Also pictured are my race number, finisher's medal and certificate. And the ever-important bottle of Ibuprofren that kept me moving before, during and after the run. The time on the certificate is the clock time, the chip time is listed below. I could've had my certificate laminated for 250 Yen, but decided to keep it real for the scrapbook!

Hopefully some of the other people who had cameras there will share their digi-pics with me so I can put them up. I did buy a disposable camera to leave in my bag, I didn't want anyone to swipe my new digital, but never actually used it!

One thing I was really surprised about in the marathon was all of the support from the crowd- not just cheering; these people had bought their own stuff to share with marathoners-water, sports drinks, candy, fruit, popsicles, etc. How kind! I prefer the cheering in the Chicago Marathon (only because the people in Chicago typically cheer in English so I know what they're saying) but I cannot imagine people anywhere else being so incredibly generous to strangers.
They even had this spray that was like Bengay. You just run up to people, hold your breath and close your eyes and they spray it on your legs. It felt awesome! (Except for when it went into my gaping open wound on the back of my heel!) I told myself it was "speed spray"!
Today I'm home from school recovering. I'll stretch out a little more and get some stuff done around the house. My toes are still sore and I need to find some Neosporin for my heel. My quads are really sore and my legs feel a little jello-y when I walk. But despite all that, it still feels good to be a marathoner!