Well, I withdrew by choice at 59.2-miles.  It was quite the experience for sure.  Lot's of loose rock in that part of Missouri.  Having it covered by leaves made it tricky.  There were several trees down from a Spring windstorm which left many holes from rootballs on the trail that had to be worked around and made for several climb through and over sections.  We all caught the bus at 3:00 am and the race started at 6:00.  The temperature in the daytime got to 77.  I had leg cramps that dogged me through the day starting around 30-miles.  I had the first cut-off by more than an hour.  The second cut-off at mile 43 I made by 15-minutes.  At 12:15 AM I reached the 8th aid station and the cut-off at the next station was 2:30;  just over 9-miles away.  I knew I would miss it by more than an hour and withdrew.  I passed Amy Palmiero-Winters on the course and she was amazing. She was the women's overall winner at  the Heartland 100 and is an amputee.  She withdrew.  Most everyone withdrew. 140 started,  40  had dropped by the second cut-off.  The overall winner finished just after midnight after 18 hours. When I got back to camp at around 3:45 AM, second place hadn't been awarded and I heard someone say that there were  around 25 entrants that hadn't dropped.  It will be interesting to see if that's true.  I know two people who finished just after 30 hours.  I feel good today.  Just sore and am nursing one blister and a couple of hot spots on my left foot.  I feel better than I did after the 50-miler in 2008.  My two biggest issues out there was not planning to supplement for electrolytes other than food and sport drinks and one section I lost nearly 1/2  of one of my water bottles because I was running with the valve stem up and didn't notice the leak.  The first 20-miles I plugged along at 4mph and was feeling very strong.  10-miles later the legs were cramping up.  It would be really bad after a fall to stand up and cramp.  Other runners out there were great.  They shared thier supplies of S-Caps.  The aid station's had E-caps and after I finally started taking the E-caps 4 at a time the cramps were not as frequent.  By then I was very tight to the cut-off times and had to push it hard to stay in it. After dark it was tough to cover more than 3-miles an hour. I started walking more downhills because I slid more than I wanted too on loose rocks hidden by the leaves.  I was able to keep up with two runners from Chicago that last section.  It helped alot to have three people with lights to see the trail and keep up with the markers.  Together with one other runner we were the last to reach aid station 8.  We talked briefly of going on but all decided to drop.  I don't think any of us wanted to go it alone the next section because it would mean walking much more than running and we knew we would not make the time before we started. 

It's funny how rambling this is after I read through it.  I'm really not that down but I'm still very loopy after this.  I had a blast but some time will need to pass before I would try this again.  I'm going to look forward to just running for the next few weeks.  You guys are great.

Now if you could've run it in a lace bra, you would've hit all the bases.  .

I was pretty sore from a weight workout and my 20% of P2R's race "long" run.  Thought about an easy 3 miler in the dark and opted instead for a beer and some NFL football.

Whoa.  This is really happening.

A little over 4 miles this morning.  This was my last run before heading to Richmond on Thursday.

Whoa.  This is really happening.

 Yep this thing is really happening and to think it's a few days away

Nice job.  I can't even imagine completing that many miles.  Sorry it was rough for you but it sounds like you made the right decision.

So, 2 days in a row of not running.   I've made a little discovery.  I eat less when I don't run.  I kind of knew that already, but it's interesting.  I am hungrier when I run, but I also have the thought that I am "allowed" to have that ice cream because I ran hard but lately the calorie equation has not been in my favor and i've put on some weight.

I also realized that in 5 and a half years of consistent running, I've never taken any significant time off.  Just a few days here and there.  I know that some people take weeks off.  I've always been proud of this but now I think mentally I need to do it.  I was going to shoot for the 1500 but I'm now rethinking it.  What do you all do for cross training?

I guess I am afraid that if I stop running for awhile, it will be hard to come back.  I will need to start training for Boston in January.  Any thoughts?

Paul-  super excited for you!!

tibialis posterior syndrome.   Since I don't have a race coming up, I'm going to continue to rest it and try to be the perfect patient... doing all of the exercises he gave me.

Thanks Lou.  I will continue to pop my head in here.  I don't think I will be away from running for more than 2 weeks.

Okay, here's my pacing strategy for the marathon Saturday.  Tell me what you think...

I'm going to try and run the first 2 miles at 6:30/mile pace.  I figure that way I can hit the wall early and get it out of the way.  

Let's all give Paul our top piece of advice for running a marathon.  

Here's mine:

Have fun.  If you're not having fun, slow down, find someone to talk to and enjoy the scenery.

I've got more but I'll stop there and let others join in.

and thanks for the well wishes on my leg everyone.  It actually hurts worse now than before the doc.  What's that all about?  no running, no impact for a little while.