An early 6am start meant the first few miles were run in the dark. In addition, it was a foggy, cool morning which made for great running conditions (though not necessarily for picture-taking).
Above: evidence of a beautiful course with few stretches of straight road.
Overall, it was a great day - I haven't felt that good while running for a long time. Was it a different training system? Was it a more complete diet while training? Was it eating better the couple days leading up to the marathon? The answer could be a yes to any or all of these questions. For whatever the reason, I thankfully felt great all the way. I am glad Julie was able to go. We had a fun time together. She is to thank for these good pictures.
At right: happily standing on the 'done' side of the finish line, looking forward to a protein-rich (aka: steak!) post-race meal.
September 4, 2006
3:26:51
The course was run through the scenic, hilly Columbia countryside. We even ran a stretch on the Katy Trail beside the Missouri River.
The people in this picture from left are Pete and Dick Madsen and me. I ran with Pete from mile 1 on. At mile 20 his dad joined us (after running many Columbia marathons) and we slowed our pace to cruise into the finish line. Dick, an avid runner, has not missed a day of running since Dec 26, 1982! Here we are climbing the last major hill, nearing mile 24.
