Not a bad time, especially for my first marathon. And I didn't even blow out my knee, which is a big plus, helped along by my taking it a bit easy. Family and friends watched my progress live on the internet thanks to a radio transmitter attached to my shoe, which is a pretty great feature. The future is so cool.

The Marathon is... just amazing. You show up downtown at 8 am and run across the start line with tens of thousands of people, while thousands more stand on the side lines cheering their hearts out. Mayor Hahn stands on an overpass to cheer you on and there's confetti everywhere. It is, above all else, surreal.

And that strange sense carries you all by itself for the first few miles. And then the entertainment starts. Sure there are local bands every mile or so, and a really incredible Hispanic choir with 10 year old female soloist, and cheerleaders from all the local schools. But there are also dudes peeing on the median of Exposition Blvd because the first bathrooms don't show up until mile 7. And me getting passed by a guy in a wheelchair. Another guy "running" the race on crutches.

Then there's the camraderie. All us runners and walkers and whatnot are in it together, but so is a fair portion of the city. All those people standing on the sidelines, cheering you on, reaching out a hand for a fleeting high five, makes all the difference in the world. "You're awesome!" "Don't Give Up!" "You can do it!" And some people even stand on front of their houses pasing out water, orange, bananas or in one case beer. "Last cold beer for the next 5.2 miles!"

And when you finish they put a medal around your neck, and give you a rose, and you feel like a fucking champion, even if you have to make excuses for your 05:27:09.