As anyone who has run a marathon (or 48, as is now the case for me) can tell you, when you cross the finish line, no matter how fast your total time nor the speed with which you took that last step, the post-race high lasts for a bit. That said, though, with experience comes the knowledge that you need to get through the post-race area as quickly as possible and keep on moving, making your way back to wherever you're staying. While the mental high stays for a while, and you replay many different aspects of the race just run, your body starts to tighten up, get a little sore (the real soreness takes 1-2 days), and it takes a bit more effort to move than when you had the inertia of running.
I hobbled my way down the stairs into the T and made my way back to the Wonderland station. The walk back (with my feet still feeling like they were blistered underneath) was difficult, and definitely took a fair bit longer than when I walked from the hotel to the station in the morning. On my morning walk, I noticed one of the Chinese restaurants that was on the list from the prior night, and I stopped in briefly to pick up some food. (Boneless Spare Ribs and Roast Pork Fried Rice) While it was a little tougher again to start back up walking after that brief stop, just like it was upon getting off of the train, it was a great idea to pick up food. As it turns out, once I got back to the room, I wasn't leaving it again until the next morning.
I got back and effectively did the same routine as ever: undressed and went into the bathroom to become human again. There are times when all I need for that is to take a slightly longer shower than normal. On this day, I desperately needed to soak in a cold bath. Oh, that felt SO good. Just sitting, finally, with my legs fully outstretched and my feet finally escaped from the confines of shoes and socks, resting in the cold water. And, of course, I brought in the food with me. While the tub was still filling slowly and I was just standing, I wolfed down the boneless spare ribs. Sweet, salty pork. Mmmm!
Then, after the bath was totally full, I sat down (carefully using the bars and the edge of the tub to help lower me) and continued to eat. After I got some of it down, I started to check my text messages, Facebook page, and DMs. It was back-and-forth with all of it, while soaking and eating. I took at least 20 minutes before it seemed like it was time to take a shower and become fully human again. Oh, those bars were SO helpful; I'm not sure I could've managed to stand as easily without them.
Next was to just relax in the bed, under the blanket to keep me warm. Eventually I adjusted the setup so that I had my feet raised atop a couple of very thick pillows while the rest of me was under the blanket. Still nibbling away at my fried rice and watching TV.
Originally, the plan was to join the Boston Squeakers at the finish line that evening to be there when the Race Director, Dave McGillivray, crossed the finish line (of his 49th consecutive Boston Marathon) -- he sets off after the last of the runners in the main race finishes. Given he has an offiial timekeeper with him, all of these efforts count. And have to be SO much harder, given he has much less crowd support along the way than everyone else. I knew I wasn't managing that.
I forced myself to stay awake until sometime after 8pm, since I usually wake up by midnight for 1-2 hours (minimum) if I fall asleep much before 11pm. I stayed asleep all night and woke with my pre-set alarm, in time for my final day in Boston. Still a couple of traditions to keep to!
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