After training for months for my first AT&T Austin Marathon extravaganza, yesterday was the day. And, yes, it was pretty amazing. After not sleeping more than about 3 hours the night before (pre-race anticipation?), we got up at 4:30 and were parked downtown by 5:30, settled in at the clothes drop area at 6:00, and spent the next hour getting hydrated and caffeinated by the 7am start time. My goal was to only have one walk/stretch break in the 13.1 mile course…which came at mile 8. (The hills were a killer and my calves were tighter than Joan River’s latest face tuck.) Not only was this the state’s largest marathon (11,500 runners), but there was live music at every mile along the course. What else would you expect from the Live Music Capital of the World?

So, here’s what I learned:

1. We are, by nature, weak. Lazy. Soft. But if we have the guts to push ourselves and endure a little (temporary) pain, we will be amazed at what we can do. Even a guy like me.

2. I couldn’t have made it without the encouragement from my friends/family, the race-day crowd, and my fellow runners. Community is more powerful than we’ll ever realize. (Even the strangers yelling, "Don’t stop, Tom! You can do it!" were invaluable along the lonely 11th mile…)

3. Balance is key. We all have to have the right amounts of rest, fuel, and struggle. Yes, struggle.

4. There’s nothing else like the finish line. Recovery begins the instant you cross it.

5. I think I can do better next time. Experience really is the greatest teacher. I can train harder. Cross-train better. Stretch more. Tweak my eating habits.

Make your own spiritual applications to the above 5 things–they are all true. Weakness. Struggle. Balance. Community. Recovery. Experience. It’s all there.

My official chip time? 2:16:01. Which translates into just over a ten minute mile, with my minute-long walk/stretch break. I actually placed 7th in my ‘Age 40-44/ 190-200 lbs’ Clydesdale category (in layman’s terms, read ‘old, fat kid’). I think I’ve officially been bitten…I can’t wait to see what happens next year!