1. I can run a marathon.      
2. I HAVE run a marathon.
3. I am capable of way more than I thought.
4. Gratitude (to God, family and friends) hit me as a feeling quite quickly when I realised how much of my being able to do this wasn’t about me.
5. And…I can only run a marathon if I train REALLY hard…
6. …and see a chiropractor/physiotherapist occasionally to loosen things up.
7. Four Clif gel packs, two bananas, a piece of chocolate and water/Powerade at every stop except one = no wall.
8. Don’t obsess about the weather forecasts…many times a day…for 14 consecutive days before the race.
9. I don’t have the right body type to be a marathon runner, and it doesn’t matter.
10. Turn the sound off on the GPS watch – it always beeps before the official mile markers, because it’s impossible to run precisely the racing line. (I finished up running 26.51 miles.)
11. A pace band and a stopwatch alone would be more useful and less stressful than checking average or current pace on my GPS.
12. Forget the Band-Aids and just use Vaseline. Band-Aids start sliding after 2-3 hours.
13. 26.2 miles is a REALLY long way.
14. Adrenaline-fuelled fast starts can be tamed with ultra-low tempo music and a keen awareness that a minute-per-mile quicker than my goal pace would probably kill me.
15. A marathon is really not much like a half-marathon.
16. Even splits are doable.
17. Running in a big crowd is great fun, but if you have a time goal…
18. …running with someone is even better – especially when they’re better than me. Thanks Esther.
19. Race volunteers are awesome, and pretty much as crazy as marathoners.
20. Gradients in the first half of a race are a pleasant source of variety. In the second half, they’re an insult.
21. The WaltDisneyWorld Marathon is a great event to make your debut.
22. It’s quite an odd feeling when your legs don’t work any more.
23. Having Rachael, Jude and Alice there at the finish made my day.
24. Running a marathon HURTS…
25. …and I can’t wait to do another one.
26. I can run 19 miles after I start feeling tired.

26.2: Finally, and most impor…