SOUTH CAROLINA

After seven hours of decent sleep Friday night, I awoke at 5:25 a.m. and drove the half-hour from Charleston to Kiawah Island. Given ongoing relationship problems, my attitude toward this one basically sucked. I wondered if I'd actually do the distance. Physical discomfort exacerbated my emotional state; before I'd finished the first mile my shins ached, and I'd felt at least three quick, sharp stabs to my instep. They vanished just as abruptly, and the shin soreness diminished eventually.

The crowd thinned out by m3–4. I found much of the course nice and scenic once I got away from the homes. The mid-December sun didn't climb very high, so trees provided fine shade for most of the first loop. A gentle but fairly steady breeze made the day seem probably ten degrees cooler.

After making the turnaround I felt alright as I began my second loop. The sun had reached its highest, not too bad, and the breeze hung steady. Finding myself doing better than I expected in m20–25, I began a final kick. Suddenly my hamstrings filed serious complaints. Rather than risk cramping up, I downshifted to walking the remainder. Still, I crossed the line six minutes earlier than I did in a month ago in San Antonio. (Hmm, three marathons, three months, no problem. Evidently at my pace, I don't need much recovery time.)

Once home in Miami, I began therapeutic dosages of DiGiorno pizza, chicken noodle soup, and chocolate chip cookies. My right knee ached Saturday night and most of Sunday. By midafternoon Sunday the blisters on my stump yielded substantial pain.

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