Well, let me clarify. PHYSICALLY I felt like I had just been running for about 4 hours (because I HAD been running for about 4 hours). My muscles were tired and my feet were sore, but I was not in any kind of pain. Now, MENTALLY, I felt like I had just started running. I couldn’t believe that I was so close to the finish. I almost wanted to slow down because I didn’t want it to be over. Note I said I ALMOST wanted to slow down- my desire to finish was stronger than my desire to prolong my marathon experience, even though it was AWESOME. I kept telling myself that I could take 50 minutes to get to the finish if I wanted to and I would still finish in under 5 hours (that essentially would have been walking all of the last 3.2 miles and I knew that I would continue to run the majority of the time). Tears came to my eyes on multiple occasions as I was running through the city of Boston and I actually got a little bit choked up a couple of times. The only thing that kept me from actually breaking down and sobbing was the knowledge that I would have a very difficult time breathing if I was choking on my own tears. I was thrilled to experience what I can only imagine rock stars and professional athletes experience- tens of thousands of people screaming for me. Granted, it was for me along with all of other runners around me, but they were screaming for me none the less. Rounding the corner to the last stretch the noise of the crowd reached a roar. I could hear individual cheers and comments here and there, but there was a huge, continuing buzz of excitement, noise, and energy along the last couple of blocks that cannot be described. The finish line was in sight several hundred feet ahead with the huge “Boston Marathon 2009” banner overhead and the time clock just underneath it. I had goose bumps as I crossed the finish line (partially from the cool air and partially from my adrenaline, but mostly because of how excited I was). I was finishing the Boston Marathon!