THINGS I'LL KNOW TO DO DIFFERENTLY FOR NEXT YEAR

Some things I learned from my first mini marathon experience ...

1. I definitely will be more committed to stiffer training regimes. When a mini marathon is concerned, it's all about your training.
2. Spend the money to get the fancy racing socks that wick wetness. Your feet will love you if you don't cause them awful blisters in the end with the regular cotton ones. Trust me on this one!
3. You can never be prepared for just how beat up you feel after 13.1 miles. It's Monday, and the muscles around my rib cage STILL hurt .... rib cage, folks! Who knew you used those for walking?!?! Or maybe my leg muscles gave out midway through the race, and so those ribcage muscles had to take over .... who knows!
4. Drink, drink, drink, hydrate, hydrate, hydrate!!! I was smart and pre-hydrated, and I think that made ALL the difference in the world.
5. Watch those shoes and make sure they are in good shape waaaay before the race. Mine were broken down. A definite no-no on 13.1 miles
6. Make achievable goals for yourself.
7. Don't worry about breaking your arm patting yourself on the back. Dude! 13.1 miles!! Not everyone can say they could do that!