As for the race, I would have liked to have finished a bit stronger than I did. I thought my training reflected better fitness than my result, but that is all a part of racing the marathon. You never know what will happen on the day. I definitely gave it all I had and have no regrets. It was frustrating to only get two of my seven Powerbar bottles at fluid stations, but I tried to adjust the best I could. It's difficult to say what kind of an effect this had on the result, but it wasn't positive. The matter is still being looked into, but it seems that another athlete may have been taking my bottles by mistake. Bad luck. I am honored to be the first American in such a deep field and under some tough conditions. I believe races like this help build character and mental toughness and will be very helpful in my future marathon endeavors. 

Eva and I are in the middle of packing for our trip to Patagonia. I'm looking forward to the mental and physical break from training, but I know that once the soreness subsides I'll be itching to get back to training. The 10-day hike will be demanding enough to keep training out of my thoughts for a healthy amount of time. After giving myself some time to reflect, Dave, my agent (Jurrie), and I will start to discuss options for the spring.