"Without running there is no life"

Well sitting in the airport and just reflecting on the race and wishing it could have gone differently.  Read Glen Tucker's race report and got a lot of questions answered about the race.  Thanks Glen for letting me run with you for a little bit and making it enjoyable.  Wow, what an experience that I have never felt in all the running I have done in my life.  I am pretty happy for how I finished especially or how I felt after mile mark 11.  Well to go back to the beginning of the race I started out in a 5.39 mile and felt like I was doing well but I was leading the race which worried me a little.  After mile 2 I slowed down to let two other guys take it and I stepped in behind them.  Then after mile 5 one guy took off and I decided not follow and the other guy followed and at mile 6 two other guys caught me and I stayed w/ them for 5 miles and they eventually finished 2nd and 4th.  Half way through mile 11 my stomach dropped and I had to pull over and use the bathroom then again at mile 15.  Unfortunately at mile 11.5 it took a good 2 miles before I could find a restroom and slowed down to 6.30 just to keep myself together.  I tried to find some kind of a fighting spirit to finish the race as best I could but it took awhile to find a reason to finish as best as I could w/ what was happening to me.  I was in around 20th place after mile 15th and my friend that came w/ me almost caught me but he died after the bridge.  Getting frustrated I took off my jersey so I wouldn't get my nipples ripped off. Don't worry I put it back on the last mile.  So I just pressed on to finish the best I could.  I found out after I finished the race my timing chip to work after crossing the finish line, luckily I looked up as I finished and saw 2:43:xx which I think would put me in 12th or 13th.  My last mile was 6.01 and felt good about the finish.  Now I got to get the finish worked out so I can go to Boston and redeem myself.  It was definitely a learning experience and an enjoyable time beside all the chaffing if you now what I am talking about.