fun facts

Some selections from the "marathon" wikipedia entry:

The name marathon comes from the legend of Pheidippides, a Greek messenger. The legend states that he was sent from the town of Marathon to Athens to announce that the Persians had been defeated in the Battle of Marathon. It is said that he ran the entire distance without stopping and burst into the assembly, exclaiming "Νενικήκαμεν" (Nenikékamen, 'We have won.') before collapsing and dying.
There is debate about the historical accuracy of this legend.
(author's note: I do not expect do die, I will be wearing Asics.)

The men's world record represents an average pace of under 2:57 per kilometer (4:45 per mile; 5.6 m/s).
(author's note: I have never run this fast for a single mile.)

Most male elite marathon runners will have weekly mileages of over 100 miles (160 kilometres).
(author's note: Next week will be my peak, and I am scheduled to run 40 miles.)

Some runners will wear an ice vest before the race to reduce their core temperature so as to avoid overheating later in the race.

While drinking fluids during the race is necessary for all runners, in some cases too much drinking can also be dangerous. Drinking more than one loses during a race can decrease the concentration of sodium in the blood (a condition called hyponatremia), which may result in vomiting, seizures, coma and even death.

Carbohydrates that a person eats are converted by the liver and muscles into glycogen for storage. Glycogen burns quickly to provide quick energy. Runners can store about 8 MJ or 2,000 kcal worth of glycogen in their bodies, enough for about 30 km/18-20 miles of running. Many runners report that running becomes noticeably more difficult at that point. When glycogen runs low, the body must then burn stored fat for energy, which does not burn as readily. When this happens, the runner will experience dramatic fatigue and is said to "hit the wall".

Due to the stress on the body during a marathon, a person's kidneys can shut down, leading to the accumulation of toxins in the blood.

It is relatively common to only come to realize that there are injuries to the feet and knees after the marathon has finished. Blisters on the feet and toes commonly only become painful after the race is over. Some runners may experience toenails which turn black and subsequently detach from the toe.

I am looking back on a week that was in many ways encouraging. During my visit Monday, the doctor didn't seem too concerned about the status of my hip and gave me the green light to keep training. He gave me an anti-inflammatory prescription, which I may or may not fill depending on how my next few runs go. My three weekday workouts went relatively smoothly. I am still dealing with some pain, but definitely not to the point of limping, like the middle of last week. It seems that once I've run a few miles, the situation is under control. And if this is the way it will be from here on out, I can deal with that.

During the dejectedness of last week, there were moments when I questioned why the apparent betrayal of my legs was coming at such an inopportune time. But looking over the quoted sections above, maybe my question should have been, "how did I go so long without any sign of injury?" Marathons are insane!