This one’s for you, Lumpy. It gets easier, and worse, from here.

“Pain will ricochet around your legs and feet, evading your ice packs and stretches; doubts will invade your confidence, eroding your determination. Your feet will sprout blisters, your toenails will turn black with the blood that wells up beneath them; you will wonder sometimes what the point is, but you might as well ask about life. As far as you know, there isn’t one.”  - John Hanc, The Essential Marathoner