Turned 18..cant wait for 26!!!!

Yesterday, I turned 18 in my running life!!! Yes....I finished my 18 miler.....without much trouble!!!:D It was a gorgeous day to run......not too cold, not too hot.........absolutely not humid!!
The whole of last week, I had maintained a 10min/mile pace....thats 5 miles in 50 mins, 6 miles in an hour etc.....I wanted to finish the 18 miler under 3 hours 30 mins!
The start was as usual, slow and steady as I always start out....but this time I picked up the pace after just a mile, rather than after the 2 mile water stop. I was running with my running buddy Vivek as usual. We tend to run at approximately the same pace, so it is nice running with him. Also, he shares common interests such as sports, movies etc....so lots of small talk, as well as heavy discussions( like the Ganguly-Chappell issue) on the way!!!
We decided to run 9 miles up, and 9 miles back rather than breaking up the run into 6 to and fro, and 3 to and fro!! It was surprisingly easy to keep up the pace yesterday! I guess it was the weather. We took every water stop....but drank just a glass or so of gatorade every time! We had water stops at 2-5-7.5 mile marks....so plenty of water!!
The coach met us at the 7.5 mile mark.....and he never fails to put in a few words of encouragement. Tom is probably one of the most influencing factors of the success of this Asha marathon team. Taking non-runners from a laborious 1-2 miles to nice and easy 16-18 miles is no mean task!!
After the 7.5, we went further up to the 9 mile mark, and turned back. Back to the 7.5 mile water stop, I had the "Goo" again!! That stuff really works for me!!! I also had 2 glasses of water, and 1 glass of gatorade!!
That was enough to take me back to the 5 mile mark and beyond....though i did have another gatorade for the sake of safety!! The last 5 miles were really good.....and I did not have to push myself to maintain the pace! At the 2 mile mark, I met the Asha guys again, with a helping of Gatorade!! The volunteers are doing a tremendous job, and things would be very difficult without their constant encouragement and great help providing water and gatorade and Goo!!
During the last mile, the strain was beginning to show, but I could keep on going, it wasnt too bad.....the finish line was a welcome sight, and the feeling of completing the run under 3 hours 15 mins was something else......I cant describe it!! I ended up completing it in about 3 hours and 5 mins.....just slightly over 10 mins a mile!!
I was the 4th person to complete the 18 miler.....and I am feeling really good about it!!
I felt some really bad tension in my calves, but lots of stretching and total 7 glasses of water and gatorade took care of that!! And then the Asha guys came up with lotsa bagels.....2 bagels lost their way into my stomach....and i didnt even notice them!!!:D:D:D:D
All and all, it was a great run, and a great personal achievement for me!!! I actually think I did not feel as good even after the 15 miler 3 weeks back!!
The rest of the day was also awesome.....a nice afternoon nap, and I was all fixed up!!
18 miles is a great milestone....and I cant wait for the 20 miler!! and of course the 26.2 miler!!:D