My First Marathon: The Day After

Everything I had heard told me that I would be way more sore the day after a marathon than I was that day. I pretty much expected to wake up unable to move. Fortunately, I felt rather spry on Monday, 19 October, compared to how I had felt the day before. To be sure, I was sore, and I was reminded of that fact every time I switched from a seated position to a standing position. I got up surprisingly early, especially given that I didn’t set an alarm. I headed down the street to Plaka for breakfast; it seemed right to dine in after having made such a quick trip there the day before. Breakfast was pancakes, sausage, and scrambled eggs, and might have taken 5-7 minutes to arrive. Bottom line, Plaka is super-fast, and their meals are super-tasty.

After breakfast, I bid farewell and offered thanks to the front desk staff at the Greektown Hotel, and then departed for Farmington Hills. I wanted to make a quick stop at the New Balance store, and then I visited Biggby Coffee. I hadn’t yet had my traditional post-race coffee, and Biggby – Farmington Hills was the place to do it. I ordered up a grande Mocha Caramel made with skim milk, sugar-free chocolate, and no whipped cream. It was delicious!

Dear Biggby Bob,

The folks at Farmington Hills made my visit a lot of fun! I’m eager to stop there again the next time I’m in the area.

Sincerely,

Darrell

I spent a little time at Biggby catching up on my e-mail while I had my coffee, and then made my way to Grilled Cheese and Tomato Soup, a restaurant just a couple doors down. Though the food there — my lunch of a grilled cheese and chicken noodle soup — was really good, that wasn’t the real treat.

Dear Grilled Cheese and Tomato Soup,

Not just any treat would have topped that lunch. It was really good!

Sincerely,

Darrell

I was privileged to have lunch with my friend Christina, who had just moved to Farmington Hills and was working her very first day at her new job. It was great to catch up a bit and help celebrate her new gig as a paralegal while we also celebrated my first marathon.

Dear Christina,

That was a really nice finishing touch to my trip. Thanks for making time for the visit!

Sincerely,

Darrell

From there, I made my way home. I called Mom on the way home to let her know that I had finished, and I stopped at the Grass Lake rest area for a photograph.

After a quick stop by my physical therapist’s office to celebrate (and schedule an appointment), I made my way home to crash. The trip was pretty much spectacular.