It has only been a short while since the 111th running of the Boston Marathon. There aren't enough heat packs, ice packs or tubes of Ben Gay to assuage the aches and pains of the Hopkinton to Boston jaunt for those 23,000 plus brave souls who made it the the finish line on Boylston Street. The hurt from the run will fade but the thrill of competing will never wane. In what other sport on the planet can you compete in the same event, in the same field, on the same day with the best in the world? You can't jump into the Masters and compete against Tiger. Forget about grabbing a bat and trying to hit against Dice-K or lace them up and try to catch a pass from Tom Brady during an NFL game at Gillette. But in Boston you can run in the same race with the greatest marathoners in the world and for those that have competed the satisfaction is unmatched. Training for and competing in the Marathon is an enormous task that consumes about six months of you life. And the most rewarding part of it all is that you don't have to cross the finish line first to be a winner!