Ah, the marathon aftermath. It’s that wretched time when the lower half of your body is screaming “what did I just do?!”, while the upper half has a big smile plastered on your face.

Here are 26 signs that scream, "I just ran a marathon!"

1. You’re walking down the stairs sideways.
    
2. You can’t stop eating.
    
3. You’re too tired to drive home from the race, so you’re napping in your parked car on the side of the road. Getting up at 4 a.m. and running 26.2 miles is hard work!
    
4. You have red blotches on your skin in odd places from chafing.
    
5. You’re wearing a shiny, disposable blanket.
    
6. Yet you’re still shivering because you haven’t changed your clothes.
    
7. You’re obsessively checking your phone to see if official race results have been posted online.
    
8. Your Facebook status is a post-race selfie, complete with a goofy grin and a shiny medal.
    
9. You smell terrible.
    
10. As you torture yourself with a foam roller, you’re screaming. Yet it feels so good, you don’t want to stop.
     
11. You have one less toenail than you did before.
     
12. You’re planning your outfits to wear with your new race T-shirt for the next few weeks.
     
13. Every chance you get, in any random place you find, you’re stretching your legs. A leg propped up on the wall of the elevator is normal, right?
     
14. You’re frequenting the bathroom. Enough said.
     
15. You are looking at the person talking to you, but you aren’t hearing what they’re saying.
     
16. Even if it doesn’t fit into the conversation, you use the phrase “I just ran a marathon” in every sentence.
     
17. You’re sitting down, and you don’t think you can get up. Ever.
     
18. You limp and walk strangely due to blisters in weird crevices of your toes.
     
19. When someone tells you congratulations, you burst out crying. Post-race emotions are a roller coaster!
     
20. You’re wearing compression socks, no matter if they go with your shoes and outfit.
     
21. You’re texting your finish time to anyone who might care. And to others who clearly don’t care but they need to know anyhow.
     
22. Your favorite shirt has numerous safety pin holes in it, and you’re wondering if it’s ruined forever.
     
23. You’re in a bath full of ice. In the privacy of your home, I hope.
     
24. You text your spouse in the next room to ask them to bring you the remote since you can’t get up from the couch.
     
25. A medal is hanging from your neck as you pump gas, get a coffee, go to the store – anywhere. Since you just ran a marathon, this is the day to wear it!
     
26. You have a giant smile on your face that will not come off. YOU RAN A MARATHON!

And # “.2” — You’re online signing up for another race.

Follow Cynthia’s marathon training and other running adventures at You Signed Up For WHAT?!