It's kind of nice in some ways having an Olympic Trials where I finished second. You can kind of go in more under the radar facing a 2:03 guy and facing a lot of dudes who are faster than I am, whereas, before Beijing, I had one of the top 10 times in the field, or something like that.

For most of the track world, the Olympic year is such a huge year, and it's a big year for us marathoners too.

I couldn't be more excited to return to the ING New York City Marathon.

I don't know how you keep the world record holder off your team.

I don't really study the guys that I'm racing against.

I race kind of sparingly.

I think sometimes you can study guys and build them into giants that they are not.

I've always said that racing in New York is performing on the big stage.

It took years, honestly, to deal with the disappointment of Beijing.

More than the time, it's about how you feel - you want to be strong throughout the race.

You're going to have to bring your 'A' game.

But it is nice to know that you have other races lined up, because sometimes you can get so focused on your next marathon that it can become kind of unhealthy in some ways. So it's nice to have something else to slap you in the face and say, all right, there is life after the Olympics.

I may not drink an electrolyte beverage during the race. If I am running in an hour, I won't need one. But if you're running an hour-and-a-half to two hours or more, maybe you need a little bit of the electrolytes.

I really didn't feed off the whole Olympic experience at all, and I regret that from an athletic perspective, and also from a personal experience. I feel like I missed out, so I'm not going to do that this time.

I think the biggest thing was that I was putting pressure on myself leading up to Beijing. Now I am learning how to take that pressure off and seeing this as an incredible opportunity, but not like, 'I absolutely have to medal.'

I try to avoid the temptation with time as a total indicator for what my possibilities are for the marathon. It's the not the best indicator, but it's more how you feel, how you cover the distance and how you are able to do the training afterward.

The big thing is hydrating the day before the race. I will have 20 ounces of water right when I get up in the morning the day before, and I'll drink throughout the day.

You dream about the Olympics for so long and you have that one day, then it's over, and when you don't run well there is this huge letdown. It took me years to deal with that. I feel like I almost had to cleanse myself of that experience.

He was a great man, my granddad, a very calm, logical and methodical guy. I suppose I'm trying to be more like him as I get older.

When I'm out and about, I'll text or email myself from my phone. A smart phone is a great tool for a writer.