Aside from the split infinitive, the race report title caputres how I felt for this race, as it was the first time I had ever run more than 26.2. 
31.1 miles in cold weather.  When they said "GO" it was 19 degrees but if felt more like 9.  The lake around which we were running was frozen.  I don't mean there was a layer of frost on it.  I mean it was frozen.  The good news is that the wind was calm and the course was flat and forgiving. 

I ran with a friend and we took it easy, having never run more than a marathon before.  I felt bad for the first 4 miles then started to warm up and felt good until about mile 18.  Around  mile 22 I started to feel good again for a strong finish in a time of 5 hours and 25 minutes.   The rocket who won did it in 3:08:08.  I got a lot more for my money than he did, that's for sure.  This is a great race for anyone who wants to dip their toe into the "ultra" pool.