Mile 20 of 26. Or that's what I feel like. When I ran the Big Sur Marathon during my sophomore year at Stanford, my conscious mind began to fade quickly after mile 20. But I kept running for another 6.2 miles -- almost another full hour. I feel much the same way now. I've been writing essays for medical school for nearly six months now, and I'm still going. Nonetheless, my mental energy is slowly fading as I approach the finish line. Just a few more essays...