Felt the adrenaline and went out hard! Back was getting jarred some, but the pain was bearable. After the first mile, I decided to continue running and go for a PR.

There were lots of runners in costumes and the crowds were really into it! It was fun to be around that energy. That being said, Superman came up on me and I kept him in sight for most of the race.

At the end of mile 3, I looked at the garmin and noticed mid 16s! Too fast! You can get caught up in the race and just go out too hard. The end of 3 miles also marked the start of the hills. Slowed it down and immediately felt tugging in my middle back. Gah!

I stretched while running and it seemed to help. The hills were causing some pull/discomfort, though, so I had to back it off a bit more than I wanted.

The crowds were really into it! They were shouting, singing, dancing, blowing vuvuzuelas and playing guitars, waving flags, sporting costumes, etc. Some were even shooting us runners with super soakers. HA!

At the 5 mile mark, I'd had enough. People were passing me left and right. I had plenty left and picked it up a bit again. Some runners came up on me we formed a pack of 8-10 runners. We blew by Superman and didn't see him again. As the 6 mile mark came up, I knew the pack was getting ready for the final quarter mile sprint into the finish. I took the lead and decided I was going all out.

I sprinted it in, with 1 or 2 guys hanging on. A few seconds before the end, I hoped none of them would make a move, as I had nothing left. We were running HARD.

Crossed the finish and almost threw up, but otherwise felt good. I stretched out my back and fueled up.

Not do an 80 mile bike ride two days before.
Not injure my back...

Waited for my wife to start her race at 0830. I knew I'd be waiting close to 2 hours for her to be done.

During my "rest", met and talked to Brian, whom I had seen at TTP events. We talked for 30 mins about all things tri. Nice fellow.

After the race, I got home, showered, and was about to head to the Emergency Room. I could not even walk and even some breaths hurt. It felt like a knife kept stabbing me in the center back. My wife suggessted I go to one of those Immediate Med places. I did and they put me on muscle relaxers and pain medication. The doctor felt a knot the size of "a small fist" in my back, along with alot of spasms, and asked me how the heck was I able to run. "Running doesn't hurt! It's when I slow down!" I quipped back. He just laughed, then told me to take it easy for the next 3-7 days.




Tired legs and spazzed out back...


Great race, awesome atmosphere, shitty cotton shirt...