Started off a little hard. Was huffing & puffing pretty good the first mile, then I settled down and ran a little easier. Tried hard to relax. Listened to my music while I ran, which made it more pleasant. Tried to pick of the person in front of me, which worked several times, but also got picked off by several race walkers. I've discovered that walking up bigger hills and through the water stops works well for me. I expend alot of energy trudging up the hills, and can expend lots less walking - not to mention that I walk faster than I run going uphill! ;) Felt pretty good until the 2.5 miles, then I got pretty tired. Found a song on the MP3 that got me going and picked up the pace a bit. With only a half mile to go, came up on a couple of kids who were alternating run/walk. When I was right behind them, I told them they were almost to the end and they should pick up the pace. They didn't want to get beat by an old fat lady, did they? They laughed and ran to the finish line. Having them pick up the pace also caused me to pick up the pace, so it all ended well. Made a conscience decision to push harder the last half mile. Wanted to finish knowing that I didn't leave anything out there..

Become a better runner.

Walked around the finish line area. Ate some AWESOME cranberry raisin bread, then walked about a mile back to the car and did a good stretch.


Myself


Good race - well organized.