I planned to do the first mile slowly, the second mile at a moderate pace, then the third mile fast. I placed myself near the back of the crowd at the starting line but did end up passing a few people so probably could have stood a little closer to the front. I kept a nice easy pace in the beginning, though I was very tempted to run faster when a lady with a stroller passed me! Still, I knew I was competing with myself and had to stick to the plan. At the second mile, I picked up the pace slightly and held it. At the third mile, I picked up the pace too much and forced myself to slow down a little, then I sprinted at the very end near the line, passing at least one person. All-in-all, an excellent strategy that worked out really well.

I really can't think of anything I would have done differently, except make sure I get enough sleep. Although, I wonder if part of the reason I did so well was that I was already warmed up from having been up all night--maybe I wouldn't have done so well had I gotten a full night's sleep. Still, I wouldn't recommend doing what I did.

Hopped in the car and headed home for a hot shower.


The only limitation was the amount of training I've done. I performed very well for the amount of training I've had.


My only complaint with how the race was run (which didn't actually affect me) was that people were strolling across the road when runners were coming. There should have been volunteers there making sure the road was clear. Otherwise I thought the race was very well run and organized, and I will definitely do it again.