My plan was to start out easy and get faster with each mile. I wanted no walking and negative splits. I'd never run with a friend before, but it was such fun, and he was a great pacer! Right away we were running faster than I thought we would, but it felt comfortable so I wasn't worried. The first mile went quickly, and I finally felt warm as the mile marker went by. My running buddy commented that we were going quick, but I confirmed that I felt good and was ready to speed up. The second mile had a few hills, and it was starting to get a little tough. I don't know if I'd have stayed in the zone without my friend. Passing the mile two marker, I saw a split of 9:46 and was shocked. I hadn't seen numbers like that in years! We were passing plenty of people, but the going was getting tough. I could feel my shoulders tensing, and my breathing was labored. There was a final hill as we made our way to the mile three marker, and the conversations we had been having were being put on hold. I told my buddy I wanted to leave it all on the course, and he let me take the inside corner as we hit the final turn. I could feel my stride stretching out and heard a few cheers, but I could also feel my heart pounding in my chest. I crossed the line strong!

It took me a while to find my groove, so maybe a warmup and stretch would have been a good idea.

As I slowed to a stop my hamstrings immediately started to feel tight. I kept moving and did some high-knees to keep from locking up. We walked around to find some coffee and grabbed some snacks, waiting for the costume contest winners to be announced.


Limited base. I performed well, but my aerobic base still needs work through the rest of this year.


I've completed several races on this course in this location over the years. They're always well run, with excellent pre and post race entertainment. Highly recommended.