Holy cow! I thought I was done with snowy runs after the Hypothermic 1/2. Not to be. When the race began today it was -10c with the windchill, and the wind was blowing 30-50kph. COLD and WINDY! Yuck! Oh well, my thoughts of a time goal went spinning out of my head.
Off we go, and I'm feeling pretty good. Mile one was pretty sheltered from the wind, and I ran it in 8:30 even. I had hoped to go out a little slower for the first couple of miles, but I guess I got sucked in again.
Anyways, the run out wasn't too bad. The wind wasn't nearly as horrific as some of my training runs have been, so I guess they actually paid off.
Coming back towards the park I found my pace beside an nice lady (Gayle)who ran Boston last year. We ended up running together for a good chunk of the race, and she ragaled me of her Boston woes. When she got a stitch at about mile 8 she told me to get lost, she was going to walk it out. So, I took off and caught up to another gal I had been chatting with earlier.
Sidenote: how can you tell I do my long slow runs on my own? I was the guy at the run who was blabbing on and on to anyone who would listen to me. MAN it's nice to chat to people on these things.
ANYWAYS, I caught up to Angela after a few minutes and we ran pretty much the rest of the race until the last mile together. With 1 to go, her legs were played out and SHE told me to get lost, she was walking. Starting to get a complex here!
I bolted as well as I could for the last mile, and actually managed to pick off quite a few folks coming down the home stretch. Leads me to wonder if I was pushing myself hard enought the rest of the race, but my oatmeal-like feet are telling me I did enough. Ouch!
Crossed the finish line, got my Medal, and saw my mom and dad and sister waiting for me. Hooray! Got a couple of post-race pictures snapped off and went to the tent to warm up and get some grub. Did I mention it was DAMNED cold outside?
Grabbed a quick bite, then went back out to see my friend Wendi cross the finish.
Shortly after, my personal race highlight came with watching Joey and Sann (Pooh Bear and Laerka) come running down the bridge hand in hand and cross the finish line together. AWESOME work, girls!
So, I shaved nearly 10 minutes off my last year's 1st 1/2 mary time in some pretty rotten conditions, so overall I'm a pretty happy camper!

Nothing. So much fun! Maybe start my sprint alittle earlier. I thought the finish line was further away than it really was.

Eating pancakes and shooting the sh%t.


Not knowing where the finish line is. Not going as hard as I could have.


Great race for a great cause: Cops for Cancer. I'll definitely show my support again next year!