Conservative start but the right calf seized up after the first small hill, just after the 3 km mark. I was worried about this happening as I was experiencing pain with the said calf earlier during the week. I had to slow my pace in order to be able to run the whole race. I ran the first third of the killer hill, walked the second third as my calf seized up once again; I was able to run the last third. By the time I reached the top of the killer hill, the pain in my calf had somewhat subsided and I was able to pick up the pace and finish strong. The road conditions were not ideal for a speedy run as they were icy and snow covered in many places.

Hill training on steeper hills. Our run group was not sufficently trained to tackle such hills.

Walking around, light stretching, self-massage, hung out with other runners and friends. Had post race food (bagel, banana, soup, chocolate milk, water, hot coco at Ted's house). Coach Nats ate my Black Forest cake (she is saying that I missed something at the time I am writing these lines but she is forgiven because she was wearing this cute Mrs. Santa Claus hat).


Not enough training on steep hills and road conditions.


The one thing I could complain about was the lack of water stations. There was only one at the bottom of the biggest hill, which was at 6 km. A second one would have been a great addition. Other than that, I discovered that Terra Cotta is not only a great area for cycling but for runnning as well. I will most likely run this race again next year, hopefully with two good legs and Nats this time.