Eventually I want to break 1 hour in this race, but I didn't really train for the distance (ran mostly 4-5 miles when training, 6 a couple times). I decided to just start out fast and see how long I could maintain a 1-hour pace. I did better than I expected by maintaining the 1-hour pace up through mile 5, but I fell apart after that. Ended up with some big-time blisters at the end too.

I tried a gel after mile 3. First time I've done that in a race. At first it was kind of a pain because it just stuck in my mouth and was hard to swallow. At the next water station, I washed it down and actually felt energized for a bit. Next time, I'll just wait to take it until I see a water station coming up.

This race convinced me that I can do well if I train properly. I need to increase the distance of my long runs up to 8 miles, and include regular speed workouts focusing on sub-8 minute miles.

For the blisters, some Vaseline or Bodyglide would probably help. I also need to evaluate my lacing technique: I was training with lock laces, but I was worried that they might be a little too loose and would cause blisters on the race. So I switched back to regular laces, and tightened them up. My blisters in the race were much worse than anything I experienced when training with the lock laces, so maybe a looser fit is better for me after all ...

Stretched out, then hit the food tables ... skipped the free beer this year, I felt more like water at the time. I had a beer later at home.


Lack of proper distance training, especially in the 6 weeks leading up to the race.


A well-organized event with a good number of runners and a festive atmosphere, in a beautiful location and with great community support. This is my favorite race, and I look forward to doing it for years to come. I'll have to get the kids involved at some point ... a dad and his 8-year-old son passed me up in the last mile. Amazing!!