We got nestled into the starting pack as a group, and literally 2 min later the thing starts. I take off, trying to weave my way through the slower people. Paulette blazes by me. Jerry and I were side by side for the first mile. At mile marker 1 I look down at my watch and see 8:12. WAY too fast for me to sustain!! I told Jerry we need to slow down!!! He did, but I kept motoring. My HR was right between 166-168 until mile 9, (too high to sustain) and then started dropping as I started to die. I had to go pee sooooo bad, but the lines were just too long right before the race. So the first port-o-potty I see I start bee-lining to just to be cut off by some dude. So I keep running. Second one, same thing. This time I stop and wait and tell him to hurry up. About 20 seconds later I determine he is going to take forever, and I cannot just stand here. So off to run again. Probably at mile 5 I was finally able to hit an empty one. Took me 50 seconds to pee. My huge coffee and water prior to the race was good for energy and hydration purposes, but not good for my bladder! I felt SOO much better after that. Could concentrate on my run instead of not peeing myself!!! Saw Chris on the side of the road right after that, and kept trucking toward the turn around point. As I hit it, I saw my time and it was 58 min. *IF* I could keep up this pace i could go sub 2 hrs. BUT I was dying!! I thought there was no way in hell I could keep it up, but I was going to try. So I just keep my feet moving to the beat of my running music, and on the downhills or easier stretches I would dial up my super fast run tunes, and on the uphills would play my regular run music and just try to keep my feet moving!!! I only walked twice to pour water from a cup into my flask and I was imeadiately back at. I didn't even walk up any of the hills. The MOSTER hill, that I think they call THE HILL was a killer. Having to go up and over that think twice was no fun. I was complete toast the last mile but was going to give it my all. Was going to leave NOTHING on the table. I locked in "Click Click Boom" by Saliva, and just forced myself to run to the beat. As we turned the final corner, wouldn't you know it was an incline to the finish line!! So I just gutted it out, and with about 50 ft to go, some chick comes up beside me and thinks she is going to take me. I was having none of it! I kept her stride for abuot the next 15 feet, feeling she was getting faster, so I just sprinted the last bit. Yeah...no ones taking me down but ME! Paulette watched it all go down and said she wishes she had a picture of my GRRRRRR face. I always have a GRRRR face as I finish, but I think today's was extra special!
I am VERY pleased with my time. I am not certain of the seconds, but I am putting 30 for now. Will see what the final results say, and then will subtract the 20 or so seconds it took us to get up to the start line, and go with that. My only other 1/2 mary was PF Changs Jan 2006. It was my second running race (New Times 10k was my first race the Nov before that). PF Changs in PHX is about as flat as you are going to get. There are a few slight rises on the last few miles, but NOTHING like this course. So I wanted so badly to beat my PF Changs time, but thought there was no way I could do it with all these hills, BUT I DID!! WOOT! PF Changs 2006 was 2:01:45. Lost Dutchman 2008 was 1:58:30. Thought there was NO WAY in hell I could do it, but I busted my butt and did it!!! YAY!!!
Running today were: 1/2 Mary: Me, Paulette, Rachel, Jerry, Rick and Shelly, Ken and his wife, and Sandy did her first half!!! Steve0 and girlfriend did the 10k, and Cactus Steve and son did his first 2 miler!!! Rick's sister did her first 8k, and our work horse Harry braved the full mary!!! We had a great group!!!! AND everyone had a great race!!!

Not go out so fast. Watch my HR and keep my past fast, but sustainable so I have enough juice for the finish.

Walk around and visit the port a potties multiple times.


Me


SUPER long line for food afterward. Just bailed and went out for breakfast.