My friend Paula and I went to the starting line together, and looked at the guy across the street with the gun to start...but then BANG - there were two guns, and one was right next to us...it scared the crap out of us...then someone said go...and we said - "OH, RUN".... it's amazing how you are playing frogger at the very beginning going around people...but near the end - it get's so thin you sometimes have no one in sight right in front of or behind you for some stretches...

When I passed mile one - and the guy said - 8:02 - I knew I needed to slow it down. My left foot was hurting a bit for the for the first three miles, then stopped....then I felt it throbbing a tad again the last mile. I don't think it really affected my run though - it was more annoying than anything. I had a gel right at about 1 hour into the run. Oh - and I tired to do the "mental trick" at mile 10 of thinking - "just a 5k left - sprint it..." that lasted maybe 1/4 mile - lol - then I had to just run it as I could - no sprinting. I did sprint maybe the very last 1/5 mile...and I heard my 5 year old near the finish SCREAM - Woohooo Mommmy!!! That made me pick it up a tad just for her.

I probably would not have started off as hard...and then would have pushed harder at the end...wait...maybe that would have made my time the same though??? Oh - and maybe I will do the gels differently - and time it to take 2 instead of just 1. Running as hard as I could like that, I think I got tired and MAY have needed a 2nd gel near the end.

Walking around looking for my family...then getting a drink. Went to check the preliminary times...thought DANG - I was fourth...then realized 3rd was actually over a minute ahead of me, and knew I could not have gotten that.


The fact that I am still learning how to pace at these longer runs. Also, I did have a keyboard dropped on my foot the day before - it does not sound like it should hurt...but it hit my foot just the right way - had a weird bruise and a slight pain every third step for the first three miles.


Okay - 4th in AG, 37th overall, and 11th woman out of 51 (EDIT - I WAS THE 10TH, NOT 11TH - LOL) to finish. My original goal when I registered was 2:10. I then changed it to under 2 - at 1:59....so I did meet my time.

Oh - and get this. I realized when I got home...that the pacing chart you get from runner's world according to my best 5K time said for a 1/2 marathon I should get an 8:34 pace ideally...and guess what? That is EXACTLY what I did. It was just strange when I realized it the night after the race, because when I first saw the numbers, I thought - NO WAY.

This was my first 1/2 marathon. The organization did a great job. I'll do this again next year if the timing works out for me.