This was a train through race for me as I get ready for my marathon in a couple of weeks. I knew I wasn't in shape to run a PR like I did last year, but I had hoped for something near that time up until this week. By the time we started running this morning though, I had decided to be happy with whatever I could pull off. I don't know my splits because my Garmin was acting funny. It shows 7 laps for a 5 mile race and none of them make any sense. I know the first couple miles were fairly slow and after that I picked it up a bit.

Around the second mile an older guy in a Boston Marathon jacket started running beside me and asked me who Ingrid was. I have a co-worker who collapsed last weekend, has been unresponsive ever since, and was taken off the ventilator this weekend and placed in hopsice care until she passes. I had put her name on the back of my jacket. As I explained he fell in in step beside me. He asked me a couple more questions, but mostly just ran quietly next to me. I also saw Smoe in the last couple miles and he started pacing off of us too.

Even though I had picked up my pace the second half and was working pretty hard, I could tell Boston Marathon Man could've run a lot faster. For whatever reason he didn't and I am quite grateful. I was a little unfocused for this race and he was the main thing keeping me fairly strong. He stayed right with me up until the end, and then I lost site of him before the finish. I turned around to find him and thank him after I crossed the line and it was like he disappeared into thin air. Poof. Not a trace of him.

Be better trained for a shorter distance race that requires a little more raw speed. Not go out until WAY after my bedtime the night before the race.

I found Smoe right away after the finish. We walked a little bit of cooldown and then I headed for gear check where Tammy (tripletmom) found me. We met up with Joe and headed over to his place to change into dry clothes (my shoes were squishing water they were so soaked). Then we headed to Bar Louie to meet up with some other BTers.


The things in "What would you do differently?" and Mother Nature.


This race is about as organized as an event this large can be. Although it's really crowded, I still like doing it. The weather was a mess this year, but I still had fun and would definitely sign up again.