I've been dealing with some plantar fasciitis so my training is pretty pathetic lately. I thought I might have a chance to do OK at this race, just because I built up a pretty good base last year and I haven't been *totally* slacking this year (about 20-25 mpw). Ha. Not so much.

The race starts on a super fast, long downhill, but as soon as it flattened out I was hurting. The foot felt great because I'd taken some Advil first thing in the morning, but everything else sucked. I eased up to a comfy-hard pace (didn't bother checking the Garmin -- I figured it'd be too depressing) and stuck with that for most of the race. All things considered, I didn't do terribly. Once I warmed up I actually felt pretty good and I'm thinking that without the long uphill to the finish I would've negative split the race.

The run was pretty uneventful until I got to the big hill. It's half a mile and gets steeper toward the top. I tend to pass a lot of people on the hill because I pace myself well (and refuse to walk). I was about halfway up when these two women went *flying* by me. I couldn't believe how fast they were running up! Then we turned a corner and one of them swore and came to a stop and said to her friend, "I thought this was the finsih!" The other girl said she'd thought the same. They both looked very sad. When I ran by them I couldn't resist laughing and saying, "I thought you two were going awfully fast..." They both gave me the evil eye.

Overall, it was a gorgeous day for a run and, as usual, I had a blast at this race. My time sucked, but I'm not complaining.

Not have plantar fasciitis. Train.

I found Michael right at the finish. He was third overall in the 5K!!! First in his AG (30-39)! And this is with almost no training. What an asshole. :)


Injury.


I love this race. It has a nice, homey feel. There are about 1,000 runners, but it feels very small -- I've started to recognize people from year to year. This is the first year they used timing chips, which was nice. I didn't get the post-race pancakes this year, but it's fun that they offer a big breakfast and a raffle. And the free wine glass (and wine!) is a great bonus.