They really had people crammed in at the start of the race. I'm not sure why they had the fences so close together. I wanted to start off with a pace group. Had to climb the fence to get close.

I started off a little fast but kept a conversational pace. I ran with my friend Craig for the first 8 miles. It worked out well since he had a garmin and I missed seeing most of the mileage signs. I ate a Gu and grabbed some water at the mile 4 aid station. I never really feel a boost from it but know I need something. About mile 5, I got a painful stitch in my side. Where did that come from? No cramps like that ever during training. I wasn't even sure what to do. So I pushed on it while trying to take deep breaths. Seemed to work but it was painful. The pain came back briefly during a couple of uphill portions.

At the mile 8 aid station I took another Gu and had some water. I need to learn how to drink water while I run.

My goal was 2 hours and about 1:20 in, I new on was still on pace if I could keep from fading. At mile 10, I was still feeling pretty good then the 2 hour pace group caught me so I new I was fading. I looked at my watch and starting counting down the minutes until the end. I picked up the pace slightly and just kept counting down the minutes. About a mile out I saw someone in really bad shape, looked like he passed out and some bystanders were trying to trnd to him. I hope he recovered and finished. That would suck to run 12 miles and not finish.

The last mile was tough. Where do people get the energy to sprint the last mile? I had nothing left in the tank. I was very happy to cross the finish line specially below my time goal.

Wear a tee-shirt instead of a long sleeve running jacket. I was pretty warm by the end.

Walked through the exit area and ate a banana and drank a bottle of water. Worked my way through the crowds and walked a couple blocks to meet up with Craig and Tom then swapped war stories while taking in more water.


I would like to put more mileage in before my next half and see if that improves my time. I'm not complaining, last year I ran it in 2:08:02 so I improved by almost 10 minutes! The triathlon training has definitely helped my endurance.


The race is very well done (more port-a-pottys and a wider race start next year please). The volunteers were very helpful and pleasant. I made sure to thank many of them.