First HM for me and my wife. Goal was to stay together for 10 miles then finish strong. We tried to stay close to the 2:10 pacer but that was too fast for us. Settled in at around a 10:20 pace and tried to stay steady. Walked about every other aid station. They had H20, Acclerade, Gel, and a snack table w/oranges, pretzels, and oreos. Hit most of the drinks, plus a gel and an oreo. Every bit helped. The challenge for me was keeping my form and turnover up and not lapsing into a slumped/overstriding form. I was hurting some around Mile 8-10, but my wife kept going, so I kept her within reach even though I was starting to wheeze. Got the breathing under control, caught her at Mile 11 and we had a nice strong finish. Almost sprinted the end but again w/the wheezing.

Saw some beautiful people: A blind runner following his sighted partner, who gave directions as they went. Saw two runners with "In Memory of My Mom" shirts. Saw an 81-yr old man finish. He looked to be about 65. It was a real celebration.

Push harder in the middle of races (same problem all my life). If not for my wife, I would have slowed down even more. Also need to find out why I am wheezing at the end of hard runs.

Water, medal, beer, tacos, walked around w/wife. Chatted w/other friends who finished, then walked some more and stretched.


Overall fitness: I did enough training miles to finish this race, but not enough to really race it. My core strenth is weak too: My back wants to slump and put too my much strain on my hips and hams.


Great race. Nice layout for both the start/finish and the course. Lots of food and drink at the finish. Really a fun event.