After the start, I had to do a little weaving, but it wasn't bad. The first 200 - 800 meters felt hard, and I worried that I was still really fatigued. I had felt pretty tired during my bike and swim sessions the day before. I had run an absolutely awful 5K in the spring where I just simply felt dead-legged, and I hoped this wouldn't be a repeat performance. My body eventually started to feel good I felt like I was cruising along. It was a cool morning, which was like a reward for making it through the brutal summer.

Around mile 1, I passed a girl who said, "Hi, Michelle." I didn't recognize her at first, but she was one of the other Body Pump instructors at one of the gyms I teach at. In my defense, she was wearing really large sunglasses. I had last raced against her a year and a half ago, and she beat me that time. She mentioned that she hadn't been training, and then she drifted back. We are both planning on doing the Tucson Marathon in two months, so we'll see how that plays out.

The course winds through the University and surrounding streets and is relatively flat. There are a few underpasses to make it interesting. A few of my friends who weren't racing were cheering, which is always nice. One was taking pictures, so I tried to smile.

My pace lagged a little in the fourth mile, but I was able to pick it up again in the last mile. Because of construction on the campus, they had modified the end slightly. I started my final kick based on where the old finish line would have been, but we had to run on the other side of the mall past the start line, do a hair-pin turn and then run to the finish. It added about 200 - 300 meters to what I thought I had left, which feels like a big deal at the end of a race. I felt like crap, but for the last 100 meters, my body sped up almost in spite of itself. I was a little disappointed that I didn't break 36, but I think it was a strong race for where I was in my training cycle.


Double-check the course map.

I let the blecky feeling subside, and ran an easy 3 to cool down, had my Luna Bar, and checked out the food. There wasn't a lot left, but I grabbed an orange and half a bagel. I reconnected with some friends, which is always one the best parts of racing.

The top woman in my age group was third overall, so she was pulled out and I took the third in the age group. I won a free entry for next year.

This race usually attracts some fast folks. The overall man (24:34, 4:57/mile) and woman (27:28, 5:31/mile) came down with a group from Flagstaff.


Having a tired body going in, but I knew that. All in all, I think I ran pretty evenly and finished hard, so I'm happy.


This race helps raise money for wheelchair athletes, which is neat. There was a team called "Jogging for Jason" who were there to support a young man who had been a promising tennis player and had suffered a spinal cord injury and was now learning to play tennis in a wheelchair. It was touching to see him and the 100+ people who came out to support him.