Mayor's Half

Yesterday I ran 13.1 miles for fun. Yeah, I know I'm crazy. But it was fun, believe it or not. I was a little nervous because I missed my 12 mile training run last week. I still made it though. As extra motivation, I put a special playlist on my iPod, and I ran the whole time which was my main goal.

I rode my bike to the race start, which is very close to my house, because I didn't want to be bothered with the parking issue. When I got there, it was pouring. Rain is a mixed bag; it's kind of nice to run through it, but when you're standing in line for the port-a-potty, rain is not too fun. It rained for about half of the race, but by the end the sun started to peek out and I actually got a little hot.

They had changed the course from the last time I ran it, which was three years ago. Now the course goes down the airport road, then veers off into the woods before finally making it back on the Coastal Trail. I was not anticipating trail running, and I was glad I had decided to wear my trail running shoes because it was raining. The trail wasn't bad, but it's nice to have that extra support when you're not on pavement.

My final time was 2:26:12. I was hoping to run 11:00 miles, so my time goal was 2:23. I unfortunately did not make that goal. I did come in #393 out of 987, so I was in the top 40%. So I'm proud of that. You have to take what you can get.

Ethan was not planning on being at the finish, since he had to help his dad yesterday morning. But to my surprise, he found me while I was waiting in line for my finisher's t-shirt. He had brought the truck so I wouldn't have to ride my bike home, and I was very, very grateful.

My legs were sore last night, but they are already getting better today. Mostly I'm just glad I finished, and in an acceptable (but not record) time. :)