I went into this race looking at it as a training run to help prep for Seattle, so I put in a pretty heavy week of running beforehand. With that in mind, I don't feel bad at all about my time. It was only 1:05 behind my half marathon PR. The starting line was freezing. The wind was blowing up at Lucky Peak and the start area stayed in the shaddows for a long time. But just before the start, I shed my sweatshirt and shivered for a few minutes until the gun went off. Then the weather, and I, warmed up quickly. I kept it at a strenuously comfortable pace for the first 10 miles or so because the last thing I wanted to do is start out too fast and tank it. You see, I knew that there were a couple of women from the neighborhood somewhere behind me and I had to at least finish ahead of them. I picked up the pace some (or at least increased my effort) for the last three miles or so. There was a young guy that was running near me from about mile 5. Near the end of the race we were still together, picking up the pace. I have no idea who he was, but he knew I was there too because we were trading off leading by a few steps. It worked out really well because I don't think I would have moved as fast at the end if he wasn't pushing me. Oh, and another highlight of the race: I almost stepped on a dead mouse on the greenbelt. iPod song of the day: "I Want To Break Free" -- Queen
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