Ran the striders 1/2 Marathon. The pace over the first 6 miles was totally doable. It felt like I could hold that pace for an entire marathon. At miles 7 and 8 I began to have breathing difficulties much like the ones I experienced in Houston. It could have been altitude or the slight cold I have or even allergies. Whatever the cause, the pace became too much for me to keep and I dropped back to the 5:30's. This felt much more comfortable. Finished with 5:21 avg pace.
My teammate, Paul, who I ran with most of the race was really prepared to keep a blistering pace. When I started into difficulty he didn't even skip a beat and kept on chugging. I think I saw a hint of a red cape with the letter "S" on it under his singlet.
At the awards ceremony I overheard another runner make a comment about the Wasatch runners: "those wasatch guys are animals...they win everything!" I think she was referring to Paul. | 