Interesting day of pacing, one day I will add some more detail ... but it was hot ... great group to about Mile 18, where the heat & hills quickly took its toll! I ran with a race sponsored watch, which died at Mile 17 ... so from there I was guessing. Ran the right pace, but looped back a couple times at 19 & 22 to give some words of encouragement to my disappearing group.Thought I was on pace to still come in under 3:45 ... but ended up being 3:45:51 ... not a big deal because I was not really pacing anyone the last 3 miles.
Got back to hotel only to read a text message from my brother that he was enroute to Harrisburg because my mom had taken a fall in the morning & was back in the hospital. Battling a terminal disease is tough, head hitting tile floor in bathroom did not help. The entire left side of her head is badly bruised (she is platelet dependant) and bruises incredibly easily ... not a good combination for falling head first on a tile floor! Good news is all heart & neural tests are clear, and internal bleeding appears under control. She is getting great care & in pretty good spirits all things considered. She is not in critical care ... but every day presents critical challenges. Running does not seem too important to me these days, although it does help to clear the mind when I get out there!
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