Believe to Achieve

Just fun from the drive up to the standing in line to get a bus up the canyon to a short warmup in the crisp air (2.5 miles) to the 1:30 pace sign in my hands and meeting lots of fun runners. Followed the pace band pretty closely. First mile way short..0.83 so that added a new challenge to the pacing sport...will the course be short ? on? or long? hmmm. i seetled some discouraged runners as i passed them that i was running a course specific pace band pace....as i think a few thought i was a ways ahead..welll without knowing if satellitr transmission or mile markers were off i had to just go with my previous e periences and think it was going to be long and stay a little under. Even though i felt for sure it would be short all the way to the last 2/10ths of the race....i was jogging along with my first slow mile of the race...7:35..for mile 13 as i trusted the last marker to be on with my stop watch mlde of my running garmin....i was cheering tons that mile for everyone behind me to pass me as i knew 1:30 would be me exactly if not just under by the way i slowed thru the last mile. I saw the clock 50 feet away and it read 1:29:50....i hadnt looked at my watch mode for 2 minutes and didnt realize the course was LONG....he he so i squeaked in just over 1:30...in 1:30:03.9. How fun as i stood there with many with the under 1:30 group just so thankful I pushed them to pass. Even runners a few minutes slower than me thanked me...just seeing my sign gave them hope :-) I absolutely loved this race and people and course!! well run and great atmosphere overall. One particular runner ran with me from mile 3 to 12. She had just found out she was pregnant so she had to tone it down...five weeks pregnant...with her fifth child. We talked full sentences the entire time....even accidentally running two 6:20s...a 6:20 and a 6:22 together...I told her those miles were supposed to be fast but not that fast...6:35 and 6:31 so i dleiberately took it slower the next two miles. She came up to me at the finish...she ran 1:28:49!!! Her name is April. I love April runners! she was energized and smart....she said she was gonna play it smart and stay with me til last mile. So great to have her company! some had gone out too fast and were worried when I passed and I let them know they could do it and just needed to follow...we were so close to finish. I said whatever I could positivel y to motivate anyone struggling . Pacing is fun causeit isnt all about me and hopefully does however strengthen me for my hardest race. coming up. And there a pacer would do me a world of good!!