Running in Life's Slow Lane

Much better results than I expected. Though I am not exactly sure how large the field was it numbered into the 400s with the top overall winner finishing in just over 18 minutes: a 50 year old from Arizona.

Since the start line had timing pads set up I did not worry about getting ahead of anyone and in fact stood for a while after the horn sounded to let a large group of the walkers break up before crossing the line.

The first mile was mostly downhill and I finished it in a very fast 10:11.

The second mile was a slow climb with a flat stretch on top. I was proud of myself for not needing to stop and walk in this stretch. In fact, I used this part of the course to pass quite a few other joggers. Found a young lady who seemed to be keeping a nice pace and followed her for most of this mile.

Third mile was mostly flat looping back near the starting line. We made a turn at what I estimated to be about 2.75 miles and here I picked up my pace passing 5 or 6 folks. Once I got sight of the finish line and the clock I kicked as hard as I could knowing that I had beat the 36 minute mark.

The clock when I crossed the finish line said 34:50. My stopwatch when I remembered to stop it after letting my chip be removed and walking towards the water table read 34:18.9. Somehow my official posted time was 34:53.6. I am guessing the difference between my stopwatch and the official time is the amount of time I waited for the path to clear ahead of me before crossing the start line. BUT, I thought the mats at the start of the race were specifically meant to account for your actual start time. Oh well. It wouldn't have made any difference in my position yet I somehow feel cheated that my official time should have been in the 34:10 to 34:15 range.

So this gives me a good measure of my improvement this month and lets me set my goals for April.