Felt pretty good this morning. Just a touch sore in my left quad but nothing major. Back in 2009 I used to work a bit in McMinnville and there were a few streets that I thought looked like fun to run down. Now a few years later, I finally had my chance. Ran from the hotel, through the downtown to the medical clinic on the west side of town, then returned to Linfield's campus and then back to the hotel. After having a day to reflect on last night's race, I have to say that I think it was the best race of my life. Maybe that statement is a bit strong, but regardless, I'll stick with it. For one, it was a PR. For another, it was a big chunk to knock off in just one race. Would I have been happy with a 10 second PR? Of course. But 53 seconds is another level. Thirdly, it was my most complete race I've ever run. I have considered the Pear Blossom in 2009 as my best, most complete race up to this point because I was strong throughout and increased my pace on the final mile. But with my half marathon PR, my last 2 miles were a struggle and I died at the end. Same for my marathon PR. At TOU in 2011, I was walking during the 24th mile to get rid of a cramp that wouldn't subside. After that, the final couple miles were a struggle to say the least. But like I wrote in my race report, this was the rare race when I wanted to increase the pace in the final stages and was able to do so. Such a different feeling compared to faltering at the end. I keep thinking about the race. I want another shot at going sub-31. I'll try and make it fit into my schedule in the next couple months for a race in Salem or Portland. We'll see.
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