What a race!!! I've never before raced a distance as long as the 15-kilometer Stockade-athon, but I had a great time. AND, I met all three of the goals I set. I don't know my official time yet, but my stopwatch said 1:18.50. I even had enough left at the end to put in a good kick.
The best part of the race was seeing all of my friends from the Y -- some of whom are well-experienced runners, and others I've seen start slowly with 5Ks and progressively amp up the intensity. Both groups put in great efforts on the pavement today. It really inspires me and reaffirms that YES, you can do ANYTHING as long as you make a plan and put in the hard work required to get there.
I was also impressed by how well organized and well marked the race was. The race organizers and volunteers deserve great credit for keeping such a HUGE race so under control. Every mile was marked and every runner was cheered on along the way.
I am definitely in for next year. I was worried the first leg of the race about my pace, because -- as always -- I went out too fast. I was shooting for about 9 minute miles and was averaging about 8:15. And then, we hit State Street. I never realized how much of that road is uphill. But when you're on your feet rather than in your car, you feel it. The hills made me slow my pace a bit, which in the end was good because I had enough gas to Fartlek the last mile. Again, a really great race and a great experience.
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