December 20, 2014: The Atlanta Christmas 5K

Goal: To have a fun race wearing a silly T-shirt with some of my students


Several weeks ago, I was invited to join a few of the chemistry graduate students in the Atlanta Christmas 5K.  They were entering as "Team Holmium" and were planning on making T-shirts for the event.  I figured it would be a fun race to do, and so Bonnie and I signed up.  On Friday before the race, Erin Schuler brought the race T-shirts by the lab, and they were fantastic!  She had singlehandedly decorated five shirts with glitterglue, writing out Merry Christmas in the full structures of the corresponding peptides:



Methionine-Glutamine-Glutamine-Arginine-Arginine

Cysteine-Histidine-Arginine-Isoleucine-Serine-Threonine-Methionine-Alanine-Serine

My students all know that I have an unfortunate mental condition, in which tiny imperfections in chemical structures seem to leap out of the page in my vision.  Therefore, Erin knew that she had to get the structure completely correct on all five shirts, including every single stereocenter, because her professor was definitely going to notice.  Erin's grade?

A+  !!  

Erin Schuler, Samantha Iamurri, Jessica Hurtak, Bonnie Youn, Frank McDonald
"Four chemists and a lawyer ran a 5K, and ..."
(feel free to finish the joke in the comments!)
In the week leading up to the race, I didn't run at all.  Not only was my ankle bothering me, but my cold was pretty bad midweek and I even took a day off after my fall semester grades had been submitted.  The plan was to take it easy and just enjoy the race as much as possible.  There were about a thousand people in the race, and we just lined up wherever we found a spot.  It was relatively crowded for much of the route, especially for those of us in the middle of the pack.  The first couple of miles were fairly mild, but after the 2-mile marker we began going uphill.  At the left turn onto Greenland Drive, we went straight uphill.  I passed a few people in this area only because I was able to continue a slow jog, but it was a relief to reach the crest on Hillpine Drive.  After heading back downhill on Wayne Avenue, we turned left onto Courtenay Drive, where I began to speed up a bit for the finish.  Turning left onto Highland Avenue, and another left onto Morningside Drive, I could hear the announcer's voice at the finish line.  I passed a parked car with a 13.1 sticker on the left back windshield - oh, that was my car, LOL, and with that inspiration went to high speed for a strong finish.  I cleared the finish line at 29:52 on the clock; with the starting delay, my official chip time was 29:14.    


Although this was the slowest 5K that I have clocked, it was a fun experience, even though the ankle was a little sore from start-to-finish. The plan is to take several weeks without racing, just easy runs to keep in shape, to get everything back to 100% health. 

"Four chemists and a lawyer ran a 5K, and ..."

Can you finish the joke?  Below are a few that were posted in response to this question on Facebook:

 ... and all I got was this clever t-shirt!
... what came out was a patent for a new Breaking Bad compound
... the chemists were all charged, but the lawyer was the catalyst for getting them off.

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December 14, 2014: The Jeff Galloway 13.1

Goal C: To finish my first half-marathon. 

Goal B: To finish with a smile! 

Goal A: To finish in 1:59:59!! (9:10 minutes per mile pace)


When I ran my first race in October 2013, I didn't really imagine that I would try a half-marathon in a little more than a year.  But here I am!  

Jeff Galloway is a legend in the Atlanta running community.  He won the first Peachtree Road Race in 1970, and subsequently represented the USA in the Munich Olympics in 1972 in the 10,000 meter race.  He has developed a run-walk-run approach to injury-free running, with his mantra "Run Until You're 100".  That was definitely in mind when I named this blog, marking the start of my running after age 50.  

 Last year I ran the Fast Fun Phidippides 5K in Ansley Park, which this year is the Barb's 5K along the same route.  


This year, the Galloway program has added a half-marathon.  

Given the emphasis on the run-walk-run method and the course being open for 4-1/2 hours, I felt that this would be ideal for my first half-marathon.  If I ran out of gas and had to walk a substantial part of the route, I probably wouldn't be alone.  However, I waited to register for the race until I had completed the Atlanta 10-miler in late October.  Completing the 10-miler was a huge confidence booster for me, knowing that a half-marathon was 'merely' tacking on a 5K onto the 10-mile distance.

The race weekend began with a casual run on Friday morning, led by Jeff Galloway starting at the Phidippides store at 7 am.  I figured that it would be fun to join in one of the race weekend activities other than the main event.  It would also be a test run with a new cold weather jersey that Bonnie had given me for this race, and I didn't want to run the half-marathon with anything completely new.  We were joined by 1970's-era star runner Bill Rodgers (marathon, Montreal Olympics, 1976).  Several others in the group of about 25 runners had run a dozen or more marathons.  Then there was me.  We ran about 3 miles at a relatively slow pace with alternating 15 seconds running and walking, so it was a confidence-builder on the health of my ankle (injured in the Eastside Beltline 10K last Saturday), yet I would still be fully rested by Sunday morning. 

 On Saturday I went to the Expo downtown, to pick up my race packet and look over accessories and perhaps sit in on one of the presentations.  I decided to sign up with the 2:00 pace team, which would alternate intervals of 4 minutes running, 1 minute walking.  For my long runs, I was training with those intervals, and that had been working well for me.  But I was concerned that my longest training run had been 12 miles.  I just could not work a longer run into my schedule.  Ultimately it was the following arithmetic that convinced me that I should try for the 2:00 pace team:

10 miles in 1:31:13   +   3.1 miles in 0:25:06   ---->  13.1 miles in 1:56:19

ignoring that those distances and times were not run on the same day, not even in the same month....

I had also picked up a slight upper respiratory issue, starting on Friday night.  It wasn't too serious - Bonnie had a worse case - but I wasn't quite 100%.  Some DayQuil and NetiPot treatment helped on the morning of the race.  Fortunately the ankle was feeling fine and overall I felt that I was in good shape to begin the half-marathon. 

 It was a cool morning, in the high-30's at best, but the sky was completely clear and it was a beautiful day for running.  When we reached the starting area on 11th Street, just west of Peachtree Road and north of the Federal Reserve Building, I was surprised to learn that I would be in the first corral!  I introduced myself to the women leading the 2:00 pace team and stretched a little in place while waiting for the start.  We were quite close to the starting line, with only the 1:30 pace group in front of us.  I looked around and somehow the 1:45 pace group was at least 50 feet behind us and to the right!  That probably wasn't supposed to happen.  At least they weren't directly behind us, otherwise there might have been a problem in the first mile.  

 As the time drew close to 8:00 am, Bill Rodgers and Jeff Galloway each made some welcoming comments, another runner sang the National Anthem, and then it was time to begin.  The energy of the runners was incredibly high - this is always one of the best parts of running in a big race.  With a 10-second countdown, we were off!  I crossed the starting line within a few seconds of the start, 6 second delay according to the official results.

About 10 seconds after the start
The first two blocks were downhill, across Peachtree Street and a right turn on Juniper Street.  At the turn, a guy was holding a sign reading "Only 13.0 miles to go!"  After 4 minutes we took our first walk break.  The 1:45 pace group streamed past on our right.  At the mile 1 marker, my watch read 9:09 elapsed, which was exactly the time required for a 2 hour race.  Amazing how good the pacers were, even with downhill and uphill sections.  My attention was briefly distracted by the wonderful scent of Krispy Kreme donuts as we made the turn from Ponce De Leon onto Central Park Place.  Why didn't the organizers arrange for a free donut aid station at the corner?!  Oh, that's a different race, see:


Likewise I passed the mile 2 marker at 18:08, as we turned onto Highland Avenue.  But I was having a little trouble keeping up with the pace group.  As we climbed a hill on Boulevard on the way to Freedom Parkway, I started to feel familiar but unwelcome soreness around the right ankle, the same one that I had sprained last weekend.  During the pace team's first walk break on Freedom Parkway, I nearly caught up to them by running, just in time for them to start running again.  I think that the run-walk-run method probably wasn't intended to give slower runners a chance to catch up, and I missed a walk break or two by doing that.  I last saw the 2:00 pace leaders when they were returning on the PATH trail at mile 4, shortly before I reached the turnaround myself.  Oh well, a 2:00 half-marathon wasn't realistic at all for me today, and I needed to be careful with the ankle if I wanted to be certain to finish.  I didn't spot the 2:10 pace group, but I did see the 2:30 flag merrily bobbing along Freedom Parkway as I was returning on the PATH trail myself, and was hoping that I could at least stay ahead of that group! 
The race route, with mile markers and important landmarks noted. 
The Krispy Kreme donut station in the second mile
was not manned, so I had to take a gel instead in mile 6.
Krispy Kreme would have tasted so much better!
We headed downhill to enter the Eastside Beltline at the Freedom Parkway underpass.  I was buoyed by a sense of familiar turf, and was proceeding on my own 4 minute : 1 minute run : walk cycle.  As I neared the mile 5 marker, the pounding footsteps of the 2:10 pace herd caught up with me.  I sped up a bit to keep up with them.  They were on a 3 minute : 1 minute run : walk cycle, but I had to press to keep up with them on the running stages.  Spotting the water station at the northern end of the Beltline, I decided to take a gel at that point, hoping that the energy and caffeine would help speed me up.  Just as I was rolling the goo into my mouth (those things really stiffen up in the cold), I saw Bonnie taking my photo!  Oops!  

 I walked through the water stop to wash down the gel, then made a sharp U-turn to get onto Virginia Avenue.  I had kept up with the 2:10 pace group to this stage, but I could sense them slipping away.  There were many spectators at this corner, and it was great to hear them cheering us on.  Shortly after passing the 6-mile marker, I spotted the broken patch of sidewalk where I fell and fractured my collarbone in April.  I gave the spot a long, silent glare, as I jogged past. 


Shortly after turning right onto Ponce De Leon Place, we passed the 10K marker and a timing mat.  I checked my watch, 1:00 hour elapsed.  I muttered to the runner next to me, "My slowest 10-K ever."  Thank goodness for the advice I had read somewhere, perhaps in Runner's World: sometimes it just isn't your day.  In any case, I was going to set a personal record today as long as I finished!  At the turn onto St. Charles Avenue, a spectator was holding a sign "Press here for energy boost!"  Most runners were tapping the sign with one hand, I used two to get the maximum boost, I really needed it!   After passing the 7-mile marker, I turned north onto Highland Avenue, passing several familiar stores and restaurants, including Surin of Thailand, where I was taken to dinner on my Emory interview in 1998.  As we approached the intersection of Virginia with Highland, the neighborhood fondly known to locals as "Virginia-Highland", I spotted a familiar face at the Run with DONNA 26.2 water stop: Elisabeth, the author of Running on E!  It was great to meet face-to-face, even if just for a few seconds in passing.  She handed me a cup of water, I gave her a high-five, and was pumped up by the cheering and upbeat music at the corner.  

Virginia Avenue was brightly decorated with signs advertising the 26.2 with DONNA in Jacksonville in February.  This was a long, easy downhill stretch, although I just focused on keeping a steady pace.  Shortly after passing the 8-mile marker, we came again to the intersection with Ponce De Leon Place (which is Park Drive to the north).  A priest was standing in his robes, on the steps of his church on the corner, cheering us on!  Turning onto Park Drive, and then a left on Monroe Drive, brought us to the southeast corner of Piedmont Park.  Shortly after turning onto 10th Street, I saw Bonnie standing at the 9-mile marker!  
At mile 9
I said to her, "I'm moving slowly, but I'm gonna finish!"  At this point my elapsed time was 1:30: in late October I was approaching the finish line of the 10-miler at 1:30.  10th Street was mostly uphill so I took it easy until the turn onto Piedmont Avenue at the Flying Biscuit, where there were quite a few spectators, perhaps not completely by choice....

The first part of Piedmont Avenue was also uphill, but I knew that after 14th Street there would be a long downhill stretch to the intersection with Monroe Drive.  Upon reaching the 10-mile marker, I told myself, only 5K to go, I can definitely do this.  I took a second gel at this point, for another boost of energy.  My time at that stage was 1:40, so I was thinking that I could manage a 25-minute 5K.  But that would mean catching up to and passing the 2:10 pace group, which was nowhere in sight.  We passed the beautiful Botanical Gardens on our right and the elegant Ansley Park neighborhood to our left, as we approached the busy intersection with Monroe Drive.  At this stage I caught up to a boy who had been running with a Santa beard, although by this stage, the beard was off to the side.  He seemed to be struggling a bit, and I asked him, "Is this your first half-marathon?"  "Yes, sir" he answered.  "Mine too" I replied.  We turned into the north end of Piedmont Park together, around the 11-mile mark.  Only 2.1 miles to go, I can definitely do this.  This part of the park opened within the past year, and is a really nice new gateway into the park.  This should have been the best part of the race - it was certainly designed that way - but my ankle was really starting to bother me.  I was probably on a 1 : 1 run : walk ratio by this point, but the important thing was to finish.  It seemed to take forever to get through the park to the meadow at the southeastern end (13:15 minutes for mile 12, to be exact) and then there were a few more bends in the route than I had originally expected.  Finally I spotted the lake, and was on the walkway where I had finished the Atlanta AIDS 5K two months ago.


By this point I was walking more than running.  Turning the corner at the Boathouse, a big group of volunteers from TAPS, a veterans service organization and one of the race sponsors, was cheering us on.  One woman was calling my name, and through a mental haze, I heard "Frank! Frank! You can do it! You're almost there!"  I sped back up to a slow trot and was rewarded with enthusiastic cheers.  TAPS volunteers, if any of you are reading this, thanks a million!  You really helped! 

Finally I could see the outer bank of the Active Oval.  I had been able to hear the announcer for most of the final third of the race as we circled Piedmont Park, and now could clearly hear every word.  I felt like I was mostly alone, then heard the steps of a woman approach and pass me, as I was walking again.  I resolved that I would walk the southern curve of the Oval, and then break into a jog right before I could see the finish line - and right before the people waiting at the finish could see me.  Bum ankle or not, I was going to run across the finish line!  And there it was, the most beautiful sight in the world!  The clock was showing 2:19 and some seconds, so I was happy that I was going to finish faster than the round number of 2:20.  The announcer called out "And here comes Frank McDonald, from Tucker Georgia!"  I raised my hands to acknowledge the announcer, and as I approached the finish line, I gave a huge fist pump in celebration!  2:19:42 on the clock, 2:19:36 chip time. 

           My first half-marathon - DONE!!!                                        Oh, the pain!
Volunteers handed out medals - what a huge piece of bling!  And there was a short line of finishers taking photos with Jeff Galloway.  I limped up to him with my hand out to shake his hand, mumbled "It was a great route - This was my first half-marathon!" and he replied "I hope that you'll join us next year!"  I promised him that I would!  So I'm definitely committed, I gave the man my word.  

Goal C: To finish my first half-marathon. Achieved!  

Goal B: To finish with a smile!  

Done!!

Goal A: To finish in 1:59:59!! 

Well, that clearly wasn't realistic.  But there is plenty of room for improvement. 


Mile splits: 9:09, 9:09, 9:35, 9:56, 9:49, 10:19, 10:55, 10:46, 10:34, 10:37, 11:18, 13:15, 13:18, and 1:06 for the last 0.1 mile. 

The medal is really heavy! 
The only downside of the entire experience (other than the sore ankle): even though I had brought a change of clothes, I was so tired when I returned to the car that I didn't change out of the soaked shirt.  I began to suffer a mild case of hypothermia on the way home.  That was a little scary when my hands began to shake, but I tried to hide it from Bonnie because I didn't want her to worry.  Fortunately she was driving, and it was less than a 30-minute drive home.  I staggered into the house, took a warm shower, put on a sweater and burrowed under the covers for a 2 - 3 hour nap.  My brain was a little fuzzy for the rest of the day (hence no same-day race report) but I had recovered by the time of my first meeting with a student this morning.  Avoiding post-race hypothermia: an important learning experience for the next time around. 


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December 6, 2014: The Eastside Beltline 10K, year 2

Goal C: To improve on my 2013 time of 55:45

Goal B: To challenge my 10K PR of 54:33

Goal A: To finish 10K in less than 54 minutes

Goal: To finish without injury on a wet course


 In repeating the Eastside Beltline 10K - my first 10K one year ago - I had carefully mapped out a strategy for finishing with a new PR on one of my favorite in-town routes.  I had found 5-minute marks along the course that were all definitely reachable if I just trimmed a few seconds in each leg from last year's run, which I felt was realistic in light of my improved conditioning.  I just forgot about one little thing:
Sometimes it rains in Atlanta.

 In the week leading up to the race day, the likelihood for rain in the forecast kept rising.  The drizzle began as I was heading home last night, and it was still raining when I awoke on race day.  So now the point would simply be to dress to stay as dry as possible, finish without injury or incident, and try to find enjoyment in the camaraderie of running with other fools in the rain! 

 When we arrived and parked around 9 am, it was drizzling, but as we walked toward the starting area, a cloudfull of rain fell out of the sky.  We ran back to the car but we were thoroughly drenched.  Great, exactly what I didn't want to happen, to get soaked well before the race had even begun.  But after about 15 minutes, it tapered off to a drizzle, and looking at the weather radar, it looked like it would clear up for awhile.  Around 9:30 I walked to the start, on Krog Street just outside of Rathbun's Steakhouse, where there was a large sheltered outdoor area.  The temperature was mild (mid 50's F) and I was wearing a light rain jacket over a poly-T-shirt, but I felt a bit chilled due to the dampness.  I tried to stretch a little and joined some of the warm-up exercises, but wasn't really into it.  The pre-race announcements warned of wet leaves on the path, and to be especially cautious while running the unpaved trail that would be the third mile of the race.  Basically we were discouraged from trying to set any personal records today, and advised to just focus on running safely.  

 Fortunately the drizzle came to an end, just as we left the shelter of the gathering area to the starting area on Krog Street.  I found myself in the back quarter of the pack, but chatted for a moment with another Emory professor, Patrick Allitt from the History department, running his first race since the Peachtree Road Race in 1990.  I then decided to move up about 50 feet, to get well in front of a runner with a stroller.  As I looked ahead, I could see some breaks in the clouds!  We might get lucky once again, with the rain ending shortly before the race began! 

 I didn't hear the signal to start, but suddenly I could see the runners in front begin to move.  I began walking, started my timer, reached the start line, and we were off!  Despite being in the middle of the pack, everyone around me was moving at a reasonable pace.  A quick left turn onto Irwin Street was followed by a right turn onto the southern terminus of the Eastside Beltline.  I was moving a bit slower than I could have run, but I also wanted to be sure of my footing on the wet concrete, and I definitely wanted to avoid starting too quickly.  On the other hand, the Beltline descends 110 feet in elevation over 2 miles, so this would be the easier part of the race.  We passed familiar landmarks, Parish restaurant, and under the Highland Avenue overpass.  As we approached the Freedom Parkway underpass, I saw Bonnie on the right side of the path!  I gave her a big smile as I ran past. 
We had run less than 1 mile when this was taken.  I don't know the reason
  for the expression on the face of the guy in front of me.
Maybe he was disappointed that his wife wasn't there to take his photo! 

 This would have been the first 5-minute landmark, but my time was around 5:30 at that stage.  Oh well, as long as I didn't exceed 60 minutes, it would be a satisfactory run.  And I was pleased to note that I reached the 1-mile marker just north of the Ralph McGill overpass in less than 9 minutes, 8:45 according to my tracker. 

 In the next mile, I found myself running at the end of a pack with no one immediately behind me.  After a few minutes the gap behind me had closed, and some of those runners began to pass me.  I was tempted to speed up a bit, but remembering how tired I had been on the return leg in last year's race, I wanted to save some energy for the last two miles.  I did feel that I was running at a very consistent pace, which was confirmed at the 2-mile marker in 8:55, 17:40 elapsed.  
The race route, labeled with mile markers. 
Passing the water stop, we crossed Monroe Drive and began the third mile on the unpaved part of the trail.  Even though I knew from the elevation map that the elevation would drop another 40 feet in this mile, this part of the route is always a rough patch under the best conditions.  With mud and large puddles scattered along the trail, it was impossible to go too quickly, and we were weaving from side-to-side on the trail trying to keep our feet dry.  A couple of times I felt my feet slip just a tiny bit in some of the muddiest spots.  At the checkpoint where I had hoped to arrive in 20 minutes, I was at 22 minutes even, whereas last year I had reached the same spot in 20:42.  I just hoped that I might be able to make up some time in the final mile or two.  Finally we reached the end of the trail, turned left on Winchester, and up and down a 30-foot hill that wasn't on the map, but veteran runners knew it would be there.  Indeed I could pick out the rookies in this race: they were the ones complaining about the surprise hill.  I just took my time going uphill, watching my heart rate monitor to avoid spiking.  Indeed this is where my race had literally gone downhill last year, and then I had struggled for the second half of the race.  As we turned into Piedmont Park, I didn't see a 3-mile marker but it would have been in this area, which I passed at 26:59.  I had covered that difficult third mile in 9:19, which would have pleased me if I had known it at the time.  But all I knew at that moment was that I was about one minute behind last year's pace. 

 Within a few hundred feet of entering Piedmont Park, Patrick caught up with me.  I picked up my pace a bit to keep up with him.  He told me that he started running again on the advice of his physician. (Professors have great jobs but the work of reading and writing is quite sedentary, and delivering a lecture even while standing and writing on a board does not burn off many calories.)  After we passed the dog park, Patrick moved ahead of me, and I resolved to try to catch up to him later in the race.  The 4-mile marker was ahead as the park sidewalk joined the walk parallel to 10th Street, 36:24 elapsed and 9:25 for the fourth mile, which overall had been about 20 feet uphill through gently rolling terrain on a comfortable asphalt path.  Although I was still a little behind last year's pace, I was feeling much stronger and felt that I had a good chance to enjoy a strong finish.

 Crossing Monroe Drive again, I could see Patrick about 20 seconds ahead of me.  Even though we were going uphill, I felt that I was running strongly.  Moreover, the sidewalk was much drier on the return leg, as it hadn't rained in the last 45 minutes and hundreds of other runners had undoubtably helped to dry the path on the outbound leg.  Very gradually, I found myself catching up to runners in front of me, then passing them.  In contrast to last year's race, no one was passing me!  As the familiar landmark of Ponce City Market grew nearer, I felt that I might be chipping away just a bit at last year's time. I remembered that I had struggled mightily at this stage of last year's race.  Upon reaching the 5-mile marker at the North Avenue overpass, I noticed that 45:45 had elapsed, 9:21 for the fifth mile.  I would really have to hustle to finish faster than last year's time.  I began to accelerate a bit more, and from time to time I was passing other runners.  But Patrick remained about the same distance ahead of me.  Good for him, he was running a strong race, and that had motivated me to run a little faster than I might have run otherwise.  Upon reaching the Freedom Parkway underpass at 51:20, knowing that it had taken 5-1/2 minutes to reach that point running downhill in the first part of the race, it sank in that I was unlikely to beat last year's time, even though I had more gas in the tank this year.  Although there were not many spectators, they were vocal with their support and that helped a lot.  A small group under the Freedom Parkway underpass cheered even louder when they saw me acknowledge their encouragement with a thumbs-up.  Even if I couldn't beat last year's time, I was determined to finish strongly. 

 I kept passing the occasional runner, but then as I passed by Parish restaurant, I heard footsteps behind me.  At first I thought that the runner passing me was a woman that I had passed a moment earlier who had taken a walk break, but then I realized that the logo on the back of her T-shirt was different - she had completed the 2014 New York City Marathon.  She was undoubtably managing an even better finish than I, probably truly hitting negative splits in her second half.  But I'm proud to say that she was the only runner to pass me on the return leg of the Beltline.  I was starting to feel tired, as if I had begun my final push a quarter-mile too early, but I was still feeling much better than I remembered feeling at this stage last year.  On the other hand, Patrick opened up a bit more of a gap ahead of me, and I finally conceded that I was not going to catch up to him today.  I could see the Old Fourth Ward water tower rising ahead, as a landmark that the finish line was not far.  I didn't see the 6-mile marker as I reached the end of the Beltline, but that was at 55:00 elapsed, 9:15 for the sixth mile. 

 I turned strongly onto Irwin Street, then through a well-guarded intersection onto Krog Street.  The great thing about this race, is that as soon as you turn onto Krog Street, you can see the FINISH banner even though it is a few hundred feet down the street.  The clock was well past 56 minutes when I could first read the numbers, and it was inevitable that it would reach 57 minutes before I finished, but I knew that subtracting some time from the start, at least I would finish with a chip time less than 57 minutes.  57:06 according to the finish line photo, 56:56 on my tracker, 56:48 chip time.  I saw Bonnie waiting with camera in hand, and after crossing the finish line I saw Patrick stopped ahead checking his time.  I slowed to shake his hand and congratulated him on a good race. 
Nearing the finish --- crossing the line --- and done!!
As soon as I slowed after the finish line, I felt quite a bit of pain in my right ankle.  %$#*&@!!!   I must have sprained my ankle somewhere along the route!  I don't know where it happened but it might have been in a slippery area along the unpaved trail.  Although I had felt a twinge of discomfort in the right ankle, it had not been too painful while I was running, and I didn't feel that it had slowed me down.  But my goodness, I could hardly walk afterwards!  Fortunately it wasn't swollen, and taking off the shoe and changing into dry socks and shoes helped.  And as I write this afternoon, it isn't too painful.  But I will be taking it very easy in the coming week, so that it can heal before I attempt my first half-marathon, eight days from now. 
Ouch!  My ankle hurts!!  ---  the curative power of a donut  ---  I ran 6.2 miles and all I got was....this fantastic T-shirt!









Goal: To finish without injury on a wet course

Achieved?  Depends on how the ankle feels in a few days.


 When I checked my splits, I was very pleased with my consistency.  Although overall I was a little slower than I would have liked, I don't think that I've ever run a race with such small variance in the splits, so that is definitely progress.  

 Mile splits: 8:45, 8:55, 9:19, 9:25, 9:21, 9:15
Kilometer splits: 5:16, 5:30, 5:42, 5:36, 5:53, 5:53, 5:54, 5:49, 5:38, 5:45

 And every mile was faster than 10 minutes / every kilometer was faster than 6 minutes, so that was another general goal achieved with substantial improvement over last year. 
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