Finishing off 2011

2011 was an interesting year for running - I started the year with the Cherry Blossom Race but then was derailed by Lyme Disease (again) and a stress fracture. This was a bit frustrating ... to start so well but then to get sidelined. Well August saw me get serious and to focus on my eating and when I restarted running in November I was already a bit lighter and then November-December helped me lose a couple of extra pounds so that from the beginning of August to the end of the year I was able to strip off about 15 lbs.

When the end of the year started to approach I started getting notices about the Ringing in Hope race. This is one that is hard for me to ignore as the start is a couple of hundred yards from our front door. The race is a 3 mile loop around our house - and I mean literally around our house - so again - little excuse to ignore. The coupe de gras is that it supports local charities - so count me in.

Race day was Saturday. It was sunny and warm. The starting line was a bit crowded - about 1500 5K and 10K racers lined up. The 5 K runners would split off after the first 3 miles while the 10K runners would do another loop. The course is relatively flat so it was a nice run.

My results would depend on which electronic device you trust more - my Garmin watch said I ran the 6.35 miles at a 7:55 pace - while the official time said a 8:05 pace over the 6.21 mile course. Either way the official results had me finish 132nd of the 624 finishers of the 10K - well within the top 25%. My 7:55 is also my best 10K pace ever - so I was happy.

Now to take a couple of days off before I start training for the 2012 Cherry Blossom and a fun running year in 2012.