Louisiana Half Marathon Race Report

Time for a much-belated race report:

My beautiful wife, Laura, has the goal of running a half marathon in every state, so for the past couple years we've been doing races around the Florida panhandle (the Big Beach 1/2 Marathon was pretty eventful when I inadvertently dressed as a pacer, all the way down to having "pacer" written on the back of my shirt).

This year, Laura checked off Louisiana. We drove from Laura's parents' condo in Pensacola for about five hours to Baton Rouge. When arrived, we paid a small fortune to park next to our hotel. It would have been cheaper to park valet, but we figured after the tip it would have come out in the wash. We walked from our hotel to the expo where we got our race numbers and shirts. We also found out about a race morning mass.

After a nice meal at the hotel restaurant, we settled into bed to get up early the next morning for the race.

Race morning we got to get a grab-and-go breakfast that the hotel provided, and we headed to St. Joseph Cathedral to partake in a 26.2 minute pre-race mass. The mass actually lasted a little longer than 26.2 minutes as they had the Eucharist, so the large crowd of runners took a while to get through communion.

The priest was also a runner, so he emphasized that the cathedral had bathrooms available. After the mass, however, I thought there would be a long line, so I told Laura we should just use the port-o-potties at the race start.

Counting on the port-o-potties turned out to be a mistake. After waiting in line for about 15 minutes, I realized there was no way we were going to make it to the start on time. I didn't really have to go, so I decided I'd risk having to stop mid-race to use the bathroom.

When I got to the start, it was a repeat of the Madison Marathon where I got myself stuck way back in the crowd. I weaved through to try and get closer to the start, but people were packed into the starting corral, so it was difficult and slow going. As the race was about to start, I saw Laura weaving through the crowds in front of me. I guess I need to take lessons from her in moving through a tightly packed crowd.

The route through Baton Rogue was decent, but I really didn't pay attention too much as I was focused on getting through the crowd. My first 10K split was 7:47/mile, and my overall pace for the race was 7:21, so I was able to pick up the pace quite a bit after getting through the crowds.

My finishing time was 1:38:56. A far cry from my fastest time, but I was happy with it for the amount of training I've been doing (about 20 miles per week) as opposed to averaging around 50 to 60 miles per week when I was at my peak.

When I got to gear check after the race, I reached for my gloves that I had put in my pockets. Laura had bought them for me for my birthday, and I really liked them. Unfortunately, I only had one in my pocket. I walked back to gear check and asked them if anyone had seen a glove, but they had not.

So, I walked to the finish line to cheer for Laura and get a picture of her finishing. When she came through the chute, she informed me that she'd found my glove around mile 6. "I was 90% sure it was yours," she said.

The post-race food and drink were awesome. They had chocolate milk,  a post-race favorite for me. Then, we had five tokens to pick out the food and drink we wanted. I got some vegetarian gumbo, seafood gumbo, vegetarian jambalaya, and a couple beers.

Laura and I had a great trip, and I'm looking forward to whatever destination race she picks out next time.

Race Report: Shoreline Half Marathon

Until further notice, this'll be my last detailed race report for a while. They seem mostly redundant at this point, so I'll probably start using them more as reviews and less as stream-of-consciousness replays of my races.

Embedded in this race report are some clues as to what made this half marathon special. If you think you've solved the mystery, feel free to leave a comment on this blog post, but please refrain from making any comments on other social media outlets.

Way back in July, Laura and I ran the Shoreline Half Marathon. We like to run a race when we travel, and Laura's got this goal of running a half marathon in every state, so we picked this one as part of an extended road trip from Washington D.C. to Niagra Falls, Canada, over to Hamlin Beach State Park in New York, and back to D.C.

 On the shore of Lake Ontario before the race

 The marathon started on the shore of Lake Ontario. Before the race I had been dealing with a pretty miserable cold that ended up turning into an ear infection. Really, I shouldn't have been the one dealing with sickness--that should have been Laura's department.

Up until the night before the race, I was considering switching to the 5k. My last run in Niagra Falls was only two miles--I'd set out to run four or five, but my cold had me so exhausted I ended up running one and then run/walking back to the hotel.

A break during out run in Niagra Falls, ON

Fortunately, I slept really well that night in Niagra Falls, and took several naps in the hotel and in the car ride over to Hamlin State Park. That night at the state park, I slept great--despite a thunderstorm that woke us up with driving rain and lightning, I probably slept a solid nine hours. Unfortunately, Laura was a little nervous and didn't sleep as well. Besides huddling down in severe weather safety position, she also had to use the bathroom in the middle of the night--a more common occurrence lately.

The next morning I woke up feeling the best I'd felt in days. This turned out to be a mixed blessing. It was hot and humid, but my newfound feeling of well-being gave me a false confidence in my ability to run a fast race.

The first two miles of the race were by far my fastest. The rest of the race was about survival. The course was mainly through the rural area surrounding the state park, and unfortunately I was so miserable during the last two miles that I wasn't able to enjoy the section of the course along Lake Ontario.

Laura fared better than me. She ran the race for fun, taking her time and soaking up the scenery.

Since it was a small race, I somehow managed to win my age group by finishing under an hour and thirty minutes.

Although Laura didn't win an official award, she did manage to set a PR if you consider the fractional aspect of her time.

After the race we enjoyed some post race refreshment, and I received a nice trophy-looking thing along with a jar of delicious, organic, natural peanut butter. Then we dipped our legs into the chilly Lake Ontario water.

I'm going to go have me some of that peanut butter right now. Leave a comment below (not on Facebook) if you think you've solved the embedded clue.

Run well.

Lake Minnetonka Half Marathon: Pace Report

Pre-race game face

My second pacing gig of 2015 is in the books. For the second time in a few years, I jogged around Lake Minnetonka carrying a pacer sign, attempting to run even splits en route to a 1:35 finishing time.

 The weather was pretty nice, though a little humid for a half marathon. Laura and I had been camping for the previous couple days and had really been enjoying the warm temperatures and the sun. Fortunately for the runners, the sky was overcast on Sunday morning, keeping temperatures cool enough to be pretty comfortable.

At Lake Minnetonka Half Marathon I had the privilege of having a co-pacer, Mike. It's always nice having someone to share the pacing duties. Only having to carry the sign half the time leads to a less sore neck, and there's also someone checking on the pace meaning I don't have to look at my watch quite as often.

I also really like pacing the 1:35 group. Checking my pace on a pace band is fine, but it adds one more thing to keep track of, and when I pace the 1:35 group I can easily add 7:15 for each mile, eliminating the need for a pace band.

Finishing on time

The Lake Minnetonka course is nice with a lot of sections being along water. It's got enough rolling hills to keep things interesting, but there are no really steep or long hills. The only downside to running next to so much water is that if it's windy, it can really hit you. Sunday wasn't too windy, but even a moderate amount of wind can be bothersome when trying to control a cardboard pacing sign.

Mike and I had a nice time chatting and running pretty consistently at our assigned pace. We came through the finish right on time at 1:34:50. Runners were very friendly after the race, and several thank me for pacing. One guy even stopped his car in the parking lot to thank me.

It'll be a busy May for pacing the next few weeks. This weekend I'll be pacing the Fargo Marathon for the first time. I'm looking forward to doing a new race and notching marathon number 13. Then it's on to the inaugural Valley Fair Half Marathon, followed by the Med City Marathon.

Happy Running!

Earth Day 1/2 Marathon: Pace Report

Another pacing gig is in the books! I won't say too much about this one. If you're interested in the race, the great event, and the course, check out my other Earth Day reports here: 2012 and 2014. Laura and I really enjoy this event, and last Friday afternoon we drove up to St. Cloud to pick up our race packets, grab some dinner, and watch "Sister Act" in our hotel the night before the race. Watching Whoopi Goldberg turn a struggling nun choir into a class act ready worthy of performing for the pope really got me pumped for pacing.


On race morning we munched on some granola bars and bananas before heading to St. Cloud State's field house to meet up with the pacers and get ready for the race. After a couple of years of not-so-great weather, this year was perfect. It was sunny, cool but not too cold, and only a slight breeze.

Ready to race

I had a nice group of runners in my 1:40 group at the start of the race, but for some reason we didn't seem to stay together much as runners dropped off the pace. We caught up to some other runners as we neared the finish, and as often happens people let out words or sounds of disappointment as they watched their goal slipping out of reach.

Pace team, mostly unaware the photo had already been taken

During this race I also got to sample a new energy gel. I was handed a salted watermelon flavored gel, then asked my pace group if anyone wanted to trade. "Hell no!" replied a runner who was apparently more happy with whatever flavor he'd received. It wasn't quite as bad as I thought, but I'm definitely not going out to buy a box.

I finished the race in 1:39:55 -- a nice way to start off the pacing season. Coming up I'll be pacing the 1:35 group at the Lake Minnetonka 1/2 Marathon, the 3:35 group at the Fargo Marathon, and the 3:35 group for the Med City marathon. Pacing season is underway!

Happy Running!

Pace Report Spectacular

I'm going to get back at this blogging thing -- I really am. I'm now three pace reports behind, so I'll just write about all of them in one post. How exciting are they really, honestly? I could probably just copy and paste from one race to the other and change the names and times a little bit rather than writing something extremely similar anyway.

Of course, if all writers thought that way, there'd be no more romantic comedies. Honestly, how many of those films could you just change the main characters' names, a couple locations, and have another romantic comedy.

But I digress. On to the pace reporting:

Rochester Healthy Human Half Marathon

 Wow, I'm way behind on this one. It was so long ago I barely remember it. This was the first time I did this race, and it was a fun change from the Med City Half Marathon. Though Rochester's not overly scenic, having lived there for about a year, it is familiar.


I thought the race was pretty well organized. The expo was decent, the mile markers were pretty accurate, and the aid stations were plentiful and well-stocked. I also got the bonus of seeing an old friend and a co-worker from last school year.

If you live in Rochester and want to run a half marathon later in the summer, the Rochester Healthy Human Race would be a good one.

Mankato Half Marathon

I can't really say anything different about this race than I did last year, other than this year there was beer at the finish, which was a nice bonus. This is well organized race, they have a nice expo, and they offer distances from the 5k to the marathon over the course of the weekend.

If you're interested, you can see me in the video from the 2013 race. I finish the 1:30 pace group and then get interviewed about the 3:40 mark in this video.

The other big bonus about the race this year was that the hotel we were staying at opened its breakfast early, so I got to eat for free before the race. Then, a big double bonus was that the breakfast was still open when I got back to the hotel. I pigged out on eggs, potatoes, and a nice Belgian waffle.

Chocholic Frolic 10k

Again, there's not much new to say about this race that I didn't say last year. The course was a little different this year, and with a very tough hill at mile three, this is definitely not a PR course. I take that back -- it could be a PR this year because the course was about a quarter of a mile short.

There are, however, a couple of different "aid" stations with chocolate, so I'm guessing there's not a ton of people taking this race super-seriously.

Well, there it is -- three pace reports in one post. I hope it was as exciting for you to read as it was for me to write. Stay tuned for the report on my 32K birthday run.

Happy Running!

Gopher to Badger 1/2 Marathon: Pace Report

Gopher to Badger is one of my favorite half marathons. I especially enjoy the novelty of running from Minnesota into Wisconsin. I know there's people who try to run a marathon in every state, so if anyone's trying to run a half marathon in every state, this would be a good one.

My PR half marathon was set on this course back in 2012, but this year I'm back to pacing after racing the Minnesota Half Marathon the week before. Laura came with me this week again. She really enjoys using half marathons as part of her long runs, and part of why I pace these things is for the same reason. It's nice to get a decent length run in without having to worry about finding water or sports drinks.

I led the 1:35 group this time, and I had quite a few people chat with me before the race. It's always fun listening to people talk about their goals and answering whatever questions I can about the course or about how I plan to pace.

For most of the race I had about 15 people in my group. Some people ran ahead after a few miles, and unfortunately a lot of people dropped off the pace after about 8 miles. I still had a decent size group with a couple of miles to go, and after we crossed over the I-94 bridge from Minnesota to Wisconsin I let them know it was mostly downhill from there and they should pick up the pace.

From there I caught about three more runners. Two of them were able to speed up and finish with me, but one runner couldn't quite stay with me. I felt bad because he looked pretty frustrated that he got passed by the 1:35 group.

When I finished my watch had me at 1:34:59, and the official results had me at 1:35:01. I was pretty happy with my effort -- I wonder if there's a way I could make a living off pacing.

Happy Running!

Minnesota Half Marathon: Race Report

Before the race

I knew running the Minnesota Half Marathon wasn't going to be easy. It was the first half marathon I've really raced in over a year, excluding Modesto when I didn't really push the pace until the end. Although I'd paced the Minnesota Half Marathon a few times, this would be the first time I raced it.

The Minnesota Half Marathon takes place in downtown St. Paul on a pretty unusual course. The route starts in one direction on Shepherd Road, turns around the other direction, and the goes past the start for a second out-and-back.

The race has a lot of rolling hills, but none of them were too steep. I spent the first part of the race trying to get into a rhythm, and ran most of the first eight miles with the first place women. I really had no idea what I was capable of, but it seemed like running in the 6:20s felt about right.

At mile 8 the lady I'd been running with pulled ahead, and I was never able to catch back up to her. I tried several times to pick up the pace, but I couldn't find the speed in my legs. It was hot, my legs were feeling pretty heavy, and I just managed to keep running in the 6:20s.

I finished the race in 1:23:33--a long way from a PR, but not a horrible time. I'm not feeling like I'm in the best shape, but at least I was able to put in a decent showing, good enough for 8th place.

My Chicago training is chugging along. I haven't put in the kind of mileage I've run for past marathons, but I'm getting enough in that I'm hoping I still be able to run under three hours.

Happy Running!

Pace Report: Earth Day 1/2 Marathon

My Easter weekend started on Good Friday afternoon when I caught a ride up to St. Cloud with Pacer Trevor. It was nice to get off work a little early on Friday -- teaching 5th and 6th graders has been keeping me busy, and there's nothing like work to get in the way of my running.

The Earth Day 1/2 Marathon folks put on a nice expo, but it sure was loud. After spending a couple hours at the expo, I asked Trevor to drive me to the hotel so I could change and go for a little jog. I wanted to practice my pace of 7:38 / mile before the race. I also wanted to leave because a band had set up next to the pacer booth. It wasn't that the music was bad, but the blaring music from the band competing with the music on the other side of the field house at the kids' activity area was combining to give me a headache.

My three mile jog of 7:38 / mile went well. I then ate a mediocre pasta dish from Green Mill (the salad and bread were good), watched half of Forrest Gump, and had a night of halfway decent sleep, interrupted briefly when Laura arrived at the hotel room at 10 PM. We slept in to the late hour of 6 AM, so we had a little time to lounge around the hotel, watch a little TV, and do a little schoolwork.

The 1:40 pacer and his trophy wife

We arrived at the St. Cloud State campus at 7:30 to meet up with the pace team and get a team photo taken. Then, Pacer Captain Dave (newly minted by Pacer Sam), led us out to the start line to be 20 minutes early for the 8:30 AM start.

The fearless pace team

The start line was cold-as-heck. The wind was blowing through the wind tunnel of the starting area, so I was grateful for the large contingent of runners crowded around the start line.

<Image Credit>

The race itself was just like I remembered it from 2012. Though it was really windy at times, the rain held off and the air temperature was high enough that I was comfortable in shorts, a long-sleeve, and a running cap.

It was a big race, and for most of it I had a large group of people around me. About six miles in I got to chatting with a middle school social studies teacher from Edina Public Schools. We had a great chat about education and his coaching of middle school track and cross country, so the four-ish miles I spent with him really flew by.

The social studies teacher picked up the pace after 10 miles, so I spent the rest of the race shouting encouragement at my pacees and giving high-fives to kids along the course. With about half-a-mile left, I challenged one of the gals in my pace group to beat me to the finish since I was going to be a little slower than 1:40:00.

Unfortunately, she did not pass me, but she and several other members of my pace group offered kind words of gratitude, even though I finished at 1:40:11. It wasn't my best performance, but I did have a blast chatting with runners. St. Cloud State has really put together a fun event for runners, kids, and spectators.

Laura also ran the half marathon, and she had a blast as well. After the race, we packed up, had some Green Mill pizza (delicious), and went down to Rochester to celebrate Easter with her side of the family.

Happy Running!

Modesto1/2 Marathon: Race Report

Our California vacation was fantastic. We saw four national parks, toured the city of San Francisco, and got to spend some quality time with family and friends. The weather was awesome--I thoroughly enjoyed getting out of the freezing Minnesota temperatures and spending some time outside the general store of Death Valley's Furnace Creek Ranch, sipping on a drink in the 87 degree weather.

After all our national park fun, we headed to Modesto to run the Surgical Artistry Modesto 1/2 Marathon. The city of Modesto wasn't overly exciting--lots of fast food places, gas stations, big box stores, and overall a very standard medium-sized city. We enjoyed our hotel stay at the Best Western on Friday night, then Saturday went to the expo.

The expo was held at a large church, and was pretty busy when we got there around 11 AM. Probably the strangest part of the expo was the Surgical Artistry booth at the beginning of the expo with lots of information on cosmetic surgery and several sample breast implants sitting out on the table. Otherwise, the expo was pretty standard for a race of its size. I did enjoy the Pizza Hut booth's generous provision of free samples.

On Sunday morning the race started at the same location as the expo. It was a good-sized crowd running both the half and full marathon, but after saying goodbye to Laura, I didn't have much trouble getting towards the front of the start.

Before the race

The course was pretty decent. It wasn't amazingly scenic as it started by going through an industrial district. Soon, however, the race headed to the outskirts of Modesto and through some almond groves. The course was extremely flat and the only hill I can remember was an on ramp for when we ran briefly on a highway.

I tried not to push it too much as I'm still trying to recover from a sore calf and knee. I picked it up a little at the end of the race, and once again let my competitive side get the best of me at the end. With about a half mile to go, I thought I was running alone, but then I heard someone cheer, "way to go, guys!" 'Guys,' I thought. I looked over my shoulder and sure enough, one of the dudes I passed a while ago was gaining ground on me.

I could have stuck to my pace and not worried about beating anyone, but once again my competitive nature got the best of me. I picked up the pace, not wanting to be passed in the last quarter mile of the race.

I ended up finishing it 1:26:53--not horrible for having run very few miles in the past couple months while trying to heal up my little nagging injuries. I finished 14th overall, 12th male, and 3rd in my age group. Unfortunately I had no idea I finished 3rd in my age group, so I failed to pick up my award from the booth.

Laura had fun running the race as well, and afterward we wrapped up our stay in Modesto by meeting Laura's cousin and her husband for lunch at the Dust Bowl Brewery in Turlock.

It was a great trip to California, and as I'm watching snow flurries swirling around outside my window, I'm already missing the warm weather. We did get a couple nice days yesterday and the day before, so I can't complain too much.

I'm increasing my mileage again and trying to get into some kind of shape to start a training plan in a couple months. I've registered for the Chicago Marathon, so I'm hoping that I can get healthy and put in a solid several months of training to run a good marathon time.

Happy Running!

Securian 1/2 Marathon

Two words for this race: cold. I'm going to grow my full beard back and coat my face in Vaseline the next time I run 13 miles when the windchill is -16 degrees Fahrenheit.

Although the Securian 1/2 Marathon was frigid, at least Securian opens its building to runners so we can hang around inside to get ready to brave the cold. Laura and I got to the building over an hour before the start, and were able to park in Securian's covered parking ramp.

After looking at the shirts and picking up a free mug, we got our race numbers, said "hi" to some of my pacing buddies, and met our friends Jon and Linda. We sat comfortably on the carpeted floor, waiting to venture out into the slick, windy, downtown streets of St. Paul to run the half marathon.

About 20 minutes before the race began, I went to look for a bathroom inside the building. I ran into Don, the 1:30 pacer, and Dan, the run-everywhere ultra runner. "Do you know where there's a bathroom?" I asked.

"The one that was open last year is locked," Don replied.

"Shoot, I guess I'll have to go outside and use the port-o-potties," I said.

"I'll go with you," said Dan. So, like a couple of female BFFs, Dan and I scampered across the street to use the port-o-potties. The line was only about three deep, but the wind whipping down Jackson Street was ridiculous. When the air temperature is only three degrees, a 16 mph wind channeled between the buildings of downtown St. Paul is not a pleasant feeling.

Once my bladder was cleared, I ran back in the building to stay out of the wind for ten more minutes before the start. Laura, Linda, Jon and I said some pre-race words of commiseration and ran out to the start about a minute before they let us ago. I lined up with the 1:30 pace team lead by Don and Dan. After the irregular starting instructions of, "On your marks... 30 seconds... go!" we ran past the fireworks display (which was announced dozens of times to avoid scaring anyone) and wound our way through downtown St. Paul to Shepard Road for the out-and-back portion of the race.

The wind was blowing and gusting from the northwest, so running west south west for the first portion of the race was not overly comfortable. Dan, Don and I chatted off and on, and Don did a nice job of letting runners know about all the slick spots throughout the race.

A little before the turn around I decided it was time to push the pace. "You taking off?" asked Don. "For now," I said. "See you at the finish."

Running back toward downtown wasn't much more comfortable than running away from it. My hands were freezing, my face was getting numb, and I kept having to move to different portions of the road to find firm footing.

I never knew quite how fast I was running since I forgot my Garmin, but I knew I was running just a little slower than I felt like I could run the last half of the race. I did manage to catch up to to a few people. I passed a few, turned back into downtown, ran up a couple of miserable hills, made several slick turns, all while having the wind blow against me so hard I felt like I was running in place. I got passed by a few more runners and finally finished.

The clock said 1:21:something, which I thought was a little fast. It turned out it was the clock for the 10k race. My actual time was 1:26:21. Running the last 6.5 in slick, cold, windy conditions at a 6:22 pace isn't too bad I guess, but my lower legs were miserable after.

After the race I was a little concerned that I hadn't seen Linda or Laura on either of the sections we went by runners going the other direction. I thought maybe they'd decided to just run the 10k, but when I didn't see them at the finish I had to hope that I'd just missed them.

When Jon finished, he let me know that he had seen them, so I was able to relax a little. My lower legs were killed me, so I went over and got some post-race massage and stretching from a therapist. She let me know what I suspected--I have a lot of knots, and probably have some muscle weakness and imbalance stressing my feet and legs in ways they're not used to.

I was having a hard time not feeling down about all the little nagging pains I've had the last couple months. My mileage is low, and while my knee's been pretty good, I've been having pains in my ankles, feet, calves, and Achilles tendons.

Fortunately our friends Brit and Jared came with their little twin one-year-olds, Laura and Linda finished safely and successfully, and we all went to Dixies on Grand. We had a great time eating and chatting, so I was able to forget about my stupid legs.

Now, I'll be deciding what to do about my lower legs. I've been doing a little yoga, but I may need to go see my physical therapist again and get a little more serious about doing some exercise to correct whatever problems I'm having.

Happy Running!

2014 Polar Dash: Pace Report

Frozen eyelashes, beard-cicles, and numb extremities along with a great co-pacer made for a memorable Polar Dash fourteen mile race. I guess Team Ortho thought it'd be cute to do a 14 mile in honor of 2014 The past couple of years I'd volunteered at Polar Dash, first as a course marshal and then as a hot chocolate technician. This year I paced this beautiful race for the first time, running along the Mississippi with a group of 3-10 runners looking to make their New Year's dreams come true.

The day started out swimmingly when my old Honda Accord coughed to life after spending the night outside in sub-zero temperatures. I'd packed it full of all the necessary running paraphernalia: two hats, three pairs of gloves, hand warmers, Saucony Peregrines, and a penguin suit. In the spirit of fun, all the pacers and many of the volunteers sported fashionable yet comfortable penguin attire.

On my way out the door

The race started at Shriner's Hospital for Children. Team Ortho did a nice job with the starting area by having some propane heaters spread around the lower level of the parking ramp for runners to huddle around. Fortunately for me, as a member of the illustrious Team Ortho Polar Dash Pace Team, I was able to join the rest of the pace team inside Shriner's to keep warm before and after the race.

I hadn't seen several of my running buddies in awhile, so it was great to meet a few of them at the start of the race. I had the privilege of co-pacing with Nate Wohlfeil, a pretty talented runner out of Winona. It'd been awhile since I'd run with Nate, and it was cool pacing with him rather than trying to keep up with him in a half marathon or during a leg of Ragnar.

Our fearless pace team leader ended up rolling in slightly behind schedule, but he quickly got us our pacing signs and sent us on our way. Nate and I elbowed our way to the front of the 573 fourteen mile runners and 1142 runners of the 10k as the National Anthem played over the loudspeaker. I did my best to assure runners that I meant no disrespect to America as I squeezed my way through the packed bunch of bundled runners, doing my best not to poke anyone with out 1:35 pace sign (see some photos of the start line here).

The race itself was pretty memorable. I had a great time chatting with Nate and cheering for runners -- for awhile at least. We traded off the sign frequently since wrapping our fingers around the wooden dowel made our digits numb in a hurry.

The course involved several out-and-backs on Mississippi River Blvd. While the wind wasn't blowing too much, it was gusting just enough to make it pretty uncomfortable whenever we were running into it. Somewhere around mile eight the race became far less fun. I tried to stay chipper and encouraging, but my hands were painfully numb and my eyelashes were so frozen that every time I blinked I could feel the ice crystals shatter.

Nate did his best to stay chipper as well, but his eyelashes were just as frozen as mine. He had gloves that were warmer than mine, so he graciously carried the sign for the last couple miles. We did have three runners stay with us for the duration of the race, and one started chatting with us right before the half marathon timing mat.

"I've never run a half marathon before," he said.

"Well," I said, "you're going to now." Nate mentioned that we weren't quite there yet, so I made sure to caution the half marathon would-be finisher not to hurt himself in the next half mile.

Our half marathon split was 1:34:14, and since the course didn't appear to be terribly accurate and has a track record of being short, I'll count it as a win. The last nine-tenths-of-a-mile was cold, but seeing the finish line was sweet. If I pace this race next year, I really hope it's not 15 miles. A half marathon is more than far enough when the temperature is cold enough to form icicles on my beard and nearly freeze my eyes shut.

After the race I hung out with the other pacers in the Shriner's building. After listening to pacing stories, eating my post-race pretzels, banana, and salted nut roll, I bundled back up and made the half-mile trek back to my car.

While pacing Polar Dash was miserably cold, it was a great start to my running year. I notched 14 miles the first day of the year. Then, on the 2nd, I knocked out another more miles when I accompanied my buddy Don Sullivan for 15 miles of his 40 mile birthday run.

Today I'm enjoying my first rest day of the year, catching up on some reading, and doing a little school work.

Happy Running!

Mankato 1/2 Marathon: Pace Report

I rolled in to 'Kato about 8:20 PM on Saturday night to stay with our good friends the Yenishes. I'd agreed to pace the 1:30 half marathon group as part of the Mankato Marathon races, but since we'd hosted some company the night before, I drove the hour-and-a-half to Mankato at about 6:30 PM.

I was a little disappointed I missed the marathon expo—I heard good things about it, including the fact that Kathrine Switzer was one of the featured speakers. I would have loved to tell her I really enjoyed her book, "Marathon Woman."

The Yenish hospitality was superb, though I don't think it's available to many of the 3,000ish runners of the weekend's various running events. If one wanted to find their own nice family to stay with they might have to do a little more leg work, and would probably be better off just getting a hotel room.

The Yenishes were nice enough to live about half-a-mile from the shuttle buses area, so I jogged down to the Verizon Center parking lot to ride the shuttle to the Mankato State University campus. It was a brisk thirty-four degrees Fahrenheit, but I was dressed well with a heavy jacket over two running shirts, shorts, wind pants, gloves, and hat. The shuttle ride to the start went off very smoothly (take note Twin Cities Marathon), and there was no waiting out in the cold.

I chatted with a nice gentleman on the shuttle who was running his third marathon after having started running at age 59. He was looking forward to the race, and so was I. The fall colors were fantastic, though at 6:37 AM they were still not visible as the bus drove through the morning darkness.

After meeting some pacers, I found the pace director, who had picked up my packet for me. The race organizers had arranged for the pacers to be able to wait inside a bus stop warming house, though I felt bad that civilian runners kept getting asked to leave. It was chilly outside!

After a start line photo with the pace team, Kathrine Switzer, one of Laura's idols, gave some inspirational words at the start of the race before I froze my skull off during the national anthem. The bald fade haircut seemed like a good idea, but in the 20 degree windchill it was a little chilly.

Laura and K.V. Switzer at the 2011 Boston Marathon

I gave my standard, "who else is shooting for a PR?" joke at the start. and I had a big enough group that it actually drew a couple of laughs. One guy did ask, "is that really your PR?" He was 19 though, and he was losing his voice, so I'll give him a pass. Looking behind me at the start line, the race looked pretty full. After the race I found out that and between the 10k, half marathon, and marathon, there were almost 2,700 finishers.

Course map from Garmin data (plus the extra mile I ran at the end

The race course went south out of town, then made a loop to the east before coming back north through some scenic countryside near the Blue Earth River. I ran pretty even splits (considering how many rolling hills there were) up to mile 10. My group was all looking pretty good at that point, so I told them to go on ahead of me. The weather was perfect for racing, and the course was net downhill, so I'd told them they'd all go out and get PRs.

Course elevation profile from my Garmin

One guy, Craig, was hurting. He'd run Twin Cities Marathon two weeks before, and he'd decided to run Mankato on a whim. My group had gone ahead, so I said I'd stay with him until mile 11. After running between 7:01 and 6:39 per mile, I ran about a 7:11 with him, then wished him good luck.

From there to the finish I was mostly by myself. I caught one guy around mile 12, but convinced him he was looking good, and he accelerated past me with about a mile left. With about 1/2 a mile left, I caught one more runner, and he ended up running to the finish with me.

The finish was nice because I could see it from a quarter-of-a-mile away, which gave me time to pick up the pace. I sped up slowly so I wouldn't lost the guy I'd caught up to. I came through at 1:29:57--my best performance as a 1:30 pacer.

The pace director had the finish line announcer interview me over the loudspeaker. When he asked me how I came so close to my pace I replied, "good luck." That got a few chuckles, and it was at least a little true. He asked me if the weather or the course was a factor and how it affected my pacing. "It was a great day for racing," I replied. "My group was looking strong at mile 10, so I told them all to go for PRs. They all did a great job."

"We saw them finish," he said. He said some other stuff and I don't really remember how I answered, but at the end I said, "thank you." I admit I felt like a little bit of a big deal getting interviewed in front of all those people.

It was great seeing Craig afterward after leaving him at mile 11. He ended up running a 1:31:03. "Thanks," he said as he shook my hand after telling me about his finish. I then ran into the 19-year-old, who gave me a sweaty hug—my third hug in three years as a pacer. He fnished in 1:29:18.

After freezing my fingers off for about an hour, the Yenishes took me over to Applebees to see some camp friends (Laura and I met at a Lutheran camp near Faribault). It was pretty great seeing them--Kevin was in my wedding and his wife Kelly had just run her first half marathon. It was great catching up with them and their three kids. The last time I'd seen them they had two kids, and Kevin had help me change the brakes on Laura's Saturn.

I'd definitely recommend Mankato Marathon. It was well-run event and a beautiful course. If you're looking for a fall race in Minnesota, this is a good one.

Happy Running!

Pace Reports: Minnesota 1/2 Marathon and Gopher to Badger 1/2 Marathon

Though I haven't paced quite as many races this year due to grad school and other commitments, I did get the privilege to pace these two excellent races. It was my third year-in-a-row of pacing the Minnesota 1/2 Marathon, and my first year pacing Gopher to Badger after racing it twice.

The Minnesota 1/2 Marathon has always been a unique event, and a fun one to pace. The race also includes some rollerblading events, including a duathlon. This year the weather was cool, and there was a slight breeze keeping things fairly pleasant. As the race went on, it was a little on the warm side, but mainly because there isn't much shade and it was very sunny. Last year it was overcast, which made things a little more comfortable.

I was pacing the 1:35 group, and I started out with a nice group of 8-10 people. The group wasn't real chatty, but they did laugh at my lame pacing jokes every once-in-a-while. My favorite is, "if you think I did a good job, let the race officials know. My name is Nate. If I did a bad job, my name is Dan."

One tough thing about Minnesota 1/2 is that the mile markers always seem to be a little inconsistent. I did my best run a steady pace, but it's tough when the miles don't seem to be accurately marked. It went OK though, and my group stayed with me until around mile 8 when some fell back and others went ahead. At that point I had two runners with me.

Around mile 10, one of the 1:30 pacers dropped back to run with me. He'd dropped his key, so after he found it he came back and finished with me. Around mile 12, the last two guys with us picked it up for a strong finish. We did a pretty nice job coming in at 1:34:59.

Laura also did the race as a training run, and she had fun as well. Here's a picture of us getting pumped for the race:

The very next week was the Gopher to Badger 1/2 Marathon. Unfortunately my favorite pacing singlet was taken, so I had to wear a small, which was a little on the tight side. Despite the wardrobe difficulties, I still had fun.

I paced the 1:35 group again, but this time I co-paced it with a guy named Curt. He's been doing quite a few marathons, and the 7:15 pace was pretty comfortable for both of us. We chatted quite a bit, and we also had a decent-sized group the whole time.

This year they changed the start line location and the first several miles of the course. It was pretty nice as they cut out one of the beginning hills — I'll definitely consider racing this one again next year. The course is also one of my favorite as it finishes by crossing the I-94 pedestrian bridge from Minnesota to Wisconsin, and heads downhill to the finish at Lakefront Park next to Lake St. Croix.

Two of the members of our pace group were shooting for a PR, and they both made it as they finished right in front of our 1:34:50 finishing time.

Laura also did this one, finishing faster than her previous week. It's nice for her to use these 1/2 marathons as training runs as she gets ready for the Twin Cities Marathon in October. Here's some pictures from the race:

Laura and I getting pumped for the race.

"Spot on" Minnesota pacers.

Laura cruising into the finish.

This weekend I finished my second Ragnar Great River Relay. Stay tuned for the epic race report on 200 miles of relay fun.

Happy Running!

Pace Reports

Since I've been doing so great at blogging and didn't want to overload this blog with posts, I've decided to combine my last two pacing gigs into one report. A few weeks ago, I paced the Goldy's 10 mile, and on Sunday I paced the the Lake Minnetonka Half Marathon.

Originally I was slotted to pace the 7:00 minute / mile group at Goldy's, but since I'd only run 10 miles in training once, I begged out of the 7:00 group to pace the 7:30 group. Fortunately, there were three pacers in my group, so that took the pressure off. It was a chilly day, so I opted to wear running pants and a long-sleeve tech shirt underneath my pacing singlet, along with a hat and gloves. It was a good choice as I was comfortable temperature-wise for the duration of the race.

The race itself went pretty smooth. One of the pacers in my group was having some problems with asthma, but he managed to finish with us, running most of the race about 10 yards in front of the other pacer and me. The course wasn't super-easy — it had a good amount of hills, including a decent one right at a turnaround, and another decent climb coming into the last couple miles.

My knee didn't give me any problems, and I was able to hang on to the 7:30 pace throughout the race, finishing in 1:15:01. Not bad for shaking the rust out.

The race gave me enough confidence to say "yes" to pacing the 1:35 group at the Lake Minnetonka Half Marathon, a little more challenging 7:15 pace. I would also be without any co-pacers, so I'd be on my own to hit the pace.

The start of the race was pretty chilly — I was wearing shorts and arm-warmers with my singlet, along with gloves and a headband. Unfortunately, the race start was delayed when the lead police car wasn't ready at the start. Once we got going, however, I warmed up quickly and probably could have shed the gloves and the headband. Since I didn't have anyone to throw them to, I decided to keep them on rather than throwing them, as they were a little better than "throw-away" quality.

The whole way I had a handful of runners running with me. I felt like I kept a pretty even pace for most of the race, and went past each mile marker within a few seconds of 7:15. The course was decent — through the fancy neighborhoods of lakefront houses and along Lake Minnetonka, with several rolling hills, but nothing too extreme.

The last mile I think I accidentally picked it up a little too much. After being within a few seconds most of the race, I ran the last mile about 15 seconds fast, and ended up finishing in 1:34:41. After the race I had about half-a-dozen runners thank me for my pacing, which always feels good.

Pacing those two races was a pretty good confidence booster. I feel like my knee is better, and I'm hoping I can continue to up my mileage. I'm not really planning any big races, but I think that if I can stay on track this summer I might be able to run a decent race at the TC 10 mile in October. Besides the 10 mile and racing the TC 1 mile this Thursday, it looks like I might also be running the Ragnar relay--should be a nice summer of running.

Happy Running!

Pace Report: The Woodbury Country Mile

This is a little late and there are no pictures, but I've been busy and apparently I'm not photogenic enough to have multiple shots of my pace group on the Woodbury Chamber of Commerce page.

Anyway, I paced this race last Saturday with the Minnesota Pacers in what I believe will be my last pacing gig of the season. In fact, I think I'm done with races until October when I go after a new PR at the Whistlestop Marathon in Wisconsin. This race was pretty low-key, there was a nice speech by the mayor of Woodbury and then we were off.

It was cloudy and 70s and also very muggy. I had a co-pacer (or maybe he had a co-pacer, I'm not sure who was in charge) for the first time. Mike was very nice and it was nice taking turns with the signs and being able to chat with someone for the whole race. Usually people in pace groups in paces between 7 and 8 minutes per mile aren't real chatty.

Mike and I had a nice race. We had a small group off and on and our last guy left us around 10 or 11 miles because he was feeling good. We did catch a girl a little later but she couldn't quite stay with us. There was one exciting moment when a guy ahead of us missed a turn and I ran ahead to catch him and get him back on the course. Turns out he saw the runners and cut through a side street to rejoin the race, and I had chased after him for nothing. Oh well.

Our final time was pretty close--1:34:29. Once we were by ourselves I think we inadvertently sped up a little, but at least we were just a little over 30 seconds too fast. A couple people thanked us for pacing and asked us about our training while we feasted on cookies, milk, and bagels. Overall it was a nice race and I had a good time doing one last event before I race a marathon.

Life's been pretty busy lately--meetings for school started this week and the kids come on Tuesday. I'm excited to start the new school year. I just hope I can keep the running going at a pretty good clip with the extra time and stress teaching brings.

I've been training pretty hard this summer. Today's my first day off in almost two months. My body's tired and my foot's been a little sore so I thought today would be a good day to take a break. I was planning for the first week of school to be a cutback week anyway. I've been averaging 80 miles a week the past two months so we'll see what I can manage once school starts.

Gopher to Badger: Race Report

The day didn't start off the greatest. There was a detour on the way to the start and after trying to find the way for a while, we stopped and asked for directions. Then, tragedy struck. It struck as in I struck my wife with the car. Don't worry, she's OK. We went to switch drivers and as she was walking around the front of the car I took my foot off the brake and rolled into her. I swear I thought it was in park (in my defense I'm used to driving my car, which is a stick).

Anyhow, Laura was fine and the race had to go on. After a warmup and saying "hi" to some MN Running Wild friends, I lined up at the start. I chatted with one guy who said he wasn't sure what kind of shape he was in, but he was going to try to run between 1:12 and 1:15. I knew I wasn't running a 1:12 and there was a very slim chance of me running a 1:15, but I thought I might still have an outside shot if this guy didn't have a great day.

I hit the jackpot for weather in this one: mid-50s at the start, no breeze, and sunny enough to keep it interesting. It warmed up as the race went on, but I never felt like weather was a factor.

About 1/2 a mile into the race another guy caught up to me. At this point the first guy I talked to was about 20 seconds ahead. This next guy was very chatty and said we'd work together to catch up to this guy. After about a mile I told him the pace was a little fast for me and good luck. He had on a bright green singlet and I watched him from then until the end of the race. After about mile four I never saw the first place guy again.

The miles between 3 and 6 were tough--lots of hills and I was getting a little down on myself for not being able to hold the pace I wanted--the guy in neon green was pulling farther away. Finally, however, I was starting to pick it up after a long, gradual hill. At the 10 mile mark I was feeling pretty good and was hoping to run the last 5k fast.

Around mile 11.5 I could tell I was gaining on the neon green singlet. Right before mile 12 we crossed I-94 into Wisconsin and I was about 20 seconds behind him. I had a good pace going and I was sure I could catch him.

pushing to the finish

 Unfortunately I could not catch him. He picked it up just enough to hold me off, and though I finished well I didn't have enough left in the tank to get him. He finished 12 seconds ahead of me, but I did set a new PR of 1:16:37 (they don't have chip time up yet. I had 1:16:35).

My 3rd place award: a runner frozen in carbonite.

It was a good race and I was happy with my effort. My Garmin measured the course as substantially longer than 13.1 miles, so I'll be interested to see what I can do on a different course next year.

You can't even tell that just hours earlier Laura was struck by a small sedan.

Several friends were out cheering including our good friends Brit and Jared. It was great seeing them and we all enjoyed a delicious brunch at Key's Cafe afterward.

Minnesota 1/2 Marathon: Pace Report

I figured I'd better get a pace report up here because on Saturday I'm racing a 1/2 marathon, and I wouldn't want a race report and a pace report too close together.

Last Saturday I had the privilege of pacing the 1:30 group at the Minnesota 1/2 Marathon. For most of pace groups this year my groups have been small. Also, I've dropped just about all of them before the end of the race. So, at a 6:52 / mile I planned on having a small group. I also figured that most people who could run that pace wouldn't really need a pacer.

I was wrong. I had a pretty decent group at the beginning of the race and most of them stayed with me until the end of the race. A couple of them introduced themselves to me and a few of them even chatted a little bit while we were running. Most of the 1:35 groups I've paced are pretty quiet. Most people who are racing a 1/2 marathon don't have a ton to say, but this group actually talked a little bit.

I paced this course last year so if you're at all interested in the course layout because you're thinking of running the race, you can read last year's report. Suffice to say it's actually a fairly hilly course with a lot of gradual ups and downs and not a lot of flats. This makes keeping an even pace more difficult, though I always tell my group that I pace more by effort — a little faster going downhill and a little slower going up.

The course was marked pretty decently until mile 13 — just as I was telling my group we had a little less than a quarter mile left, I looked up and saw the mile 13 marker. "Oh," I said. "I guess quite a bit less than a quarter mile." Unfortunately that last "tenth" was actually 0.23 miles. I noticed it was going to be more than a tenth, but by the time I did I would have had to sprint to break 1:30, so I had to settle for 1:30:12. Not too bad.

Laura came along and was watching two kids whose parents were both running the race. The night before she was packing up some things for them to do — markers and poster board (to make signs), books, cowbells, chalk, snacks and all sorts of stuff. I told her, "man, if I was watching someone's kids, I'd just show up. I might have some rusty nails for them to play with and tell them, 'now kids, don't cut each other.'"

So of course she did a nice job and got to cheer on the race. She even waited for me to run five miles afterwards to finish my workout.

It was a fun race with nice weather and a perfect way to cap off a 100 mile week. This week I'm cutting back the mileage a little and racing the Gopher to Badger 1/2 Marathon — the same race I set my PR at last year.

Earth Day 1/2 Marathon Pace report

As I awoke last Saturday to a cool, overcast morning, I knew it would be a day of making more dreams come true as I led the 1:35 pace group toward their goal in the Earth Day 1/2 Marathon. Temperatures were low, so I opted to go with the awesomest-looking outfit that would be comfortable--my red pacer singlet, courtesy of Zorbaz, and some black Twin Cities Marathon arm warmers.

After struggling with the single-cup coffee maker and having to show my numbskulled-ness to the guy at the front desk who explained to me how it worked, I ate a banana and drank some coffee before meeting another pacer to run to the start of the race. We got a nice warmup jog from the hotel and headed into the fieldhouse where the prerace festivities were taking place.

There was some lady leading people in a "warmup" of Zumba — some sort of crazy, dance-like thing that I didn't know was good for warming up for a half marathon. We then got a pep talk from the MN Pacers leader about how we'd better hit our pace or be no more than 30 seconds faster or we'd be in big trouble.

We lined up at the start, chatted with some runners, and were off. It was a pretty big race, but fortunately runners had lined themselves up well and I was able to settle into 7:15 pace pretty easily without having to dodge people.

My pace group was very nice — one guy in particular expressed appreciation multiple times during and after the race. The course was fine — not overly scenic but some nice stretches along the Mississippi and no killer hills. It drizzled a bit but nothing miserable.

At mile 7 I accidentally hit stop instead of lap on my watch. Luckily I caught it pretty quickly. I asked another runner what she had for time on her watch and I adjusted accordingly.

At about mile 10 I saw Laura — she was doing her long run and ran by to say "hi." I invited her to join our pace group for awhile, but she politely declined.

I kept a nice, even pace throughout the race and came through mile 12 a few seconds ahead of schedule. Then, at mile 13, I repeated a mistake I'd made before— trusting the mile 13 marker. According to my Garmin I was at 1:33:something. At that pace I would be at least 30 seconds fast, so I let up a little bit. Turns out the last 0.1 was more like 0.17. My final time ended up being 1:35:01. Close.

Saturday I pace the Brainerd Run For the Lakes Marathon — the 3:25 group. I hope to hit 3:24:59.

Securian Winter Run: Race Report

After some overnight oats (thanks Michelle), coffee, and running around our townhouse getting all our crap together, it was time to go pick up another MN Running Wild member, drive to downtown St. Paul, take a wrong turn, drop off Laura and other Nate, find a parking garage, and pick up my race number. Whew...

I met some running friends at the pacer table, including another Nate. Nate and I ran the same legs of the Ragnar Relay and I asked if it was cool if I ran with him. I had no clue what shape I was in for a 1/2 and he said he was going out at 6 minute miles. A little later, Brit and Jared showed up. Brit registered for some other race or race series before registering for the correct race. She did get a cool bag and hat out of the deal.



After a quick warmup I proceeded to cool down while waiting for the race to start. It was pretty windy and in the shade from the buildings I was starting to get numb in the extremities. I said "hi" to Scott, the Securian flame, Gerad Mead, a local speedster, Don, the 1:30 pacer, and Wayne--all excellent runners and fellow MN Running Wild guys. I gave Brit and Laura good luck hugs, helped Brittany find someone to show her how Jared's Garmin worked, and it was time to go.


The first part of the race was nice and chilly. I eventually got behind a guy in a Gear West shirt, who I later found out was Chad. He, Nate, and a couple other guys then took turns running into a 10-20 mph headwind on Shepherd road. It seemed like the Gear West guy was doing the most leading so when he slowed down a little I asked if he wanted a break. "Sure," he said. "I was just looking at the marker but go ahead."

And so I did. Nate and some other guy passed us and from then on Nate and his orange jacket just got smaller and smaller. We turned around around mile 7.5 and started running back towards the rest of the field. Mile 9 I got a little too pumped from all the people who recognized me. Gear West Guy said, "A lot of people know you." "I pace a lot," I said.

Not much happened after that. I ran too fast for a couple of miles then I slowed down. Then I slowed down some more. At 12 Gear West guy passed me, then someone else passed me. Then the course turned up into St. Paul. I kept thinking, time to kick, I can still get these two. Then, Ok, kick. Speed up. Suffer more. Go get them. It wasn't happening. They beat me and some lady beat me for 9th place. I never saw her. I don't know if she just had a faster chip time or passed me while I was closing my eyes.

I got to chat with a couple other MN Running Wild friends and then went to cool down to watch Laura finish. She was running with Brittany. I got to see Seth and Adam, more MNRWs, and then ran into Jared. Then I started getting really cold. I took some pictures of Brit and Laura--they both looked great.



Now it's over. I felt pretty terrible on the drive home and thereafter, but then I got some egg and bean fajita in me and felt better. Oh yeah, and I ran 1:21 something.



Tonight I went with my running spouse to see "Red Tails." Tomorrow I start a real triathlon training program.

The end.

Graniteman 1/2 Marathon Pace Report

Whoops, it's been over a month since I've posted. After Ragnar things got crazy — school started and I went from having no work to having lots of work. My running has been mostly uneventful and my mileage has gone way down. It's been hard to get in runs with school starting along with doing some volunteering. I think once I get into more of a routine I'll get a little better at the miles and the blog posts.

Two weeks ago Laura, Jared and I headed up to Sauk Rapids for the Graniteman 1/2 Marathon. Jared and I paced and Laura ran with one of her friends who happened to be pacing the two hour group.

The night before we went to a bar and grill for dinner and got an atypical pre-run meal. Laura had some chicken tenders, Jared had a burger, and I had a fish sandwich. Jared and I also split an order of chicken wings. We then headed to the hotel the Minnesota Pacers had arranged for us — it was a pretty nice hotel and we had a suite. I felt like a real celebrity getting put up in a hotel the night before the race.

The morning of the race Jared and I put in a few miles beforehand. Jared's training for the Twin Cities Marathon and I just wanted a few more miles. The race started and I had a pretty good group start out with me — maybe 10 or so. They stayed with me through 4 or 5 miles and then most of them fell back. One guy with me was pretty chatty but besides that it was definitely the quietest group of runners I've run with. I've noticed the 1:35 group is the quietest group of all the paces I've done, and this race really only one guy talked with me.

I paced pretty well — no miles were more than 10 seconds off and I finished at 1:34:55. The race was well-run other than the Heed at the water stops. That stuff is extra gross and I accidentally grabbed some at one of the water stops. I'm pretty sure I threw up in my mouth a little bit. Give me any flavor of Gatorade or Powerade — anything besides Heed.

Last weekend Laura and I ran in the MN Running Wild track meet. It was a pretty good time with an 800m, relays of 4 X 400m, 4 X 100m, and 4 X 200m, and ended in the beer mile. I'll recap the races in another post.