HAPPY 2009 to all!!! i just beat the new year with 10 minutes to spare. it was a fun way to bring in 2009. the race was well-organized, there was good participation, cool shirts and plaques, etc. it was also FREEZING. i had a nice, long warm-up, although i never got warm. i started at the front of the pack and stayed within the first 15-20 runners throughout the race. the course was 2 1/4 laps around sugarhouse park. a lot of runners (especially the women) started out really fast, but most fell back by the second lap. i could see only one female ahead of me, and i was gaining on her. i finally caught her on the second-to-last uphill, we ran dead-even on the flat and downhill, and then she surged. it was a tough little uphill to the finish, and it got me. i was one stride behind her all the way into the finish chute, but i couldn't pass her. i didn't get split times...my hands were wrapped in gloves and two layers of sleeves (and my hands were STILL numb). so i clicked my watch at the start and the finish and that was going to be sufficient for this race. my time according to my watch was 20:32, making my average pace about 6:37. maybe i could have gone harder, i don't know. but what i do know is that i most definitely prefer the marathon over the 5K...any day. so that wraps up the 2008 year of running. i had a decent year, but i am just getting into it all. and i ended 2008 with inconsistent training, injuries, and overall burn-out. but 2009 is here and i am hungry to go after some new goals.
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