Cheering Pasadena neighbors, some pleasant looking homes and streets, the mountains in the distance, and those Pasadena bridges -- I wouldn't say it was a spectacular course, but there were no moments of boredom. Mostly just good feelings!

I live close by, so I ran there as a warm-up. The race crowd did not really seem that packed to me, strangely enough. It's really not a big race.

The course had hills in the middle, but this is the kind of course that helps you make it back in downhills at the beginning and end. I had run some of this course before, so I knew what was coming.

I always mean to run these things at training pace with the upcoming LA Marathon in mind, but running with a friend and seeing that I was feeling good sort of got me to push a bit more. I ended up actually racing a half marathon for the first time. This would be my third Half, and the first two I ran them to finish (though the second had a surprising time 2:04 on a super fast declining course).

In the last 5k of today's half I went as fast as I could. My muscles were tired, but I tried to push like I would in a 5K, and ended up running about as fast as the last 5K-only distance race that I ran. I think a part of it was the very obvious downhill. It ended up being a negative split, I think. Not bad.

Now time to go take a nap!!