I was more nervous about my car pooping out on me than the run itself today. But I was a little nervous about the race anyway -- I always am. It's so different when it's a race, even when I try to pretend it's just another long run. But if this were a long run, I'd probably be at around 11 or 12 min per mile pacing, and I certainly didn't have the discipline for that.

I really loved this course, which was pretty hill-icious. There were long stretches of flat, but it also had three substantial climbs (that I can remember), that was repeated because we looped a big part of the course -- so a total of six climbs. I'm always a little surprised that I take to hill so much -- ever since the Mud Run, hills have been what I look forward to in a race. Maybe it's because I think they're areas where I can take the advantage. When I'm on them, I think -- "you can rest when you're on top" and it usually works like a charm. There was one longer hill where I had to slow to a walking pace just to catch my breath, but I went back to pumping up the hill as soon as I could manage a running-like motion.

So today I met some new people from a running club that I think I'll join. It was a little intimidating because I wasn't sure how to act -- I didn't feel officially part of the club, but they were very welcoming. One was near the end cheering me on, right when I was trying to work my way out of some side stitches. But the minute she told me to pick it up, those stitches disappeared and I had my energy -- like I always do at the end. Running is so weird!