Run fast

Not sure what to think about this race.  On the bright side, my legs felt better than I did at Salt Lake, I placed well, and I can actually walk today.  The unfortunate part was that my stomach gave me major problems again (had to take a pit stop at mile 10) and my time was slower than my goal.  Looking at my splits, I realize that I really missed the boat from miles 18-23.  Those are super fast miles so I think I should have been in the 5:40s if not faster.  

The reality is that the 2.5 weeks of 0 running after the SLC Marathon due to a hamstring problem didn't help my cause and I am guilty of completely slacking on speed work.  Stupidly the fastest I ever run is in a marathon so how in the world can I ever expect to get faster??? Duh.  I think over the next few weeks I will run less but at a faster pace and I will mix in more biking and trail running.  I am looking forward to the Steeplechase in June and then capping off the summer with the Pikes Peak Marathon in August.  Bring on those hills!

Congrats to Seth and Nick, who were probably done with their massages by the time I finished, and to the other  bloggers who ran the half, full, 5k and relay.

I forgot to give a special thanks to Dave at the aid station near mile 17.  After watching me drop 2 cups of water in the aid station I guess he really wanted to make sure I was hydrated.  He grabbed a cup and started chasing me down.  After a few hundred yards I heard some footsteps and I remember thinking to myself, "oh wow. Walter must be feeling really good now because he is gaining on me fast."  I turned around to see what was up and instead of a runner I was amazed to see a middle aged man in jeans chasing me down with a cup of water.  I grabbed the cup and thanked him for his effort and also had time to get his name.  Thanks Dave!