January 1st--Is there a better way to start out a new year

than running a race? I didn't think so, so I ran a 5 mile race. Carl and the kids came with and played in the park while I ran. It was a low-key event, but the weather was perfect. It was at the Berkeley Marina, probably 45-48 degrees when I was running. BRIGHT clear sunny skies--nice views of the city. And a mostly flat course with some very gentle elevation changes.

I started out pretty fast, which I realized at the end is because it was slightly downhill to start. Before long everyone was pretty settled into their pace, and after mile 1 I passed only one person and was passed by 2.

It was low-key, as I said, and some people seemed a bit confused by the course. We ran around a paved park (Cesar Chavez) two times, then a little loop the opposite direction, and then back to the start. There were people who skipped the second big lap (it was just over a mile), and people who skipped the little lap. There were people in sight in front of me, though, so I was able to run the course correctly.

This was my first race with my Garmin Forerunner, which made it fun. I could keep track of my pace. My goal was to run it under 45 minutes, since I hadn't ran at all since Christmas Eve and I've been pretty sick this past week, too. It was fun to see that I was going to come in under that, as an 8:30 pace was more than comfortable.

Anyway, I finished in 42:23 (for 5.06 miles per my Garmin), 3rd overall for women (3rd in my age group, too, if you count 10 year groups, which is normally the case in small races.) Now, that's the technical answer. There was one female who came in before me who shouldn't have--she skipped the 2nd long lap (over a mile!). I KNEW she was behind me, because I'd passed her at the beginning, so I was surprised to see her at the finish. The woman who came in second verified it for me, however--she saw her skip the second lap. It was no big deal because there was no extra prize; I just like knowing for myself.

It was a great way to start out 2008, for sure!