This race, which included a 2.1 mile and a 10K, had the BEST spectator support of any of the local races I've been to. There was water at like every half mile, along with crowd support from many local businesses and schools - it was awesome - not to mention that there were 600+ runners! There were hills in this race, particularly a climb between miles 2 and 4, but that was nothing compared to the last 2 races, so it didn't bother me.

I am so proud that I didn't walk at all, and I came 2nd in my age group (thanks to 5 year age group awards), but I didn't stay for the post-race festivities, so I missed picking up my award :-( It still counts right?!

What I loved about this race: The volunteers and crowd support.

What I did wrong: The race started at 1 PM and I didn't eat much of a breakfast, and ended up driving around last minute trying to get something to eat, because I knew I needed to fuel up. I need a better nutrition strategy.

What I did right: Running consistently and started speed work. Plus I made sure to get in a 10 minute warm-up run before the race - made a big difference in how I felt the 1st mile of the race - normally I feel like crap the 1st 2-3 miles.

What I will do in the future: Keep up with hill & speed work.

This is race #7 for the year and I'm finally starting to see some increase in my speed, but MORE IMPORTANTLY I'm still having fun while getting fitter.