Sun, March 22 - 13.1 Miles

I popped an Ambien Saturday night at 8 pm, which threw me into a hard sleep until 4 am Sunday. Got up, ate a leisurely breakfast, put on my running gear, shoe chip, and bib, and headed out to the car at 4:40 am.

Damn. Flat tire. And I had to be in Pasadena by 6:30 am for my half-marathon.

AAA came quickly and I zoomed off on a temporary tire to Pasadena. It began to pour rain on the way - argh. But I made good time, taking a circuitous route from the 110 to the 210 as the Pasadena Marathon planners dictated - and then I spent almost an hour trying to get off the freeway at the designated offramp. By the time I got to the start line, I was at least 30 minutes late and the place was deserted.

I duly went through the start gate and ran the first 8 miles at a moderate pace, picking up slightly toward the end and really chugging the last mile or two. It poured rain - I mean really bucketed - during several points in the race, leaving everyone with soggy shoes.

Managed to put off a pit stop until Mile 10 - an achievement for me and my walnut-sized bladder.

I think I ran really well - but I can't prove it. When I looked up my time, it showed all zeros - except that my 10K split was up (57.15, with an average pace of 9.13). All I can assume it that my shoe chip wasn't read at the finish line. It's really frustrating - I think I ran better than my 2 hour 7 minute finish at the City of Angels, but unless I get an official time, I won't know (because I stupidly forgot to note my start time - which must have been 30 minutes or so past the official start. I did notice my end time of 2.31 - so I very likely did break 2 hours).

Anyway, it was a great day despite the flat, the rain, and the lack of an official time.