A whole new perspective...

I was so far behind, I thought I was in first place. That's how my day started.

I didn't read the race Palm Springs half marathon information correctly and showed up 30 minutes after the gun went off. I still got a bib, but no timing chip. The first benefit of starting late was they were preparing the shirts for the finishers and I got mine before I even started the race, guaranteeing me the right size.

It took me 8 km or 38 minutes of running by myself until I saw anybody. Thank goodness the course was so well marked, it was winding and if it wasn't, I definitely would have got lost.

I got a whole new perspective of a race from the back. First, it starts with walkers and large butted women. If you are attracted to "junk in the trunk", you definitely need to do a half marathon and walk at the back. You'll be in heaven. Then it unfolds like this; you get into the speed walkers, then the walk and jog people, then the joggers and then the runners and then the runners who went to hard and have to walk or run and walk to the finish.

The back is also primarily women. It starts with bigger, older, bums and as you move forward, the women get younger and the bums get smaller. I was thinking, if your single, the last half of a race is full of women, it's the place you want to be. I also saw an old man, maybe in his 80's, running with a cane and he ran, er shuffled, the entire distance without walking. Unbelievable!!! I want to be that guy one day. I could only hope and dream I never stop.

I finished the half marathon in 1:41:13. Just before the finish line I turned around and started running the course in reverse. It was sunny and getting hot by the end of the run. I ran the half marathon at a 4:49 pace and I finished the entire 33 km at a 4:50 pace. If I was able to maintain that pace for 6 more miles, I'd have finished a marathon distance at 3:24:28. I was really happy, considering I was running at a sub 143 hr the entire time.

When I finished, I was aghast. There was no food. Some Gatorade and water, but no banana's or cookies or anything. The tables were already packed up and they were just finishing the awards. I felt so sorry for the people that were finishing after me. There was no cheering crowd and no recovery food. I saw a lot of those people coming in and they were hurting. It opened my eyes. It just didn't seem right or fair.

I was glad I missed the official start time. It was nice running alone for the first 8 km, no speed pressure. It was also interesting seeing the race from the behind. Had I started at the official time I may have pushed myself beyond a training run and not enjoyed the race as much as I did. However, even taking it easy, I checked the results and I would have finished 118th over all and 19th in my age group.

I've said it before and I'll say it again, I have a LOT of respect for those heavier people that have the courage to exercise in the public in all there largeness. They also take it to another level when they make the commitment to tackle a half marathon to boot.

This afternoon I decided to do a swim. Normally I only do two swims a week, but because this is mini training camp, I've upped it to three. It was an outdoor pool. I really liked swimming outside in the Sun. It was also a 25 yard pool and my 100's went a lot faster.

Tonight was another gourmet meal. It took 2 hours to eat. Steak, baked potato, veges, salad, homemade hot buns, corn on the cob, lemon pie, chocolate pie, ice cream and strawberries. Boy was I full. I was losing weight until that meal. I actually tightened by belt by one notch earlier in the day. Needless to say, after dinner I had to loosen it back to where it was.

Long Run - 2:40:01 / 33.02 km (20.47 miles) / 4:50 p/km pace (7:48 p/mile)

Mod Swim - 1:06:16 / 2926 meters