Here's my first 50k bling! The race was supposed to be a trail run, but had to be relocated at the last minute due to trail inaccessibility somewhere along the route. They moved it to a flat loop of dirt/gravel/paved. Got it done, and I'm looking forward to next year when hopefully we can run the original course.

We didn't get the torrential rain or thunderstorms that we expected at the Highland Half, but there was a light to moderate rain for most of the race. I followed the advice @MobyCarp gave me and got some Smartwool socks, and they kept the blisters to a minimum. I don't usually run in a hat, but I was glad to have one to keep the rain out of my eyes, even though it was too big for me. I put my phone in a ziplock bag and made sure my headphones were waterproof (they were), and I was good to go.

It was a small race already and a lot of people didn't show up (because of the weather, I assume), so only 88 people finished. Much of the course was on the Maryville Greenway, so we had nice views of a little creek and were kept company by assorted waterfowl. I'd heard others worrying about the hill at mile 10, so I held back a little, but when I got there...well, I wasn't very impressed by the "hill." I'm used to running on bigger hills than that! After that, I knew I was on track to PR, so I ran the last couple of miles with a big grin on my face. A few people who had already finished cheered as I got to the finish line, and I yelled, "I'm gonna PR it!" They all started yelling and cheering louder. I finished in 2:26:37, which was my first under-2:30 half marathon time and 13 minutes faster than last fall's PR.

No "after" pictures because everyone was ready to get out of the rain, but here's a "before" picture in my hat that's too big, and the medal.

I ran the Christchurch Half on Sunday. I wasn't expecting much as I had two dreadful nights' sleep prior, was battling with a sore throat, and woke to freezing cold, rain and wind. I layered up in a couple of merino thermals and had a light running jacket, however, at the last minute ditched the jacket as I get pretty hot when I run and the rain had abated to a drizzle. Feeling mediocre, I thought I'd just enjoy the day and not stress about my time and started at a comfortable speed, enjoying the beautiful views through Hagley Park, however, at 5k I discovered I was running dead on 5:10 pace - the speed I needed to go to achieve my dream sub 1:50. I was feeling good - the cold wasn't bothering me and the rain was light to intermittent (and the wind must have been behind me or diffused by the trees). At 10k I was still running well so I put my head down and concentrated on maintaining my speed. By 18k I knew I had it and sailed on to the finish line, largely oblivious to the icy headwind that everyone else complained about in the last 5k. I even managed to pass a few people in the last couple of kilometres. I'm thrilled with how the race went and am I loving my new PB!!

I am a distance runner. Friday evening I stepped outside my comfort zone and ran the Charlie McMullen Mile on a track. This is only the second time in my life that I have run a race this short. My goals were simple: Beat my time of 5:50.32 from 2 years ago, and stay ahead of my friend and team mate Bill to maintain my lead for the M 60-64 age group in the Rochester Runner of the Year Series.

I achieved both goals, winning the age group with a time of 5:44.90, after hearing Bill breathing behind me early in the last lap. Bill finished in 5:47.95 and did a good job of pushing me to run faster. We did a pretty good job of getting around that track, for a couple of guys over 60.

The medal was a cheap generic thing that didn't even say what it was an award for. I'm told it is gold, but I had a hard time seeing the difference between this and the bronze medals in the poor light at the track Friday.

Medved 5K to Cure ALS today. 81º F and quite humid. Runners were complaining about the heat. I didn't think it was all that hot, but the humidity was a bit annoying. Fast, flat course and some good runners to chase. Official time 19:32, good for 21st of 412 overall and 1st of 19 in the M 60-64 age group. No real bling, but I got a gift certificate for winning the age group: