Out of all the runners...he attempted to beat me!

Preparing for half marathon is part of my regular routine and is high on the list with chats with God, eating, breathing, and working on my dissertation. On Sunday, I ran a half marathon in Ann Arbor. Parts of the course were hilly, some parts were flat. It was perfect running weather. I expected to average about 10:00+ minute per mile and hoped to finish by 2 hours and 5 minutes. To my surprise, I clocked a surprising 1 hour and 54 minutes and 57 seconds. Yes...every minute counts!!!

I recall that I wanted to stop at mile 10, but I would have looked rather silly with only 3.1 miles to go. I shared the roadways with a Latina woman who had an awesome pace. She was consistent. Although I led the way most of the time, she proudly sprinted to victory, passing me with about 800 meters UP HILL! I am sure that seeing her family cheering her towards the finish line was an incredible boost. I was happy for her because she did a great job for her first half marathon. My finish was a little peculiar...

I passed an African American male with 1200 meters left before crossing the finish line. This guy looked like he ran out of gas...everyone passed him including me. With two-three steps remaining, I caught a glimpse of an African American male trying to pass me at the finish! Out of all the runners...he had to pass me! What is that all about! Tall, skinny, stout, White, Black, Latinos, Asians, Biracial, Multiracial folks passed this guy, but he was so determined to pass me at the finish. I have my theories, but I will keep them to myself and allow my faithful blog readers (all two of you!) to make their own conclusion.

Mom and Dad asked, "Did you beat him?" Momma and Pops did not raise no fool. You can bet your last $5 that I did. Well...I did not have a photo to end with this conclusion, but I think I got him on the lean at the tape.

Next stop...Ludington, Michigan. I cannot wait to run across a sand dune!