Sub 3 Hour Half

     The 10th time was a charm.  I finally reached my goal of a sub 3 hour half with 56 seconds to spare.  Final time was 2:59.04.  The River City folks put on a great race.  It was a no-frills race along my favorite training spot, the American River Trail.  We started at William Pond Park and ended at Discovery Park.  With the point to point format there was no chance of getting bored.  The aid stations were well stocked with water and HEED which tastes like a meal.  There was even pretzels and M&Ms which taste much yummier when running.   My pace was fairly consistent throughout the race with 4 minutes of running and 1 minute of walking.  I knew after 4 miles that I had a good chance of a sub 3 hour time if I could maintain my pace.  With the heat, I wasn't sure at times if I was going to make it but I did it.   So far, eight hours after finishing, recovery is going well.  My knees and shins are a little sore but they have been iced and I've taken my vitamin I.  I'm surprised with how hard I was running throughout that I'm not sore or tight (yet!).  The body is an amazing adaptable gift that it can change to accommodate all these half marathons I've done.   Two more races are on the books for the remainder of the school year and then I'm thinking it's time to tackle the next goal--besting my previous best half time, set in 1999 of 2:47.  I just have 12 minutes to gain.  I've already gained 43 minutes so what's 12 more, right?