FitOne Half Marathon

This half marathon I was going for another personal record.  I told myself if I broke my previous record I could take it easy the rest of the fall and just do 5K's and 10K's.
I carpooled to the start of the race with my friend Joslyn and her friend Hayley.  I had done a couple runs with them and it was nice to have people to hang with before the start of the race.
I ended up going out faster then planned but I think this actually helps me because then I push to maintain that pace rather than starting out slower and not having the energy at the end to go faster.
I found a few people that were going a similar pace and was determined to stick with them throughout the race.  This was a very successful race strategy for me as I felt like sticking with them pulled me along at times I was dragging.
This was a flat course except for at mile 11 where there was a big hill that hurt.  I pushed through it mentally and once I got to the top I reveled in the sounds of the bagpipers that were there to congratulate us.
The course was over a quarter mile long but I managed to get a personal record. My time was 1:48:12 and I averaged an 8:15 pace throughout the race. Very happy with the progress I've made. My very first half marathon in 2007 I ran in 2:10:16 which was a 9:57 pace.  I love that there is a sport where as you get older you can still get better.  Can't wait to see more progress in the coming years.