Perfect Day!

Today was my last day in Arizona and probably my most fun day. I ran in the Mayo Clinic 8k race in north Scottsdale and then got to see Arizona play ASU later that afternoon. The morning was clear and cool since a storm blew through overnight. Dad and I headed over to the race course an got there about an hour early. I checked in and hung out for a bit and then headed out for my warmup. I ran about two miles and then did my Gazelle drills by myself. I must have looked really weird to the folks waiting for the race to start. I then found a desert bush and was ready to run. The race wasn't chip timed so I got really close to the start line. I took off with the pack and may have gone a little fast. The first mile was 6:49. I settled into a good groove for the next two miles posting identical 7:08s for miles 2 and 3. I started to come apart during mile 4 where I posted a 7:44. I think the late nights and rich food caught up with me. I didn't walk and battled through the pain. I ran the last .971 in 7:01 which was a 7:14 pace, so at least I acted like a Gazelle at the end with a strong finish. I ended up 55th overall out of 445 people and 11th out of 41 in my new age group. It was a new PR by 1:25 from the News8K last June.

Dad and I headed back home for a wonderful breakfast with the family. I chilled for a few hours and then headed to the basketball game with Joe and his new girlfriend Alisa. The game was awesome and Arizona won on a last second shot by Salim Stoudamire. I couldn't have asked for a better ending to my four day birthday celebration in Arizona!