Lesson learned: try and actually have a normal sleep routine the week before a race. Why? Well, this year I can say I pulled a Sean, aka concertfreak. Slept in a little, traffic slower than usual, etc. Yup. I missed my wave start.

This race starts what a friend referred to as "The Gauntlet": 4 races in 5 weekends. To avoid any confusion, yes, I AM crazy. N. V. T. S. Nuts.

I parked in my normal spot near the campus and ran the 2 miles to the start as a warm-up. Once I passed Valmont, people were crowding, not moving, etc. I reach the start line, and, hey, there goes my wave... Oh, shit. Anyhoo, you have to navigate the crowds back about 100 yards before you can get on the street and actually get up to the starting line. Well, at least I got off with the FA wave.

Anyways, I manage to start off strong. Pretty soon, I've managed to start catching the F wavers. Pass "Organized" Confusion and the Blues Brothers then make the first turn west. Grab a set of Mardi Gras beads as I pass the first mile marker and check my time: 8:32. Whoa, I'm hauling. I back off just a little to avoid bonking. Head north, pass the belly dancers, then Elvis and the first aid station at mile 2. Decide to forgo the water since, I think, taking water so early is what led to my cramps the last two years. Start heading west again, and I'm still going pretty strong.

At this point, I need to lodge a complaint. Why is it that all the slower runners weave from the outside of the turn to the inside, nearly tripping everyone along the way? Is this truly necessary? :)

At mile 3 I finally grab myself some water. The weather is perfect for running, but I'm still sweating quite a bit. Something to keep in mind for IMMOO. I actually start catching people from my wave at this point. Nice. Heading south, we climb the only real hill on the entire course. I hate this hill. It really isn't bad, it's just annoying when you hit it if you've been pushing hard on a flat course up until now. Top of the hill we hit mile 4 and I grab a little bit of Gatorade. Turn east onto Pearl and I check my time: 35 minutes and change, almost 36 minutes. Well past mile 4 at this point and I'm beating my goal of under 9 minute miles easily. Grab a little more water at the last aid station before heading south on Folsom to campus.

Once you reach campus is the most annoying part of the race. The course becomes rather narrow as they funnel you into the stadium. You ALWAYS lose time at this point. I manage to navigate the crowds and get onto the field, kicking the pace up some. I sprint the last turn and head into the chute.

Final time: 54:21
Final pace: 8:45.96/mile

Previous year: 57:44
Pace: 9:18.70

I'll take that over 3 minute improvement from last year. Okay, home now, cleaned up. Time to find some grub. BBQ this afternoon!

UPDATE: According to the race site, my official time is 1:00:48. Factor in that the wave I was actually in, the FA wave, started 7 minutes later, my actual time is 53:48. That makes for a revised pace of 8:40.64/mile. I'll take that.