"You Go, Gurl!"

So many people cheered me on this morning as I ran the half marathon. I started in the end of the pack because I was stuck in the potty line when the race started (but with a chip timer, who cares?)

I felt good, surprisingly, although I've been feeling under the weather for two days and last night felt rather queezy. Yet I passed many people, and not just the walkers or the ones over 80 years old. I thanked all the volunteers at the water stations, too. There were young boys and girls and some very old men and women out today helping the runners.

The volunteers appreciated my thanks, but a few replied "We wouldn't be here without you guys!"

My race time was only 2:12, 11 minutes slower than Dallas three months ago when I ran a PR of 2:03:54. I guess the training I did for Dallas did pay off last fall. I hadn't run hard since that bad half marathon in Austin in early January.

I like this race, though and hope to do it every year. The first six miles are through Mesa's elite neighborhood, but the second half is all on Bush Highway, with dramatic views of the Tonto National Forest. Weather was perfect and the organization this year excellent and I have no complaints...except maybe to have more variety of drinks at the finish line. All we had was water poured from a five-gallon Gatorade jug.

Exhaustion kicked in after I reached the finish line. I rested a while at the finish, then rested some more in the van until 10:20 when I drove down the scenic Bush Highway up to Highway 87. People were pulled over to photograph the wildflowers, and I joined them. Familes in SUVs, locals in their convertibles and bikers all took turns to stop and view the colorful display of Mother Nature. And how green all the mountains were! The Four Peaks lured in the distance, with saguaros standing tall in the foreground. If I hadn't been so tired I would have loved a desert hike up one of the peaks here.

I turned around at Highway 87 back tor Mesa, where I stopped for a much-needed lunch at Indigo Joe's in Mesa, across the street from last night's Red White and Brew. I devourd a Mushroom Swiss Cheese burger and drank one beer. The atmosphere was much quieter here than last night and that was fine by me although the service was lack-luster. There were over 20 TV screens playing a variety of sports. One table demanded golf.

Thank goodness for Luke Air Force Base, where in the late afternoon I showered and relaxed. The drive there was longer than expected, driving clear across the other side of Phoenix, with breath-taking mountain vistas in every direction. Too bad the air in Phoenix is so polluted.

I feel safe on military installations and stayed here for the night. As usual, Air Force Bases are so much nicer than Army posts. Too bad the pizza parlor closed at 6pm when I drove by 30 minutes later. The entire base was quiet.

http://www.valleyofthesunmarathon.com/