First race in a long while!

Wow, it has been ages since I have raced!  And not having felt like I have been training super hard, I wasn't sure how the Leavenworth half was going to go at all!  I wanted to get under 1.30 for my own sake.  Last week when I did some speed stuff, I thought that while I could do a two-mile rep at 6.30 pace, there was no way I could do 13 miles at that!  But the race went great and I really felt pretty good.  My calf didn't give me any issues, and I was able to run pretty hard and consistent.  The mile markers were way off in the middle sections, so I really had no idea how far I had really gone and if I could count on the Garmin or not.  It all evened out pretty well, though, and I ended up winning for the women!  I ran a 1.25 which is pleasing given how things had been feeling in the last couple of months, and I was just happy that I could push that hard, and on my own really.  I passed a couple of guys that had been a ways in front of me, which is always a plus too.  The scenery was gorgeous, though it was really smokey due to recent fires.  I was very happy with it all.  And then to boot, we got to go out and celebrate Oktoberfest and drink lots of good German beers - I had a great time with my cheering buddy, JM!  So all in all, it was a great weekend and success all around!  Now for more races....!