Rails to Trails 11 mile race - DONE!

3rd place in my age group! I finished the 11 mile race in 1:34:15. It was a beautiful course in Prescott, AZ (about 3.5 hours north of Tucson) with mountain views, rock outcroppings and open meadow areas. Some downhill, lots of hills and mostly trail - an old converted rail line (thus the 'Rails to Trails'). I was holding a pace of under 8 min/mile for the first 6 miles (no wonder I was so tired!), but then it just got pretty hilly towards the end and the elevation was bothering me a little (I think it is around 5,300 ft. or so - yeah, I know, I'm a flatlander), so I slowed it down some. Even so, I ended up doing a 8:35 min/mile average! The weather cooperated and it was lovely.

My friends Christina and Joe let me spend the night with them last night. Christina is a serious trail runner who has done the Imogene Pass run 7 years in a row, I think. Tough gal - just look at her killer legs! She keeps trying to talk me into that race. Check it out - you'll see why I've been too afraid to do it yet.

We had a lot of fun at the race today. The picture is of Christina and I after the race and I am proudly wearing my 3rd place medal!

Here I am before the race in my new outfit from Atalanta Athleticwear. Love it, love it, love it. I'm wearing the new 'courage' top and their 'commitment' skirt that has the shorts underneath (yes, I already have a black skirt). They have these huge pockets in the back, so I stuffed all my race essentials in them. I love the names of the clothing. Do you think being color coordinated makes you run faster? Well, it sure makes it fun, anyway.