The Johnnycake Jog is complete.  My finish was 376th place with a time of 45:32 or a pace of 9:07 per mile.  The race was a great experience and well-organized.

 

I did not do so well since I ran a careful, cautious race with a slow start from the back of the pack.  All this was to avoid injury and ensure running the distance without stopping.  I missed my goals time-wise, but far exceeded my goals fun-wise.

 

Compared to the race previews, I found a few  things to be a little different for me.  The hill up Fairgrounds Road was not as steep as I thought it would be, although I did attack it slowly with short strides.  Route 84 was not as shady as I hoped.  Old Johnnycake is more steeply downhill than I would think.  I passed a lot of people down that stretch, but since it was about the halfway mark, people were beginning to drop like flies about then.  The long stretch (2+ miles) down Route 20 was H-O-T!  Even though the day was cooler than many recent days, the pavement radiates the heat from the bright sun.  Route 84 was the same way, to a lesser extent.

 

I made a big mistake at the end of the race.  I started a "kick" with the finish line in sight, probably the last 200 yards.  What I failed to realize is the finish line is about 100 yards past the start banner.  After passing 15 people to what I "thought" was the finish line, about 12 of those people passed me right back  on the way to the actual finish line.  (Jim the dummy)

 

It was nice to see Neal Nelson near Lowe's cheering us on.  (I should have given him my shopping list)  After the race, I ran into the Nelson sisters, Ann Plumley and Sarah Cannon, who seemed to be happy with the accomplishment of completing the five-mile race.

 

So that was the race.  After thirty-one years away from running and a lot of weight lost in this contest, I guess I am back to being a runner, albeit a rank amateur recreational runner.  Call me a T-shirt collector with skinnier legs.

 

What's left?  Our final assessments today and weigh-in on Saturday.  See you all then.