I ran two races so far this month. On the 4th of July I had some pain and didn't
finish. First time since 2002.

Today I started with a mental victory. It was a race with a long, steep hill in
the first 2 of 5 miles. I ran it 5 times before and had to walk up the hill 3
times and the other 2 times I was really suffering as I neared the top. Today
after about 15 minutes I looked up and realized I was almost to the top and my
legs felt like I was running on a flat section. I was really happy. The weather
was in the 60's, cloudy with a slight drizzle. Perfect weather for running.
However, around mile 4 I went off course for about 15 minutes. When I got back
on course I was last. I did manage to pass about a dozen people in the last
mile. I thought about staying last and at least getting the adoration heaped on
the last finisher, but when I was running beside him I realized that he needed
it more than I did. After all, the first 2 years I ran college cross country I
finished last in 5 of 6 races. It was great hearing everyone cheering for me.