Journal Jog

Today was one of the Reno running scene's major fun events of the year, the Reno Gazette-Journal "Journal Jog." I used to kind of boycott this, thinking it was just going to be a big messy zoo, but got talked into it last year and really enjoyed myself. It's an 8K course, pretty flat and near the Truckee River, and the Start/Finish area is only about a mile from my house, so I can ride my bike to it.

Met my friend Amber near the start and hung out in the press of people before the start. I ran it with her last year, but her back has been hurting this year, so she thought she would be slow. She was hoping to break 50 minutes; I was hoping for sub-40 minutes. We had kind of a messy start, and spread out a little. The course was run counter-clockwise this year, the opposite of last year. Through Idlewild park, along the river to Chrissie Caughlin Park, then up to Mayberry, back down Sherwood to California, then down Hunter lake back to the start. After I finished (38 minutes, but I didn't click my watch for another 30 seconds), I turned around and backtracked through the crowds to see if I could find Amber behind me. I'd barely got back past the finishing chutes, and there she was! She finished in 42 something; beating her last year's time, even! Serious kudos to her.

Fun race, perfect weather. Can't ask for much more.

OK, official time was 38:05. 232nd overall, 190th male, 26th in my age group, with an average 7:39 pace. Good enough.