Before the start, Jenna, Brooke, Helen, Pierre, Karen, Danny and I took a moment as Spence led us in prayer.  It was God's day and, during parts of the race, He would soon be getting our fullest attention.

   Everyone started fast.  Many too fast, I knew they would come back.   But when a college friend, Katie Gengler, easily ran by at 6min pace, I knew she was off the front for good.  Some casual chit-chat, a sweatshirt tied around her waist, no flashy racing attire, and there she goes, on her way to a 1:56 top 3 finish.   But that's the way she is; modest, and a runner in her spare time because she enjoys it.

   6:18 first mile.  I notice how great my legs and feet feel and, again, realize how much I appreciate being able to run after last year's injuries.   I'm cruising along through the farmlands, watching the miles go by faster than ever, and, remarkably, my 6:27 pace timer is beeping EXACTLY at some of the mile marks!   From 1 to 18, I was never more than 6 seconds off pace!  The effort increased steadily until I was sprinting the last mile just to stay on pace.  This was my "perfect" race.

   The aid stations were great.  I voted for #3 because they "pre-squeezed" the cups before handing them off.  I would have voted for the cheerleaders of #4 but their cheering was so loud they couldn't hear me asking for gatorade.  I saw my teammates after the turn around looking good.  I took 3 GU's, 1 ibuprofen, and alternated Gatorade and water and the stations.

   My feet were blistering a little but I kept my pace and my thoughts on God.  I caught quite a few, including Scott Bang who was unsuccessfully experimenting in "going out fast".  My goal was to break 2 hrs and I saw the clock hit 1:59:49 as I finished.  Very exciting! (even if the winner finished 25min earlier!)

   Everyone was glad to be done and enjoyed a shower and complimentary pasta lunch before heading home.  The TRH Racing Team; Helen, Brooke, and I placed 10th, 11th, 10th.  But Jenna was our sole award winner with another amazing 2nd place.   It was a beautiful day and we all experienced God's presence at one time or another.