Dismal Swamp Stomp 1/2

I got to run a nice, small race today down in the Dismal Swamp (on a road). The course is a straight out-and-back about as flat as a parking lot. Not a lot of crowd support out away from the roads, but I don't really mind that. Plenty of water stops with HEED and even a gel stop.

I decided to push myself and see if I could break 1:30 and set a big PR. I fell off that pace around mile 5, but I kept a strong pace and only dropped 3 or 4 places in the second half. My blister issues returned in force on the right foot- guess it's time to try a different shoe.

I ended up finishing in 1:34:26 (a 1:54 PR). I'm pretty happy since I put myself in neutral following the Shamrock Marathon. 7th in the Age Group and 37th Overall and only chicked 3 times.

Might be my last race for a while as I'm close to deployment.

Walk to Water

Justin and Jessica Meeker- with whom I went to college- have embarked on a great journey. They began a thru-hike of the Appalachian Trail last week to raise awareness and money for clean water around the world. Check them out and consider donating- http://walktowater.com/

Lack of clean water is one of the most devastating conditions on our planet as 4 children die every minute from water-related diseases.

Let's give out of thankfulness for our abundance.