The Van Metre Run for Childrens Hospital was the first race I ran ever. It was a year and I still remember lining up that morning cold Virginia spring morning. I was weighing in at 250 lbs. My only expectation was to finish middle of the pack.  I finished the race last year 235 of 577 overall. I was using the race to learn and get ready for the Xterra offroad triathlon two months later. I was learning about pacing myself, where to pin my bib, and where to position myself at the starting line.
This year I was going back to see how much my running had improved. I knew after a winter of training for my first marathon my running had come a long way. I was feeling good lining up this raining Virginia spring morning. I was weighting in at 193 lbs, 55 pounds lost in the year.  My goal was to run a 7:30 per mile and make sure my IT Band did not give me any problems. I finished 43 of 493 overall. With each passing mile I was feeling strong and continue to pick up the pace. I was using my Suunto t6c to track my pace. Imagine my surprise when I looked down to found I was running a 6:50 per mile with the last mile being 6:35 per mile pace. This was a new personal best for me in the 5 mile and the 1 mile.
Results 2009: Finish: 34:39, Overall: 43 of 493, Men: 38 of 253, Age Group: 12 of 95
Results 2008: Finish: 41:23, Overall:235 of 577, Men: 179 of 320, Age Group: 67 of 114