Ah, the Mini—my annual 13.1-mile jaunt of pleasure and pain through Indianapolis. This year was the toughest Mini I've ever run. For five miles, I ran almost perfect 9:20s, and I had dreams of a 2:02-2:03 finish. I felt strong and full of energy. However, after the tiny (though steep) hill on the track, I lost all my rhythm. After six miles in the 9:00s, I posted three miles in the 10s. The final four miles were in the 11s, and my finish time was 2:15:16. I just couldn't get anything going. I was told later that this scenario is classic of someone who didn't cover enough mileage in training. Due to a heart rate issue, doctors had nixed the last three-four weeks of my training. Therefore, I was running a race for which I was not well prepared. Under the circumstances, the 2:15 finish was very respectable. However, it was disappointing to have started so well, only to lose control of my body. The BEST parts of the day were the finish times of my former student Jessie and my Dad. They both completed their first half marathons, Jessie in 1:35:16 (and 13th in his age group), and Dad in 3:20:16. Way to go, guys! Gotta Run... has all the pics.

I captured a good pic of the recent weather dichotomy: snow on green leaves on a sunny day! This springtime, BMS students were entertained by Boomer, the Pacers mascot, with a dunk show to get them excited about spring fitness. It was awesome! Speaking of spring fitness, Dad and I participated in the Let's Go 15K last weekend. My race started strong (I led the women for four miles), then finished with difficulty. My time was still a PR — 1:27:03. In web site news, I archived the Winter 2011 What's Up posts, and there is a link to them at the bottom of this page.

It's Spring Break! Yesterday was warm and windy, so Mom and decided to go kite flying. Fun! Last weekend, Ed and visited French Lick Resort overnight. The area is close to home, beautiful, and historical. We really enjoyed ourselves. Check out the slideshow. Before Spring Break, I enjoyed some gigs and a great Shamrock Run. I posted my best ever pace in a race—a 33:19 finish in a 4-mile race for an 8:20 pace. It felt great! A few days later, I completed an 8-mile training run in 1:12:59. I'm on track for a sub 2-hour Mini!