WISCONSIN!!!! Run for the cheddar?

This is it, my 51st birthday, my first race in the 1/2 marathon in every state quest!!! Waukesha, Wisconsin...I was really nervous and it was complicated by the fact that I agreed to dog sit for a friend and his 4 months old puppy is apparently THE DEVIL!!! She woke up every 2 hours and barked like a fool, so then I'd take her out and she would sit and look around...for 20-25 minutes...silly dog.

So, the run...this was my first chipped run, they give you a Velcro ankle wrap with a timing chip in it that is activated when you cross the START mat and deactivated when you cross the FINISH mat. This way I doesn't matter where you are in the pack at the start. About a mile into the race a girl ran up on my right side and started talking to me...I pulled out my right ear bud and she asked me about why I am running and I told her about my quest and she asked if she could pace me. Cool!!! Company!!! So we ran and talked and kept each other company until about the last 2 miles when she hit a wall and had to slow her pace a bit. She ran 34 minutes faster than her fastest 1/2 marathon with me and she was disappointed, Heather...Seriously? I looked my results up later that night and I ran 02:06:33, 5th in my AG (F 50-54). Remember that windy run last Saturday? That happened for a reason...was pretty windy today, but didn't bother me, because I knew I could do it! The race was largely flat with a slow rising hill from about 5-7 miles, but at just past 7 you turn back, so that slope gives you a psychological boost at the turn. All in all it was a fantastic day and I had a blast! I'm even more addicted to the quest now!!!