Albuquerque, NM

First the stats:

Duke City Marathon, Albuquerque, NM October 18, 2009

309 Marathon runners. Male winner finishing time 2:39:51, Female winner finishing time 3:14:17. 1,414 half marathon walkers & runners, out & back event. Here's a review of the race in the Lubbock Examiner.

I have to say there are some states I've enjoyed (WA, CO, UT, CA) and some I haven't (OR and NM). The course in OR was around the shipyards, docks, power plant and major downtown construction. NM wasn't bad, but it is a very local race. I miss pasta, and there was none to be had. The New Mexico Marathon also happened September 5th & 6th in Albuquerque, so having two races close together is a little much for the area.

I went to NM trying to squeeze in the last half marathon of the year. My foot had been bothering me so didn't move as fast as I wanted to. As I write this I'm waiting for the results of a bone scan to see if I have a stress fracture. The only think that got me out of my funk was an 84 year old guy walking the half marathon, yelling at me that I was going to fast. In the end, Mr. 3005, your yelling was just the attitude adjustment I needed. Sigfrid Hellstrom from NM, thanks for your props. I'm going to start running more once my scan results come back....