South Dakota. Check.

This may be the second time that I've written this race report (and possibly the first time that you've seen it.)

This morning, I was able to check off my 24th "state" (23 and British Columbia) in the half2run.com with a 2:20:13.89 finish at the 11th annual Sioux Falls (South Dakota) Half Marathon.

Normally, I'm not a big fan of trail systems. The biggest, of which, is because it can be as monotonous as can be. However, Sioux Falls, especially with the weather being favorable (50 at the start and 55 at the finish with a little breeze throughout and slightly stronger at the end), had a very nice trail system where the scenery was absolutely beautiful.

It reminded me of running early in the mornings four years ago along the Towpath in Akron, Ohio. It also reminded me to tell you that if you ever decide to run your New Mexico marathon or half marathon (if you're chasing states) in Albuquerque, you should be shot. Not that ABQ isn't a nice town, it is just that they run all three of their marathons along the trail that runs along the Rio Grande. It isn't a pretty sight.

The race? I'll take the 2:20:13. I spoke with Bill Saturday afternoon while I was sitting on the plane waiting to depart Houston Intercontinental. I was really hoping that my recent half marathon times (June in Temple, August in Dallas) were more indicative of the onerous heat and humidity than my current ability level. This was proven to be true, even though my weight - by how a pair of Dockers pants fit Thursday night for Waverly's open house - in the midsection is up just a bit.

We discussed about staying close to the 10:30 minute/mile pace as much as I could. I also wanted to just feel like I was running well.

For the most part, you'll see that I did. And later in the race, I tried to concentrate on my form to take my mind off of some of the pains that I was experiencing. (I forgot to dose up on Advil like I normally do before a marathon or half marathon.)

Mile 1 -- 10:28.22
(This really got clogged as we started on the track at Howard Wood Field. It was about a 2:48 400-meter split. However, it really was a great atmosphere for people to watch the start of the race and really provided a neat spectacle. There were American and state flags that circled the track.)

Mile 2 -- 10:20.19
(I really got concerned that it was going to be a long day because I really didn't feel good at this point. There was a significant incline or two during this mile as well.)

Mile 3 -- 10:17.25
Mile 4 -- 10:02.87
(I was kind of surprised at the second mile of these two, but it did include a downhill into downtown Sioux Falls - a very picturesque city. We sort of made a "C" that opened to the left and came upon the mile 4 marker as we went into a very nice Falls Park.)

Mile 5 -- 10:36.13 (In the park, this had a slight uphill or two. I went through most of the hills and inclines better today after reading this month's Runner's World reminding me to keep my head and eyes up as I went up the hill/incline.)
Mile 6 -- 10:06.12 (Not sure where this came from, but we entered one of the greenways at this point.)

Mile 7 -- 10:45.12
Mile 8 -- 10:42.40
(I don't know that I was worried about things slipping away from me, but I really wanted to try and be strong and work on my form through this stretch.)

Mile 9 -- 10:08.67
Mile 10 -- 11:40.25
(I put these two miles together because I really believe that mile 9 was short and mile 10 was long; however, of course, I don't have any conclusive proof. I had spent a good bit of time passing people because I ran the tangents on the trail while people were following the curvature. I figured that if/when they certified this course that the whole width of the trail would be used and, if so, the tangents then would be fair game. I didn't think that I was starting to fatigue *that* much when I made it to the mile 10 marker, but maybe so.

(During this stretch was the first person that asked me about my Luv' Ya Blue Chevron Houston Marathon finishers shirt. Anna, let Steven know I was recruiting for 2010. He talked about Twin Cities and Chicago Marathons being so hot. I didn't want to tell him the races that I had done last weekend. I think he was out on a training run because he sped up after a little bit and left me like I was sitting still.)

Mile 11 -- 11:50.15
(When I saw this split, I was really worried that a crash and burn was going to come and that a 2:24 would roll up on the watch.)

Mile 12 -- 11:21.56
Last 1.1 -- 11:54.96
(I got a friendly "Hey finisher" shout out as I came upon the mile 12 marker as we were making a left to cross over a bridge. I took some water at a stop at around 12.4 and probably cost myself a 2:19 showing; however, I wanted to make sure that I had something strong to go in with.

(As you can see, I was able to pick the pace up just a little as I finished the last mile and one-tenth. Yes, I went in with my trademark out-of-state "Hook 'Em Horns" sign for a finish. I thought about going in saying "John McCain, John McCain" but I couldn't gage during the run what color state south Dakota was going to play out this fall. I did want to make it home alive.)

During the run, while running behind other runners, I thought I saw Karen Felicidario and June Vidrine. Now, it isn't that I go studying people's back sides. I mean you could, for example, spot Ken Johnson's gait from a half a mile away. It is very distinct.

I thought I saw "Karen" very early and very late in the race. A woman had the same type of very slender build and a hat that was fairly similar. And June (laughing), I thought I saw a couple of different times. And how did I distinguish her from the rest of the runners? There was this little perky, happy-go-lucky bounce in this woman's stride much like I saw running away from me at the Resurrection Run 5K this April. :)

I would recommend this race to anyone. It was a lot like the Fargo Half Marathon that I did last May. The volunteers were really, really good. Spectators were plentiful for the size of the town. There were multiple spots that families could see the runners that they were following.

I'm beat. A two-hour flight, followed by a three-hour drive, short sleep, a 2:20 run and then to repeat it in reverse. I sometimes question my sanity, but the less than $200 I spent is better than therapy.

Total Costs
$55.00 - Continental (Yes, it costs money to use your reward travel without making advance reservations. $5 taxes; $50 reward booking fee)
$43.29 - Registration
$40.44 - Enterprise Rental Car
$8.00 - Parking Cents Lot
$44.95 - Gas
$15.07 - Meals/Food
$206.75