Run for the Schools Half Marathon

Assen and Sophia decided to run the 5K. We drove two different cars. I never saw my kids at the start line. I stood next to Gene W and behind Craig B. Somebody sang the national anthem, but his mic was not working, so most people didn't even noticed they were singing it. The race started and I tried to run my own race. Then, I ran into Nathalie M. She told me she could run with me for a few miles, and she did.  We were going about 7:30 pace or faster. I didn't mind if she wanted to run faster, and I let her go about Mile four or five.
I saw this fast female runner ahead of me and thought about chasing her.  It was not until mile 7 or 8 that I was able to pass her. She told me 'good job' and never saw her again. She looked very strong. Later, I learned her name was Julie Johnston. I found her name in Athlinks and read her very inspiring story. She's run 13 marathons today. No wonder why she is such a good runner! She is the pacer at Quad-Cities!
I kept a pretty good pace most of the race. I was happy to see Dan Beck at mile 12. He ran more than half a mile with me and pushed my limits!  Thanks Dan! This hill at college avenue was tougher than ever. Then, I just let gravity help me get to the finish line. My Garmin registered 1 hr 38 min.