Still in 15k training mode! So, while on vacation, I ran the East Nash Dash — a 4-mile run from Five Points through downtown Nashville and back again. I found the race last minute, so online registration had ended; signing up and paying on-site was super easy.

Great view from mile two!

The temperature was about 27 degrees (uh, brrrrrr). How happy I was to have the premonition to pack a winter hat at the last moment!!!

Look at that finishing stride: all heel strikes. Sigh, need to work on that. Also need to stop super-sprinting to the finish line. Overall, it was a really fun race, with a sparse crowd of runners (not sure if it had anything to do with weather). Water stations and port-a-johns at every mile, with a nice bridge climb that passes the Titans stadium just at the halfway point. There was a little weird loop going downtown for the return two where runners were criss-crossing one another, but it didn’t cause any stoppage. I felt good for most of the race, and looking back I probably could have picked up my pace a bit (aka: famous last words).

Alas, I placed 9th in my 30-something age group (!!!), 60th overall (out of 113), and finished in less than 40 minutes (39:54).