Through some miracle of email magic and friends in high places, Dad managed to get us both into the Mt. Washington Road Race this year, despite us both having failed in the increasingly competitive lottery entry system.

I had been running all winter, thanks to our treadmill, but my workouts had been shorter, and less hill-oriented, than prior to last year’s race, but I wasn’t sure how that would affect my ability to take on the 7.6 miles of the mountain.

It turns out it was almost an absolute wash, both in terms of my pre-race preparation and my approach on race day. Last year, I ran the first mile and a half or so before occasionally introducing walking into it, and this time, I thought I’d try to stretch it out a little longer. I managed to run for the first four miles, which was an improvement, but the walking that then followed was of a more tired variety. In the end, I finished 33 seconds slower than last year, so within the margin of error, but a little disappointing, considering I’m now a veteran. The weather was terrific, beautiful and clear and not nearly as cold as last year at the top. We had a good time, and I was glad that Aimee and the girls came with this time; needless to say, they had a great time at Story Land while we were all huffing and puffing our way up the mountain.