So much has changed from a year ago. The biggest developments: I’m working days again, and we have a baby on the way. Whoa! One thing that didn’t change is my participation in the Portland Holiday Half Marathon and 5k.

What started a year ago as a way to spend more time with my wife became a way to spend more time with my friend and colleague, Garrett. With Lisa sitting this race out with a pregnancy, Garrett suggested that we run the 5k together this year. That seemed like a great idea in June, but I did not train as diligently for this race as I did in 2012. That had me a little worried.

Ultimately, it seems that getting regular exercise during the week and playing soccer on the weekend was enough to get me through. I’m a year older but performed better than last December. Go figure!

The race started at the Adidas headquarters in North Portland, and it was a great day for running through that part of the city. Quite temperate. Had this event been a week earlier, we would have frozen off our baguettes with the cold snap Portland was in at the time. Frankly, even last year was a few degrees cooler, so we couldn’t have asked for better conditions in 2013. My personal stats:

Overall Time – 29:55, Mile Pace – 9:38, Age Division Placing By Sex – 8 / 27, Placing By Overall Sex – 68 / 162, Overall Finish – 157 / 572.

Compared to 2012:

Overall Time – 31:15, Mile Pace – 10:03, Age Division Placing By Sex – 14 / 21, Placing By Overall Sex – 73 / 139, Overall Finish – 140 / 493.

My wife wants to join us again next year. It sounds like we’ll attempt to bring our daughter, and Garrett will consider bringing his son. Pushing strollers decorated with Christmas lights is just too tempting!