PF Chang's Rock and Roll Half Marathon

So I set out to do this half marathon (13.1 miles) and possibly run a 1 hour 23 minute race or maybe quicker. It didn't help that I was sick for the 3 weeks prior.
I was feeling great up until this illness took control. My workouts were very promising and the weather was looking good. The race is held in Arizona.
So with a mystery illness in effect until the day before the race, I thought: "What is there to lose?"
I got to the starting line with the help of Kelly's cousin and her boyfriend. They are from Phoenix so that helped A LOT!! We got to the starting line for Kelly's marathon and we saw her off at 7:40 am.
I got to my starting corral (#1... I know... I'm special) and did some stretching and warm-up running. I listened to Mr. Legat (amazing athlete) motivate me with his pre-race speech and then the horn sounded.
My plan was to go out in a 6:20 mile... not to be. I went out in 5:55! Uh-oh!
I went through the 5K plit in 19:33, not bad. THe 10K split was 39:50, ok. My 10 mile split was a 1:07. This is when my 5:55 first mile started to show. My legs were done and I had 3.1 miles left. The good news is, my lungs felt great.
I ended up making my way into Tempe for the finish feeling pretty good. I crossed the line in 1:26:04. About 1 minute off of my goal time. I came in 140th out of over 20,000 runners. I can't complain knowing what I went through the 3 weeks before this race.
My eventual goal is to run a 1:21:00 half marathon. That's 6:15 per mile. I am running about 6:30 per mile right now. I can do it. I know I can.

Next up... The Cherry Blossom 10 Miler in Washington D.C. My goal... 1:03