Wow, nice surprise on the AG placing.  Woo hoo.

Were you worried that latching on to Al as your pacer could be a problem?  If he slowed down did you have any way of knowing that since your Garmin died.  Was he sharing splits and paces with you, cause if so then props to Al.

Thanks everybody!!

As to pacing with Al, I really didn't put too much trust in him.  He seemed to be staying consistent, although I passed him when he stopped for a potty stop.  When he caught back up, I said "oh good, you're back."  We chatted for a block or two, he said he didn't know the pace and didn't really care.  Honestly, he did get a little ahead, and there was nothing I could do about it.  But he pulled me along for several miles without knowing it.