About a month ago, I decided to get into gear with reserving a hotel room. Unfortunately (but not really!) all I could find, had already been booked to capacity. I contemplated getting one in Brigham City, but then it seemed kind of senseless. If I were to reserve one, it would be all or nothing! Melissa & I had our anniversary on Monday, but didn't have any formal celebration of sorts. It seemed only appropriate to book a room at the Anniversary Inn. It couldn't have been any closer to the Merlin Olsen Park! I was able to walk right out the door and catch the bus to the start. Melissa was also able to sleep in and could be free of any race related logistical issues. After finishing, I was able to walk back and take advantage of the jetted tub. That was awesome!
At the start, with less than five minutes to the gun; we experienced a torrential microburst that had everyone scrambling for the valuable tent real estate. It was kind of entertaining. I was one to squeeze myself in for a moment and ended up next to Ben Van Beekum. It was great to chat with him and to see that he was using this event as a trainer for St. George in a couple of weeks. As I peered out at the downpour, I acknowledged that with his speed, he'd be out of the rain in no time!
I really had a fun time and quite honestly, felt the conditions were wonderful! I truly enjoyed running in the rain. I would take this any day over the blazing sun. Fortunately, I had the foresight to apply some lubricant to my feet beforehand and avoided some blistering. My socks seemed to wick away the water and had very limited sponging effect.
My pacing strategy was to try for a 3:10, which would shave off just over 3 minutes of my best on this course. I found a very handy table through a post on this forum, which displayed the recommended pace per mile based on course specific topography. I took that data and made up a wrist band and gave it a go. I am pleased with how the times worked out and how they aided me in knowing how much to push myself through each mile. It's difficult for me to run just based on feel or perceived effort, especially as the miles begin to compound themselves. The Top of Utah course also seems to give me fits, as the real work begins around mile 18ish, when there is no longer the aid of downhills. The turns up and down the streets of Millville, Hyrum, Nibley, Providence etc. really take their toll on my energy and speed.
The pacing worked out well for me today, at least until my Garmin decided to crash with about 2.5 miles to go. As I strapped it on my wrist this morning, it read a charge of 93%, so this certainly came as an unwelcome surprise! Fortunately though; I was close enough to finishing and a runner named John from California was headed for the same time goal as my own and he was more than happy to shout out our pace. As a side note, it turns out that he's been traveling here to participate in the Wasatch Running Center Grand Slam series. That's impressive!
At the finish, I had the surprise of my parents cheering me on. It was nice of them to do the hour and a half drive just to see me for the final seconds of the race.
Here are the results from my Garmin before it decided to quit on me:
|
1
|
6:59.6
|
1.01
|
6:56.4
|
|
2
|
7:05.8
|
1.03
|
6:54.2
|
|
3
|
6:57.1
|
1.01
|
6:51.6
|
|
4
|
7:09.9
|
1.01
|
7:05.4
|
|
5
|
7:08.1
|
1.01
|
7:02.8
|
|
6
|
7:13.1
|
1.01
|
7:08.8
|
|
7
|
7:15.5
|
1.02
|
7:08.5
|
|
8
|
6:59.6
|
1.01
|
6:53.8
|
|
9
|
7:08.1
|
1.02
|
7:01.6
|
|
10
|
7:13.0
|
1.01
|
7:10.4
|
|
11
|
7:13.3
|
1.02
|
7:06.2
|
|
12
|
7:00.5
|
1.01
|
6:58.3
|
|
13
|
7:05.8
|
1.02
|
6:58.4
|
|
14
|
7:04.1
|
1.01
|
7:00.3
|
|
15
|
7:01.0
|
1.01
|
6:58.0
|
|
16
|
7:18.7
|
1.01
|
7:14.6
|
|
17
|
7:00.7
|
1.00
|
6:59.6
|
|
18
|
7:06.5
|
1.00
|
7:05.0
|
|
19
|
7:37.4
|
1.01
|
7:33.3
|
|
20
|
7:29.3
|
0.99
|
7:33.3
|
|
21
|
7:11.3
|
1.00
|
7:09.6
|
|
22
|
7:28.1
|
1.02
|
7:21.1
|
|
23
|
7:36.0
|
1.01
|
7:33.0
|
|
24
|
3:35.5
|
0.45
|
8:01.9
|
|
Summary
|
2:48:58.9
|
23.68
|
7:08.1
|
Mile Pace Split Ave Pace
| 