This was probably the most laid back I have felt going in to a marathon. My mindset was that I would run the best I could with my current level of conditioning. I didn’t particularly feel well trained, as my running has been compromised the last couple months with long hours at my new desk job. My focus from July onward was with the new occupation, and in the realm of running, with gearing up for the Wasatch 100. I have had few quality runs on the pavement, as my time has been more limited and I shifted my focus to hitting mountain trails. The question would be if my legs had any road speed in them.
Race day conditions proved to be ideal, with a slight tailwind in the first half and highs in the mid 60’s at the finish line. I headed out at the start loosely shooting for a 3:05-3:10 finish, as it would be on par with a couple other races I had competed months ago. Dependent on how I felt, I would adjust accordingly.
In the first few miles, it seemed like a fair amount of runners were flying past me. It appeared that maybe I had started too close to the front of the pack. No biggie. I’m not quick to start, and it takes me a while to get warmed up and in to a rhythm. By the time I started to enter Veyo, around mile 6, I was chatting with other runners and felt really casual about how the race would play out.
The Veyo hill felt a little more laborious than I remember it in recent years. I held back and took it easy, with the feedback my body gave me. There was a runner doing a really weird side to side step all the way up the hill. I quietly laughed inside and wondered what advantage he thought he was gaining. It looked really strange. I should have kept track of his bib number, so as to look up how he finished the race.
The ‘stair steps’ through Dammeron Valley were no more than I expected them to be, and I just steadily put them behind me. I came in to the half a couple minutes slower than I assumed I would, but was by no means discouraged. Around mile 14, the 3:05 pace group slipped past me. I briefly latched on, but let go as the effort felt a little strong.
Nothing spectacular occurred as I made my way past Snow Canyon, and through the occasional rollers, like those at Ledges Parkway, and just beyond. I checked out my Garmin from time to time to gauge my time and pace. I was feeling decent, not too tired, but not fantastic either.
Around mile 20, I could see that I would have to push in order to finish under 3:10. I was on the fence if I could do it. I didn’t know if the pace needed was sustainable, but I certainly had the will to dig in and find out. I spent less time walking through the final aid stations, and employed a sort of tunnel vision aimed at the road ahead.
With a mile left, I finally felt that I was where I wanted to be, and just kind of cruised in to the finish. My sister Heather, and sister in Law, Shelley were waiting to see my finish, as well as Melissa and my father in-law, Frank. I was satisfied when I saw the clock approach 3:08 as I crossed the line. My time was within the 5 minute window I had envisioned at the start. No real surprise, but no let down either. It had been a satisfying race, and I had fun completing it for a 9th consecutive time.
My splits were:
1st half: 1:33:45 2nd half: 1:34:14, Which equaled a :29 second positive split.
Garmin Splits:
1. 7:09 14. 7:13
2. 7:11 15. 6:43
3. 6:57 16. 6:53
4. 6:54 17. 6:52
5. 6:53 18. 7:12
6. 6:30 19. 7:44 Ledges Parkway Hill!
7. 6:31 20. 7:17
8. 8:05 Port-o-potty & Veyo Hill! 21. 7:03
9. 7:26 22. 7:12
10. 7:15 23. 7:34
11. 7:29 24. 7:10
12. 7:25 25. 7:05
13. 6:57 26. 7:18
27. (Read .29 mi. 2:06, 7:15/mi)
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