Keeping myself sane!!!

Being my first 50 miler, I just wanted to make it through feeling half way decent to the finish.  My finishing time was slower than anticipated, but I'm not dissapointed as I was venturing into uncharted territory for myself.  I maintained the goal to conserve my energy with going out slowly, walking the major uphills, and steady on the flats and downhills. 

I had the full support of my wife, who ventured up to start with me at 4:30 a.m. and had the patience to wait for my finish.  She's always a real trooper!  I also had a friend of mine meet me at 25 miles, and ran with me for the remaining half.  It was nice to have someone to give me encouragement and to disrtract me from my screaming right leg.

It was a good day, even though the weather reports had appeared less than favorable.  The sun came out periodically, and there was a cool breeze, for which I was grateful.

It was nice to have the weather cooperate for this event!  The last couple of years have been less than favorable.  I guess it's a risky time of year where it can snow one day, and then turn around as t-shirt weather the next.  I kind of went overkill on running pants and a long sleeve tech, but hey; it was only 10 miles! 

Having run my first 50 miler last Saturday, I was uncertain what my legs would feel like today.  In addition; I have been battling shin splints for the last month as I've ramped up my mileage.  Upon reviewing my training logs (I still do them on paper-I guess I'm old fashioned that way!) I noticed the same trouble last year coming out of the winter slumber, and in getting ready for another season of marathoning.  I have been doing some pre-run stretches and they make a world of a difference! 

I was hoping to beat my time from last year, with the better weather conditions, but knew my legs were not fresh.  I have also had a lack of speed work in my workouts lately and knew that could be a factor.  Regardless of the outcome, I knew this could be a good opportunity for a tempo run in getting ready for the SLC Marathon in a couple of weeks, and I would get a feel for where I'm at.

After milling around the start for about 45 minutes, we were off and running.  I started out with a group of 4 other runners (including Allie, whom I introduced myself to at the start) and drafted behind as we made our ascent to the top of Little Mountain.  I made no effort to check our pace on my Garmin, but quickly found myself going anaerobic.  I knew I'd be in better shape once we had cleared the summit, however I resigned myself to falling back to regain control of my respiration.   

The challenge I faced upon the descent, was gaining an efficient stride and softening up my foot falls.  I could tell it was very choppy, and my feet were quite loud.  I had a couple runners pass me around mile three, but I felt my better miles were to come.  In my mind, I wasn't too discouraged, and just focused on the feedback I received from my body.

I spent miles 3-5 trying to form a fluid cadence.  One the runners that passed me earlier had remained in my sights, and from miles 6-8, we exchanged positions several times.  The second place woman also joined in briefly.  Fortunately I was able to maintain a solid pace from 8 to the finish, and pulled ahead. (Dang, it only took me 80% of the race to find my rhythm!)

It was a good day to get out and participate in a low key event.  I was slower than last year by :26, which is fine by me!  Considering last weekend's race, and my somewhat inconsistent weekly mileage lately; I'm content with where I'm at.

I really enjoyed this race.  I was able to see and converse with many friends along the way,  my brother-in-law, and my dad around mile 19.  The social aspect is what made for a good day for me.  I didn't expect an overall pr, but managed one for the course, so that was a bonus.  I felt decent physically for the bulk of the race, and the miles seemed to go by quickly.  I guess it helped having people distract me throughout the event.

This was a tune-up race for ones to come this year, so I can potentially meet some time goals on a couple other courses.  I'm gearing up to hopefully pr at Utah Valley, &/or St. George.  As anyone knows; race day can be hard to predict as there are many variables to affect a performance.

Now that I've had some time to calm down and let my emotions wane of a HORRIFIC race experience; I can look forward to running again.

My mistake was simple, and that of a rookie: I went out way too fast for my current capabilities, and I knew it!  At the half, I was five minutes ahead of schedule.  This five minutes ended up costing me a minimum of 14 minutes in my finishing time.  Around mile 15, I definitely knew I had blown this race.  Not only in the elevation profile, but for me personally; it was all downhill from there in a bad way.  It was a total crash and burn.

I had hoped to better my time from last year of 3:09:18, but instead it wasn't to be.  Oh well, there's always next year!

Aside from falling apart in the second half and missing my time goal, the race was not a complete failure.  I really enjoyed running with a couple of other bloggers, and some friends along the way.  There was also a break in the rainy weather we had been experiencing and it turned out to be a beautiful day.

This was just another day that my performance (or lack thereof) confirmed that I need to step up my training.  I admit that I've slipped a bit lately and therefore my time and overall feel of the race showed. 

After I finished,  Melissa had to hear me complain endlessly about how disgusted I felt and that I wanted to throw in the towel to running altogether.  Now that I've had a week to simmer down; I am in a better frame of mind and have regained some of my enthusiasm to prepare more for my next event.

This was my fifth year running in this race, and it was as fun as ever.  I enjoy the community involvement and the small town feel.  Having breakfast provided at the finish is a nice bonus too! 

I never expect to pr on this course, but each year I try to set a new one for the course.  So far I have been successful in that, even though by only a few seconds.  In '08, '09, & '10,  I finished in the 1:29:49-1:29:14.  I guess I could be called consistent.  It was nice dropping below 1:29, even though by a slim margin.

I didn't keep track of my splits mile-for-mile, but instead, just tried to hold on for what my body would do for the day.  I took off with the lead runners from the start, and watched the eventual winner, Ben Van Beekum pull away from view.  By mile 2, I managed to pass a few runners and pulled into the 3rd. place position.  I hit mile 3 around 19:00, and felt happy with a 6:20 for those miles.  Unfortunately; I started getting some side stitches by mile 4 and I know my pace suffered slightly.  It was at this time I was passed by another runner.  I held on for all I could for the next few miles as the course had some ups and downs and a few turns.  Around mile 9, the biggest hill in the course came upon us, and I slowed way down to avoid going too anaerobic.  This is when I was passed yet again by another runner.  Oh well...

In the final 4 miles, I tried to keep a steady pace and kept runners number 3 & 4 in my sights.  I didn't have the kick to overtake them, but felt fortunate that they were the only ones I had lost my position to.  All details considered, it was a great day and a positive racing experience.

I really enjoy this race.  It is challenging and I don't expect a pr, but I find it quite enjoyable.  I hoped to finish somewhere close to my time of 3:10:00 from last year.  This did ultimately happen and if 19 seconds is not close, then I don't suppose I know what is! 

My splits last year were: 1:37:30 & 1:32:30.  I figured that if ran conservatively in the first half, then I'd have a good chance of pulling off a negative split comprable to last year.  This year I yielded splits of 1:35:26 & 1:34:53.  Not much of a difference, but I did feel good enough to enjoy the second half.  When I reached mile 22 my time was around 2:40.  I realized that I'd need to run below a 7:00 pace the final 4.2 miles to pull in near my goal time.  (In consideration of a couple aid station passes, and a few turns the course makes, which would ultimately cost me some time)  Fortunately enough; Foothill & South Temple have some good downhill and my Garmin showed between 6:45-6:55 at at few glances.

I had some great conversations with many other runners at the start and finish, the usual support of my wonderful wife, and my mother surprised me by dropping by.  It was an all around enjoyable day.

I felt really dissappointed with my performances at Ogden & Utah Valley, so I have since ramped up my training.  I guess any runner can attest that it's all a matter of fine tuning to discover what works best for the individual.  I had put in plenty of long distance runs, however, I have needed more speed work/Tempo runs.  I really believe this is why I have had a dreaded crash in the late miles of recent races.

I had a lot of fun and managed to achieve a new half pr!  It helped having Mary Ann, Terry & Jeff to pace with throughout the race.  We traded places a few times, so it was anyone's race near the end.  I feel like I'm getting a better rhythm and my training runs have been more productive lately.  I used today as a speed work/semi-distance run in preparing for Park City next weekend.  My splits were:

Split Split Hour:Minute:Second Time Miles Distance Minutes per Mile Avg Pace Summary 01:21:58 13.13 06:14 1 6:07 1.01 6:03 2 5:51 0.98 5:58 3 6:02 1.01 5:57 4 6:11 1.02 6:05 5 6:11 0.97 6:25 6 6:18 1.02 6:09 7 6:49 0.98 6:55 8 6:42 1.00 6:44 9 7:04 1.12 6:17 10 5:43 0.95 6:03 11 5:48 0.94 6:09 12 6:27 1.03 6:17 13 6:40 1.11 6:00

Where'd all the people go?  There were 385 finishers this year, compared with 439 last year, for a difference of 54 runners, or about 12.3%.  In a race of this size, that seems like a significant drop in participants.  Maybe it's because the course is not forgiving like a bulk of the other Utah marathons, with an overall downhill profile.  I must have a lapse in memory because after 6 times at this race, I always forget how difficult the course is!  The first 17 or so miles of uphill will chew you up, that's for sure!

I had hoped to impove on my time of 3:21:02 from last year, but it wasn't to be.  I guess a difference of 2:06 really isn't too bad though.  I think the contributing factor of a slightly slower time was two fold.  First off; I ran the Provo River Half last weekend and I really pushed it.  My left calf has been tight and sore since, so I only did a couple of short runs this past week in an err of caution to let it recuperate.  After only a couple of miles into this race, I could tell that it hadn't entirely healed up.  Secondly, I kind of lost my will mentally around mile 18, and figured my finishing time was less important than feeling half decent in the remaining miles.

Overall it was a good race, but I hope to be recovered and in my best condition for Top of Utah next month.

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

A fun race on a toasty day!  I secretly had the goal of going sub-3:00 and didn't really know if my training would suffice, so I basically kept quiet about it.  I did however, consider joining the recent prerace discussion on the blog of those looking to do the same, but chose to keep it to myself.  Not that it would have been a bad thing in having the morale support of others with the same goal in mind, I was just a little intimidated.  Heck, I even felt out of place in putting myself in the "elite" coral even with my orange bib.

As I did with TOU, I printed out a pace band of my goal splits based on the course's terrain.  I figured that it seemed to do me well before, therefore it was definitely worth trying again.  A big thanks to Paul Peterson with his "Marathon GIS" for putting the splits together!  Aside from the uncertainty of my training, I also know that I do not fare well in hot weather.  I would take getting soaked in rain, than in my own sweat any day!  I packed up a windbreaker jacket, some jogging pants, a beanie and some gloves in my drop bag for the prerace wait.  I know this sounds counter-intuitive, but I also know that it can be a little cold at the start.  Needless to say; my warm clothing never left my drop bag and headed straight to the finish.  I found myself wishing the race to feel even a few degrees cooler than the pre dawn at central.

I enjoyed the race and held to the suggested splits (Aside from a 20 second p.o.p stop in Veyo, which I quickly made up) until the hill at St. Ledge's Parkway, around mile 18.  This cost me about one minute, which I never regained.  Fortunately, my deficit remained the same until I crossed the Snow Canyon Parkway around mile 23.  From there to the finish, I managed to lose about one more minute.  I guess it wasn't a major blow-up from 18 onward.  It was just the culmination of my left calf muscle cramping up, the heat, and some minor headwinds along the way. 

I'm glad that I finally achieved a new marathon pr, which had held since St. George 2009.  I feel like I've learned a lot about my personal fitness in the last 3 or so months and intend on continuing to implement those findings.  A couple examples: Long runs done too often seem to only make me slower, and give me limited improvements on my endurance.  I feel like it was making me a 'long, slow runner!' Speed work has been most beneficial, and has reset my 'cruising' pace. I can definitely perceive a difference in effort exerted at varying pacing ranges. 

Now for the worst part of this report...THE RACE IS OVER!  After spending all year getting all pumped up and excited, I have to wait another year!  Oh well; it was a great experience and I'll be looking forward to next year!

This was a last ditch to get in a marathon as the race season is winding down.  I was on the fence in doing this race, so luckily with it being a low key event; I was able to register just a couple of weeks ago.

The runners were bused from West Riverfront Park, which is along the Jordan River Parkway, at 11000 S. & 900 W. to the start of the race in the quaint town of Copperton at the foot of the Oquir Mountains.  The bus I rode in became lost a couple of times heading out, and even scraped against some low lying trees as made a few tight turns through Copperton.  We found some humor in this and were just grateful to have ample time in making it to the start.

This is not a pr course by any means. The first half has some inclines of 4%+.  With a pre-race glance of the elevation profile, I knew the hills were coming; but once at the race, they seemed to go on and on!  I tried to maintain an even effort as to avoid the buildup of my great nemesis, lactic acid.

I latched on to a comfortable pace throughout the race, and didn't really have a goal time in mind.  I just wanted to make the best of the day, given the course, weather conditions (There was a consistent southern headwind that made things interesting!) and my overall state of being.  I have been battling a sinus and chest infection (cold) for the last week and a half, and was determined to not let it stand in my way.  I did realize that it could affect my lung capacity though, as I've had some congestion.  Fortunately enough, my cold seemed to drop off as I ran the race and I didn't perceive any trouble.  As I write this however, it has come back to me full force!

All around it was a good day.  It was nice to see my wife at the finish, even though she hadn't been feeling well the night before and didn't think she would be there.  I enjoyed seeing a few other familiar faces, and drummed up some good conversations.  I saw fellow blogger Teri Bean at the finish, and saw that he had a good day, with a second place overall finish in the half marathon.

It looks like I will be running this race next year as much to my amazement; I pulled off a first place in my age division.  I received a nice medal for this and will be given a free entry into next year's race.  For a second year event, the organizers did an outstanding job and it really showed.

I had hoped for a slightly faster time, but I was pulled into the trap of running the first five miles a bit too fast.  This caused me to fade in the remaining couple of miles.  I hadn't felt out of my aerobic threshold, but by the time I realized my pacing error, I began to slow down.  I knew my time was going to suffer when my goal pace felt more labored than it should have.  On a positive note, my time did improve from last year by..........a whopping 13 seconds! 

I enjoyed this event for the most part, but there are definitely some growing pains it's experiencing.  The inaugural race was in 2009 and had just over 700 runners.  Now only two years later, there were over 3,300.  I really think a cap needs to be established as it seemed a bit overkill for the capabilities of those in charge.  I can only imagine how overwhelming it was for the volunteers.  I actually became a volunteer as I searched for my drop bag. I went over to the Penske truck, and saw a few bags on the grass beside it, but found it to no avail.  There were people pulling bags out and making an effort to methodically arrange them.  I quickly saw the need for assistance, and became a link in a chain of 'bag throwers' in the process.   I think I spent around an hour tossing bags until mine finally surfaced.  By this point, the truck was nearly empty.  I didn't mind helping out, but could definitely vouch for this being a problem amid some other chaotic moments in the event.

Rarely do I express criticism in those who put forth the effort to host a running event.  I realize that there is a ton of behind the scenes blood, sweat, and tears that goes on.  There is always room for improvement, and not all participants will leave satisfied.  The biggest challenge for this race is that it has become a little too large, too fast, for what can be handled.  This is not to say however that events cannot grow quickly and efficiently.  I believe the Utah Valley Marathon is a premier example of a first-class event that is still in its infancy.

This race has a lot of positive things going for it.  It has a fun theme, a scenic and fast course, and is at the tail end of the running events season.  It was nice to relax in a relatively warm tent while doing some people watching.  The costumes were really creative and some were none I'd attempt to run a mile, let alone a half marathon in!  I enjoy the Provo River Trail, and it is nice to see the change in seasons with the leaves off the trees on covering the pathway.  It's quite a contrast to running it in June & August.

I want to keep up my fitness through the winter, so this was a great albeit, tedious event to test myself.  The thought of running laps of .275 mi. for four hours had me a little nervous.  My goal was to run at slightly a sub 8:00 average pace for the duration, which would have given me 30 total miles.

At least 95% my running is on rolling roadways, which I feel gives my legs a good mixture to keep things interesting.  It also keeps me from utilizing my leg muscles in the same manner whenever I run.  The track does none of this with it being flat and in a constant counterclockwise direction.  I guess the act of dodging other runners in thick packs did mix things up however!

I am somewhat a slave to my Garmin and although I do try to run by feel, I constantly utilize it as a instrument of my performance.  I did not have this luxury today.  I could not gain a GPS signal, and therefore could only use it to time each lap.  I suppose it was easy to calculate each split, so it wasn't really an issue.  With my goal, I just knew to hit each lap around 2:00, or slightly under.

My first 60 or so laps came relatively easy, but I know I started to fade slightly.  The monotony of it all started to take a toll.  Fortunately enough though, I had my wife on the sidelines to encourage me along, and a friend of mine joined me through some of the laps.

I finished 95.5 laps in around 3:28:59, which is roughly the equivalent of a marathon.  This was the slowest marathon time I've had in a while, with an exception being the Mid Mountain Marathon last year.  That's a trail course, so it's a whole different animal!  I had no intentions of this being a fast race, but just an opportunity to put in some mileage.

At the finish, the results showed me having completed 103 laps, not the 106 I had actually run.  Other runners were expressing roughly the same discrepancy of a 3-5 lap deficit.   Who knows where our laps went...  I enjoyed this event, as it was my first full track racing experience, and a last kick of the year.

***Update: the results have been corrected on their page, and now reflect the runners true performances...