Keeping myself sane!!!

I enjoyed running in sunny southern Utah for the first time since the St. George Marathon last October.   The course is awesome, and it presents a great opportunity to get away from the haze and wintery conditions of Salt Lake.  My finishing time was definitely less than stellar, and was off by 3:35 from last year.  I have been fairly consistent in my weekly mileage, but have been lacking motivation.  As I've been getting out, I just sort of lope along.  Going for runs has been more of a chore than they should be.  I suppose I'm going through a temporary slump, but maybe I'll feel some rejuvenation as spring draws in.

I’ve run this race a handful of times before, when it was called the Salt Lake 10 Miler.  The course is essentially the same with some modifications to the start and finish areas.  The start is further west on the East Canyon road than it had previously been.   It eliminates some uphill grade, probably a good half mile.  And to cover this offset; the finish follows a roadway inside the “This is the Place” Park.  The finish had been in a parking lot immediately off the roadway at the mouth of the Emigration Canyon.  I enjoyed these changes, as it helped for a slightly faster course.

My personal best for this event was a 1:04:35 in 2010.  I figured that if I could run somewhere between 6:15-6:20 average splits, I would have a 1:02:30-1:03:20 finish, therefore a new pr.  I had to have some strong miles as well to offset the initial climb up Little Mountain.

After a bus ride from the finish area to the start, I had about an hour to burn in wait for the race to begin.  This gave me more than ample time to visit the port-o-potties a couple times, view the mountains and the calm, smooth waters of Little Dell Reservoir.  I spent about five minutes jogging an out and back to get loosened up. 

At the start line, I became acquainted with a 62 year old runner, who called himself “Fast Freddie,” of the Hatu Harriers Running Club from the Park City area.  It appeared that he had amassed quite a resume in his 20 years of running.  He explained having knee replacement surgery a couple years ago after being told his running days were over.  He has since run 8 more marathons, but is now facing the need for a hip replacement.  I enjoyed the conversation, but had to find a quick way to close it up so I could advance closer to the starting line.  Beginning the race in the act of dodging other runners would cost time and energy.

I felt strong making the ascent up Little Mountain, and knew the best miles were to come.  I had to run on feel, rather than splits in these first two miles.  Pushing too hard a couple years ago forced me to go way anaerobic, and took time to recover.   This time, my legs felt strong and my breathing was in control.  I was passing several runners and didn’t question if I had gone out too fast.

Miles 3-4 were spent reeling in a runner in black.  It helped having someone to latch onto, while taking advantage of the descent.  I eventually pulled ahead of said runner, but I could hear him breathing down my neck over the next mile.  I decided to grab a cup of water at the 5 mile aid station, and to let him pass.  Being the one to set the pace at this point in the race would be a disadvantage.  The latching runner could toe the line, and then sprint pass near the finish.

Another runner that appeared to be Latin, with a blue shirt and compression around his left knee had created a trio.  The three of us had a matched pace for about a half mile, until the roadway threw some minor rollers into the mix.  I felt our speed was inadequate at this point, but didn’t want to pass and have them follow with a repeat of breathing down my neck.   It was time to put in a surge and hope I could drop them for good.   I powered ahead, and took advantage of the undulations with as steady a cadence I could muster.

I admit that I ran a little paranoid over the next couple miles, thinking I would be overtaken at any moment, or that I’d be sprinted past near the finish.  By mile 8, I had a female runner in my sights.  This shifted my focus as I passed her, and she asked how far back the next female runner was.  I honestly hadn’t seen another woman after the first couple miles, so I assured her that her position was safe.  Shortly thereafter, I had a runner in red in my sights.  Great!  Someone to latch onto, and reel in!  I managed to gain some serious ground, but then he realized I was on to him, and rallied in the last quarter mile.  I could no longer close the gap.  I thanked him at the finish for giving me something to hang on to.

I really enjoyed the race, and feel good at where I’m at in my conditioning.  I don’t feel as hell bent on making drastic improvements with my finishing times as I once had been, but when they do happen, it’s an added bonus.  There was a really nice breakfast banquet with a live musician and awards presentation afterwards.  James of Sports-AM really knows how to put on a class act event.

Below are my Garmin splits.  The course was a little long, and I confirmed that with another runner at the finish.  More distance for the money!

1.   6:57

2.  7:07  Climbing Little Mountain

3.  6:04

4.  5:55

5.  6:06

6.  5:48  Surge

7.  5:56

8.  6:03

9:  5:56

10. 5:53

5:18 (.11mi.; :33)

This one-time only race was created to coincide with the 50^th anniversary of the Ford Mustang.  A four day celebration began on Thursday and was to conclude on Sunday.  There would be a multi-day car show, social banquets, and automobile track races, just to name a few of the activities.  Melissa and I drove her fully restored Candy Apple Red 1967 Mustang to enter into the show.  Her father purchased the car brand new and he joined us for the extended weekend.  I enjoyed the opportunity to have a vacation and combine two of my hobbies in this event. 

In signing up for the race, there was an option for seeding at the start line.  The requirement was to submit proof of having completed a half marathon in 1:48:00 or less within the past year.  All 4 of my recent finishes were well below that time, so I picked one and forwarded the results with my entry.

The race took place within the grounds of the Las Vegas Speedway. The course wound its way around the oval track, on an autocross slalom track, perimeter and interior roadways, and near the pit garages.  I have never made so many turns in a running event, so it kept things interesting.  We started on the north side of the inside oval track, made nearly a full lap, and then exited.  We would return to the interior track between miles 11 and 12.

Throughout the course, Mustangs of various styles and years were parked on display.  It was a great distraction from what was otherwise a maze of meandering concrete and asphalt.  With all the turns we were making, I was able to see runners positioned ahead and behind me.  My placing was 7th through mile 5, then I was passed by one runner just prior to mile 10.  As he passed, he gave me a high sported pat on the back and told me I was doing great.  Most runners have been on that side of the fence at some point!   One more runner made a pass around mile 11.  He asked if I was feeling crappy like he was.  I was actually feeling great, though at a slower pace than his.  My right calf started to seize shortly thereafter, but I looked back, and the nearest runner was at least a quarter mile away.  My form began to suffer, but getting passed once again and my finish were not in question.

The course read long by .36 mi. according to my Garmin. With all the turns, I tried to run the tangents whenever possible.  I didn’t think to ask other finishers the results as according to their GPS devices to arrive at an overall consensus.

I enjoyed this event as it was unique and a far cry from the nearly all downhill canyon races I’m accustomed to.  I knew it wouldn’t be a pr in the half for me, but I felt that running a sub 1:30 would be well within reach.  That goal was reached, and a top ten finish out of 1,703 total runners was a nice bonus.

My Garmin splits were:

1.  6:11

2.  6:16

3.  6:52

4.  6:46

5.  6:24

6.  6:29

7.  6:26

8.  6:21

9.  6:48

10.  6:52

11.  6:36

12.  6:43

13.  6:44

14. 6:36 (3:00, .46/mi.)

My race day began with climbing out of bed at the Days Inn, after a restless night’s sleep.  Bunkering down for sleep in a less than stellar hotel room on a stiff mattress, combined with Melissa feeling a fever and having periodic coughing fits, was less than ideal.  I felt really bad for her state of discomfort that eclipsed my own of which was self imposed.  She’s always a trooper to show me full support in my countless running endeavors.  For that, I am truly grateful.

Race morning began at 3:45, with slipping on my running attire, taking a few bites to eat, and a chance to clear out the system.  Melissa and I pulled to the front of our hotel at 4:15 to meet my good running friend, Carl.   This would be his 5^th or so marathon, and only his second after nearly two decades.  This day would bring in a great way to celebrate his 62^nd birthday.

We headed over to get parked, and to catch a bus to the race start.  Melissa stayed back at our SUV with the usual makeshift bed laid out in the back, to catch some more sleep.  She’s done this dozens of times over the last few years, while most runner’s significant others would be lying comfortably at home in their own beds!  We discussed the feasibility of her doing a late checkout at the hotel, but the logistics of finding parking and making it to the finish line seemed to be more of a hassle.

Carl and I boarded one of the first busses and passed the time chatting away about race details.  We arrived at the starting area in what felt like little time at all.  Those rides usually feel like a long journey, and the anxiety builds in realization of the distance we’re about to cover. 

The pre race conditions looked favorable, with clear skies and temperatures in the mid 30’s.  We huddled next to a barrel of fire to keep the jitters at bay, while exposing ourselves to the smell of campfire.  I had the opportunity to converse with several friends I’ve made over the last few years.  We used the port-o-potty a couple times, stripped off our extra layers of clothing and dropped our bags in the retrieval truck.  Carl was shooting for a finish somewhere between 4.5 and 5 hours, so we wished each other well, and went our separate ways as the countdown to start began.

I had decided to be aggressive in my pacing and would see how the day would play out.  I knew the more risk involved, the greater chance of a blowup there would be in my race.  I really wanted to see the limits of my fitness and how my training would pay off.  Last year had been a year of improvement in most of my races, with many new pr’s. 

The first 10 miles seemed to go by quickly, and while I did feel some effort, the pace felt maintainable.  It was nice to be running a marathon again after a 7 month break.  The splits were on par with a sub 3 hour finish, which is what I have been chasing, and will happen when the stars align for me!  I believe I started going slightly anaerobic as the course had a few minor rollers from 11 to the half.  During this stretch, I began to question the feasibility of maintaining my spits.  I knew there could be some slower miles with the climb at 14, and some rolling sections before the dam near mile 18.  My hope was to complete the Pineview Reservoir stretch, and shift to a higher gear as I headed down the canyon.

As the greatest elevation decrease in the race began to occur, I quickly realized that I lacked the neural drive to keep my pace in the range it had been a few miles earlier.  There was some discouragement that followed, but I didn’t foresee a total blowup yet.  I clamped down, and maintained whatever pace I could, minute by minute through the remainder of the canyon.

When I approached mile 23 at the mouth of Ogden Canyon, I had the first glimpse of one of my toughest 5k’s I had yet to run.  I arrived at the aid station, grabbed a drink, and wanted to be done with the whole thing.  My legs still felt fresh, but my energy was in the gutter.   From this point to the finish line, I began a jog/walk procession.  My heart was racing, and my respiration had accelerated.   I felt like a farm truck, stuck in low gear with the engine red lined.  There was some leapfrogging with a runner in a blue shirt who was clearly struggling as I was.  Misery loves company!

The final miles crept by, literally and figuratively.  I had taken the risk of pushing my pace beyond my limits of sustainability, and paid the price.   This felt characteristic of a first time marathoner!  I certainly would have preferred a better outcome on the clock, but I can chalk this experience up as a lesson and a gauge for where my fitness currently resides.   I have no expectation of being an elite front-of-the pack runner.  There is still room for improvement, however, and as the saying goes, “Nothing ventured, nothing gained!”

Post-race was spent slowly making my way through the finish corral as I met up with other runners to recap each other’s experiences.   Some stories were upbeat and joyous, others downtrodden and disappointed.  Melissa greeted me, and we headed over to the SUV to relax and pass the time until Carl’s anticipated finish line arrival.  It felt great to have the race over with and to lie down for a while.

Carl finished with a time of 4:48:36.  He always reminisces of his running days in the early 90’s, when he ran some low 3 hour marathons.  Although he has slowed considerably since those days, he was happy with his Ogden Marathon experience.  I was happy to see his positive attitude, and I admit it was slightly contagious.

My Garmin splits were:

1.  3:39

2. 6:45

3. 6:39

4. 6:31

5. 6:44

6. 6:49

7. 6:44

8. 6:57

9. 6:57

10. 6:51

11. 7:09

12. 7:00

13. 7:46  Port-o-potty

14. 7:06

15. 7:39 The  Climb!

16. 7:20 Some rolling

17. 7:14

18. 7:05

19. 7:19 Beginning of off-pace splits given course drop

20. 7:33

21.  7:10

22.  7:30

23. 7:10

24. 8:30 Wheels fell off!

25. 8:50 Dragging on bloody stumps!

26. 8:55 Death march!

.41, 3:35, 8:50/mi. No final kick!

Race day began at 3:30 with my alarm going off at the Comfort Inn.  I had achieved some good, yet short sleep for the night before the event.  After the usual prerace preparatory rituals, Melissa and I headed over to get parked and then I boarded one of the busses.  A runner from Oregon, named Mark sat down next to me.  We conversed for the majority of our ride to the start.  It made the time pass quickly as we swapped stories of our running pasts.

My strategy, if you’d call it one, was to enjoy the race and not get caught up in a concrete finishing time.  I wanted to feel decent throughout the miles, especially in the last 10k.  Most of all; I wanted to avoid a total crash as I had at the Ogden Marathon last month.  I set out to run as even an effort as possible, without a central focus on splits.

I felt ok, but not stellar as we headed out on the course from our 6 a.m. start time.  This wasn’t unusual, as it usually takes me a few miles to warm up and develop a rhythm.  I chatted with a running friend named Layne off and on through mile 6 as our focus was directed upon spray painted obscenities throughout the roadway.  It appeared that someone did not enjoy the runners taking over their sleepy farmland community for a couple hours.  The cursing was comical at first, but grew old quickly as they became more profane as the initial miles went by.  What a shame it was for an individual to take such offense to a group of people setting out in pursuit of achieving goals, while leaving no adverse impact on the miles gone by.

At the mile 7 aid station, I had to tuck in to a port-o-potty, as I had maintained more than adequate hydration.  I lost about 30 seconds in doing so, but it left me feeling refreshed and I spotted Layne up ahead and latched on.  The course began to have some rollers, so I held off the throttle on the inclines, and charged on the descents.  The 3:10 pacer was nearby, and I could hear him encouraging runners not to worry about the slow climbs, and that the time would be made up later on.   This followed my approach for the day, of maintaining an even effort.   Running the course in an attempt at even splits would be inefficient.

I caught back up to Layne at the mile 9 aid station, and we leapfrogged each other through mile 12.  On one of the climbs, I opted to take a 10 second walk break.  A runner began to pass me, and asked if I was doing ok.  My response was that the effort expended charging up hills early on can bring negative returns later in the race.  I made a final pass at Layne and didn’t see him again until the finish.  He told me later that I was in his sights through mile 17, but then he had an unfortunate 6 minute pit stop and therefore the gap widened.

I passed a runner named Ralph just beyond the half marathon start that has joined in with the Tuesday morning running group I take part in.  He had driven runners to the marathon start, and then came back up the canyon in his own vehicle to jump in and run half the course unofficially.  Although I don’t know him very well yet, he seems driven to achieve a Boston qualification sometime this year.   Somewhere between miles 14 & 15, my Garmin momentarily lost its signal, assumedly because of interference of the canyon walls.   

The course continues to roll until around mile 18, so I chose to ignore my watch as I made each climb, and kept tabs on the perceived effort.  I then focused on shifting gears after each crest.   My energy felt decent, and there was minimal mounting soreness in my legs.

The real test of how I ran the race was once I turned on to University Avenue between miles 20 and 21.  I’ve had some real struggles keeping pace in some previous years from there to the finish.  The canyon rollers and mounting mileage have typically taken their toll and that’s where the wheels have fallen off.

For the first time in the race, other than to observe my first half split, I became conscious of the elapsed time and started to calculate a potential finish time and the splits needed to achieve it.  A sub 3:10 looked feasible, and from that point on, it was worth pushing with what I had conserved in the tank.

There were a couple runners I had leapfrogged with throughout the race, and their state of conditioning matched my own for the last few miles.  I appreciated having the ability to latch on and it kept me going mentally.  The finish line arch can be viewed from afar, and it really seemed to come slowly as I made my approach.  My breathing was mildly labored, and some soreness in my quads began to set in.  Crossing the finish was pleasant, and I felt validated that I had run a much better race than Ogden, as I didn’t have to resort to taking long walk breaks in the final 10k.

My Garmin Splits were:

1^st. half: 1:33:13, 2^nd. Half: 1:35:29

1.  6:47                 14. 7:19

2. 6:36                  15. 7:13

3. 6:42                   16. 7:28

4. 6:52                   17. 7:49  

5. 6:52                   18. 7:21

6. 7:06                   19. 7:02

7. 6:55                    20. 7:06

8. 7:55                    21. 7:16

9. 7:13                    22. 7:11

10. 7:07                   23. 7:05

11. 7:01                   24. 7:25

12. 7:18                   25. 7:05

13. 7:04                   26. 7:00

 .41 2:54, 7:05/mi. (measured course long)

In keeping with a tradition that started in 2007, I headed to the start line of the Farmington Festival Days Half Marathon.  I’ve used this race to measure my state of fitness as I am set to run the Deseret News Marathon.  I have been doing a lot of my recent running at slow paces on trails and so this was a good opportunity to jump back to the road and shift gears.

Last weekend, I did a 40 mile mountain trail run/walk/hike as part of my training for the upcoming Wasatch 100 race in September.  I expected my legs to be fried as only a week had passed.  To my surprise, the long and slow distance seemed to have had little effect.  The biggest implication was possibly a little slower leg turnover, but that was about it.

As I stood at the starting line, it was very apparent to see that the field of runners was smaller than years past, and was lacking the elites.  When the race began, one runner surged ahead and created a gap from the lead pack of 6 runners.  A couple of us exchanged positions through the first half of the race, but we mostly just settled in.  I was in fifth place and could see the leader losing ground by mile 7.  Second and third were keeping steady, but the leader was crashing hard.  I held closely to fourth, and we both passed the prior leader just before the nine mile aid station.  At this point, the greatest uphill came to tackle.  I took it on with a slow shuffle, but found that I could speed walk it faster and more efficiently.  In doing so, a runner I had not seen prior, passed me by.

Upon cresting the hill, it was time to pick the pace back up, and see if I could latch on to the runner whom had just overtaken me.  I passed the fourth place runner I had run behind the entire race just prior to mile 11, and kept closely behind third place.  I kept as close as I could, but felt I was topped out.  I hoped to have a final surge in me in the last half mile or so, but all I had was the ability to hold relatively steady.  Third place bettered my performance by a mere fourteen seconds, and for that, I am content with my performance for the day.  My time was off by exactly two minutes from last year, but I had a feeling this would be the case, as I have been consistently a little slower at each event this year.

After the race, Melissa and I enjoyed ‘breakfast in the park,’ and headed home where her father awaited to get started on framing in an addition to our garage.   A majority of the day was spent out in the hot sun tackling this task, but by the evening, all the new walls were in place.  

My Garmin splits were:

1.  6:43

2. 6:20

3. 6:21

4. 6:40

5. 6:26

6. 6:50

7. 6:54

8. 7:12

9. 7:04

10. 7:47  That was a slow mile!

11. 6:39

12. 7:00

13. 6:33

.09 5:55 (:31.23)

It was a rough day to run a marathon.  A combination of wind and heat added to the challenge of keeping on pace.  I felt undertrained going into the race as well, so I knew early on that I would try for some good miles, and just hold on for whatever the day would bring.

As I headed to catch the bus, my SUVs’ temp gauge showed a reading outside of 85’F.  Not a good sign at 3 a.m.!  In the minutes prior to the race start, a rush of wind came upon us and with it, some sideways rain.  The clouds overhead and coming in didn’t appear ominous, but it was the wind I had concern about.  I did figure however, that we would be shielded from the winds as we dropped from the summit.  This held true to a degree, but I felt the effects off and on throughout the first half as we headed down Emigration Canyon.

By mile 6, as we began the worst climb of the race, I felt some tightening in my left calf muscle.  It was a minor aggravation that progressed as the miles went by, and then became a setback on my right calf as well later on.  I held pace through the half with a time of 1:32 and change.  If I could hold out with some inevitable slowing, I could pull off a finish around 3:10.

Around mile 16, I could feel that my effort was greater than it should have been at that point in the race.  I knew then that my time would suffer and I had to throw that concern out and give the miles ahead the best pace I had in me.  I had a gradual decrease in pace, with a marginally decent mile thrown in here and there.  The blaring sun was taking hold, and I just tossed water over my head at each of the aid stations, while looking forward to having the race over with.

The last 10k felt like a crawl. I never felt the “wall,” but my legs were tight and unresponsive.  I was however, liberated to not be looking at my Garmin anymore to measure my faltering ways.  The goal had become to avoid a total crash as I had with Ogden a couple months ago, as I felt defeated in walking out the last miles.

It took me 10:32 longer to complete the race than last year, and was my slowest in the past five.  I could be more disappointed, but it’s moments like this that make the races of which everything falls into place so much more to be appreciated.  I will definitely be back for more, as I generally enjoy this race! 

I saw my parents at the finish as my mother and her friend had participated in the 10k, and chose to mill around until I came through.  They were happy with their overall experience.  Melissa was home working, even though she wanted to be at the finish.  We will be gone on vacation next week, so she felt guilty than to take the day off.

My Garmin splits were:

1.  6:23

2. 6:18

3. 6:27

4. 6:52

5. 7:03

6.  7:32 Start of 3 slow miles!

7. 7:53

8.  7:53

9. 7:15 Heading down Emigration for a few miles…

10. 7:19

11. 7:00

12. 6:59

13. 7:02

14. 7:09

15. 7:05

16. 7:33 Slowing above Foothill

17. 7:21

18. 7:36

19. 7:26

20. 7:49

21. 8:25 Ouch!

22. 7:21

23. 7:46

24. 8:01 Ouch!

25. 7:57

26. 8:15 Ouch!

7:54 (3:49, read .48 mi.)

If I were to have very many marathons go the way this one did, I would ask myself, “Why bother?”  This was a major crash and burn.  My energy levels were low, my legs were lacking decent turn over, and I realized the second half would be a slow crawl to finish.  It would become my slowest time in the past six of nine years.   I’m actually embarrassed, and see why some runners would rather have a dnf.

I have my training to blame, as I did a 40 mile mountain training run in preparation for the Wasatch 100, only a week prior and should have known my reserves would be tapped out.  It was a sacrifice I was half-heartedly willing to make.  This was a learning experience to chalk up and move on from.

There were some great conversations with friends and the scenery is wonderful, so the event was not a total failure.  I am optimistic that next year will be a better performance for me, as long as I don’t do anything stupid preceding it!

My Garmin splits were…Nah, not even worth listing!

I just wasn’t in the game with this race physically or mentally this year.  The excitement I had felt earlier in the year had faded as race day closed in and I reached the start line.  I had been disappointed in a less than stellar season of marathons and it had really worn on me.  A couple of 40 mile training runs were also more brutal than anticipated.  My body wasn’t responding and my fitness was subpar to last year.

I have reflected back as little as possible over the last couple of months to the events associated with this year’s race.  I choose to move forward, rather than to dwell on the failure.  So this is it, my race report.  No 10 page synopsis here!

The highlight of this year’s event was the inclusion of several friends and their families.  There were at least 10 of us either running in the race, or cheering each other on from the sidelines.  It was 6 months of planning and a mounting excitement for not only the race, but for an excuse to mingle in a town over 300 miles from home for an extended weekend.

The packet pickup and expo was a fun start, as we checked out the vendors, gathered our schwag bags, and had group photos taken.  Afterwards, most of our group headed over to some time share condos for a potluck pasta dinner.  There was much conversation about strategies and expectations of the event to come.  I enjoyed sharing experiences of my 7 prior times running in the race.

Morning came quickly to catch the bus for the race start.  Amid the madness of runners, I found my friend Carl and his son, Jared, but the others were impossible to find.  None of us were carrying our cell phones, and it was just a matter of trying to spot each other in the crowds.  After a few minutes of looking around, the three of us decided to get aboard a bus.

We went our separate ways at the start, and I passed the time chatting with other runners while sitting next to a fire barrel.  The conditions appeared decent for the race, other than a little bit of wind.  Runners lined up and waited for the race to begin, but we were delayed for 15 minutes as there were issues with busses bringing runners to the start.  It was definitely uncharacteristic of other years I’ve participated. 

My fitness has been a little off this year, so I didn’t expect a pr, and felt I would just run and see how the race would unfold.  Jared found me within the first mile, so we hung together and conversed on how we felt and our expectations.  I had to ‘take care of business’ at the 7 mile aid station in Veyo, so Jared continued on, and said I’d probably catch up to him in the climb out of town.  He was correct, and as I caught him, he said “You’re killing me” as I passed him by.  I wouldn’t see him again until the finish.

I felt fairly decent the remainder of the race, but didn’t try to push beyond what I perceived my capabilities were.  I had envisioned a finish of somewhere between 3:05-3:10.  Any faster would have been great, while any slower would have been a slight disappointment.  So, with a finish of 3:06:27, I was in range.

I stayed at the finish with Melissa, and after spending a little while recovering, we headed over to watch friends finish.  With all the craziness, and massive crowds, I was only able to see Stefan just after he crossed the line.  As few of us met up and laid down by the drop bag retrieval area for a while to recover and share our experiences.  As a general consensus, we all had fun and enjoyed the event.

After taking some time to shower and relax for a few hours, Melissa, her father and I went to Cracker Barrel and met up with some of the friends for dinner.  It was a great way to unwind and spend some time together before we went our separate ways back to Salt Lake the next day.

My Garmin splits were:

1. 6:56                                   14. 7:13

2. 6:50                                   15. 6:52

3. 6:41                                   16. 7:05

4. 6:39                                   17. 6:56

5. 6:44                                   18. 7:09

6. 6:29                                   19. 7:43

7. 6:41                                   20. 7:13

8. 8:03                                   21. 7:00

9. 7:16                                   22. 7:03

10. 7:18                                 23. 7:19

11. 7:32                                 24. 7:05

12. 7:23                                 25. 7:07

13. 6:55                                 26. 7:06

Last .32, 2:11, 6:52/mi.

I had low expectations for my performance in this event, and mainly, just wanted to feel half decent upon finishing.  My strategy was to maintain as even an effort as possible.  The course has a couple climbs and some rollers throughout.  I figured a snail pace would occur on the main climb from miles 5-7, but I really didn’t care.  I have struggled in the last 10k in the past, and knew it could be a slow progression to the finish.  At least I could be mentally prepared for this. 

My motivation has been really lagging the last few months, and I’m uncertain what will rekindle the inner fire I‘m lacking.  I’ve had a season of lackluster performances, which has been in contrast to a breakthrough year of 2013.  There have been no injuries or setbacks, but my drive has fallen short, and I feel a deficiency in my overall fitness.  I cannot seem to pinpoint any particulars that may contribute to how this year has played out. 

The race went as I had figured, with a slightly slower overall pace.  I did feel ok though as I stuck with maintaining as even effort as possible.  It seemed to keep me from crashing in the final miles, although my pace did gradually slow.  I was greeted in the final mile by a friend, Tandy, who asked to join me to the finish.  We chatted at the finish for a little while, and then I headed home to clean up and relax.

My Garmin splits were:

1^st. half: 1:34:56, 2^nd half: 1:46:44

1.  7:08                  14. 7:29

2. 6:57                   15. 7:39

3. 7:05                   16. 7:27

4. 7:22                   17. 8:04

5. 7:43                   18. 7:34

6. 8:36                   19. 7:48

7. 7:21                   20. 8:06

8. 6:57                   21. 7:55

9. 7:45                   22. 8:01

10. 6:58                 23. 8:17

11. 7:17                 24. 7:54

12. 7:27                 25. 8:28

13. 7:31                 26. 8:14

Last .21: 1:38, 7:49/mi.