Every Race is an Adventure!

I haven't dared run since May 27, trying to let the big blister on my left foot fully heal. It will be interesting to see tomorrow's marathon adventure unfold. The blister aside, I think I'm the best prepared I've been for the Utah Valley marathon in a few years. I'm still not back to sub-3:30 form, but I hope to be under 4:30 instead of over 5:00. I guess I'll find out tomorrow.

26.2 miles @ 11:21/mi

I'm logging this over a month after the marathon, so this is all based on my memory.

My training was not adequate to race a marathon. My goal was to get as close to 4:30 as I could. I missed this goal by nearly half an hour, but broke 5:00:00 (by 1 second).

The first 4 downhill miles went well (8:21, 8:37, 8:51, 8:52). I could tell it was going to be a hot marathon, so I went a little faster than maybe I should have. It felt good at the time, and I figured the farther I can get before it gets hot the better.

The next 4 level miles I slowed considerable (9:40, 11:18, 9:26, 10:50). I can't remember exactly what slowed me, but I think there was a stop or two to water the weeds. It's good I chose to not wait for a portapotty, because the only ones were at the start of the half marathon. None of the portapotties were delivered to the aid stations. Fortunately, this didn't every impact me.

The remain miles to the halfway point were tough with some serious uphills (11:18, 10:14, 10:58, 11:10, 11:10). I followed my strategy to walk uphills when I got winded or it felt too hard, but I still managed to run more of the uphills than I planned.

I made an extended portapotty stop at the halfway point (13:45). I felt a lot better afterward, but my hip was pretty stiff and sore and my pace stayed pretty slow for several miles (12:35, 12:52, 15:16, 14:09).

About this time a tall young man running near me said, to nobody in particular, "I didn't sign up for this!" I reminded him that he did, and we talked for a bit, sharing our pains. A lady running near us overheard and offered us ibuprofen. I generally don't take pain reliever because I like to feel what my body is feeling, but I accepted.

It wasn't long after this I bumped into a couple we had met the night before at the 6 year runners' dinner. The wife was stopped waiting for her husband, then later they both caught and passed me. The ibuprofen must have kicked in because I started being able to pick up the pace and I caught them again (10:20). I run with them for a bit. They noticed another of the 6 year runners running near us. I went over and began to run and chat with him. We ended up running a number of miles together (11:18, 11:35, 12:05).

My buddy Kevin also met me about mile 20 and ran the rest of the way in with me. It was a great service.

The temperature had gone from warm to hot, and I began to feel some chills, not to mention that I was not fully trained for this marathon and my wheels were coming off.  I started walking the shady areas, and drank more water at the aid stations. (12:59, 13:22, 12:06, 12:19).

I managed to kick a little at the end (10:27/mi). Kevin had told me with a mile to go that I might be able to break 5 hours, but I honestly didn't care. I was very happy to just finish. My watch showed 5:00:00, but my official chip time was 4:59:59.

Kevin took care of me after I finished. I was a little unsteady for a bit. He fetched my clothing bag and drove back to the mouth of the canyon where he had left his bike. I had recovered enough by then to drive the last few miles home.

I continued my streak of running all of the Utah Valley marathons and got another medal. The greater joy for me was enjoy the company of my fellow runners, especially Kevin. He's a busy father of 5, but was willing to sacrifice a big chunk of his Saturday to serve me in a very meaningful and helpful way. Running has blessed me with many great friends, Kevin included. 

2 miles @ 8:21/mi.  Part of Neighorhood 5K route in zero-drop shoes (as I recall).

2 miles @ 8:21/mi.  Part of Neighorhood 5K route in zero-drop shoes (as I recall).

5.5 miles @ 8:57/mi.  North on Murdoch Trail with Kevin (as I recall)

5 miles @ 9:28/mi South on Murdoch Trail to Cascade (with detour)

I ran the first Wasatch Back Relay 10 years ago, and ran the first 7. Years 8 and 9 I had the Thomas Family Reunion that weekend and skipped the relay. This year, with 5 weekends in June, the reunion was not the same week as the relay so I was able to rejoin my old team, 3 of whom (Verdon, Kerry, Darin) have run all 10 years.

Leg 8 - 2.6 miles - Easy - Ogden Valley - 4933' to 5028'

8:26/mi. I passed 10 runners and was not passed. I think I could have gone faster, but I was reminded to not overdo it on the first leg. I felt pretty strong and recovered quickly.

Leg 20 - 5.9 miles - Moderate - Downhill to Henefer - 6259' to 5337'

7:43/mi. I began this leg at 11:40pm on a beautiful night with nearly a full moon. I really enjoyed this run. It brought back memories of a few years ago when I enjoyed running strong and fast. I passed 25 runners and was not passed. 

Leg 32 - 5.5 miles - Moderate - Uphill passing Deer Creek to Midway - 5440' to 5718'

9:14/mi. This was a hot run, uphill all the way. I felt pretty good, but had to work hard. I passed 20 runners and was not passed.

Overall, I passed 55 runners and was not passed. I credit this to three things: 1) I had one of the easier leg assignment in Van 2, so I was likely running against some of the weaker runners from the other teams, 2) all the fast teams passed our team while the other van was on, and 3) I'm getting a little fitter and faster.

During this relay, for the first time in a few years, I felt like a real runner again. It gave me hope that maybe one day I'll be as fast as I once was.

2.1 miles @ 9:00/mi Near our rental home in Ivins, UT while on vacation.

I swam, hiked, golfed, played tennis, bowled, and other activities on our vacation, but this was the only time I ran. It was very hot. The daytime temperatures were above 100 degrees all week, and 110 degrees by the end of the week. We had a great time anyway.