My goal today was to run by feel, leave my fear behind, and just go for it. I wanted to discover what was in me, and leave it all on the road. Judging on how difficult the last two miles were, I think I met my goal. The end result was a 20 minute PR. My finish time was 3:07:02 (7:08/mi). My goal all year up until a couple of weeks ago was 3:20. Then Tom and Nathan and others convinced me to go for 3:15 or faster. Then I went to the FastRunningBlog pasta party and Sasha told me I had a 3:10 in me. I wasn't completely convinced, but he did convince me to not be afraid of going out fast. (It was great finally meeting many of you.)
I was planning to run with Nathan and Will but I was never able to find Nathan before the start. I apparently missed him at our bus meeting spot by a minute or two and never found him by the bonfires. I thought I had missed Will, too, but shortly before the start I heard his voice behind me and we were able to start together. I also started with Verdon's son, Verdon III. He was out to set the Walker family marathon record of 3:11 set by his father. We stayed together for the first 4 or 5 miles but Verdon dropped off sometime before Veyo. During this time we gradually caught and passed the 3:10 pace group. We were all feeling comfortable so we didn't back off. One of my strategies was to not push the hills, especially Veyo. Just as I got to the top of Veyo I heard the 3:10 pace group right behind me. We more or less ran with the 3:10 pace group through the midpoint of the marathon, although since they were running even splits (I asked the pace guy and he said that's what he was trying to do) they gradually pulled ahead on the uphills. I saw and talked with James W. briefly during this stretch.
Somewhere prior to the halfway point Will dropped back a little. At the midpoint an energetic young woman was cheerfully celebrating reaching that point. I told her I could use some of her energy and asked her what she was taking. She smiled and said just ibuprofen. We were running the same pace so we ran together for a few miles. I found out her name was Amber Green and she was from Diamond Valley which was coming up. I think every person along the road near Diamond Valley knew her and cheered her enthusiastically. I stole a little energy from them, as she clearly didn't need it. As we passed the crowd at Snow Canyon I drew energy from the crowd again and pulled a little ahead of her. I think it was somewhere around miles 17 or 18 I saw Nathan just ahead of me. It was on a downhill so I pushed a little to catch him. It was nice being able to run with Nathan for a number of miles. We were both maintaining pace, but neither of us had much desire to go any faster. My right calf had started feeling really tight and I wasn't sure it was going to make it to the end. I took an eGel, ate some banana, got some Icy Hot on my calf at an aid station, and prayed (not a figure of speech) that it wouldn't give out. Somewhere along here Amber passed us, said she was glad I found Nathan, and then went on to beat us by 3:00 minutes.
As we approached St. George I started drawing energy from the crowds again and pulled a little ahead of Nathan. I wasn't trying to beat Nathan. I was just trying to stick to my goal of giving all I had and never intentionally reducing effort. The last two miles were a gut check. I just tried to maintain rhythm and form and keep my feet moving. I passed a few people and was passed by a few more. By this point the 3:10 pace group was well behind me so I was confident I was going to break 3:10. My wife and three daughters were about halfway down Main St. just before the last turn before the finish. I put on a good show for them, trying not to look as bad as I felt, and drew energy from their encouragement. Coming up the last stretch I tried to finish strong and even kick a little, but my kicks never lasted long. I was elated to finish in 3:07. I was equally excited to discover that Nathan was only 20 seconds behind me and also finished in 3:07.
I missed pushing the lap button various times until after I was through the aid stations, and missed a couple of mile markers altogether, so some of my splits are a little off. My splits were: | 1 | 7:37
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| | 2 | 7:08
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| | 3 | 7:00
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| | 4 | 6:57
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| | 5 | 7:20
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| | 6 | 6:25
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| | 7-8 | 15:48 (7:54/mi)
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| | 9 | 6:39
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| | 10 | 7:50
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| | 11 | 7:50
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| | 12 | 6:56
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| | 13 | 7:29
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| | 13.1 | 0:35
| 1:35:33
| | 14-15 | 12:30 (6:33/mi)
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| 16
| 6:33
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| | 17-18 | 14:00 (7:00/mi)
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| | 19-20 | 14:38 (7:19/mi)
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| | 21-22 | 13:33 (6:47/mi)
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| | 23 | 7:26
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| | 24-25 | 13:42 (6:51/mi)
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| | 26.2 | 9:11 (7:39/mi)
| 3:07:02
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Like I said, I didn't do a very good job of recording my splits. I am, however, very satisfied (ecstatic!) about the results of my efforts. The weather was awesome. I changed running partners a few times along the way, and benefited greatly from each of them. I appreciated and drew energy from the volunteers and spectators. I'd especially like to thank and give credit to my awesome running buddies from the neighborhood, at work, and from my Wasatch Back Relay team, and my virtual running buddies on the blog, especially Sasha. You are all an inspiration to me. As I told various people this past week, actually running the marathon is just the icing on the cake. The true benefits are reaped throughout the year from being outdoors, staying fit, occasional solitary runs to ponder life or talk with God, and socializing with some of the best people I know. I am truly blessed.
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