In preparation for the Big Cottonwood marathon, Becky and Shantell wanted to run the last 9 miles of the course after a few of the downhill miles. We ended up a little higher up the canyon than we planned which turned the run into a 17 miler. I didn't mind because I wanted more miles today. I was shocked how good the downhill miles felt. Our pace coming down the canyou was a little faster than it should have been. I hope it wasn't my fault. The first couple of miles out of the canyon weren't too bad. Once we turned onto Holladay Blvd. it started to get a little tougher. There is one good climb right before mile 20 of the marathon course and another nasty one around mile 23 before turning down 4500 South. The toughest part is going to be on Highland Drive. It is a long stretch that is slightly uphill and is going to be a killer. It is also visually unappealing which makes the suffering that much worse. I think we all got a little dehydrated which made the run tougher. Good practice for race day. | 