I usually only post a synopsis here but since we now have the option to tag race reports I am posting the very verbose full report. This was my 5th and last marathon of the Utah Grand slam series. The last race was 2 weeks ago where I set a PR and finished feeling good. I started thinking that another PR was possible at St. George – despite only having 2 weeks of rest. Not knowing how much or how hard I should be running I decided to take it one day at a time and run as much as felt right for that day. I loosely followed my typical two week taper going into this race. I cut a couple of runs short when I was feeling a little tired. While packing up my running gear I opted to leave my Garmin home. I unintentionally ran without it at Top of Utah and kind of liked the freedom of not constantly stressing about my pace. I wanted to run this race by feel. If a mile came in too fast or too slow, I wasn’t going to panic. When people would ask what my goal time was the response was “I don’t know. I’ll decide once I get going.” This course is about 4 or 5 minutes faster than Top of Utah so I felt that 3:05 was possible and a 3:10 shouldn’t be too difficult. Woke up on the morning of the race and went through the usual pre-race ritual. Boarded the bus to the starting line where it was colder than I thought it would be (34 degrees). Hung out by the bon fires, went through a few more pre-race rituals then stripped down and headed to the starting line. The horn blasted and we were off. Mile 1 - 7:28 Exactly the same as the first mile split last year. A little slower than planned but it was pretty crowded at the start (despite starting in the preferred corral). Mile 2 - 7:11 A slight downhill followed by a slight uphill. Just letting the legs do want they want. My ankles and achilles tendons are having a hard time warming up. Mile 3 - 6:59 Pretty good downhill until mile 7 so I am just going with the flow at this point. Mile 4 - 6:53 Mile 5 - 7:01 Had to take about a 5-10 second pit stop on the side of the road Mile 6 - 6:50 Mile 7 - 6:49 Approaching the climb up Veyo so I push a little on the last downhill section before 4 miles of climbing. Mile 8 - 7:49 The 1 mile climb up Veyo (200 feet) starts at mile 7.5. This was only 3 seconds faster than I ran it last year. I like running uphill and have made an effort to charge up hills in the past. This time, I decided to not push as hard up this hill and save some for the long slow climb through the Dameron Valley. Mile 9 - 7:39 Includes the last half of the climb up Veyo Mile 10 - 7:24 Stomach starting to become an issue. Mile 11&12 - 14:52 Missed the mile 11 marker while trying to decide if I should address the stomach issue. Mile 13 - 6:53 Hit the half in 1:34:30. This is just about where I wanted to be. Mile 14 - 7:44 Gatorade Endurance Formula induced stomach issue is starting to affect my pace so I decide to take care of it. Lost 45 seconds which is absolutely maddening. Mile 15 - 6:39 Mile 16 - 6:42 Starting to get a bit of a side stitch Mile 17 - 6:55 Mile 18 - 7:14 Legs are starting to burn a little. I start to think that the marathon 2 weeks ago and the slightly aggressive start is starting to catch up to me. Make the tactical decision to back off the pace a little for the next 3 miles so that I have enough energy to take advantage of the hills in the last 6 miles. Mile 19 - 7:21 Despite the slower pace I am not being passed by anybody. There is a little climb during this mile so the effort probably isn’t as bad as I thought. Mile 20 - 7:08 Mile 21 - 6:39 Decide to open it up at this point and let gravity do it’s thing. If I crash, I crash and can probably still limp in for a PR. Mile 22 - 7:07 Maybe the last mile was a bit too aggressive Mile 23 - 6:44 That’s better. A couple of female runners and I are moving through the pack. Mile 24 - 6:49 Just maintaining the pace and hoping the wheels don’t fall off. Mile 25 - 6:46 Mile 25 has always been slow for me. I believe that I subconsciously back off on this mile making sure that I have enough to push the last 1.2 miles. Before the race, I made the commitment to stay focused during this mile and not let the pace drop. Felt good for the first half but it started to hurt towards the end. Mile 26 - 6:59 This mile seemed to take forever. I am really starting to hurt. My hands are starting to get numb and I know that I don’t have much left. I was really surprised that the split was under 7 minutes. Mile 26.2 - 1:25 (7:05 pace) Finally hit the 26 mile marker and start to push. This is a mistake. That last cup of Gatorade wants out - now. I have never thrown up in a race but am feeling like this will be the first time. I back off the pace and just cruise through the finish line. Once I get through the misting showers, a wave of nausea overwhelms me and the Gatorade comes up. This is the first time that I have finished a race where I was completely exhausted but was still able to hold my pace. I guess that I left everything that I had on the course – literally. Final Time: 3:06:00 (1:34:30/1:31:30) – A 4:34 PR Overall Place: 216/4,761 Age Group Place: 44/359 Final Grand Slam Standings: 7/128 | 