A Balance, Redefined

Single: Well thank you all for humoring me with my April Fools’ Day entry. I’m sorry it has taken so long to get back to the real workout. The last two workdays have been painful. So the real deal with the 60 quarter workout is that the intro is all true, I just haven’t done the workout yet, maybe sometime this summer. I did get to sleep early to wake up early but because I had to be into work by 6am. I made my deadlines last week but now I have all this makeup work. I ended up working 9hrs not including the run break then a few more at night. So I didn’t get out for my run until ~3:15pm, this was fine as the weather was ok by that time. The workout was 2x3mi at MP. The course was lab to Memory Grove via a stint past Dry Creek and then up City Creek and back directly. Both MP stretches were planned on downhill sections so I figured I would watch my HR more than the pace but shoot for about 160-170 and 5-10 sec faster per mile for the aide adjustment so 5:45-50 pace. The run went well and I’m feeling much better than the last couple of weeks. However, it still felt a little harder than I would have like. Here is the workout in table form. Keep in mind that the values are only as accurate as the Garmin. The ascent and descent summed together equals -116 but everything I did was out and back…

Mi 14-R1 Avg. 7:29 HR 149

Asics DS-Trainer #1: 134 / / Asics DS-Trainer #2: 112 / / Saucony Rides #1: 113 / / Saucony Rides #2: 110

Single: As I just mentioned today was also a hard workday, another 10hrs, I still have more to do but I need to make sure to stay rested as well so I guess that is what tomorrow is for. I never got a break today to get the run in so I did the miles on the TM while on daddy duty. 5 mi at 8:00 then 1 mi at MP. HR during easy was ~125 and during MP was ~160. Mi 6-R2

Asics DS-Trainer #1: 134 / / Asics DS-Trainer #2: 112 / / Saucony Rides #1: 113 / / Saucony Rides #2: 116

Single: Another tough workday, in a little before 6am out a little after 5:30am, no break for a run. I had to run on the treadmill again as Sandra had an activity at church... Just kept it easy while watching Pirates... I don't know how some of you can run on the treadmill so often it drives me nuts. Hopefully tomorrow I can start the day with a run. HR was ~135  pace was 7:30 Mi 8-R2

Asics DS-Trainer #1: 134 / / Asics DS-Trainer #2: 112 / / Saucony Rides #1: 113 / / Saucony Rides #2: 124

AM (hopefully): I decided that I had to start my day on the road as I couldn’t take another treadmill run. Today was one of those body freakout days, phantom pains galore. My left foot was funny like a couple weeks ago and my quads were not feeling good, I blame the treadmill runs. I also forgot to mention (actually I was hoping it would go away if I didn’t think about it), that I went to Utah’s CDT this weekend with my family. That would be the Center for Disease Transmission or more fondly called the Gateway Discovery Museum. It was fun and my daughter enjoyed it but since then my nose has been running like a faucet. It was better yesterday but a little more today, gone tomorrow (I hope). This week was easier running wise but tougher work wise, the good news is that with the step back week and next week’s taper I still managed about 7hrs sleep per night with hopefully more on the horizon. Good luck to everyone running Striders tomorrow, it looks like the blog is going to have a great showing. Mi  6-R1 Avg. 8:40 HR 145

PM: Yeah, I made a 2-a-day. Today was the shortest workday of the week and I needed it, 7:30am-4:30pm. I was breathing much better late in the day. Just ran an out-n-back on the BST to behind This is the Place. Mi 3-R1 Avg. 7:41 HR 147

Asics DS-Trainer #1: 134 / / Asics DS-Trainer #2: 112 / / Saucony Rides #1: 128 / / Saucony Rides #2: 124

Single: Marathon course pace run. I drove out to where Steve and I turned off last week at 4500S. I parked near the 18 MM ran ½ mi out and back took off a layer and then headed out on the course. I had one more mile warm-up and then started pace to the finish. It was a tough effort, there was a 10mph headwind the entire way except the 1/8 of a mile on the south side of Liberty Park. My left foot and glut were both acting up a little. Good news is that my nose was behaving and breathing wasn’t too bad. After the pace portion I walked back to 400 S and then ran back to my car following the course in reverse. At Liberty Park I ran into a friend from work also training for the 19^th and stopped to chat for a moment. If today would have been the marathon I don’t think I could have done better than a 2:43. I just wasn’t feeling it. All that being said I’m fairly happy with the workout I was only 40 sec off pace for the whole segment, with the wind and having to adjust speed at intersections for lights/traffic I can’t complain. See below for splits. Mi 17-T2  Avg. 6:57 HR 154

Asics DS-Trainer #1: 134 / / Asics DS-Trainer #2: 129 / / Saucony Rides #1: 128 / / Saucony Rides #2: 124

No run today. I had a rough day yesterday. The reason why I didn’t have my full post was because I trashed my laptop yesterday. Let’s just say liquids and electronics don’t mix well. Fortunately, all work related info is backed up on at least two locations but my running stuff may be lost. To make things extra fun Kaitlyn had a slight fever yesterday and I woke up with a pretty sore throat this morning so I thought lets leave well enough alone and take the day off.

Congrats again to everyone who braved the wind yesterday at the Striders half!

Single: I struggled with if I should run today. I’m still not feeling 100% and was a little tired from last week. When all was said and done I worked 80hrs between Mon-Sun. The good news is this week should be a little lighter and marathon week I should be able to claim back some quality sleep. Last night was just another 7hrs. Woke up and my throat still had some issues and I just had that general flat feeling. By the time I got home I was feeling better and after dinner decided to brave a loop of SH. It felt hard. My left foot has continued to bug me on and off and my breathing wasn’t right. I’m going to try and get a little more sleep to night and continue to focus on a lot of water. My laptop was covered for accidental damage so it should be able to be repaired. I started to retype my workout from Saturday to get some comments but I’ll have to wait until tomorrow if I actually want to get more than 7 hrs of sleep tonight. Mi 5-R1 Avg. 7:17 HR 144

Asics DS-Trainer #1: 134 / / Asics DS-Trainer #2: 129 / / Saucony Rides #1: 133 / / Saucony Rides #2: 124

Single: Back to my usual 7-hrs of sleep. Feeling better today. Still congested but my throat wasn’t as sore. By the PM I was feeling good enough for a run. My legs were FLAT! My quads just didn’t want to go, so I pushed them into gear for 2-miles (5:56, 5:48) it felt good to go that quick after a few days of living as a sloth. It wasn’t easy but it wasn’t as hard as I was expecting either so that is a good sign. Mi 8-R2 Avg. 7:13 HR 152

Asics DS-Trainer #1: 134 / / Asics DS-Trainer #2: 129 / / Saucony Rides #1: 133 / / Saucony Rides #2: 132

Single: Things are more or less continuing to improve. I had planned a descent amount of sleep but then at 4am a noise in the kitchen (that turned out to be the ice maker misbehaving) woke me up and I wasn’t able to get back to sleep. Not that I would have slept much more but this way I only ended up with a little under 6hrs. The good news is that I got into work an hour earlier so I was able to take a break at about 11am for a run. I ran the course MM 1-4. My legs still felt tight but MUCH better than yesterday. Also, for the first day since Sunday I did not start my day with Dayquil. I still had some drip and am perpetually clearing my throat but feel much better. Anyway, for the run I felt fine. I decided I would do one mile at marathon effort, and being who I am I choose the fast mile 4. This is the fastest mile on the course but I had yet to hit the split without feeling as if I was pushing too hard. Today was different, even though I had four things against me. 1) Drippy nose, 2) Slowed for traffic at McDonald’s intersection, 3) Stopped for traffic at 2100E, and 4) A nasty 10+mph head/cross wind. Despite all that, I hit the mark exactly on Avg. 5:22 HR 170. I am very happy with the way it felt as well. The rest of the run back to lab was not as enjoyable as I had to turn and head back up the hill and then into the head/cross wind. (Kory, I look at it this way, the weather is getting that NE wind out of its system before next week so we can have a nice calm Sat morning). I stopped home for a quick kiss each for Sandra and Kaitlyn and then back to work. Mi 8-R2 Avg. 7:06 HR 150

Asics DS-Trainer #1: 134 / / Asics DS-Trainer #2: 129 / / Saucony Rides #1: 133 / / Saucony Rides #2: 140

Single: Today was a little bit of a backslide but not too bad. I did manage 8-hrs of sleep last night and I already got my laptop back from repair and there was no data loss. I’ll even finally update last Saturday today. The backslide came in the form of just not feeling as “better” as I had yesterday. I was congested enough again to take more Dayquil. The day however went smoothly but I ran short on time and only managed to get in 6 miles with miles 5 and 6 of the course as a inner/outer loop combo to SH. What is cool is that someone went through and remarked the course. It is now accurate at miles 5 and 6. Either I was completely blind yesterday or they did it sometime last night or today. What is not cool is the wind. It was not super hard but it felt like whatever direction I was running there was a headwind… Mi 6-T2 Avg. 7:15 HR 149

Asics DS-Trainer #1: 134 / / Asics DS-Trainer #2: 135 / / Saucony Rides #1: 133 / / Saucony Rides #2: 140

Single: Today I felt good again. I managed almost 8-hrs sleep and that always helps. Also, though it was cooler in the morning and the Weather Channel said 26F windchill with 10mph winds it did not feel that bad. I ran out to the new one mile marker and kept the pace easy to the two mile marker then I started my MP miles. The first is slight up then two almost all down then two rollers. Overall, I was happy with the perceived effort. I’m still thinking that 2:35 pace feels more like my half marathon effort than full but I’m hoping the adrenaline of the day will help compensate for that some. Then I spent the rest of the day with family and running errands. Now I’m in work for a couple hours but then hopefully another full night’s sleep. Mi 13-T2 Avg. 7:02 HR 159

Asics DS-Trainer #1: 134 / / Asics DS-Trainer #2: 147 / / Saucony Rides #1: 133 / / Saucony Rides #2: 140

Took the day off. Not feeling too bad. Nose still drippy, spending most days clearing my throat non-stop but I don't feel bad so I can "live" with it. Just went and walked around Memory Grove with the family to enjoy the beautiful day we had, it hit 70F!!! I'm definitely feeling the taper madness. This has been a longer taper than I'm used to and I'm not particularly enjoying that aspect of it. But I'm glad I didn't push through more runs when I was feeling completely crappy and making it linger around more. I'm starting to look forward to the actual race as it appears there will be a few more people around than what I thought there would be when I first registered. Between Kory, Dave, and Steve (coming off of his GREAT win yesterday) I think we will have a big pack within 5 min of 2:40, and then with Sasha taking the lead there should be a good showing for the FRB... Just under a week to go, I can't believe it!!!

Single: About the same as yesterday. Did get 8-hrs sleep, still not 100% with the breathing, the crud in the air is not helping any. It is crazy how windy it was today. The wind was finally out of the south which could be nice for the second half of the marathon, but I’m thinking I would just prefer no wind! I ran to the course and did MM 2-~4.5, then ran into Bill Cobler and a few of his “boys”. They were doing 10 on the course so I jumped in with them and ran MM 6-~9.5. It was good catching up with Bill and talking strategies for Saturday, he is a good resource for this course (all UT for that matter…). We had a good talk and then I turned around on my own to get home without adding on additional miles to my planned 10. Mi 10-T1 Avg. 7:05 HR 152

Asics DS-Trainer #1: 144 / / Asics DS-Trainer #2: 147 / / Saucony Rides #1: 133 / / Saucony Rides #2: 140

Single: Best breathing day in about 2-wks, another 8-hrs sleep. Picked a bad time to run though, it started SNOWING at about 1pm. The only time I had to run during the day was 3pm. At that time it was then doing a combo of sleet/hail/snow with a good wind. About 1.5-miles into the run the hail let up and by about 4 miles into the run the wind let up a little. Just took the run nice and easy. Still no word from Devine, I hope that my defense of them doesn’t prove to be unwarranted. Sandra says just wait until Friday when I can talk to someone in person... I’ll try but my nerves about the start are definitely in full affect. Mi 6-T1 Avg. 7:35 HR 139

Asics DS-Trainer #1: 150 / / Asics DS-Trainer #2: 147 / / Saucony Rides #1: 133 / / Saucony Rides #2: 140

Single: Well today was my last “run” before the race. I will do two on Friday but that is more or less just giving the nerves a chance to relax. As usual I’m not feeling great going into the race but as usual that doesn’t mean too much. My breathing was still good but my legs were flat. My left glut didn’t want to work and my right IT was tight but again I’m sure this is just prerace jitters. Right at the start I ran into a guy training for Boston. I ran the first two miles in the SNOW (yes it was snowing AGAIN) with him. He is a teacher at East, we talked about what not to do at Boston and he told me about what a good time he had at SLC last year, he even negative split it. The snow was nothing like yesterday. In fact it was sunny and 44F when it was snowing??? At the Firehouse I left him and did two miles at MP, they were the aided miles into Memory Grove and felt comfortable, 5:42 HR 163, 5:55 HR 164, and then back. Mi 8-T1 Avg. 7:12 HR 153

Asics DS-Trainer #1: 158 / / Asics DS-Trainer #2: 147 / / Saucony Rides #1: 133 / / Saucony Rides #2: 140

As planned I took the day off. Overall a good day, 8-hrs sleep and I got so much work done this week and over last weekend that I don't have to go in tomorrow. So tonight is setting things up and thinking about the race. Tomorrow is rest and time with Kaitlyn and then the Expo. Then getting ready for the race!!!!

Single: Did my usual pre-race shakeout. Normally I do 1/2 wu 1mi MP 1/2 cd. But when I got to the track it was full of students. I started running and when I looked down for the first quarter I was 5:38 pace, oops. I backed off but tried to keep it at MP as best I could. The WIND was not making it easy. AccuWeather has it at 21mph out of the south. I could really tell the difference on the into the wind stretch I would look at the Garmin and it would say ~6:10-20 and with the wind it would say ~5:35-40 or about a 15-20 sec diff with or without the wind. The splits were nice and even effort though even if the pace wasn't: 5:57 HR 171, 5:56 HR 171. Now to go get my race number after Kory gets here, some lasgna, and some sleep... Mi 2-Flats Avg. 5:56 HR 171

p.s. I almost forgot the best part, I got nearly 9-hrs of sleep last night!!! 

Asics DS-Trainer #1: 158 / / Asics DS-Trainer #2: 147 / / Saucony Rides #1: 133 / / Saucony Rides #2: 140

Chapter 8

Trial of Miles

Preface

I know last year I went a little long so I’ll stick to the basics this year. For the one or two of you that may actually care about the training aspect of the prep you can now visit my blog anytime you want (arw.fastrunningblog.com). I guess the important thing is I’ve been running now for over a decade and this is the story of my eighth marathon.

Brief Catch-up

For once I’ve had a “calm” year between now and my last marathon. Except for a real rough start on New Year’s Eve things have been going smoothly with family, work, and running. I wanted to try something a little different this marathon cycle and I boosted my mileage by a bit. In fact I ended up running just over 1300 miles in the 18-wks leading up to the race, this is nearly a third more than before my last marathon and 20% more than my senior year in college. Nine of the 18-wks were over 80-miles which is a first for me as well. Sandra got me a Garmin (this is a GPS for runners) for my 30^th birthday and that has helped me play with my training quite a bit. For the majority of the 1300 miles I’ve worn the Garmin and my average pace during this time has been 7 min 34 seconds per mile with an average heart rate of 146 bpm. My body held up well and I kept the intensity down to make up for the higher volume. So all I had to wait for was the big day.

This was a good year as a little after last year’s marathon the running blog announced a race team of which I was fortunate enough to get on. That inspired me to race more throughout the winter. I ended up racing 9 times between the two marathons, three of which were within 12-hrs as I participated in the Ragnar Del Sol Relay team but that is a story in itself. The other races all went well and I was putting down times near my college racing times but 8 years later and at altitude! All and all everything was in place for a great race.

The only hitch was that a couple weeks before race day I came down with a cold after visiting a children’s museum with the family but at that point all I had left to do was rest anyway. This was actually fortunate because it gave me the excuse to sleep a little extra and skip a few runs. I ended up getting nearly 8-hrs of sleep every night the week of the marathon and the previous week I was able to get ahead at work so that marathon week was not that stressful. The night before the race the founder of the blog and the race team, Sasha, spent the night. Sasha came by after the expo, we chatted about running for a bit and then both went to our own pre-race routines.

The Race

At 5am I got up after a decent 7-hrs of sleep and then spent an hour getting ready. During this time Sasha and I checked the weather and were disheartened to learn the forecast hadn’t changed, we were going to be facing a 20+ mph headwind the first half of the race. The good news was that the temperature was decent 45°F at the start with no precipitation (it had snowed twice earlier in the week). Going into this race I had placed a number of goals out there. The number one goal was to better my previous personal best by 5 minutes and run a 2:35, however I knew that the weather would have to behave to accomplish that. So I had to go to my back-up goals. That was to run within two minutes of 2:40, finish in the top 10, and keep my effort between 170-180 heart rate (HR).

Sasha and I then made the 7-min commute over to the start to meet up with the other two bloggers running the race. This short commute and general calm attitude of the weekend definitely made the pre-race seem surreal. Also, having done so many training runs on the course really made the race seem like just another run. I got to the line with only about 10 minutes to spare and met up with Kory and Dave (both fellow race team members) as well as some other local racers. I was hoping to work with them for some of the race but as you will see the weather played its part and people had to run their own races.

After the usual prerace fanfare there was a 10 count to the gun and we were off. I stayed back off of Sasha and some of the faster guys as I knew I didn’t want to burn too much in the first 7 miles as they are some of the hillier miles. During the prep for the race I took advantage of Sasha’s course tool from the blog. This is a program that allows you to map out a race and then it uses elevation data to adjust each mile for an even effort pace. Meaning if you want to run a 2:35 marathon which comes out to 5:55 per mile you may have to run an uphill mile at 6:15 pace but a downhill mile at 5:30 pace. So throughout this report I will refer to my predicted splits and actual splits.

The first mile I was still with Kory and some of the elite women. Bill Cobler had pointed out one of the top women who had run a 2:40 on this course the year before and I wanted to work off of her if at all possible. There were three women in the elite pack and then some of us “sub-elite” guys. It was a nice crowd considering that even though this mile was downhill it had a good wind to work against. The predicted split was 5:42, we hit it in 5:47 not bad. The next mile had some uphill and still into the wind target was 5:56, we hit it in 6:01. I was happy about this as I knew one of the biggest mistakes in the marathon was to go out too fast. During the next mile I knew I was going to get to see Kaitlyn and Sandra and they were right at the 2.5 mile mark cheering me on in the shirts Sandra had made that said “Run Daddy Run” and “Run Adam”. I knew the climb to the 3 mile mark was not fun, as I’d run it easily three dozen times over the last four months, so I just stayed with the pack, target 6:15 hit 6:05. So I was back on 2:35 pace. Also, I was about to hit the fastest downhill mile of the course, at this point I started to move away from the pack and for the next 17 miles was more or less on my own. This is fine for me as I do most of my training runs on my own anyway. Mile 4 target was 5:22 and I hit 5:23, the best news of this was that I was feeling fine.

The next two miles are also aided and I got to see both some neighborhood friends and Kaitlyn and Sandra again. First, Shirley, Brian, Clara, and Owen were just past the 4 mile mark and then Sandra and Kaitlyn were at the 4.5 mile mark. This was a good stretch and there were a good number of people out to cheer us on. We then headed into Sugarhouse Park; this stretch has two climbs in it the second of which is not fun. Mile 5 target was 5:35, I hit 5:33 still a nice effort. Mile 6 had the climbs and was only supposed to be 6:17 and I was a little overzealous in a 6:01. Just out of the park Kaitlyn and Sandra were there again and hooked me up with some Gu and water. After that point we split off from the people running the half marathon and started up another hill. All during this time (from mile 4 on) I was watching Dave and Matt (a runner I don’t know) trade breaking the wind. I was jealous of their teamwork but didn’t want to put in a surge at that time to catch-up, I figured I would try and close the gap by mile 9 and see if I could work off of them after that point. Mile 7 target was 6:14 with two hills and I hit it in 6:07. However, the next 6 miles were more or less directly into that 20 mph wind. Mile 8 is a straight stretch and all I did was watch Dave and Matt. I knew the elite women pack was not far behind me so I just got into the zone, tucked my head, held in my arms, and tried to block out the wind. Mile 8 target was 6:05, I hit 6:28. At this point I decided I was not going to watch my pace anymore. To my credit I didn’t, I only glanced at my Garmin for a few splits and to check my heart rate but more or less was able to block pace out of my mind and just run on effort.

Mile 9 I knew was a tough one. There is a half mile climb up Keller Lane (Bill aptly named Killer Lane) and then a good two miles of “easy”. So I backed off a little on the climb target 6:21, hit 6:20. Turning onto 2300 E, I could see Matt start to pull away from Dave but Dave was still out of my reach. I started to reel him in hoping that me catching him would help fuel him against the wind. Mile 10 target 5:48, hit 6:09. I could see the clock about to click 1 hour and knew I was off pace but still feeling pretty good. I actually caught Dave right at the mile mark. I could tell he was in a little trouble but I mumbled something to him and he was able to tuck in behind me for the next mile. I was hoping that he could stay with me until the 13 mile mark and we would then be able to take turns down the hill but him having pneumonia for a couples weeks just a week or so prior to the race prevented that. To his credit he still had a GREAT race considering everything… Mile 11 target 5:36, hit 5:54 and I was on my own again. Mile 12 isn’t too bad except for the wind, target 6:00 and hit 6:10. The only consolation at this point was I knew the worst of the course and weather was about to be put behind me.

Mile 13 is the hardest mile on the course by elevation change and it was the most direct into the wind of all the miles. However, I knew Kaitlyn and Sandra were waiting for me at the turn down 6200 S. Target was 6:22 and I only mustered a 6:43, not bad. Sandra handed me a second water and Gu and it was time to head down the hill. Sandra actually had the other people at the half way mark all cheering my name as well. I could hear people close behind but would not look back. I just focused on Matt and tried not to let him extend his lead on me. Since mile 10 he had put another 20 or so feet on me and was maybe 100m ahead. I tried to relax down the hill with only a cross wind to deal with but it was hard to convince the legs that it was time to switch gears, target 5:47 but just managed a 6 flat. I wasn’t gaining on Matt but he also wasn’t putting any distance on me either. Miles 15 to 18 are more or less on an expressway. This is a long stretch and with a tailwind for the first time during the race, I felt like I was baking in the sun. I was starting to get worried about hydration but as I had taken at least of sip of water at EVERY water station I knew that couldn’t be the case. I took a third Gu at this time but very slowly “chewing” it. Mile 15 target was 5:36, I hit a 5:54. At this point I just wanted to hold on to mile 18 when I knew it would be the full tailwind and mostly flat. Also, Kaitlyn and Sandra were waiting there for me. So I just locked my gaze on Matt and tied an imaginary rope to his back. Miles 16 and 17 were meant to be in 5:45 and 5:44, I hit 5:56 and 5:58. All this time I actually did not look at any of these splits, I didn’t want any numbers to get in my head and just kept watching my heart rate to make sure I was staying over 170, which I was. This is a completely new strategy for me as it was my first marathon wearing a heart rate monitor but it was working well. Mile 16 was the first time during the race that I felt my legs but I kept telling myself only 1 more hour, 1 more hour, you can do it!

I ran around the corner to see mile 18, Kaitlyn and Sandra. Sandra let me know I was in 12^th place at this point and handed me my third water and 4^th Gu. This Gu did not go down well but it did not trip me up. I knew all I had to do was keep the legs moving. I also knew that Chad was waiting at the 20 mile mark and that would help. At this point I also noticed that for the first time since mile 10, I was gaining on Matt. I could also hear people behind me and that made me want to push that much harder. Sandra actually has a picture and two of the women were only about 50 m behind me and Kory just behind them. Target for 18 was 6:00 and I hit a 6:08.

Mile 19 I was feeling the leg fatigue but the rest of me was still rearing to go. This was a great sign as in most previous marathons I was “done” by mile 17. Target was 5:53, hit a 6:05. Then to my surprise and relief I saw Chad he turned around and stayed a few feet off to the left or ahead of me. He gave me an update that two of the Kenyans had dropped and that he thought I had a good chance of catching Matt. I knew this had me in 10^th place and I was eager to not come in right at the gun but I didn’t really feel like I had a surge in me. Mile 20 target was 5:50, hit it in 6:04. All during this time I was still not looking at splits just trying to hang on, trying to reel in Matt, and listening to Chad’s words of encouragement. Mile 21 I could tell something was seriously wrong with Matt as he walked through a water stop. I could also see another runner (not sure who) that was a causality of the wind from the first half. Matt passed this other guy and then I passed them both. To Matt’s credit he was dealing with a severe calf cramp. As I passed I could actually see his calf muscle spasm. I knew this put me in 8^th place and that really lit a fire in my body. Mile 21 target 6:00, hit 6:15. The next mile was just maintenance, 22 target 5:54, hit 6:00. All during this time Chad continued his encouragement.

The next mile we caught the tail end of the half-marathoners. They were on ~mile 10 and we were on mile 23. For the most part this was not a problem. Chad also did a great job of yelling out that there was a marathoner back. Most of them moved but they were spread out enough that the weaving was minimal. During this mile we headed into Liberty Park. This was fine except that someone was making breakfast and all I could smell was bacon and I actually got a little nauseous. The great news was I could see the start to the 5K and knew the finish was within reach. Mile 23 target 5:55, hit 6:11. I actually saw that split and wasn’t thrilled with it but since my perceived effort was that I was just walking and I thought Chad was just being nice when he kept saying good pace it was actually encouraging that it wasn’t slower. Chad continued to try and lift my spirits but I really felt spent. Mile 24 target was 5:48, hit 6:05. I little better but now we turned up the last hill. It hit my legs like a ton of bricks. Don’t get me wrong this is the slightest of hills but it HURT. Target for mile 25 6:01, hit 6:19. Now only 1.2 miles to go. I started trying to yell at myself. I knew I was slowing but I didn’t know by how much I hadn’t looked at the mile 25 split. I also knew the elite women couldn’t be that far behind. I kept yelling come on you can do it. Chad was getting the half marathoners to cheer for me and there was finally a little more downhill. Mile 26 target was 5:50, I hit 6:18. I was spent. However, the last turn into The Gateway Mall and the entire crowd cheering gave me that final “sprint”. I couldn’t believe I did it but when my eyes focused on the clock and I saw 2:39 click by, I said to myself there was NO WAY I WAS MISSING A SUB 2:40 AND SPRINTED WITH EVERYTHING I HAD LEFT. I lifted my arms in victory and barreled through the finish line. Last 0.31 in 1:47 or 5:45 pace. The marathon is actually 26.2, my Garmin had 26.31 amazingly close considering it is done by satellite. My official chip time was 2:39.50 a 30 second PR!!! My average heart rate was 178. Later I’ll post a table like my MP workouts but for now my splits are all above.

At the end of the finish shoot I actually felt pretty good. I said congrats to Sasha. I then went and thanked Chad for all his help. Then I went to find Kaitlyn and Sandra. They congratulated me through the fence and then I was taken by someone to the elite tent. I was interviewed on camera, first time for that (later that night I got my 1 second of fame as they used a sound bite from that interview on the local Fox news). I then went and briefly congratulated the woman’s champion who came in less than a minute behind me, briefly congratulated Kory but did not see Dave. The next day I found a nice little top ten table in the local Tribune. One cool fact is that of the seven people who beat me only two of them are not paid athletes! To celebrate Sandra and Kaitlyn presented me with Again to Carthage, the sequel to Once a Runner and then after a nap and a walk around the mall to stretch the legs we went to dinner at Tsunami for some SUSHI!

Overall, I did not make my 2:35 goal but I more or less accomplished everything else I set out to do. Could have I pushed harder? Maybe a very little the last two miles but I don’t think so. I feel fine now but I should, I trained for it. My legs don’t like stairs too much today but I’ll be good to run again before the week is out. Thank you to all my family for their prayers and all my friends on the blog for their support and comments. Many a day during the winter months when it was below zero snowing and 5:00am in the morning I only got out the door because I knew someone would be checking up on me later in the day on the blog. Thank you!!!

Rest day finally posted my race report. I hope you enjoy...

No run. Continued recovery. Sore but not as bad as I was expecting 2-days post-race.

Single: 8-hrs sleep 7:20pm run. I decided I would test out the legs. After today's run there is no doubt in my mind that I gave it my all on Saturday. My legs weren't "that" sore walking around the last few days but try and run and "OH BOY". That being said there was nothing wrong with my legs but they were spent. I don't think I could have run faster today. I ran to suicide rock and back, the weather was near perfect ~50F minimal wind and I got to watch most of the sunset on my way back. Mi 5-R2 Avg. 8:52 HR 140

Asics DS-Trainer #1: 158 / / Asics DS-Trainer #2: 147 / / Saucony Rides #1: 133 / / Saucony Rides #2: 145

Single: Back to “normal.” Just under 7-hrs sleep and in to work by 5:30am. The good news about getting in early is I got done in time to get home and run with Kaitlyn before dinner. We just ran to SH and did a loop. So at least I have the stroller as an excuse for being slow today. The big news is that I tried running without my orthotics and so far feel fine. This is my first attempt in about 7-yrs… Mi 5-R1 Avg. 8:25 HR 129

Asics DS-Trainer #1: 158 / / Asics DS-Trainer #2: 147 / / Saucony Rides #1: 138 / / Saucony Rides #2: 145

Single: I can’t believe how much 10-days off of routine effects me. Meaning that the week before and the few days after the marathon I went to bed a little later and got up a lot later, this week I’ve tried getting up at 5am again with only ~7hrs sleep and it is kicking my butt.

I’ve continued with no orthotics for these runs but am not sure I like the way my knee feels during the run. No pain at all and nothing even strange when I’m not running but part of me just wants to leave well enough alone. It is just that the rest of me really wants to be free from these crutches and not being able to run whenever the feeling takes me over.

I’ll give it one more run tomorrow and go from there. Today was the same as Tuesday just a little further past Suicide rock to the second footbridge and back. I actually went under 7min pace for some of the return, down the hill. For a moment there, the last two days, I was afraid I had left “everything” on the course and wouldn’t be able to move my legs again J… Mi 6-R1 Avg. 7:51 HR 142

Asics DS-Trainer #1: 158 / / Asics DS-Trainer #2: 147 / / Saucony Rides #1: 144 / / Saucony Rides #2: 145

Single: 3:30pm trail run, easy. I guess the good thing about getting back into schedule is that it really lengthens the day. I got a great amount done and was able to duck out to enjoy the beautiful day in the afternoon. Since all my runs this week are meant to be crawling anyway I went up Dry Creek then toward City Creek to the 4,5 trail junction and back. I forgot what a challenge trail running can be. It was rocky, muddy, steep and windy. Needless to say I had a ball. It was just such a beautiful day and everyone else thought so too. I saw the most people I’ve ever seen on the trail today, mostly cyclists.

After today’s run I’ve decided I probably have to go back to the orthotics or take a different approach to weaning myself from them. I’ve contacted a few of my PT friends for advice but if anyone has had experience with going off prescription orthotics after running on them for 8+ years let me know. The main problem was that in addition to my knee “issue” returning my left foot also started hurting again. It amazes me what such a slight change in foot strike can do to the rest of your leg.

Jon, this average pace is all for you. You have to love it. But in my defense Dry Creek is a good climb and most of the level was very muddy. The toughest quarter mile had a 313ft climb by the Garmin. Mi 8-R1 Avg. 9:11 HR 142

Asics DS-Trainer #1: 158 / / Asics DS-Trainer #2: 147 / / Saucony Rides #1: 152 / / Saucony Rides #2: 145

Single: 6:30am City Creek, easy. I met up for a first run with two new guys. The first is a coworker of mine and an old training partner of Sasha’s, named Eric. The second is a new guy on the blog Steve, from MI (http://cuttitta.fastrunningblog.com/). Both of them were 800/1500 specialists so hearing about some of their previous bests during the run today was very humbling. I wasn’t up for too much today as it is only a week since the marathon and neither was Eric as he is just getting back into training. So Steve slowed down his run and kept us company. We took it super easy up City Creek from the gate 4 miles and turned about and settled into a more respectable pace. That being said I don’t think my legs wanted anymore today. I was back in my orthotics and the left foot pain went back away. However, my hamstrings were super tight on the downhill. All in all it was a great run with nice company. I think Steve will make a great addition to the local running community and I’m glad Eric is back on the wagon. Mi 8-T2 Avg. 8:13 HR 143

Asics DS-Trainer #1: 158 / / Asics DS-Trainer #2: 155 / / Saucony Rides #1: 152 / / Saucony Rides #2: 145

Day off. I spent some time last night looking over the marathon results. It is nice to reflect a little, I can't believe it was only a week ago. It seems like much longer. The toughest thing I'm dealing with now is deciding what the next marathon will be. For 8-years now I've only done one marathon a year. I've done this for a bunch of reasons but I'm strongly considering doing two this year. In any case it is cool to have finished 8th, in my 8th marathon, in 2008... I added a table to my marathon post for anyone interested. It takes a look at all my splits versus predicted along with average heart rate/pace/and elevation changes. Numbers are only as accurate as the Garmin but I still find them fun to look at...

Single: Today was a rough day after a rough weekend. I did end up getting 6hrs of sleep despite staying in work until after midnight but during the day I was swamped. No run until after dinner. I went and did 3SH loops. Partly for the stress relief partly to see how my legs are recovering, I did the second loop a little quiker (7:01/7:14)and my left leg was still unhappy with me. My current plan is to start speed work again in two more weeks (week of May 12th). Mi 9-T2 Avg. 7:40 HR 155

Asics DS-Trainer #1: 158 / / Asics DS-Trainer #2: 164 / / Saucony Rides #1: 152 / / Saucony Rides #2: 145

Single: As good as last week was is as bad as this week is. Oh well, you can't win them all. Work has just been extra tough and I thought I found a solution to one of the problems I've been working on since I moved to SLC on Friday. However, when I tried to repeat it it didn't work. I guess that is why they call it REsearch instead of just search...

I made it out for a run at the end of my day. Ran to MG and back very easy except for the FireHouse mile that at did at MP (5:52) just for fun.Mi 8-R1 Avg. 8:02 HR 147

Asics DS-Trainer #1: 158 / / Asics DS-Trainer #2: 164 / / Saucony Rides #1: 160 / / Saucony Rides #2: 145

Single: Just easing back into it. Yesterday's "fast" mile felt good on the legs, stretched them out so I did a repeat. Today was a LONG day at work 5:30am-6:30pm minus the hour or so for my run at ~3:30pm. I did the exact same run as yesterday just a little quicker at the start. It was also much colder and windier but I hit the FireHouse mile only one second slower (5:53). Legs still sore but I normally don't start training for 2-3 weeks after a marathon anyway... Mi 8-R2 Avg. 7:45 HR 153

Asics DS-Trainer #1: 158 / / Asics DS-Trainer #2: 164 / / Saucony Rides #1: 160 / / Saucony Rides #2: 153