A Balance, Redefined

This has been a crazy and tough year, mostly because of the changes at work/life. Definitely not because of hard track work or tough tempo runs... In fact such a large percentage of my runs have been between 8 and 10 minute pace I was starting to get some serious doubts that I could even break 3 hours at UVM. The good news is even without the structured workouts this year today turned into a huge confidence boost for next Saturday.

The last time I ran an official “8K” was in 2004! When I ran a 28:49. My PR was in 2000 running at the Washington University Invite as a Knox Alumni and that was a 27:24 on the golf course in Forest Park. So I really didn’t know what to expect although with the downhill I was hoping to break the PR but over a decade later and a bit removed from collegiate running :) I really did not have a gauge for the day.

As far as this downhill goes, I’ve run a number of times down Emigration and probably 100 times down City Creek and though I’d driven up Mill Creek a bunch of times this was my first time running the road there. It is a screamer. Because of another crazy week at work my plan was to just use this run as a workout. I know that is a bit of a discrepancy with the goal of a PR above but downhill… Also, I ended up staying up preparing for a garage sale until 1am the night before. Then got up at 4:30am to head to the start. Got to number pick-up right at 5am and then did the unthinkable. I ran to the start.

Now partly because of my sleep deprived state and partly because I wasn’t paying attention I took a wrong turn up. I turned at the light right by the Olympus shopping center to head up. Luckily I figured this out and got back on course by cutting through the neighborhood. This did add on an extra mile + so my warm-up was just over a 10K. The missed turn really got my heart pumping and I pushed the pace for the warm-up more than I should have but ended up getting to the start with only 5 minutes to spare so things workout for a reason. Here’s the image of that portion.

Now at the start I saw Allie and James. It was good to talk to them briefly. I really feel so disconnected from the blog lately as I have really barely had time to post much less look in on people. I apologize for that. I did notice a few guys that looked like they would work me but just decided to go for it. Because of the blood pumping from the warm-up I started quick. I was in the lead for about half mile and then Tim Stringfellow passed me. I did not know who he was but he looked strong and I figured that was the end of it. I stuck like glue to him the rest of the time in the canyon he had about 5-10 seconds on me at any time. Then as we passed the booth at the mouth of the canyon I caught him AND pulled ahead. I thought I had it at that point but out of know where he came back and I was broken. He buried me and put a 22 second gap on me in the last half-mile or so. Ouch! I might as well have been walking at that point. I’m just very happy he was there because he pulled me to a nearly 2 minute (aided) PR!!! Final time was 25:32 on the Garmin, but I’ll take the 25:29.52 the chip gave me! Image and splits below.

Here are the splits for if the image is removed later...
5:03!!!
5:07
5:16
5:07
4:59 (5:29 pace)

No that is not a mistake. I did sleep a total of 10 hours... Things finally caught up with me and I needed the rest. So I slept in and then after church we had a picnic with some friends and then I took a two hour nap. After the girls went down did a Sugar House loop. Still am in a bit of disbelief about the race yesterday. Legs are feeling good. Sorry I didn't make it in the morning to run with Steve and Adam C. though.

Avg. 9:06 HR 133

AM: The problem with getting sleep is then it is harder for me to get sleep the next night. That being said I still feel rested. Back to the grind and just staying healthy this week. No major deadlines, first week in about 6 weeks I can say that. But now comes cleaning up all the loose ends. Commute in.

Mi 2.5 Avg. 10:39 HR 126

PM: A relatively relaxing Monday. It was a long down but a low key one. Did the commute run home. Then back to lab for a little set-up.

Mi 2.5 Avg. 7:33 HR 142

AM: Such a beautiful morning. It is tough to taper on a day like today. Thomas did catch me this morning on the commute run in. Right at the end but still got to catch up a little. 

Mi 2.5 Avg. 9:49 HR 135

PM: Commute run home. Just doing all I can to keep my head above water.

Mi 2.5 Avg. 7:55 HR 126

Today was a surprise for my wife. It took working till the wee hours of the morning to get my work out of the way but that is what is needed sometimes. In the seven years we have lived here we have not gone on a hike without the kids in tow. This has limited our distances and therefore she has never made a summit. So I arranged with her friend to have a playdate for the girls and took her up Mill Creek. We did the Grandeur Peak summit. One of the things I will miss most about Utah is that we were able to do this entire hike and I was still in lab before 11am. Then however I did have a full day and had to come back at night but it was worth it.

Commute run in. Nothing special. Trying to get some sleep caught up from the other night although the stress levels at work are increasing.

Final run before the marathon. Got some nice sleep and then a very full day of work until hitting the road to drive down to Provo. Just the commute run in.

Chapter 12

Saying goodbye

Year recap (brief)

Fortunately it has not been three years between marathons like last time. In fact it has only been about 9 months. Those months have been packed though. The year ended with some additional job hunting but in the end the decision stayed the same and we are heading to Birmingham, Alabama later this month. As part of a closer on our life chapter of living in Utah we have been trying to do as much as possible. We have been Moab, to the Grand Canyon, up most of the local canyons, and overall just trying to see as many of our friends as we can. We also made a trip to our new hometown found a home and schools for the girls, all and all a very productive year. My capstone to the running scene is the race this chapter is devoted to. As a prelude I also did an 8K last weekend in which I not only broke my 2000, 8K record I also broke my 5K record. According to the TrailRunner analysis of my Garmin file the first 5K was 16:00 even… This was a huge confidence boost for today’s race but definitely jacked up my calves a little. So here is the story of my ’13 marathon, number twelve on my list. As is my usual tradition, marathon race reports are a time of reflection for me on my year in running and life in general. As noted above this year’s life side of things has been crazy. I have been able to maintain some sort of a balance between family, work, and running but it was definitely harder this year than any other. Even with that being said I managed 1073 miles before my final taper week. This puts the race at the 5^th highest pre-race mileage. I did also however do the least workouts, structured or otherwise. In fact the 8K above was really my only hard workout. So I was iffy about the expectations.

Pre-race

            The weekend started off great. My family was able to join me as Logan was kind enough to find a place that we could all stay at. So after work on Friday we headed down. We picked up Fazoli’s on the way. This was a Knox College CC tradition so it was nice to relive that. Steve H. and his family also joined us for dinner that was a nice treat. One of the fun parts about this race is we put together a four person team. Works that they totaled all of our times and lowest total time wins. Walter rounded out the 4^th spot but did not make the dinner. Steve was great and had jerseys made up for us. Our team name was the Flying Squirrels. For those of you who know me, you know I have an obsession with squirrels. Part of this is related to a number of additional Knox related squirrel incidents. Including one cross-country work out that a squirrel ran up and down one of my teammates like he was a tree. After dinner we went to the expo to get our numbers, ran into Sasha for a moment, and then back to the house for a little R&R. Logan and I played a number of rounds of pool over a very nice conversation and then off to bed. The 3 AM rise to catch the bus was not something I was looking forward to. However, between the tiring week and everything else going on I was out like a log. The 5 or so hours of sleep have become normal for me so when my alarm went off it was not too bad to get up. Steve picked us up and took us to the bus stop and we were on our way.

Saw a number of people at the start including James and finally Walter. Then it was quickly time to get going. Again I didn’t know what I could do. With my training I could have respected a 2:50. I thought a 2:45 was most reasonable and that if the stars aligned 2:40 could be in reach.

The Race

            The weather was ok for a marathon, it was cool but could have been colder. One of the few canyon races I was not shivering at the start and that was nice but a concern for things to come. The start felt smooth and just went out on my own for about the first six or seven miles. There were two guys with headphones on shooting for a 2:50 that I chatted to very briefly. They passed me and then I passed them back. My right calf was feeling tight, likely from the craziness of the weekend before. My left heal has also been bugging me for about a month now but it was holding together. Around this time Steve came up and passed me. Then we hit the hills and we stuck together. It was a lifesaver to have him to run with during this stretch. It is much harder than the elevation map leads you to believe. I know others have warned about it but sometimes you need to experience something. Steve shared some of his drink with me around the halfway mark. Then when he asked what we were at the half and I told him 1:20 a new fire was lit in him and I just couldn’t muster it. I stuck with him maybe until mile 14/15 but then gradually lost touch. Running on my own was fine and Steve was still in reach and though he was putting ground on me it was at a pace that was motivating not demoralizing and I used him to pull me as much as I could muster. By mile 20 I was really feeling it but knew I could make it through to the end. I also knew I was sitting in 7 or 8 and really wanted a top ten spot so there was no way I was letting up. Somehow I completely missed Bridal Falls, a shame because I like to look at it but then I was at the mouth of the canyon and starting to pass the half marathoners. This was really good this time. For the most part they were all to the left and the water stops were big enough that the halfers did not get in the way and having them cheer for me really helped. With about 5K to go I could see that Steve was almost out of site and passing Walter. I also started playing mind games with myself that the halfers were in the full and about to pass me to keep me moving. With about 2 miles to go I could see that I would likely catch Walter and used him to pull me along. At the mile 25 water stop Walter got some water and that is when I passed him to move into 7 place. Now the finish line was in sight and I knew my family was there waiting so I just gave it all I had and crossed the line.

Post-race

            I met up with the rest of the team. It was awesome we had Logan in 4^th, Steve in 6^th, me in 7^th, and Walter in 8^th. Still a bit off of the Jeff, Paul, etc. team of years past but still a very solid victory. Plus it was just great to have them out there to work off of and with. A whirlpool company was kind enough to have two tubs set-up with ice-cold water. So I did two 10-minute sessions in there and then waited for the awards. Logan and Walter both took home nice checks and we all took home plaques. Afterwards we headed back to the house, after a brief adventure I caused we said our goodbyes and drove back to Salt Lake. Overall, it was a great weekend. The camaraderie and race both exceeded my expectations. My 2:44 beat my goal time and though a PR is always nice considering everything that has gone on the last nine months I’m really happy to have done this. I just edged out my ’12 TOU time so this race now sits as my 3^rd fastest marathon. Consistency is my key… I could not have asked for a better farewell to Utah. Thank you.

NUMBERS

First half 1:21:00

Second half 1:23:22

2 minutes and 22 seconds difference is not too shabby.

Garmin

2:44:26 at 26.35 miles

Chip

2:44:22

Gun

2:44:25

Overall 7^th place and 2^nd in division.

Going off of the course tool, 12 splits were slower than 2:45 pace and 14 were faster.

My fastest mile was mile 1 at 5:55 and my slowest mile was mile 9 at 6:39.

I am super happy with the consistency of my splits with only a 44 second spread!

Ouch ouch ouch... 

Even though I was only a few seconds faster this marathon than last I am definitely feeling the lack of training going into this one. 

Also, looks like I might loose my first toe nail. The cuticle of my right big toe is a huge blister today.

Right back to crazy work schedule...

Just trying to back too much in. Needed the break although I shouldn't have done it. My calves screamed at me each step. Stadium loop with John.

Well the craziness is over for a few days. I got about 70% of what I wanted done this week but so be it. After an early morning in the lab did a family loop pushing my oldest. Then in the car to the Tetons. Truly amazing! Our first time there. We stayed at a cabin in the park looking at the mountain front. There was a single bison waiting in the yard when we pulled up. 

Five miles of hiking with the girls. Had fun playing cards and sipping very nice Scotch the night before. Hit Jenny Lake and a few other spots finishing off with a very nice sushi dinner in Jackson.

More of the same but this time in Yellowstone. Did a run to and from Fairy Falls while the girls did a shorter hike looking at the hot springs. Calves still very unhappy with me but how could I pass this up. Another good dinner in Jackson, this time it was duck. Old Faithful and the Inn there are amazing. Even had our grizzly sighting and saw a bull elk crossing a stream. 

Such a beautiful drive. Then off to a relaxing evening. 

A very good Father's Day. Slept in then off to church. Afterwards we drove up to Snowbird just to find out that Beerfest was going on. So we did some tasting while the girls jumped on the bungee trampoline and then up the tram to the spectacular 11,000 ft view. After that it was off to Park City for a great dinner of bison at High West. After that met up with John for the Suicide Loop followed by a sip of one of the purchases made at High West. A very relaxing day and a great end to my summer vacation.

AM: Back to it. Direct commute run in to a back log of work. Got a bunch done. Calves still sore and toe nail looking better but still think it will come off.

Mi 2.5 Avg. 10:28 HR 139

PM: Commute run back home after a long day. Dinner with the girls and back to lab for a few more hours. Now time to get some shut eye. The rest of this week is going to be crazy...

Mi 2.5 Avg. 8:04 HR 131

AM: Commute run in. Busy week...

Mi 2.5 Avg. HR

PM: Commute run home. Good but full day.

Mi 2.5 Avg. HR

No run. Just focused on work items. 

AM: Commute run in. Nice morning. 

Mi 2.5 Avg. HR

Commute. This was a tough day as it was my last day on the Utah campus. Still plenty of work to be done but it will be done remotely...

Avg. 10:17 HR 135

Packing and family stuff

Late night SugarHouse loop with John.

Avg. 8:46 HR 129

Final Utah run with John. Sugarhouse loop. Then we stayed up in the yard with Sandra drinking until 2am. It was a tough farewell but hopefully there will be plenty of reasons to meet up again in the future.

Avg. 8:56

Hit the road at 11am after finishing loading the car and giving the old house a thorough scrubbing. Made it to somewhere in WY before calling it a night.

14 hours in the car today. Needed to make up a little time from the shorter drive yesterday. The total trip is 28 hours of driving alone much less all the stops, construction, etc.

Another 10 hours in the car today but we did make it to Alabama. We are staying just outside Vestavia, our new home town.

House closing and then shopping... Need to get a fridge for the new place.

Movers arrived with our stuff. I few things broken but overall looks like everything made it. Finally get to sleep in our own bed again.

Another full day of shopping and some unpacking.