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Top of Utah Marathon

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Location:

Vestavia,AL,USA

Member Since:

May 31, 2007

Gender:

Male

Goal Type:

Other

Running Accomplishments:

Marathon Top 10 Finishes: 7 Bridges ('15), Utah Valley ('13), Salt Lake City ('08), Top of Utah ('07), and St. Louis ('04). Ran around the equator (24901.55) in 4,388 days.

Personal Records
Marathon 2:39 (SLC '08)
1/2 Marathon 1:12.30 (Provo River, aided '08)
10K 34:16 (Track, sea level '00)
10K 33:15 (Des 10K, aided '08)
8K 25:32 (Crack of Dawn, aided '13)
5K 16:44 (Track, sea level '00)
5K 16:07 (Running of the Leopards, aided '12)
 

Short-Term Running Goals:

NYC Marathon November 3, 2019 done 

London Marathon October 3, 2021 done

Tokyo Marathon March 3, 2024!!!

And my largest challenge to date, raise $20,000 for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society in honor of my cancer survivorship and in memory of those lost to blood cancer...
DONE! $26,403.70

https://pages.lls.org/tnt/al/london2021/awende

Long-Term Running Goals:

Enjoy being a Masters Runner.

Get under 3 hours one more time...

Personal:

Grew up outside Chicago and joined the blog while I lived in Salt Lake City. Now living outside Birmingham. I am married with two daughters. Wife thinks I'm crazy for doing marathons. And yes I am crazy I'm a scientist for a living...

Click to donate
to Ukraine's Armed Forces
Miles:This week: 0.00 Month: 0.00 Year: 331.25
RM 090416 Lifetime Miles: 136.06
Saucony Type A Lifetime Miles: 200.18
Nike Vaporfly Pink Lifetime Miles: 122.22
Saucony Ride #37 - Black Lifetime Miles: 56.50
Saucony Ride #38 - Neon Lifetime Miles: 53.50
Saucony Ride #39 - Grey Lifetime Miles: 59.50
Brooks Launch #38 - Grey Lifetime Miles: 65.25
Brooks Launch #39 - White Lifetime Miles: 57.50
Brooks Launch #40 - Blue Lifetime Miles: 54.00
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTrainer 1 MilesTrainer 2 MilesRacer MilesTotal Distance
50.500.000.000.000.000.000.0050.50
Brooks Launch Blue #3 Miles: 6.00RM 090416 Miles: 0.16Saucony Rides #8 Miles: 5.00Brooks Launch Orange #2 Miles: 9.50Saucony Fastwitch Miles: 30.00Saucony Compression Socks 1&2 Miles: 27.00
Night Sleep Time: 47.50Nap Time: 0.00Total Sleep Time: 47.50Weight: 0.00
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTrainer 1 MilesTrainer 2 MilesRacer MilesTotal Distance
6.000.000.000.000.000.000.006.00

Slept in, waffles with the girls, church, and then working from home. After a pizza dinner and putting the girls down did a SugarHouse plus loop and then back to lab to get ready for the week. Kind of the opposite of yesterday but a relaxing day none-the-less.

Avg. 7:49 HR 140

Brooks Launch Blue #3 Miles: 6.00
Night Sleep Time: 8.50Nap Time: 0.00Total Sleep Time: 8.50Weight: 0.00
Add Comment
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTrainer 1 MilesTrainer 2 MilesRacer MilesTotal Distance
5.000.000.000.000.000.000.005.00

AM: Welcome to another week. When I hit Foothill and 20th I noticed about 6 guys come ahead of me moving at a nice clip. I decided to catch them. It took me all the way till Sunnyside, with some help from the light. They were the Westminster CC team. I ran with them until Cappechi Dr when I had to turn up to campus. Most the team didn't acknowledge my presence but the guy in the back was chatty and it was a nice way to break up the commute run in. 

2.5 Mi Avg. 8:07 HR 153

PM: Today was a blur. Each time I looked up at the clock another hour had slipped through the hour glass. Time can sure be a funny thing. Commute run home.

2.5 Mi Avg. 8:06 HR 128

RM 090416 Miles: 0.01Saucony Rides #8 Miles: 5.00
Night Sleep Time: 7.00Nap Time: 0.00Total Sleep Time: 7.00Weight: 0.00
Add Comment
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTrainer 1 MilesTrainer 2 MilesRacer MilesTotal Distance
5.000.000.000.000.000.000.005.00

AM: Today was my early day in. Yeah circadian rhythm!!! As the final taper, this week will probably just be commute runs. I hit a bit lower than I had planned last week but with everything else that was going on I'm not too worried about that. I am still struggling with what to go out at on Saturday. I would like to take up Ben's offer and go out at the 2:40 pace. But something is telling me that this marathon might not be the one to try and PR... 

2.5 Mi Avg. 9:24 HR 136

PM: A long day, working into a long night. 11 hr at work home for 2 hr and then back to it. But I'm about done. It is great living so close to work but also sometimes bad because it is too easy to come back and get trapped :)...

2.5 Mi Avg. 7:02 HR 148

Brooks Launch Orange #2 Miles: 5.00
Night Sleep Time: 5.50Nap Time: 0.00Total Sleep Time: 5.50Weight: 0.00
Comments(2)
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTrainer 1 MilesTrainer 2 MilesRacer MilesTotal Distance
4.500.000.000.000.000.000.004.50

Single run today. Did a modified mid-campus commute run in. Seeing the bib numbers  really made the fact that I'm running a marathon in three days sink in... Have to keep telling myself I've done this before and though my training was not ideal I'm going to the line with some good races under my belt for the year.

Avg. 9:08 HR 129

RM 090416 Miles: 0.15Brooks Launch Orange #2 Miles: 4.50
Night Sleep Time: 7.00Nap Time: 0.00Total Sleep Time: 7.00Weight: 0.00
Comments(6)
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTrainer 1 MilesTrainer 2 MilesRacer MilesTotal Distance
0.000.000.000.000.000.000.000.00

Planned rest day. Way back when I was following Hal Higdon's training I would have two days prior as a complete rest day. Just massaged out the legs with the roller and tried to rest a little extra. Work has been making that interesting but in an overall positive way so that should be ok. Tomorrow is travel and a shake-out on the track and then RACE!!!

Night Sleep Time: 7.00Nap Time: 0.00Total Sleep Time: 7.00Weight: 0.00
Comments(9)
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTrainer 1 MilesTrainer 2 MilesRacer MilesTotal Distance
3.000.000.000.000.000.000.003.00

Run with Cody in Logan to shakeout the legs. 

Avg. 7:37

Saucony Fastwitch Miles: 3.00
Night Sleep Time: 7.00Nap Time: 0.00Total Sleep Time: 7.00Weight: 0.00
Add Comment
Race: Top of Utah Marathon (26.43 Miles) 02:44:45, Place overall: 12, Place in age division: 2
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTrainer 1 MilesTrainer 2 MilesRacer MilesTotal Distance
27.000.000.000.000.000.000.0027.00

Chapter 11

 

Back, again…

 

Year recap (brief)

It has been awhile, three years in fact. It is amazing, frightening, sad, etc. how quickly time can slip through your fingers. I think the hourglass is truly the best timepiece. A lot has happened between TOU ’09 and TOU ’12. I am still in UT although that was up in the air for a while and not sure what is next at this point but I have a good option on the table. Sandra and I finally found time to enjoy the state we live in and took a camping trip to southern UT and a number of other day trips to closer sites. She has also taken to running and in many ways has surpassed me in her dedication to the sport, even bringing strength training back into the house!

So here is the story of my ’12 marathon, number eleven 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. The biggest news from the running standpoint is that I’m doing it again. In 2010 and 2011 combined I only had 9 weeks of 50 miles or more. This year alone I have 13 weeks above 50 miles with 5 weeks above 70. I even started the year with a PR in the 5K. Now this is a ridiculously aided course but still I’m 34 now and I was running about ½ the mileage of what I was running when I set the previous record. The year continued to go well with my 4th fastest half marathon in August. At one point I thought a marathon PR was possible but doubts did creep in from time-to-time. I was heading up to Logan again to once more attempt TOU. It is a great course and well-organized race.

 

Pre-race

            First and foremost I have to thank Cody and his family for opening their house and kitchen to my family. After school on Friday we loaded up in the car and headed up to Logan. It was a nice drive and when we arrived we drove the portion of the racecourse Sandra and the girls were going to cheer me on the next day. After packet pickup we headed to Cody’s and his family was in the front yard ready to meet us. The girls loved playing with his kids and we had a wonderful carbo-loading pasta dinner and salad. After the kids went down for dinner Cody went with me for a 3-mile shakeout run along the Planet Walk trail. Logan has sure been kind to me and between Cody and Scott it has been great to stay with bloggers pre-race. After some more nice conversation I did my prerace routine and got some sleep, restful with only one wake-up. No morning star. Cody was kind enough to wakeup early to bring me up to the race start. I sat next to “Mike” someone running his 32nd marathon with two Wasatch 100s under his belt. It made for some good conversation. After getting off the bus I ran into another Knox alum at the start. This was funny, but was because I was wearing my Knox ski hat. At the start I tried for that star but still no go. So it was off to the start area and deciding what to do. This was very difficult. I had made the mistake of mentioning 2:40 out loud before really examining my training fully. Although it may have been possible I think the way it played out was the best. I had good conversation with a number of people including Albert, Allie, Jake, James, Ben, and a number of others. I eyed Ben and his group aiming for the 2:40 and Allie shooting for 2:50 and decided to try and stay between these two groups. This was a last minute decision but I stand by it and I hope you will see that it worked out for the best.

 

The Race

            The weather was perfect for a marathon, cold but not unbearable. I was dressed properly after my experience at the half. Thanks to Andrea for suggesting the sock sleeves, that really did the final trick. I was wearing my compression socks, shorts, jersey, sock sleeves, gloves, and a headband. The start felt so smooth and between the group, the downhill, the taper in my legs, it felt so effortless to run 6ish pace. It took effort to stay back but I did. The first mile was side-by-side with Allie. Also, Will (a person that passed and beat me late in the TOU1/2 three weeks earlier) pulled up and said hi. We spoke for a bit and decided to run together. We gradually caught up with James’ group and ran together for the next two miles. Could see Ben upfront and hear Allie just back so right were I wanted to be. But the bathroom was calling and I decided to stop. The mistake I made was to rush out of the port-a-pottie and gun back up to James, Will, Kevin, etc. Even with the bathroom break that mile was still 6:16 so I was cruising. Luckily that didn’t kill me but I’m sure put a dent in my tank. The next 5 miles were so relaxing. I just stayed with the pack we had and watching Cynthia the lead woman. Then at mile 12, bathroom called again. Very upsetting but made the stop. This time I was not going to gun it back up and took nearly three miles to catch backup. At mile 14 is the first place you can really have spectators and my three girls were waiting there for me. It was great to see their smiling faces and get a Gu and water. Cody was also there and rode along with me for a little giving me some updates on the race. It was helpful. After that decided to finally make it to Will and what was left of the pack. I did this and continued on with them. These two miles were quick. When we pulled out onto Main Street we were hauling. Scott came up to run with us some but we were moving… Just before turning off Main Street my three girls were there again and after a little dancing to the music set-up there I got another Gu and water. I tried to keep with the pack as long as I could but after this turn I started to fall back. The next miles are some of the hardest in the race but I stayed strong. This was MUCH MUCH better than I had felt during miles 21 and 22 in this race back in ’09. Back on Main Street and a few zig-zags. Saw the girls two more times before the finish. Was VERY happy to see that I had sub-2:45 in the bag. Official time is 2:44:44, 12th overall, and 2nd age group. I finally got a bigger moose! Thank you to TOU for putting on a top notch race.

 

Post-race

            More chatting with bloggers, soak in the stream, massage, and back to Cody’s for a shower. Then we headed one more time to the park for the awards ceremony. Congrats to a number of bloggers, especially Jake for his overall win! Hit the road with a McDonald’s stop and to a birthday party. Crashed hard after dinner and just enough energy to get this entry out. My reflection on the race at this time is very positive. Even with the 2:40 mentioned I always had the 2:45 in mind for this my first race back. My printout for my splits was 2:40, 2:45, and 2:50 so I more or less nailed my predicted. But more importantly than that I ran it in a controlled fashion and actually enjoyed the last portion. I look forward to my next marathon and hopefully getting a good 4-6 months of solid mileage in for it instead of 4-6 weeks… Thank you to everyone who supported me during this training cycle and were there with me on the course today in body or spirit.

 

NERDY STUFF

Numbers, numbers, and more numbers. First, this was the 14th TOU Marathon. My number was 14. So the race number the moose on the medal is wearing is number 14. That was great. Also, comes the pressure of wanting to finish at or below the number. So the 12th place finish was also very nice. ]My Garmin output is below. As is my comparison of the course tool splits and my previous TOU splits.

One of the most exciting parts is the difference between the first 13 miles and the last 13 miles. A whopping 49 seconds!

First 13 1:20:40 Second 13 1:21:29

On to the splits, only 8 were slower than target pace and of those 4 were within 10 seconds.

More numbers are posted on Monday for post-race reflection.

 Split comparison


 Garmin info

 

Saucony Fastwitch Miles: 27.00Saucony Compression Socks 1&2 Miles: 27.00
Night Sleep Time: 5.50Nap Time: 0.00Total Sleep Time: 5.50Weight: 0.00
Comments(20)
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTrainer 1 MilesTrainer 2 MilesRacer MilesTotal Distance
50.500.000.000.000.000.000.0050.50
Brooks Launch Blue #3 Miles: 6.00RM 090416 Miles: 0.16Saucony Rides #8 Miles: 5.00Brooks Launch Orange #2 Miles: 9.50Saucony Fastwitch Miles: 30.00Saucony Compression Socks 1&2 Miles: 27.00
Night Sleep Time: 47.50Nap Time: 0.00Total Sleep Time: 47.50Weight: 0.00
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