If you want the short version: It was a hard course, awesome day, and I won :). If you would like to read the semi long version read on.
I was gone all this week to Wyoming with my Stake. It was work all week. I was worried about the lack of sleep and running miles. I still got a lot of hard miles in hiking so I hoped it was enough. The good part is that my ankle had a chance to heal up and feels much better. I stayed with my family at my parents house last night in Mount Pleasant. Today is my daughters 17th birthday and this is what she wanted, to run her first half marathon. She picked a doozy. My mother also ran this race so we had 3 generations running and finishing together, it was an great experience. The course is awesome. It's up Fairview canyon and the entire course is between 9 and 10,000 feet. The race doesn't start until 9 so I knew the heat would be a factor. I talked to the race director about changing this up next year, I think it will happen. Course was long at 13.27 but I think it's fitting given how hard it was. As we lined up I saw that there were at least 3 that looked fast. Knowing that the first 4 were a decent downhill (and that I am a fairly good downhill runner) I changed up my strategy and decided to hammer the first four, see what happened and go from there. I led the whole way. They sent us off and I ran hard (for me). The first 5k I came through in 17:40 and had a good lead. I felt a bit strained at this point which I believe is from the altitude but I ran the last downhill mile fast. At this point you bottom out at Benches pond and the hills begin. It was a real wake up call that I had gone out a bit too fast when the climb started haha. I relaxed, downshifted, increased my cadence and just kept it going the next 3 miles of climb. A nice headwind started around mile 8 and I was tired from the hills. The headwind was almost welcome because it had started to get hot. I took a GU, and my brother met me with some water and encouragement. He told me I had a lead of 5 delineators. I got a nasty side stitch at mile 9 and had to stop and try and breathe/pinch it out. The combo of that and my breathing in step was able to get rid of the stitch. I hit mile 10 and my brother said that the lead was down to 3 delineators. It was HOT. At this point I was feeling pretty crappy, and the hills had started again but I was not going to get passed. I dug in, focused on my cadence, breathing, form, and relaxing (which was hard because I have never been in the lead, it's a strange and wonderful place... and scary), and pushed. By mile 12 my brother checked in with me again and said I was easy a half mile ahead and that I had it. The last mile and change were hard, and I was spent, but I managed to run it in and flash a smile at the line. So grateful for today. My daughter finished her first half and won her age group, awesome. My mom struggled on the tough course. My brother, daughter, and I ran out and ran the last mile in with her. We celebrated at the trailer on the mountain with sandwiches and birthdya cake. Perfect day! I got my first win. It's extra special because 2 years ago I ran my first 10k up here at this race. I ran it in 56 minutes and I thought I would die. 4000 miles later I win the half. Very thankful. I am just plain stoked. The trophy was a 3 foot tall wooden bear carved with a chainsaw lol, it's pretty cool.
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