Logan Peak was my favorite race last year. Beautiful, lots of varied terrain, lots of climbing and good, fast downhill. The course is perfect for a summer run, on the shady side of the mountain in the morning and running in shade through deep woods in the afternoon. I was really looking forward to this one and everything felt great going in to the race.
I was happy to see the RD had altered the start/finish this year to a more direct route through the park and up to the trails, cut the pavement section down to a ¼ mile or so and eliminated the grueling uphill paved section to the finish. I didn’t realize they had made this change as we lined up and I stood where I though mid-pack would be, which, because we were going the other direction, was actually the front of the pack. Before I could adjust to my usual spot we were underway. I quickly found myself running behind a bunch a bunch fast looking guys in racing flats and singlets that said something about St George Running club. Things shook out quick, with the leaders pulling steadily ahead and a few others catching up. I settled into about the top 10 or so for the climb up Dry Canyon. On the climb legs felt great, lungs were burning, I started to worry that I had caught a bit of the nasty cold that everyone I work with has had all week. (felt funky Friday night too, like cold sweat, but I thought it was nerves?) I held steady and settled in behind BJ and John? both are local Ogden runners and were moving strong. They slowed a bit and I passed them, but I was working way too hard for the pace, couldn’t breathe. We all stayed together to the first aid station and I think a couple of others were in our little conga line, but after the aid station I didn’t see them again.
Bj and John blew through the aid and fired the jets, I grabbed a cup of water and followed but within a few hundred yards caught something with my foot and was face down on the trail before I knew what hit me. I never fall running (I run too slow) so it shook me a bit and by the time I got moving again the Ogden guys were long gone. As I came around the traverse to an open section of trail I could see two people in front of me I assumed it was the Ogden guys, as I got closer I could tell it wasn’t. With the exception of passing one guy on the South Syncline section, the two in front of me at this point would be who I would be chasing for the next 23 miles or so. Once in a while the gap would close a little, but from the start of South Syncline, through the climbs to the second aid and on to the climb to Logan Peak they would stay a consistent minute or so ahead of me. I started to wonder, because they looked so casual, if they were just running hard enough to keep me back because every time I closed the gap they would move out again to a one minute gap or so.
Things felt good for me around the South Syncline loop to the second aid. The climbs were still there as I remembered them, but seemed much easier this year. My legs felt good, but my lungs were working hard. I made a very quick stop at aid 2 and was off to Logan Peak. Shortly after the aid the trail opens up to a clearing with a long sight distance. My two “pacers” were still a minute or so ahead, when I got to the end of the clearing I looked back and nothing, no one near at all. Up to this point I hadn’t see a soul behind me. I was in a weird gap, right at the end of the faster guys and a ways ahead of the mid pack. At the end of the clearing is a bugger little climb, and at the top I could see the leaders just getting to the tower on Logan Peak, amazing, I still had a mile or more and 1000 or so feet to climb to get there. About at this point, I passed a guy standing at a jeep who told me I was number 14. As I made my way up Logan Peak, the Ogden guys passed me coming down, they were killing it! Running in the top 8-9 for sure, pretty good for their first ultra. As I topped out and rounded the antenna, I looked to see who was behind and still nothing but a lot of clear trail. I bombed down the snow field and within a minute or so I saw a red streak come over the rise, Twinkies! And he was moving fast. We passed each other just as I reached the saddle at the bottom of the climb and he was starting up, probably 7-10 minutes apart. I yelled my customary TWINKIES! as I usually do when we pass each other on an out and back in a race. He said something about being right on my tail. I would run with fear of being passed by a red streak the rest of the race.
Coming back through aid 2/3 I was surprised to see my “pacer” buddies just leaving as I came in. Running up the jeep road to the single track cutoff I was slowly and steadily reeling one of them in. As we made the turn onto the single track I was right behind him, he fought for a bit, then let me by, it wasn’t over though, as he stayed pretty close all the way around the North Syncline loop. About half way through this section I started to see “pacer” number 2 just in front. Soon enough he saw me and picked it up and was gone. Rounding the corner and heading down into Dry Canyon for the big descent to the finish, I looked back and was alone again, no one behind at all. I blew through the last aid and put the pedal down as hard I had in me on the downhill. Within a few minutes I passed a hiker coming up and he said there were 2 just in front of me. I cranked it up a little more, and soon could see “pacer” #2 and another guy. I caught pacer #2 pretty quickly and he pulled over and let me by, the other guy saw me coming and picked up the pace, it took me a mile or so but I eventually caught and passed him. I was running hard to pass these guys and, after passing them, knew I had to keep up the pace to stay ahead. It hurt, but it was good to really give it all I had. The last few miles were hot, but generally uneventful, except the 20-30 cows I had to stop and herd off the trail! and the tongue lashing I got from the rancher, which I ignored with a friendly wave. Probably cost me a minute or two because the beasts just wanted to stay on the trail and I couldn’t pass in the thick trees.
I finished in 5:20-5:21 and I think was 10th or 11th overall. (looked at current reults and I was 10th) That was 35 minutes better than last year and my best overall finish yet! Finally a top 10. It wasn’t my best day physically, the cold, which I know by how I feel now is indeed a cold, took a little energy out of me, but I really felt like I gave it 100% and never really took my foot off the gas. I had very little in the tank at the end and am very happy with the way everything went. I raced hard all the way through. At the finish I had a great time talking with friends, hanging with the family, and cheering in the many close friends who ran today. Good to finally meet FRB'er and really fast racer Jon,, we have a couple more races in common this year so at least he'll know who the slow guy is yelling at him on out and back sections. Great race, great day! Thanks to the RD and all the volunteers.
Things learned: Legs feel better on race day if I run consistantly the week leading up to the race. A carb isnt a carb, eat better the day or two before. Run thy own race. And something else???I'll have to ask my wife, I rattled it off to her earlier. | 