Cursed Realm of the Faceless Ghost

Ogden Marathon

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Location:

Provo,UT,

Member Since:

Apr 07, 2010

Gender:

Male

Goal Type:

Other

Running Accomplishments:

5K - 17:11 (Cougar Run)

10K - 34:35 (Deseret News)

15K - 57:33 (Utah Running Club)

1/2 - 1:22:26 (Mountain View Trail)

50K - 4:22:31 (Sapper Joe)

Short-Term Running Goals:

Sub-2:45 at Saint George Marathon

Win the Antelope Island half marathon

Long-Term Running Goals:

I'd like to run the Angeles Crest 100 at some point. And I'd still like to go sub-4 at a trail 50k. Other than that, I'm open to suggestions.

https://www.strava.com/athletes/4808912

Personal:

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<iframe height='454' width='300' frameborder='0' allowtransparency='true' scrolling='no' src='https://www.strava.com/athletes/4808912/latest-rides/184689bbf831149f2053e60709730c07651232d3'></iframe>

I was a competitive cyclist for years. In 2009, after racing in the Tour of Utah, I decided I had plateaued as a cyclist--I could continue to improve, but I wouldn't break through to a new level. So, I started looking for a new challenge.


I thought that challenge would be mountain biking, but I'm a terrible bike handler. I married Catherine in January 2010 and a couple of weeks later I entered the SLTC Winter Training Series with her. A couple of weeks after that I decided I'd like to run ultras, so I signed up for a couple of 50Ks to get started.

Those first races came and went, with varying results. I was looking forward to running more and possibly pushing into the longer distances, but I injured my knee in June 2010 and I've never been consistently healthy since.

I started law school in August 2010, which meant less time for training. In June 2011, Baby Elliott was born, which meant even less time for training. But she's worth it. 

Baby Nora joined us in October 2013, with the same effect on training as Elliott (who, incidentally, is no longer a baby). 

I (finally) finished school in April 2014 and now I'm an evil corporate lawyer in Salt Lake. I have no illusions that I'll ever get back into the shape that I once was, but I'm perfectly at peace with that. I still have many goals to accomplish and many years in which to do it. 

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Miles:This week: 0.00 Month: 0.00 Year: 0.00
Race: Ogden Marathon (26.2 Miles) 02:54:56, Place overall: 18, Place in age division: 6
Total Distance
26.20

This was my first (and maybe my last) marathon. I'm glad that it's over, and I'm mostly satisfied with my performance. I think I could have done a little better, but I think my time matched my training pretty well. 

What you've probably already heard in every other race report was that the conditions were tough. It was wet and windy the entire day. That means I was constantly cold and everything I was wearing was waterlogged, heavy and chafing. But at least the rain stopped while we were waiting in the staging area.

Even though my friends and I waited for one of the last busses, I still had to wait well over an hour to actually start running. I spent that time standing in a grassy field inhaling campfire smoke and letting me feet gradually soak. So at least my pre-race routine wasn't too far from ordinary.

I started the race with my friend Jared, and I saw Chad at the beginning, but for the most part I ran by myself all day. (Speaking of Chad, I'd like to know how his race went, but unfortunately his blog hasn't been updated for a while. Hint, hint.) 

Once we started, I got off to a quick start. The first mile was about 5:40. I knew that was too fast, so I slowed down, but even so I cruised through the first 7 downhill miles with an average pace in the ball park of 6:05, and I hit the half at about 1:22.

During this time, my position in the field was pretty constant. Some runners passed me, but it seemed like for every one who did, there was another runner ahead of my who blew up and fell behind.

Things started to come apart in the second half of the race. I'll say right now that my legs just aren't used to such a beating. My quads were really starting to burn, and I was having a harder time keeping up my pace and cushioning each step. Even so, I held a pace in the 6:20s around the reservoir.

At mile 16 I passed two riders puking on the side of the road. It made me glad that my stomach felt okay. One of them recovered and passed me a mile or two later. I never saw the other runner again. I wonder if he finished.

Ogden Canyon proved to be my downfall. My legs just couldn't handle the descent at that point, and I started to fade fast. By the time I left the canyon, I was in survival mode and my pace had dropped into the very high sixes.

Just before I left the canyon, I got double-chicked by the first- and second-placed female runners. They were cruising. I, unfortunately, was not.

Catherine and Elliott were cheering for me as I left the canyon, which gave me a psychological boost, but it was short lived. By the time I hit the bike path, I was done. Done like on the final descent at Speedgoat, or on the climb to Snowbird at the Tour of Utah. In other words, it was ugly. 

I settled into a death shuffle. I was actually running just over and just under 8:00 per mile, but it felt much, much slower. And to make matters worse, my GPS is fast by about .01 miles. Which means that every time it ticked off a mile, I knew that I really hadn't gone as far as my watch said. 

But I survived. Two more runners passed me on the bike path, and another guy got me a few hundred yards from the finish (fellow FRBer crhudman, apparently). I was just grateful that there weren't more people chasing.

I finished the race in a bit of a daze. I tried to drink some Sprite an thought I was going to to throw up, so I just sort of stood there trying not to fall over until the people with the finishers' medals saw me and guided in their direction.

I was soaked through, but I didn't know where my drop bag was so I had no clean and dry clothes. Fortunately, Catherine and Elliott were there to take me back to the hotel. After a shower and a change I felt much, much better, although walking still hurts.

And that's pretty much it. I've now run a marathon, and I don't know if I'll do it again. Right now I don't feel the need.  

MR10 (3) Miles: 26.20
Weight: 0.00
Comments
From Chad Robinson on Sat, May 18, 2013 at 19:58:44 from 64.134.228.79

Fantastic job Eric! That really is an excellent first marathon performance. I am glad your stomach behaved. I hope it is not your last marathon (I think you have a lot more in you) but nonetheless you did great. (I did post my sad race report BTW).

From Jon on Sat, May 18, 2013 at 20:01:28 from 107.203.52.135

Hey, good job with the finish in nasty weather. You toughed it out.

From crhudman on Sat, May 18, 2013 at 21:32:59 from 71.215.28.69

Great race. I was in survival mode as well by the time a saw you. Give it a couple months and you'll be signing up for another one.

From Toby on Sat, May 18, 2013 at 21:36:55 from 199.101.229.6

Great race Eric (too bad your wife wasn't running...I know she's prego..but I miss running with her!!!). The conditions were cruel today, so way to run a great race regardless! Tell Catherine hi!

From Josh E on Sun, May 19, 2013 at 08:31:20 from 67.2.82.12

Nice racing. I am guessing I passed you on the parkway following the guy in the white singlet. I had the bright green shirt and was convulsing. That time in those conditions with that mileage means you have a lot of capability at the distance.

Not sure what would make you not want to see that through other than simply not being able to get in the necessary mileage.

From Faceless Ghost on Wed, May 22, 2013 at 00:08:48 from 69.169.149.6

Josh E - I do remember you guys passing me. I was sure that more were about to follow, but I guess I was doing better than I thought :-)

As for not wanting to do more, it's just what you said. I put tons of time into my cycling career back in the day, and that kind of thing isn't the priority it once was. Of course, now that a few days have passed I find myself thinking about Top of Utah.

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