Huh. I still have some work to do. On one hand, it's a 3 minute PR; on the other hand it could have been a 6-7 minute PR if I wasn't so weak between the ears. Or the training could have been a bit more solid, perhaps that would have shored things up in my head. What a lovely prologue. After picking up packets and briefly chatting with some lonely pacers, my son and I made our way to Providence; a friend from work agreed to let us stay. After getting a fixit ticket trying to find the place, we played a little foos and ping pong. I retired at 10:45 after setting a 4:30 alarm. I slept soundly until 4:17. I had a couple bowls of oatmeal, hoping that would be enough to tide me over. We drove to the park to catch a bus. I rode up with an avid marathoner & ultra runner; this was his 95th. He spun yarns the whole way, which was fine. Probably I should have found out his name. The porta-potty line was long, and ours was definitely the slowest. At one point, we watched the neighboring line move up 6 spots while we stood and waited for some guy to do a total wardrobe change, or something along those lines. After that, it started raining in earnest. I stood under the eave of some shack, and stayed dry. The start was getting close, and I just barely got my crap in the bus before they took off. Between shedding the outer layers and the start, the rain really started coming down. I ducked inside the elite tent and stayed dry, and took a gel and 5 hr energy. When coming to the line, I ran into an old mission comp, Nate. We chatted, and he gave me a bandaid for my chestal area. I was concerned about the effects of a wet shirt, justifiably so. Just for the record, things worked out fine. Cannon shot, and we are off. I was 10 seconds behind gun time. I enjoyed running down the canyon for the first time. I was familiar with the last 14 miles of the course, but had never ventured up to the real start. I caught up with Tara around mile 2. We chatted a bit, but mostly focused on rolling down the hill. We leapfrogged each other through the first 17 miles of the race. I'd pull ahead a bit, but she'd catch me at every other aid station while I was choking down another gel, always at a dead stop. Tara ran strong, like a machine. She passed me approaching mile 20, and I couldn't keep her in sight, but that's getting ahead of myself. The canyon miles were not notable. The water was pretty, but the fall colors haven't started at all yet. I thought I'd be enjoying a rainbow of red and orange, but mostly it was moody and misty. Except for the deluge at mile 7. Another burst of weather at mile 14 made mile 7 look like a gentle sprinkle. Hail was bouncing off the road, and within seconds we were soaked to the skin. My shoes gained plenty of weight, as did my shirt and shorts which slapped against my thighs. My son and parents met me at the Hyrum turn. Max gave me 2 gels and a 5 hr energy. I dropped a gel, and he had to bust a move to catch me and give it back. I guess I was a little shaky. I stuffed them in my waistband, but they weren't riding very well. I ate one at mile 15 and carried the other for a while. The mile 19 aid station was gel time. I stopped and got it down, but had a hard time getting started again. I figured things would improve within a mile, so I pressed on. I guess there's a little hill I'd been dismissing in my mind. I walked up it. I recovered my wits for the next mile, but that was the first crack. My strategy was to run around 6:45 pace for the first 18 and then hold on. It worked flawlessly, except for the holding on part. The last 5 miles were all in the 8:00 + range while I battled my left calf, Gu-gut, and softness in my head. I was pretty out of it. The 3:10 pacers went by just before mile 24. Gamely I held on for about 3 blocks, and couldn't continue. My groupies followed along and cheered 3-4 times after mile 14 but I only was aware of them one time. That was at mile 25 when Max joined me for the last bit. There's a bit of a hill, which I walked all the way up. After heading turning south for the last time, I told him, "Don't let me stop." I'm such a hero; I ran for the last .7 miles without stopping. After crossing the line, I wandered around, and managed to stay upright. I'll always be grateful to that large pole I held onto. I felt somewhat improved within 5 minutes, and grabbed some chocolate milk, and strangely enough, fish-shaped cat food. I've never participated in a race where they served the finishers cat food. It must have been in honor of the female winners pet menagerie. I left the runner area and went and sat in the gutter. The small children who had been floating leaves looked at me jealously. Their parents were fighting a losing fight to keep them dry, and here I was, casually lounging waist-deep. 5 minutes into my soak, Tara joined. We chatted about the race, and her epic battle to finish in the money. Alas, she was the 6th overall woman, but did take home a Large Moose as an age division winner. After reaching a pre-hypothermic state, I got in line for my best post-race massage ever. Next, I changed into dry clothes. I just missed Nate's finish, but he came in with a very solid time in the 3:40's; not bad for a 6 week training cycle. Mom and Dad drove me home. I slept thru the canyon, but woke up in Brigham when he stopped for gas. I thought Prius's didn't need gas...By the time we reached Ogden, I was already plotting a Saturday marathon in November or December. Sick, I know. Splits: 6:39
6:45
6:35
6:39
6:41
7:02
6:49
6:43
6:44
7:20
6:54
6:50
6:44
6:49
6:51
7:14
7:03
7:49
7:25
8:33
7:12
8:35
8:10
8:16
7:59
8:36I often joke with my wife that I'm running to prove that I'm "The Best There Ever Was." Despite being over an hour slow, my family continues to support me in this frivolous pursuit. Running has given me something over the last 3.5 years that I never found anywhere else. Also, I appreciate this blog community. I derive much inspiration reading race reports and workout descriptions. Congratulations to all the runners today. As Robert Plant was fond of saying, "Ramble on!"
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