Kerry's Running Blog

St. George Marathon

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Location:

Cedar Hills,UT,USA

Member Since:

Apr 08, 2006

Gender:

Male

Goal Type:

Age Division Winner

Running Accomplishments:

5K: 21:39 (2006) Half marathon: 1:33:45 (2006) Marathon 3:31:49 (2006)

Short-Term Running Goals:

Lose some weight and get back into racing shape. Run more races this year.

 Next race: St. George Marathon

Long-Term Running Goals:

Stay healthy and in good enough shape that I can more or less keep up with my youngest daughter.

Personal:

My wife Laureen got me into running. She went into the St. George Marathon Ten Year Club last year and I should go in this year. I have two daughters (15 and 21).

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Miles:This week: 0.00 Month: 0.00 Year: 0.00
Cumulus12 Lifetime Miles: 10.65
Race: St. George Marathon (26.2 Miles) 05:42:00
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
0.0026.200.000.0026.20

After running eight or nine marathons by myself or with friends, I was really looking forward to running this one with my wife. We ran my first marathon together back in 2001, but I kind of drove her crazy wanting to go faster on a day that she really wasn't feeling very good. 

 On Saturday morning we got up at 4:00 a.m. got ready and went down for a runner's breakfast at Abbey Inn. We chatted for a few minutes with a lady from Chicago who was running St. George for her first time, but had completed 35 marathons previously. We spotted Verdon and his son eating breakfast and we went over and talked to them and invited them to ride over to Worthen Park with us. After parking at the church across from the temple, we walked up to the buses and ran into Paul, Larry, Wayne and Kevin. The last of the buses were just taking off, but we managed to get on one of the others that showed up a few minutes later. We got to the starting line with about a half hour to spare (we used the time to hit the porta-potties a couple of times). After the race started we took our time getting to the starting line. It was just getting light in the east and it was warm enough for short sleeves. 

 We started off at an easy warmup pace and found Verdon about a mile up the road. It was nice to run with him and chat. We enjoyed the scenery and I stopped and took a few pictures along the way. As we started at the back of the pack, it wasn't very crowded and we walked through the water stops.

 At the water stop before Veyo we lost Verdon and didn't see him again. We ran up part of Veyo and walked the steeper parts. The sun had been up for a little while by then and it was starting to get a little warm. We took a couple more walking breaks through Dammeron Valley and we both felt more tired and achy than we should of, half way through the race. The downhill sections through the Snow Canyon area felt pretty good, but we really starting to feel the heat through miles 17 and 18. At about that point I started feeling a vague sense of unease about finishing. I just dismissed it as feelings conjured up from past races where I'd crashed and burned about eighteen miles into it. Laureen and I both tried to stay positive and just enjoy the experience. About the time we hit the downhill at 20 miles, I was feeling like were really close to the finish, but I was worried that my calves, ankles, knees and hips were really starting to ache. We'd been on track with our training through July, but with all the disruptions that came in August and September, we ended up skipping most of our long runs. We did get one 20 miler in towards the end of August, but we knew the end of the marathon was going to be hard. From mile 23 to 24 the wheels really came off for me. My legs and ankles were so tight and painful that it became impossible to run and nearly impossible to walk. Laureen was doing a lot better and just stuck with me. We'd caught up with Larry about mile 22 and 23 and it was nice to have him along as well. It was the Death March from the mile 24 water station to the finish, but we just kept moving and got some much needed relief from some popsicles that some nice people handed us and from the shade the last part of the course. It certainly wasn't pretty and it was the slowest marathon for both of us, but considering our schedule for the last couple of months and the heat, it was nice just to finish (Laureen's ninth and my eighth).


Comments
From Tom on Mon, Oct 04, 2010 at 10:28:44 from 137.65.56.16

Kerry nice job hanging tough with Laureen and surviving this hot-and-toasty day! Those death march races aren't very fun but it sure helps to have you better half at your side. We're lucky to have the rare opportunity to run a marathon with our wives, even better to do it more than once. Take care and hope the recovery (and new job) goes well.

From Kelli on Mon, Oct 04, 2010 at 20:30:15 from 71.219.65.246

Death march, good name for it! Glad they were handing out something cold!!! Nice job, I love that you ran together. My husband and I have managed to pull it off once (we take turns being a little too eager and leaving each other) and it was a great race!

From Brent on Mon, Oct 04, 2010 at 21:47:41 from 66.7.127.219

Kerry, good to see you back at STG, heck, wish I had seen you at the finish. It sounds like a sweet experience with you wife. Often times, running with love ones means more than PRs, ribbons, or whatever, those experiences last forever. Hey, keep blogging once in a while. I thought you had fell off the blogging map.

Stay Kool, B of BS Rools out

From Paul Thomas on Mon, Oct 04, 2010 at 22:48:24 from 174.52.141.204

I should have run with you and Laureen and Larry. We could have made a party of it...a very slow, painful, miserable death march of a party...but misery does love company. Congratulations on sticking it out. It doesn't surprise me. Watching you battle to finish Boston is still the greatest example of endurance I've ever personally witnessed. When I was talking to my extended family about trying to figure out what happened to me this year, my dad summarized his opinion quite succinctly..."You're getting old!" I'm convinced I've still got plenty of not-quite-so-miserable marathons in me...and so do you and Larry and the rest of us old guys. I've told you before how jealous I am of you and Laureen running together. A family that runs together...umm...endures good times and bad together, I guess. Congratulations again on enduring well.

From TBean on Fri, Oct 15, 2010 at 15:47:01 from 63.241.173.64

I'm glad you were able to make it to the finish on such a hot day and with less than perfect training. I wish I could have run into you and Verdon. Maybe next time.

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