Denouement

Warmed up 3 miles after dropping off car and kids at Marions house.  Then warmed up 3 miles, stretched, hit the bathroom several times, including commandeering a male restroom about 10 min before the race start.  

The race mile markers seemed to be off in places, but got 6.2 overall, so seemed to correct.  

We started about 8 min late, no biggie.  At the gun a whole slew of boys took off.  I had about 12 boys ahead of me.  After a quarter mile we could see that the train arms were down and a train was crossing 1/2 mile ahead.  I slow down a bit, hedging between wasting effort and keeping desired pace (6:00 adjusted for grade).  About a 1/4 mile to the train I pass a slew of boys, about 3 ahead of me at the one mile mark.  First mile is slight downhill.  The train finishes when the leaders were just about to hit the train. I was headed for about a 6:03, but get a 5:44 at the mile mark (.94 miles per gps).  I hold onto a strong guy and we pass another guy, mile 2 6:01 (probably net flat), mile 3 is slight downhill, I pass strong guy 6:03, mile 4 is slight uphill, wheels falling off 6:28 (I think this mile was long, making up for short mile 1), mile 5 has biggest hill, not attrocious but challenging in mile 5 of a 10k.  Left lower quad starts seizing up in either mile 4 or 5, mile 5 split 6:29, mile 6 is a steady slight uphill, I try to push pace, quad doesn't like it.  The quad was limiting factor in this mile for sure 6:18.  .2 in 1:05, or 5:20 ave pace.   

38:11 total time.  Not so great for my fitness, but a decent workout, which was all this race was meant to be (plus a way to earn Marion's killer pancakes).

Hung out with other bloggers afterward, ate some delicious choc chip pancakes, asked them to fire up the griddle to make me some more.  Then we stayed for early lunch (hot dogs roasted in the McClellan's fire pit).  A great morning, other than the actual race ;D

PM: 4 mile easy run, Ben rode the bike with me. 

7.52 in 60 min, left knee area weak and below knee sore, went to PT today for an intervention.  Spent over 2 hours there--got my money's worth!  Also forgot to mention I've had a knot in my back since Sunday, got that worked out too.

Slept in, did workout after kids went to school.  Workout was 10x300m on the track at about 65-67 sec each (just under 6:00 pace), 200m rest in between, so I started in a different place each time.  Effort was easy, the hard part was finding the right starting places on the track.  1 - 56 sec (went until 58, knew this one is short, need to start further back next time!) (1:24 rest), 2 - 65 (1:08 rest), 3 - 61 (1:12 rest), 4 - 63 (1:23 rest), 5 - 61 (1:18 rest), 6 - 67 (1:40 rest, watch issue), 7 - 60 (1:14 rest), 8 - 65 (1:10 rest), 9 - 63 (1:38 rest, watch issue), 10 - 65,  so as you can see I never quite figured out the starts exactly, so I just focused on trying for a smooth 10k pace, or how I would feel at the end of Saturday's half, a fast 1/2 marathon pace.  27 min cool down.

PT appt, focused on upper right ham, but worked on left knee a bit, back a bit, SI joint, again there for 2 hrs

PM: 4.05 miles in 8:00 pace in WH park 

5 miles in 39:44.  Short taper for Spanish Fork half.  Ran with Tyler and Rich.  Glad Tyler's knee is healing.

Ran 30 min on the treadmill.  Had some exciting stress at work, and a bark spreading service project at the new Woodland Hills playground for an hour.  back hurty, but I am taking muscle relaxants to keep it from totally seizing up (has been tight since last Saturday).

Fourteen miles in new racer.

I ran this in 2008 in 1:22:09, a great non-aided PR, on a tough course.  I set the course record then.  This year I beat my 2008 Provo 1/2 time by 54 seconds.  Coach McMillan wanted me to try for sub 1:21, which would be a 70 second improvement on this one.  I assessed my 2008 splits and it made my stomach churn, the splits I would have to beat.  Here's how it went down:

3.5 mile warm up, including strides and stretching.  I wasn't feeling great during the warm up, but told myself that you don't have to be all jazzed for a 1/2 start, you ease into the race.  I needed to feel on at mile 4 and beyond, not in mile 1.  Saw Susanna and Teena and Josse's mom, Karan.  The Spanish Fork guys were out in force.  I showed Carl my split plan, hoping he'd run with me, but he probably just thought I was a nut.  

Actual splits per markers first, goal splits in parentheses.  I had an overall time check at 7 miles of 43:52 and mile 11 at 69:25.

1 - 6:13 (6:19), cross and headwind, started off a bit too fast with guys but settled down, tried to trail a guy for a wind break but he didn't like it.  Carl passes me and is too far ahead for wind break.  

2 - 6:17 (6:16) heavier headwind than normal on this bit of riverbottoms road, slight uphill grade, feeling good

3 - 6:13 (6:16) headwind, still slight uphill

4 - 6:15 (6:15) had a 6:15 on this mile last year, despite the hill in the middle of the mile, most likely because I saw Tyler and KellieS in this mile and was showing off, so glad to match that split from 2008, feeling good

5 - 5:57 (6:01) per course tool .57% downhill, but I think of this as a 1% downhill.  I see a trend of going under my goal paces, which is good because I have a 5:50 planned for mile 13 and it'd be good to give myself some leeway.

6 - 6:21 (6:24) flat with short steep Zephyr uphill, MacK joins me for part of this mile, I choke down a gu, about inhale the water.

7 - 6:23 (6:21) big uphill first 2/3 then downhill last 1/4, was headed for a 6:40 at the top of the hill, then started to crest strong, hit 43:44 at the top, so just 8 seconds under goal, I decide I can grow that.

8 - 5:46 (5:54) best downhill mile of the course, Mack joins me for part of this.  She cheers for me, then gives me the funniest encouragement I've ever heard in a race---"You smell nice.  You don't stink at all."  I laughed and said "Yet".

9 - 6:17 (6:15) I lost it on this mile a bit in 2008, it was a 6:26, so was able to keep it together better, it is a flat mile with about 1/4 of uphill in the last bit

10 - 6:08 (6:14) This mile is gradual uphill, then downhill at the end, on the uphill segment it is into the sun. I am still feeling good, I tell myself the sun is energy warming up my muscles and giving me energy.  I say a prayer of thanks for a good race so far.  A guy passes me, I pass two guys on downhill.

11 - 6:01 (6:10) flat and slight downhill, I pass Carl at the beginning of this mile, I take about 2/3 of a gu, I try to hang onto a guy who repasses me who is running strong.  I hit the 11 mile mark at 67:5something, when my drop dead for sub 1:21 is 69:25 (but that is with killer finish)

12 - 6:08 (6:10) slight downhill, working hard

13 -  5:54 (5:50) I see my mom at the slight uphill to come out of riverbottoms way before she sees me.  She has a water bottle and looks like she wants to give it to me, but I don't grab it.  Just 1/2 mile to go.  She hasn't seen me race for 12 years.  I don't know how I pulled out a 5:50 in 2008, 5:54 will have to do.

369 ft in 21.5 sec, about a 5:09 pace?

My watch measured the course at 13 miles, and other blogger's gps's are in concurrence. I talked with the race director (a friend of mine) she said they used two gps units to mark the course and it measured 13.1.  The map my run map shows 13.06, but that course shows the race ending before it did (so use that map and add .03?). Anyway, the course was anywhere between 13 and 13.1.  It was the same course as 2008, except we started a little further back this year, so it is a course PR of 1:53 regardless.  Also set a new course record, jah baby!  If you are conservative and go with 13.0 miles, gross up the race from 13 miles then that means I should add 37 seconds, to 1:20:53, still within goal.  Sorry to analyze it to death.

Had fun hanging out with bloggers, my mom, other local runners.  2.5 mile cooldown, won $75. 

After a not so great TOU 1/2 and the not so great 10k this Monday, so grateful for a great race.  This race was really critical for estimating my marathon in four weeks, so I am grateful I opened a good gift (see Nan's 9/6 post). 

On a side note, this time last year I volunteered for the SF half, and got in one mile of running.  Kicking AS.