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Ogden Marathon

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Location:

Fort Collins,CO,

Member Since:

May 15, 2003

Gender:

Male

Goal Type:

Local Elite

Running Accomplishments:

Unaided PR's:
5K: 14:48 (Track - 2001)
10K: 30:45 (Track - 2001)
10K: 31:32 (Bolder Boulder - 2013)
Half Marathon: 1:06:09 (Duluth - 2013)
Marathon: 2:17:54 (Grandma's) - 2014)
Marathon: 2:19:47 (Indianapolis Monumental - 2013)
Marathon: 2:19:49 (Indianapolis Monumental - 2010)

Aided PR's:
10K: 29:38 (Des News - 2011)
Half Marathon: 1:05:30 (TOU Half - 2011)
Marathon: 2:18:09 (St George - 2007)
Marathon: 2:17:35 (Boston - 2011)

Short-Term Running Goals:

Diagnosed with Ankylosing Spondylitis in June of 2008. Started taking Enbrel in March, 2009.

Run as much as I can, and race as well as I can. Make the most of however much time I have left as an able-bodied runner.

Training for the 2018 Colorado Marathon

Long-Term Running Goals:

  Run until I'm old, and then run some more. Stand tall.

Personal:

1 wife, 2 kids. 1 cat. Work as a GIS Specialist/Map Geek

Endure and persist; this pain will turn to your good. - Ovid

Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us. - Romans 5:1-5

 

 

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Race: Ogden Marathon (26.2 Miles) 02:26:24, Place overall: 1, Place in age division: 1
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesCrosstraining milesTotal Miles
0.8026.200.000.000.0027.00

Ogden Marathon. My watch completely died on me this afternoon, so I can't get at my mile splits, but I'll do the best I can off my memory. Here goes.

Cody, Dan, James, and I stayed at James' inlaws in Willard, so we had about a 15-minute drive to the race busing area. Weather in Ogden at 5AM was pleasant, but too warm for 5AM. T-shirt and shorts were comfortable. Fortunately, once we bused up 1200' in elevation to the start line, the air was much more brisk, and good running conditions. No wind either. However, the temps in Ogden served as bad omen for what it would be like during the last few miles.

The start line featured pretty much everyone I expected, so no big surprises there. After a false start, the race finally started for real, pretty much on-time. The first mile was slow, too slow: 5:42. I wanted 5:30s for the first 8 miles, which is a nice, fast, 1% grade downhill. So I sped up and no one sped up with me; I was all alone, and footsteps faded within a mile. My next 7 mile splits were pretty much all at 5:28. Seriously, it was weird, I was just locked into 5:28 until the downhill ended and we turned to go around Pineview.

Everything was feeling good, and it felt like I had build a decent lead, so I decided to to maintain the same effort on the rolling hills around Pineview Reservoir. Same effort = slower pace, but I was fine with this, as I assumed everyone behind me would slow down too. Sure enough, my 5:28's turned into 5:40s. I wanted to hold this until Mile 17 or so, when the course veers downhill again. I hoped to even- or negative-split the race. Went through the half marathon in exactly 1:13:00. This was right where I wanted to be, especially given the warmer temps. Still no headwind of any sort, which was good. I was afraid when I broke away and went solo that I might hang myself out to dry if there was any sort of headwind, but so far so good. I could tell by the roar of the crowd that the next runners were about 2:00 behind me. This is good; if I can maintain for the rest of rolling section and then go back to sub-5:30s on the downhill part, I doubted that anyone would catch me.

Did another 5:40, and then came to the only hill worth noting on the course. It is a decent climb, but nothing like Vejo; not too steep or too long. However, I had been experiencing mild stomach cramping for a little while, and it suddenly got a bit worse, to the point where it was slowing me down. I tried some breathing exercises, but the only thing that helped was grabbing my gut with my hand. Not an effective way to run a marathon. This resulted in a 6:10 mile and me walking through the next aid station. I knew that if I couldn't get back on track soon, my race was going south. It was frustrating because my legs still felt good. Walking through the aid station and taking a good amount of water seemed to help. I think my stomach was just upset from too much sugar from the Gu and PowerAid, and the water helped dilute it. In any case, after a bit more deep breathing exercises, I had worked the cramp out completely, and was rolling full-tilt again my Mile 17.

The course resumed a big downhill starting right before Mile 18, as it winds down Ogden Canyon (1.8% downhill gradient). Mile 18 was 5:28 again, which made me laugh a little. I can't remember all my splits, but most were 5:30 or under, with a 5:20 as the fastest. My quads were feeling fatigued by Mile 20, but the rest of my systems still felt good. I wasn't breathing hard, I wasn't dehydrated, and I didn't feel glycogen-depleted. Quite a bit of general fatigue, but I could mentally focus through it. At Mile 20, I mentally turned the race into a 10K, and then mentally turned it into a 5K at Mile 23. I was drinking quite a bit of water and PowerAid at aid stations, but was dousing my head and body with even greater amounts of water. This kept me wet and cool between aid stations, and also shocked my nervous system from the sudden cold, and caused me to increase my pace.

Ogden Canyon spit me out onto the Ogden River Parkway (a paved bike trail) around Mile 23. At this point I was smelling the barn enough to get excited about finishing strong, plus kept trying whatever I could think of to give me adrenaline surges and internal encouragement. I was dousing myself with even more water, and then doing double-fisted slam-dunks of the paper cups into the trash bins, while grunting. Seriously. The volunteers and half marathoners I was passing must have thought I was nuts, but I was still holding 5:30/mile pace, and that's all I cared about. I knew at this point from crowd response (or lack thereof) that victory was pretty much a done deal, but I really wanted to make sure to finish the race as hard as could, and potentially PR over my old St. George time.

The Parkway segment finally ended with less than a mile to go, the course finished on the road into downtown Ogden. It's pretty much dead flat, but the building were casting good shadows, which helped keep things cool. I knew that the race ended on 25th Street, and started counting blocks. 20th Street: 1000m. 21st Street: half mile. 22nd Street: 600m. 23rd Street: 400m. At this point, the crowd was completely lining the street, and was very loud in cheering me on. That was the final bout of adrenaline I needed, and kicked it in hard, finishing the the final 400m with a good sprint, and relishing the moment. I realize that winning a race like this is nothing to take to for granted, and this particular finish is something that I will remember for a long time. What a rush!

There was an issue with the timing due to the "false start", but I'm pretty sure my final time was 2:26:24-ish, which is a good 10-second PR from St. George in 2005. I thought after the Striders Half Marathon that I might have 2:25 or 2:24 in meon the Ogden Marathon course, and I think I do, but just not with the heat and with running solo. So as far as I'm concerned, I met my time goal, got a non-St George PR, and also met another goal of breaking the course record (2:29-something). My my primary goal was simply winning the race, and to be honest, I didn't even think about my PR until the last couple miles.

So with all goals met and with the thrill of victory, I'm ecstatic with today, and am so thankful just to get to run a marathon again. A year ago, I could barely hobble, and I wasn't even sure if running competitively ever again would be an option. This marathon was a sweet way to cap off the road to recovery and finish out my first full training cycle back. I look forward to building on this and gradually adding more mileage and more training cycles. I'm not sure which fall marathon I'll do to try to get my Trials Qualifier, but for now I'm going to take a few days completely off, reverse taper, and then start a 5K-10K mesocycle to see if I can get some speed back. Then start a marathon mesocycle in late July to add more endurance to that speed.

Steve Ashbaker outleaned Joe Wilson for 2nd (and his first sub-2:30 performance!!). Neal Gasmann was 4th with somewhere under 2:32. I forget who was 5th, but Sasha was 6th (I think) with 2:32:00. So a very solid field. Other bloggers ran very very well with some long-awaited performances and PR's, but I won't steal their thunder!

(Burn: 176 miles)

Comments
From Mike K on Sat, May 19, 2007 at 16:45:18

Good work Paul! Congratulations! What is next for you? I hope you get a small break and then start your prep to qualify this fall.

From Superfly on Sat, May 19, 2007 at 16:51:53

Since I finished my run this morning I've been sitting at my computer all day waiting for this. Good job. Way to fight off the stomach issues. I look forward to hearing more about it as the day unfolds. Stay healthy and get some rest before WBR '07.

From Andy on Sat, May 19, 2007 at 16:56:56

What an amazing run. While I was waiting around for the 1/2 awards ceremony, they announced there was a new course record for the marathon and I knew that it would be from you. Great job on an amazing comeback from last year's injuries.

From Chad on Sat, May 19, 2007 at 17:02:55

Spectacular, Paul! Enjoy the moment, man!

From Mike K on Sat, May 19, 2007 at 17:29:45

Good work Paul! Congratulations! What is next for you? I hope you get a small break and then start your prep to qualify this fall.

From Maria on Sat, May 19, 2007 at 18:12:48

I was waiting for your result anxiously. I had this wild thought that you may actually run OT qualifier right now. Your recent racing has been so great, that I wouldn't put it past you to qualify today! Very, very impressive and awesome time, running alone and in the heat by second half. You very nearly even split it! From what I know, St. George is even faster course, so perhaps there is your chance to qualify. Congratulations on the win and PR, things are looking very good for you!

From David Nelson on Sun, May 20, 2007 at 01:11:48

That's great Paul. I was thinking about last year recently, and what a struggle it was for you without running. I'm amazed that the same guy who limped into Great Harvest like an 85-year-old nailed a race like that today. What a story. I'm happy for you.

You didn't yell 'watch out for the Shaq attack' on those aid stop dunks, did you?

From wheakory on Sun, May 20, 2007 at 02:26:13

Nice job Paul. Way to perform well and toughing your stomach problem out. You are a true professional competitor. Your fall marathon can only be better.

From Mik'L on Sun, May 20, 2007 at 15:23:57

Great job Paul. Between living with Clyde and the blog, I hear all about everything going on with the running world (or so it seems). So I feel like I know all of you and it was fun to read about your experience. I especially got a kick out of your final moments of struggle. Don't worrry, Clyde was grunting out loud at the end of his first marathon.

From Mik'L on Sun, May 20, 2007 at 15:23:59

Great job Paul. Between living with Clyde and the blog, I hear all about everything going on with the running world (or so it seems). So I feel like I know all of you and it was fun to read about your experience. I especially got a kick out of your final moments of struggle. Don't worrry, Clyde was grunting out loud at the end of his first marathon.

From ashman on Sun, May 20, 2007 at 16:47:36

You really are the Comeback kid. Great job Paul. I read the back page of the Tribune, hope you got it.

From Chad on Sun, May 20, 2007 at 17:55:49

Don't miss the race video and post-finish video interview with Paul on the Ogden Standard Examiner site:

http://www.standard.net/live/?vid=OgdenMarathon07

From Cody on Sun, May 20, 2007 at 19:02:57

What can I say Paul? I am so glad that you had a great race and it is well deserved. Very smartly executed. Impressive!

From ArmyRunner on Sun, May 20, 2007 at 21:54:01

Great run Paul and thanks for the support. I know you have a qualifier in you in the not so distant future and look forward to hearing about your experience in New York after the trials.

From Nick on Sun, May 20, 2007 at 22:23:45

Nice run Paul! You really seemed to lay the hammer down! If you continue to progress like this, OT's are definitely going to happen.

From dutch on Sun, May 20, 2007 at 22:49:37

Pauly!

Good job, buddy. I'm with Dave, man. You're a completely different person than the guy we lumbered around with tis past year. I'm very impressed and proud. Thanks for giving me bragging rights. "my running buddy in utah...."

From Brent on Sun, May 20, 2007 at 23:13:20

Congrads, awesome time on a warm day, and the come back runner of the year.

From Bill cobler on Mon, May 21, 2007 at 00:25:14

From Bill Cobler on Mon, May 21, 2007 at 00:29:37

Sorry for the double entry I hit the enter key. Not the first time. Good job on your race and new course record. Keep up the training and stay healthy who knows what great achievement will be next.

From James in Sunny AZ on Mon, May 21, 2007 at 10:34:27

Way to go Paul! Your recovery from your injuries to get to this point is definitely an inspiration to me. Congratulations on the course record.

From Bob on Mon, May 21, 2007 at 11:06:28

Hey Paul

Nice work!

From Dustin on Mon, May 21, 2007 at 11:24:27

Great Race! I really enjoyed being able to be at the finish line and watching you come in finishing so strong. I'm getting excited for the Wasatch Back.

From Dave Holt on Mon, May 21, 2007 at 11:33:56

Congratulations Paul - it is awesome to read about your great race and win! It makes me want to go out running right NOW!

From James on Mon, May 21, 2007 at 12:56:45

Paul,

I'm just glad to know you. I agree with Bob's comments after the Striders Half about seeing a Superman "S" on your back. I know how you were last year at this time and how you are running now, and it is inspiring! Glad to have a little bit of bragging rights about my buddy breaking the Ogden Marathon course record by 3 minutes! Great race, I'm proud of you!

From Jed Burton on Mon, May 21, 2007 at 13:37:32

I was thrilled to read about your victory in the paper yesterday. After following your blog last year and your dedication to the slow and painful process of recovery, it was especially gratifying to find out that you had won. I'm sure there are a few other course records that are shaking in their boots after seeing this tremendous reentry into the Utah marathon scene. Well done!

From Sasha Pachev on Mon, May 21, 2007 at 15:09:48

Paul:

Faith is to believe in things which are not seen, but which are true. It was not seen, but you believed anyway, and you worked as if you could see. What a great reward for your faith! It was true after all. Hard work magnified by God's power brought fruit in this race. But this is far from the end. More will come soon.

In my estimate this particular performance was worth about 2:18 in good conditions in St. George, maybe even 2:17. This is great, this gives you a free ticket to the Trials upon re-execution in October, but I think this also shows you've got some hidden depth to unearth. I have mentioned earlier that I thought you were potentially a 2:10 marathoner, and your performance confirmed this hunch to me. The right set of buttons would need to be pushed in order for this to come out.

You ran this race pretty much off great biomechanics enhanced by a little bit of base training, and that was enough to run an equivalent of 2:20 in Chicago! You cannot yet run 100 miles a week comfortably. Your tempo runs or interval work have not yet been sufficiently brutal, you are not yet at the point where making them brutal is advantageous. Your diet has improved and produced good results, but I have a feeling there is still room for improvement there. With all of that in mind, I see how you could shave off another 10 minutes off this effort (not just the time, but the effort, which would give you 2:10 on a perfect flat sea-level course!). I am very excited about this.

From Chri on Mon, May 21, 2007 at 18:52:25

Congrats Paul! What a great race for you--you looked strong all the way to the finish--a testament to the great spring of training you've put in!

From MichelleL on Sun, May 04, 2008 at 23:11:16

I love your race report. Josse's right, this is about the perfect race, minus about 20 seconds in the stomach turmoil mile. So you think the fast to slow mile difference was 15-20 seconds for you, so that would be about 20-25 sec for me. Hmmm. Your discussion about motivation rang true to me too. I remember when my St. George turned into a 10k and I was weary but still going strong. For me I need to be able to keep it together at the 5K to go mark. I appreciate your discussion on how to get the adrenaline flowing, I will be chewing on this post for a while.

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