I'm going to go all post-modern, and start with the end first, and then work my way backward to show how I got there: 
Actually, that's about all there is to say. ...but I'll provide some details anyway, since this is a day I want to remember. James (JD) and Steve (Ashbaker) stayed with us last night, and it was fun to meet James, and also to catch up with Steve. I got up at 4:20AM, and started a pot of coffee on my brand spankin' new coffee-maker. It's a small pot, but make enough for all three of us to have a cup. Ahhh. I ate a banana, a nectarine, and an apple for breakfast, and later ate another banana on the bus ride over. Hopefully that would top off the tank. After breakfast, I was bit vexed to not be able to find my sports watch. I think Seth hid it somewhere. My choices were to wear my normal watch, which had a timer but could not take splits, or wear my garmin. I could not stand the thought of wearing the garmin, so I wore the normal watch, meaning I would essentially be running naked, with only a running time and some split clocks at 10K and the Half to give me pace feedback. So it goes. That will just make it more fun.
I knew from the half marathon a few weeks ago that I had the speed, economy, and general aerobic fitness to run a good marathon, but I was concerned about my fueling and the pounding. Half the point of marathon-specific training is to make the body accustomed to the fuel demands and adapted to the pounding, and I simply had not trained enough. Basically I just threw together 5 weeks decent running, with a long run each week, some lame workouts, and low total volume (55-65 miles/week). So I was very excited to run today, but also bit apprehensive. But mostly I was excited, excited to be out there toeing the line on another marathon (#14 for me), excited to be on my home course, excited to mix it up with some Kenyans and with some good local runners, and excited for the mere experience of a marathon again. If I crashed and burned, so be it, but I was going to have fun doing it, try to put on a show for the locals, and make the out-of-towners earn their paychecks. I was loose and happy to be there. Ashbaker accused me of being too chatty.
We got to the start line with about an hour or so before the gun. Quickly found some other bloggers, and headed for the secret bathrooms, known today as "Oz". Off to see the wizard...Turns out I got a three-star race today, which is dandy. The race started on time (as usual for TOU). I was not sure what to expect from the Kenyan runners. Would they pound it out early? Or would they run as slow as possible to still get the win? I thought the latter was more likely, and it proved to be true. Nobody went out hard, so I took the incentive to just take the lead right at the gun, while still keeping it well in control. Hit Mile 1 in 5:25, which was the only split I got the whole race. I led for the next two miles as well, with a pack of 5 or 6 right behind me, content to let me do the work. I got to the first aid station at Mile 3 and veered off for gatorade (I thought it would be hot, so wanted to take as much liquid as possible early on, and also to help with my fueling). I usually slow down more than average to take water, so a couple Kenyans passed me, and I tucked into the pack for a few miles. A few miles into the race, I met Bryant Jensen, a former Weber runner, and we chatted a bit. I think marathons are a great way to meet people. I took my first Gu at Mile 6. One of the Kenyans gestured that he wanted some too, so we passed it around. A tight-knit pack, we were. I also chatted with the MarathonGuide.com Kenyan. He was a nice guy, spoke good English. Actually, they all did. Again, I wasn't getting splits at any of the miles, just ran by feel, and tried to keep loose and relaxed. One-by-one, people dropped off the pack. This surprised me, as the pace seemed very conservative and easy. Two Kenyans dropped by Mile 8, and then eventually Bryant dropped around Mile 10 or so. That left mysef, the Spira Kenyan, and the MarathonGuide.com Kenyan. The marathonguide.com guy was breathing awfully hard, and sure enough, he was next to drop. I glanced at my watch at Mile 10, it was about 54:30, so a little under 5:30 pace so far, by my math. By now, it was just me and the Spira Kenyan. I was still feeling good, and winning was on my mind. I still didn't know what would happen by Mile 20, but I knew I wanted to go for it. No local runner has ever won the men's overall at TOU, and I really wanted to represent. We went through the half marathon at around 1:11:30 (not sure). My official 13-mile chip split was 1:10:49, so that sounds about right. At this point, we were at the fastest part of the course. It's the best downhill of the course, and the tailwind has picked up. I was getting antsy, and ready to make a move. Around Mile 14, I hit a good stretch of downhill, and dropped the hammer right there. Here it is, my one move for the race. I felt like I had an advantage in knowing the course well, and that this was the right time, right before things got harder. But would it be too early? I put on about 5 or 10 meters early on Hollow Rd. I tried to keep a hard pace and increase the gap, although I had no idea how fast I was going. During the Hollow Rd stretch I made good friends with the two college kids on the scooter, who were shooting video for the TOU website. We bantered back and forth, and I hammed it up for them. It kept me loose and my mind off the upcoming pain, and hopefully they had a good time too. It was good to have a pacer, plus they were able to give me updates on 2nd place. ...and the gap was steadily increasing. The course keeps a subtle but steady downhill through Mile 18, and then turns into Millville, where it starts a hard 2-mile climb. I was definitely laboring on the uphill, but did not feel like the Wall was looming, or that I was running low on fuel. The scooter pacers kept my spirits up, and the hill went pretty quick. Before I knew it I was at Mile 20. "I think I'll make it" I told the scooter folks. And I honestly believed that. I knew now that I had about two blocks (80 seconds) up from second, and the race was mine to lose. I just could not fall apart is all...but certainly possible in the marathon. After I crested the Millville hill, I tried to pick it up again for one more hard surge. I figured if I could get to Mile 23 in relatively good shape, things would be looking good. I worked the 2 miles of downhill hard. By Mile 22, my hips were hurting, and the calves were starting to cramp occasionally. Fortunately, the calves never got too bad. I was afraid of a total lockup, but it didn't happen. By now I was counting down miles and blocks, still hamming it for the scooter crew to keep all our spirits up, waving to spectators and trying to have as good of time as I good. After all, when would I have this chance again? I climbed up into River Heights, then back down into Logan. Hit the Mile 24. Two miles left! I knew now that the race was mine, as long as my calves didn't completely give out. But even a pair of 7:00 miles would still win, so the Wall was a non-issue now. At Mile 24, I motioned for the scooter camera crew to come back to me. "Hey" I said, "I'm really concerned about you two. You've been on that scooter for well over 2 hours...you're probably cramped and dehydrated! Just be careful." We all had a good laugh, and I offered to get them water at the next aid station. Good times with good (new) friends. Finally, I got to Main St and turned the corner. The course goes uphill for a few blocks here. It's not very big, but comes at a difficult time. I passed my boss at 100 S, and gave him a high-5. I was in celebration mode...as long as I didn't make any too sudden movements to cramp my calves. I'm definitely really hurting here, but knew the end was near and tried to keep smiling.
Turned the corner onto 300 N. There is another 1-block uphill, not too bad, but still unwelcome. Then I turned onto 100 E, and it flattened out. I was really enjoying the moment at this point, just praising God and having fun with the spectators. Saw my boss again, and told him that I was tired (which was true). My body is really protesting badly by the Center St. crossing, but then I had the nice downhill...and then...finally, the turn onto 200 S. Then the 26-mile mark. Then the final turn to the finish line. The approach to the finish is always something to savor, no matter where you place in a marathon. But to approach the finish in first place is truly special. And to approach the finish in first place in your home town marathon, ahead of a bunch of Kenyans, is beyond special. I enjoyed every moment, gave the appropriate amount of arm pumps, and broke the tape. This is something I've envisioned for a long time (to win TOU), and to actually do it was surreal. Final time was 2:23:07. Cool, even splits.
Funny story: at about Mile 25.5, I passed a woman who yelled at me, "Are you really winning??" "Yeah!" I said. "Heck yeah he's winning!" my scooter buddies said. "Oh sweet," said the woman, "I told the people around me that the little white guy was winning, but nobody believed me!"
Obviously, winning TOU was a thrill of a lifetime. Ogden in 2007 was a big deal for me, but winning the local marathon over great competition, and as a local underdog, was special. I give God all the glory, and thank Him for not just the ability to run fast, but for the ability to run at all. Each day I'm out there is a blessing. Got a big hug from the 2nd place Kenyan afterward (Josphat CHEMJOR). What a classy guy. The 3rd place runner (Sammy NYAMONGO) was a good guy too, and we all chatted a bit before interviews. I got my official 13-mile and 20-mile splits from milliseconds.com this evening. Like I mentioned earlier, 13-mile was 1:10:49 (5:27/mile). Miles 13-20 were covered in 37:02 (5:17/mile). Miles 20-26.2 were covered in 35:15 (5:40/mile). The the last 6 miles were a slow-down, but not terrible. I wonder what the last 5K was, but I guess I'll never know. I'm not sure what the future holds. It seems that if I train decently, I might be able to hit the 2:19 mark. I think I can handle 80-90 mpw physically, but the hangup is more about whether I can handle it emotionally, or that if I will have the time or desire for it. But maybe I will down the road? For this fall, I'm definitely doing The Other Half in Moab in October, for fun. But I don't know after that. Maybe another attempt at a half PR. I wonder if I can hit the 1:05 half marathon qualifier mark. Then I wouldn't have to train for, or run, a marathon at all until Trials. We'll see. But today, I am happy with running, and I'll let it rest at that.
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