AM Ran the Top of Utah marathon today. Whew, it was tuff...but oh so satisfying! Huge PR of 22 minutes so I am stoked. I had 5/70+ mile weeks before the race which really paid off in the later miles. I was hoping for more in the 2:50 to 2:45 range today, but my legs felt really stiff this last week from my taper, so will have to work on that before my next go at this distance. Anyway, got up at 4:30 to shower and get to the bus to pick-up my number. I missed the expo the night before because Lacy's parents came into town and we spent the night traveling up to Logan and checking out the town. Got on the bus to the start and waited in line to the port-o-potty for about 20 minutes....then the rain started. We had a crazy down pour right before the start and a few other squalls during the race. Miles 1 - 12: Saw Allie and James at the start, so Allie and I decided to start together. About 2 miles in we saw a 2:50 pace group and decided to latch on with them. My legs were really stiff and I was just trying to get a rythm. It was nice running in the group and we were hitting around the 6:30 mark pretty consistently. Then the guts started to churn...oh no! The group was pulling away so I decided it was time for the bathroom. Took aobut 1:20 in the bathroom then headed out again. Miles 13 - 19: I am now in no man's land and it's starting to rain hard. Before the race started I pinned my bib to my shorts because I know hard runs, wet shirts, and nipples are not a good combination. Shedded the shirt at 14.5 and cam out of the canyon to a roaring crowd. I now felt really good and started running numbers in my head to figure how fast I had to go to at least break 3 hours. Things felt good and these were by far my best feeling miles, keepin the pace the around 6:35 effort. Miles 20 - 26.2: Turned into the neighborhood and started climbing hills and had lots of turns, so I just took it one mile at a time. My legs were feelin extremely stiff, but I was still able to manage 6:50 to 7:00 pace. Passed about 5 guys during these last miles, a few were walkin, so I tried to give some encouragment when I passed. Coming into the chute was overwhelming and I couldnt believe I was able to manage under 2:55 considering how my legs felt down the canyon and after a pit stop in the bathroom. I have huge blisters on my feet now from running in wet socks, but a small price to pay for my first time goin sub-3 hours. Saw Allie, Sasha, and Glen"Little Bad Legs" at the finish and during the awards ceremony. Seemed like everyone had a successful day and bloggers took the top 4 male overall spots! Allie hasn't posted her race report yet, so I'll let her say how she did. I am super happy for her though, especially considering what she's been thru over the summer. Got a cool little moose trophy for being 3rd in my age. Then back home with Lacy and her fam for some burgers and chill time.
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