I feel pretty good about today's efforts and the results. I got to
interact with so many running friends that I won't try to list them
all, but it was great to see everyone. I picked up Lyle at
4:45am. He's a new runner from my neighborhood in his early 50's (I
think). He was training for St. George last year but got injured, so
he's trying again this year. This was not only his first 1/2 marathon,
but his first race ever. He was a little nervous I think, but he
handled everything like an old pro. His goal was around 2:00 hours and
he finished in 2:01. We met Tom and Kerry as planned, and Terry
and Greg joined us for the bus ride to the start. The pre-race
porta-potty activities went smoothly, I ran a mile or so with Kerry to
warm up, waited for the race to finally start (a little late), and then
I was off. I didn't have any plans to run with anyone. I let
gravity have it's way with me and started moving down the hill. I seem
to pass people on downhills and get passed on uphills, so I guess I
must like downhills. Early in the race I was gradually passing a number
of runners, including Kolby and Jonathon, and eventually came up behind
Josse who was running along with a couple of other runners. I remember
well Josse running easily past me around mile 18 of the Utah Valley
Marathon, pacing herself perfectly to go on and win $1000 while I
finished in pain running 9:30 miles, so I decided to fall in with them
and not push on ahead. I ended up running with Josse until the top of
the big hill between Vivian and Nunns. My splits down South Fork were: 6:07, 6:30, 6:32, 6:28. The next three miles, which included the big hill,
were: 6:56, 7:01, 6:21. As we started the steep downhill I felt gravity
pulling me again and pulled ahead of Josse, although I spent the rest
of the race expecting her to pass me. I did get passed by several women
in the last miles. Every time I heard feminine breathing or footfalls
overtaking me I expected it to be her, and I have to admit I was a
little relieved each time it wasn't.
After the big downhill, when we got onto the trail, I started
feeling fatigued for the first time and just tried to keep running
smoothly, within myself, and moving forward. My splits for the next
four miles were: 6:45, 6:51, 7:04, and 6:58. The last two miles were loopy - both meanings: 1) having or characterized by loops, and 2) crazy or bizarre. These were definitely "hang on" miles, but I didn't crash. My splits were: 7:28 and 7:21. I threw in a kick near the end and finished the last bit at a 5:59/mi pace. Since the official race times were off by as much as 20-30 seconds,
I'm just using the time from my Garmin, which was 1:29:06 (avg pace
6:47/mi). It registered the distance at 13.13. My morning running buddies Larry, Wayne, and Kevin didn't run the race, but it meant a lot to me that they planned their long run so they could be at the finish line to cheer me in and hang out after the race. I hung around mingling with friends, and cheering in Lyle (2:01) and Carolyn (2:02). Carolyn is the 20-something daughter of our former morning running buddy Kent. Kent has taken a hiatus from running for the past couple of years, but his wife Melinda (also a runner) said today that while he was watching the finish he kept going back and forth between whether he should start running again. He was recently called as a bishop at BYU, so he's a pretty busy man. Anyway, after I saw the results and that I finished 4th in my AD I decided to head home. I left very satisfied, having enjoyed a wonderful morning that I think only runners can truly appreciate. | 