Top of Utah Marathon, Logan, UT I finished the TOU Marathon in 03:28:42, 163rd overall (roughly top 10%), 23rd of 126 in Male 45-49 division (top 19%). My mile splits were: 1- 7:26.65 2- 7:09.13 3- 7:23.32 4- 7:20.66 5- 7:32.22 6- 7:45.90 7- 7:35.30 8- 7:27.57 9- 7:30.06 10- 7:42.77 11- 7:34.36 12- 7:19.33 13- 7:30.31 14- 7:22.49 15- 7:26.00 16- 7:46.95 17- 8:01.92 18- 8:14.92 19- 8:39.95 20- 8:39.53 21- 8:24.46 22- 8:51.68 23- 9:17.73 24- 9:20.99 25- 8:55.10 26- 8:42.23 1st Half- 1:38:06 (7:29/mi avg) 2nd Half- 1:50:36 (8:27/mi avg) Overall 3:28:42 (7:58/mi avg) My first goal was 3:20, which I knew was a real stretch goal for me, but I decided to try that pace and see how it felt. At 13.1, I was 9 seconds ahead of my goal time for a 3:20 and still feeling pretty good. However, about mile 14 my legs (mostly my thighs) were really beginning to feel the effects of all that downhill. By mile 15 I began to fade and the rest of the run was pretty hard. My average pace for the second half was nearly a full minute slower per mile (7:29/mi v. 8:27/mi), 12+ minutes slower. It was a real mental battle to keep going. I'm pretty sure others were facing the same battle, as there were several of us that kept passing each other back and forth over those last 8-10 miles. I made it a point to stop for no more than a few seconds to drink at the aid stations, for fear I wouldn't be able to get going again. I also took to taking an orange wedge at the aid stations and sucking on it for a mile or so. It seemed to help. By mile 15 or 16 I realized that 3:20 was out of the question, so I mentally switched to my second goal of 3:30, which is my Boston qualifying time. This goal helped keep me going. At mile 24 I was just a little over 3:09. Some quick math in my head figured 2 miles to go, 20 minutes left for 3:30, I need to run at least 10 minutes per mile, my slowest mile has been 9-something, I'm going to make 3:30 easily. Exhausted runners shouldn't attempt math. As I approached mile 26 I remembered the 0.2 miles. I thought of trying some quick recalculations but then decided to just push as hard as I could to the end. As I approached the finish I realized I was going to make it under 3:30. Just as I was going to make my last kick through the chute to the finish, I noticed an older guy whose two young sons had joined him to run in with him. For a moment I thought about kicking on past him (he seemed to be struggling a little), but then I decided it wasn't that important, so I slowed down and let him finish in front of me. Wouldn't you know it? It turns out that "older guy" was in my age division. I gave away 22nd place in my division and had to settle for 23rd. I was right. It didn't really matter. Looking back, I'm glad I didn't detract from that father's moment of glory in the eyes of his family. I guess sometimes an exhausted runner's brain can still think clearly late in the race. I thoroughly enjoyed the race (I can say that now that it's over). I thought the race was well organized (except the somewhat disorganized distribution of discarded-along-the-course clothing). I thought the volunteers and spectators were great. I enjoyed talking with various runners along the way. I enjoyed running down the canyon, along rural roads, and through residential neighborhoods. It was quite cold at the start (around 26 degress I think), but I was well prepared and the cold never really bothered me. I dropped my vest and gloves in the clothing box at mile 15, they had served me very well, and I pulled up my long sleeves a few miles later. I kept my running tights on and they never got too warm. Temperature wise I was comfortable the whole race. Besides the normal overall aching legs, I only got a minor blister on my left foot and felt a little tightness in right calf the last mile or so. My goal now is to recover quickly enough to run St. George in two weeks. This "two marathons in two weeks" experiment is going to be interesting. I'm looking forward to it. | 