Every Race is an Adventure!

I retired my old Saucony Guides today at 530 miles. The heels are worn pretty badly. I ordered new ones a couple of weeks ago, but they haven't arrived yet. This morning I decided to try out the Saucony Guide TR trail shoes I bought a few weeks ago. I'd never run in trail shoes so I didn't know what to expect.

I didn't see anyone at either of the "meetin' corners" this morning. Maybe they didn't recognize me as I forgot my hat. I always run with a hat and I missed it...especially when it started raining a little and my glasses started getting wet.

Since I ended up running solo, I decided to try out the shoes on the canal road. I headed west to 400 W then north through Lindon until I got on the canal road and headed SE. I decided I had time and inclination to go a little farther than the normal 6 miles this morning so I went all the way down to 800 N on the canal road, then doubled back up to 2000 N then west down to 280 W and our normal route home from there...a total of 10 miles.

I didn't go very fast (about 9:25/mi overall). I liked the feel of the shoes...no pokey rocks...although they did feel a little heavier. I ran 10 miles then walked the dog, thinking about how comfortable the shoes were.

I ran the 2000 N route with Larry, Wayne and Kevin. I threw in a half mile or so fartlek section, but mostly just ran at an easy pace. It's always good getting out with the guys.

Larry, Kevin and I ran the water tank hills this morning. Since there was a chance I'd be running the marathon this Saturday I took it very easy and cut it a little short.

It was great to see Kent out this morning. He quit running a couple of years ago, but his daughter is training for the St. George marathon this year so he's back and is planning to run it with her.

Well, it looks like I'm in the Utah Valley Marathon. I got email confirmation last night and another packet pickup information email this morning. Lyle and Cory were 99% sure they could get me in through a sponsor entry, and I had also emailed Hyrum about his offer from many months ago to let me run for free as a training run. I'm not quite sure which of them got me in, but I'm in. [I just noticed Lyle left a voice mail last night confirming he had got me in.]

I'm really excited to run UVM again. I'm not quite sure why, since I went out way too fast last year and didn't enjoy the last 6 or 8 miles much at all. I think mostly it's the course calling me, especially with the changes this year (more canyon, no Timpview climb or airport dirt road). I'm also looking forward to running a relaxed marathon. With the relay next Friday, I plan to run an easy training pace at the marathon. The primary goal is to enjoy the marathon while beating up my body as little as possible so I have the best chance at being fully recovered for the relay.

I only went an easy 5K this morning with Larry and Kent before turning back. I guess now I need to focus on resting and eating carbs.

Some of you may question the wisdom of running a marathon 6 days before the Ragnar Relay. I know I do, which is why I wasn't planning to run UVM even through I really wanted to. As I think of why I decided at the last minute to do it, various thoughts come to mind: 1) faith over fear, 2) no guts, no glory, 3) you only live once, 4) Get Out And Live (GOAL - from Ogden marathon), and 5)  Vivir con miedo, es como vivir a medias! (A life lived in fear is a life half lived. - Strictly Ballroom). Some other sayings that also come to mind: 1) time will tell, 2) hindsight is 20-20, and 3) the proof of the pudding is in the eating.

NOTE (on pudding quote): "It is worth remembering that, as the phrase is quite old, the pudding wouldn't have been a sticky toffee pudding from the sweet trolley, but a potentially fatal savoury dish. ...THE OED describes the mediaeval pudding as 'the stomach or one of the entrails of a pig, sheep, or other animal, stuffed with a mixture of minced meat, suet, oatmeal, seasoning, etc., and boiled'. ...Mediaeval peasants, faced with a boiled up farmyard massacre, might have thought a taste test to have been a wise choice."

Comparing running a marathon six days before a 24 hour 180 mile relay race to eating a "potentially fatal boiled up farmyard massacre" may be a good analogy. I'm hoping for a delicious sausage breakfast.

Last year I ran the inaugural UVM in 3:30 and finished 13th overall and 2nd in my AD. This year I ran the UVM in 3:50 and finished 112th overall and 11th in my AD, and I'm happy about it.

As I mentioned in my blog earlier this week, on Tuesday I heard about a possible opportunity to get a free entry via a sponsor, and by Thursday I was in. I really wanted to run UVM again this year, but with the Wasatch Back Ragnar Relay the following Friday/Saturday I didn't want to beat myself up too badly. The free entry allowed me the luxury of treating it as just a long training run...no pressure to run fast.

I'm happy about 3:50 because it shows that I kept to my plan to run the race at a slower pace. I won't mention that, like some other bloggers race reports described their last 5-8 miles, from roughly mile 20 on felt a little like a death march. In other words, I was no longer running a slower pace by choice.

I was running a slower pace by choice at the beginning. In fact, I decided to be one of the last runners to start and run from the back as a new experience. (I love chip timing.) I decided to make a last minute pit stop and the race actually started while I was still sitting in a portapotty. I wasn't worried. I finished up and just walked to the starting line. I almost delayed too long (2 minutes 45 seconds). Just before I crossed the start they yelled to a few runners behind me that they were about to pull up the timing mats.

I forgot to turn off the auto-pause on my watch, so the following splits do not include a 1+ minute potty break about mile 9 (ran into Canyon View park restrooms, much needed, wouldn't have made it much farther), and a stop to talk with Tom Lee at Geneva Rd. (he had to drop out because of a bad migraine...dang!...and he's been running so well...he can't seem to get a break in a marathon).

My mile splits were roughly: 9:20 (easy start, uphill), 7:59, 7:32, 7:54, (passing people, downhill), 8:39 (uphill), 8:04, 8:11, 8:04, (still passing people), 8:45 (pit stop), 7:56 (out of the canyon), 8:21, 8:41, 8:21, 8:21, 8:42, 8:44, 8:42, (slower on the level, but still a pretty steady pace), 8:52 (talked to Tom, met Larry on his bike who rode with me the rest of the way - unplanned, unexpected, much appreciated - as you can see from the following splits I was quickly running out of gas), 8:47, 8:54, 9:04, 9:12, 9:38, 9:36, 9:27, 9:44, 7:45/mi for 0.2 (I was pleased to have enough juice left for a decent kick; similar to Ogden last month I simply willed myself to the front of the group of 5 or 6 runners ahead of me - one still barely beat me).

I enjoyed talking with a number of friends/runners after the race...after I downed about 6 cups of Gatorade. The day seemed really humid, especially at the beginning. My glasses kept fogging up the first 8 or 9 miles. Although I hydrated well during the race, I think I was slightly dehydrated by the end.

My chief goal was to leave my body in good enough shape to recover in time for the Ragnar Relay on Friday/Saturday. I'm optimistic that I met that goal. I have a little soreness in my left foot/ankle (which has been there for many months), but I soaked my legs in our above ground backyard pool (which is still really cold since the weather hasn't been hot) and I feel pretty good...good enough to agree to some mall shopping with Karen and the girls this afternoon. I think Verdon (a relay teammate), who was watching his son in the marathon, was a little surprised to see me run by. He good naturedly (I think) yelled that I was supposed to be tapering for the relay. When I saw him at the finish and told him I ran 3:50, he seemed confident that I had not overdone and could recover. Like I said, I'm optimistic. I feel pretty good. I ran the Ogden marathon last month 14 minutes faster than today's marathon and felt like pushing my training again by the following Wednesday. Time will tell.

Last year I ran the 1st UVM because it is in my backyard, I wanted to support it, and I thought it would be cool to say 10 or 20 years from now that I had run every one of them since it started. The goal is still intact...2 down, many to go.