***warning! Please read only the short version and skip down to enjoy the pics!***
Short version: LOVE this course! Had a WONDERFUL training run!!! Had a lot of fun seeing, cheering such GREAT running friends, Kelli, allie, AndyB, Ryan, Steve, Crockett, Josse, WendyC, EmilyH and many many others!
I owe this run to my dear dear friend Lowell who came all the way from Pocatello to run it with me. I enjoyed every single second of running this crazy Sogonapmit with him. He provided me with headlamp, reflective tapes, blue probe-light, and flashlight/glow stick. He protected me from dangerous traffic, potential harm, and literally kept me from self-destruction. He was literally my guardian angel. He is the most kind, caring, generous, big-hearted friend! He spread joy and goodwill all morning! I am so so so lucky to be counted as one of his gazillion friends! :) :) :) Long version (for my personal journal):
I got zero sleep Fri. night after spending a fun long day with Lowell and preparing for out of town guests. I was so tired and wound-up that I took a TylenoPM around 8 and went to bed at 10 hoping to catch some shut eyes. Just as I was about to doze off, my cell rang. It was my son, Eric, calling from Cleveland, with news that his wife had the baby 3.5 weeks early. It's a boy!!! 5lb 8oz 18" long!!! :) :) :) We talked for a good 30 min. While hubby snored away I stayed wide awake with excitement and anxiousness, not for the run, but for Eric's little family, so far away and needing help. I finally got up at 2am to get dressed, ate a yogurt and drove to AF High School for the 3am start.
The Start: The nice thing about going to an out-n-back marathon is that there's no need for drop bag, long bus ride or pop wait. Got threr with 5 min to spare. Parked the car by Lowell's, put on the headlamp, fuel belt and bib, ate a banana and walked 50 yards to the Start/finish arch. The RD gave a long speech about how nice this course is and some last min. instruction: "follow the cones...stay to left side of road up the canyon...there will be help-yourself aid stations every 2 miles.." and a long speech about how great this race is gonna be... blah blah blah until someone mercifully stopped his talking by announcing it's 3:06 and time to start already. Kelli and JulieC were there to send us off with cheers! :) Crockett along with 5-6 guys and couple of girls bolted out leaving Lowell, me and one other lady, Carrie, in their dust! :) Mile 1-3: The goal was to get to Tibble Fork Reservoir before the Start of the Timpanogos Half at 5:40 am. I felt confident that I could do it in 2:30; but Lowell wanted to do the 4:1 Galloway method and since I've never done that before we figured the early start would give us the extra cushion just in case. So glad I drove the course and walked portion of the trail. The traffic cones were spaced a bit far apart for the first couple miles and the course was not marked. Carrie missed the first left turn, we chased after her to get her back on course. Lowell said he would have missed it too even though we drove the course less than 12 hours ago. Things look differently in the dark! :)
Mile 4-6: There are advantages of running in a dark summer night. You don't see the incline or the distance of the hills. I love the cool peaceful night air and the sound of crickets (when Lowell wasn't talking or singing or doing military chants). But I also quickly discovered some surprises. The south portion of Cedar Hills Parkway has houses bordering both sides of the trail. We were blasted with sprinklers from both sides, like going thru an automated car-wash! We were soaked head to toes, FUN!!!! So glad I had my fuel belt because aid stations were not set up yet. While Lowell took a quick pit-stop at the park's bathroom, I ran a little bit ahead. I soon discovered another surprise, nocturnal creatures (mostly cats) darting across the path. I decided I'd better stay close to Lowell who had me stick to the 4:1. He set his Garmin to alert the run/walk with a 10 sec beep. The first few walking cycles seemed unnecessary; but by the time we hit the steep hills in the canyon I found myself asking Lowell if it's time to walk yet! :)
The UP canyon miles: The headwind started at the golf course and got worse as we headed up the canyon then I began to wheeze and cough. In the haste of leaving, I did not take or bring my inhaler. Where's my SSF when I needed her? :) Lowell had me draft off of him. I barely kept up and was so glad whenever the walking cycle started. The buses started coming from behind. We turned on the blue flashing light sticks and waved so the drivers could see us. We noticed how closely the buses brushed across the cones. Lowell would pick up the knocked-over ones. We even picked up fallen rocks off the road. We had to step off the road and waited a few times when buses were coming and going on both lanes. Kelli and JulieC passed us around mile 7. I collected my hugs and watched them ran effortlessly up. :) :) :)
Was so glad to reach the mile 8+ aid station where I ate a gu and pocket one. The wind subsided and my breathing got under control. The sound of the river was very soothing. The Start of the Half was a massive congestion. The spot light blinding me and I couldn't see the arch. A bus was unloading right in our path. We walked weaving around the runners who were oblivious to our trying to reach the arch. There was no chute on the left as promised. We walked around to cross the timing mat which I did not see but assumed was there and dropped off our headlamps in the garbage bag held by one volunteer. I forgot to turn the headlamp off (Ooops!) and asked him to do it for me. When Lowell finally retrieved it at the end of the race, the headlamp was still on! Ooops! Lowell stopped to visit with his niece. I got a hug from Maynard! :) We re-positioned our lighting gears and headed back down. I think our half time was 2:22ish.
The DOWN canyon miles: We passed Carrie coming up and two groups of walkers going down. We saw buses still coming up which made us think the Half would start late. We were running on the right side of the road when an oncoming car and another car from behind approached which turned out to be the lead vehicle ? because the first Half guy was following it. So FUN to cheer him and a little later, the next two leading men. The 4th or 5th guy was friendly, he even answered our question of when the race started. I kept thinking allie should be passing any minute now. The first girl ran by alone. Soon came allie followed by another girl and Mary Ann. I was SO HAPPY & EXCITED to see allie! She was running smoothly and confidently! :) :) :) We exchanged quick hellos and cheers! She looked AWESOME running strong and controlled! :) It was so FUN when friends and neighbors (Emily, Wendy, Josse and others) exchanged hellos and encouragements as they passed...Rachelle from the blog introduced herself...she's SO NICE! The highlight was when AndyB called out: "Is that you? Smooth?" by the golf course (mile 21ish)! So glad he was back from having been sick and running this course! :) So so so happy to see him!!!! I tried to stay out of the way of the speedy Halfers. I know what it feels like to have to weave around slower runners/walkers on a narrow parkway. I had to do that around the slower Halfers at Ogden. The 4:1 method really helped preserve the legs. I did not feel any fatigue other than a little niggle on the left hip flexor perhaps from running on the uneven road shoulder. Lowell was cheering on the runners, volunteers and spectators. He would try to get people to sing together like a choir at every aid station or groups of spectators. He was hillarious! Mile 23 to the Finish: After we spilled out of the parkway, (btw, it would have been nice if the sprinklers were on then 'cause it was getting warm) I knew we had 3.2 to go. Lowell was having too much fun entertaining the spectators. He stopped to talk to the families. I just wanted to get the run over with. When I heard him asked "What's your name? Nic? I had a ... named Nic..." I thought to myself: "O no, this could take forever!" So I did the unthinkable...I left him! I felt terrible because I promised myself that I would finally finish a marathon WITH him! But dang it, my leg muscles were about to seize if I stopped so I kept going and turning back every min or so yelling "C'mon, Lowell! Lowell!!!" I think the other runners were annoyed. I even asked one marathoner if he saw Lowell. :(
I could tell the runners did not like the hill at their mile 12 going up by the temple. My legs felt fine, which rarely happened at mile 25. I kept a steady pace and kept looking for my hubby's car thinking he'd be leaving the temple about then and driving to the finish. I saw a photographer and waved. Turned out he's my friend, Cougar! I saw him earlier at the mouth of the canyon cheering his daughter! :) On the downside of the hill, the shin started to tighten up. Just then a black and white cat darted out in front of me, my right foot clipped him! The spectators gasped. A girl ran passed and asked: "Did you know you ran over that cat? That's not good!" I said: "yeah, me or the cat?" I think Lowell would've been disappointed at me! What a joy and relief when I saw Kelli and Misty running towards me. The joy was short-lived when I saw two emergency vehicles parked in our path, one with the door open. Hope whoever it was was okay. Kelli & Misty guided me around the ambulance. I crossed the finish, hugged my friends and hubby and ran back for Lowell. At the corner I saw Maynard and cheered him but I don't think he saw me. Then I saw Lowell and ran the last little bit with him. Post-run: We walked thru the food alley twice snarfing down food. I was also getting cold. It was fun to see so many friends (Maynard, Ryan & Kalai Jonson, Emily Hansen, Wendy Clark, Don & Ruth Bigger, Karin Rowley , Nancy Bishop , Rob Rhode and many many others). Hubby wanted to go home badly because we had out of state company coming
and I had to help make sushi and cut fruits for the Asian Ward reunion. But the RDs had pleaded us to stay for the award ceremony and promised there'd be nice gifts/prizes for the *elite Sogo marathoners* and group pictures. So we stayed. It was so NICE to hang with Lowell, Kelli, Maynard and Pron8r but we could hardly talk to each other b/c of the obnoxiously LOUD rap music. Finally we were happy to cheer our friends who ran the Half and took podium but there was confusion on the first three overall men and women placing. Over 2 hrs of waiting, the thing ended without a slight mention of the marathon. I felt so badly for Kelli who WON the Sogonapmit!!! She was the first woman to cross the finish (some 3 hrs earlier) even before the Halfers. The RDs have totally forgotten about the marathoners! Shame on them!!! But the medal was nice and hefty. I had a WONDERFUL training run on a BEAUTIFUL course with the AWESOMEST friends! Me & Lowell goofing! :) Me & Kelli, the Sogonapmit AWESOME WINNER! :) Me, Maynard & Kelli patiently waiting for the award ceremony to start. :)
My GREAT neighbors, the Jonsons! Ryan ran AWESOME taking podium! :)
Our *own* Sogonapmit group picture! :)
THANK YOU LOWELL and Kelli! Love you so much!!! :)
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