I had the opportunity to join an ultra team for the Wasatch Back relay this weekend. For the ultra division, the team runs the same distance but only has 6 runners instead of 12. The team was really fun to run with. Great people and fun to be around. And they were fast, too! We got 6th in our division, to my knowledge. And we finished in 26:38. My first leg was around Eden, UT. I started around 9:30 pm, I think. I enjoyed running at night through the country area. The air was cool and perfect for running. I started out fast because I felt great. Wasn't pushing the pace. I averaged 6:55 per mile for that section, which was a surprise. It helped that the wind was at my back for part of it. My second leg started around 4:30 am. It was 17 miles long. I was really worried about bonking halfway through. So I started out very relaxed and drank Powerade each chance I could. That helped a lot. The run was beautiful as I ran next to Rockport lake (or whatever it's called). It got challenging the last couple miles, but overall it was good. I averaged about 7:50/mile on this section. I'm happy with that. The last section was running uphill for 7.2 miles from Midway up to Guardsman's Pass. My awesome team helped me a lot to get through it. Most of my miles were slow (14:00 pace), but I was happy with how it went overall. Oddly enough, the last two miles were 1 or 2 minutes faster than the previous miles. They didn't feel faster. Anyway, this race was fun, and I think it helped me get in better shape. And again, my teammates were great.
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