Create.

So happy with the outcome! In short, I did mostly what I was supposed to in preparation for this race. I put in the miles, I tried to eat sufficiently well (I definitely splurged on the weekends, but was pretty consistent during the week), and I did more strength training than usual. Not crazy amounts, but a healthy dose of what I know I should. The one area that I could have improved was sleep. It's just so stinking hard to find the time. Race eve: Up super late. One of the things I get to do as a PT for Intermountain is join the ATCs and sports docs on the sidelines of the Varsity football games for various teams here in St. George. I LOVE it! I was tempted not to go so that I could get a solid night's sleep, after all, I had trained so hard and didn't want to screw anything up BUT I couldn't resist. So I went, got home around 10 and then had to get things ready for the race. Ha! Finally got to bed a little after midnight. After a quick try on of all my running shoes again (different models/brands on each foot comparing them to each other) I settled on the PureConnects even though they had over 300 miles on them. They just felt the best. Woke up at 4:25, was out the door with Benny (who spent the night at our house) at 4:40 then picked up Shelbey and got on the bus around 5:15. Arrived at the starting line just in time to use the POPs and throw our clothes in the truck. It was much warmer than I had hoped. Miles 1-10: Thanks to Andy, and the Race Smart Paceband he made for me, I didn't really have to think too much the first 10 miles. It was awesome! Almost always I have fallen into the enticing trap of running far too fast the first several miles and paying hugely for it later. I kept telling myself to trust the band and the paces it prescribed. The first 10 miles felt easy, they flew by! Miles 11 is always one of the hardest miles for me on this course. Mentally is just gets to me. This year it wasn't bad at all. I credit that to the pace band. Miles 12-18: I stopped looking at the band and would share a few words and laughs with friends that I ran into during these miles. Unfortunately I think it was here that I missed one of the gels that I had planned to take. At mile 17 I realized it and gobbled it down, but I think missing one really hurt me in the end. I had planned on 4 gels for the total race and had only now had 2. Stupid stupid stupid! Still feeling decent but can tell that the miles are adding up and my right ITB was bothering me a bit. Weird since it gave me zero issues all year. I figured that it may be the downhill and high mileage on these shoes. I tried to activate my glutes more. I'm almost positive that when race pics come out that my right knee will be turning in even more than normally. I hate the look of my skinny legs. I try to build the right muscles to keep my hip from internally rotating and my foot from over pronating but when I get tired I fall into the trap of becoming lazy. Also, I tried to bulk up a bit this season, I know that sounds weird, but I like the look of more muscular legs. Unfortunately it seems almost impossible for me to bulk up any. I can definitely put on sluggish type weight if I want, but muscle weight is harder for me. Ha! But every year I say I am going to do it! Maybe this next year!!! :-) Miles 19-22: Could tell I was slowing a bit, but not horribly. My goal was to run a course PR, which would mean anything under 3:23:51. I was still well on track of doing that. Some miles came in slower than they should have, but some came in a little faster. I wasn't dying, just tired and starting to look forward to the finish line. I also noticed that I was passing quite a bit more runners than were passing me. That gave me a moral boost. I think it was here that I caught up with Benny. He had PR'd a couple of weeks earlier at BC. He had stated last night that his legs felt heavy. He didn't think he had completely recovered from his 3:12:xx. When I caught up to him he told me that he was reaching the end of his rope on this race. He encouraged me to keep going. At mile 20 I took a couple of Hyland pills prophylacticly in hopes of avoiding any serious cramping. Miles 23-25: Walked way too much during the aid stations! Ugh! My paceband was for 3:22:xx, but my real goal was sub 3:23:51 and I had done the math and knew it was doable even if I walked more than usual at the aid stations. At the time I convinced myself that I actually should walk enough to bring my heart rate down sufficiently so that I didn't completely bonk like I have the last couple of SGMs. Looking back I think I was just being a big baby. Had I pushed crazy hard, I may have made that 3:22, but then again, I may have bonked and missed my course PR. Ugh. Yeah, probably just being a baby! Mile 26.2: Kept telling myself to run for 200 meters and then I could walk, when I reached that 200 I would convince myself 200 more, then 200 more, etc. I started to walk with about 1200 meters to go and then almost immediately (literally, like two steps) got mad at myself and forced myself to run. When I turned into the straight away I had no push left to give, it took everything I had not to get passed by too many people (I think 1 or 2 passed me, but I passed a couple of runners myself). So happy! No cramping! 3:23:13 (a 38 second course PR for me and my second fastest race ever). This year, at 42 years of age, I have run my two fastest marathons ever.  Unfortunately Shelbey had one of those races that teach you more than others because it tries your will like no other. It was only her second marathon and she started WAY TOO FAST. I'm pretty sure she had a 10 mile personal best the first 10 miles of the course. So happy that she already BQ'd and that I will be able to run it with her in April. LOVED seeing Smooth finish (one of the toughest women I know by far) and catching up with her and her kiddos (3 of them ran the marathon)! Also was able to hang out a little bit with Julianne, Lowell and Rad. I heard Mark Milligan's name called out at the finish line but couldn't find him. Wish so badly that I could have! I miss my running friends from up north tremendously. Anyway, this is WAY too long! I'm out! :-)