TT: 3:57:10//AP: 9:00//HR: 170. (8:51, 8:49, 8:43, 8:43, 8:46, 8:47, 8:46, 8:42, 8:49, 8:51, 9:00, 8:49, 8:47//8:52, 9:01, 8:47, 8:45, 8:32, 8:56, 9:09, 9:02, 9:14, 9:02, 9:13, 10:37, 9:59)
Pre Race thoughts: My heart rate has been running high the past 2 months (maybe adrenal fatigue is coming back). I haven't been sleeping well for the past 2 months (I can fall asleep, but always wake up around 2:00am). I did a lot of race pace tempo, but didn't end the training cycle with much short faster speed stuff. A goal: sub 3:55 (PR). B goal: sub 3:50-8:46ap - BQ.
I met Rachel at the hotel and we went to dinner at Slack Water Pizza (my favorite). We finally got the AC working in our hotel room, but it was so hot in there!! We met Karen/Mark in the hotel lobby on race morning. I haven't seen them in a few weeks, so it was great to catch up with them.
We took the bus to the start. The bus had to make an emergency potty stop for a guy. The Ogden River was so high and flowing so fast. The flooding up the start was gnarly! It was crazy smokey up the canyon (fires in Canada were blowing smoke down.). We had to wait a long time in the POP lines, then it was time to start.
I lined up behind the 4:00 hour pacer. They took off so fast (sub 8:30ap). I let them go, but it was driving me crazy. I was looking at my watch the entire time to make sure I stayed between an 8:45-9:00. I made sure to take water at EVERY aid station and took GU's every 5 miles. I took 1-2 salt pills every 45 minutes.
"Here Comes the Sun" guy was mile 3 this year and the horses were at mile 8 (but they didn't gallop darn it). There were some small climbs around mile 9 and 11. I started running with mustache guy. I was always just a step or 2 ahead of him. I wish I would've talked some with him. We were together for a long time.
The hills finally came at mile 13, 14 and 15. I left mustache guy, but really started to labor. My breathing was hard and I knew this was going to be a fight. I came in at 13.1 around 1:56:XX (about a minute over what I needed). I wasn't stressed and thought I could easily make up the time. But the further I went on the more nervous I got. The hills were sucking the life out of me.
I was able to make a little time down the canyon. Around mile 20, I knew the BQ and PR were gone. It was getting so hot. My AP was getting slower. I was breathing SO hard and my heart was racing.
I hit mile 23 and started to see stars. I was getting extremly dizzy and had to walk for a minute. I was just in survival mode. I saw Tim at mile 23 and was so grateful for the smile.
I started drinking Gatoraide, but it was sloshing in my stomach. I was worried I was going to barf. I had to walk a few times during those last 3 miles. Looking back, my heart rate was in the 190's!!!! No wonder I was seeing stars. They seemed to drag on. Mustache guy flew by me.....punch in the gut!!
I finally finished. I found Tim and sat for awhile. My heart was racing so fast. I waited for Rachel, Karen and Mark to all finish. They all did so great! The real MVP was the guy cleaning up the barf at the finish line!
Karen made a comment about taking her inhaler around mile 17 and how it lowered her HR from 150's to 130's. I wonder if the smoke made that big of a difference? My average HR was 170's-reaching a high of 190's.
I missed my goal by 7 minutes. That is still a lot of time. Of course I'm sad. I spent so much time training and money on therapies. But I know I'm getting close. I'm not sure what my Plan B is going to be. Maybe I need more time to let my HR/adrenals calm down. But my fitness is so strong right now. I don't know.
Marathons are hard and long.
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