American Fork Half Marathon Results...Plus A New Toy!

Rocking the AF finish line with Kristen

The American Fork Half Marathon was the race I was most looking forward to this year. It is a downhill course with about 1,900 feet lost. Last year I completed this course in 2:05 (9:32 min/mile) so this year I set the goal to break the two hour mark.

My awesome pacing team was running AF so even though I opted to race instead of pace, I snagged an extra 1:55 pace bracelet from our director. This bracelet takes into account the course elevation, and gives me a breakdown of what time I should arrive at each mile. Having run this race before, I knew the bulk of the downhill is in the first eight miles. My strategy was to build up a nice cushion in those eight miles so I'd have extra time for aid stations and hills at the end of the course. By the time I had hit mile eight, I was five minutes ahead of schedule. I used the bulk of my cushion to walk the few little climbs. Even with three minutes of walking, I'm proud to say I met my goal, and finished the race in 1:52 (8:32 min/mile)! I didn't doubt I could beat the 2 hour mark, but I wasn't positive I could beat it by 8 minutes. Since I still have oodles of half marathons left, I've adjusted my 2012 goal. I now plan to have a half marathon finish in the 1:40 range by the end of the year.

And now time to introduce my new toy!

I've been wanting a road bike for years, but I just couldn't bring myself to take the financial plunge. A few weeks ago, though, my uber triathlete friend let me know she was in the market for a new bike, and would be getting rid of her Diamondback Podium 1. I was thrilled! So this bad boy is now part of my bike collection. I don't have to do duathlons on my mountain bike anymore! :) So in 2013 part of my fitness goals will be tackling another duathlon, and completing a century race!

Wasatch Back Ragnar Results

A bunch of my pacing buddies and I got together to run the Wasatch Back Ragnar. I'll admit I've always wanted to run Ragnar, but trying to find 11 friends who are crazy enough to commit two full days to running 200 miles can be tough. Luckily, now that I'm part of a pacing team, crazy runners are easy to come by. :)

Each runner has to run three legs. The lengths vary, but the total milage of the relay is just shy of 200 miles. Here are the breakdowns of my runs:

Leg #1: Leg one was early afternoon on Friday. The temperatures were in the triple digits so I went a tad slower than usual. I finished my 3.4 mile run in 30 minutes (8:49 min/mile).

Leg #2: I started leg two around 10 PM on Friday. This was my longest leg, but also the one I was most looking forward to because it was primarily downhill. I finished the 7.8 miles in 59 minutes (7.3 min/mile).

Leg #3: My final leg started just after 9 AM on Saturday. I was able to snag about three hours of sleep, which is about 2.5 hours more than my van mates. :) I thought I was feeling good, but about three miles in the fatigue set in. At that point I couldn't deny I was tired, my legs were heavy, and I needed more to nosh on than the protein bar I choked down for breakfast. I finished my 5.5 mile run in 56 minutes (10.1 min/mile).

Overall I had an absolute blast at Ragnar. It was so fun to get to know my pacing buddies better, and make some new friends. If I have the chance to do it again next year, I will do it in a heartbeat. This race combines all my favorite things: running, friends, and sleeping under the stars. :)

My team was estimated to finish the 200 miles in 32 hours. I'm proud to say Inadvertent Voodoo came in at 31 hours and 37 minutes!

Fourth Year Anniversary

Troy and I celebrated our fourth wedding anniversary last week with a wonderful dinner at The Riverhorse. I don't like to share too much personal info on this blog, but I will say I am extremely thankful for my husband. He is wonderful man whom I love very much, and I look forward to sharing many more anniversaries with him.

Range Creek, Utah

Vacation #4 was a camping trip in Range Creek. Two years ago, Troy got the gig as the medical director for the University of Utah's archaeology team. Last year we spent a whopping ten days in Range Creek learning how to document pictographs, excavate pit houses, and screen dirt for fragments. This year we unfortunately only had three days to spare in Range Creek, but we able to take part in a bunch of new training. We attended archeology and geology lectures, nature walks with a botanist, GPS training, and cartography workshops. It was so much fun! We are trying to line up a few more days in July to go back. Honestly I can't get enough of Range Creek!

Memorial Day Half Marathon Results

It was just two days after the Timpanogos Half Marathon that I tackled the Memorial Day Half. My legs were still pretty shot after the rugged Timpanogos race so I approached this flat out and back course as a leisurely run.

I kept a pretty steady pace for the first 10 miles or so. It was at that point I noticed the runner in front of me was starting to struggle. She'd sprint ahead then double over to catch her breath. I think any runner out there can empathize with this. There are races that are great, and ones that ... well, stink. Mile 11 of the Memorial Half brings you right up to the finish line, but then you have to take a sharp left to loop around the park to the back side of the finish line. I remember this mentally destroyed me the first time I ran this race (this year was my third year) because it's so hard to run away from the finish line when it's so close!

And it obviously defeated the runner in front of me. As soon as we turned left away from the finish, she grabbed her hips, dropped her head, and looked like she was about to cry. I felt for her -- I'll admit there's been a time or two I've had to choke back a few tears. I approached her, introduced myself, and said let's finish off these last few miles together. I kept her updated about our current pace and distance remaining as we pounded out those last two miles. Even with slowing down on those last two miles, I finished in 2:12. Not as fast as usual, but I got to do a little pacing and made a new friend. ;)

Timpanogos Trail Half Marathon Results

Timpanogos Trail was my first all-trail race. This course was pretty challenging with a total of 2,400 feet elevation gain. I knew I was going to be quite a bit slower on this run than my usual half marathons -- the organizer's website says to expect this course will take you at least 50% longer to complete than a normal half. With this recommendation in mind, I planned to spend over three hours on the course. I was quite pleased it only took me 3:15 to finish. As far as the race goes, this run was absolutely stunning. If any of you are in the market for a trail race, I'd highly recommend this one. I am planning on running my first ultra marathon this fall, and after Timpanogos, I'm leaning towards doing the 50K in October that follows this path. Yes, I really did love this run enough that I'd be willing to tack another 20 miles on to it. :)

27th Birthday

I celebrated my 27th birthday last month. My amazing hubby decorated the house with balloons, banners, streamers and flowers. He hooked me up with some awesome running gear (he knows me too well :), and took me out to a nice dinner at Butcher's Chophouse followed by The Ventures concert at the Egyptian Theater. I know I say it every single year, but it was the best birthday yet. :)

Thanks to everyone for all the phone calls, texts, and more! It was a great day.