American Fork Half Marathon Results

I had three goal races going into 2013: break 1:45 at American Fork, break 1:40 at Timpanogos, and qualify for Boston at Big Cottonwood. June 15th was my first chance to see how my months of hard training translated on the race course.

I've ran American Fork twice before. In 2011 I finished the course in approximately 2:03; in 2012 I ran a 1:53. It's safe to say I'm familiar with the course. During my training runs, I'd visualize where I was going to push my comfort levels, and how I'd tackle the small climbs on the parkway. I was a little nervous going into the race, but overall I felt confident in my training.

Mile splits 1-6:

8:33

8:11

8:06

7:34

7:06

7:06

The race didn't start well. I lined up with the 1:45 pacer with the plan of following him until the last mile or two and from there pushing for my sub-1:45. The gun went off and thousands of runners funneled down the narrow one-lane road. This is where I'm going to take a second to gripe. Runners, if you want to approach a half marathon as a leisurely, catch-up-with-my-girlfriends stroll, great. But for heaven's sake, do not start the gab session while toeing the line with the guy who's running a 5 min/mile. As you can tell by my splits, my first mile was incredibly slower than every other mile because I was swerving, tip toeing, and not-so-subtly asking walls of ladies to let me through. If this happens at my next race, I've resolved I will have no problem red rovering myself right through the ladies who think it's appropriate to walk four abreast on a very narrow course. 

During the chaos of the fist mile, I lost sight of my pacer. It took me three miles to finally break away from the crowds and find my running stride.

I pushed my pace as hard as I knew I could without hitting that possible burnout zone.

Mile splits 7-13:

7:25

7:42

7:52

8:07

8:03

8:07

8:08

By the time we exited the canyon at mile 9, I was shoulder to shoulder with my pacer again. The course becomes more flat at this point as runners wind around the golf course. I continued to focus on leg turnover, and hydrating at each station as the course became hotter. 

About 11 the fatigue started to hit. That's when I had to take the mental component up a notch, and remind myself what I was aiming for. I kept telling myself I had already ran eleven miles on pace, what's two more? 

I finished with a time of 1:43:22! I hit my first goal!

Utah Valley Marathon Results

My second marathon pacing experience was the Utah Valley Marathon. The combination of pacing at Provo City and the fact that I've ran Utah Valley twice before made me feel 100% confident going into this race. I opted to stick with the 5:00 group again--I want to pace another marathon or two before I start moving my way up the time spots.

Mile 18. Still loving the journey!

I must admit I had a less than stellar experience at Utah Valley last year, which is one of the motivators behind running it again this year. This year was a perfect race! The weather held up, I had an amazing group of experienced and newbie marathoners stick with me, and I felt strong the whole 26 miles. 

The Utah Valley Marathon made a slight tweak to the last 6 miles of the course. Now when runners enter Provo, the route follows the east side of University Avenue instead of the west side. It's amazing what a difference such a small change can make! This provided quite a bit more shade when the temps started to become uncomfortably warm. A+ for the change, Utah Valley!

Rocking my Utah Race Pacers gear

I finished with an overall time of 4:59:03. About a quarter mile out, I saw I was going to be a bit early, but truth be told, I was ready at that point to call it good. Five hours is a long time to be running in the sun! Though I could have been a little closer to that five-hour mark, I'm incredibly happy with this year's event. I can tell marathons are becoming much less physically and mentally taxing, and dare I say pounding out 26.2 miles is almost becoming easy?!

I look forward to running the 2014 Utah Valley Marathon as either a racer or pacer!

Ogden Marathon Results

While running the Ogden Marathon was on my bucket list, it certainly wasn't on my 2013 race list until about a month prior. One of my pacing friends was looking to unload his entry, and was willing to hand it over for free to any chump willing to get up at 3:00 AM and pound out some serious mileage. I was the lucky sap.

Ogden and Salt Lake had one thing is common this year: it down poured during both events. But unlike Salt Lake where you can easily split with the half marathon group, once you're on the Ogden course, there's only one 26.2 mile-long way to get to the finish line. 

I tried my best to keep positive and remain focused on the goal as my hands burned from hours of exposure, my arms and legs chaffed from nonstop moisture, and my teeth chattered continuously. By the time mile 23 was coming into view, I more than had my fill of Ogden. I begrungingly pushed through the last 5K, and finished with an uninspiring 4:42. Though a good chunk of me hopes to never run highway 39 again, a small part of me wants to tackle it again just to prove I can do better. 

I guess we'll see which voice I choose to follow come next May. 

Vigor Half Marathon Results

It was the day of the Provo City Marathon that we got word the Utah Race Pacers had been invited to cover the Vigor Half Marathon the following week. Our pace director made us a deal: full marathon pacers at the Provo City race who came within 30 seconds of their goal time could have first dibs on Vigor, and half marathon pacers at Provo City could have second dibs before the race was opened to the rest of the group. Since I came within 20 seconds on my goal time at Provo, I had no problem securing myself as the 2:10 pacer for Vigor.

The Vigor Half Marathon is an amazing all downhill run through Big Cottonwood. Except for a slight change on the last two miles, this run follows the Big Cottonwood Half Marathon course held in September.

Even though I had paced a 26.2 mile race only seven days before, I felt great during this race. My legs felt fresh, and I hit each mile marker up to mile 12 with 10 seconds to spare. I was so proud of myself that I was going to be within single digit seconds of my goal time until I came around the corner at 12.8 miles, and I was in the finishing chutes! CRAP! The course was short. I slowed my pace as much as I could--I was seriously moving my feet but not moving forward. :) I lingered as long as possible, but I eventually had to cross that finish line at 2:07:36. I have never been more than 30 seconds early as a pacer, but I couldn't buy any more time in the chutes. On the plus side, a lot of the runners around me didn't realize pacers go off chip time instead of gun time so when that clock read 2:09 plus change, they all thanked me for getting them in on time. I simply said "you're welcome" and left it at that. :)

Provo City Marathon Results

Woah, sorry about that little hiatus, blogger world. I've been busy earning a promotion at work (yay!), and I haven't had time to share my latest running endeavors.

Well, some may recall one of my goals for 2013 was to start pacing marathons. In April I was invited to join the Utah Race Pacers--the local team who covers primarily marathons.  When the chance came to sign up for Provo City, I jumped on the 5:00 spot.

Luckily I am familiar with the race--I ran the half marathon last year, which covers the first part of the course. Two years ago I ran the half marathon, which at that time was the second half of the course. Even though I hadn't attempted the full yet, I felt confident tackling the route.

I have to be honest, I was nervous going into this race. I know I am more than capable of running a 5:00 marathon, but every worst case scenario kept popping into my brain: What if I cramp up? Can I really maintain an even effort the whole race? What if I miss my 30-second finishing window? etc.

When that starting gun went off, I realized all I could do was take a deep breath, trust my training and all my previous pacing experience, and go for it.

In less than five miles, my anxiety had completely subsided. I found my rhythm, and had absolutely no problems holding that steady pace for the full 26.2 miles. I crossed the finish line in 4:59:40!

There is one thing I will do differently in future full marathon pacing, and that's wearing my SPIbelt. I always carry two extra GUs when I'm pacing as well as extra safety pins and hair ties in case any of the other runners find themselves in need. In the full marathon though, I realized I should have carried more supplies like Ibuprofen, Vaseline, and Bandaids. Even with such a small event like Provo City, I came across two runners who were in need of these things, and I felt horrible I couldn't help them out.

But besides that one small change, I am thrilled my first experience went so well! I can't wait to take on Utah Valley in two weeks as a full marathon pacer!

Foster Care: Year 4; Month 4

Jake (English Setter, Paws For Life)

Jake was our only foster in April. He had a few health issues we were dealing with so we thought it best to not add any more dogs to the mix for now. He has been pre-adopted (YAY!), and if everything goes through, he'll be headed to his forever home in two weeks!

Salt Lake Half Marathon Results

Well, what a change from last year's race! In 2012, the SLC Marathon experienced unseasonably high temperatures, and this year it was FREEZING cold with a nonstop downpour. I will never let rain, snow, or heat deter me from running, but let me just say, I'm so glad I was only doing the half. :) 

I didn't race this year--my coach had assigned me a 13 miler at a 10 min/mile so I used this course as a chance to get my training run in. I ran the course slightly faster, and finished in 2:03. 

Running For Relief 5K Results

Running For Relief, a small event to benefit the local Methodist church, has been a spring time tradition of mine for three years now. Troy, after taking a 15-year hiatus from the running scene, has recently rekindled his love of the sport, and decided to join me for this year's run. Let me just say how impressed I am with Troy--this was his third 5K in less than six months!

Going into the race, Troy set a simple goal: finish the 3.1 miles without taking any walking breaks. I stuck by his side, and kept him updated on our speed and time. After breezing through our first mile, Troy decided to take it up a notch. After mile two was done, we again bumped up the pace. The 5K turned out to be a progressive run with the following splits:

9:57
9:12
8:17
7:08

Our overall time was 28:21. The results haven't been published yet, but given the size of this event, I wouldn't be surprised at all if both Troy and I placed in our groups. That's one of the great things about 5Ks--it's easy to place. ;) I'll update this post as soon as I know where we stand.

Post script: Troy placed first in his age group (WOOHOO!), and I took second in mine.

Strider's Half Marathon Results

Strider's Half was my second opportunity to pace this year. I was particularly excited that this course was the first half of the Ogden Marathon, which I am running for the first time next month. I couldn't pass on the chance to familiarize myself with my pending marathon route, so I signed up to lead the 2:05 group.

The course was relatively easy, though not nearly as downhill as it appeared on the organizer's website.

My official time was 2:05:02.

Long Beach, CA

Our monthly get-out-of-town trip took us to Long Beach, California for the weekend. It was a fun three days spent on the warm beach with the hubs. Now I'm back in beautiful Park City,with a hint of a tan, ready to make the most of this month!