Well, it’s been a looong time since I’ve blogged. It’s been an eventful year, including two job changes and big move from Logan, Utah to Fort Collins, Colorado. We’ve now been in Colorado for almost a month, and are really enjoying it; weather and air quality is much more conducive to training than it was in northern Utah!

All of the craziness of the year has put running (and blogging) on the backburner. I’ve been getting in great mileage (peaked at about 115/week), but haven’t had the time for the “extras”, like reflection, analysis, or blogging (In fact, I almost forgot to even register for the Trials).

But now the Olympic Trials is getting close, less than two weeks! I went to check out the course map on their website, and found it painfully lacking. (this is typical). Namely, there is no information on elevation. So as usual, I decided to take matters into my own hands, and managed to find a free couple hours and design a map that is prettier and that has elevation information. To do this, I used the 3-meter NED elevation model, which gives very good detail at our mapping scale. The Trials route is one small 2.2-mile loop, followed by three larger 8-mile loops.

In comparison to the 2007 Trials course in Central Park, the Houston route is not nearly as hilly, with the elevation range being about half that of the New York race. In other words, the hills in the 2007 race were about twice as big as those in the 2012 race. In addition, the 2007 race had about 2000 feet of cumulative gain/loss, where the 2012 race will have about 650 feet of cumulative gain/loss. So one could argue that the Houston Trials race will be 2-3x easier than the New York Trials race, at least in terms of hills. However, the Houston route has one u-turn, which will slow things a little bit, although I can’t imagine it will be a huge deal (especially at my speed). All that said, the 2012 route is not devoid of hills; this is not a pancake-flat Chicago-like course. I do expect it to yield some pretty fast times though.

So there’s my pre-race map and analysis. Hard to believe that four years has already passed since my last Trials map (and race). Will there be a third in 2016? Who knows. But I will enjoy this year to the best of my ability, savor the moment, and hopefully pop off the best race of my life. My goal? Throw the watch away, and race. Time and place will take care of  itself, but I certainly hope to place in the top 25 if all cylinders fire.

Ran the Top of Utah Marathon today. It was my 19th overall marathon, and my 8th TOU. I would like to get into the 10-year club, but it probably won’t happen, at least for a while, since we are moving out of the state.

Got up a 4:20AM (slept like a rock, travel does that to me). Went to go make the standard oatmeal & fruit breakfast, but found out in an untimely manner that we were out of oatmeal. Again, the perils of traveling all week and coming back to an empty pantry. So I improvised: breakfast of two poached eggs, vanilla yogurt, 2 peaches, and grapes, plus coffee of course. I usually would not mess with eggs and dairy on raceday, but whatever. I eat this stuff everyday, so it shouldn’t hurt right? (it didn’t, stomach was fine all race).

Drove down to Logan; it was raining. Bleh. But it was not cold, so that was okay. But rain is no fun, plus we usually don’t get a tailwind when it rains. Eventually the rain let up…temporarily.

Parked my car, then took the bus up, it was one of the later buses. Still raining off and on. Got to the start line finally, then found the magic bathroom (I will not lend a description this time, as the secret is getting out). Spent the last 30 minutes chatting, warming up, and more potty stops. Was feeling fine, although it’s always hard to tell until you really start racing.

I was told the previous day that the returning champion, Sammy Nyamongo, had canceled, and that he would have been my best competition. Kind of a bummer, as my take on competition is, “the more the merrier” (slightly less edgy than “bring it”).

But in any case, the plan was to go through the half in 1:08:00, and then see what happens. I had a lofty goal of breaking the course record of 2:16:35, and 1:08:00 is actually a bit conservative for that, but I figured if it was really “my day”, then I would find a way to get it done the second half. But I didn’t want to risk blowup, and DNF’ing a winnable race. A more realistic goal was 2:18:00, and then sub-2:20 would be good if that couldn’t happen.

Weather was looking fantastic, as the rain had let up and temps were great, but about 5 minutes before the race started, we got a sudden downpour. Everyone scampered off the start line and into the nearest tent. I’ve never seen anything like it at a race of 2300 people! I ended up at the edge of an aid tent, and took advantage by applying some vasoline that was sitting on a nearby table. Chaffing could be bad in rain like this.

Then the rain let up again, right when it was time to start. They shot off the muskets, and away we went. Sure enough, no one went with me off the start line, and it seemed that I was to run this thing solo. Fortunately, I pace pretty well in a marathon, and don’t mind running by myself. It means good tangents if nothing else.

Mile 1 ended up being a bit fast, 4:58. I wanted 5:10-5:15, so I dialed it back a bit. Mile 2 was 5:16, and then Mile 3 was 5:10. I felt good about this pace, and tried to keep it going down the canyon.

It continued raining off and on throughout the entire race. I thought it actually felt pretty good, as there was no wind, and it was not too cold either. The only downside was not having a canyon wind. But I kind of liked it, and it also made for some really beautiful visuals (low clouds and mist coming off the mountainsides), plus the wonderful smells of sage and autumn foliage. Yes, this is the kind of stuff I think about during a marathon. But it was truly an outdoor sanctuary, easy to worship God in this kind of beauty.

Anyway…Mile 4 was 5:12, then 5:15 for Mile 5, and 5:12 for Mile 6. 10K in 32:10. This was really the pace I wanted, and it felt pretty sustainable. I figured at this point that everyone was already several minutes back, kind of odd to think about. I had a police motorcycle escort though.

Mile 7 was another 5:12. Mile 8 includes the big downhill coming off the little dam, right about the half marathon start, and it was a 5:07. Followed it with 5:13 for Mile 9. I knew I would have to pick it up at some point to go after the course record, but I was not sure if I could handle a faster pace. So that was looking not-so-good, but at the same time, I would be quite happy with a 2:18, which was where I figured I was really heading.

Grabbed the Gu at the Mile 9 aid station…and then promptly dropped it! I was starting to fish for the Gu I had stashed in my glove (for this very situation…it happens a lot), when I heard footsteps behind me, and a boy huffing and puffing, holding out the Gu I had dropped. Yes! Thank you Mile 9 Aid Station Dude! Best aid station worker ever.

Despite slowing down over the Gu incident, I still managed 5:15 for Mile 10 (10-mile split of 51:54). Then 5:14 for Mile 11, 5:11 for Mile 12, and 5:09 for Mile 13. 1:08:02 for the half marathon. I was encouraged by my last couple splits, but still feeling that 2:16:30 was not really in the books.

Did another 5:09 for Mile 14, and exited the canyon onto Hollow Rd. 5:11 and then 5:19 for Miles 15 and 16, respectively. The 5:19 was a pretty significant drop, and not a good indication. This is a stretch of road that usually benefits big-time from the tailwind, which was not there today.

Tried my best to hit good splits for 17 and 18, before I got to the Millville Hill. Split 5:16 for both of these miles. Not bad, but I really needed to be at 5:10 or under.

The race turned odd for me, and really went downhill (figuratively, not literally), on the next mile, going up Millville Hill. I was cranking what I thought was a good pace, feeling good on the long uphill, but the Mile 19 split was 4:31. What?? In my oxygen starved brain, I figured they just put the aid station and mile marker a block ahead (although TOU never messes this kind of thing up). I was expecting 5:30.

Mile 20 is another slow mile, as the hill grinds on. 5:44 for this mile, and I was quite displeased…although I was expecting an even slower split to offset the “short” previous mile.

Right at this point, near Mile 20, one of my police escorts pulled back to inform me that we all missed a turn, and cut the course by a short amount, about 1.5 blocks total, which explains the missing 60 seconds on Mile 19 (apparently someone had radioed him). Say whhaaat?? I was a bit baffled, as I’ve run this race 8 times, plus I made the maps. But that’s what happened: the cops led, and I followed (tunnel-vision by that point in the race). There was no volunteer there, and the course markings were not visible to me due to the wet road. (I’m partially color-blind, can’t see certain types of contrast…seriously).

So…it all made sense as I thought about it, but now I’m worried about losing $1500 due to a blunder…on a race that I figured I was winning by 10 minutes. As Bill the Cat would say, Aaack!

Fortunately, the police guy radioed Bob Henke, the race director, who cleared it for me to make up the distance elsewhere (keep in mind we didn’t find out about the issue until 2 miles past the point). However, it took about 15 minutes for all this to get figured out, and I’m still trying to run the race the whole time, fretting about the situation. These were not good miles. 5:24 on the downhill into Providence (Mile 21), then 5:42 for Mile 22, and 5:44 for Mile 23. These 5:40-ish splits were partially due to physical slow-down, but probably as much stress and lack of focus than anything (my head was elsewhere, but my feet just kept plodding forward).

So I was greatly relieved, obviously, when I received word near Mile 23 that this issue would not result in a DQ, but by this time I was in “just finish the darn race” mode. When we got into River Heights, the cops took me on a little out-and-back, one block in each direction, and then I resumed on the course. So this added on two full blocks, which is a quarter-mile, and made up more than I had chopped off. Not my finest moment, but these things seem to happen occasionally when you’re in the lead! I will say that I’m very grateful to the Top of Utah management for finding a solution, real-time, and making sure I ran a full marathon distance (plus some).

Mile 24 was 7:04. This included the block out-and-back, so still 5:40 pace. Then 5:38 for Mile 25, and 5:44 for Mile 26, which has some uphill. 1:14 for the final 0.2, and I pretty much just plodded it in, didn’t have much left. But I tried to enjoy the moment, as again, this is probably my last TOU. It was bittersweet in that regard, and I have a lot of memories from this race. Felt like I was saying “goodbye” to TOU during the last 0.2.

My final time was 2:20:30. It was a solid time, and I’m very pleased with the win above all else. It gives me even greater respect for Hobie Call’s course record. It may be broken someday, but not today and not by me. I thought I should be able to do a 2:18, and it was a little disappointing to break my stretch of sub-2:20s, but I’m okay with it all. Mostly I’m grateful to God for this life and being able to run, and will never take a race like this for granted. Winning is always awesome. Running is a gift, and I hope I can keep doing it for quite some time.

Glen Tucker took 2nd, with 2:30:54 (PR), followed by James Moore (2:33:53), Sasha Pachev (2:34:15), and Nate Clayson (2:36:08). Nice job to fastrunningbloggers, Top 4!

Top of Utah Half Marathon. This was my 5th attempt at this race, and the best outcome. Until this year I had never won the race outright (I don’t consider the year Logan took a wrong turn as a “win”), so it was really nice to finally get that top spot.

Got up at 4:20AM and had oatmeal with peaches, and coffee. (actually, kids woke me up at 3:30, and I didn’t sleep much after that). Drove over to the busing area, picked up my packet and boarded one of the middle buses. I had a bit over an hour to kill once I got there, but made several good potty stops (including the “hidden” potty below the start at the picnic area), and a good 2-mile warmup. So it was time well-spent.

Temperatures this morning in the valley were abnormally high, about 70 degrees. Usually it is mid- to low-50s this time of year, so I was a little worried about heat. But up the canyon it was quite a bit cooler, and quite nice, plus I think the temps dropped a little by the time the race started. Still a little warmer than ideal, and in previous years, but not bad at all.

Cache Sun ‘n’ Snow really has the management of this race nailed down by now, and they started the race right on time. I knew coming in that my primary competition would be Jake Krong, and I didn’t see anyone else at the start to make me think otherwise. But I figured Jake would give me everything I could handle and then some. I really had no idea what the outcome would be, other than that we would probably push each other a bit.

We both agreed before the race that 4:50-4:55/mile pace in the canyon sounded pretty good. (as long as I don’t think about it too hard). So when the gun went off, Jake tore down the canyon and I followed the best I could. It takes me a few miles to really warm up some races, and it was one of those races today. The pace felt REALLY hard the first mile, and I was breathing heavy for only one mile in. We went through Mile 1 in 4:48, which made me feel a bit better. It felt hard because it was.

Jake backed off the pace a little and I was able to catch back up alongside him (had been trailing a few meters before that). Mile 2 was 4:57, followed by 5:03 for Mile 3. Although Blacksmith Fork is a nice downhill gradient, not all miles are equal, and splits can vary a bit, despite even effort. I assume that was the case, rather than us biting the dust already.

We were running a pretty steady pace together, no real surges or anything, although I was still having trouble getting going and was no feeling comfortable at all, so was periodically falling off Jake’s shoulder (mostly on the downhills), and then catching back up on the flats or slight uphills. Mile 4 was 4:56.

Not much tailwind at all up until about Mile 5, where I could see it blowing the grass and even feel it against my back. We had it for the last mile or two in the canyon, plus the first mile of Hollow Rd. It was a decent canyon wind, although certainly not the longest-lived I’ve experienced, or the strongest, but for a few miles it was certainly an aid.

And it was Miles 5-8 where I finally snapped out of my funk and hit a good rhythm, started feeling really good at last. Mile 5 was 4:50, followed by 4:59 for Mile 6 (about 30:35 for 10K). During Mile 7, we exited the canyon and turned off onto Hollow Rd, which is always a fast mile, due to ideal gradient and good canyon wind. Mile 7 was 4:49.

Up through this point, Jake and I were running together. During Mile 8, in the middle of the Hollow Rd section, he dropped back from me a little bit, and eventually I  couldn’t hear him anymore. 4:57 for Mile 8.

At this point I started thinking ahead to the hill after Mile 10. Although not steep, it is a long, challenging hill, and I usually bite the dust on on it, and then am a wounded duck on the downhill mile after the hill. I knew I needed to relax and keep something in the tank for that part of the race. At the same time, I’m thinking how Jake is still right on my heels, and if I let up, he’ll catch me. And if he catches me, I’ll probably just let him go and forget about the whole thing. Ah, the psychology of racing. Point is, I needed to both relax and keep the hammer down at the same time. Easier said than done. It’s not even that easy to say, since it makes no sense. But that’s what I tried to do, balance the two things.

Mile 9, the last full mile on Hollow Rd, was 5:01. I was a little disappointed to be back above 5:00, but still feeling okay. During Mile 10, the course leaves Hollow Rd, and then goes down Hwy 165, which is still a mild downhill, although it does not feel like it. Hit a 5:04 for this mile. (10 Mile at 49:27). I was okay with it, since I could not hear Jake…although knew he was still in range since I could hear people cheering for him. Maybe 10-15s back?

During Mile 11, we turn into Millville, cross the Blacksmith Fork, and then start up the Millville Hill. I managed 5:11 for Mile 11, and was fairly pleased. Tried to push the pace a little bit more as the hill continued, and keep things moving. Couldn’t afford a lull at this point. This hill goes on FOREVER (or seems like it), for all of Mile 12, which ended up being 5:27. I was not happy about losing this much time, but was in “finish the darn race” mode, and kept plodding onward.

The “plodding” became much more urgent, however, when I gauged from crowd cheering that Jake was a bit closer, easily in striking range if I could not come up with something good on this last mile. The last mile is mostly downhill, and I’ve ran it as fast as 5:00 one year, but as slow as ~5:15 other years. I figured: a sub-5 would win the race, a 5:10 would lose. I respected Jake’s speed and conditioning (fairly intimidating to read his weekly volume and workouts, actually), and knew I absolutely had to put the hammer down.

And I managed to do this, thankfully; Mile 13 was 4:56, my fast closing mile for this race. Last 0.1 was 28s. I held off Jake by about 10 seconds, and surprisingly, set a my course best and personal best with 1:05:30, 8 seconds better than last year.

Looking back at my past TOU Half races (and I’ve had some good ones), I was a little surprised (but pleased) to see that this year I ran my fastest Mile 11, Mile 12, and Mile 13 splits out of 5 attempts. That is how I got a PR, since my first 10 miles were a fair bit slower than last year, which went out crazy fast. So this year, it was all about keeping a steady pace, more or less, and being able to come off the hill with a little bit left in the tank. I’m especially happy with this, given that my mileage has been a bit lower this summer than last summer, but on the other hand, by staying healthy I’ve been able to build off last summer, so in some ways the mileage doesn’t matter as much. Consistent, injury-free training trumps everything, IMO.

I think if the temps had been 10 degrees cooler, we all would have run 10-15s faster. It was still a pretty good day to run, but I’ve had so many “perfect” days for this particular race that I’m a little spoiled. I was able to mitigate the slight heat by dousing myself with water at each aid station, which kept me cool as the sun came up overhead.

Anyway…good day. My main goal coming into this race was to beat my time from last year, and I was able to do that in conditions not quite as good as last year. My “A+” goal was to break 1:05, but that’s okay. Gotta take any PR I can get. But I was hoping that breaking 1:05 would give me a reason to think that going after Hobie Call’s 2:16:30 course record at TOU Marathon is not idiocy. Sounds pretty dumb to me as I write it. I think I can run 2:18:00 there, maybe even 2:17, based off of today’s performance, but 2:16 is really pushing it. May try anyway, what the heck?

Long day, so I’ll try to keep this short…

Ran the Smithfield Half Marathon today. Got up at 4:30AM, had some coffee and oatmeal for breakfast, read a little bit, and then drove around Smithfield setting up yard sale signs (our church had a big yard sale & block party today, right after the race). Got back home at about 5:45AM, used the potty, and then raced down from my house to the Smithfield Rec Center, about a mile.

Had a couple minutes before the race started, so got to use the bathroom again, and then it was time to go. I love local races that I can run to from my house. So much easier.

This was the inaugural race, and I am pleased that Smithfield is putting on a half. With only the TOU Half, Cache Valley was overdue for another, and will certainly accommodate it. The course is tough though, not your prototype cream-puff Utah downhill screamer. This is truly “Not Yo Mama’s Half” (the actual race name). It is a loop course with over a thousand feet of cumulative ascent and descent. But it’s all very pretty, with a mixture of farmland, city, and canyon running.

I eased into the race with a 5:40 first mile on the slight downhill, and nobody went with me. Kept that same ~5:40 pace on the next two uphill miles. And then dipped under 5:30 for miles 4, and 5 past the golf course, which were net downhill. I was feeling pretty good, and enjoying the run. These are all routes that I run on every day, but it felt especially good to run it early in the morning, and with flats and a singlet.

Miles 6-8.5 were going uphill in the canyon. I was surprised to maintain a 5:30/mile pace, although markers may not have been great. Hit the turnaround at Mile 8.5, took some gatorade, and then started down.

The downhill really clicked, and the rest of the miles were sub-5. I passed the entire field going the other way (about 200 runners), and we all exchanged “good job” to each other. Kind of fun. This race truly had a small-town feel to it, and I like it. Very laid-back.

Got out of the canyon after Mile 11, and was still feeling good, and had a net downhill to Skyview, with the exception of the last quarter mile, which is up. As I was checking my watch during the last couple miles, I realized that a low-1:10, or even sub-1:10 was possible, which surprised me. My initial goal was to break 1:15, given the difficulty of the course, but halfway through I figured I was get around 1:12, but now it was looking even better.

As I neared the finish, it didn’t quite measure up. Sure enough, mile 13 was something like a 4:20 mile, and then the 0.1 was about right. So I ended up at 1:09:22, but the course was short by at least 35-40 seconds, maybe more. Maybe every mile was short, who knows. They measured it with a garmin this year, but maybe they’ll use a bike or a jones counter next year. It’s all good. Fun race, and I’m glad I ran it. All in all, city of Smithfield did a great job on the first-year event, and I hope to see it grow over the years. Good prizes too.

Ran home, and then set up and ran the yard sale the rest of the day.

Splits: 5:40, 5:41, 5:41, 5:26, 5:12, 5:28, 5:31, 6:15, 5:06, 4:51, 4:41, 4:49, 4:45, ?

I’m generally not into calling attention to things about myself, but thought it would be worthwhile to post a couple links of recent interviews I was invited to. Many people ask me about training and about running with Ankylosing Spondylitis, and both topics come up at length, as well as my thoughts on the Boston Marathon, the upcoming Olympic Trials, Marathon GIS, and various random tidbits and tips.

Interview with UtahRunning.com (transcribed from audio recording):

• Link to magazine
• Link to full transcript

Interview with Pike Athletics (written correspondence):

• Link to full interview

Thanks to  Ken Richardson of UtahRunning.com and Allan Phillips of Pike Athletics for these enjoyable interviews.

Utah Valley Marathon. I’ll try to keep this short, yet somewhat entertaining. All-in-all, a good race. I met my time goal, and came up just a little bit short for the win, but am okay with how it all went down. Good day to run.

Got about 3 hours of sleep due to kids not wanting to sleep, and then me waking up about every half hour. Got up at 3:00AM, ate a bowl of oatmeal with a banana and drank weak motel coffee. Read Running Times until Clyde and the StG boys swung by to pick me. Once at the start, we had over an hour to blow, but chatted with a lot of people, used the potties, and the time passed pretty quick.

Weather was about perfect: upper 40s at the start, little to no wind, clear skies. I’ve gotten lucky with my last two marathons!

My goal for the day was to compete for the win, and also to break 2:20 for the time bonus. I knew the race would have good competition, which would be fun. There were two Kenyans from last year, including the returning champion, plus some good Utah runners in Bryant Jensen and Jake Krong. And that’s pretty much how it played out.

The race started right on time. I wanted to go out at a pace that felt okay for my body, and didn’t force anything the first few miles. My body decided to use that opportunity as warmup, and I was okay with that, just letting the lead pack of Bryant and the two Kenyans go, and enjoyed chatting with Clyde and Jake. First mile was 5:47, which was slower than what it felt like, but I figured we’d pick it up. It’s a long race. Mile 2 was 5:29, followed by a 5:00. Not sure where the 5-flat came from.

We had a little pack for the first couple miles, but after Mile 3, Jake and I had separated ourselves out. Despite, the 5-flat, the leaders still seemed to be pulling away. And they continued to do so for the next few miles as well. But not a hole that we couldn’t dig ourselves out of!

Mile 4 was 5:16, and then a 5:23 for Mile 5. This upper part of the race (I have no idea where we were, just somewhere in Utah), had some fast downhill stretches, but also a lot of rolling hills…more hills than I expected. I thought the whole first half of this race was actually quite challenging, and the second half a bit faster. Good negative split course, if the first half doesn’t wear you out too much! The first 8 miles are very beautiful though, my favorite part of the race despite not being the fastest section.

Dropped a 5:13 for Mile 6. The leaders looked to be about a minute up. Jake and I still working together from behind, and somewhere in here, I decided it was time to narrow the gap (don’t remember exactly where).

5:24 for Mile 7, then 5:33 for Mile 8. Took a Gu at Mile 7. Again, way more uphills than I expected. But the leaders were definitely coming back now, although I had dropped Jake and was now working alone. But seeing the leaders come back was enough positive feedback to keep it moving, despite slower miles splits. I figured if I was 1:11 or under at the half, then sub-2:20 was still doable, although I would have liked to see 1:10 or just a little under.

Mile 9 had a major hill, and it was 5:46 for the mile. I passed one of the Kenyans on the hill to move into 3rd, and he was dropping pretty hard. But then used the downhill to surge to a 4:52 on Mile 10, and this is where I finally caught Bryant and the eventual winner, Hillary Cheruiyot. Once I caught them, I was able to settle and recover a bit, but the hills just kept coming. I was feeling a little frustrated, as I just wanted to get in a rhythm and roll. But the hills were manageable, and I was feeling okay. Not great, not especially fast, but strong enough to keep it up and hope for better things in the second half.

Mile 11 was 5:08, then 5:35 (lot of uphill), then 5:15. Came through the half in 1:10:16, and I was somewhat relieved. A few more 5:15 miles, and we’d be under 2:20 pace. Still had a nice pack of three. I threw a few tester surges here and there, and Cheruiyot responded immediately to each one. He looked good.

Once I got to the half point, I knew the course pretty well, from last year, and knew it should be a flier, with a few decent uphills here and there, but mostly great, runnable downhill. I was looking forward to really getting moving, and hoping my legs were ready, and fit enough to handle it. I was feeling decent, but that can change in a hurry during a marathon.

5:18, 5:12, and 5:30 for the next three miles. The slower split for Mile 16 was expected, as I remembered that hill for last year. Still the three of us in a pack. Keep rolling, still have work to do to get that sub-2:20!

The lead pack at around Mile 15

5:10, 4:58, 5:14, and 5:17 for Miles 17-20. That’s more like it! Took my second Gu at Mile 19. Then 5:21 for the final mile in the canyon. We dropped Bryant around Mile 17 (apparent he was having shoe problems), so it was a two-man race to the finish. Kind of a repeat of last year. Cheruiyot was still responding to everything I threw at him, and with 5 miles to go I was weaking and getting into “hang-on mode” rather than being able to throw that killer surge that I wanted to do. I was even starting to doubt if I could close well enough to get 2:20.

But despite not having the spunk in my legs, Mile 22 was still 5:17, followed by 5:20 for Mile 23. Still running shoulder-to-shoulder with Cheruiyot, still anyone’s race. I wasn’t sure how I could either win this, either have Cheruiyot suddenly fall apart (not likely, but definitely possible at the marathon distance), or sum up some strength for a hard half-mile kick or so at the end, and hope that nothing happens between now and then.

My watch ran out of memory at this point (still had Boston on there for some reason, maybe for the warm fuzzies), but I’m pretty sure Mile 24 was about 5:30. Despite not feeling spunky, the course is fast enough here to keep rattling it out.

Right after Mile 24, Cheruiyot won the race. Well, actually he won the race when he crossed the finish, but he made the decisive move to win right here, and the man had it in him. He pulled ahead of me by about 10 seconds during this mile, although I split another 5:20, or near there. I don’t think there was much I could do about it. He was saving it up for that point, and I was just trying to keep my legs moving at the same pace.

During the last mile, I knew still I had a really strong shot at sub-2:20 and the time bonus, and was also hoping for a sudden slowdown by Cheruiyot. Maybe he played his card too early? So I drove as hard as I could, and ended up with 6:05 for the last 1.2, which means Mile 26 was near 5:10 or a little under. But I could not close whatsoever, and he maintained or even slightly increased the gap. I finished in 2:19:28, 2nd place overall. Second half was 1:09:12, so a negative split of just over a minute.

Hats off to Cheruiyot. I don’t mind getting beat if I know I ran as well as I could, didn’t have any physical or mental collapses, etc. He had that extra gear to win. I think I ran a good race, about as good as I can hope for, considering mileage of 60-ish miles/week since Boston. I’m glad I had a good winter base, as that surely helped!

Ended up taking home $1300 for my efforts, my second-best ever payday. Can’t complain about that! And our St George Running Center team won the team competition, so that was nice icing on the cake.

I’m glad I ran UVM, not sure if I’ll do the full marathon there again, but it was a pretty course, and it was nice doing an in-state race without the pressure of qualifying. And it’s always wonderful and a blessing to be able to run the distance, at any speed.

Well, it’s been a full month since Boston, and I suppose it’s time for an update. The picture below pretty much sums up how my body felt after the race. It took about 10 days for the soreness to go away, and about 3 weeks before I felt decent in any runs. It was the hardest recovery I’ve had in all of my 17 marathons, and that includes my debut and many punishing downhill races. My legs were absolutely blasted, but I am pleased with that (it means I couldn’t have ran any harder!)

 I’ve spent the last couple weeks getting back into workouts, and have had some great long runs and tempos, and am really feeling good. No doubles, though, and no big mileage. Just doing one run per day and hanging around 70 mpw right now, which is plenty for staying in good shape. I plan on doing this for most of the summer as well, and then perhaps ramping up in the few months before the Trials.

With the Trials Qualifier out of the way, I can relax a bit and do some races that I would not be able to do otherwise. In 2 weeks I’ll be running the Utah Valley Marathon. I plan to have fun with this race, but still try and push it a bit, run a good time, and hopefully contend for the win. I suppose it will depend on who shows up, but with $1600 + time bonuses on the line, I imagine the competition will be quite good, and I’m looking forward to that. UVM has a team scoring option, and am I running on the St George Running Center team. Hopefully we will all have good days! It looks like a nice course, and it’s always fun to try a new race.

Then in September I’ll be running the Top of Utah Marathon, in hopes of repeating my 2009 performance and getting the win on my home course. This will be my 8th TOU, and it is one of my favorite races. As some extra motivation to keep training, I’ve got it in the back of my head to try to break Hobie Call’s course record of 2:16:38. It’s a pretty amazing time on that course, but who knows? At least by writing about it, that puts some pressure on me to get in some quality training over the summer…

As far as the aftermath of Boston, I’m deeply satisfied with that performance, and in qualifying for my second straight Olympic Trials. I took the new stardards (sub-2:19 vs. sub-2:22, no aided courses) as a big challenge, and it really helped fuel my fire. I don’t think I would have broken 2:19 or even 2:20 if not for the tightened standard. Much of life is how we respond to challenges and “injustices”. We can either complain about it and walk away, or keep fighting the good fight. Training takes a lot of sacrifice, but I’m glad I went through with it.

In addition, I will have to deal with Ankylosing Spondylitis (”A.S.”: a chronic, degenerative autoimmune disease that causes arthritis in the neck, spine, hips, and other places) for the rest of my life, and I really don’t know how many years I will be able to run. Things are good now, but there are no guarantees for the future. I am glad that I am running hard and fast while and can, and using this gift that God has given me. I’m looking forward to running the Trials in January and just savoring the experience. And a PR would be nice too.

Somebody asked me the other day what the future holds for me in running, what my long-term goals are. I really had no answer, I told him “I don’t know”. That’s a first me; over the years I usually had some big, overarching goal: making state, qualifying for track nationals, achieving All American, Trials Qualifier, various time standards, etc. Over three years ago, when I first got diagnosed with A.S., my big goal was just to be able to run again. Once I could run, I wanted to race. Once I could race, I wanted to do a marathon. Once I ran a marathon (and ran well), qualifying for the Trials become Goal #1. Breaking 2:20 in Indianapolis was a big deal for me, as it was sweet just to break into the 2-teens. And then Boston wrapped up everything else I could possibly desire in my little world of running. And I’m satisfied with what I’ve done over the past several years. It’s a great body of work.

So will there be another “big goal” to work toward? I still don’t know. I do know I’m going to tackle these short-term goals of Utah Valley and TOU, and have fun with it. I’m going to ride this train of fitness I’ve built into the Trials in January and hopefully have a good experience, maybe PR, maybe place well. But I don’t know that there’s anything beyond the Trials for me. It was my carrot for a long time, but I caught it, ate it, and it was tasty.  We’ll see, maybe there will be something new. I can guarantee I’m not going to get into ultrarunning though.

I do know that I want to continue running competitively, and race well. I also know that I want to continue to keep my life in balance, and make sure that God, family, and work remain the three most important things, and running remains a glorified hobby. Anytime running take a bigger role that that, I am out of balance, and the other aspects of my life (the more important ones) will suffer. But in any case, I’m pleased with how these last several years have gone, and I look forward to what the future holds, whatever it is.

I’m in a hotel with limited time, so will try to keep this short and do it justice at the same time. Today was a great day to run, and a wonderful race, and I cherished every moment of it. And my legs hurt more than after any other race (even St. George or Des News), so I know I ran it right.

Got up at 5:30AM. I slept decent, but was wired and ready to get up at 5:15. Had oatmeal, a banana, and coffee for breakfast, then a larabar and another banana later on.

Dropped off my one water bottle (with Gu) at the water drop, then got on the elite bus to the church in Hopkington. Sat next to Nan and passed the time well by chatting.

The church was a cool staging area, and it was sweet just being there with everyone else. Met a few new people, learned a few new course tips, and generally passed the time. The best part was that we had ample toilets to use, so no lines. Used that priviledge about 5-6 times.

The day looked perfect. Cool weather, but not cold. Clear conditions, and a strong tailwind. I knew this tailwind would make today crazy. It was a perfect storm (if you will) of temperature, no precipitation, and favorable wind. This is rare, in Boston, or anywhere. St George is 2007 was the last “perfect storm” I ran, and we all know how that turned out (we all ran sick times).

But I didn’t want to be deceived by the wind, and run faster than what I’m trainined to do for 26.2. True, 5:15 pace becomes 5:05 pace with that kind of tailwind…but the body cannot withstand the pounding for the full race. For a half marathon yes, but not for the marathon distance. This race had potential to be fast, and also potential to create many casualities. We saw both today.

The women started, and then soon enough it was our turn. The men funneled out of the church and too the start line. Did a few strides, and soaked in the scene (not having seen the start yet). I was excited and enjoying myself.

The race started, and I tried to control myself and tuck back. Got behind the two Hanson runners, because I figured they’d be coached up and running smart. Still, we went through 1K in 3:05, and 1 mile in 5:07. This is definitely a strong downhill. Tried to scale things back, but went back too far to 5:20 for mile 2. And then Mile 3 was 5:12. Still too fast (I wanted 5:15), but better. Passed through 5K in 16:14.

Our pack at Mile 1

The lead pack was, of course, gone from the get-go, but I wasn’t really thinking about them. The two Hanson guys and one other guy dropped our pack after a mile or so, but then we had a nice pack of 6-8 through Mile 10. We all had similar bib numbers (30s and 40s), so I figured it was the right pack. And it felt like I was holding back, so I figured it was the right pace.

Hit Mile 4 in 5:10, and that was the end of the biggest downhill portion of the course. Mile 5 was 5:19, so a bit of a drop-off, and then I adjusted too hard for a Mile 6 in 5:07. 10K split was 32:25, so 16:11 for the 5K. Pace felt pedestrian…but doesn’t it need to at this point in any marathon? Oh, and the tailwind was surely helping. Couldn’t always feel it, but I could see it. (flags, etc). Once in a while, the wind would swirl and become a headwind, but never for long.

Although the tailwind was helping the pace be easier, it did have one unexpect (but logical) consquence: I was getting hot. Despite being in the 50s, I was already overheating, as there was no breeze in the face to cool off with. Around Mile 5 or 6, I started dousing myself with water at every aid station. I was completely drenched by the end. But I needed to do this, not sure what would have happened if I didn’t (I’m used to 40-degree days in Cache Valley!).

Miles 7-16 were good for me, as my pace finally stopped yo-yoing, the hills settled down and were more flat. Mile 7 was 5:11. I took my first Gu at this point. Mile 8 was 5:08, and Mile 9 was 5:15. 15K was right around 48:35, so another 16:10 5K split. This was definitely faster than my plan (5:15/mile), but I knew it to be the result of the tailwind more than being excited. And I felt like I was still holding back, so kept going with it.

I mentioned this earlier in the entry, but our pack broke up at Mile 10 or so, and I was solo for the last 16 miles, other than passing the back end of the women’s group, and passing elite men who were put through the meat grinder and dying off. But despite not having people to run with, the crowds still energized me, and of course so did the tailwind.

Mile 10 was another 5:15. 10 miles in 52:08. Mile 11 was 5:13, and Mile 12 was 5:10. The splits were definitely getting a lot more consistent. It was still feeling easy with the half point coming up (breathing was super-easy), although I could feel some fatigue in my quads. But all other systems were perfect (calves, hammies, etc). Still trying to drink and douse at every aid station. 20K was 1:04:49, so 16:14 for the last 5K (staying consistent!)

During Mile 13 (I think) we came past Wellesey and the mob of screaming women. Definitely a remarkable part of the race (hence me remarking on it), as it was very loud and a big boost. I had heard much about this spot, and was not disappointed. Mile 13 was 5:12, and then 1:08:18 for the half. Yikes, fast! But I maybe today was the day to run 2:16? I was feelin’ it…

I knew I had easy-going until Mile 16, when the first of the Newton Hills would loom. Hit 5:08 for Mile 14, and then 5:20 for Mile 15. 25K in 1:21:03 (probably a PR), so another 16:14 5K split.

Mile 16 we had the big downhill into Newton, and I hit 5:10 on that…and then the climbing began!

When I looked at the Boston elevation profile, I thought “those hills don’t look so big”. And there’re not. They are really not that bad, even Heartbreak. It’s the timing that is bad. After 16 miles of downhill, the uphills hit at a bad time, and each uphill has a downhill on the other side, which really hurts the quads at this point!

But the first Newton hill was a pushover. Hit 5:17 for Mile 17. Then 5:26 on the following mile (I think the second hill was this mile?). Split 1:37:33 for 30K, so 16:30 for the 5K. I had took my lone elite bottle at this station, which was just a water bottle with a Gu taped to it. Tore off the Gu top from the duct-taped bottle like a hand grenade and tossed the full bottle (it was serving as just a paper-weight for the Gu). So I took my second and last Gu here.

Near 30K mark

Hit some downhill on Mile 19 and split a 5:17. I still have bounce in my step, but my quads were feeling curiously hammered. What’s the deal? After all, I’ve done St George, Des News, TOU, Ogden, UVM Half, Alta Peruvian Downhill Dash, etc…shouldn’t my quads be able to handle a mere 450ft of measley drop? But they were definitely getting into a bad way after Mile 18, and steadily worsened over the rest of the race.

Did the 3rd Newton Hill during Mile 20, and split a 5:21. Not bad, but my quads are unhappy with me. Wondering if I’m going to fall apart the last 10K. But just one mile at a time, and the next mile was the 4th and last Newton hill: Hearbreak Hill.

Not sound cocky, but Heartbreak was lame. Managed a 5:25 on Mile 21, and then plummeted a 5:07 on Mile 22. 35K in 1:53:58 (16:25). A lot of things were going through my mind here: 1) Boston is awesome; 2) I really think I’m going to Qualify; 3) My quads are really really killing me; 4) Let’s see if I can get these crowds to cheer louder.

During the last 5 miles, I was egging on the crowds big-time. Hey, I’m in Boston, the race of races, let’s milk it! Shouting at them and gesturing at them about every half mile mile, I would turn a dull roar into an ear-splitting crescendo. It was pretty awesome. Maybe I’m a tool for egging on the crowd, but I loved it, and it gave me such an energy boost each time. Really key for my last 8K or so, when my quads were about gone, and all I had left was the crowd energy and andrenaline.

Hey, 4 miles left, if I don’t fall apart, and just do something respectable (like 5:45/mile), I’ll make it! But it was a battle, because my quads wanted none of it. But the crowds encouraged me, and each passing mile encouraged me to do another just like it! Mile 23 was 5:14! Keep it going! Egg on the crowd…and…5:11 for Mile 24. Big downhill on this mile that killed, but I forced it to keep moving. Can’t hold back anything at this point.

Now I know it’s in the bag, provided that I don’t have an epic failure in the last 2.2 miles. Mile 25 was 5:18, which again, was a huge boost of encouragement. Even though I felt completely shredded, I wasn’t slowing down. And the crowd urged me to keep hammering, and I urged them to keep cheering.

I had been passing people most of the second half, and passed a few more during the last mile. Someone in the previous mile told me that I was in 21st, and I knew I was in the top 20 a few passes later, although I wasn’t keeping track (I was too busy yelling at the crowd to pay much attention). But picking off the elite men really helped too.

There are 5 turns in the whole course, and most of them are in the last mile. I made the last turn and was soon staring down the finish line from a distance. Mile 26 in 5:23. The last 0.2 were the most exhilerating and also the most painful I’ve run, but as the story of the day, the crowds brought me in and I enjoyed the moment. Crossed the finish line in 2:17:35, a new PR, and more importantly, over a minute under the Trials standard. So I will be returning to my second Trials in January 2012, and that’s a pretty sweet taste.

Went to the recovery tent, and texts started coming in (oh, what a day and age we live in). Clyde informed me that I was 17th, and 3rd American. I am very proud of both of those stats. I knew Top 20 was achievable on a great day, but 3rd American is pretty cool. I missed money by two spots, but who cares at this point. It wasn’t really on my radar to begin with.

Yes, this Boston was definitely wind-aided. The wind was a huge boost. But it came at a price for many, including me to a degree. Basically it allowed me to run close to half marathon pace…at the expense of my quads. Call it overstriding or overracing or something like that, but I think it caused a lot of DNFs and blowups. It also caused some amazing, truly aided times. But any race you have to take what you’re giving, and this race we happened to have a “perfect storm” of speed-inducing weather. For some people, it was too much, like having too much nitrous, and they blew up, but for others it led to huge PRs. It’s aided for sure, but I’ll take it. Do I have a choice?

But regardless of wind, it was a great race. I felt like I ran smart, ran within myself, ran within the weather, ran the hills strong, competed to my utmost, and enjoyed the experience, aura, and crowds of Boston at the same time. In other words, I had the experience I was looking for. I’m grateful to God for having the physical ability to run, and I give Him the glory. Thanks everyone for your support and good wishes over the last several days and months.

Striders Half Marathon. As a rare treat, we had great weather this year: overcast, little to no wind, and temps in the low 40s.

This race was to be my last big workout before Boston. Since I had a shorter buildup for this marathon, I wanted to race a bit more frequently, so I did the St George Half in late January, then the Moab Half in mid-March, and the Striders Half today. My main goal was just to run well and get my confidence back up after a rather rocky Moab race a couple weeks ago, and to stay in control and not tap the well at all in doing so. (no need to get too tired or sore this close to Boston). It ended up being a really positive effort today, and I accomplished all that I set out to do. I felt sharp both physically and mentally.

When the race started, I got out to a quick start, but the first three miles were all pretty conversational. Bryant Jensen, who I figured would be my main competition, and Riley Cook went with me. The first three miles were 5:10, 5:11, and 5:06 (all mild downhill). Riley dropped back after 3, and then it was just Bryant and I.

I felt good at this pace, and wanted to keep it going for the 3 remaining downhill miles. Miles 4-6 were 5:00, 4:59, and 5:01. It was not a conscious surge, kind of happened organically, but I liked it and went with it. Was definitely breathing harder (no longer conversational pace), but still felt very controlled and loose. Bryant dropped a couple steps behind me, but kept close contact, and then dropped further back after Mile 6.

With Bryant dropping back a little, I pressed the pace as the course exited the canyon and started on the rolling hills around the lake. Mile 7 was another 5:00, and then 5:05 for Mile 8. The pace was now feeling pretty hard, but I was actually enjoying the hills a little bit after the long downhill.

Miles 9 and 10 were 5:14 and 5:08, respectively. Just 5K to go, and I felt like the race was pretty much sealed. The long uphill incline to the finish was coming up, and I didn’t want to push too hard for this race, so I just tried to keep the pace honest and steady, but also cruise a little bit. 5:16, 5:19, and 5:19 for Miles 11, 12, and 13. Coasted into the finish in 37s for the 0.1, and finished with a time of 1:07:29.

This was almost 2 minutes faster than what I ran in 2007, and I also recaptured my old course record, which had been broken by Alex Tomas in 2009. So that was good. The course is a net downhill, but still somewhat challenging with the rolling hills and high altitude, so I feel pretty good about the time. And I feel good about starting my taper next week, and about what I need to do in Boston in 16 days.

Cooled down for about 4 miles afterward with a whole crew of folks.

Canyonlands Half Marathon. This was my 6th stab at this race. My previous results were 1:16:59 (’03), 1:17:35 (’04), 1:16:21 (’05), 1:18:14 (’06), and DNS (’08). Interestingly, these are my 5 worst-ever half marathon results. So my history with this race is a little cursed. I wanted to bust out a big one this year, as I was actually healthy and in shape (2 of the 3 things that kept me from running well the other years). However, this year ended up being cursed again, largely due to weather (the 3rd thing that tends to blow up this race). But at least I am in shape enough to get a 4-minute course best and 4-position placing best, so I need to count my blessings. And I can honestly say it was my best Canyonlands Half in 6 attempts!

I’ll try to keep this short, as I have better things to do than waste time on the computer (ie - my family loves me, and I love them). Temps for this race were good, upper 50s, low 60s and overcast. However, we were pummeled by a headwind for most of the race. At times in the canyon it would swirl or temporarily go away, but it was present for most of the canyon, and of course the last two miles in town were sheer hell. It was very very similar to 2006.

I had wanted to try to run a PR, but threw that out when I saw (and felt) the wind. I think that was my mistake. I should have just shrugged my shoulders and put the pedal to the medal anyway. Yeah, it wouldn’t have turned out great, but at least I would have been in a racing mindset. The problem was that I just tucked in for a few miles (about a pack of 6 of us), and dinked around with 5:30-5:40 for most of the first half. It was easy and kind of fun, but was feeling more like a workout than anything. It was running strategic without a strategy.

Eventually everyone dropped off the pack except for myself, Josh Stephen, and Bryant Jensen. We then dropped Josh…temporarily…as he always seemed to find his way back. But the pace was pretty easy and we were keeping conversation. Finally dropped Josh for good around Mile 9 or so.

During the 10th mile is the only real hill of the course. Bryant and I went up it, and it didn’t feel too bad, the pace was still easy. But then Bryant pushed the downhill and dropped me a little. I wasn’t in the mood to run real hard (kind of the problem for the race), and figured I’d catch him on the flat. The problem was that he kept pushing, the wind kept blowing, and I couldn’t shift gears into race mode. Instead, after 10 miles was feeling pretty easy, my legs got really heavy feeling, and I couldn’t get out of my pace. And suddenly everything went from feeling easy to feeling hard.

I held a somewhat close 20m gap to him for over a mile, but on the US-191 section during Mile 12, he increased the gap to about 100m. I ended up finishing 22s back from Bryant, with a 1:12:10.

I was right in thinking before the race that it would be tactical, and would require a slow start, but where I erred was in not having any actual tactics to play. I realized that when I got to Mile 7 or so, when it was just down to Bryant and I. We had dropped everyone else just by continuing a set pace, no moves needed. But I knew that Bryant was too good of a runner to beat with a bunch of 5:30s into the wind; it would require some sort of decisive move. And I hadn’t really considered or visualized what move to make, and was feeling to lazy and lethargic to actually make one on the fly. So it was Bryant who made the move, and kudos to him since he actually showed up to race and did what was needed to win. I give credit where credit is due. Definitely not my best race, either physically (legs of lead at the end) or emotionally (too loose, no edge).

Oh well. I try to find the good in everything. Again, the conditions were very similar in 2006, when I ran 1:18:14 and finished something like 11th. Today, on the same course and same weather, I ran 1:12:10 and was runner-up. It was a Canyonlands-best for me, and raises the benchmark a little bit. I’ll just have to come back another year!

Mile splits were 5:34, 5:35, 5:32, 5:39, 5:20, 11:07 (2-mile), 5:26, 5:17, 5:22, 5:24, 5:44, 5:33, 0:32.

Our whole family had a lot of fun in Moab. Got to hike around, enjoy warmer weather, and eat too much food. It’s always a fun trip out here, and a nice mini-vacation.

Ran the St George Half Marathon today. I was really happy with the effort and result, and with how my body felt the whole way. It was beautiful weather: sunny and upper 30s at the start, with little or no wind. Probably mid-40s by the finish.

We all drove down on Thursday, and stayed with Clyde and Mik’l. Hiked and lounged on Friday, and enjoyed the lovely sunshine. It was sooo nice.

Got up at about 6:30AM on Saturday, then drove over to Starbucks to grab some coffee. Had oatmeal and a banana for breakfast. Clyde and I drove to the start at about 8:10AM, then did a 4-mile warmup with Logan and Dave. After a few potty-stops and a few strides, I was all ready to go.

My training has been moderate to low thus far this winter, but I had been starting to ramp up mileage and workouts over the past 3 weeks or so. I hadn’t tested myself and I didn’t really know what kind of shape I’m in, so this race would be a good fitness indicator. Sub-1:10 was my main goal, and sub-1:09 would be even better, just depending on how my body responds. And more than anything, I just wanted to get my legs moving and compete a little bit to gain some extra motivation.

The race started on time (all-in-all, it was pretty well-organized). I wanted to ease into the race, and thankful the field allowed me to do so. By the end of the first mile, Jeff, Fritz, and I had separated ourselves out from the pack, but Mile 1 was just a 5:29. We sped up only slightly for Mile 2, which was 5:27.

Things got a little bit more interesting during the third mile, as we eased into a 5:14 split. This mile didn’t feel a whole lot hard than the first two, so it was a good sign that I was warmed up.

During the 4th mile, we dropped Fritz, and it was now just Jeff and I for the remainder of the race. Mile 4 was 5:00, so a pretty nice surge. Jeff and I kept it moving for the next two miles, with splits of 5:12 and 5:10. Everything was feeling really good, and I was enjoying the course, including the rolling hills. Mile 7 slowed to 5:21 for whatever reason, perhaps because of a fairly steep hill up above the river?

Through 7 miles, Jeff and I were running side-by-side, and keeping intermittent conversation. However, I did not want this race to come down to a sprint with Jeff, and I was wanting to make a major push sometime during the second half to gain some separation.

Mile 8 was 5:00, and then Mile 9 was 5:15. Jeff was starting to run behind me, rather than to my side, and I thought that might be a sign that he might be tiring. (I still felt great). During the 10th mile, we were along the river bottom, which is pretty flat, and I started pressing pretty hard. I could feel Jeff drop back a little bit, which gave me encouragement to keep going with the surge.

Also during that mile, a race called “Rival Relay” was advertising along the course, and had signs up about “beating your rival” and stuff like that. It also had a “red vs. blue” rivalry theme with their signs. I thought those signs were kind of funny, since Jeff is my rival, and I was wearing red and he was wearing blue. Believe it or not, those signs actually motivated me to run harder and to try and seal the deal against Jeff. We have been pretty evenly matched over the last couple years, and have traded races at various distances. Beating Jeff is no easy task, and I enjoy running against him.

Mile 10 was 4:59. I followed it up with 5:08 on Mile 11, which included a substantial uphill. This opened up about a 15-second gap.

During Mile 11, the second loop merged with the first loop, meaning I was sharing the course with other runners. At first it was okay, because the pace cart was moving people to the left. But eventually the path narrowed and the cart had to stop, so then it was up to me to wade my way through the masses.

And here is where I had a pretty bad lapse that almost cost me the race. I thought Jeff was dropped, and combined with dodging all the people, I was lulled mentally to sleep. Mostly I was just trying to dodge people, and neglected to maintain the pace. I was surprised to hit Mile 12 in 5:27 (despite still feeling great), but figured Jeff was still back and didn’t worry about it. But near the final bridge, without warning, Jeff suddenly whizzed right by me, at what appeared to be a dead sprint.

That “woke” me up pretty quick, and I was instantly angry at myself, and tore off after Jeff and caught him quickly. We then ran “side-by-side” for a while (I put that in quotes, since we were constantly splitting in different directions to dodge people on the dirt).

I knew by my watch that the turn into the Dixie Center should be coming soon. I was a bit worried about missing it, since it was utter chaos on the course, so I was hoping it would be marked with a huge neon sign or something. We went by the dirt path that was the turn, and some people in red vests mumbled something at us, and I thought I heard the word “turn” and “second mile”. But I didn’t see any signage, I didn’t know what “second mile” meant, and no one yelled at us after we had gone by. So we kept going, still side-by-side, but I had a nagging in the back of my mind that perhaps those people were making a feeble attempt to get us to turn. But it was so crowded, so chaotic, and rather loud, so it just wasn’t registering for me. After Jeff and I had gone another 200m, I was looking hard for the Dixie Center, and finally found it…behind us!

At this point I knew we must turn around, and I told Jeff so. After a brief “are you sure?” “Yeah” dialog, we both turned around and headed back. I perhaps had a step on him. We made the turn, which was indeed the real turn, and then the next challenge was to find the final turn into the chute.

I figure out where the turn/chute was, and then started a kick. I had done too much work to lose this race in a sprint. I made the turn, could see the finish line, and let it all out with 250-300m to go. It was the longest and hardest I’ve kicked since probably college (10 years ago). But after getting out-kicked at almost every recent race where I’ve been close to people (Indy Mini, Utah Valley, Des News, …), I was not going to let it happen this time. It was a good finish, and I held Jeff off by about 3 or 4 seconds.

Final time was 1:09:38. I had 6:56 for the last 1.1. Usually my last 1.1 is about 5:30-5:40, so perhaps we would have been around 1:08:20, which actually isn’t too far off my PR. I had no goal of getting a PR today, so this was a pleasant surprise.

Aside from the mental lapse during Mile 12, and the missed turn at the end (I wished I had scoped out the finish better during warmup), this was almost a perfect early-season race for me. Every time I wanted to push, my body responded, and I felt great the whole way. It was great to win a sprint to the finish, and my confidence and motivation are up for the next month of training. It’s hard to train in Logan during the winter, so I really needed this boost. This was a step in the right direction for hitting that sub-2:19 at Boston in April.

If you want to skip all of the boring, lead-up “journal” stuff, scroll down to the bold “The Race” heading. I actually recommend it.

The Lead-In

I flew into Indy on Thursday evening, on a direct flight. I met my brother-in-law at the airport, and then triangulated with Jeff McClellan, who was staying with us too. Found Jeff, and we headed to my sister’s house. Chatted with my sister until midnight, and chatted with Jeff until past 1AM (very much like a runner slumber party). But I still wasn’t tired, so it took a while to fall asleep. My niece Lauryn woke up in the middle of the night too, crying, which broke my sleep (although I’m pretty used to that with Seth). Slept about 6 hours total.

On Friday, Jeff and I went for a short run, then I pretty much hung out most of the day with my sister & brother-in-law. Went out for lunch, etc. Around 3:30PM, my sister took Jeff and I downtown, and dropped us off at our hotel, the Omni Severin. This hotel was about 1 block from the expo, and maybe three blocks from the start and finish line. Very convenient, which I’m all about. It would come in handy on the cold race morning.

Jeff and I checked in, then went to the expo. Decent-sized expo, although about 1/10th the size of the Indy Mini. Met the elite coordinator, Jon Little, who was very enthusiastic, and I suspect had been going on coffee and Red Bull for the last 72 hours (a trait common to most race directors on race-week). Had a very short athlete meeting, and dropped off water bottles. Then I went out to eat with my parents and my sister’s family. Came back to the hotel after dinner, watched the weather a little bit, and then went to bed, after some more slumber-party conversation with Jeff. I was actually quite tired, and slept about the best I’ve ever slept before a marathon. I was completely out, and didn’t wake up much. Got about 8.5 hours of sleep total.

Finally, race-day arrived: it was Saturday morning. I’ve been counting down to this morning for literally months. Especially the last two weeks. Now it was finally here. All I wanted was an opportunity to validate my training, and an opportunity to make a legitimate Trials attempt. For that I would need:

• no lingering injuries
• no hint of sickness
• good training cycles/buildup
• no/little wind
• no precipitation
• no heat or humidity
• fast course
• competition and people to run with
• good race/course organization (no distractions)
• crowd support

This is essentially a checklist that Kevin Hanson rattled off on a letsrun.com thread about the Chicago marathon, while debating the heat issue. Hanson’s big quote: “Races are not run in a bubble and to ask for more than 90% is ridiculous.”

Well, I’ve been perfectly healthy all year, without even a hint of an owie. What a blessing. I managed to stave off any colds (thanks to 4 packets of Emergen-C per day). My training had gone very well, and I accomplished everything I wanted to in terms of mileage and workouts. Wind was 4-5mph, wow, how much better than the Mini is that?? Clear sky. Temperature at the start was 27 degrees, and never got much above freezing. But cold is fine, hot is not. I can dress for cold. So temperature: check. The course was to be flat and fast, good reputation. Check. Competition was to be deep: about 10 or 12 Kenyans, plus some good regional American runners. Plus Jeff, who I have run with before and who would be an ally. Check. Race organization: same people who put on the Mini. Top Notch. Check. Crowd support…turned out to be non-existent.

Okay, so the only thing missing was crowd support, and I suppose 10 degrees warmer would have been ideal. But we’re shooting 90%, and as Hanson said, to expect more is absurd. This was a perfect setup to race. No excuses today, and I got what I wanted: an opportunity. What more could I ask for? I was already grateful, and was certainly excited on race-day.

Got up at 6AM. Race start would be 8AM. Ran hot water through the coffee machine for oatmeal, then repeated for coffee. Had oatmeal, a banana, and a small pot of coffee. The coffee was pedestrian at best. Watched the morning news. Temperature was 31 degrees, but still falling since the sun was not up yet. Would be 27 degrees by race start at 8AM.

At about 7AM, Jeff and I went for a little jog, to check out the air and get some blood moving. I thought the air actually felt really good, did not seem excessively cold. Did about half a mile, then went back up to the hotel room. Earned 3 stars in the comfort of the hotel.

We hung out in the room until 7:40AM, then headed down. We jogged over to the start, and then I ran into the State building for one more potty stop. Got to the start line about 5 minutes before the gun. Did a few strides, said hi to Sean. Temps felt okay with my warmups off. I was wearing compression shorts, compression socks, singlet, arm sleeves, an ear band, gloves, and a throw-away top. I ended up throwing away the long-sleeve shirt before the race even started, as I realized I wouldn’t need it.

One good thing about hanging out in the hotel room so long was that I didn’t have to worry about the temptation of scoping out the competition. It’s almost never fruitful to do so, and just psyches me out. But as promised, there were plenty of Kenyans at the line. I rarely get nervous before races, and this was no exception. Just excited, and full of anticipation.

The half marathon and the marathon was combined for the first 6.5 miles, so all 9000 people were lined up at the start. 3000 in the marathon, the rest in the half. The wheelers started at 7:59, and then they started us right at 8:00AM. Awesome. Months of waiting and training was finally…going. Running. Whatever. It was good though.

The Race

At last I was finally running my Trials attempt. This was about 3 years in the making, and in terms of this year, I’ve been training with this in mind it since January, and doing marathon-specific training since late July. It’s been a long grind. I believe you really have to love training in order to do this, otherwise it’s just gambling, with no fruit if you come up short. But if you actually enjoy the process and the journey, then there is no way to lose. While training is grinding at times for me, I do love the journey. I enjoy the process of getting in shape, the smaller races I do along the way, and especially the people I meet along the way. At this race alone, I met several new very cool people, reconnected with some older contacts, and met one or two “virtual” (blog) contacts. It’s the kind of stuff that keeps me going, and makes my life richer.

Due to the cold, I planned to go out a little slower, maybe 5:25 the first mile, then 5:20, and then hopefully get into my goal pace of 5:15/mile.

During the first mile, which was all downtown, a big pack just took off, and they were way the heck up there. A second pack, including myself, Jeff, Sean, and about 10 others, formed behind. It was great running with that many people. It turned out to be the only part of the course with any wind (probably due to the buildings funneling the wind), but I could just tuck in behind people.

We hit Mile 1 in 5:14. So much for the need to “warm up”, but it actually felt really good, and my muscles felt warm. Maybe all of the compression stuff (which made me feel silly) actually works for circulation?? The lead pack must have been 4:55 or 5:00. They were really that far ahead. Turn outs that some of the Kenyans didn’t know about the half marathoners, so the half guys took some of the marathoners out too hard (good for me later on). Chip times showed the lead marathon pack going through 10K in 31:14, which is just barely over 5:00/mile!

The second mile was 5:26. It was feeling incredibly easy, but I guess that’s because we slowed down. I think this was partially because we were still looping around downtown, and there were lots of turns. I wasn’t worried about hitting a 5:25, since I was planning on a slower start anyway. Still had the big pack here, including Jeff and Sean.

I picked it up some during the 3rd mile, and took the head of the pack. As we headed out of downtown, the wind died too, so leading the pack was no big deal. I wanted to get the pace back under 5:20 and get into a groove for the race. Sean dropped back this mile, but Jeff ran alongside me, and there was still a big pack behind/with us. Turns out most of these people were half marathoners, but it was good to have extra bodies in the mix. Mile 3 was 5:16, so a great pace. Now just to lock in…

The course thus far was perfectly flat, although got kind of ugly (un-scenic) after we left downtown. My muscles were feeling good, and sub-5:20 pace felt easy on the breathing. I could hold a conversation (gotta love sea level). Our pack was breaking up some, but there were people coming back from up front (half marathoners). Mile 4 was 5:17, perfect.

Mile 5 was a little fast, 5:10. Not sure why this was so fast, maybe I got sucked into catching people drifting back? But this was the fastest split of the race, and not outlandish or anything.

Mile 6 was 5:16, perfect. Hit 10K in about 32:47. At this point, it was just me, Jeff, a Kenyan (whose name was also Jeff), a bunch of guys right behind us, and then a couple guys right ahead of us that we had been reeling in. I suspected from their erratic pace that the guys ahead of us were half marathoners.

Our first bottle-drop was at 10K. However, there was a media van parked right in front of the table! I was a bit ticked, bypassed the table (I would have had to stop to actually get the bottle), and rapped on the van as I passed. The driver was trying to get in and move, to his credit. Bummer. But fortunately I was taking Gatorade at every “regular” aid station, as I can never seem to bank on bottles.

At Mile 6.5, the course partitioned: half marathoners on left, full marathoners on the right. Good organization here, as it was coned and well-marked. Then the two races split off, and suddenly Vegas Jeff, Kenyan Jeff, and myself were all alone. So much for the pack. I could not see any runners ahead of us (as they had gone out so fast and were gone), and I had no idea what place we were in. I was pretty sure Top 10, maybe 7th or so (turns out we were 4th, 5th, and 6th, so my estimate was slightly pessimistic, but not too far off). But I wasn’t really thinking about place at all, and could care less if I took home $0, as long as I hit that sub-2:19. This attitude would flip-flop by the end.

We made a turn into a really cool neighborhood, with beautiful old mansions. This was a long straight-shot for a few miles, and I enjoyed it. Chatted with Kenyan Jeff a little bit. Mile 7 was 5:20. A little slow, but I could afford 5:20 once in a while, as long as the 5:15s were more frequent.

Vegas Jeff dropped around Mile 7, so now it was just Kenyan Jeff and myself. We worked well together, chatted a little bit. Still no wind to worry about. It was his marathon debut, but he had run 1:05-flat, and a high-1:04 in the half marathon this year. I said that this pace should feel easy to him, and he agreed that it did feel easy.

Mile 8 was 5:21. With this second “slow” split in a row, I made a conscious effort to pick it up. Mile 9 was 5:14. Much better.

Around Mile 9, I noticed that…we could actually see runners ahead of us! I pointed this out to Kenyan Jeff, and told them that we could catch them. He agreed that perhaps after 10 miles some of them would start dropping back. Looked like 3 or 4 runners, but couldn’t tell because of the distance and there were also bikers (course officials) in there muddying up the view.

Mile 10 was 5:18. Mile 11 was 5:15. I then noticed that the runners ahead of us seemed quite a bit closer. Jeff agreed. I was still feeling pretty good, although the first 10 miles had taken their toll on my calves, and I could feel fatigue setting in. I figured that should be expected for running 10 miles under 53 minutes, but at the same time I was hoping that the first half would be “absolutely effortless”. Don’t we always want that? Breathing was effortless though, so that was good, but I was a little worried about the state of my legs.

Tried to take a Cliff Shot gel at an aid station, but muffed it. My right hand was almost completely numb from cold. My left hand was okay, which is typical. The rest of my body felt just fine, and was not feeling the cold. Just my fingers. No big deal about missing the gel, since I had one attached to my bottle coming up at 20K (12.5 miles).

I tried to keep the pace going. Mile 12 was 5:16. Kenyan Jeff dropped somewhere in here (despite saying the pace was “really easy” a couple miles ago…), so now I was all alone, but chasing an unknown number of runners ahead of me. The were still getting closer. I had no idea what place they were, but I was assuming that it was not the lead pack. Bad assumption, as it turned out that I was looking at 1-3. (based on some post-race timing chip detective work).

I realized that I missed my 20K water bottle, after the fact, just from not paying attention. I was now really distracted about missing two gels in a row. Would my head explode? No probably not, so I kept going. But I kept taking Gatorade at every aid station, and was hoping I’d get adequate fuel from that.

Mile 13 was 5:13, and the half marathon was 1:09:18, as we turned into the cool Broad Ripple neighborhood. The pack ahead of me went through the half in 1:08:47 (again, based on chip times), and I could now see them even on short, curvy sections, as well as the straight-shots. They were definitely coming back, and it was just a matter of time before I caught them, probably in the next three miles.

At this point, my watch data filled up. (forgot to clear everything before the race). Although it kept taking splits, it did not save them, so all I have is my own memory (bad) and a few chip splits. So I’ll do the best I can.

The course had more turns during the next mile or two. I kept the pace right where I wanted it, hitting sub-5:20 every time. However, the pack ahead me, which so assuredly was coming back to me…was now farther away! Given that I was sticking to my 5:15/mile pace, how was that happening? From recreating events from chip times, it looks like the eventual winner threw monster surge right after the half. Between the half marathon and 30K, he averaged 4:59/mile. The other two tried to go with him, but eventually couldn’t match the pace, and ended up dropping back, becoming road-kill for me to clean up in the last 10K. The eventual winner ended up biting it pretty hard during the last few miles (based on chip and eyewitness accounts), but he had done enough damage to win the race. I suppose if I had a few extra miles and a extra set of legs, I would have caught him.

So although I didn’t get much positive feedback from chasing this pack, my pace was still good, and I was well on pace for sub-2:19. On the second half of the course we went through some cool areas, such as the Governor’s residence, Butler University, and a row of museums. And we also picked up some rolling hills, more than I expected, yet not too bad either. Nothing was very long or steep, but it kind of hit me at a bad time. My legs were starting to get really fatigued by 30K, and I was wondering if “this was it” for me. Breathing was harder too.  My legs had a rather “numb” feeling, could have been from the cold, but probably more due to keeping 5:17/mile pace for 30K.

Yet, despite this “feeling” of fatigue, I kept rattling off the splits. Average pace between half marathon and 30K was 5:14/mile. I was picking up time during this stretch. Between 20K and 30K was my fastest portion at TOU last year too. There’s just something about that segment of a marathon, I guess.

So I just needed 8 more miles at this pace, or even a little slower was fine. My legs were numb and somewhat trashed, but hey, if I can keep hitting the splits, who cares?

But things went south during mile 19 and 20. First off, I missed yet another bottle at 30K. My bottle was bunched together with the other bottles, and I ended up knocking it down with my numb, useless hand. I’ve decided I hate bottle drops; they’re a waste of time. But this bottle had another gel on it, which I missed. I had picked up at gel at Mile 15 (half frozen though, hard to eat), so at least I had that. Missing the bottle at 30K was a distraction more than anything. This mile was in the low 5:20s, I remember, my first split over 5:20 since early in the race.

During mile 20 I managed to get a gel at an aid station. But due to opening it poorly with my teeth (again, hands were useless), and the gel being very viscous from the cold, it took two hands to eat the stupid thing, which slowed me down some. So Mile 20 was also about 5:25.

But I got the gel in me, the second gel of the race, and now I had no reason to be distracted. It was crunch-time, time to put my head down and run. Fueling and hydration are “in the barn” so to speak. My legs were starting to tell me that they were done though. I almost believed them, until I split a 5:15 for Mile 21. Although I had bled some time during the last few miles, I was still on pace through Mile 21, provided I didn’t drop too many more 5:25’s.

In addition, the runners that had eluded me after the half point, due to their surge, were coming back again. This was a big boost. Not only was I still viable for the Trials qualifier, but I was in the thick of quite a race against my competition. There were two guys in striking range, but the third was not to be seen. I still didn’t know what place I was in, but knew I wanted to take those spots from the guys ahead of me!

I pushed hard. Legs were protesting, lungs were working hard too. I was wanting another 5:15, but Mile 22 was well over 5:20, probably 5:25 or so. The Kenyan ahead of me was close now, and I finally passed him somewhere in here, before we hit downtown again.

With 4 miles to go, I still had a chance at the Trials time, if I could just get the pace back on track. But my pace was going the other way. Mile 23 was 5:30. My legs had gone south, and I knew I could not get the pace back. I was running as hard as I could. At this point the marathon route rejoined the half marathon route. The course was nicely partitioned, with marathons on the right of the cones and half marathoners on the left. Well organized, in terms of having to share a course.

I got to half marathon mile marker 10, which meant that I had 5K to go. Doing the math, if I could run 16:00 for the last 5K, I would still get sub-2:19. This pace would have been fine just a few mile ago, but the train to Trials had left the station, and I was no longer on it. While I had (thankfully) not hit “The Wall”, my legs were beat up and fatigued, and were giving up 10-15s per mile from what I needed. My race had no room for error, but the the last 10K I was being shown that my legs had some error in them.

That said, I was not discouraged. In fact I was borderline euphoric. I had just made a pass into 3rd place (and a spectator informed me of my placing, for the first time all day), and I was barreling down hard on 2nd place! No matter how bad I was hurting, this guy ahead of me was hurting worse. After mile 23, I took no more watch splits. I just raced, and raced my heart out. I was praising God for a great race, for the opportunity to go for the Trials, and for the fact that I held the pace for so long. And time was no longer a big factor, but I knew that I could still break 2:20, and that was exciting to me.

Pushing as hard as I could, wheezing and making pitiful noises, I managed another 5:30 for Mile 24. 2nd place Kenyan was still coming back to me. The course was crowded with half marathoners, but we had the right lane to ourselves, on the long straight-away into downtown. Very flat during the whole final stretch, thankfully.

Close to Mile 25, I blew by the Kenyan at an aid station, and pushed hard to discourage him from trying to go with me. I was hanging by a thread, and wanted to make the pass a final one. Mile 25 was 5:28, I remember, based on the course clock at the mile marker.

Out of the corner of my eye, though, I thought I saw another runner coming up behind me, with a different singlet than the Kenyan I just passed! This freaked me out, made me press harder, and I was now running scared for 2nd place, the whole last 1.2 miles. (later I realized that this phantom runner was probably a bicyclist/course official).

Exhausted, scared, and holding dearly for second, I careened around Monument Circle and the last few corners. There was nothing more to give. Despite the extra effort of trying to hold of the “phantom runner”, I think Mile 26 was in the low 5:30s, slower than the previous mile.

Finally I got to the home stretch, turned the last corner and saw the finish only one block ahead. I poured it, leaving no doubt that anyone behind me would catch me, nearly stumbling several times. It felt like the ground was out of sync with my feet, and that I would pitch forward into the road. Fortunately, I didn’t, and crossed the finish line at 2:19:48, 2nd place overall, $1200.

The Aftermath

After I finished, Jon Little wisked me away into the elite staging area (or drunk tank), where I was able to keep warm and sit amongst the other race victims. Chatted with a few people, including Sean and Jeff when they returned, but mostly sat there feeling utterly exhausted. It’s the most tired I’ve been after a marathon. After TOU last year, I felt great (probably because I was mostly just messing around), but after this race every muscle hurt. I couldn’t believe how much my shoulders and arms hurt. It was all-encompassing.

It is true, I fell short of the Trials standard by a fairly small amount of time. Even as close as 5K to go, I still was “on pace” (although my pace had been going the wrong way since 10K to go).

But I was not, am not disappointed. Sasha would call this a “bummer”, but I reject his bummer, he can keep it and give to someone else.

I am proud of my first-ever sub-2:20. I am now a “2:19 guy”. I am proud of how I raced down the stretch, on how I ran my own race, didn’t force things, kept mentally in it, and beat everyone within reach. This finish was especially significant because in almost every race this year I got beat down the stretch, either out-kicked, out-worked, or didn’t say in it mentally. But not this race. It was a great way to end the season, in terms of being competitive the whole way in.

Moreover, this is a PR of 2:44 for me, going from 2:22:32 to 2:19:48. That is big. Going from a mid-2:22 (and a few good downhill half marathons) to a sub-2:19 is a huge leap, perhaps one that I have no business making. Although I believed in my training, I really had no races indicating that I could break 2:19. The goal was very high. I leaped and fell short, but landed on a rock much closer to that goal than where I was earlier. Going from 2:19:48 to 2:19:00 is reasonable, tangible, and achievable.

Why did I fall short? I think the weather was perfect, or at least good enough. I think I’m just missing some fitness. The decay from 5:15 to 5:25-5:30 is not huge, but I need to either move that drop-off back a few miles, or reduce the amount of it. This Indy race was very similar to my Trials race in 2007, where I split 1:10:00 & 1:12:30. I did not hit the wall, there was just drop-off due to fatigue and pounding. The same thing happen here in Indy, but the drop-off was less pronounced: it came later in the race, and was a smaller amount of time per mile compared to Trials. So this is a positive trend. If I can just make one more “jump” in marathon fitness, I think I will be there.

I am taking some time off now, about three weeks with no running. From there I will regroup, re-build a base, and figure out what I want to do, and how much effort I will put into it. It’s likely I will find a spring marathon, but I’m not going to really get into that thinking for a little while.

At this point in time, though, I’m going to enjoy my time off. I praise God and give Him glory for the simple pleasure of being able to run a race. About two years ago, merely walking gave me pain and difficulty; I thought I would never run again. I run by the grace of God, just as I live and do all things under the grace of God, and in the comfort of His salvation. This is liberating, and brings me joy.

Well, the long-awaited taper week is finally here. In less than 5 days, I’ll be in Indianapolis trying to take months of training to fruition. Years of training, really. I’ve been trying to get to this day since the Trials in 2007. I’ve been blessed to have 2+ years of completely injury-free running, and the process has been both long and gratifying.

If they had not made the qualification standards harder, I’m not sure I would be toeing the line with this goal, or toeing the line at all. After all, my first Trials experience was satisfying and successful, by my standards anyway. Not much more to do and to experience for me, just another mid-pack finish in the coolest race ever. But I always struggle with the “is it worth it?” question. Lot of sacrifices must be made to get to this point.

But I’ve made those sacrifices, and the hay is in the barn. The work is done, and now I just need to run the race. I hope that I do not get a last-minute cold, and I hope the weather is not bad. I hope to have the chance to prove whether I’m good enough or not, and settle the question…no “what if’s”. Either I am or I ain’t.

A lot of people on the fastrunningblog have asked about my posted racing schedule, which alludes to my perhaps imminent “retirement”. Maybe.  That whole idea is pretty much a joke, but not so much on certain days. “Retirement” for me would never be quitting running, or even racing. You can’t not do something that’s in your DNA. I was made to run, and I love to compete.

But at some point I really need to step back from this crazy 100 mpw training thing, from planning races a year in advance, from chasing arbitrary goals that never truly satisfy. I’d like to run a marathon, run it well, and then say, “okay, that’s enough. Time to move on.” But can I just shut off that hunger for excellence and improvement?

I’ve visualized myself breaking 2:19 many times. After all it’s been my goal for a while now. Lately I do not have much emotional response to the thought. That’s kind of weird. But it’s kind of a “beh” feeling. Well, that’s done kind of thing.

I bumped into an ultra runner friend of mine the other day at Cafe Ibis. We chatted and I asked her about her recent 100-miler. As she talked about the race experience, she described her training and racing as “self-indulgent”. This was coming out of the mouth of a die-hard runner, and I (another die-hard runner) thought it was a pretty good way of describing competitive running.

Every day, I voluntarily spend a couple hours away from my family, and away from other opportunities, to pursue something that ultimately only benefits myself. In 3 days I will board an airplane by myself in hopes of accomplishing a personal goal that I made by myself for myself, that I trained for under my own self-will and discipline. There are a lot of “selfs” in that sentence, and the word “I” shows up in this blog a lot. I don’t really like that. Not to say I (or other people) shouldn’t have hobbies, pursuits, and ways to better myself, but I feel a little bit overboard with running sometimes. Training 45 minutes/day will likely free me up for other things, opposed to 2 hrs/day.

And there are other things I’d like to do. I’ve known for a long time that I’d like to get into coaching some day, either high school or college. It was just a matter of when. My work, family, church, and training keep me pretty busy though, and the schedule of a coach can be demanding for time. Something would have to give, and that something is surely the training. But I like the thought of being part of a team, of helping people improve, and seek their own goals, and of giving time for others rather than keeping it for myself. I’ve taken out a lot from running, and it may be time to put some of that back in.

Wow, okay I didn’t really have any agenda when I started typing this blog, but I guess tapering makes me rather melancholy. Sorry. And I don’t mean to offend anyone, but these are the kind of thoughts I struggle with. I thought this blog entry would be about my pre-race breakfast and detailed mile splits, but I guess I really had other things on my mind.

What direction I take running into next year will largely depend on what sort of taste is left in my mouth after Indianapolis. I really don’t know when “retirement” will be. It may indeed be November 7th, or I may ride out this competitive streak for a couple more years to seek times further into the 2-teens. In either case, as with all things, I wish to be in God’s will, and not just pursuing my own self interests. The decisions we make and the paths we take are important, and impact those around us, even the so-called “personal hobbies”.

Well, my blog posting has been less-than-prolific this season, namely due to lack of time. Hence the copy/paste jobs of race reports and the occasional GIS map post. I’d like to promise I’ll become more interesting (for the sake of the three remaining readers), but I’d be lying.

But I’ve got some time to burn today (and evidently so do you), so I’ll blather a little bit about my training buildup to my marathon this November.

Since early spring I have been training for the Indianapolis Monumental Marathon. The race is on November 6th, and is a loop course in Indianapolis. This is my only marathon of the year, and my second marathon since 2007. So I like to think that I’m fresh.

My goal for this race is simply to break 2:19:00, and qualify for the Olympic Trials. Although I have run 2:18:09, it was on the aided St George course. So I have my work cut out for me, but I also have a fire that burns to prove that I can repeat a trials qualifier on an unaided course.

Indy should be a good course for this. It is fast and flat. Although not quite a flat as Chicago, it has a reputation for being “almost as fast”. I chose it over Chicago because it is a smaller race, and thus easier logistics, less stress, cheaper travel, and the availability of accommodations for a runner of my caliber (ie - comp, bottle drop, course tour, etc). In addition, I have family in Indiana, so even if the race is a complete disaster, at least it won’t be a waste of a plane ticket.

It’s been a great year of training so far. No injuries, no real setbacks. I’ve raced enough to feel like I’ve had a rewarding season whatever the outcome of the marathon, but not so frequently that it messed up my training. If my season ended today I’d be pretty satisfied with it (three half marathon PRs, one 15K PR, one 10K PR, and my first track race since 2001). There’s been a lot of good memories already. But I’ve got one last big race.

I go into this race with quite a bit of confidence. This confidence comes from both my training and my racing. The two really go hand-in-hand. I need to race often enough to see how the training is going…and to make the training worth it! And I push the training in order to race well, and keep the racing to levels where it doesn’t interfere with the training. It’s a complex web of …er…running. Okay, maybe not so complex.

So here’s a snap-shot of my year so far:

The gaudy, poorly-colored graphic above shows a nice, steady build over the year. I was fortunate not to suffer any injuries, but did get sick about once/month. I definitely get sick more often due to being on Enbrel, but I just plan that in and call those “rest weeks”. I also tend to “scale back” on weeks of important races (Indy Mini, Utah Valley, Des News, TOU Half), but train through less important races (Shamrock Shuffle, USU Track Invite, Law Day 5K, Freedom Run 15K). After some races where recovery is slow, I may also scale back mileage and get additional rest. I’d rather take the training a little bit slower than to risk an injury or fatigue. Some people poo-poo”scale-back” weeks, but they are important parts of my training on the medium scale (monthly).

Although I’ve ultimately had my sights on the marathon for the entire year, I’ve segmented the year into macrocycles: maintenance during the winter, then a mileage build up to 70 mpw, then half marathon-specific training, followed by some 10K training, and then finally the marathon-specific training by the end of July. Although of these other training cycles lead in to the marathon, and are designed to help me in the marathon, but the marathon cycle itself is only for the final 15 weeks or so. This allows me to race and succeed at some other distances, build some speed, take stress off my body, and prevent mental burnout too.

As mentioned earlier, I also build in some meso-cycles. For instance, rather than plowing heavy mileage and hard weeks every week, I like to complete about 3 or 4 hard weeks, followed by an easier week. Since I race about every 4-6 weeks, usually this easier week coincides with a race week or a race recovery week. There is a time and a place for “training through” a race, but it’s good to set some PR’s throughout the year too! And I think that rest and that an ebb-and-flow of training is important. Too much monotony is a bad thing, both for the body and the mind. I like to change up mileage both the daily and the weekly scale.

I know from my half marathon races that I should have a legit chance at the sub-2:19. 1:08:05 in Indy on a very windy day was an okay start, but the UVM and TOU races were quite a bit better. Granted, they are aided courses, but I look more at whom I competed with, beat, and came close to beating, as much as I look at time. Based on my “peer group”, I’ve clearly taken steps in the right direction.

Training-wise, I’ve ramped up the mileage to be consistently over 90 mpw since late July. This is quite good for me, especially given the 6-day week I’ve been running this summer. The training is not done yet, as I still have my “big week” of 105 miles coming up (5 weeks out from the marathon), and then a couple more weeks in the low-90s before my taper (can’t…wait…to…taper).

This is a little higher and also more consistent mileage than what I ran in 2007, when I ran 2:18 at St George and 2:22 on the rolling Trials course. In addition to raw mileage, my workouts have shifted to pure bread-and-butter: long tempos, tempo intervals (>2 miles), progression runs, and steady-state/brisk runs. I only do short intervals about once/month, as I’ve found that I really thrive on the longer marathon-pace runs. To me, there is no workout better than a 12-mile progression, a 10-mile MP tempo, or a 5-4-3-2-1 MP ladder. I am a lot stronger and fitter than I was in 2007, when I was not approaching these durations for tempos.

I also gain a lot of confidence by comparing races this year to 2007. In 2007, I ran 30:27 at Des News 10K. This year I ran almost 50 seconds faster. In 2007, I ran a mid-1:09 at the TOU Half. This year I ran 4 minutes faster! Every PR has come down since 2007…except for the marathon. But I am hoping if I can run 50 seconds faster in the 10K, then perhaps I can run 3-4 minutes faster in the marathon?

We’ll see. The hay in almost in the barn, just a few more hard weeks, and a few more key workouts. It won’t be easy. I realize that I am “fringe” at best for that elusive OTQ. I need everything to be near-perfect in order to qualify. Weather needs to be decent, and I need to bring my “A-race”. All cylinders need to fire, and I can’t do anything stupid in terms of strategy either.

Enough blathering for now. I’ll write more musings as the big day approaches.

Recently, I’ve been working on some maps for a couple half marathons in Ohio, namely the Emerald City Half Marathon and the Capital City Half Marathon. Both races are managed by M3S Sports.

These maps have turned out especially well, largely due to the abundance of superb, high-resolution elevation and aerial photo data available from the Ohio Geographically Referenced Information Program (OGRIP). From this public site, I was able to access 1-ft color imagery from 2009, and 2.5-ft digital elevation models. Yes, that’s right, sub-meter DEMs.

For the non-nerds reading this, digital elevation models are usually available from the USGS, and have a 10-meter or even a 30-meter pixel resolution. These models from OGRIP are just under 1-meter, which means that it has over 100x the resolution of what I’m used to working with! (100 1×1-meter cells will fit into one 10×10-meter cell). Needless to say, I was eager to work with this.

To add icing on to the cake, not only would I get to create some really sharp hillshade maps out of these data, but it turns out that the elevation models were NOT bare-earth, meaning that they included features such as building footprints, highway ramps, bridges, etc. Most DEMs are bare-earth models, and edit out all anthropogenic features. While this is the ideal (and needed) for hydrologic modeling, it is NOT good for creation of elevation profiles for road races.

For example, since a typical DEM will “remove” a bridge, if a race crosses a river (and therefore the runners go on a bridge), the profile will depict the course as having a valley that is not really there! Or if the race course takes an overpass or goes up a highway ramp, then the human-made hill will not show up in the elevation profile, since the hill is not “natural” and has ground beneath it. A real-life example of this is near the end of the Utah Valley Marathon, where the road passes over some railroad tracks (an overpass), which creates a pretty substantial hill. This hill does not show up in the elevation profiles, because it is not included in the elevation model that the profile is derived from. Again, this is typical and usually cannot be avoided.

However, I can say that the Capital City and Emerald City events do not have this problem. Every single hill and valley should be accurately depicted in the elevation profile, as all man-made structures show up in the high-resolution elevation models. I can say with confidence that these are the most accurate elevation profiles I’ve made for any race to date.

The other benefit of the high-res elevation model models is that they make for a dang-cool map!

Hillshading the DEM makes every feature in the area pop right out: buildings, stadiums, roads, river, etc. It’s very sharp, again, better than anything I’ve ever had to opportunity to work with.

In addition, the 1-ft aerial photography overlays very nicely with the hillshade and the elevation model. By adjusting transparencies of each layer, I am able to show shaded relief, elevation, and the aerial photo at the same time.

 Layer 1: Aerial Photography

 Layer 2: Shaded Relief

 Layer 3: Elevation

 Composite: the above 3 layers grouped together

And the races? I haven’t ran either of these routes, but I can tell you one thing: both Capital City and Emerald City are fast and flat, especially Capital City. That much is obvious. If you are looking for a flyer course in the Midwest, check out either of these races.

Ran the Top of Utah Marathon today. Did it as a combined long run and also (more importantly) pace my buddy (and sometimes brother) David to his first sub-3hr marathon. Great morning to run, perfect temps.

We planned to run at 2:55 pace, using my pace chart, but we were bleeding about 5s/mile on all of our splits…but bleeding in a good direction, as each split was faster than it should have been. Hit the half in about 1:25:10, and then did the second half in about 1:28:02.

So running faster than we were supposed to worked out for good, as Dave “stuck” the pace, and pulled out a huge 9-minute PR or so. 2:53:12 for the official time, and we were 18th and 19th overall, beating our seeds of 37 and 38. And we were also 2nd and 3rd in the age division, which is cool.

Had a lot of fun this morning, and Dave ran tough and really deserved the PR. Also enjoyed running with the big sub-3 pack, with folks including Allie, Scott, Jason Mc, Keith Anderson, and meeting other folks at various points of the race. Had a lot of support along the course from bikers and people watching the race, something that I think has improved about TOU over the years.

This was my 7th TOU Marathon. I look forward to entering the 10-year club in 3 more years. It makes me feel old, but I would consider it to be a cool honor.

27 miles for the day, rounding out the week’s mileage to an even 103.

Here are splits:

First Half: 6:26, 6:29, 12:55 (2 miles), 6:33, 6:31, 12:52 (2 miles), 12:55 (2 miles), 12:48 (2 miles), 6:48 (1:25:10 for half marathon)

Second Half: 6:16, 6:13, 6:27, 6:23, 6:32, 7:00, 7:03 (2:10:18 for 20 miles), 6:38, 7:05, 7:00, 6:43, 7:15, 6:56, 1:15.

Top of Utah Half Marathon today. I had been approaching this race wanting it to be a big effort, as it will be my last real race before the marathon in November, and also it’s an excellent course with excellent competition with excellent weather. You don’t want to pass that up. Training since Des News has been good. Lots of miles and lots of marathon-pace running. However, I knew that our baby due date was pretty close to this race, so I didn’t want to get too wrapped up in thinking about it. But our baby came on Thursday night, we were all home on Friday night, and I was granted permission to run today, provided that I came straight home!

Not a ton of sleep the last two nights, but given the circumstance not terrible either. Probably about 5 hrs each night. But I was fairly fatigued from all the running around and from coaching Stacy through the delivery. Not really physically tired, but more of the nerves being shot. What Sasha calls “neural fatigue”.

Got up around 5AM, and ate my breakfast of oatmeal with brown sugar, vanilla yogurt, and cut-up peaches. Orange juice and coffee for the road. Drove into Providence and got a sweet parking spot on the street that would give me a quick exit right after the race.

Got on one of the earlier buses, shuttled up, used the potty, and then warmed up about two miles up the canyon and back. Took another potty stop. No Narnia this year, but I did get in the fastest line. I considered using another set of hidden toilets, which are pit toilets about 300m down the canyon, but by doing so I’d be risking my life my running on a road with no shoulder with buses going in both directions. Decided it was too dangerous, and more of a Mordor than a Narnia, as far as hard-to-find magical places go.

They miraculously started the race very close to on time. I really don’t know how they shuttled 2300 runners up the canyon, and then backed everyone up to the start line, and only started a few minutes behind schedule. My only guess is that Kris Sidoway (RD) is a taskmaster. She is wicked good with that megaphone.

I knew who my competition would be beforehand, from looking at the online start list. The favorite to win would be Patrick Rotich, the Kenyan who’s been training in Provo this summer. Also there was Teren Jameson, two-time defending champ and course record holder. If I slipped up, then Steve Shepherd would be there to teach me a lesson. He’s a former Weber State runner (I think), whose had some strong showings at the Hobbler Half and Des News 10K this year, among a few other races. But I had beaten him head-to-head at Des News. Patrick had beat Teren head-to-head at several races this summer, and Teren had beaten me head-to-head at a couple races this summer. So we seemed to have a pecking order, although I wanted to overthrow. I like the half marathon distance, and I like my home course, so I wanted to let it rip and see what happens. Although Teren is much speedier and more talented than me, I’ve been putting in a lot more miles, so I figured this longer distance was my only chance to beat him this year. Patrick seems to have been racing himself into better and better shape over the summer, but I’d be willing to spar with him here in Logan. So hopefully it would be an interesting and fast race. Weather was a little warm (high 50s), but a favorable canyon wind (although not very strong).

The race started, and as I expected, both Teren and Patrick got out hard. Patrick took the lead from the gun. I wanted to keep contact from the beginning, and caught up to Teren during the mile, with Patrick a few seconds ahead. Steve Shepherd joined our pack to make three. First mile split was 4:51. I wanted 4:55’s down the canyon, so a little fast, but I’m willing to take some risks on this course.

Teren and I ran side-by-side for the next mile and eventually started closing the gap on Patrick, who was not running tangents very well (he actually got a lot better with tangents as the race went on). Steve remained on my trail-leg. Mile 2 was 5:00, the slowest split during the first 8 miles.

We caught Patrick near the end of the second mile, or maybe the beginning of the third mile. The pace felt hard to me up through now, and then it started getting really crazy. Kenyan runners are known for their crazy surging, and Patrick did nothing to dispel this notion. For the next 4 miles, we would catch him, pass him, and then he’d blitz and pull ahead with a gap. Teren made that worse by surging hard on all of the bigger downhills, and pass Patrick. Then Patrick would pass him back when it flattened, and eventually I would catch both of them. I’m not much of a surger. Steve Shepherd dropped pretty hard during the third mile.

Mile 3 was 4:56, Mile 4 was 4:51, Mile 5 was 4:45, Mile 6 was 4:49. 29:14 through 6 miles. Youtch! But I was feeling good, despite all the games. We had a tailwind for these miles. It was not a huge canyon wind, but it extended up the canyon more than usual, although it did not persist much on Hollow Rd. So definitely a helpful wind, but did not aid things as much as some other years. Probably worth 40s over the duration of the race.

After 6 miles, we near the end of the canyon, Patrick had gapped Teren, and Teren had gapped me by little. Eventually I worked my way up to Teren, and ran alongside him for a little while, but then surprisingly dropped him soon thereafter. Mile 7 was another 4:49.

After the 7-mile mark, we got onto Hollow Rd. Hollow Rd is still nice downhill, more gradual, but just as fast, perhaps faster due to the evenness of the gradient. Patrick had maybe 10-15s on me on Hollow Rd, but he was certainly not coming back. I was hoping he would slow on the hill at Mile 10, but in the back of my mind I remembered that it’s usually me that dies on that hill. My pace slowed a little on Mile 8 to 4:54, but still where I wanted to be!

Mile 9 is still all on Hollow Rd. It’s a speedy section, but I could feel my pace slowing. This mile was 5:04 for me. Patrick was running faster than that, evidently. I could feel my wheels starting to fall off. Too many sub-4:50 miles earlier, which was a bit out of the zone I’m trained to run in.

During Mile 10 we exit Hollow Rd and run on Hwy-165. Still a very mellow downhill, but close to flat. 5:05 for this mile. Well, if I can at least hold this pace, it will still average out to a huge PR. 49:09 for the 10-mile split, which is on pace for well under 1:05:00. I’m hoping that I will magically bound up the 1.5-mile long hill coming up in order to do this.

Miles 11 & 12 are the hardest in the race. The first half of 11 is still flat, but then we start going up. All of Mile 12 is uphill, and then it crests, and Mile 13 is a net downhill to the finish. As I feared, I slowed even more on Mile 11, to 5:14. But Patrick wasn’t pulling ahead anymore, so he was evidently hurting too. I laid an egg on Mile 12, though, with a 5:31 split. We were on the grid system now, and I could see that Patrick was about 2/3 of a block up from me, which is about 25-30s.

We finally crested the painful hill (but not soon enough) right after Mile 12. I tried to get my legs under me, but there was nothing there. It looked like Patrick was pulling away again this last mile. When I looked at my watch at Mile 12, I also realized that I wasn’t going to break 1:05, which was a bit of a kick in the pants, after thinking it was a certainty just a couple miles ago. But it’s hard to pull out that kind of time while plunking a 5:14 and a 5:31 as successive splits. Those really threw it off. But I bore down and did the best I could. I finally got some turnover near the end. Hit Mile 13 with a 5:12. I’ve done it faster other years, but I’ll have to take it. Again, too many too-fast miles early on.

Last 0.1 was 30s. Official time was 1:05:38, good for 2nd place overall. It would have been the course record, except I got beat. Patrick Rotich won with 1:05:10, Teren was 3rd with 1:07:35, Steve Shepherd was 4th with 1:08:37.

After I finished, I literally kept jogging, and grabbed my bag, and then headed to my car to take off back home in order to not be a deadbeat husband and father. I had arranged for Walter to pick up my prize money at the awards ceremony, so we’ll all see how honest Walter is now with 150 bucks! (thanks Walter!). Hopefully he won something good with my bib number in the raffle. I stopped in Logan to get gas (almost empty), and then realized that I grabbed the wrong clothes bag when I opened it up to grab a dry shirt, and there was women’s clothes inside! Turns out the bib number on the bag was one number different that mine, and the last name was Petersen. Bah. So I drove back to Providence, put the wrong bag back, and grabbed mine. Ended up bumping into a lot of people and chit-chatted too much, my quick exit and early return home was ruined. Still got home at 9:15AM, but I would have been 8:30AM had I not needed to turn back. Oh well. Stacy still loves me. Took Seth off her hands and cooled down with him in the stroller when I got home.

I’m happy with this race, especially given the what an eventful week it was. I felt sharp; although I paid for an aggressive early pace, sometimes it’s worth it to give a hard pace a shot. This time is an aided half marathon PR for me, beating my UVM time by 27s, and beating my last year’s TOU Half time by 64s. Moreover, I finally got my sub-1:06, which is a nice stepping stone. Now I just need to stick the last few miles and get a sub-1:05. But it was a nice race amongst other nice races for the year, and does not discourage me from thinking I can get the marathon qualifier.

I’ve had a nice string of half marathons over the span of 2009 and 2010:

• Indy Mini, May 2009 - 1:08:35 (unaided PR)
• Seattle RnR, June 2009 - 1:08:12 (unaided PR)
• TOU Half, Aug 2009 - 1:06:42 (aided PR)
• The Other Half, Oct 2009 - 1:09:50 (unaided, altitude PR)
• Indy Mini, May 2010 - 1:08:05 (unaided PR)
• UVM Half, June 2010 - 1:06:05 (aided PR)
• TOU Half, Aug 2010 - 1:05:38 (aided PR)

These are all consecutive half marathons, so it’s cool to PR every time I race (although I probably shouldn’t count The Other Half…). I’ve also had two 15K PRs and a 10K PR during this time span. So it’s been a great couple years, and I’m very thankful and blessed to be given this second lease on running, after thinking it was all over a couple years ago.

No more races until Indy in November. It’s just a lot of miles and a lot of workouts for the next two months to prepare for the marathon.

Des News 10K today. I enjoy this race because it’s so competitive, and I got a full order of competition today! Definitely both the deepest and top-heavy Des News field I’ve run in. It’s sick how fast people ran today, but sick in a good way. It’s great to have a race like this right here in Utah. Too bad it’s all downhill, as no one outside the state gives the race any respect. But it’s a great race.

Anyway, Stacy, Seth, and I drove down to SLC on Friday afternoon. Went early so that we could take our new (used) Volvo to the dealer (only dealer in the state) to do some magical dealer-only work (ie - turn off the air bag light). Managed to escape only spending $110 for that and a few other things.

We then shacked up at the Skyline Inn on Foothill Dr., just a couple miles from the start line. Ordered in pizza for dinner and sat around and gorged ourselves on TV (we have not have tv reception at home since we built our deck–no big loss). Went on to sleep my worst night of sleep ever. Absolutely terrible beds there, plus the room was too warm (weak AC). Wished I was in nice, cool Cache Valley. Got probably 3 hours of sleep, but I was ready to get up at 4:30AM, simply to get our of that dang bed. To top off the terrible bed, the room had no coffee machine. Even our hotel in Provo, a stone’s throw from BYU, had a flippin’ coffee machine. Oh well. My nervous system was pretty amp’ed for this race, so I was quite wide awake and ready to go anyway. But it would have helped with “other things”.

Ate a banana and a couple mini-Cliff bars, and headed out to the course. Ran there, so it was about a 2 or 3-mile warmup. Conditions were cooler than I thought it might be, which was good, but still quite a bit warmer than what I’m used to. When I turned up Wakara, I noticed that we would have a favorable wind direction for that part of the race. Perhaps that helped make the race times so fast. I’m sure the nice temperatures helped too.

Took a potty stop, then warmed up a little more, did some strides, sat in the grass, and generally wasted time. Listened to a guy cuss up a storm because he realized he forgot his iPOD. Totally ruined his day. If you hate running that much, then don’t do it! This guy was angry beyond belief, though, probably one of the same people who threw a fit on Ragnar’s facebook page a few weeks ago.

Just before the race started, I bumped into an old teammate from Calvin College, Kris Koster. Kris was a freshman when I was senior. He went on to be a multi-All American, and ran around 30-flat on the track in the 10K, and under 14:30 in the 5K too. He has family in Utah, and was here for a funeral, and jumped in Des News at 5PM last night. Pretty cool to see him after 9 years, and it definitely made my day (and helped my race, see below).

Chatted with a few others, and weaseled my way into the start. I somehow ended up 3 rows deep, and couldn’t get any further up, being a 125-lb weakling and all. So I settled for 3 rows back, behind all the kids, including an 11-year-old whose mom personally insisted be up there.

They started the race right on time (this race is always very well-organized), and we roared out. Always a fast start, this Des News 10K. I quickly found myself in about 30th place or so. I got out from the crowd and wormed my way up, and was probably in about 20th by the turn onto Wakira. I couldn’t believe how far up the leaders were, and how far back I was from my “peer group”. I could see Jeff and Brad O. way the heck up there, and Seth Pilkington a little ahead of them. Leaders were almost out of site by a half mile. I figured that I was just having a tank of a race and going really slow. First mile split was 4:31. Okaaay. My goal pace for the first two miles for 4:35-4:38. I was not slow; everyone else was just extremely fast. Hopefully they would all pay.

I started running down the people that went out too hard. Knowing that my first mile was 4:31, I pretty much figured everyone went out too hard, and I was destined to win. Well, I didn’t really think that, but I figured a lot of guys would come back to me, including Jeff and Brad. One-by-one I picked people off the next few miles. Mile 2 was 4:37 (9:08 for 2 miles). The pace felt quite hard (never felt relaxed at any point), and the downhill was hurting my back. I actually accelerated more and gained more ground on the flatter sections and on the uphill sections.

Mile 3 was tougher than I remember, and actually had quite a bit of uphill. Where did that come from? But again, I gained the most ground on the uphill, so although painful, it was good for my race. I also noticed a guy in dark maroon coming back to me, and I immediately recognized the distinct stride with the high leg kick: Kris Koster, my old college teammate. It’s funny how you can recognize a stride after all those years. I was gaining on Kris, and he was the link between myself and the next pack ahead of him (Jeff, Brad, etc). Mile 3 was 4:50 (13:59 for 3 miles).

I was targeting 4:45 for the next couple miles, and then Mile 6 is always a death-march. Not that you can really “target” much at Des News. You more just load and go, and hope for the best. It’s not a cerebral race. I caught Kris during the 4th mile. “Pack it up” I said to him as I pulled along side him. Got a lot of warm fuzzy college memories. Calvin College XC was well-known in DIII for its pack running. It’s what gave us our strength, and how we won championships.  I ended up running with Kris the rest of the way, and we reeled in people together. Hit Mile 4 in 4:44 (18:43), so back to an ideal pace.

We made our turn onto the parade route, and of course by this point things were very uncomfortable. I really dislike any race shorter than 15K at this point of my running career. Too much pain, too much turnover, too much breathing, not enough rhythm. Kris and I continued to work together. Right around Mile 5, Kris looked up and said, “I lift my eyes up to the hills,” a reference to Psalm 121 “

¹ I lift up my eyes to the hills—
where does my help come from?

 ² My help comes from the LORD,
the Maker of heaven and earth.”

Words of encouragement to me and also a reminder to enjoy God’s creation that we were running in. Laboring but spurred on, we reeled in and passed a guy in red, and Jeff, Brad O., and Jon Kotter were coming back, and it was inevitable that we would catch them. Mile 5 was 4:45 (23:29), perfect.

I don’t remember, but I think we finally caught Jeff & company with about 1 mile left. I sat on the pack for a few moments to gather some strength (I’ve been feeling pretty gassed since Mile 2!), and then made a move on the inside before the turn onto 900 S. Passed everyone, but then I couldn’t finish deal, and we all stayed packed up. Made the turn onto 900 S, and started the uphill section to the finish. This part is always hard, and this year was no different. The work I’d done the last 3 miles to catch everyone was definitely set in, and I no pop.

Eventually Jeff, Brad, and Kotter all passed me back, and then ground me up the hill. I sat and hoped for a good kick. Ugghh. Not feeling the fire either. Wish I had done some 10K training, as I promised myself that I would, but the last month was just miles and tempos, nothing hard. Had a little gap from the pack at Mile 6, but was 5:05 (28:34), which actually is my best Des News mile 6 split, so I shouldn’t complain. Was 2 seconds beyond my peer group that I needed to beat, so still within striking range!

Unfortunately I didn’t strike, and those guys somehow put another 3 seconds or so on me in the last 0.2. I guess Brad is a sub-1:50 800m guy, so that doesn’t help (I ran 2:02, almost 10 years ago), but there’s still no reason it couldn’t have gone the other way for me. Kris had fallen back from my a little bit on 900 S (the uphill at altitude probably hurt him more, being a flatlander), so I remained ahead of him. Saw the clock for the first time right before I finished and realized that was going to kill my time goal of sub-30:00, and would be in the 29:30s. I had no idea. So that was good! Last 0.2 was 64s.

Was glad to be done, glad to hit my time goal, and glad to beat my course best by 49 seconds. Official chip time was 29:38, gun time was 29:39. I’ll go with chip time here. Starting 3 rows back did not help, although running 4:30 for the first mile (opposed to 4:20) probably did help.

That said, I was a little shocked to get my bum handed to me on a platter en-route to a 29:38. 3 years ago that time would have been good for 3rd overall and 2nd Utahn; this year it was good for 13th overall and ?? Utahn. Not top 3, that’s for sure. But it was all very exciting racing, and fun to work my way up in a good field like that, to recognize people as rivals and reel them in over the duration of a race, and to find an old teammate and work together with him (running with Kris was definitely the highlight of my day, by far).

Another positive was that we were all reeling in Teren Jameson over the last couple miles. Never came into contact with him, but I’m always glad just to have him visible. He ended up about 15 seconds ahead. He is running the TOU Half, so perhaps home-field will give me the advantage I need to finally slay the dragon? Jeff has owned me this year at the shorter distances (5K/10K). Perhaps we need to race another half marathon? TOU Half, Jeff? But I least I had to opportunity to make the pass in this race, whereas at Law Day I couldn’t even made contact! And thankfully  I don’t have to race any more 5K’s or 10K’s for a year or two or three. Maybe ever.

So in a nutshell, it was a PR effort, and a big course best. Great time and good progress compared to my 2007 time. I think I am on track for where I need to be to make a legitimate Trials shot. I get better as I go out in distance, so I don’t put too much stock in 10Ks (especially downhill ones), but I have every reason to be encouraged because I can compare to my ‘07 time. The big negative was not being able to finish out yet another race. Although I have not been falling apart at the end, my kick and my killer instinct has not been there at any race this year. I believe that more than 50% of the problem is just attitude and emotional fatigue from the race. True the lack of speedwork didn’t help, but most of it is mental. It can be improved.

After the race, I talked with Kris and a few other people for a while, then cooled down back to my hotel with Kris and Teren. Felt pretty good during the cooldown, and worked out most of my calf and quad soreness during the 4-mile run. Hopefully I’ll feel good on Monday…for the start of marathon training! Everything I’ve done so far this winter, spring, and summer, has led up to this point. Just get me to 14 weeks before the marathon, healthy and fit. And that’s where I am. The race is Nov. 6. I am healthy. I am fit. Just need the specific training, and to endure the next 3 months.

Ran the Blacksmith Fork Freedom Run today, a rare 15K race. I got up a little before 5AM, ate breakfast, and then grabbed my flats and jogged down to Carson’s house for about a 2-mile pre-warmup warmup. Then we all carpooled with Carson’s brother and sister, and one of their friends.

Got to the start line around 6:10, so plenty of time. We warmed up by running two miles up the canyon, and then back down, so 4 miles total. Perhaps it was too much pre-race running (6 miles total), but I needed the mileage more than the race.

Weather was pretty good. Nice and cool at the start line, maybe around 50 degrees. Didn’t see any wind while driving up the canyon, so I was not counting on the famous Blacksmith Fork tailwind. Oh well. Managed one good portapot stop, and then it was time for the race to start. Narnia did not exist this year. Actually, the two portapots were there, but the race portapots were not in front of them, so they were exposed for the whole world to see. The magic was gone. But I used them anyway.

They actually started on time, which was great compared to last year. They were really ready for the crowd this year. I took it out pretty hard the first mile. My top-tier goal was to run around 46:00, which would be 15:20 per 5K, and about 4:57/mile. A tough goal, but I split pretty close to that at Utah Valley!

First mile was 4:58, but I knew it wasn’t happening. Was working too hard and breathing too hard. The little tiny rollers in the canyon felt like big hills, and the downhills didn’t feel big enough. My running felt uncoordinated, like I was lumbering rather than smoothly gliding. In other words, I was feeling pretty flat. But from taking it out hard, I was by myself from the gun, and it stayed that way to the finish.

I thought perhaps it would get better, but the race rolled by pretty much the same the whole. I mean, it wasn’t terrible or anything, in fact it was pretty decent, but my last race was UVM, so I think I was expecting to feel like that again. Mile 2 was 5:04, then 5:06 for Mile 3. 5K was probably about 15:40.

Miles 4-6 were more of the same. Still on the downhill, but indeed we did not get a canyon wind today. In fact we picked up a slight headwind by the middle of the race and stayed through the end. Nothing major, but you notice it when you’re trying to race into it. 5:06, 5:02, and 5:14 for Miles 4-6. Not sure what happen on Mile 6, probably the headwind picking up. 10K split was probably about 31:40. Waayyy slower than UVM. I think I’ve decided that Provo Canyon is quite a bit faster than Blacksmith Fork, though.

The end of mile 7 is the big hill of the course. Tried to work the hill, and hit 5:19 for the split. The first bit of mile 8 is uphill too, and then it’s pretty flat. 5:22 for mile 8. By now I was out in the sun, but thankfully it stayed quite cool out, and was still great temperatures for racing. Mile 9 is downhill, with a really sweet downhill at the end of the mile as you approach downtown Hyrum. 5:09 for Mile 9. Then the last 0.3 to the finish was 1:29, as I tried to pick it up some.

My “official” finish time was 47:50. The timing mat was not turned on yet, so we used one of the race official’s watch time, which matched mine pretty well. So it’s all good. I definitely expected to run faster and to feel smoother, but I’m grateful to win the race, and to break 48-minutes, which is a nice barrier at the 15K distance (3xsub-16 5K’s in a row). So it was a course best and a 15K PR, and a win. Gotta take it! Josh Steffen was 2nd and Kevin Dickey was 3rd. Carson was 4th. Official times were kind of mixed up for the top people, so hopefully everyone kept a watch time.

After the race I cooled down another 4 miles with Carson and his brother Todd. We ran up the course, and about 12 different people told us, “Hey, you’re going the wrong way!” Each person thought they were being original. I usually told them that we had to go back because I left my windows down. The cooldown gave me 19 miles total for the day.

Stayed around for the awards and the raffle. I didn’t win anything in the raffle, but the prize for 1st overall was a very cool pottery bowl. It’s extremely huge. Not sure what I’ll do with it, but it’s unique and one of the nicer prizes I’ve won.

So it was a beautiful day and a nice day to race. Met some new people, saw a lot of bloggers (especially at Scott’s pre-race BBQ yesterday, which was a great time), and got a little sun. A successful Saturday.

There has been a rather spirited discussion on the FastRunningBlog message boards recently, debating which downhill Utah race course is faster: the new Utah Valley Marathon route, or the St George Marathon route. I am of the opinion that nothing can touch St George. Its downhill simply special, and you can flat-out roll on that course, especially the second half. I don’t think any other course will ever touch it in terms of speed. Nothing personal against Utah Valley, or any other race, but facts are facts.

Other people, of course, disagreed with me (most notably the Utah Valley race director). They argued that the Utah Valley course has a better distribution of downhill. Although the drop is not as great, there is no Vejo hill and no Dammeron Valley hill, and the downhill is more even and mellow at UVM, thus granting less quad bashing and better times. Fair enough.

Still others pointed out the higher elevation of UVM in comparison to St George. The uphills at UVM would have a larger detriment than to those at St George. Fair enough.

After the UVM race concluded (June 12, 2010), the debate really didn’t resolve. Most people conceded that UVM might be just a little slower than St George, maybe a minute or two. I still held the opinion that it was 6-8 minutes slower, which brought on sharp disagreement. As with most running-related arguments (okay, all arguments), little progress was made over time.

This was all in good fun. I actually don’t care if I’m right or wrong, but it’s fun to talk about and fun to debate. Sorry if anyone took it personally. After all, being the fastest race doesn’t imply that it’s the best. But this whole discussion gave me enough motivation to update my Utah Marathon Comparison profile. I originally made this back in fall of 2007, right before the St George race. The chart compared the elevation profiles between 3 classic Utah marathons: Top of Utah, Ogden, and St George.  I found it interesting to look at, and it has actually helped me in race preparation. Other people have told me the same. I’ve been meaning to add other races to it, especially since more and more local marathons keep popping up.

So yesterday I finally digitized the Utah Valley course, extracted elevations, and added the profile. I made sure to zoom in very tightly to make sure I got the route exact on the road and not up on a cliff or anything (an issue with canyon races). I then pulled elevations at a 0.25-mile interval, and used a 5-meter elevation model as the data source. Most states do not have 5m models available, but we are very lucky to have them here in Utah for most of the state. This is a high enough resolution to avoid most errors due to canyon walls, plus Provo Canyon is relatively wide compared to other marathon routes (ie - Top of Utah). So the elevations should be pretty good for UVM, much better than anything you’d get off of Gmap, MapMyRun, or any other USGS-based elevation web service. I also did an extraction at 0.1-mile intervals, which gives a bit higher resolution, but I ended up settling on 0.25-mile intervals in order to match the other three profiles that I made back in 2007. Using 0.25-mile instead of 0.1 would potentially “chop” some of the hills and valleys, which actually leads to a more conservative, smoothed-out profile. But when comparing uphills between these races, perhaps conservative is good.

I also need to mention that digital elevation models are generally bare earth, meaning that things like highway overpasses do not show up in the model. After all, there is ground under the overpass, and that is what is included in the model. Road cuts, however, do show up in the model, and the road cut is obvious in Provo Canyon. Long story short, the infamous “overpass hill” during the last mile of UVM does not show up in the profile, which eliminates an entire hill. I could have fudged it in, but I left it out in order to pad UVM’s numbers against St George a little bit, and also to send a hint to get rid of that hill in real life.

Okay, enough technical gibber-jabber. The result is shown below. Click on the image for a higher-res PDF file. It’s easy to see that Utah Valley is indeed the highest elevation of all the marathons. It also has the most cumulative uphill (slightly more than St G). Again, these are conservative numbers. It has the second-highest total downhill and net downhill out of all the marathons. There are no hills as big as Vejo or as long as Dammeron at UVM, but its hills are still substantial in a few spots. Interestingly, if you compare the average finish times between all of the races on MarathonGuide.com, Utah Valley comes out as second fastest, behind St George.

The Utah Valley event is a great race, and there’s no doubt it’s a fast course. But how fast is hard to determine, and no amount of “stats” or elevation comparisons,  or time cross-references, or anecdotes can really quantify it. There are a lot of variables that go into course speed, and on top of that, every individual runner is different, and will respond differently to each course. My strength may be someone else’s weakness, and vice versa. So again, this is all in good fun.

Anyway, enjoy the new profile chart. They are fun to make, and I certainly find them useful. At some point I’ll add the Salt Lake City Marathon and Des News as well, but I think I’ve got the four biggest marathons on there for now.