I was so happy to run this race with one of my former college teammate, Doni. We stayed the night at my parents house so we could sleep in more. It was a bad idea to shared a room. We decided to sleep in our running clothes to get an extra 5 mins of sleep. This was in vain, because we giggled most of the night, reflecting on past memories. I was able to get three hours of sleep, while she had zero. The alarm went off at 4:10am and we made it in plenty of time to watch the buses arrive. We warmed up just under a couple of miles further up the canyon, then made our way to the start. It was so crowded, as it usually is. Kassi showed up and we visited shortly before the race began. I knew a lot of the women who showed up today. It seemed we were all going for similar times. It was clear this was going to be a competitive race. So far, 2013 has not disappointed in that regard. Miles 1-3 (6:16, 6:15, 6:14) These miles felt nice and easy. Around mile two, I met up with Janae, Jasmine and Stephanie. We chatted and stayed in a group. I generally never feel like I can talk during a race, so this was nice. We were all planning to hit ~close to the same times. I grabbed some water at the first aid station. 5k split @ 19:20.
Miles 4-6 (6:19, 6:28, 6:17) We continued as a group. This was helpful and seemed to make the time fly by. I felt good here, but knew I would not be able to drop the pace much more. I suspected Jasmine and Janae were planning to go faster. It was also clear they were probably more comfortable that I was. I took a GU at the second station around mile six and I tipped the cup over. I quickly turned around to get more. I did not want a repeat visit to the med tint this time! When I looked ahead, the girls seemed quite a bit ahead for that short time frame. That was mentally hard but I surged to catch back up. Around this time we hit some downhill and they increased their speed. Janae,(bless her heart:) turned her head and motioned me to come with them. I surged one more time, but it only lasted a few seconds. I felt I couldn't make up the gap without compromising more effort than I was prepared to exert at that point in the race. Unfortunately, I also knew that if if didn't catch them here, I likely would never. Off they went. 10k @ 39:04.
Miles 7-9 (6:28, 6:26, 6:37) The downhill was ending and the rollers were more noticeable. Jen H. passed me around here and I was in 9th overall. The trail starts somewhere around mile eight, which is always a hard part in the race. I passed a few men on the trail and tried to push to see if I could find the pack of ladies ahead, but never had a clear view. That worried me.
Miles 10-13 (6:38, 6:38, 6:35, 6:24) After exiting the trail, there was a nice tailwind that helped. I found myself relaxing more and trying to recover from the rollers and trail. I looked at my watch and tried to calculate my finish. At the time it appeared I wasn't going to break my course PR. That was discouraging and I found myself letting the wind push me instead of taking advantage of it like I should have. The course turned another corner and now there was a strong headwind. Somehow this got me out of my funk and I fought against it. I kept telling myself to push hard even though my pace never reflected the effort. I pictured as though I was running a Tempo Tuesday workout, and the effort seemed easier from that viewpoint. I passed a girl here who had been ahead the entire race. I saw my sister, Tammy around mile 11. With two miles to go, I pushed as hard as I could. The last mile flew by and I pushed the last 800 in 90 seconds. I beat my course PR by almost a minute:) I felt good at the end, especially compared to past years on this course. Afterwards, I talked with some of the ladies as we reflected on the race. I felt Deseret News course was easier than this course. The rollers and hill at mile 11 were more exhausting than I remembered from years past. However, as always, the course measures short on the Garmin. I can't decide if this is true or if the canyon messes up the signal. I'm sure this has been thoroughly discussed in years past on another thread. Despite, I like the Deseret News course better. I soaked in an ice tub with several other runners and enjoyed further reflection on the race. We drove to IKEA afterwards and walked around for several hours, dreaming about purchasing cheap and trendy furniture. After that we drove straight to the DI and actually purchased cheap but not trendy furniture.
As with every race, so much to learn. I think one of the mistakes I have made this season is setting out for a certain time rather than place. This is a cop out to not hurt, now that I think about it. Time to take training up a few notches in prep for St. George. May the injury prevention angels be in my favor! http://runsum.com/results/results.php?raceid=146&event1=Half%20Marathon
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