A Perfect Race! (almost...)

I'm really not sure where this story starts.  Maybe in 6th grade when I discovered I loved to run and that I was faster than everyone in my class.  Maybe it starts when I ran my first marathon in 2000 and loved it.  Maybe it started I got back into marathon running in 2009.  Maybe it was when I started training with my coach, Paul Pilkington, for Boston in 2010 and realized I could really break three hours in the marathon.  My first attempt was so close!  My second was almost as close but still I just couldn't do it.  I knew I had the ability but each marathon was months of training and hard work to get ready only to fall just short of my goal.  Two years later I wasn't getting any younger and felt like I was starting all over after having another baby.  I signed up for the Ogden Marathon thinking I'd use it as motivation to get back in shape.  My plan was to run a good Boston qualifying time (around 3:20) and then train hard for a fast marathon in the fall.  After all, my baby would only be 11 months and it takes time to get back in shape.  In January with only four months until the marathon I wondered if I had made a big mistake.  I dug back in to the hard workouts and early mornings out on the road and surprised myself.  My coach tried some different training with me.  Workouts that I thought might be impossible were feeling terrific.  I realized a couple months before Ogden that I wasn't just ready to run, but I was ready to run fast.  I was going for a PR and knew I could run with anyone in the race.  I just hoped for a good day for running!

The week before I was so excited and yet nervous at the same time.  It seemed like race day was never going to get here.  Tapering was driving me crazy. I had passed up two races in the past couple weeks that I could have won so I would be rested for the marathon. I was anxious to get out and compete.  I finally picked up my packet.  Lucky 13?  I hope so!  I got two of them!

The whole week before there were record breaking temperatures.  I worried about a repeat of St. George in 2010 but the forecast was for a cold front to come through just in time.  It was looking perfect.  Unfortunately, the cold front brought rain with it.  Lots of rain.  I woke up at 3:00 in the morning listening to the rain.  It was coming down hard. Still several hours until the start though.  We live in Utah.  It doesn't rain this hard for that long here...I hope.  Still that was the end of my night's sleep.  I lay awake listening to the rain with butterflies in my stomach.  Four hours of sleep.  Not what I wanted the night before the race but I've never slept well the night before a marathon.  Soon we were up anyway and heading to the bus in the dark and the rain.  I was glad Jason had decided to run the race too so I had some company on the bus ride.  The rain seemed to be slowing a bit as we walked from the parking area by the finish to the bus.  Maybe it would stop...  I grabbed a spot at the front of a bus. (I hate getting motion sick going up a canyon in the back of a bus!)  As we drove up Ogden Canyon it was obvious the rain wasn't stopping.  Two hours until the start and it was still coming down.  And it was cool.  Perfect temperature for running if it's dry but suddenly I was worried about staying warm enough if I got soaked at the beginning of the race.

The buses pulled up to the start area and I saw all the other runners in ponchos trying to stay warm by the fires and in line for the porta potties.  I was extremely grateful that Jason had an acquaintance who lives across the street from the start and invited us to his house before the race. We watched all the other runners out his front window for the next hour while we stayed warm and dry!

We couldn't avoid it forever.  Soon we were out warming up in the rain and heading to the start.  I quickly found out my shoes had way too thin of a sole to be good for running on wet roads but it was too late to do anything about that.  I was going to have to run with wet feet!  I pushed my way to the front.  Overall results are determined by gun time rather than chip time and I wasn't giving anyone a head start.  I just had to remind myself to run my race and not go out with the runners who start fast.  Anything can happen in a 26 mile race and I had to stick to my plan.  One of Jason's training partners, Scott Sykes, was coming back from some injuries and planning on slowing down a bit.  We decided to run together to help pace each other and I was glad for the company and help pacing.  Jason and I wished each other luck and I reminded him to turn around after he finished.  If everything went well I should be right behind him.

After a moment of silence to remember Boston we were off. I watched several women run past me and had to remind myself not to get carried away. Most, if not all, would come back later when they slowed down.  This was me against the clock. Time was all that mattered but I had to admit I was hoping to be in one of the top spots when we got to the end.

The course starts out heading down South Fork canyon. It's easy to go too fast with the gradual downhill while you are feeling fresh at the start. My goal was to keep my pace around 6:40 per mile the first 5 miles down the canyon. I watched seven women pass me as I settled into my pace. The mile markers were a bit off but Scott's Garmin said we were right on pace. It felt comfortable and as I was holding back watching people pass me I hoped it would pay off later. I was wearing a tank top but kept my long sleeve warm-up shirt on because it was so chilly and wet. The rain was coming down pretty steady and I was glad I had grabbed a visor last minute to keep the rain out of my face. Soon my long sleeve shirt was so wet it was heavy and not doing any good. I dropped it by the side of the road hoping I wouldn't regret it later. At the bottom of the canyon Scott's wife was waiting for us with water bottles. We came out of the canyon into Ogden Valley and met the next obstacle that came with the cold front. Wind. It wasn't terrible but enough to waste precious energy early in the race.  The course took us through Huntsville and Eden around the north side of Pineview reservoir.  We would have a head wind a good part of the run through the valley. Scott insisted I run behind him so he could break the wind. I protested that wasn't fair to him but after the third time he told me I took him up on the offer. I still felt the wind a bit but he was saving me a lot of energy not having to take all of it head on.  We settled into 6:50 pace now that it had leveled out a bit. I started to pass a few of the women who had had passed me at the beginning.  Scott even jumped off to the side whenever we were coming up on the photographer so that I could have some pictures!

Scott and I running through Huntsville early in the race.

About mile ten I tried to pull my second GU out of my pocket. My hands were so cold I couldn't get the Velcro open to get it out. After struggling for several minutes before I finally got it out my hands were so cold there was no way to open it except with my teeth. When Scott realized my hands were so cold he pulled off his gloves that were thicker and insisted I trade him. My hands were so numb that it was another ordeal taking off my gloves and putting on Scott's. I was skeptical whether trading wet gloves for wet gloves would do anything but once I finally got them on my hands actually started getting some feeling back. It did slow us down a bit though. Our three miles before the half were just over seven minutes. We hit the half way point at 1:29:52. I didn't have any room for error. I needed to run the second half faster than the first.

Around mile 16.  Just finished the uphill and almost to the canyon!

I was starting to feel like I had been running a long time but I felt like I had a lot left for the second half.  By the half way point I'd moved into 5th place and I could see two women ahead of me that I was catching.  I was ready to take off after holding back for the first half.  We picked up the pace again after the few slow miles dealing with the gloves.  Mile 14 is the only significant uphill in the race.  Scott had to remind me not to go up it too fast since I was wanting to catch the girl in front of me.  Still we caught her and I moved into 4th place.  I told Scott that 4th is my least favorite spot to finish in and I really wanted to take off and catch 3rd place who was in sight.  Wait for the downhill he reminded me.  We stuck with our pace and ever so slowly the gap was closing.  We arrived at the dam and I finally felt like I could do what I was waiting for.  With a slight twinge of guilt I left Scott behind after he'd helped me so much up to this point.  Eight downhill miles left to go and I took off.  Just after dropping into the canyon I moved into third place.  I was hitting miles in the 6:20's now and I felt terrific!  I was looking at the marathon runners ahead of me and catching them one at a time.  I couldn't help wonder how far ahead the 2nd and 1st place women were.  Could I catch them?  The road down Ogden Canyon was so wet with standing water all over the road.  I tried to avoid the biggest puddles but by this point my feet were soaked.  Halfway down Ogden canyon my legs started to get tired.  But one thing Paul has taught me is how to run on tired legs.  My breathing still felt fine; I just had to keep moving my legs.  My last two miles down the canyon were my fastest, 6:13 and 6:09.

Ogden Canyon.  Notice the really big gloves.  Thanks, Scott!

The Ogden River Parkway where the course levels out and really starts to hurt!

The final stretch on Grant Ave.

Shortly after coming out of the canyon is the start of the 5K.  3.1 miles left to go and my total time was 2:34:21.  I had over 25 minutes to run the last 5K and still break three hours!  The two lead women still weren't in sight and I was starting to realize I probably wouldn't catch them.  But I also realized that my goal I'd been working on for so long was really going to happen!  The course leveled out at this point and fatigue really started to set in.  I finally started to feel like I was going anaerobic.  At this point I couldn't see any other marathon runners.  I was whizzing past the half marathon walkers but that was more of a hassle than anything since my energy was all but gone and it seemed like such an effort to go around them.  This is where a marathon is so mentally tough.  I had to keep telling myself to keep moving my legs even though they were screaming at me to stop.  I still kept the next two miles at 6:30 pace.  I was around 2:47 with 1.2 miles to go. The course turned onto Grant Ave. and the finish line was in sight.  But it's a long last mile to the finish.  The rain had chased away most of the spectators who usually help carry you to the finish.  There were a few who braved the storm and I was so glad a block from the finish when my kids were there cheering me on!  I crossed the finish in 2:55:41!  Jason was there screaming and cheering for me waiting to give me a huge hug. He had finished in 2:51:40, four minutes ahead of me.

The finish!  I wish they had a clock you could see in the picture.  I guess you'll have to take my word on it!

Jason waiting for me at the finish.

It really was almost the perfect race.  The last three miles hurt but it meant I had given it everything I had.  There was no question as to whether I had left anything out on the road that day.  My only disappointment was in that I thought a race like that had a good chance at winning.  A lot of years my time would have won.  But congratulations to the two women who beat me.  They finished in 2:48 when I had just over a mile to go.  Still I was excited to place in the top three out of over 1200 women.  My average mile pace was 6:43.  I won a small cash prize.  As Jared put it.  "Wow, Mom, that's a lot of money to me but it probably isn't to you!"  Jason beat his best time on this course, although he was still eight minutes off his fastest marathon at St. George, and he finished 13th in the men's race and 2nd in his age group.

Before Jason and I had even started our race, Andrew and Jason's step dad, Darrell, ran the 5K.  They were as wet as us and Andrew finished in 22:15.  Darrell won his age group and Andrew placed second in his.  The rain was finally starting to let up about noon when it was time for the KidsK to start.  Jason's mom had taken the kids home after we finished since it was so wet and cold.  I drove home to get them and we barely had time to make it back to the park for their run.  They were only about half way from the car to the starting line when they blew the horn to start the race.  So their one kilometer run ended up being a little longer.  I love this picture of Kaitlyn waving at the finish!

The kids loved the cow bells they got for medals!

After so many years of working so hard towards this goal I feel a little lost now that I have accomplished it.  What's next?  I used to say that once I broke three hours in the marathon I would retire from marathon running and stick to shorter races.  But I had to sign up for St. George before I ran Ogden so I'm already registered for my next marathon in October.  And then I really want to run Boston again so we are planning on going there in 2014.  This is also where marathon running becomes addicting.  I start thinking, "If I can run 2:55 on a course like Ogden in terrible weather what could I do on a good day in St. George?"  So I've got another hard summer ahead of me with new goals ahead.  What should I reach for?  A sub 2:50?  Winning a marathon?  Placing in the top 100 at Boston?  Some of those goals seem rather lofty yet I remember a day when I thought I'd never be able to break three hours.  I've learned a lot the last few years while I've worked towards this goal but most importantly that nothing is impossible.