Top of Utah Half Marathon 2017

At the beginning of this year I set my goal to qualify for the 2020 Olympic Marathon Trials anticipating that the qualifying period would open this fall.  I knew that meant a trip back to Chicago in October where I felt I had my best chance at running under 2:45 again.  For the winter and spring I picked some shorter local races to keep me motivated to train but keeping my weekly mileage a little lower since I wasn't marathon training.  I picked most of my races off the USATF Utah road racing circuit.  To be honest most of those races were a struggle.  The competition ended up being tough and I was struggling to hit times that had come pretty easy the past couple years.  I was struggling to even place in the top three at most of the races.  I was somewhat discouraged but and even started to wonder if I was starting to slow down a bit with age.  I didn't want to give myself an out by coming up with an excuse but all I knew is that it was feeling harder to run fast and I was a bit slower.

With Chicago getting closer I decided to do everything I could to prepare this summer.  I got my mileage up to where it should be for marathon training and made sure I got all my miles in EVERY day.  I didn't let myself cut anything short.  I started making sure I was getting my core strengthening in, eating right, sleeping right: all the little details.  My training was coming along well and I felt I was still capable of running under a 2:45 although I wondered if trying to run a PR (2:41) would be realistic.

The Top of Utah Half Marathon is always one of my favorite races to run as a tune up for a fall marathon.  Three years ago before Chicago I ran that course in 1:17:44.  I hoped that I could finish close to that time and that would give me the confidence that I would be ready for Chicago.  Since most of my races had been a bit slower this year I decided I would be happy with a low 1:18.

I drove up from Ogden in the morning rather than spending the night in Logan because Jason was gone camping with the scouts and someone had to stay home with the kids.  It meant for and early wake up (3:30 am) but also got me up early enough to get a good breakfast.  The drive to Logan was a little rough and I was wishing I was back in bed.  Once I got to Logan I met up with some friends on the bus and that helped.  At the start line we had some extra time and Thom Keuls and I spent it analyzing our splits from two previous years we had run together.  I was glad to have him there to race with again.

At the start I found a few runners I was expecting who had been beating me in previous races this year.  Nan Kennard took off at the start and although I would love the chance to win that race again I knew I couldn't run the pace she was running so I just had to let her go and stuck to the plan.  Thom was running with me as well as Sariah Long.  The first few miles are a gradual downhill in the canyon and we were hitting mile splits in the 5:50s just like our plan.  A few miles in Sariah fell back because she wasn't feeling well.  That left me in second place and I was grateful Thom was still feeling well enough to run with me.  Nan had disappeared ahead so it was just Thom and I trying to execute our plan.  Miles 5 and 6 towards the bottom of the canyon get quite a bit steeper.  We were also greeted with a strong tail wind blowing us out the bottom of the canyon.  We were able to run those miles and the first one out of the canyon in the 5:40s.  We came through the seven mile split exactly on pace to finish in a high 1:17.  Once we were out of the canyon and it flattened out a bit we settled back into the 5:50s.  I was surprised how comfortable I felt running under six minute miles.  Not that it was easy; I was definitely working hard but I felt strong and felt like I could maintain that pace for a long time.  It was the best I have felt in a race all year.

Around mile 9 Thom was starting to struggle a bit and drop back.  I was shocked to realize that I only had 4 miles left because I was still feeling so strong.  By then the front racers were so spread out that I had to push myself on my own.  I knew I wasn't going to win but just tried to keep the focus on getting the time I wanted.  Miles 11 and 12 are a pretty significant uphill and my only miles over six minutes. When I got to the 12 mile split I glanced at my watch and realized if I could run close to six minutes for the last mile I would finish in a high 1:17.  I was so happy to still be on pace.  The last mile is a gradual downhill.  Gradual enough it doesn't feel downhill but just enough to help you go a bit faster.  I pushed with everything I had left.  I really wanted a good race to boost my confidence going into Chicago.  I shocked myself finishing with a 5:38 last mile and a total time of 1:17:31!

Nan ended up shattering the course record finishing in 1:14.  I've won that race twice with a slower time than I ran this year but you never know who you are going to have to race against.  I was happy with a second place finish in such a talented field.  It was my fastest time on that course.  I've run two other half marathons faster but on courses with much larger elevation drops.  Considering the terrain I was on, I think it is the best half marathon I have ever run.  It was a huge confidence builder that I am ready for Chicago and that I still can run that fast. My goals for Chicago: 6:10-6:15 pace for 26.2 miles.  6:15 gets me back to the Olympic Trials and 6:10 gets me a PR.  A few weeks of training left to sharpen my fitness but the bulk of the training is done and it's time to start tapering.  I'm ready.  I'm just keeping my fingers crossed that I stay healthy and the weather cooperates.  The weather is the biggest factor that I have absolutely no control over.  Bring on Chicago!