Utah Valley Marathon 2013 Race Recap

Going into Saturday I had nearly no expectations. The past six months had been plagued by my fair share of health problems. However, after finally receiving a diagnosis that I was B12 deficient and starting a regimen of shots my health improved drastically and quickly all within the month preceding the race. So as the marathon grew closer and my training times got faster I had no idea what to expect. My last run the Saturday before the marathon I somehow clocked a 7:53 mile as my last mile during my 12-mile run and I started to let myself think I could maybe run this marathon faster than I had been planning. My really optimistic secret goal was a 3 hour and 45 minute finish (8:35/mile). 

I took the Friday before my marathon off work and spent the day getting ready. I felt the most relaxed I ever have before a race.

Carbo-loading at its finest.

 I dropped Ben off at work (he sadly couldn’t get time off to come with me this year) and headed to Provo. I quickly picked up my race stuff at the expo.

Then headed over to my friends Emily and Ryan’s to stay for the night. Emily and I used to be roommates in college so it was just like old times.

College Days. We are so painfully sober in this picture.

I FaceTimed with my nephews Johnny and Brandon before bed and asked them for advice on how fast I should start the race (since I still really hadn’t decided how fast I wanted to start). Johnny gave me some great advice that I shouldn’t start too fast and save my energy. It was a good reminder. I was asleep by 9:15pm, which is a little bit of a miracle since I fell asleep at 1:00am last year.

Alarm was at 3:15am. I was ready and out of the door at 3:30am. On the buses by 3:45am. Uneventful bus ride. Arrived at the starting line in Wallsburg at 4:25am. Had an hour and a half to kill before starting. 

I ate my bagel, drank Gatorade and huddled next to one of the fires they had going. I was freezing (which is why I took zero pictures). As the starting time grew closer I made my way to the line and decided to start with the 3:50 pacer. I head the pacer say he was planning to bank some time since we have a downhill start before hitting the hills. I figured it would help me start conservatively, but I could speed up if I felt good and if not 3:50 would be a time I would be happy with.  And we were off.

I felt surprisingly good at the start despite my ambitious pace. It was clear the people around me did as well because they were all chatting. I kept talking to myself to make sure my breathing was okay. For about the first half of a marathon you should be able to speak without sounding out of breath so I would say phrases to myself occasionally to see how I was doing.  Yeah I am sure I looked really cool and not at all crazy…

Mile 1: 8:34

Mile 2: 8:24

Mile 3: 8:22

It was incredibly helpful having run this race last year and knowing where the big hills were. The first 7 miles flew by because I knew the race wouldn’t REALLY start for me until the 3 big hills from miles 8-9. I spent most of the first miles visualizing the hills and lecturing myself on how it would hurt but that was just temporary. When I rounded the corner and saw them I made myself just think of it one hill at a time.

Mile 4: 8:27

Mile 5: 8:26

Mile 6: 8:30

Mile 7: 8:27

First of three hills via Google Maps. Makes it look far less menacing than is really is...

 The hills were tough, but then before I knew it they were over and I was in the canyon with beautiful scenery. The moment in the race I had been dreading was behind me. I knew those weren’t the only hills, but they definitely boosted my confidence about the future ones. To be honest they were kind of nice. I have grown to like hills (to a point), because what comes up must come down. And downhill we went...

Mile 8: 8:41

Mile 9: 8:41

Picture from Mile 10. I swear I'm not grimacing.

 Mile 10: 8:18

Mile 11: 8:22

Downhill was nice, but my legs started to hurt before I even hit the half. I was also getting a little bored. I didn’t want to listen to music yet so I just kept trying to reassess my goals. I had passed the 3:50 pacer before we reached the first set of hills and getting close to the half I realized I was on pace to finish under 3:45 and was still feeling pretty good.  However, passing the official halfway point I thought “my race is only halfway done, but my legs are almost all the way done”. They hurt. 

 Mile 12: 8:30

Mile 13: 8:27

Half Time: 1:51:32

I decided I would turn my music on at mile 16, but then pushed it back more because it still felt too early. There were a few small hills here and then one last big mile from 16-17. I knew that after that hill most of the race would be downhill. 

At mile 16 we passed Bridal Veil Falls. I didn't take any pictures while running so thanks to the internet for this one.

Mile 14: 8:27

Mile 15: 8:11

Mile 16: 8:19

Mile 17: 8:24

  

At mile 18 I could see the 3:45 pacer in the distance. I knew I had finished the half in a time that could get me under 3:45 so I didn’t know why they were so far ahead. At Mile 19 I knew if I kept up the pace I was going I had less than an hour left to go. My legs were in some pretty severe pain at this point so that thought helped. I texted Ben’s sister to let her know I’d be finishing a little earlier than expected and also finally turned on my music. Then, around mile 20, I caught up and ended up passing the 3:45 group. 

At around mile 20. Sore legs, but feeling happy.

Mile 18: 8:23

Mile 19: 8:17

Mile 20: 8:11

We headed out of the canyon onto University Ave. There were a few spectators, which helped a little but man did my legs hurts.  It was also incredibly hot without the shade in the canyon. So I was doing what I could to distract myself, which mostly meant singing and dancing along with my music, which the spectators liked. They would call out my bib number and tell me I was doing well. This section was also pretty flat, and I pick up speed pretty fast when it is flat.They had misters along this section (stations that would spray you with water) and on top of that I took an extra glass of water at each station to pour over my head.

Mile 21: 8:14

Mile 22: 8:12

Mile 23: 8:22

There was one last hill at mile 24. It wasn’t huge, but it was at mile 24 of a marathon. By some miracle I didn’t walk it. My lungs could care less about the hill and actually wanted me to go faster, but my legs were deteriorating. All I wanted to do was walk. I told myself that at this point I could walk and still finish under 4 hours. There was a guy with a hose asking people if they wanted to be sprayed. I gestured for them to bring it on and it felt fan-freaking-tastic.  After mile 24 though I could actually see the finish line and I didn’t want the spectators to see me walking so I kept going. I tried as hard as I could to not think about how much my legs hurt.

Mile 24: 8:36

Mile 25: 8:27

I ran through another mister, which helped a lot. I was very thirsty and just imagined something to drink at the end to keep me moving. My legs hurt even more than before, which I didn't think was possible. As I got closer there was more of a crowd and I looked around for Ben’s family. As soon as I saw them I got a burst of energy and gave it all that I could to the finish.

Mile 26: 8:26
 Mile 26.2: Didn’t stop by watch…

Second Half Time: 1:50:01

Official Finish Time: 3:41:34 (8:27/m pace)

I was very hot when I finished and a little out of it. They didn't have water at the finish line so I had to settle for Powerade. I went straight to get my finishers photo and the photographer asked me if I was ready and I asked her if I looked ready, because I felt pretty rundown (pun). In all seriousness I didn't feel great. Not sick, but just dizzy and a little overwhelmed.

I look... sweaty. I swear its mostly from the water I poured over my head...

I found Ben’s siblings pretty fast and met up with the rest of the family. They made me an awesome sign and we chatted for a bit. We waited to find out my official time and took some pictures.

I was SO grateful they came. Knowing they would be waiting made me push through my dead legs to finish without walking. I decided since my legs were pretty toasted I would wait in the enormous line for post race massages (took over an hour for a 5 minute massage, but it did hurt so good). Then I headed to Emily's to shower and then back home.

So that’s it. I ran a marathon and felt pretty great. I finished with negative splits and if my legs didn’t give out I feel confident I would have kept picking up speed and finished a little faster. Unfortunately, legs are required to run so that didn’t happen. I learned a lot about myself and having confidence in my running. I also learned I need to do a lot of lunges and downhill running to prepare myself for St. George… SO MANY people supported me through this and had more confidence in me than I did.

It is three days post-marathon and I haven't done anything more than a mile walk. My legs are still pretty useless. Stairs are my arch-nemesis. I plan to take it easy until the beginning of July and then start training hard for St. George and a hopeful Boston Qualifying time.