Coming back with a renewed attitude...

A couple of weeks ago I ran in the Ogden Marathon.  I made some mistakes.  The biggest one was that of a rookie by heading out way too fast.  I knew better as I have learned this lesson over the course of my previous 35 marathons.  I was caught up in the moment and just ignored my body's warning signs and the pace on my gps.  By the halfway point, I was over 5 minutes ahead of schedule.  Around mile 15 I began to realize my laxed attitude and dropped strategy were going to cost me!  It was literally all down hill for me in the second half.  My five minutes 'in the bank' at the half lead to a defecit of at least 14 minutes on my finishing time.  I also felt really crappy and struggled to keep a forward motion.
A week from today, I plan on running in the Utah Valley Marathon.  It was there that I had my best finishing time of the 11 I ran last year.  (3:08:00)  I have regained my excitement of this upcoming event, after a week of being pissed off after Ogden.  This time, I have been reminded to not bite off more than I can chew, keep my focus and to have some patience.  Hopefully this will lead to an overall positive experience.

Salt Lake City Marathon...

I really enjoyed this race.  I was able to see and converse with many friends along the way,  my brother-in-law, and my dad around mile 19.  The social aspect is what made for a good day for me.  I didn't expect an overall pr, but managed one for the course, so that was a bonus.  I felt decent physically for the bulk of the race, and the miles seemed to go by quickly.  I guess it helped having people distract me throughout the event.

This was a tune-up race for ones to come this year, so I can potentially meet some time goals on a couple other courses.  I'm gearing up to hopefully pr at Utah Valley, &/or St. George.  As anyone knows; race day can be hard to predict as there are many variables to affect a performance.

Here I am in the bright yellow shirt approaching the finish line....

Official finishing time: 3:13:50

Overall placing: 43/1197

Age group placing: 15/114

I'm getting my legs back!!

I have been struggling to do my daily runs lately and have been rather frustrated.  I ran my first 50 mile ultramarathon two weeks ago, and therefore; I had no idea what state of physical disrepair I would be in. I also followed this up with a 10 mile race last week.  I had built up to 60 miles per week before the ultra, and felt in good overall shape.  These runs had left my legs sore and stale, until today.  I am relieved to have ventured out and had a decent progressive run with a little bit of distance and some temo miles.  I'll probably take tomorrow off, and then run Tuesday and Wednesday, with no running on Thursday or Friday.  Hopefully this will put me in a good position for the SLC Marathon this coming Satuday.

Run stats:
15 miles
7:33/mile average pace

Antelope Island 50 mile Buffalo Run...

Being my first 50 miler, I just wanted to make it through feeling half way decent to the finish.  My finishing time was slower than anticipated, but I'm not dissapointed as I was venturing into uncharted territory for myself.  I maintained the goal to conserve my energy with going out slowly, walking the major uphills, and steady on the flats and downhills. 
I had the full support of my wife, who ventured up to start with me at 4:30 a.m. and had the patience to wait for my finish.  She's always a real trooper!  I also had a friend of mine meet me at 25 miles, and ran with me for the remaining half.  It was nice to have someone to give me encouragement and to disrtract me from my screaming right leg.

It was a good day, even though the weather reports had appeared less than favorable.  The sun came out periodically, and there was a cool breeze, for which I was grateful.

Salt Lake 10 Miler...

It was nice to have the weather cooperate for this event!  The last couple of years have been less than favorable.  I guess it's a risky time of year where it can snow one day, and then turn around as t-shirt weather the next.  I kind of went overkill on running pants and a long sleeve tech, but hey; it was only 10 miles! 
Having run my first 50 miler last Saturday, I was uncertain what my legs would feel like today.  In addition; I have been battling shin splints for the last month as I've ramped up my mileage.  Upon reviewing my training logs (I still do them on paper-I guess I'm old fashioned that way!) I noticed the same trouble last year coming out of the winter slumber, and in getting ready for another season of marathoning.  I have been doing some pre-run stretches and they make a world of a difference!

I was hoping to beat my time from last year, with the better weather conditions, but knew my legs were not fresh.  I have also had a lack of speed work in my workouts lately and knew that could be a factor.  Regardless of the outcome, I knew this could be a good opportunity for a tempo run in getting ready for the SLC Marathon in a couple of weeks, and I would get a feel for where I'm at.
After milling around the start for about 45 minutes, we were off and running.  I started out with a group of 4 other runners (including Allie, whom I introduced myself to at the start) and drafted behind as we made our ascent to the top of Little Mountain.  I made no effort to check our pace on my Garmin, but quickly found myself going anaerobic.  I knew I'd be in better shape once we had cleared the summit, however I resigned myself to falling back to regain control of my respiration.  

The challenge I faced upon the descent, was gaining an efficient stride and softening up my foot falls.  I could tell it was very choppy, and my feet were quite loud.  I had a couple runners pass me around mile three, but I felt my better miles were to come.  In my mind, I wasn't too discouraged, and just focused on the feedback I received from my body.

I spent miles 3-5 trying to form a fluid cadence.  One the runners that passed me earlier had remained in my sights, and from miles 6-8, we exchanged positions several times.  The second place woman also joined in briefly.  Fortunately I was able to maintain a solid pace from 8 to the finish, and pulled ahead. (Dang, it only took me 80% of the race to find my rhythm!)

It was a good day to get out and participate in a low key event.  I was slower than last year by :26, which is fine by me!  Considering last weekend's race, and my somewhat inconsistent weekly mileage lately; I'm content with where I'm at.  Finish time: 1:05:01, Finish place 8/294, Age group (30-34) 1/24