SLC Half-Marathon and 5K

During the busy season this year, I trained for the Salt Lake City half-marathon. The time commitment was the most difficult part. I really had to prioritize my runs. I tried training for a half-marathon last fall and didn't end up running it because I failed to adequately prepare. This time around I stayed committed. It helped that I found a training program I really liked.  I used the Hal Higdon Half Marathon Training Guide - Novice 2 Program. This program focuses on building up the distance without causing me to over-exert. He has also built enough slack into the program that if I had a super busy week and missed a run or two I didn't feel like I was off track. As long as I got my long runs and the majority of the other runs in I knew I would be okay.


This morning we woke up early and Dan and Kristin came to pick us up. Kristin and Alison were planning on running the 5K. They dropped Dan and me off near the start of our race. Right before they dropped us off Skylee got sick and threw up. Kristin decided not to do the 5K so she could take care of Skylee. 

Dan and I were ready to line up about 5 minutes before the race started. We worked out way up the corrals as far as we could before the start of the race. It was crazy packed so we ended up being pretty far back. There was a performance of the National Anthem and we were off. Even after three months of training, I wasn't sure how fast I would be. When I started training my goal was to run the half-marathon in around 2 hours. By the end of my program, I realized this may have been overly ambitious. For my weekly long runs, I was running at a pace of 11 minutes per mile on a treadmill. I did shorter runs outside and knew it would be hard to do a long too much faster than I was running on the treadmill. By the start of the race, I just wanted to finish. I thought it would take around 2 hours and 30 minutes or 2 hours and 45 minutes.




The course started at the U and made its way down to Library Square. The first few miles of the race were mostly downhill. There were a few small uphill portions that were challenging. Generally, the course was downhill or flat. The hardest portion was a long stretch up south temple. It wasn't much of an incline, but it was steady and long. My legs felt dead during this portion.  

One thing I really enjoyed about the race was the support of the people holding signs along the course. There were large groups standing along the course cheering on all of the runners. Many people had funny or  inspiring signs  such as "worst parade ever," "Just keep swimming running," and "on a scale from 1-10 you are a 13.1." The support was much appreciated. 

Randomly I ran into Skyler Evans halfway through the race. He was my second to last missionary companion. I have not seen him since we have been home (he is originally from Washington). I saw him right around 6 miles and thought it might be him, but it would have been too hard to get to where he was at and I thought it was so improbable that I dismissed it. About half an hour later I found myself near the same person. This time they were much closer. I ran over and called out Evans! Sure enough, it was him. We briefly spoke before he picked up his pace. About a mile later I passed him and he was walking. I was hoping to find him at the end, but it was such a zoo at the finish line that it didn't happen. 

There were some tough moments, but my training prepared me well. My heart and lungs did great - it was my legs that got tired and started to hurt. When I hit 9 miles I was feeling really good. I had stopped at every water station along the way and gotten water or Gatorade so I was well hydrated. At one station I picked up a chocolate gel pack that gave me some energy. Shayla told Alison that when you are training for a half-marathon if you can get to 10 miles your adrenaline will carry you the last 3. At 9 miles my adrenaline was kicking in. I was worried that I was going to let loose too early and that the boost wouldn't last for 4 miles so I was careful to pace myself. With 2 miles to go, I was feeling pretty beat. I just told myself I had to keep running and that I was almost done. I picked the pace and ran hard when I hit the last mile. My best individual miles were mile 1 (it was mostly downhill) and mile 13. 




I saw Alison and Blake at the finish line. They were there to support me. I was pretty dead after I crossed and I needed a couple of minutes to walk it off. I ran my best race and didn't have anything else to give. I finished in just under 2 hours and 9 minutes. This greatly exceeded my expectations. 

Since Skylee wasn't feeling well Kristin had to take her home. Alison ended up running the 5k on her own. She ran the whole thing and was really happy with how well it went. Blake and Debbie came to support us and give us a ride home. We are so glad they are always willing to help us out.

It was a fun race day. We love participating in the SLC Marathon events and I imagine we will continue to participate in this race for many years to come. 




Comments

  1. I'm so glad it went well for both of you! You guys are awesome!

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