Run Maynard, Run!

26.2 miles | 4:32:59 | 10:22 pace | St. George Marathon

ST. GEORGE BITES!

Well, that's how my report would have started if I'd have posted it Saturday.

As it is, two days later, I'm not quite so critical.

No, my time didn't magically improve by 45 minutes, nor did the pain and suffering I endured diminish (well, not very much anyways...), but my perspective on it has changed. I think a good nights sleep and losing the intense migraine may have helped with that.

Anywhooo...

At the start just when we finally were approaching the actual start line, I realized I needed the port-a-potty and dashed over and used the ones in the elite corral and so my actual time was 7 minutes off the clock time. I didn't want to even look at the splits on my Garmin because the way I felt at the finish I 'knew' that from mile 9 on I had been running 30 minute miles. This morning, Sunday, I finally reviewed the splits and found them to be much better than anticipated. Still, from 14 on I did a lot of walking and limping and self-motivating. Really could have used some self-medicating but all I had was Tylenol and that just wasn't cutting it.

At TOU two weeks prior, that I ran with my daughter, at some point I kicked my right ankle with my left foot pretty good. Never bothered me then, but in the days after it was pretty sore. But then it wasn't and all seemed fine. By mile 13 at St. George, however, it started to bother me some--and then I slightly brushed it with my other foot again and you'd have thought I had been shot! OK, it wasn't quite that bad, but it hurt. By mile 21 it was feeling better but all my energy had been sapped and I struggled with an odd run/walk thing that eventually got me to the finish

4:32:59.

15th St. Geezy and 50th overall.

13.2 miles | 1:48:46 | 8:12 pace | Provo Halloween Half

I don't want to whine so I'll leave most of the cheese out of this.  Most of it.

The frustration from the packet pick-up had me flustered to the point that I left stuff in my car in my rush to get my bib on and onto a bus--most importantly, my gloves and hat.  I froze up at the start.  Fortunately, hypothermia kicked in and I was overwhelmed with a sense of warmth and well being.  And then the race started and I forgot all about all that other stuff.

I started the race with Kelli and Rachel who were both a part of the 1:50 pacing team.  And the 1:50 pacing team was, IMHO, the coolest pacing team there.  Of course they were also the only pacing team I interacted with, so...

The first 5 miles were a bit steep for my liking, but the sub 8's on all of them were nice to have in the bank--especially when mile 7 clocked at 9:05.  For the final 6 miles, I attempted to find my Zen state, succeeding at times, not at others, averaging 8:20.

Finished 12 minutes faster than planned and expected.  Got my medal, picked up my shirt, helped sort through drop bags, rode the bus back to the mall, and went home.