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Valley of Fire Marathon

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Location:

American Fork,UT,USA

Member Since:

Nov 07, 2009

Gender:

Male

Goal Type:

Other

Running Accomplishments:

50+ marathons, a few ultras, a slew of halves. Love the trails

Short-Term Running Goals:

Ogden

Sogonapmit

St. George

Hopefully a BQ this year

Personal:


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Miles:This week: 0.00 Month: 0.00 Year: 0.00
Saucony Guide TR Lifetime Miles: 324.09
Montrail Hard Rock (Red) Lifetime Miles: 139.39
Asics GT-2150 Trail Lifetime Miles: 135.13
Saucony Kinvara Lifetime Miles: 167.47
Five-Fingers KSO Lifetime Miles: 7.25
Saucony Xodus Lifetime Miles: 18.18
Saucony Guide 5 Lifetime Miles: 126.03
Saucony Hurricane 12 Lifetime Miles: 99.65
Saucony Guide 5 (black) Lifetime Miles: 88.54
Brooks Cascadia 7 Lifetime Miles: 4.50
Saucony Peregrine Lifetime Miles: 7.78
Slow milesFast milesTotal Distance
62.540.0062.54
Saucony Guide TR Miles: 12.08Saucony Hurricane 8 (Blue) Miles: 13.26Saucony Kinvara Miles: 5.00Asics GT-2130 (Black) Miles: 6.00Saucony Hurricane 8 (Yellow) Miles: 26.20
Slow milesFast milesTotal Distance
12.080.0012.08

12.08 miles / 1:50:23 / 9:09 A.P. / Provo River Trail

Going up actually felt a hundred times better than coming back down--my calves ached and I developed some hot spots on my feet.  What the?

Planned on 8, considered 6, decided on 10, and ended up running 12.

Saucony Guide TR Miles: 12.08
Comments(6)
Slow milesFast milesTotal Distance
5.250.005.25

5.25 miles / treadmill / don't know how long or what my pace was...

Got up at O-dark:thirty as part of the newer and better me initiative and came in to work to run on one of the treadmills at the wellness center.  I figure I'd better do something--there's less than 2 weeks before Valley of Fire and I am way unprepared for the brutality of that course--or any course for that matter...

Saucony Hurricane 8 (Blue) Miles: 5.25
Comments(2)
Slow milesFast milesTotal Distance
8.010.008.01

8.01 miles / 1:12:46 / 9:06 A.P. / Treadmill (at work)

Not really digging the whole treadmill thing--I want to break free!--but I'll run when and where I can right now.  The plan is to get up dark and early in the morning and run some more.  Yay me.  :|

A seam in one of my compression sleeves busted today when I was putting it on, and that really irks me!  Shouldn't the stitching on something like a compression sleeve be extra tough?  Yeah, I thought so too.

I'm hungry.

Saucony Hurricane 8 (Blue) Miles: 8.01
Comments(3)
Slow milesFast milesTotal Distance
5.000.005.00

5.0 miles / 45:21 (?) / 9:05 A.P. / Treadmill

Wanted six but ran out of time (and will).

I like the Kinvaras.

Saucony Kinvara Miles: 5.00
Comments(1)
Slow milesFast milesTotal Distance
6.000.006.00

6.0 miles / 0:53:59.55 / 9:00 A.P. / Treadmill

Meh.

Asics GT-2130 (Black) Miles: 6.00
Comments(5)
Race: Valley of Fire Marathon (26.2 Miles) 05:18:36
Slow milesFast milesTotal Distance
26.200.0026.20

Ugh!

Let me just say this first because the actual running experience may make it seem as if I wouldn't mind if that place were melted into glass.  The Valley of Fire State Park in Nevada is one of the most beautiful places I've been to.

The night before the race the winds were very active with gusts threatening to uproot my tent and send us flying.  It wasn't too much of a surprise then when I got a message early Saturday morning indicating the marathon had been canceled on account of the weather.

It wasn't, ultimately, but it came pretty close.

The full marathon course consists of two out and back legs--the first through the absolute most scenic roads imaginable.  The second along a portion of the Valley of Fire Highway.  The Park Rangers allowed the race to be held if, and only if, not one single cup was thrown on the ground and if it could be held entirely on the the first out and back section.

The runners were all briefed and all agreed to the changes and requests.  VOF is NOT a marathon to run for time so nobody really had a problem drinking at the aid stations and putting the garbage in a garbage bag or in the hands of an aid station helper.

Valley of Fire is also VERY hilly.

And I really wasn't prepared, but I did it anyways.  Finished.  Hurt and hurting.

So, the report.  1/2 x 2 = 26.2 miles of some of the most amazing red rock scenery anywhere!

With the changes to the full course I felt like I had every excuse and opportunity to drop down to the half--but in the end I stuck with the full.

The best way to describe this course is undulating.

Incessantly undulating.

I finished the first half at about 2:20 and I felt OK so I turned right around and began the whole process over again.  The second half took just under 3 hours--walking the ups and running the flats and down up until the last 5 miles when my knee started giving me fits.

Only a handful of runners finished behind me.  Somewhat demoralizing, but what the heck.

I was able to run much of the race with an old friend from back in my days of Boy Scouting and his brother.  The brother lost a leg in a motorcycle accident a while back and was sporting one of those really cool prosthetics that many amputees run in nowadays.  This was his first marathon--and what a doozy!

I took my camera and took all of none picture.

Saucony Hurricane 8 (Yellow) Miles: 26.20
Comments(5)
Slow milesFast milesTotal Distance
62.540.0062.54
Saucony Guide TR Miles: 12.08Saucony Hurricane 8 (Blue) Miles: 13.26Saucony Kinvara Miles: 5.00Asics GT-2130 (Black) Miles: 6.00Saucony Hurricane 8 (Yellow) Miles: 26.20
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