TOU 2010

After having so much "fun" running the Pocatello Marathon, I decided to register for the Top of Utah Marathon, which happened to be only 2 weeks later. Three weeks from race day is when most training schedules have your last long run, and the beginning of your mileage taper. I was feeling good after Pocatello, and hoped that my legs and body could recover in two weeks.

I'm not very fond of the last 9 miles of the TOU course, but I enjoy the atmosphere of the local crowd, seeing people I know running the race, on the sidelines, directing traffic, offering first aid, volunteering on the course, and in the finish area.

My day began with my alarm going off at 4:15, so I could shower and catch one of the buses to the start by 5 am. This allowed time to use the porta-potty, stretch, relax, visualize, and prepare - before I worked a Step 3 at the starting line!

The race started at about 7:05 am to the sound of muzzleloader/black powder rifle shots from people dressed up in traditional Mountain Man garb. The sound of the shots echoed off the canyon walls as the mass of runners gradually gained momentum and rounded the first bend in the road. Starting temperatures were in the low 40's, a bit chilly, but good for running.


The course is closed to (most) traffic the first 14 miles.


The leaves painted the hillsides beautiful hues of orange, red and yellow.


At mile 13, I saw familiar faces at the "Bobcat Bend" aid station - Bryon, Doyle, Lila, Dee and others. I passed the halfway point at about 1:51 - on pace for a 3:40 finish time. I knew my second half would be slower, I just wasn't sure how much slower. By now my legs began to tire a bit, and I knew two weeks was not enough recovery time after Pocatello.

I maintained a positive attitude, and allowed my 8:28 pace to slow to a comfortable 9:00 minutes per mile as I cruised down Hollow Road.

After turning off of Hollow Road onto Hwy 165, the shade ended and the sun hit the runners in full force, by now in the upper 70's. I drank water and gatorade at every station to try to stay hydrated, but the heat started to take its toll, as my head began pounding and my stomach churning. As I approached Ryan's Park in River Heights at about mile 22, my stomach finally revolted, involuntarily evacuating its contents as I bent over between two parked cars. I walked a while to allow my head to stop spinning, but the scene was soon repeated - much to my disgust!

From this point on, I maintained hope that I might still be able to pull out a sub-4:00 finish, but as the course dropped into Logan, I had to stop again to throw up. Yuck. I hate that feeling when you know it's coming, but there is nothing you can do to stop it! By now my stomach was empty and I was concerned about dehydration as the temperatures continued to rise! I continued my "running conversation" (sorry, I couldn't resist) with God by asking him, if it was His will, to please allow me to recover and finish strong.

I couldn't choke down any fluids at the last aid stations, so I was forced to alternate speed-walking with running to prevent any dry heaves the final 3 miles, as my watch ticked past the 4 hour mark. The thought crossed my mind - "just stop, walk off the course, and quit"... but I hung in there - DNF is not in my vocabulary.

So I continued my run-walk strategy, until I found enough strength to run the final three blocks down the finishing chute,

crossing the line at about 4:13.
I then made my way to the recovery area where I just stood bent over with my hands on my knees, trying to regain some composure! I found and talked with Landon, Tanner and Dallen, and also talked with a number of other familiar faces both in and outside of the runner recovery area.

(*Thank's to Dallen for this pic of my forced smile!) I couldn't eat or drink much, so I just sipped some water to try to re-hydrate and get my equilibrium back. I walked over to the short line at the massage area, where I was soon face down on a table as Rachael worked her magic fingers on my sore, tired calves, hamstrings and quads. I was a bit scared of a massage so soon after finishing, but she communicated well, and knew just when to be gentle!


In retrospect, I am very pleased with another successful marathon finish! Maybe I got some bad Gu or just overheated. I am certainly not getting any younger - *note to self: next time allow at least 3 weeks to recover after one marathon before running another! I missed my goal, but apparently I did need some humbling, so I accept that :-) I am just grateful to God for helping me make it to the finish line, and to live another day - One Day at a Time :-)
...Hmmmm...next race...?