Sunday, January 26, 2025

2025 Sun Half Marathon Race Recap - Santa Clara, UT


Heading to the start line

Official Time: 1:55:38
Placement: 2nd in the 55-59 age division, 49th out of 176 runners
Results:  Here
Race WebsiteHere
Weather: Upper 20's, slight headwind into the latter half of the race.
Garmin Dump: Here
Previous Years:  [2024] [2020]

Mile TimeComments
18:47Decent start. Just easing into the race.
29:01Brief pee break here.  Probably cost me 20 seconds
38:38Back at it.  Slight downhill
48:43
58:48
69:16First real hill.  Had to slow up a bit
78:28Return of the hill.  Get a nice downhill
89:16A bit of a climb here -- a short but steep hill.
98:39Getting into a groove
108:23Let's close this race out.
119:27Long 1 mile hill here.  I was still pushing but my pace wasn't that great.
128:35Course leveled out now.  Running into some 5K / 10K runners
138:11Super fast final mile.  Gave it a full-send
13.181:23
Total Miles: 13.18 1:55:30




Introduction


Last year, I ran the Sun Half Marathon in a time of 1:53.  It was my race of the year for me and I was hoping it would lead to a record setting year.

Unfortunately, it was sort of the beginning of the end for the year and I never really rebounded.

Around December of 2024 I decided I was going to run one of the 2 January Half Marathons that I had done last year.  I'd train hard for a half marathon and bank the appropriate training for it and then jump into one of the two -- dependant upon weather and whether I was injury free.

In late December, I got a coupon for the Sun Half Marathon and ultimately decided I'd roll with the fates.  I'd get down there one way or another and do the race.

The race is held near St George Utah -- the last town on I-15 before you hit Arizona.  It is a red rock community and features some breathtaking scenery. It is also known for some world-class racing.  And, it offers a bit warmer temperatures than what northern Utah has to offer.





The Race


I arrived in St George and made it to the St George Running Center just shy of 4 PM on Friday to get my bib. I was one of the first to arrive. Packet pickup was a snap and in short order I was set up for the race.

warmup on Friday

I took a quick drive over to the finish line of the Virgin River Half marathon, which was held just a week ago, and wound up doing an easy 3-mile shuffle around the area, getting loosened up and taking a few photos.



Sleeping didn't come easily for me -- I think I had had too much for dinner and I tossed and turned until my 5:15 AM alarm went off.  I ate enough food and packed my gear and was at Gubler Park by 6:35 AM for the 7 AM bus.

The race was smaller than last year -- there was the Virgin River Half from a week ago and another half marathon just east of this one.  Parking wasn't an issue.

I had about an hour wait at the top of the canyon near Gunlock Reservoir.  Fortunately, our cheery bus driver let us stay on board the warm bus.  It wasn't the worst up there but a warm bus definitely held and there were plenty of cool people to chat with.

30 minutes before the race, we had to exit the bus and it gave me an opportunity to cycle through the restroom and figure out what I was wearing.  With absolutely no wind and crisp temperatures I opted with shorts, a short-sleeved t-shirt, arm warmers and the Saucony Endorphin Pro-2 race shoes.  There wasn't a lot of sun but this wound up being a winning combination once again for me.

The race started promptly at 8:30.




The race format is point to point, from the about 3500 feet of elevation to just over 2500.  The drop wasn't terribly steep so your quads never get totally battered.  Also, the course does feature about 350 feet of incline, so it isn't a 100% screamer.  In my opinion it favors the patient.

I eased into the race -- hanging out in front of the 2-hour pacer.  My goal was to finish around 1:55 -- preferably under that.  I had run 1:53 last year and I didn't think I was in that good of shape this year, but that was the goal.

The first mile went off like clockwork, coming in at 8:45.  Despite having gone to the bathroom 15 minutes prior to the race, I suddenly kind of had to go.  I was looking for a place to jump behind a tree or bush but as we sped down the canyon, I didn't see anything that was too feasbile.  If the next aid station had an open bathroom I'd jump into it.



Sure enough, just around mile 2, the first aid station came into view and I jumped in. It wound up costing me about 30 seconds, but it helped my mentally -- I could focus on running.  Despite the time delay, I wound up running a little over 9 minutes.  Still a sub 2-hour pace.

I was breaking down the race mentally.  The first 3 miles are so pretty. There were hidden cows hiding in the brush and you can see the day getting started by what little sunlight was coming through the cloud cover.  I was working with a few other runners and trying to keep ahead of the 2-hour pacer, who clearly wasn't running a 2-hour pace.

Around the 5K marker, we hung a left and started down the next leg of the canyon.  This part was also open to traffic, most of whom were very respectful that we were running race.

I was still feeling strong and running a decent pace.  The downhills were helping and I wasn't bombing it.  I knew there were some uphills coming, so I was banking some energy for that.

Final downhill

At this point I found myself working with another runner.  We both had about the same pace in mind and he'd overtake me on any uphill and I'd wind up slowing down.  It then became my goal to catch up to him, which I would.  Clearly uphill running isn't one of my strengths.  I did chat with him after the race and he was working with me too.

I also inhaled a cola flavored Gu.  I usually don't take gels so early in the race but I felt my stomach a little on the light side and the caffiene and sugar perked me up a little.

I hadn't seen anyone in my age group and to be honest, I wasn't too worried about it.  Whatever would happen, would happen.  I was there for myself but I was also shooting for an extra medal.  

Somewhere on mile 6 we came to the first of 3 hills in the race that are worth mentioning.  It is a doozy and I shambled up it.  I knew it was going to slow me up and I didn't want to burn up it -- especially so early in the race.  I was passed by a ton of people who definitely were better than I am at hills.  My competitor sped ahead and part of me sort of gave up.  I knew the hill would end but would I have the mental fortitude to pick it back up.

The short answer was yes.  Once I eclipsed the hill, I was greeted with a sweet downhill.  My pace quickened and I managed to get back on target.

We were pretty much done with the canyon and now were on a bike trail that led back into Santa Clara.  I'll be honest, the visuals weren't very stimulating here, although the beautiful red rocks of Snow Canyon were to my left but whizzing cars were to my right.  

Another long hill reared its head and my pace dropped off. My competitor zoomed by me and two young women I was working with sped by me too.  My goal was to ease up the hill and get back into a rhythym once I got to the top.

Once the hill ended I knew I had less than a 10K to go.  I was still feeling remarkably strong and I had had the same experience last year.  Despite a sudden bit of headwind, I got back into half marathon pace and began to pick off a straggler or two.  The two women I was working with were coming into view and my competitor I caught up with and then stepped on the gas.  I never saw him again until after the race.


I knew there was one more hill and it was the worst of the bunch.  It is a long one -- a slow grind for about a mile.  The further along you got along on it, the worse it got.

Finally we made the turn off the bike trail and I was greeted with the hill.  I had worked my way up to the two women and I slowed down to grab a watermelon Gu.  We gave each other cheers (I think they liked my cool ChicknLegs Ducky shorts). I gave a full send up the hill -- I knew the race was hanging on how well I did this hill.  I also knew the final 2 miles were fast.

I honestly felt like I was running around 8:30 or 8:45 pace, but I was clearly in the 9's.  It was just a tough effort but I didn't give up.  I had visions of catching a bright orange vested guy a quarter mile ahead of me, but I never quite could reel him in.

Finally I summitted the hill.  The first of the 10K runners were coming at me at this point and I got some shouts of encouragement. An occasional full marathoner would blow by me though (they had a 90 minute head start).

I was in my element. I was working hard and giving everything I had. My breathing was in gasps but I was running a solid 8:30 mile.  It was also encouraging to get the 10K runners cheers.

The final aid station and final turn came into view.  I remembered last year bombing this mile.  With one mile left to go and it being mostly downhill, I turned on the jets.  No one was behind me and the orange tank guy was long gone.  But I was still running hard.  

The 5K runners were also coming up the hill and I saw friends and got even more shouts.  

I have no idea what my pace was and for most of the race, I didn't really look at my watch, other to determine when the next mile was coming up and the pace of my last mile.  I just wanted to be dialed in to running and not fretting about everything.




I wound up running an 8:15 final mile. Once again, outdoing myself. Normally, I have absolutely nothing left that final mile, but today -- I had a lot.

The mile markers were mostly defined by the marathoners and being it was a Boston course, I knew they were probably accurate.  I was coming in about .10 of a mile off on my watch.  I know last year the course had come in at 13.13.

I wound up running 13.18 -- which may have come up long because I let my watch run while I was taking a potty break.  I did see a few others on Strava coming in around that distance as well.  

But on the plus side, I hit a 1:55:30 on my Garmin.  Mission accomplished!

All smiles

Conclusion


So first off, I was really happy with my time.  I had put in a LOT of work in preparing to run a decent half marathon.  While I didn't max out on the miles, I did make a few tweaks to my training regime:

1) I did more efforts at just below half marathon effort and just above 10K effort for longer periods of time.
2) I did more sessions of 5K efforts at half marathon effort
3) I did several tempo efforts.
4) I did boost up my mile mileage but didn't kill myself with long runs
5) I obstained from racing to focus and get quality sessions in.

This was the first half marathon trainig cycle that I really dedicated to half marathon racing and it paid off.

I did manage to get 2nd in my age group, so I came home with 2 cool medals.  The t-shirt was a nice design and I've worn it a few times already for easy runs.  I prefer the polyester material over the blend, though.



The race was chilly at the end and I managed to have a lot of warm clothes.  It was social hour and I think a lot of people had good races, so it was fun to chat with everyone.  Post race refreshments included oranges, granola bar, Fat Boy ice cream sandwiches string cheese, and sports drink.  



The course organization was flawless.  There were plenty of well stocked aid stations, and the course marshalls were great.  In addition to marshalls at major intersections, there was chalk and cones, so it was hard to get lost.

The race was on the pricey side but the coupon definitely helped.  All things considered, though, it was money well spent:  A beautiful course, well staffed, profressionally timed, cushie bus transport.  You'd be hardpressed to find a better deal.




I also have to thank "my competitor" for keeping me pushing throughout the race and the two wonderful women (who incidentally took my finish line photo) for giving me shouts of encouragement.

What can I say? I had a fabulous time.  From start to finish, it was an easy race to partake in.  The scenery was wonderful and peaceful and I ran well.  Running in January in St George is always the best and this was a great way to start the 2025 season.

Cool photo from my warm-up

Upcoming Races


02/15: 2025 South Davis Recreation Center Sweethearts 5K  -- Bountiful, UT(Confirmed)
02/23: 2025 Las Vegas Half Marathon - Las Vegas, NV (Confirmed)
03/01: 2025 March Madness 10K - Woods Cross, UT (Confirmed)
03/15  2025 Lucky 13 10K - West Jordan, UT (Confirmed)
04/26: 2025 Salt Lake City Half Marathon - Salt Lake City, UT (Confirmed)

Sunday, January 19, 2025

2025 Break The Freeze 5K Race Recap - South Jordan, UT



What the situation looked like at the start


Official Time: 25:40
Placement: 20th overall, 3rd in the 50 - 59 age group
Results:  Here
Race WebsiteHere
Weather: 28 degrees, stiff breeze from the north
Garmin / Course Map: Here
Previous Years: [2023] [2022]


Mile TimeComments
18:48Wow, slippery going. Some hills as well. Just wasn't sure how the footing was going
28:33Into the neighborhood. Couldn't take advantage of the downhills. Slippery
38:05Actually an outstanding mile. Dug deep and pushed.
3.050:15Crushed the finish!
Total Miles: 3.05- 25:43


Warm-up -- 30 mins to race time.

Introduction

So at some point this weekend, I was looking at doing a half marathon in St George -- a 4 hour drive.  I already have another one on deck in the next week. Did I really want to make 2 trips down there and push myself through 2 half marathons?  And my goal race was the following weekend?

Sanity prevailed and I decided to stay local.  With the weather looking pretty decent, I fired up my browser and signed up for the SOJO Break the Freeze 5K.

I was no stranger to the race and the SOJO series (South Jordan).  I have done the Break the Freeze race twice before.  It makes for a good time trial and a barometer to see how things are going.  And in Northern Utah, races are pretty slim in January.

Unfortunately, the weather gods had other plans for Saturday morning.  And what was forecasted to be a clear, but cold day, turned into a cold, snowy, windy day.  So much for this race being a time trial.


The Race


So the morning of the race, it was snowing -- pretty hard.  The travel to the race (which was about 9 miles away) took longer than it should've on account of the driving conditions.  There was just enough snow falling to make the drive "interesting".

I got to the race -- which was held along the Jordan River Parkway in South Jordan at the fishing ponds 45 minutes ahead of race start.  The wind was howling and I felt sorry for the poor volunteers.  I was decked out in shorts, which definintely garnered some WTFs.



I grabbed my bib and shirt and checked out the trail.  It definitely looked slippery and they had made an attempt at clearing it.  All in all, it wasn't conducive for a fast race, but at least I wouldn't be trudging through any snow.

I did a fairly short warm-up and got a good sense of how slippery it was.  I was wearing my Endorphin Pros, which I've felt don't do very well in wet conditions.  I wasn't sliding around and footing was decent.  But still I didn't have a lot of confidence -- a simple slip running at 5K pace would definitely hurt.

The race started off just after 10 AM and we headed south along the bike trail.  It was sort of crowded while running and I eased into the race.  I picked off people and within a half mile I had plenty of room to set my own pace.



After a jaunt on the bike we jumped into a well-to-do subdivision.  I remembered the course vividly but I had sort of forgotten about a hill we have to climb just before the end of mile 1.  It was slushy and the race felt hard.  I think I had expended quite a bit of energy in the first mile.  The subdivision, was plowed though -- well half the road -- so it wasn't the worst experience.

I hit mile 1 in 8:48.  Given the conditions, I expected the time.

I was running with a few other people.  There aren't any age group awards at this race, so the competition is a little thinner.  Granted, though, there are still some fast runners that show up.  I used the opportunity to motivate myself by picking out runners ahead of my and trying to catch them.  I also worked hard on running fast when I could and backing down when the conditions got slippery.

Mile 2 involved some rolling hills.  There were segments that just looked like a sheet of ice.  Fortunately, my shoes held up - but there were times when I was running in the snow to slow myself down on the downhills.



I was working with another individual who I figured was in my age group.  He would take me on the uphills and once we got to the flats or downhill portions, I'd catch up and pass him.

I crossed mile 2 in 8:33.  Better!

The final mile was pretty much all on the bike trail.  The footing was better and it was flat, so I really could dig into the pace.  My competitor was tailing me.

This was my mile. I felt like I had more in the tank and I decided to make the most of it.  I recalled all the times I put in my intervals and I knew I could hold the pace for just one more mile.

The final stretch was along a snow covered sidewalk.  It had been plowed but there was still a bit of snow on it.  But once again, my footing held.



I was still being chased down by the guy I was racing against.  I think we both knew we were challenging each other.  I moved to the side to let him pass me but he didn't take advantage of it, until we made the final turn.  I was a bit let down to be passed but I kept after him.

I could hear the din of the finish line - it was still out of site, but I knew it was close.  Competition was still just ahead of me.  Time to push.

Surprisingly, the guy didn't respond.  I sped by and just as I felt like I was running out of gas, the finish line appeared and I sped through it.  My final mile was my best: 8:05.


Conclusion

So it is a bit difficult to figure out exactly how I feel about my performance.  Conditions weren't warranting a fast time, and let's face it, my time was fairly ordinary.

I think the best thing about my race is the final mile. My competitive spirit came out and I ran hard.  The last mile is usually the hardest and I really dug deep to get it done.

I have to give major props to the race organizers for getting the course in as good as shape as possible.  The snow started about 2.5 hours before the race start and slowed up just at the start.  The course was in remarkable shape.



The race was about $30 and I got a good experience.  The medal was nice and the shirt is one I am definitely going to wear.  Without the age group awards, they did offer a raffle. Post race refreshments was simply water.



Break the Freeze is standard faire when it comes to racing.  I got a decent shirt, a nice medal, an interesting course, and good comraderie.  The race is close by, convenient and reasonably priced.  And best of all, it is a local race in January when races are hard to come by.  It is well organized and the South Jordan Park District went well above the call of duty to get the course ready on a challenging day.



Upcoming Races


01/25: 2025 Sun Half Marathon - Ivins, UT (Confirmed)
02/15: 2025 South Davis Recreation Center Sweethearts 5K  -- Bountiful, UT(Confirmed)
02/23: 2025 Las Vegas Half Marathon - Las Vegas, NV (Confirmed)
03/01: 2025 March Madness 10K - Woods Cross, UT (Confirmed)
03/15  2025 Lucky 13 10K - West Jordan, UT (Confirmed)
04/26: 2025 Salt Lake City Half Marathon - Salt Lake City, UT (Confirmed)

Thursday, December 26, 2024

2025 Goals


Introduction


As my tradition, I like to reflect briefly on last year's goals and come up with some new ones. Throughout the year, I like to take a look at my goals and see how I am tracking.  

It also gives me a chance to reflect upon where I am at and where I want to be.  It also allows me to dream a bit and get re-inspired to run my best.

Hiking in Wells, Nevada


How I Did I Do With 2024 Goals


Race Less: Mostly Failed

I knew this one wasn't going to work from the start. I started off with the best intentions but I never really stuck with it.  I am okay with not succeeding here -- although I think it would've been better for me to work on recovery and actually being fresh and prepared for many of the races I did this year.

Do a New Race: Success

I did several this year and knocked off another state on my 50 states list (Indiana).  There weren't many new ones this year, but I did succeed.

Smith Lake in Wells Nevada



Goal Times: Failed

I did get some revenge on the the half marathon distance -- particularly the first two races of the year.  They weren't up to my 1:51 goal.  I also had ambitions of hitting 23:XX, but after March, that fell of the radar.  By midyear, I knew most of my time goals were gone and it was just a matter of getting where I was at the start of the year.

Clean Up My Diet: Mostly Failed

I eat better than most, but my weight has gone up a bit this year.  I think I do a lot of stress eating and I don't keep ample snacks around the house that I feel good about eating all the time. This goal definitely needs unrelenting focus.

Another goal I had, but was unlisted, was to train hard and do my "sessions".  I succeeded on this immensely.  I stuck with the workouts and felt like they helped a lot in keeping what speed I had.  I did neglect more of the endurance and speed endurance though and my half marathon times came crashing down.




Goals for 2025


Goal Times:

I feel like my fitness is coming back -- although slowly.  By continuing to work on my fitness, doing "sessions" and doing workouts for race distances I want to succeed at, I think I can hit the following times:

5K: 24:30
10K: 51:00
Half Marathon: 1:55


Continue To Work On My "Core" Drills

The last two years has seen me going to the Physical Therapist's office.  I've learned a lot of things that more or less has kept me healthy over the past few years.  At times throughout the year, I've gotten very diligent about it and then I'll go weeks without doing anything. 

I think the exercises and drills I've been taught, have improved my form and increased my durability.  I need to do them more consistently -- at least twice a week.




Do A Destination Race

This always excites me: travel someplace new or do a race I haven't done before.  It always stokes my interest and fires me up.

My goals are really conservative.  I can always re-evaluate them as the year goes on.  I still don't know exactly where I am at given all that I have gone through in 2024.  I'll be sure to check in with myself and reevaluate what I can do to achieve this year's goals.




Note:

Usually by now, you'd see WAY more races listed for 2025.  However, we are talking about leaving the Salt Lake area.  Where? I think I have some clues but until something gets 100% committed to, I'll keep it on the downlow.  It looks like "it is going" to be happen this year, but still not 100% sure.  So I'll be going week to week on races until I know for sure.

Upcoming Races

01/18: 2025 Break the Freeze 5K - South Jordan, UT (Confirmed)
01/25: 2025 Sun Half Marathon - Ivins, UT (Confirmed)
02/23: 2025 Las Vegas Half Marathon - Las Vegas, NV (Confirmed)
03/01: 2025 March Madness 10K - Woods Cross, UT (Confirmed)
03/15  2025 Lucky 13 10K - West Jordan, UT (Confirmed)
04/26: 2025 Salt Lake City Half Marathon - Salt Lake City, UT (Confirmed)

Tuesday, December 24, 2024

2024 Running Year in Review


Total Miles:  1721.36


Introduction


So, I'll start off by saying 2024 was a total s**t show as far as running and racing went.  I had very high hopes and the season started really well. My first two races came out strong and I figured I was going to build off of 2023's successful year and turn it up a notch.

Boy, was I wrong.

After the first few races, I started to experience some nerve issues.  I had a lot of numbness in my hands and back.  It didn't really impact my running, but I suspect it did.  Also, in my opinion, it wasn't a running injury.  It was from stress and too much sitting.




I remember before the start of the Las Vegas half marathon I was really worried as to whether I was going to be able to run it at all.  

As the season I wore on the nerve issues got pretty bad.  I wound up seeing a doctor and actually getting a check-up, which was one of my goals of the year. I hadn't really been to the doctors in over a decade and as someone well into their masters, I knew I was playing with fire.

Eventually the nerve issue did get better.  It took some time and I had to work on stress management. However, another issue came up.

By April, I noticed that my times were falling off a cliff.   I was having constantly tingling in my arms and legs and I wound up getting a ton of MRIs, and more doctor appointments.  For the most part, I was passing all my tests and the only thing they could find wrong with me was that I still had a pinched nerve in my back (spondylitis) that was likely causing the problems.

It also seemed at about this time that I lost all my 5K speed -- almost overnight.  I wanted to estimate that I lost about 90 seconds -- for no reason at all. I was still training hard, putting in the miles, doing my strength work.  But for some reason my times fell off a cliff.  You can see the steady decline by going to my AthLinks pages.




Then, my blood pressure became elevated.  I was hitting 150/90 or so, which I definitely felt.  Suddenly I was seeing a GP, getting blood work and having more CT scans.  My heart health has always been excellent -- or at least so I thought.  It was maddening and baffling.

I was put on high blood pressure medicine, which almost made me feel worse.  I had a hard time functioning and running -- well I felt like I was going to pass out.  Doing any sort of speed work was almost impossible.




I was ordered to shut down running around the July timeframe until I could get more tests done.

Eventually, I did complete all tests.  And just about every test came back clean.  The one gotcha is that I did have a hole in my heart - that I was likely born with. I was struck with a lot of fear with this knowledge:  you mean I've been doing athletically and aerobically challenging activities all my life with this handicap?

I did wind up talking to a surgeon who didn't think my "hole" was causing the problems I was experiencing and sent me on my way.

And then around September or so -- all the symptoms of my heart issue vanished.  My blood pressure was 100% normal.  I was able to quit all the medicines and for the most part, I was symptom free.  My times improved slightly, but they were way off from where I was at the start of year.

As I write this, it's been about 3 months since I've had any sort of high blood pressure issues.  I've had a few iffy hours where something didn't feel right, but nothing like what I went through this summer.




And to complicate matters, I really don't understand (and I don't think my doctors were willing to weigh in either) on what exactly happened.  What happened to my fitness? Why did my heart give me problems for the last 5 months?  

Suffice to say, 2024 has been a rough year for running.  In April and July, I had very low miles and so my total is going to come up a bit short.

But keep these events in mind as I catalog 2024 and given everything I went through (both health and life challenges) I soldiered on and turned in a decent year.





Races Run:  

  • 5K - 18
  • 10K - 6
  • Half Marathon - 5



Best Race Performances



So, the start of the year came in strong.  The first two races were half marathons and I was shocked.  At the Virgin River race in 2023, I didn't run particularly well and I wanted revenge.  I came into 2024 ready to do better and I did. 

I thought it was a fluke, but even did better while running the Sun Half Marathon.

Both races led me to believe that 2024 might be a break out year. Things were coming together.

The Eggs Legs 10K -- although apparently a short course -- was still a fantastic time and probably the last really fast race I had for 2024.



Worst Race Performances



Please note: this is not an indictment against the race or the organizers.  Simply put: I did NOT run very well on the given day.  Some of these races I've run in the past and have run well at and I would highly recommend them.  Do not let my poor race day discourage you from entering the race or racing with the organizer.  Many of these races I do year after year.

I could add about half a dozen more to this list, but all of these races left me pretty discouraged.  The Fiesta one was right after I started to experience health issues and the other races, I just had nothing.  I came in hoping to run well but it just wasn't there.  

I was happy to finish, though and 2 out of three I did place in my age group.  




Favorite Races of the Year


So, this year, despite my trials and tribulations with race times, I did get to experience some great races.  Some new, and some I rediscovered how much I love them.

  • Path to Opioid Prevention 5K  Simply put I loved this race's course.  I had run on parts of the area before, but never this stretch of it.  An absolutely beautiful race and I made a mental note to run the half marathon next year.
  • Utah County Santa Run 5K -- If you had told me at the start of the year this race would make any of my lists, I would've said no way.  I absolutely loved the race, the vibe and the scenery.
  • The Sun Half Marathon  -- as I was running this one, I asked myself, I absolutely love this course -- why am I not doing this one every year.  In so many ways, this one made my race of the year.
  • The Cedar City Half Marathon  - as tough of a race as this is, I love it.  Super well organized, beautiful course, cool party scene at the end. This race also had one of the coolest shirts as well.
  • Cole Porter Classic 5K -- a new state and a new race.  Absolutely loved the course and racing at lower altitude again.



Training Notes


Despite many setbacks and orders from medical professionals, I got in a very solid year of training.  My overall volume was down -- not because of injury but because of whatever medical issue I had.

Generally speaking though, throughout the year I managed to race, get in one harder speed session and some easy, longer efforts.  I also found myself running 5 to 8 times a week for a total of 30 - 45 miles per week on average.




I did participate in too many races this year.  And now that I am in the offseason, I can concentrate of the race in future. I wasn't really focused on any particular distance -- just getting enough endurance to participate in half marathons.  And I think that ultimately cost me.  I could really tax myself the way I should in order to peek for a race. That being said, though, I am willing to sacrifice some of that in order to have my social outlet.




As I write this in December, and with no races on the calendar for the next 6 weeks (or so), I am seeing the benefits of being able to train harder and work on specific race distances.  I am targeting one of two half marathons in late January (The Virgin River Half or the Sun Half Marathon) and I am now focusing on building my mileage and speed endurance.  I think the change of training focus is paying dividends already.




Also, after 18 months, I am beginning to question whether the 80 / 20 approach works and if it offers too little stimulus.  I expected at some point to get faster but I found my race times and everything getting slow.  I am beginning to open up a little more and push a little harder when the time is right.



Another one of my favorite experiences this year was racing and running in the Midwest.  Originally, I was born and raised in Illinois and that is where I more or less started my running career.  I was in Kokomo Indiana for a wedding and that offered me an opportunity to do a few new routes.  I more or less jumped on a bike trail and explored to my heart's content.



Once my wedding duties were complete, I ventured to McHenry County and got to run many of the routes I used to run back in my prime.  I enjoyed running by my old work and the bike trails.  Just a ton of memories and it made me quite homesick.  

Some runs are simply unforgettable.




Conclusion 


All in all, I am grateful I was able to run and participate in races as much as I could.  I had more challenges this year than what I've listed here but I never lost my desire to run and race.  

I think I missed out on about 5 races this year due to whatever setbacks I was dealing with.  

In a future post, I'll be listing out my goals for 2025.  Given the way I am feeling as I write this, I think 2025 is set up to be a good year -- and best of all I am starting in a new age group category.



Upcoming Races

02/23:  2025 Las Vegas Half Marathon - Las Vegas, NV (Confirmed)
03/01: 2025 March Madness 10K - Woods Cross, UT (Confirmed)
03/15  2025 Lucky 13 10K - West Jordan, UT (Confirmed)
04/26: 2025 Salt Lake City Half Marathon - Salt Lake City, UT (Confirmed)