Run of Remembrance 10K Race Recap - American Fork, UT

Official Time: 51:07
Placement: 4th in age group, 53rd overall
Results: Here
Race Website: Here
Weather: 57F -- no wind - felt warmer than it was.
Garmin Route: Here
Previous Years: First Year for me

Mile	Time	Comments
1	7:53	Off to a smooth start. Right where I wanted to be
2	7:49	Feeling really good.
3	7:56	Getting tougher. Looking for the half way point
4	8:37	Game over. Shocked at how much I slowed down
5	8:34	At times I felt like I was running fast, but in reality I was really slowing down
6	8:37	Grinding on a gentle up hill.
6.22	1:42	Give it all I have in the last quarter mile
	Total Miles: 6.22- 51:10

Introduction

Finally, a competitive race with finisher medals and age group awards!  For the last few years, on Memorial Day weekend, I look for a race in hopes there'd be one that would be worth attending.

This year, the Run of Remembrance 10K came with a finisher's medal AND age group awards.  Definitely worth the effort and something to compete for.

This race is popular and has been going on for a few years.  So I was excited to give it a go and it would be my first time visiting American Fork -- about 25 minutes drive south of where I live.  

The Race

Fortunately, I was able to get a friend to pick up my bib the day leading up to the race.  So all I had to do was get there, use the bathroom and warm-up.  I got there with plenty of time to spare, so I had a few moments to run a bit of the course, use the bathroom a few times and see a few friends.

It had been a few weeks since I towed the line of a race, so I was a bit nervous.  I felt pretty good and I've come off a decent training block.  I felt like I was due for a good race.

The race was well attended, with hundreds of people lined up and many more in queue for the restrooms.  The race started after the Star Spangled Banner and we were off.

The race is held on the city streets of American Fork -- all residential running with the exception of the 2.5 - 4.5 mile section, which was running along a creek and farm land..  I eased into my tempo pace and I felt completely comfortable.  For the first mile I didn't look at my time -- just running by feel.  My breathing was in control and I felt like it was a pace I could hold for most of the race.

The first mile also was blindly bright.  The sun was coming up over the mountains and I was sort of wishing that the organizers had started the race 30 minutes earlier.  It was warm, but not insanely hot.

I was getting passed by a few people and I was surprised to see the first mile come in at 7:54 pace.  Exactly where I wanted to be.

Mile 2 and 3 -- I was still feeling fantastic.  Nice even splits.  Could I hold this and go sub 50?

As I rounded the corner to start making my way back to the starting line around the 5K point, I glanced at my watch:  a comfortable 24:15.

Then the wheels came off.  I am not exactly sure what happened but it suddenly seemed a lot harder to run.  Mentally I was just "done".  Perhaps it was the thoughts of "I've still got 3 miles to go" or "I should've run the 5K" or just the feeling I had a long straight, bleak road ahead.  We were running by a nearly overflowing creek at this point and I was tempted to jump in (it was a very fast moving creek though).  I was warm and just wanted to cool off.

Occasionally I glanced at my watch and was disheartened to see 9 minute miles come up at times.  I tried to dig deep but I just couldn't get anything going. 

Granted, this part of the course was uphill but it wasn't a terrible uphill.  It was just extra work and I certainly felt it.

By mile 4.5 or so, I had caught up with the 5K runners.  The course suddenly got a bit more crowded, but it wasn't a terrible situation.  But I didn't even get a second wind here with some of the runners cheering me on.  I was actually surprised to see I was hitting 8:35's fairly consistently.

Finally I could see where the final turn was to end the race and I couldn't wait to get there.  Gone were my dreams of going sub 50 minutes and I was actually stunned to cross in 51:07.

Conclusion

So the race was well done.  Well organized, well marshalled and it was accurate with mile markers at each point.  The medal was well done and actually quite heavy.

Post race refreshments were fruit, sports drink and chocolate milk and the finish line was near a city park, so there were plenty of places to sit and watch other runners come in.

I am disappointed with my performance though.  For the first 3 miles I was running my best race and I was full of confidence that this was going to be a "good" race.  I am still scratching my head wondering what happened.

Overall, I was pleased with my experience.  The race offered an optional t-shirt, which I passed on.  It was well organized and reasonably priced, especially having registered within the last few weeks.  I'll gladly do this race again next year if they continue the tradition of having awards and finishers medals.

Upcoming Races

06/03: 2023 Utah Valley 10K - Provo, UT (Confirmed)

06/17: 2023 Lamoille Canyon Half Marathon - Lamoille, NV (Probable)

06/17: 2023 West Fest 5K - West Valley City, UT (Not Likely)

06/24: 2023 Taylorsville Dayzz 5K - Taylorsville, UT (Confirmed)

07/04: 2023 Riverton Town Days Country Races 10K - Riverton, UT (Confirmed)

07/08: 2023 Draper Days 5K - Draper, UT (Probable)

07/15: 2023 Farmington Days 5K - Farmington, UT (Probable)

07/22: 2023 Steele Days 10K - American Fork, UT (Confirmed)

08/05: 2023 Roy Days 5K - Roy, UT (Probable)

08/19: 2023 Rock 'N Roll Salt Lake City Half Marathon - Salt Lake City, UT (Confirmed)

09/23: 2023 Witch Run 10K - West Jordan, UT (Confirmed)

10/21: 2023 Haunted Half 5K - Salt Lake City, UT (Confirmed)

10/28: 2023 Haunted Half 5K - Provo, UT (Confirmed)

03/03: 2024 Las Vegas Half Marathon - Las Vegas, NV (Confirmed)

04/20: 2024 Salt Lake City Half Marathon - Salt Lake City, UT (Confirmed)

2023 Run Farmington 5K Race Recap - Farmington, UT

The start / finish line

Official Time: 24:41
Placement: 1st in the 50 - 54, 11th overall
Results:  Here
Race Website: Here
Weather: 45 - 10 mph breeze from the south
Course Map / Garmin Dump: Here
Previous Years: First year for me

Mile	Time	Comments
1	7:47	A bit of headwind.  Did quite reach top gear right away.
2	7:39	Pushing hard here.  Fairly flat. Surprised this mile went as well as it did
3	7:56	Was hurting. Desperate at times to know what the distance on the course was.
3.19	1:19	Once I saw the finish line, I redlined it.
	Total Miles: 3.19- 24.43

Runner orientatino

Introduction

On a whim, I decided to jump into the Run Farmington 5K.  I believe this race happened last year as well but I never wound up doing it (injured).

The race sports two distances: a 5K and a half marathon.  I was very tempted to sign up for the half marathon.  Farmington is a really nice city to urn in and it likely would've been very scenic.

However, I was still feeling fairly fatigued from the Salt Lake half and last week's Blossom Run 10K.  Initially, I planned to sit this week out but I couldn't hold back from at least doing a 5K.

The Park's entrance

The Race 

The race is held at Farmington City Park.  You are near the Legacy bike trail and the Rio Grande Bike Trails, so plenty of space to have a race.

I got there fairly early and watched the kid's 1 mile race, and then the half marathon start. The 5K was supposed to start at 8 AM, but it was probably closer to 8:10 by the time we got rolling.

I had done about a mile of warm-ups and did plenty of drills to get primed for the race.  There were adequate bathrooms as well.

Rio Grande Trail

The weather was nice although there was a bit of a breeze coming from the south.  I hadn't quite figured out how the race started before it began, so I was a bit cautious on how to approach it.  I got the impression though that it was fairly flat.

The race was small and I had lined up close to the front. I was wearing shorts, my trusty and easily identifiable pink t-shirt, and the Saucony Pro 2s. 

Still a bit of farm country in Farmington

The first mile is always the easiest and hardest of the race.  The pace feels easy and my breathing is in control but nailing that perfect pace and what you have for the day is hit and miss.

The race started off in the park, wandered around the parking lot before dumping you off on a street.  Eventually you make your way to Main Street before taking a sidewalk down to the Legacy Bike Trail.  There was a bit of a grinder of a hill to start.  I glanced down at my watch to monitor my pace: I didn't want to go out too hard and at the same time didn't want to relax too much.

Such a beautiful day.

I have run various races on parts of this course, so it was all very familiar to me.  I slowly picked up my pace as I worked with another runner who I knew ran about the same 5K as I do.

Mile came up in a rather pedestrian 7:47 split.  I was still comfortable and my breathing was okay.  However, I know that the weight of the 5K race starts to hit me about half way through.  

I picked up the pace and overtook the runner I was chasing.  I also gained on another young man.  I hadn't seen anyone else in my age group and the lead pack had clearly disappeared at this point.  There were still some targets ahead to work with.

The course was well marshaled and marked by volunteers.  I hadn't really studied the map on their site (it was kind of confusing) and I had heard that this was a looped course.  I kept hoping that eventually we'd make the turn to the west to indicate we were in the homestretch.

A little more than half way, we made the turn west.  This was probably the least favorite part of the course.  Leaving the bike trail, we were running on the side of a street.  It wasn't heavily trafficked and it was only about half a mile.

I hit mile 2 in 7:39.  Perhaps this was going to be a good race.

The turn to head north hit me by surprise.  I am glad they had a volunteer there and I probably remember seeing another runner make the turn.  We were now on the Rio Grand bike trail. I remember running a few races on this portion of the bike trail as well.

Despite the tailwind now, I was running on fumes.  My stride turnover was reduced but my length of my stride was increased.  I kept looking at my watch trying to gauge how much longer it was to the finish line and how much longer I had to run.

I wound up passing another pair of runners and was ceremoniously passed by a young man under 10 years old.  Crazy.

Finally, I saw a line of trees which shrouded the final push to the finish line.  My watch binged 3 miles and I know for certain that the course was going to be long.  In fact, I didn't hit the 3.10 mark until the 13 mile mark for the half marathon.  In short, the course was 3.20 miles.  I did make a mental note that I was around 23:55 - 24:05 for an official 5K.

Conclusion

So, I was 11th overall and 1st in my age group.  But this was a fairly lightly attended race.  My splits were fairly consistent throughout the race and I loved the fact that I still had a lot left to run what was effectively a 7:19 pace for the final .2 miles.

Overall though, my time was fairly "okay".  Definitely not my best 5K and a bit of a let down.  

I enjoyed the race.  The medal was a homemade wooden thing. Definitely unique and it had an inspirational message on it.  Definitely a nice touch.  There were no age group awards sadly.  I honestly didn't expect any, particularly for the 5K since it was such a small event.

Post race refreshments were hydration (never had any) bananas and bread with honey and butter.   I wound up doing a cooldown of about a mile in order to get photos of the course.  It was a beautiful day and part of me really regretted not running the half.

Upcoming Races

05/29: 2023 Run For Remembrance 10K - American Fork, UT (Confirmed)

06/03: 2023 Utah Valley 10K - Provo, UT (Confirmed)

06/24: 2023 Taylorsville Dayzz 5K - Taylorsville, UT (Confirmed)

07/22: 2023 Steele Days 10K - American Fork, UT (Confirmed)

08/19: 2023 Rock 'N Roll Salt Lake City Half Marathon - Salt Lake City, UT (Confirmed)

09/23: 2023 Witch Run 10K - West Jordan, UT (Confirmed)

10/21: 2023 Haunted Half 5K - Salt Lake City, UT (Confirmed)

10/28: 2023 Haunted Half 5K - Provo, UT (Confirmed)

02/25: 2024 Las Vegas Half Marathon - Las Vegas, NV (Confirmed)

04/20: 2024 Salt Lake City Half Marathon - Salt Lake City, UT (Confirmed)

2023 Blossom Run 10K Race Recap - Santaquin, UT

Rowley's Red Barn in Santaquin Utah

Official Time: 51:35
Placement: 1st in age group, 14th out of 84.
Results: Here
Race Website: Here
Weather: 48 -- seemed breezy in spots
Garmin Route: Here
Previous Years: First Year for me

Mile	Time	Comments
1	7:50	Downhill start.  Easy running here
2	8:19	Mostly flat here and jeep trail running
3	9:05	Uphill trail running. Just a grind. Wind felt in my face.
4	7:55	Lap 2: Repeat of the first mile
5	8:18	Consistent.  Goal at this point was to hit the last mile hard.
6	9:07	Not much left
6.12	0:56	Push to the finish
	Total Miles: 6.12- 51:35

Introduction

Last fall, I did the Apple Harvest 10K produced by OnHillEvents. I really enjoyed the race venue -- despite the near hour drive. 

The race is held at Rowley's Red Barn and in the fall, runners are treated to a course lined with apple producing apple trees.  In spring, the trees are loaded with blossoms, giving athletes a chance to see the other beautiful season.

Due to the extended winter, however, there were very few blossoms to be see.  I was sort of sad about this but at the same time, the course is still very pretty.

The 5K is one lap around the perimeter of the farm and the 10K is two.  The 10K starts 30 minutes before the 5K.

The Race

I got to the race site a good 30 minutes before the start.  Packet pickup was a snap -- as most of the runners at that point were there for the 10K, which had about 100 runners in the race.  I was able to use the restroom, get a little shake out run in and figured out what I was going to wear:  Saucony Fastwitch (decided not to use the carbon Pros), shorts, sunglasses, and a thin t-shirt.

The race is primary on dirt roads and Jeep Trail.  There is a bit of pavement on the course, but it only makes up a small part of the course.  There are some fairly chunky gravel portions of road as well.  Footing and technical issues isn't really a problem, but the trail nature of the course makes it challenging.

I was off to a good start, hitting the mostly downhill portion of the first mile in 7:50.  I felt in control and the pace felt smooth.  I knew some of my competition -- or those that regularly run about my speed -- and I kept them in my sites.  I knew the race was going to get quite a bit more challenging.

My legs felt a bit tired -- I was still paying for the half marathon I had done the week before and a harder speed session on Wednesday.  Given the size of the race and not seeing anyone remotely close to my age group, I figured I didn't have to go all out on this race.  However, it didn't stop me from putting forth a solid effort.

Mile 2 starts off downhill and I was able to carry my momentum.  However, about half way through you begin the process of heading back to the start.  Also you leave the dirt road and it becomes more rutted Jeep trail.  I felt my pace drop and it suddenly took more effort to race.  The views were spectacular but I was so focused on running that I forgot to check them out.

Mile 2 saw a fairly disappointing 8:15 come up.  About the same as what I ran in September.  And I was definitely feeling it at this point.  The lactic acid was building up and I still had 4 more miles to race!

Mile 3 brought me back to reality.  There was a bit of breeze in my face, the sun was blinding despite wearing sunglasses and it was just a slow grind uphill.  The footing was loose sand and I kept trying to figure out where on the trail was the best place to run.

The course also went around near the equipment bunkers and storage sheds.  It wasn't very scenic but did give you an idea of what it takes to run an apple orchard.  I was just so focused on putting one foot in front of the other.  I could see the start / finish line in the distance and I knew I had to do the entire course over again.

Just before hitting the starting line, I saw a 9:15 ring up on my Garmin.  Not what I wanted. I felt like I was running WAY faster than that.  I figure I am in better shape than what I was in September, so I was stunned to see this split.  I began to really worry about the second lap. Would it be a death march?

Suffice to say it wasn't.  In fact, my splits were nearly identical in the first lap compared to the second lap.  I'll chalk that up to a victory.

It was a bit humbling, however, to be at mile 4 or 4.5 and have the 5K racers fly by me.  I had passed a few other 10K runners in the final 2 miles and had the top women's finisher blow by me as well.  I did manage to put it together in the last quarter mile -- despite being at my limit -- and cross the finish line in a relatively disappointing 51:35.

Conclusion

So, I ran about 30 - 40 seconds slower than I did in September.  This did NOT make me happy.  As stated above, I felt like I was in better shape and I expected to turn in a slightly faster time.  I hadn't really tapered for the race and I had some residual fatigue in my legs so the top effort just wasn't there.  The course measured up the same too -- 6.12 miles.  Given the trail nature of the race, it might be hard to get an official distance (Strava reports showed everything from 6.12 to 6.23)

I am happy to report that I won my age group.  Granted, I could've walked the course and achieved the same thing.  I was the only one in the 50 - 54 age group.  I am not too surprised -- this was a lightly attended 10K.

I love the course.  It is fun and challenging.  Despite it not being a fast course, I really get a lot out of it.  Definitely a unique experience and about the right level of "trail" for a rookie trail runner like myself.  It also is a different training stimulus and one positive I can take away on this is that my laps were largely evenly split with no huge drop off.

Course support was good -- with an aid station used twice. The course was well marshaled and I wasn't worried about getting lost.

Post race refreshments were fairly typical. Ice cream sandwiches, fruit, cheese sticks and granola and sports drink.  The medals, as usual, were top notch.  The lanyard is nicely designed and the medals are heavy.  Shirt was the polyester / cotton blend.  

I paid about $35 for the race during a Thanksgiving day sale.  It was well worth the drive down to the race location.  This was all about new experiences and supporting the local agriculture economy.  There was just a friendly vibe amongst the attendees and the weather was sunny and comfortable.  I'd definitely put this one on my list, but just need to temper my expectations: it isn't about PRs at this course, but just doing your best and trying to keep up with the competitors in your age group.  You might just see me at the fall edition this year as well.

Upcoming Races

06/03: 2023 Utah Valley 10K - Provo, UT (Confirmed)

06/24: 2023 Taylorsville Dayzz 5K - Taylorsville, UT (Confirmed)

07/22: 2023 Steele Days 10K - American Fork, UT (Confirmed)

08/19: 2023 Rock 'N Roll Salt Lake City Half Marathon - Salt Lake City, UT (Confirmed)

09/23: 2023 Witch Run 10K - West Jordan, UT (Confirmed)

10/21: 2023 Haunted Half 5K - Salt Lake City, UT (Confirmed)

10/28: 2023 Haunted Half 5K - Provo, UT (Confirmed)

03/03: 2024 Las Vegas Half Marathon - Las Vegas, NV (Confirmed)

04/20: 2024 Salt Lake City Half Marathon - Salt Lake City, UT (Confirmed)

2023 Salt Lake City Half Marathon Race Recap - Salt Lake City, UT

Official Time: 1:53:47
Placement: 14th in age group
Results: Here
Race Website: Here
Weather: Low 40's, cloudy
Garmin Dump: Here
Previous Years: [2018] [2017]

Mile	Time	Comments
1	8:40	Some rolling hills here but easing into the race.
2	9:27	Bathroom break - felt like I was working too hard
3	7:57	Really nice downhill
4	8:18	Love this part of the course. Can just coast
5	8:02
6	8:54	Long grinding stretch of a hill. Surprised my pace wasn't slower.
7	8:21	Recovery mile here
8	9:04	Another round of uphill. Felt like the race was slipping away
9	8:31	Was about to rebound. Definitely working here though
10	8:36
11	8:19	Somehow got a bit of a second wind
12	8:45
13	8:41	Grind to the finish
13.26	2:07	Course felt extraordinary long.  Was pretty gassed but pushed it to the finish.
	Total Miles: 13.26 - 1:53:49

Introduction

So for the past 2 years or so, I've had the Salt Lake City Half Marathon race entry sitting in my back pocket.  I had registered after the 2021 virtual one at a nice price but couldn't do the race in 2022 due to a back injury.

So it finally came due and I had to use it or lose it.  

I really enjoy this race -- it is one of the premier races that run in the downtown area of Salt Lake City and it is well attended and very competitive. It isn't on par with a marathon major, but this race definitely draws a crowd.

Packet pick up is on the Friday before the race at the downtown convention center.  They have a mini-expo as well.  It was easy and well organized.  I spent about 15 minutes there before heading back to work.

The race also offer free public transportation to the race site.  Your bib is good for the light rail system and it drops you off right at the door step of the starting line.  For a big race, the logistics are really easy.

The Race

I thought I had given myself plenty of time to get to the race start -- getting on the local train at 5:30 AM for the 7:00 AM start.  The trains just seemed slow.  I remember in years past arriving with about an hour to spare but this time, I arrived with less than 25 minutes.  Note to self:  get on an earlier train and take the red line.

I managed to use the rest room, ditch my warm-up clothes and before I knew it, it was time to line up and hear the national anthem.

It was cool out but not cold and I wisely selected a baseball cap, light gloves, shorts and my neon pink shirt (much easier to find myself in post race photos).  

It took about 4 minutes for me to get started on the race but once I did I realized I should've cycled through the porta-potties one more time.  I had to go.

Miles 1 through 3

The race starts at the university and the first mile or two is through a very well-to-do neighborhood.  There are some hills here, some take a bit of effort to get up.  It is also here that you are at the highest elevation of the course -- just shy of 5000 feet.  I hadn't done much of a warm-up and it took a while to get my breathing under control but I was feeling fresh.

Around mile 2 I made the decision I had to use the bathroom. My bladder was definitely full.  Fortunately there were a bank of restrooms at the first water stop and they weren't heavily in use.  I was able to get in and out of one in 30 seconds.  More time than I'd like, but I got it done.  I felt a little bad about it, but it was necessary.

Eventually the expensive houses (and views of the downtown area) gave way to a canyon drive.  This is probably everyone's favorite section as you are treated to a nature paradise and here you get the biggest drop.

Miles 4 through 6

My pace definitely quickened and it suddenly became a joy and less laborious to run.  I was surrounded by people and I was feeling good. It didn't take much effort to hold onto a very low 8 minute per mile pace.

The road had been damaged by a lot of the snow we had had this winter and you could hear the water running at a quick pace.  It was just a pretty experience.

Finally, the canyon gave way to the section of town called the Avenues.  There are a lot of really old, stately buildings along the route.  It is here that it comes due to pay the piper for the downhill section.  There is about a mile of a slow grind, culminating with an even steeper climb.  

Also, if you know the city, you know you are pretty close to the finish line, but you still have 7 more miles to run.  As the hill took its toll a part of me wanted to jump off the course and find my way there and call it a day.  Mile 6 was one of my slower miles.

Miles 7 through 9

This isn't a very scenic part of the course but you run down some usually busy roads lined with older, smaller houses.  The crowds here are also fairly supportive.

There were some sections of the course that involved a bit of hill climbing but nothing serious.  They did take their toll though as the fatigue was building up in my legs.  I had a feeling that the race might go poorly at this point.  I just wasn't feeling "fast" despite wearing the Saucony Pros.  Every time I glanced down at my watch at a mile marker, I was surprised though that my pace was still -- darn good.

It was also at this point that I started to get down a caffeinated gel.  I figured it couldn't hurt and in fact it did give me a bit of a boost.

Miles 10 to 13

After rounding the curve at the southernmost part of the course, I knew I was going to have a decent race.  The gel gave me a boost and I knew that I could still run a decent 5K at half marathon pace.  The course became slightly familiar as I went through even older section of town.  It was also at this point that we ran along the perimeter of stately Liberty Park.  

The course had leveled out for the most part and my pace was finally consistent.  I was hurting but I still felt I was going to be able to go sub 1:55, which was my goal for the race.

From previous experience and reports, I knew my Garmin wasn't going to be reliable.  One year I did it, my Garmin was correct but this year, the mile markers were consistently off from my watch.  At first it wasn't very noticeable but as the race went on, it was off by .03, .08 and finally nearly .2.  The course is certified and I knew that the likely the run down the canyon had probably caused an issue.

After exiting the park, I could almost smell the finish line. There was a mile left and my legs didn't have very much pep.  My pace had slowed down but was still solid for the time I was shooting for.

My watch flashed 1:52:30 or so upon hitting 13.10 and my final time for the course was 1:53:49 -- including roughly a 30 second bathroom break.

Conclusion

Overall, I was pleased with my performance.  I had set out a goal of hitting sub 1:55.  I knew I was capable of that.  The course definitely can be a speedy one, but there are places on the course were it keeps you honest, with some fairly intense, long grinding hills.

I wouldn't describe the course as "fast" but it isn't a back breaker.

I was also happy that I felt good at the end.  I wasn't dying of thirst and I was able to socialize a bit, grab a medal, and take some photos of the finish area -- which was near the downtown courthouse.

I had wrapped my phone in a fairly large bag in case it rained and I was able to use it to snag some food at the end.  If you were willing to wait, they had made to order pancakes by Kodiak.  They had chips, fruit, granola bars, a variety of drinks and product samples.  If you are so inclined, they had a beer garden and entertainment.

My ride had arrived though, so I didn't stick around too long.  I did manage to get my drop bag fairly quickly.

Overall, we had great weather.  All winter we've had rainy, unseasonably cold weather.  I think everyone was worried that this race could've been a mess (especially considering last year's downpour).  But fortunately, the weather was pretty much picture perfect for half marathon running.

Timewise, this was my best half marathon so far this year.  My time was better than Las Vegas's race but I didn't get the massive second wind that I felt I got in Las Vegas.  I was kicking myself for having to use the rest room as well -- mile second mile should've been in the upper 8's at the worst.

I felt I paced the race really well and while I had my doubts as to whether it was going to end disastrously, I didn't give in.

I was happy with the race experience.  If you register for the race early, it is a well worth the price for admission.  If you wait too long, however, it does get expensive.

I am signed up for 2024, so I am looking forward to toeing the line next year.

Upcoming Races

04/29: 2023 Blossom Run 10K - Santaquin, UT (Confirmed)

06/03: 2023 Utah Valley 10K - Provo, UT (Confirmed)

06/24: 2023 Taylorsville Dayzz 5K - Taylorsville, UT (Confirmed)

06/24: 2023 Timp 10K - American Fork, UT (Confirmed)

08/19: 2023 Rock 'N Roll Salt Lake City Half Marathon - Salt Lake City, UT (Confirmed)

09/23: 2023 Witch Run 10K - West Jordan, UT (Confirmed)

10/21: 2023 Haunted Half 5K - Salt Lake City, UT (Confirmed)

10/28: 2023 Haunted Half 5K - Provo, UT (Confirmed)

03/03: 2024 Las Vegas Half Marathon - Las Vegas, NV (Confirmed)

04/20: 2024 Salt Lake City Half Marathon - Salt Lake City, UT (Confirmed)

2023 Eggs Legs 10K Race Recap - West Jordan, UT

Official Time: 49:40
Placement: 9th overall, 1st in the 50-54 age division
Results: Here
Race Website: Here
Weather: Upper 40's, breeze from the south
Garmin Dump: Here
Previous Years: Previous Years: [2022] [2021]

Mile	Time	Comments
1	8:04	A little congested at the start, and some headwind
2	8:03	Running solo here. Headwind but just holding steady
3	7:59	A little shelter from the wind. Picked up the pace slightly
4	7:59	A bit of tailwind now. Fatiguing a little
5	7:55	Grinding it out. Passed a few half marathoners
6	8:02	Running solo.
6.20	1:35	Lots of turns in the final push.
	Total Miles: 6.20 - 49:40

Introduction

One of my Easter weekend traditions, of late, is to run the Eggs Legs races at Gardner Village.  It is a local race put on by OnHillEvents.  Gardner Village is also conveniently located a few miles from my house.  

The race is held along the Jordan River Bike Trail.  It is a paved trail and one that I know very well: I train on it quite frequently.  The race offers 3 distances: a 5K, 10K and half marathon.  I opted in for the 10K when they had their Black Friday sale last year.

The race weather looked extremely iffy: we had a series of snow storms in early during the week and I think everyone was worried about residual snow / water on the course.  We were fortunate though that warmer weather arrived in the Salt Lake valley to melt it.  In fact, race day weather was near perfect.

The Race

I arrived at the race about 40 minutes before the race start and managed to get my bib.  I spent a good 15 minutes taking pictures of the shopping area and socializing with a few of the course marshals, who had started the half marathoners about 80 minutes prior to my arrival.  I got a sense of what I would wear: short shorts, a tech t-shirt and thin gloves.

I also did my warm-up -- about a half mile of super easy running, a stride or two and some drills.  I felt a bit sluggish and began to question if my head was in the game.  My legs didn't have the pop and I felt a little worn down.

The race started promptly at 8 AM.  There were about 100 10K runners (the bulk of the race consisted of 5K runners, who would start at 9 AM).  At the start I surveyed my competition and got an idea of who was in my age group. I suspect a few of them were doing the same.

The first tenth of a mile was run through the shopping center.  Fortunately, the shops weren't open yet to shoppers and the initial start was congested.  It wasn't too bad though and since I had lined up fairly close to the start I managed to circumnavigate some of the runners and jockey myself into a decent spot.

About the only hilly section of the race is the start. You can see how much of a hill it is by the photo above and below -- it isn't much.  But it always tends to give me pause.  Any bump while pushing 10K race pace will slow me up a bit.

I didn't really look at my watch for the first mile.  I roughly knew how far I had run -- having trained and run on the course many times.  I was working on controlling a steady pace and not going out too fast.  The lead pack clearly were putting ground on me and the suspects that were probably in my age group, I had passed in the first half mile.  I was working with a woman about my age group but even she put ground on me.  I was more or less running solo for the entire race.

I was telling myself to be patient -- I wanted to run a solid race, but with a decent headwind I merely needed to hold my pace and not blow up.  My breathing felt in control and while I was fatiguing, I didn't feel like I was going to come to a screeching halt.

I was still running strong when I flew by the 5K turnaround.  In a way, I regretted not running the 5K but I wasn't exactly running 5K pace.  I was holding back a bit.

It gave me confidence to know I had put in some tough speed sessions and that I could tolerate the pace I was holding.  I kept breaking down the race and I knew where the turn around was.  My pace was holding steady at 8 minutes per mile.

Around mile 2 I started to run into the lead back of the half marathoners, who had started an hour earlier.  I got a bit of encouragement seeing them zip along.

Finally the turn around hit and I reached it at 3.10 miles. This was going to be a legitimate 10K course.  In the past, the course has come in a smidge short.

I also got to run with some of the half marathoners as well, who were holding my pace.  

Also, on the out and back, I got an idea of what my age group competition were doing.  I was safe in my positioning and all I had to do was hang on.

I got a boost of energy as a result of the tailwind and I felt my pace quicken a bit.  I also got a few shout outs from the 10K runners who were behind me.  Despite my suffering, I tried to put on a brave face.

I wound up passing a few half marathoners and I was starting to reel in another 10K runner but I ran out of real estate.  Despite the difficulty of holding the steady pace, I had the tailwind.

The last quarter mile was a challenge.  No one to chase down, and I had a series of turns.  Also the micro hills were back.  I still managed to speed through the OnHillEvents finish line in under 50 minutes.

Conclusion

Overall I am pleased with my race. I accomplished one of my 2023 goals: run sub 50 minutes on a flat, 6.2 mile course.  I figured it was going to happen fairly soon given the direction my running has been headed.  

I've been doing a lot of work dialing in my 10K race pace and it all came together nicely on Saturday morning.  The pace was right where I wanted it to be and I was able to hang on for the duration of the race.

I wound up winning my age group -- which wasn't too hard given that there were only 2 of us in the 50 - 5 age division.  I was also 9th overall - but there were only about a hundred runners in the 10K.  

I had registered for the race on a discount, so it was budget friendly.  The medals were awesome. They were Easter themed and heavy.  Definitely a quality award.  The t-shirt -- sort of ho hum.  I like the 100% polyester ones.

The course was spot on accurate for both the 5K and 10K.  They had a pair of aid stations (one we hit twice).  Fortunately the weather didn't warrant much extra hydration.  Post race food consisted of a little bit of candy, granola bars, sports drink, cheese sticks and fruit.  Of course, they had the Fat Boy brand ice cream sandwiches at the end as well.

Overall, I am walking away from this race with a smile on my face. I ran well, was rewarded for my work and it was also great seeing so many of my friends who were also running the various events.  Looking forward to this race for next year.

Upcoming Races

04/22: 2023 Salt Lake City Half Marathon - Salt Lake City, UT (Confirmed)

04/29: 2023 Blossom Run 10K - Santaquin, UT (Confirmed)

06/03: 2023 Utah Valley 10K - Provo, UT (Confirmed)

06/24: 2023 Taylorsville Dayzz 5K - Taylorsville, UT (Confirmed)

06/24: 2023 Timp 10K - American Fork, UT (Confirmed)

08/19: 2023 Rock 'N Roll Salt Lake City Half Marathon - Salt Lake City, UT (Confirmed)

09/23: 2023 Witch Run 10K - West Jordan, UT (Confirmed)

10/21: 2023 Haunted Half 5K - Salt Lake City, UT (Confirmed)

10/28: 2023 Haunted Half 5K - Provo, UT (Confirmed)

03/03: 2024 Las Vegas Half Marathon - Las Vegas, NV (Confirmed)

04/20: 2024 Salt Lake City Half Marathon - Salt Lake City, UT (Confirmed)