Wednesday, March 28, 2018

This Week in Running 3/11 - 3/24

Finishing my 2nd Half for the Month of March at the Sand Hollow Half Marathon


Miles Year to Date: 464.25 (36 miles for Week 1, 31.25 for Week 2)


Recap:

As I sit here writing this, I can feel pretty tired but accomplished.  I did my own little March Madness challenge in which I did 4 half marathons on each Saturday for the first 4 weeks of March. It did, however, take a physical toll on me.

I started off the month roughly running mid 40 miles per week, maybe even getting close to 50.  However, by the end of the month, my legs were fatigued and instead of running 6 days a week, I had cut it back to 5.  I definitely overdid, but it's all good.

Also what didn't help was taking a spill midway through the Lucky 13 Half Marathon for week #3.  Nearly ten days later my rib still hurts and rolling over in bed is an exercise in discomfort.  That is also part of the reason why my mileage is so low.  Imagine trying to run with an ache in your ribs and only take half your normal breath and you pretty much what I had for the week after the Lucky 13 race.



It was painful to run the Riverton Half Marathon, not only because my rib hurt, but because running 5 miles into the wind is always a humbling experience.  The race just about killed me as you can tell from the photo above (my form is awful and you can tell I am hurting already at mile 6ish).

On the plus side, the weather continues to be deliciously beautiful (with the exception of the wind).  The temperatures have been great and the days are now longer, so I can go a little further on the bike trail.  Also it is awesome to see more people out running and walking their dogs.

I still don't have a full marathon on the radar yet.  Too much going on and my training really isn't there for a full marathon.  I haven't done the "hard" training but am definitely taking advantage of being trained to do a half marathon.

(From 2015)

Reno Half Marathon


Finally, I have a spring destination race all set.  I am shooting for the Reno Half Marathon, which I've wanted to do for a LONG time.  Along the way I plan on driving along Highway 50.  Driving along there is a bucket list thing as someone who loves all things Nevada, I'll get a chance to visit some towns that I've only read about.  I am taking some extra time to really enjoy the experience and I can't wait to do it.


Upcoming Races


04/07: Winter Striders Race Circuit Half Marathon - Eden, UT (Confirmed)
04/14: Biggest Little Half Marathon - Reno, NV (Most Definitely)
04/21: Salt Lake City Marathon (Half) - Salt Lake City, UT (Confirmed)
11/11: 2018 Las Vegas Marathon - Las Vegas, NV (Confirmed)

Saturday, March 24, 2018

2018 Riverton Half Marathon - Riverton, UT






Official Time: 2:04:30
Placement: 9th male in the 45 - 49, 146th overall
Results:  Here
Race WebsiteHere
Weather: 52 cloudy with strong winds from the south / south east (10 - 15 mph)
Garmin Dump: Here
Previous Years: [2015] [2014]


Mile TimeComments
18:21Nice downhill start, so good pace
28:26Fairly flat here 
38:41Some up hill
49:12A few climbs here but had a tail wind
58:32Last good mile
69:07Heading into the headwind. Really tough
79:24Running along the bike trail. Exhausting with the wind
9:40
910:31Huge hill about here. Just wanted to walk
1010:04A little stretch of downhill. Tried to get into a rhythm again.
1110:10
1210:28Please let the race be over
1310:43Was dehydrated and tired. Had a tailwind here but it wasn't helping
13.121:06Shuffled into the finish line
Total Miles: 13.12 - 2:04:29





Introduction


It''s been a while since I've done the Riverton Half Marathon -- a city on the south side of Salt Lake County.  I always had fond memories of the race on account that it is probably one of my favorite courses.  

It seems like every year the race comes up and I am out doing other things.  This year I made it a point to do the race.  And I got in just in a knick of time to get the discounted race price of $40 (for a half, that's a steal).  




The Race



All week long they had been predicting everything from torrential rain to a blizzard.  In fact, the race director sent out an email during the week warning runners that the race could be canceled (I believe it was canceled a year or so ago).

Either way, the weather turned out to be pretty darn nice.  It was warm enough for a single shirt, shorts and throw away gloves.  I also opted to leave my Solomon water pack behind, presuming I'd use the aid stations and to be honest, it just wasn't that hot.  I also knew, as much as I would've liked to have, I wasn't going to take any photos on course.  So I was happy not to have the extra weight.

The only problem with the day was a pretty strong south wind.  I was hoping it wasn't going to be as bad it seemed, but it was worse.  But I'll get to that in a moment.



The race started promptly at 9 AM.  In years past, the race started in a different spot.  This time, it started on the grounds of the city park (which had nice bathrooms).  My hunch is people were complaining about impacted streets and there was construction along the home stretch, so they've changed the course quite a bit.

I hit the ground running and immediately my rib started to hurt.  Not from running too hard, but from last week's fall at the half marathon I did.  I had substandard training all week but I felt like I would hardly notice it today -- once again I was wrong.  

I don't think it slowed me down at all, but it was a present force, reminding me that it hurt to breath a little too deeply.

The first 5K went fast.  I was moving quickly and despite having done 3 half marathons in the past 3 weeks and having a busted rib, I felt alright.  I had a hint of fatigue in my legs but I had confidence that I'd be able to get through this race.

The race gets you down to the southern side of the Jordan River Bike Trail (compared to where I live) and there were some sections of the race that I had done just the week before.  Oh how I wish I could turn the page back to last week when I felt a little stronger.

I don't get to run on this stretch of the bike trail very often (I just always go north) and it is just as pretty but a little more barren then where I live.  It is also a bit more hilly.

We'd run a few miles on the bike trail, dip into a hilly neighborhood with some expensive houses and then hit the trail again.  I was tailing the 1:55 pacer as I knew that I could probably handle that pace.

There were a ton of turns on this course and all but one section was marked really well.  Plus the race had several hundred runners, so I was always within site of someone.  Memories of previous years I had done the race visited me as I tore through the miles.  Again, some of the course I didn't recognize, but a lot I did.  Mile markers were hit and miss.  They never 100% lined up with my Garmin but they were close enough.

Around mile 6 my race went downhill.  We hit the southbound stretch and there was no blockage of the wind at all.  It hammered me at what seemed like gale forces.  While it wasn't that bad and the forecast said it was 10 mph, my suspicion was that it was quite a bit stronger than that.  Everyone's pace was hit hard.

However, I seemed to fair poorly.  My legs felt heavy and fatigued (my lame brain idea of doing a half marathon every Saturday in the month of March likely the primary culprit).  My spirits were down as I people passed me with what seemed like playful abandon.  

The problem was that this southbound stretch lasted a good 4 miles.  And it just broke me down.  When I saw a turn off for the 5K, my head tried to talk me into calling it quits and just hoofing it back finish area and skulking away.  But I had set out to run a half and I was going to do.

My pace was hit hard here and I used a fair amount of energy trying to put something together.  But it just wasn't happening.

Also, I was thirsty.  They had good aid stations with water and Gatorade every mile and a half or so, but this stretch there weren't that many.  Also, it seemed like I couldn't get enough to drink.  I was cursing myself for not wearing my hydration pack.  

Around mile 10 I started to nurse a gel.  I figured it couldn't hurt. I suspect it was too late but it seemed to help a little, judging by a small pick-up in pace.  It was also at this point that I was done running south on the windy bike trail.

The last 5K is on some back roads (including a dirt road) towards the finish line.  There is one killer hill there but I think with the change in the course I didn't have to run all of it.  I was pretty toast though and after the 10.5 mile marker, I don't think there was another water stop.

I was really shot at this point and I was so tempted to just start walking.  But there was going to be none of that today and I forced myself on despite feeling really crappy and wanting to toss my cookies.

I had some friends cheer me in during the final .1 of a mile.  I really tried to turn on the jets for them but I felt like I was running through sand.  I just had no turnover.

I crossed the line in 2:04 and change.  It took a while for my stomach to settle down and I felt like I had run way more than 13 miles. But my Garmin said this course was accurate (various reports indicate it might've been long but my Garmin measured up nicely).


Finisher's Medal


Conclusion


This race is super competitive.  I've never even come close to placing in it.  Today was no exception and to be honest, I really didn't care all that much about my performance.  Sure, I am disappointed about it, but I was gassed to begin with.  I mean I have run a bunch of half marathons this month -- at race pace -- and I did well at 3 out of 4 so if I really cared deeply about my time I would've tapered better for this race. 

It does hurt my ego a bit to cross over the 2 hour limit, but after chatting with people, most people in my time bracket said they were 5 - 10 minutes slower....

Very unique color for my shirt

I grabbed some water and eventually a couple of chocolate milks and a banana.  In the past they've had a really good spread of food.  I am not sure what happened but there apparently have been some cutbacks.  I suspect some of the vendors offering free samples have backed out.

I socialized a bit and basically killed an hour at the finish line chatting people up and complaining about the wind. 

Once again, I really enjoyed the race.  It was very affordable, the medal was definitely nice and the shirt has probably the most unique colors ever on it.  And I love the course.  There was so much variety -- bike trail, residential roads, dirt roads and with the backdrop of the Wasatch Mountains and the Jordan River.

Hopefully one day I'll get back to the times I ran in 2014 and 2015... my performance on this one is one I'd like to forget, though.

Sunday, March 18, 2018

Lucky 13 Half Marathon - West Jordan, UT








Official Time: 1:55:37
Placement: 14th male, 7th in the 45 - 49 age division
Results:  Here
Race WebsiteHere
Weather: Mid 40's, 10 - 15 mph wind from the north, snow at end
Garmin Dump: Here
Previous Years: [2016] (same course, different race)


Mile TimeComments
18:37Felt fast.  Nice tail wind though.
28:25
38:27Moving too fast.  Little did I know I had a tailwind here
48:31
59:04Water hazard here
68:51Banged up from my fall
78:55Massive headwind
9:04More headwind
99:28Heading wind and then had to navigate the water hazard
109:15
119:09Running on fumes
129:16
12.948:29Not much left
Total Miles: 12.94 - 1:55:37








Introduction


I think at some point I had a coupon to sign up for this race and that is what drove me to sign up for another half marathon that I really didn't need to do.  But what can I say? I am a race junky and anything to get me out of the house on Saturday morning is well spent in my book.

Plus, the race is held just minutes from my house.  Like many of OnHillEvents races, they are held at Gardner village.  The village is a set of small shops that sell knick-knacks and gift items and it also borders the Jordan River Bike Trail, which is where the race starts.

I train on the north side of the trail and I rarely venture down to the south side.  So I could've easily run this course on my own without paying a dime, but there is something about getting a support run, with a time, and a nifty t-shirt and medal.

Plus, running this race gave me another blog entry...



The Race


They had been predicting dire forecasts all week for Saturday morning.  They were saying it was going to be gale force winds and rain.  I had thoughts of going into the race on Saturday and backing down to the 10K or even the 5K.  But over the years, I've suffered through many races and inclement weather, while never fun, doesn't really scare me.

Race morning showed skies threatening rain and the hurricane force winds were mild at best.  I opted to wear some throw away gloves, two short-sleeved shirts, and shorts.  I was 100% fine, except my hands did get cold on the way back.

I had picked up my bib the day before, so I rolled in 30 minutes before the race.  I could've shown up 15, but I figured it would give me a few extra minutes to use the bathroom.

They had a 5K, 10K and half marathon race and as ubiquitous as St Patrick's Day Races are, OnHillEvents had a pretty good turnout.

The race started at 9 AM sharp and off we went.

I didn't think there was much of a tailwind at the start.  I was wondering if I was going to get burned on the way back and I was constantly checking the trees and brush to see if they were swaying in the wind.  But it seemed fairly stable.

My legs have been shot most of the week.  I've been running about 30 miles a week -- plus racing a half marathon nearly every weekend.  So I wasn't feeling terribly fresh.

I wound up going out a little too fast though.  The 2-hour pacer was also going way too fast (at least initially) but despite an easy lope, the first mile went by in 8:30.  Would I pay for that aggressive pace later?

The race is held on the Jordan River Bike Trail.  It is a paved and very flat trail.  Occasionally we'd pass other runners, cyclists, or dog walkers.  It is a nice bike trail, but as far as scenery went, it wasn't exactly jaw dropping.

I cruised through the first 5K feeling pretty good but I felt like I was going too fast -- especially given my current "tiredness".  I tried to dial it back and managed to do so a little.



Around mile 5 we had to cross under a traffic bridge.  As you can see from the photo above, it was flooded, maybe about 3- 4 inches of water.  If it had been 70 or 80 degrees I would've plowed through it.  Instead, however, most people were using the retaining wall as a balancing beam to get over it.

My balance is terrible and to be honest, I was grateful for a "walk break".  I had two people behind me and I was constantly apologizing as I navigated my way across.

As soon as I got past the water I jumped down.  However, I totally misjudged the distance and I did a spectacular somersault on the pavement.  I think I fell on my side and I felt like someone had stuck a knife into my ribs.  My hips hurt as well, but not nearly as much as my ribs.

I took a deep breath and was like, "ouch".  A few people asked if I was okay, which I said, yes and I tentatively continued on.  I think the injury took a little more out of my confidence and it definitely hindered my pace.

The turn-around seemed to be placed a little short and just as soon as I saw it a woman running the other direction said, "watch out for the wind".  Darn it!

I turned around and suddenly I felt the wind.  We were in the open at this point and while it wasn't a gale force wind, it definitely slowed me up.  I dug deep and despite the head wind, I managed to maintain a fairly decent pace.

By the time I made it back to the water crossing (it was an out-and-back course) my rib was hurting me.  It would come and go throughout the race but it was rearing its ugly head again.  The racers had really thinned out at this point, so I could take my time crossing the hazard and I managed to cross the whole thing.



The final 3 miles were a grind.  I was gassed, my rib kind of hurt, and the wind just seemed to be enough of a presence to make life difficult.  To top it off, it start to snow.  There wasn't any accumulation but my hands were frozen and my skin was turning a bright red.

I was passed by two female runners in the final 3 miles but other than that, I was running solo.  I'd turn around and look behind me, but there wasn't another runner in site.  I was just so relieved just to be done and I came in with a fairly respectable time despite having to walk through the water hazard, which probably cost me a minute.



Conclusion


I am reasonably happy with my time.  I knew beforehand it wasn't going to be a stellar race.  I am just too fatigued and over trained right now to run a PR worthy time.  Still, I had fun despite bruising a rib.

The course wasn't anything special.  I've run it before and I could run it every day if I ever decided to run south.  It was quite simply an affordable race and I got a new t-shirt and finisher's medal.  Alas, I figured I'd be a shoe-in for an age group award, but the 45 - 49 age division was stacked.  When I was running I saw the runners coming back on the out-and-back course I figured I'd be lucky to place.


The course was well marked -- there was only spot I was a little confused on where to go, but he had the major intersections crewed by friendly volunteers.  There were several aid stations as well and appropriately marked intervals.  I do suspect the course was a little short but there were some stretches where I ran under bridges which might've affected my GPS.

Post race food was typical: sports drink, oranges, bananas, peanut butter sandwiches, and Fat Boy Ice Cream Sandwiches.  I was too cold to eat much, but I grabbed a banana, spent some time socializing and once I figured out that I wasn't in contention for an age group award, I took off.

Overall, it was a nice race and I am glad I did it.  I am still suffering from a bruised rib which makes coughing, sneezing, and even sleeping painful.  However, I will be fine.  It isn't cracked and it is certainly one for the story telling of my running adventures. 

Performance-wise, I'd give myself an okay grade. I didn't run stellar but it also wasn't a major disappointment, especially given the circumstances.

Thursday, March 15, 2018

This Week in Running 2/18 - 3/10



Miles Year to Date: 390


Recap:


I haven't done a weekly update in a long time.  Suffice to say I've been running -- and racing.  I've dialed back most of my longs run and have been running quite a few half marathons -- turns out I've signed up for a half marathon each Saturday in the month of March.

So my training has been going okay, although the constant racing has sort of prevented me from getting in a super long run (over 15 miles).  I am still logging about 40 - 50 miles a week, however, after Saints and Sinners I did very little running.

I still would like to do a half marathon, but my training, while decent hasn't really seen a long-long run in a while.  Part of me is still finding fulfillment in doing halves and 5Ks, but part of me really yearns for the accomplishment of running 26.2.  The question is, do I want to commit to a more stringent training regime and am I ready for the pain of miles 20 - 26?

Time will tell and I suspect life is going to get a little complicated.  Stay tuned!

Closing in on the March Madness Half Marathon


Upcoming Races

03/17: Lucky 13 Race Half Marathon - West Jordan, UT (Confirmed)
03/24: Riverton Half Marathon - Riverton UT (Confirmed)
04/07: Emigration Canyon Half Marathon - Salt Lake City, UT (Maybe)
04/07: Summerlin, NV Half Marathon - Summerlin, NV (Maybe)
04/14: Biggest Little Half Marathon - Reno, NV (Maybe)
04/14: Trail Running Festival - Fruita, CO (Maybe)
04/21: Salt Lake City Marathon (Half) - Salt Lake City, UT (Confirmed (2018))
11/11: 2018 Las Vegas Marathon - Las Vegas, NV (Confirmed)

Chuckawalla Trail and Beck Hill Trail Hike - St George, UT


At Turtle Wall

Introduction


After my half marathon on Saturday I was itching to do an entry level hike.  Shari isn't much of a power hiker and with my dead legs I wasn't in the mood for a marathon hike either.  So I did a little bit of research and discovered the Chuckawalla Trail just on the outskirts of St George, Utah.

The trail can be found by going here.  There is plenty of parking and even a pit toilet.  The trail is part of the Red Cliffs Desert Reserve  and is free.  I didn't see any drinking fountains, so be sure to pack appropriate hydration.

You can do a variety of hikes here, from about 1 mile out and 1 mile back (to Turtle Wall) to going further.  I wound up doing the Chuckawalla Trail and then did part of the Beck Hill Trail.  You can follow my hike on my Garmin Route.


The Hike


The hike is fairly mild and easy.  It is great for families and you probably won't be alone while hiking.  The trail is very popular for those wanting to put in some miles, to dirt bikers, and to those wanting to tackle climbing the red rocks.  The trail is also very runnable -- although some stretches are sandy.

The trail was well marked and I had decent cell reception the entire time.  There also was minimal elevation climb.  The trail is not shaded at all, so take into account the temperature.  

The Chuckawalla Trail is about .9 miles.  You'll come to a cross roads at that point (the juncture is also a loop) where many families seemed to like to hang out.  As about a tenth of a mile to the left is an arch as well as a rock formation so that sort of looks like a turtle (to me, it looked like an elephant)

This is a great stopping off point and there is plenty of enjoyable views here.  We wound up doing a bit of the Beck Hill Trail.  This trail heads north and winds its way into a valley surrounded by large red hills (or mini mountains if you will).  If you love looking at natural rock formations, this section will be right up your alley.

Overall, I really enjoy the trail.  It wasn't terribly hard and we did occasionally run into people in the outer limits.  This trail doesn't take much effort and is great for the novice hiker.

Enjoy the photos!