2024 Hooper Tomato Days 5K Race Recap - Hooper, UT

Entrance To Hooper City Park

Official Time: 25:42
Placement: 43rd overall, 5th in the 50 - 59 age division
Results: Here
Race Website: Here
Weather: mid 60s with breeze from the south
Course Map / Garmin Route: Here
Previous Years: First Year for Me

Mile	Time	Comments
1	8:03	Hemmed in, initially, but got going. Felt a little uphill
2	8:18	Settled into a decent pace. Felt like it was harder than it should.
3	8:42	Really faded here.  A bit of a breeze and going uphill.
3.10	0:41	Throw whatever I have left at it.
	Total Miles: 3.10 - 25:45

Wishing I was this car -- one of many on display.

Introduction

Normally, for Labor Day Weekend, I like to do the Swiss Days 10K, up in Midway, Utah.  But this year, the race was changed to a 1 mile race (rumor has it the race director quit).  It just wasn't worth the hour drive up there so that left me scratching my head -- what do I do?

I did a bit of searching and settled in on the Hooper Tomato Days 5K in Weber County.  It was the shortest drive, a race I haven't done before, and it was cheap -- about $23.  It also offered cash prizes to the age group winners.

The details of the race were a bit sparse, but I plunked down my money and set my driving maps to Hooper City Park for the 8:30 AM race start.

The Race

It is about a 45 minute drive to Hooper and I made decent time. Hardly anyone was on the freeway.  Parking was a little disorganized but I found a spot and made my way through the park and got my bib and technical t-shirt -- that was a bonus -- I wasn't expecting that.  I also got a goodie bag filled with coupons and product samples -- again a bonus.

8:30 is a bit of a late start for a race, particularly for a summer one.  It was warm, sunny and a little breeze was coming from the south.  I had no idea of the route other than it looked really flat, it was on roads and a bit of bike trail.

I had heard the race was lightly attended, but in fact, it was well attended, with 175 runners or so.  Many of them were quite young. I think a lot of Roy High School students were there.

I had done a bit of a warm-up and as I lined up I looked over the competition.  I didn't see anyone that looked to be in my age group and took a bit of satisfaction that I'd probably snag a top 3 spot.  The age groups were 10 year deep though.

Typical stretch of road we ran along.

The race started on time (another plus) and we were off.  

The lead runner was dressed in a tomato outfit (to commemorate Hooper's special day).  I think there was a special prize for runners who could catch him (suffice to say not many caught him -- he was fast)

The race started off with an immediate turn and we ran down a residential street.  Another series of turns brought us to what I would consider their "Main Street".  We had driven down the main road to get to the park and they held back traffic for us as we made our way east for the first mile or so.

After an initial clogged start, I was able to get into position and got into 5K race pace.  I haven't run that much all week on account that I have been dealing with some plantar fasciitis and I felt a little flat. With the sun and warmth, the pace just seemed hard.  Was I going to crash and burn?

The first mile buzzed in at 8:03.  Much better that I expected.  

I still hadn't spotted anyone in my age group and I was overtaking a lot of fast starters.  With a lot of pre-teen and teen runners, they had bolted off at the start at a pace they couldn't hang on to.

We did another series of turns before jumping onto a pretty nice bike trail.  The runners around me had thinned out and I was working on trying to catch anyone I could.  I don't think there were many runners behind me but I still found satisfaction at working on catching the ones I could.  

Runners coming into the finish line.

Mile 2 felt hard though.  My pace was dwindling and I began to wonder if the course was accurate -- would I have to run more than 3.10?  I probably should've mapped the course prior to my run but there was a fear that if I pushed a little too fast and the course was long, I wouldn't have the speed endurance to finish well.  There were no mile markers on the course.  The course was well marked with arrows and volunteers at important intersections.  Also there was police presence along the main arteries.

The volunteers at the first aid station gave me a shout saying I was the first "old guy" to be coming through.  Not sure how I was supposed to take it, but it was useful information.  I think I had a shot at winning my age group.

Mile 2 came in at 8:18. I was happy with that and if I could hold onto it for the rest of the race, I'd feel pretty good about my performance.

I had a general sense of where I was in proximity of the finish line, but given the series of turns and constant northward trend, I again had fears -- is this course going to be long?

Finally, we started to head south and I got hit in the face with a bit of a breeze.  I was very confused as to how much longer we had to go and I thought I could see it far in the distance and I think part of lost hope.  It was also slightly uphill.  Not a terrible uphill but definitely a climb.  In fact, the entire race felt like it was slightly uphill (although my Garmin says otherwise).

We finally made another turn and I could hear the din coming from the finish line.  I glanced at my watch and given the distance remaining, it seemed like the course was going to be long.  There is no way that the finish line could be that close?

I picked up the pace as much as I could and finally familiar sites of the Hooper City Park came into view.  I got a much better sense of where I was now but again, looking at my watch, it felt like the course was going to be 3.15 at least.

We made the final turn and I looked over my shoulder and no one was behind me for quite some time.  My watch rang up with 3 miles, with around .1 to go. Wow, the course was going to be spot on!

I put on the final push and crossed the finish line -- hitting 3.10 miles on the button.

Me with the Tomato Mascot

Conclusion

So my official time was 25:42 for what I feel was a legitimate 5K (looking at Strava, most runners got 3.10 or slightly above).  My time was on par with what I am running currently, and while I knew my overall time was going to be record breaking, my end result was a bit ho-hum.  I ran the last mile in 8:42 -- about half marathon pace.

I was pretty spent after finishing but I quickly regrouped and got the results.  I had come in 5th in my age group.  I knew that had been possible, but wow, I was NOT expecting that.  It turns out the top 3 were several minutes ahead of me and the 4th place one passed me on the grinding hill at about mile 2.5.

There were no finishing medals and refreshments was simply bottled water.  The vendor was providing free samples of their energy product, which was refreshing.  I would've loved to have seen at least cut bananas or oranges.

For $22 or so, the race was a bargain, and I have absolutely no complaints about it. I love the t-shirt and it is one I will definitely wear.  The morning was beautiful and I enjoyed the course and running someplace new.

I wasn't very happy with my time and was kind of "meh" about it.  But I showed up and got it done.  

The awards, however, were a bit misleading as the website did say the top 3 got an award but only first place did (and it sounded like they had some VERY nice overall awards).  Suffice to say, I didn't place so it didn't matter.

I'd certainly run this one again, but if Swiss Days comes back, I'll likely go back to that one. My little group of runners all miss Swiss Days.  But this one is a good one: it was well organized, accurate and well run.

Upcoming Races

09/07: 2024 Cedar City Half Marathon - Cedar City, UT (Confirmed)

09/28: 2024 Witch Run 10K - West Jordan, UT (Confirmed)

10/05: BLOCKED OUT WEEKEND

10/19: 2024 Haunted Half 5K - Salt Lake City, UT (Confirmed)

10/26: 2024 Haunted Half 5K - Provo, UT (Confirmed)

02/23: 2025 Las Vegas Half Marathon - Las Vegas, NV (Confirmed)

04/26:2025 Salt Lake City Half Marathon - Salt Lake City, UT (Confirmed)

2024 Path to Opioid Prevention 5K Race Recap - Riverdale, UT

Typical stretch of view along the Weber River Parkway

Official Time: 25:35
Placement: 9th overall, 1st in the 50 - 59 age division
Results: Here
Race Website: Here
Weather: mid 70s with 30 mph wind from the south.
Course Map / Garmin Route: Here
Previous Years: First Year for Me

Mile	Time	Comments
1	8:15	Easy start -- into a pretty good wind.
2	8:35	Wind was more intense. Lost a lot of ground here.
3	8:12	Nice tailwind and managed to regroup nicely.
3.08	0:34	Speed it through to the finish line.
	Total Miles: 3.08 - 25:37

All is calm before the start

Introduction

With another weekend upon us, I was looking for a race to do.  There was kind of slim pickings in the Salt Lake Area for a change, and for once I thought about sitting this weekend out and just getting in some quality miles.

But then I had a massive case of FOMO (fear of missing out) and just felt like getting out of the house.  One of the races that landed on my calendar was the Path to Opioid Prevention 5K and Half Marathon.  I was initially waffling between the 5K and half marathon and was leaning towards the half marathon, but I've been battling some plantar fascia issues and opted to play it safe, and signed up for the 5K.

Also the race was held in Riverdale, Utah, a suburb between Layton and Ogden.  I hadn't ever been to Riverdale, although I had driven by it on the freeway many times.  So part of me was curious to see what the city had to offer.

Another thing going for the race, was that I knew the timer, who reported to me that the race was well run, had a scenic course, and was lightly attended.  Opting to try something new, I plunked down my money and signed up for the race.

Getting ready to start

The Race

Both the half marathon and 5K started at 7 AM, but the half marathon runners had been bussed to a different start location by the time I got to the race site (6:15).  

I managed to snag my bib and an enormous swag bag and began a warm-up.  

The race started at a park, and would make a quick turn at the end of the park and jumped onto the Weber River Parkway.  I wound up running the first half of a mile at an easy clip to get a sense of the course.  It was also photo opportunity time so I grabbed a few photos along the way.   I also picked up that the first half of the 5K, which ran south, was going to be into a pretty decent headwind.  

Runners getting ready to head off

My first impressions of the course was that I was going to be in for a treat.  While the bike trail was pretty modest in width, it was astonishingly pretty and serene.  The babbling river would constantly be on my side and there were views of nature all around me.  5Ks are hard but at least I could try and enjoy the views along the way.

The race started promptly at 7 AM and our instructions pretty much were to follow the bike trail until we hit the first bridge, where volunteers would be, turn around, and head on back.  Simple enough.

Typical view of running route

View Heading back into the park

The first 200 meters were kind of congested.  Given that the race was a charity run to prevent underage drinking and drug use, there were a few runners who were a little on the inexperienced side.  But it wasn't a huge hinderance and I was able to jockey myself into a decent position so that by the time I did arrive on the bike trail, I was running smoothly and without interference.

I was working hard but not killing myself.  I never glanced at my watch during the first mile and when I did, it beeped one mile -- at about 8:15.  Right about where I wanted to be given the headwind.

Sun coming up over the eastern range

98% of the course was pancake flat. There was only a tiny stretch of it that had a divot that required me to slow up to account for it.  Without the wind, this course could be a solid personal best contender.

As I ran, I was looking for anyone in my age group -- there were about 100 runners in the race, but hadn't spotted anyone.  With a 10 year age increment, I wanted to at least put myself into the running for whatever award they had to offer.  I figured I was in the top 15 and was slowly picking off runners as the race progressed.

I couldn't wait to get to the turn-around.  As I sped along the bike trail, I was buffeted by blasts of wind.  There really wasn't anyone to cover behind and despite the gale force winds, it didn't seem unsurmountable.  But it was definitely additional work to hold a "5K" pace and I knew I was running a lot slower than I felt like.

Typical view along the bike trail

Finally, the lead pack had reached the turn around and were coming back.  Just a little bit more and then I'd get that hard earned tailwind.

The bridge came into view and the first (and only) aid station was there, armed with a few volunteers.  They asked that you grabbed a plastic wrist band to show that you had reached the turnaround (which was nice) and I snagged one off of the table.

I made a loop around the signage and sped off with a renewed sense of vigor.

Can I just cut through here and call it a day?

I think the energy boost of knowing I was halfway done salvaged this mile.  It was still an 8:30, which is disappointing, but given that the first half of the mile was into a strong headwind, it wound up being not too bad.  Perhaps I could salvage the race.

My competitors had thinned out and I was chasing 3 other runners.  I did hazard a look behind me and didn't see anyone so it was just a matter of catching the few in front of me to keep me motivated.  I was running well but I was definitely hitting that point where I didn't have much left.  Despite not running the day before, my legs also felt unusually unresponsive.

The turn around had come in just shy of 1.55 miles and at this point I was looking at my watch, not for my pace, but how much longer I had to go.  I reminded myself throughout the race that I had put in hard interval sessions and I could hold the pace longer than I felt like.  This was a race after all!

Along the half marathon route

Finally, the starting park came into view.  It was a bit heartbreaking to run along the bike trail past the finish line (which was on the street just 50 yards away).  The start and finish basically had you run the perimeter of the park to the street entrance.  Looking at my watch, this was almost a quarter mile.  I wanted so badly to just cut across the grass and call it a day.

I made it though, and I gave it all I had in the final 100 meters and crossed under the arches in 25:35.  The 3 others that I were working with beat me to the punch but I almost caught one of them.

Successful day at the running office

Conclusion

Despite the headwind, I felt like I had run, simply okay.  I was disappointed that my time wasn't faster than last weeks race (this course was much easier) but given the windy conditions, I had to cut myself some slack.

Finishers medal, age group award and t-shirt

I will say: this course was absolutely beautiful and may be one of my favorite 5K courses.  The scenery of the river and bike trail was just stunning and so enjoyable.  Usually, after a 5K I don't do much of a warm-down but after this race, I wound up running 2 more miles getting photos.  The 2 miles I did run were part of the half marathon course  -- which I would love to run next year.

I wound up paying $35 for the race (plus taxes / service fees).  The entry fee went to a fantastic cause and I definitely got a bargain on it.  The medal was one of the better ones I've received this year and the age group award -- I took first -- was also nice.  Two super heavy medals.

Finisher's coming through

Post race refreshments included plentiful chocolate milk, water, muffins and oranges.  They were well stocked and I was planning on going out to breakfast after the race but wound up with more than enough food to hold me over for the 45 minute drive home.

The goodie bag was well stocked with band-aids, informational items and promotional stuff. The shirt was nicely designed and I'd wear it but I like the 100% polyester ones. This was a cotton blend -- nice but probably won't be used for running.

View of the River

Half Marathon route.

Overall, I was really happy with my experience.  I expect this race to grow as word gets out. It was well organized from start to finish and the course was just great.  Also, for a half marathon, the race was priced nicely at $45 -- even for a late entry.

I'd highly recommend this race and I hope to run it again next year!

Anticipation before the race!

Upcoming Races

08/31: 2024 Hooper Tomato Days 5K - Hooper, UT (Confirmed)

09/07: 2024 Cedar City Half Marathon - Cedar City, UT (Confirmed)

09/28: 2024 Witch Run 10K - West Jordan, UT (Confirmed)

10/05: BLOCKED OUT WEEKEND

10/19: 2024 Haunted Half 5K - Salt Lake City, UT (Confirmed)

10/26: 2024 Haunted Half 5K - Provo, UT (Confirmed)

02/23: 2025 Las Vegas Half Marathon - Las Vegas, NV (Confirmed)

04/26:2025 Salt Lake City Half Marathon - Salt Lake City, UT (Confirmed)

2024 Provo Canyon to Pleasant Grove 10K Race Recap - Lindon, UT

Official Time: 53:48
Placement: 1st in the 50-54 age group
Results: Here
Race Website: Here
Weather: Mid 60's, breeze from the south
Garmin Dump: Here
Previous Years: [2022] [2021] [2020] [2019]

Mile	Time	Comments
1	8:44	Fairly long uphill to begin with. Easing into the race
2	8:30	Starting to pick up a bit of steam. Exactly where I wanted to be pace wise.
3	8:43	Can't wait to get to turn around.  Feeling pretty warm
4	8:53	Been a while since I've run this far, this fast, so my legs were starting to feel it.
5	9:12	Pretty much wishing I was done
6	8.49	Really hoped to regroup here and smash the final mile. At times I did, but wasn't what I wanted
6.11	0.52
	Total Miles: 6:11 - 53:48

Well this is new - a beacon near the finish line

Introduction

With the exception of last year, I've run the PC2PG race in Lindon Utah.  Last year, I took a break from it and ran the Rock 'n Roll Salt Lake Half Marathon.  So, when I heard the RnR run wasn't being held anymore and a Black Friday sale came about this past winter, I opted in for the PC2PG race.  

Given that this is a summer race, I decided to go for the 10K.  I am usually apprehensive about doing half marathons during the summer, given how hot it usually is.  And, I've run the 10K every year, it felt like a safe choice.

The race is held in Lindon at Oak Hills Elementary and is an out and back course along the Murdock Bike Trail that skirts the eastern end of Utah county.  There is about a half mile stretch on residential street, but most of the race is on the bike trail.

The Race

I arrived at the race headquarters just after 7:15.  The 5K / 10K races started at 8:15 and that gave me ample opportunity to warm up and settle in.  Parking was a bit hard to find on account that the half marathoners were bussed 2 hours earlier and they had taken up all the prime parking.

Either way, packet pickup went smoothly and I cycled through the bathroom a time or two.

I quickly realized that the race was well attended. It was nice to see that the races I've done of late are showing stronger attendance.  I remember when this race had maybe 50 participants in the 10K.  Clearly, there were more.

I'll be honest -- I had a lot of apprehension before the race.  While, this race wasn't an "A" race for me, I was there to see how I was going to run in a 10K.  It had been May since I've raced this sort of distance before. Also, whether it was nerves or something real, I just wasn't feel great.  I've been under a fair amount of stress of late and it just seemed to be wreaking havoc on my heart health.

None the less I was going to give the race a go and see what I had in me to cover the 10K distance.

I did very little in terms of warm-up and I told myself to go in, ease into it, and if I had anything, to bring it on.  Mentally, I set a goal of holding onto 8:30 or so.

The race started on time and we immediately exited the school's rear driveway and onto a surface street.  We made a series of right turns before jumping onto the bike trail.  The first half mile sets the tone for the race: it is mostly uphill and definitely brings your race goals back to reality.

My pace quickened upon reaching the bike trail, thanks to a patient climb.  I found myself passing those that had taken the hill too hard.  Mile 1 came up in 8:44. disappointing but not unexpected.

The Murdock trail is a multi-use trail and being it was Saturday morning it was busy.  The trail is wider than most bike trails, though, which definitely helped.  During the race you did have to pay attention to avoid cyclists and other runners.  

Utah County is also a breeding ground for top tier talent and during the race it was inspiring to see YouTubers, elite, sub-elite athletes on their training runs.

I was holding my pace and gaining ground against many of the other runners.  I hit 8:30 for mile 2, which was where I wanted to be.  

The trail is mostly flat, but there are some undulating hills to contend with.  Other than the first one, they are all tolerable, but make it hard to hit a consistent pace.

Around mile 2.5 I knew I was in for a long run.  My legs felt like Jell-O and I was working harder than I should've been for the race.  I was still running well but it felt incredibly hot and in the back of my mind I was worried about passing out or fainting, especially given my recent medical history.

After passing the 2nd aid station, we made a left turn before hitting the turn around, which came in around mile 3.06.  

I knew the person marshalling the turn around and I got a word of encouragement from them.  I didn't have much left and it felt incredibly warm.  My one complaint about this race is that I'd love to see it start at 7 AM rather than 8:15.  The different in temperature would make a nice difference.

As the race progressed my pace slipped.  What helped to keep me motivated though was that the returning half marathoners were on the same course.  The ones that were in my field of vision were running about 2 hours / 2 hours 10, so on the return trip I was working on reeling in them as well.  While they weren't apart of my race, they gave me something to work towards.

I didn't really see anyone in my age group and one guy that I felt was in my age group was well ahead of me (turns out there were only 2 of us in the 50 - 54 age category).

My pace was slowly dropping and I was running on fumes. I kept telling myself to be patient and I should be able to close out the race. I felt like I was working harder than my pace dictated, so it was frustrating.  This race wasn't exactly going to plan.

The last mile, I had visions of smashing.  I knew it was a net downhill and being familiar with the course, I knew how much longer I had to run.

However, I couldn't quite the engine turning over.  I did however, take advantage of the downhill section that had crushed my initial start.  And during the final .15 of a mile, I glanced over my shoulder to see if anyone was trying to overtake me, but the coast was clear.  Even in that final stretch, I did drop the hammer but that final kick really wasn't there.

Finally, I crossed under the OnHillEvents arch and double over trying to catch my breath.  Part of me wondered if I had pushed too hard and I was going to trigger a medical event -- but fortunately, I didn't.  After a few seconds, I sauntered over to the medal volunteer and grabbed my medal and found a bottle of Gatorade I had stashed and drank greedily.  

Conclusion

So, I finally got in a distance longer than 5K and for the most part it went well.  My time, however, was pedestrian.  I had crossed in 53:48 -- good enough for first place in my age division, but a full 150 seconds slower than 2022.

Post race refreshments were fruit, sports drink, ice cream sandwiches and there was a vendor with carbonated water.  In fact, unlike other OnHillEvents, this one had quite a few 3rd party providers of services and goods.  It felt like a big time race and it was exciting to see given the race's humble beginnings.  The t-shirt -- nice design but still not a fan of the cotton / polyester mix.  

The medal was also very nice and heavy.  The design was simple but definitely worthy of earning.  I also snagged an age group award, so I was happy to come home with 2 medals. I honestly was worried I was going to place at all given the size of the race AND how many people were running the 10K.

My race performance -- simply "meh".  I honestly figured 55 minutes was about where I was going to come in at so getting 53 minutes was a boost.  Overall though, I expected to be in the low 50s / 49s when the year started.

I really enjoyed myself at the race. The race is well attended and many of my friends were there, so in part it was a social event.  I really like the course but it was crowded with all the runners and cyclists.  Overall, this race is just a joy to attend and I hope to get redemption next year.

Upcoming Races

09/07: 2024 Cedar City Half Marathon - Cedar City, UT (Confirmed)

09/28: 2024 Witch Run 10K - West Jordan, UT (Confirmed)

10/05: BLOCKED OUT WEEKEND

10/19: 2024 Haunted Half 5K - Salt Lake City, UT (Confirmed)

10/26: 2024 Haunted Half 5K - Provo, UT (Confirmed)

02/23: 2025 Las Vegas Half Marathon - Las Vegas, NV (Confirmed)

04/26:2025 Salt Lake City Half Marathon - Salt Lake City, UT (Confirmed)

2024 Alpine Days 5K Race Recap - Alpine, UT

Official Time: 25:14
Placement: 10th in the 45 - 54 age division, 187 out of 472
Results: Here
Race Website: Here
Weather: 70 with 10 mph breeze from the south.
Course Map / Garmin Route: Here
Previous Years: [2023]

Mile	Time	Comments
1	8:13	Going out conservatively. First part is kind of uphill.
2	8:12	A set of rolling hills. At least I am consistent. Took advantage of the downhills
3	8:16	Bringing it home. Felt like I was running faster, but I'll take this for a final mile!
3.06	0:25	Trying to break 25
	Total Miles: 3.06 - 25:13

Introduction

So another weekend, another "Days" race.  This weekend, it was the Alpine Days 5K -- an event to kickoff their city's celebration.

I ran the race last year and I with not a lot on the agenda this weekend, I figured why not get in a good workout?

This race is a fairly large one and is strictly a 5K.  Most of the race's participants are high school students, as the local high school, Lone Peak High School, has an extraordinarily large track / cross country team.  So they definitely come out in force to participate.

The Race

I showed up at 6:15 for the 7 AM start time.  I was one of the first there and got decent parking (there is plentiful parking).  I managed to snag my bib and a t-shirt and take some photos as the timer started assembling the start / finish line.

The race is headquartered at Burgess Park in Alpine and is a beautiful baseball field with walking trails with some stunning views of the Wasatch Mountains.  I wound up getting about a mile warm-up and took in the last part of the course and got some photos.

The race started promptly at 7 AM.  With all the high school students in attendance, most of whom could easily run under 20 minutes, I lined up well behind where I'd normally start.  The first quarter mile was pretty packed, but with a wide area to run in, it wasn't too terrible.

The race makes a left turn after exiting the park's entrance before dumping you onto the street.  It is about a half mile run, with a gentle uphill, until you get to Alpine's North-South drive.  Another 2 hours after the race, this section would turn into the parade route -- people had already setup their spots and some of the parade vehicles were assembling.

I was running smoothly and in control.  I remembered from last year that this course had a lot of rolling hills and I didn't want to overcook myself.  I was overtaking a lot of runners that had started out too quickly and was running well.  Mile 1 rang up as an 8:13.  A little slower than I would've liked for a mile 1, but given the nature of the course, I'd take it.

Eventually we had to make another left hand turn and exited the main street.  It was a nice mental break and signaled a change.  I'd miss the crowd support (there were a few people along the parade route), but I was greeted with some nice stretches of downhill.  I was able to pick up my pace.

My fellow runners had thinned out at this point and while I was working hard, I still had a lot to give.  I was coasting on the downhills, taking on the uphill sections and making ground on the flats.  I'd pick out groups of runners ahead of me and work to catch them and then pick another group.  The strategy was working and spurred me on.

Mile 2 came in at 8:12. I was really hoping to go sub 8 minutes on this one but I was cruising.

The last mile started off with a nice downhill and then a slow grind to the finish.  It was hard to pick up any momentum here.  I was occasionally picking off people but my rate was declining.  I was more concerned about how much distance I had left and since I had run the final .65 of a mile to the finish, I knew exactly how much more I had to go.  

My mind was wanting to go, but the rest of me just couldn't respond.  I just didn't have the gusto to smash the last third of a mile. I was maxed out.

As I headed into the park, I saw the mile 3 marker.  The markers were pretty close to spot on, but my Garmin would chirp a few seconds after I had passed it.  I came in at 8:16, still much better than last week's not so great race. 

The finish line looked so far away yet I recalled all the strides I've done over the past year and I knew I had something to give in that final .1 of a mile.

I glanced at my watch -- I had a shot at sub 25 but it wasn't going to be promising.  Pushing as I hard as I could I made a dash to the finish line and crossed in 25:14.

Conclusion

So this race went way better than last week's disaster.  I was spent after this one -- I had used a lot of whatever I had left in the final push and I remember as I closed in on the finish line I was holding back on getting sick.

I figured I had a shot at an age group award on this one, as I hadn't seen very many people my age.  There were lots of high school students and for some reason a ton of women running with their children (some turning in some great times).

I had forgotten though that this race has some funny age divisions and me trying to compete against those in the 45-year-old age division put me at a disadvantage.  Next year, presuming that I am still in the Utah area, maybe I'd have a shot (they had some nice placement medals).

Overall, I ran the race well -- with even splits.  I was much slower than where I was last year, but given my training and medical issues I've had, I'll take this one as a success story.

Post race refreshments included water, protein bars and caffeinated chocolate milk.  Sort of a motley assortment for a race.  I had brought Gatorade to the race and I wound up using that afterwards.  After the awards, they were basically begging people to take home the left overs, which I greedily took.  The shirt was a cotton one but nicely designed.  I wish it was of polyester fabric, I'd certainly wear it.

For a $25 race, I got my money's worth.  It was a low-frills race, but well organized and well marshalled. It was nice to see so many younger runners in attendance:  it has been one of my regrets not to have run in high school.

I liked the course as well. It had its shares of hills and it all seemed to even out. This race gave me a sense of confidence that my speed is coming back. Hopefully this continues with a positive trend.

Upcoming Races

08/17: 2024 PC2PG 10K - Lindon, UT (Confirmed)

09/07: 2024 Cedar City Half Marathon - Cedar City, UT (Confirmed)

09/28: 2024 Witch Run 10K - West Jordan, UT (Confirmed)

10/05: BLOCKED OUT WEEKEND

10/19: 2024 Haunted Half 5K - Salt Lake City, UT (Confirmed)

10/26: 2024 Haunted Half 5K - Provo, UT (Confirmed)

02/23: 2025 Las Vegas Half Marathon - Las Vegas, NV (Confirmed)

04/26:2025 Salt Lake City Half Marathon - Salt Lake City, UT (Confirmed)