2019 Sand Hollow Half Marathon (Fast and Flat) Race Recap - Hurricane, UT

Official Time: 1:54:02
Placement: 18th male overall, 3rd in the 45 - 49
Results:  Here
Race Website: Here
Weather: Upper 30's to mid 40's.  Slight wind from the north
Garmin Dump: Here
Previous Years: [2018] [2016] [2015]

Mile	Time	Comments
1	8:51	Easing into the race. Let's see what I've got
2	8:56
3	8:52	Talk about consistent
4	8:44	Picked up the pace ever so slightly
5	8:45
6	8:53	Begin climbing a lengthy hill. Sort of surprised this wasn't slower
7	9:31	Crested the hill. Now for some down hill. Sort of surprised this mile wasn't slower.
8	8:26	Delicious downhill
9	9:02	Back to the flat section.
10	8:56
11	8:35	Sense the finish line is coming. Actually holding up really well.
12	8:53	Really digging deep here. Still very consistent
12.85	7:20	Cruise to the finish line
Total Miles: 12:85 1:54:00

Introduction

I am a repeat customer to the Sand Hollow Half Marathon.  It is one of my favorite and quite affordable.  With the race season just starting off, this is an opportunity to race in better weather (i.e. warmer than Salt Lake City) in a part of the state I'd like to visit more often that I do: Southern Utah.

There is a lot to do down in Southern Utah.  It also usually kicks off a weekend in Mesquite, NV where I can get my Jacuzzi and buffet on.  Southern Utah also offers a bigger contrast over northern, as there are a bunch of national parks and beautiful red rock formations.

It was quite an adventure down to Hurricane when I left on Friday.  I ducked out of work a little early.  I had heard there were warnings of some snow flurries but none of the weather sites seemed to be too alarmed by it.

Well by the time I got about 90 minutes out of the city, it started to snow.  It wasn't necessarily sticking but it did make driving a little more nerve wracking.  The central part of Utah doesn't have a lot of civilization and I was really worried about driving into a ditch.  I saw at least a dozen cars, some of them in really bad shape, off in the ditches.  I didn't want that to be me.

All told, it probably took me an additional 45 minutes to get to my destination.  I was so stressed from the drive that my muscles almost hurt.

The Race

I stayed at a hotel down the street from the race and rolled in about 40 minutes before the start.  I nabbed a really good parking spot.  I had picked up my bib the night before so I was all set to run.

I was a bit apprehensive about this race. My last half marathon didn't go very well and to be honest, I wasn't feel "on".  Also, my training hasn't really gone very well.  I've been sort of slacking on long runs.

So I wasn't expecting much as I toed the line for the 7:30 start.

I started off cautiously and decided to run by feel.  The first two miles are run in a residential area.  There are a few turns as we make our way through them.  The course was well marked and marshaled.  I wasn't leading by any means, so I was just following the pack.

It was a little chilly at the start.  I had two shirts on, shorts and throw away gloves.  I sort of regretted wearing two shirts, but overall I don't think I was overheating.  When the course was shaded I wound up wearing the gloves and later I stuffed them in my pocket.  They were a nice accessory to have.

I wasn't too surprised to run my first 3 miles at about a 9 min / mile pace.  I felt okay but I was wondering if my lack of endurance training would bite me and I'd start my crash and burn around mile 6.

Eventually the course takes you out of town and you are surrounded by pastoral scenes. An LDS church spire, cows and horses baying in the background.  It gets rural and bucolic.

There were some rough sections of road and I twisted my ankle in a pothole.  Luckily not damage was done.  People were more spread out, but I was always within shouting distance of someone in the race.

Just shy of mile 5 you hang a left.  You go about another mile before you get dumped into a well-to-do neighborhood.  This was my favorite part of the course last year.  The smells of the desert are amplified here.  Also there are a lot of modern houses that reminded me of New Mexico: the boxy desert house that were nestled on hills.  It was tough going here but all the sites helped distract me.  

Finally just shy of mile 7 we reached the turn around.  I couldn't be happier.  I was still feeling good and I knew I had a solid of mile of downhill.  It was nice to blast down that stretch.

Instead of an out-and-back course, you continue to go down a stretch of road.  There was a fair amount of traffic on the road, but we had a good shoulder to run on and I think drivers were aware a race was going on.  I never felt like I was in danger.  

This mile seemed to go on for an eternity.  I didn't have anyone behind me and I was working off a guy who might've been in my age group.  My goal was to hang with him as long as I could.  However, during this stretch he started to fade and I found a second gear.  I made my move and I think that sort of dropped his spirits.

At some point, you rejoin the course where we had started.  I had made mental notes of the first 3 mile markers from the distance from the start.  I knew they were off.  It was nice to know that when I passed the mile 3 marker, I really had about 2.9 miles to go. I got another second wind here as I was pushing myself in the final 5K.

I wasn't dying and was actually pretty happy with my pace.  I knew it wasn't going to be a PR day but I was actually going to turn in a decent time.

The final half mile is a bit of a heartbreaker.  You can see the finish line in the distance and it seems like you only have a little more to go, but in reality it's quite a ways. I wound up catching another male runner before crossing the finish line in 1:54.

Conclusion

I was actually pretty happy with my time.  While I was a minute slower than last year, all things considered, it was a "win" for me.  I had been sick for most of the month and my training hadn't gone well, yet I had finished a half marathon without going into a death march / I hate running mentality.

I wound up socializing with some of the other runners from Salt Lake.  We all complained about the horrible drive down but were all ecstatic about the highly agreeable running weather.

What was cool about this race is that I know the race director.  I've done his race a few times and I always make it a point to say hello when I do the St George Half Marathon in January.  He surprised me by making a promotional poster -- with my photo on it.  It's a beautiful piece of work and I was flattered.  He had a bunch of extras and I managed to bring a stack home.  Totally cool and made my weekend.

Post race refreshments included water, chocolate milk, brownies, fruit and pretzels.  He even had some sodas.  Overall I was really happy with the post race fare.  I think everyone else was too.

The mile markers were fairly close, but I think once again the course is a little short.  Most people's Garmin watches reported a short course.  I don't think anyone was complaining though.

There were plenty of aid stations with volunteers. They had water and Gatorade.  Some had gels and fruit.  There were plenty of them and I probably didn't need to carry my hydration, but I prefer to be able to drink when I think I need to.  And sometimes volunteers weren't ready for me, so I could afford to skip them.

The medal was very cool.  They had a decent shirt as well -- it was a cotton / tech blend.  I am not sure I am fan of that but I think more races are starting to give them out.  I prefer pure polyester for running.

Overall, I was happy with my race experience.  I am buzzing from a decent race performance despite not being 100% ready.  The weather couldn't been nicer and I really enjoy the variety of the course.

2018 Sand Hollow Half Marathon - Hurricane, UT

Official Time: 1:53:09
Placement: 6th male, 1st in the 45 - 49
Results:  Here
Race Website: Here
Weather: Mid 40's, slight wind from the south.
Garmin Dump: Here
Previous Years: [2016] [2015]

Mile	Time	Comments
1	8:39	Felt harder than it should
2	8:39
3	8:49	Was worried I was going too fast. Seemed hard
4	8:38
5	8:31	Started getting into the groove. Split off from full marathon
6	8:55	Prepping myself for a hill
7	9:19	Long hill here, but eventually some decline
8	8:26	Got to go down hill I climbed.
9	9:06	Had to propel myself now
10	8:55	Long stretch of flat
11	8:32	Worked off of another runner. Could smell the finish line.
12	8:46
12.9	7:48	Pushed it hard to the finish
Total Miles: 12.90 - 1:53:08

Introduction

I've been itching to do another destination road race.  One fairly close race is doing the Sand Hollow Marathon down in Hurricane.  Last year, I believe, they introduced a half marathon and this year they again offered not one but TWO half marathons.

Hurricane is a fairly small, rural town that most people drive through on their way to Zions National Park.  It is also home to Fast Cory.  However, there is a lot of cool things to do here and it is fairly scenic.  I love visiting here.

The first half did half of the marathon course, which includes a long hill.  That one you get to see the Sand Hollow Reservoir, which is a reservoir just on the outskirts of Hurricane. 

The half I did, the "Fast and Flat Half" follows the other two races for the first 5 miles before splitting off to another section of town.  Having run the full marathon twice and having seen that part of the course, I opted to run the new course.

The Race

I rolled into town on Friday night.  I was there early enough and picked up my race packet and met the race director (again).  Nicest guy and he really cares about his race.

I was staying at the Wynngate in Hurricane (highly recommended!) and I wound up sleeping pretty well. I woke up 2 hours before the race, ate and took care of my bathroom needs before making the 15 minute walk to the starting line.

I wound up hanging around for all of about 30 minutes socializing with the other runners. We had access to the local recreation center facilities, so it was dry, warm and with clean / flush toilets.  The race started exactly at 7 AM and off we went.

The first few miles of the race are flat and fast.  The race is also fairly small -- I was running with the full marathoners and my "Fast and Flat" group.  You are basically running down residential streets and making your way to the south side of town where Molly's Nipple is located.

I recognized some of the course from the marathon but he has since changed the race route (it used to do a big loop, now it is an out and back). 

I was running about 8:40 minute miles, which seems to be my standard pace these days for a half.  However, today it felt harder.  I began to wonder if I was going to crash and burn.

Around mile 4 we were into farm country and I could see horses and smell manure.  In all honesty it was a beautiful run. 

The race is held on city streets and many of the busy intersections had crossing guards.  It was still early in the morning and Hurricane is a sleepy little town, so there was never much to fear in terms of traffic.

Around mile 4 I started getting into the groove.  I was working up a pretty good sweat but my pace was coming down.

Just around the mile 5 marker, we split off from the marathoners.  I figured that the majority of runners would be joining me on the half.  However, 90% of the runners took a right -- meaning they were running the full!  The turn off was super wall marked and even before the race started, the director informed everyone where to go.

I looked to my left and there was hardly anyone running the half marathon.  I actually had a good shot at winning my age group.

The spurred me on and around mile 6 we started to ascend a hill.  It wasn't a back breaker by any means -- it was just a long slow grind.  I was maintaining a decent pace but I could feel my energy just fade.  I popped a gel and that seemed to help.

The hill seemed to take forever but I was enjoying a new route and seeing some stunningly beautiful houses.  Also the smell of sagebrush smelled awesome.

At the summit of the hill we had to run down a small section, get aid at the aid station and then climb the small downhill section.  Luckily after re-summitting the hill we got a glorious fast downhill mile.

Unfortunately that was short lived. And the flats started again.  For a few miles I was really struggling.  There wasn't anyone to work off of and the nearest people were about a quarter mile in front of me.  Also this stretch there was some traffic.  I had a pretty good shoulder to run along and the cars also had plenty of room to move over.

Finally, another woman passed me and I wound up working with her.  She had an awesome steady pace and that perked me up for a few miles as we headed into the home stretch.

The final 5K or so was part of our out and back but it all seemed so different coming from the other direction.  Luckily, I remember running sections of it from the previous times I've run the marathon.  It was comforting to know I was going into the home stretch.

I was pretty tired coming in and I knew I had top 10'd it.  Since the course was out and back in a stretch, I had seen the lead back.  I was hoping to get very low 1:50's given the course was flat and I was running at a lower altitude.  However, I think the early miles had cost me some time and despite a second wind late in the race, I just couldn't must up some faster splits.

I crossed the finish line to a small, but cheerful crowd.

Conclusion

I am not sure what happened to the race distance on this one.  I think my Garmin was pretty much lining up with every mile marker until about mile 6.  I talked to a few people after the race and most of them said they felt the course might've been short.  However, I have had problems with my Garmin in this area before and even one person said he app just sort of gave up tracking her GPS.  

I really liked the new section of course.  While I didn't get to see the Sand Hollow Reservoir, I found the country farm road running to be pleasant.  I also loved the "desert smell" in the early morning.

The course, for me, was well marked except for one tiny stretch.  Luckily I had other people to watch where to go.  Even if I had been running solo, I think I could've figured it out.   However, at the hotel I did run into a few runners who did the hill challenge half and they wound up running about 3 extra miles.  Their turnoff wasn't as clear, which is always unfortunate.

Post race spread included some fruit, bagels and chocolate milk.  In years past he's had more substantial food.  Given that I finished around 9:00 AM, my guess is that the local pizza guy wasn't making pizza just yet.  I wound up grabbing some snacks and drinking a bit before heading out.

I really like this race for it casualness.  I didn't have to wait for any big awards ceremony.  They just checked my finishing card, handed me a mug, took a few pictures and congratulated me.  I love small races.  It was like bing-bang-boom, I was done and sent on my way.

I paid about $60 for the race a few weeks before the event.  I had a coupon code when I had met the race director at the St George Half Marathon.  So I saved a lot of money.

I got a pretty nice shirt and the medal has definitely been upgraded over years past.  There was ample course support -- about an aid station with great volunteers every 1.5 - 2 miles.  I carried my own hydration, which I used a bit but I could've gotten away without it.

My performance was so-so. I think I still haven't recovered from last week's half and I think I was had the pre-race jitters.  I have some stress at work and I think that sort of got into my head.  The hotel was a great choice though and I had slept well and I really had zero pre-race hang-ups about where I needed to be and when.

This race is a good one.  It is small, no frills and like always, enjoyed it.  There were people from Las Vegas and Northern Utah as well as some people who had traveled long and far to the race.  My only concern though was whether I had really run 13.1 miles.  My hunch is that it probably came up a bit short -- I'll have to trace it out on MapMyRun.  I did love the course though and would run this one again.

Sandhollow Marathon Trip Recap - Hurricane Utah

Introduction

As usual, after any incredible weekend trip (that involves a marathon) I usually like to do a trip recap.  There isn't a whole lot about running here, but more or less a blow by blow of what I did.  These memories are mostly for myself -- as a year or two down the road I'll probably read this and the accounts I take in here bring back memories that otherwise would've been lost.

The primary purpose of this weekend trip was of course to run the Sand Hollow Marathon. I registered for the race some time ago when I was going through physical withdrawals of not having anything on the calendar and wanting a "big" event to do.  So with that in mind, this weekend was formed to have a good time.

Friday

When I registered for the race I quickly discovered that the hotels in the St George area were pretty much sold out, or super expensive.  I found that the best bargain was to book a hotel in Cedar City, which is about 40 minutes north of Hurricane (pronounced Hurri-kin).  It was about 50% of the price and also a slightly shorter drive.  All throughout the weekend I noticed that people were desperately trying to find a hotel room, only to be turned away.  Amazing... there was a massive Spartan Race, a bike event, a baseball tournament and a bunch of other things that just had the hotels totally booked.  I am glad I was able to find accommodations.

I left work at 3:30 and after some initial traffic getting out of the major metropolitan area, I was going the speed limit (and above).  I made good time and reached Cedar City just after 6:15.

I decided to eat at the IHOP there.  In the past, they've been quick and served good food.  I wasn't disappointed this time.  I was really regretting not doing my homework on finding some place different to eat but I wasn't in an exploratory mode and before you a marathon you want to eat fairly neutral food.  So I had a Garden Omelette and pancakes.  Good stuff.

Afterwards, I got back on the main drag and checked into the Crystal Inn / Ramada of Cedar City.  I've stayed there before and while the accommodations aren't grand, they are suitable and I wasn't complaining at $60 a night.  I was disappointed that I'd be leaving before the breakfast as their breakfast wasn't really that bad.

As usual, before a marathon, I slept poorly -- maybe getting 4 -5  hours.  I just couldn't fall into a deep sleep.  I also couldn't turn off the TV -- for some reason it wouldn't go off.  I wound up having to physically unplug it.  Ugh.  Otherwise it was a good stay...

Saturday

I was up at 4:45 and quickly showered, ate a lot of Life cereal and sucked down an Arnold Palmer -- my go to drink for a pre-long run.  It has a tiny bit of caffeine in it and it seems to work.  Nothing magical about it, but it is my morning drink.  I also ate a Power Bar.  I packed up my things and made the largely uneventful trip to Hurricane.  Google Maps did lead me down a road I hadn't been on before and it certainly saved me a lot of time, but I was sort of out in the boonies for a while.  

I rolled into the race site just after 6:15 and got set up with my bib, lubed up with some Vaseline and before I knew it, it was 7AM and race time.

I ran the race and afterwards I wound up walking around, drinking and socializing with the few runners that were milling about (it wasn't a huge marathon).  

I had not noticed last year that the race's headquarters is next to the Heritage Park.  Heritage Park had a small museum and a ton of memorabilia dedicated to the early pioneers that had settled the area.  I am interested in western history and how Utah was settled so I took the opportunity to read and learn:

I had about 3 - 4 hours to kill before I could get into my hotel room down in Mesquite, NV.  It was a little after noon by the time I decided to go "somewhere".  I thought about using the park's water area to clean up but luckily I had remembered to bring a towel and a wash clothe and was able to do an impromptu sink bath.  At least I didn't smell too bad:

I punched in the address of Denny's on my smart phone and headed towards St George.  St George was a zoo and the Denny's was no exception.  I was hoping to go to the Denny's I had been to when I had gone to run the St George Half Marathon in January but I guess there are two of them and I went to the more crowded one.  Service was a little slow but still in the reasonable time frame.

I had some fries with tilapia.  I also noticed that no one was drinking coffee and I think I was the only one with an iced tea (actually an Arnold Palmer).  Then I remembered, ah yes, I am in southern Utah.  I bet they sell very little coffee there.

After eating, I decided to spend some time at Cedar Pocket in Arizona. Just an awesome experience and well worth the hour (or so) stop that I made there.

On the way into Nevada, I saw that the I-15 pass leaving Nevada was backed up literally for miles.  They are doing construction there and the freeway is down to one lane.  Couple that with the fact that trucks use it and can't go very fast on the steep inclines and you have a recipe for congestion.  My way was smooth sailing and I made a mental note to avoid that at all costs when I left on Sunday.

I arrived at the Virgin River Casino around 3 pm Pacific Time.  I was feeling a little woozy.  I think I was dehydrated and so I ate some spare food that I had and drank some Gatorade.  I was so thankful when the Virgin River folks let me check in.

I swiped my player's club card at the welcome Kiosk and got a free hot dog.  Unfortunately, this pesco-vegetarian hasn't had a hot dog in over 25 years...

They did put me on the third floor and I didn't find the elevator until later, but none the less, climbing 2 sets of stairs after running a marathon was no bueno.

 

After getting into my room I had a bit of a worry.  My neighbors seemed to be very loud.  The walls are pretty thin there and I was really really worried I'd be up all night listening to some rednecks getting drunk.  When I passed by their room they had their door open and I saw a beer can or two on the table and I was almost ready to call down to the front office to switch rooms. Luckily I did spot a kid in their room (about 12 years old) and I am happy to report I didn't hear from them at all.

I unpacked my crap and I quickly hit the pool.  It was in the low 70's and the pool water was cold.  It felt good just to stand there for about 15 minutes.  For a casino hotel there were a ton of kids there.

I wound up hitting the sauna for 30 minutes.  I know that is sort of a no-no after running a marathon (due to dehydration issues) but it sure felt good and it was warm enough to be helpful but not boiling to be uncomfortable.

I cleaned up in my room and decided to drive 2 miles down the road to the Casablanca hotel.  From a previous visit, I knew they had a good Saturday night buffet.  Couple that with a $5 off food voucher, I was set...

I played a bit and struck out almost immediately on a Britney Spears machine.  Usually that game gives me some sort of excitement, but it wasn't doing very well for me.

I jumped into the buffet as I was starting to get really hungry.  Unfortunately, after running a marathon my teeth are super sensitive.  I blame it on the fact that the Gatorade is super acidic and it takes a good 48 hours before they come back to normal.  It made for some painful eating.  I am not sure if I got my money's worth, but the crab legs sure were good:

I wound up playing some more and goofed around in the casino.  I wasn't really winning much or losing much and I wasn't finding anything I had to play.  I did have a pretty decent run on a Fred Flintstones machine though:

I went back to the Virgin River and played various machines in there, neither winning much nor losing a whole lot.  I like their casino but they don't have a whole lot of my favorite machines.  And the few of my favorites were being occupied.

So I wound up walking across the street to the Eureka Hotel and Casino.  I hadn't been in there in a while.  Their casino is much more modern.  I haven't gotten anything from their comp system there so I don't usually go there (couple that with the fact that their hotel is expensive).  I wound up playing Leonidas for a while -- which was one of my favorite machines back when you could still find it.  It was pretty tight in there and the longer I hung out in the Eureka, the more money I lost.

I went back to the Virgin River and wound up trying a few different machines with no luck whatsoever.  I won a few $40 - $50 hits, but really nothing major and I really didn't have a good run.

After 10 pm I decided to call it a day.

Sunday

I actually slept very nicely.  

I wound up setting my alarm for about 6:45 am.  In all honesty, I was done gambling and I was actually pretty hungry. It didn't take me long to get dressed, packed and out the door.  In fact, I was in the parking lot of the Casablanca just after 7 am.

There was no wait for the buffet and only a handful of people were there.  I wound up filling up pretty quickly again, but all in all, I got $9 worth of food, which is probably the cheapest meal I had all weekend.  I wound up making small talk with a Spartan racer and got caught up on what those events are like.  I am still "out" on those.  It just doesn't sound like my type of race at all.

I didn't even gamble and I wound up hitting the road just shy of 8:30.  It was a fairly uneventful ride home and I made it back by 1:30 pm mountain time.  I was just so glad to get that fairly boring ride out of the way.

Conclusion

I really had a good time.  It was nice to hit the open road on my own.  While the scenery on the way down to southern Utah isn't terribly exciting, it is an easy drive.  I could just fire up some talk radio podcasts I had and sort of relax.

While I've done the Sand Hollow Marathon before, it felt good running it.  I was expecting some sort of boredom / death march and I wound up having a pretty decent race.  It certainly wasn't my best time, but the overall experience gave me a lot of confidence.  Instead of dreading it, I came away feeling a lot more confident that I could do better.

Total cost of the trip:  About $80 for the race, gas maybe $50, food: $60 and hotel, about $150.  I had hopes that the gambling would be profitable, but I am a realist, and I know better.  Still it was fun and I have a lot of positive memories about the weekend.

Hope you enjoyed the photos.

Cedar Pocket Recreation Area - Littlefield Arizona

Introduction

As any Utahn knows, the way to Vegas from Utah is through the Virgin River Gorge.  This stretch of roughly 10 miles of twisty-turny, all-downhill freeway is supposed to be -- mile for mile -- the most expensive freeway ever built.

It is an interesting drive and has some really incredible scenery.  It was formed over thousands of years (if not longer) of the Virgin River cutting its way into Nevada.

There aren't many exits along this stretch of freeway, but one that has always intrigued me was an exit called Cedar Pocket.  The Cedar Pocket exit also has a recreational area.  Every time I drove by, I asked myself -- "gee, I wonder what is there?"

Since I had a few hours to kill before I could get into my hotel after running the Sand Hollow Marathon, I decided to satisfy my curiosity.

 Cedar Pocket

After pulling off the freeway, I was led into a fee area -- one for picnicking (day use) and another section was for camping.  The fee was a whopping $2, which I put in an envelope and made my way to the day use area.

I figured the $2 would be good for a few cool pictures and nothing else.

When I got there, I had a panoramic view of the Virgin River Gorge.  Below me, may about 100 yards were a bunch of kids playing in the river.  I wandered around in search of a path and quickly found it on the south side of the parking lot.

I made my way down the short trail and went where the family was and found a place to sit to rest my weary dogs from my marathon.  It was just a perfect day -- sunny, low 70's and I fell in a reflective contemplate and just enjoyed the magnificent scenery. I also soaked my feet in the river, which helped my plantar fasciitis.

After a bit, I decided to go for a short hike.  At first the trail was well marked with a line of rocks.  However, the trail quickly dissolved but at times you could make out where you wanted to go.  I wasn't terribly worried about getting lost.  I could hear the whine of cars above me and the Virgin River was on the other side.  I was, however, concerned with rattlesnakes.

I walked a bit and found that the trail dead-ended at the river.  I suspect that after spring the river is easily fordable, which I assume is where the rest of the trail was (I hadn't done any research into this area before I left and the trail head at a sign saying the hike was 2 miles or 16 miles depending upon where you wanted to go).

I found the area really beautiful and I hit it at the right time.  There was a flowering tree that had taken over the area and it's fragrance was just really pleasant.

I took a bunch of pictures and really soaked in the atmosphere.  This was definitely worth the price of admission and worth the stop.  I hope at some point to find out where the trail goes and explore it further.

View from the parking lot

Virgin River

Typical section of trail

Picture of the Virgin River that I took from a rock outcropping

Had to crawl under this