2018 Legacy Midnight Run 10K Race Recap - Farmington UT

Official Time: 51:38
Placement: 1st in the 45 - 49,
Results:  Here
Race Website: Here
Weather: 85F -- night race with no wind.
Garmin Dump: Here
Previous Years: [2012] [2013] [2014] [2015] [2016] [2017]

Mile	Time	Comments
1	8:22	Hard to see at first
2	8:03	Slight downhill
3	8:19	Hints of stomach issues.
4	8:34	Slight uphill
5	8:49	Stomach issues here and not much to work from
6	8:29	Pushed it to the finish -- stomach issues be damned.
6.14	1:01
	Total Miles: 6.14 - 51:38

Introduction

Every summer I look forward to the Legacy Midnight Run.  It is held along the Legacy Bike Trail in Farmington.  I've run on this bike trail for about a ton of races -- it is ideal for a night race because it is flat, fast and the pavement is in good shape.  I just have some many memories (mostly good) about running along here.

For this race, I usually do the half marathon every year but after last year's rough race (it was HOT) and knowing that I am not really trained to run a good half marathon, I opted to sign up for the 10K.

I thought I'd feel bad for signing up for the shorter race, but all in all, I was okay with it.  Normally I sign up for the longest race at any given event and when I haven't, I've beat myself up over not taking the toughest event.  Each event though has its challenges.  Running a "fast" 5K is just as challenging, rewarding as running 13 miles at an "okay" pace.  Call it maturity.

The Race

I got to the race about an hour early.  I seem to recall this race having a LOT more people.  But there were a ton of events in the area this weekend (Spartan / Timp Half Marathon), so I suspect they all cannibalized from each other.  I missed the half marathon start (10 PM) but had plenty of time to spare for my 10K start, which was at 11PM.

I had watched what I ate all day and I came to the race sort of hungry but not starving.  I think that is good because I certainly didn't want to run fast with food sloshing around.  I had pancakes about 4 - 5 hours before the race and a few snacks to hold me over.

Since it was 85 degrees I didn't do much of a warm-up... okay I did zero warm-up.  Just sort of swung my arms and legs around while waiting for my race if that constitutes warming up.

The race started promptly at 11 PM and while it was a chip finish, it wasn't a chip start. Fortunately, I had managed to work my way up to the front.

A group of high-school age kids took off and the lead group (about a dozen folks) quickly left me in the dust.  I found myself running solo, which is a bit unnerving at 11 PM on a lonely bike trail.

The course was well marked.... it was just a little iffy in the first mile where you have to run on a shadowy part of the trail / road and then make your way to the official bike trail.  They had a police marshal at the one traffic intersection and I remembered the route from years past so it wasn't a struggle to know where to go.

I was working with another guy, who was about 50 - 100 yards in front of me.  He had no glow sticks on, so he was hard to see.  I wore one around my neck.  I always feel it is important to be seen and with 3 races going on (5K, 10K and half) everybody needs to see oncoming people.  I also carried a head lamp that I probably used for about 20 seconds (it was a full moon).

The first 2 miles I was feeling really good.  Although there was a hint of a GI issue coming on: I had to take a nature break.  But I was running so well I didn't want to stop.  The porta-pottie at mile 1.25 someone had overturned.  I told myself if it got "really" bad I could always hit the woods.

I was excited to see the turn around point -- the 2nd aid station.  It might've been a little short (I got various reports on the distance of the course, from 6.12 to 6.19).  I grabbed some ice cold Powerade there and turned around.

The Legacy freeway is right next to the route and the headlights approaching me were blinding.  I was wondering what they thought we were doing at close to midnight, wearing glowsticks while running along the bike trail.

I was still chasing the one guy who wasn't wearing a glow stick and I got to assess the folks chasing me.  There were a few people somewhat close to me but I had a pretty good lead on them.  I had gained some ground on the non-glow-stick guy and I figured I could catch him.  I hadn't seen too many people who I thought were in my age group though despite seeing a few at the start.

By mile 4 and 5 I had to go to the bathroom -- bad.  It wasn't an emergency (yet) but it was going to be one soon.  I knew I was running a good race and I didn't want to pull off the side and embarrass myself. I had to slow down a bit as a result and the guy I was pursuing was putting me behind him.

Finally, I hit the 1.55 aid station (for the 5K turn around).  I had gained a little on the guy I was tracking down and apparently he had enough and came to a stop to get a drink and started walking.  I rinsed out my mouth with a drink and kept running hoping to leave him in the dust.  I thought he was going to duke it out with me but he seemed like he ran out of gas, tried to keep up with me and gave up.

I was getting some motivation from outgoing 5K runners.  In fact that is what makes this race nice.  You pretty much get to see everyone and a lot folks are very enthusiastic about their support.  While I am not super speedy it really helped me mentally as people got excited as I was coming back towards the finish line as they were heading out.

The last mile or so I was looking over my shoulder to see if anyone was behind me.  It was a ghost town and there wasn't anyone in front of me.  For most of the race I felt like I was 100% solo.

During the last quarter mile, I think a half marathoner blew by me (amazing) or maybe it was a 5K person.  Either way, I had secured my position in the 10K and I really turned on the jets at the end to save every second I could.

Conclusion

I grabbed my glow in the dark finisher's medal (the alien one above).  Kind of felt weird getting a medal for a 10K but that's the way it works these days. The age group medal one has blinking lights as well.  They've given those out in years past if I recall.

I immediately headed to the bathroom -- which was a pretty good walk from the finish line.  I almost got sick in there.  Going from top speed to sitting just caught up with me and I admit I was on the toilet dry heaving.  Not fun.

After I collected myself I went back out and got something to drink and socialize.  I felt better once I got something to drink and they had Fat Boy ice cream sandwiches which taste heavenly on a hot night.

They started to post results and I noticed my time wasn't up there.  Darn it.  I am pretty patient when it comes to these things and figured it must be coming.  When they were updated again, I still didn't see my results.  Turns out my chip didn't register when I crossed.  It is a small race and I had proof of my time so getting a result entered in was easy thanks to my trusty Garmin.

It seemed to take a while before awards were given out and I think my time wasn't in there for the age group awards so I missed getting publicly recognized (not a big deal).  So I had to get that corrected as well.  I still got an age group medal and as I write this, I am pretty sure I got first in my age group.

Overall, I was pleased with my race performance -- actually tickled pink.  I ran really well -- about a minute or two faster than my previous 10K races that I've done.  Granted this course may have been a tad short but it was flat, but I felt solid.  It was an awesome night for running and there was even some intense heat lightning in the distance (with some cool jagged forks of lightning).

I did use beet juice about 3 hours before the race.  That may have contributed to my stomach issues.  That can be a bit touchy to get down sometimes.  I've used it before and every now and then it doesn't sit well.  I also had a Subway sandwich for lunch, which might have had too much fiber for me.

It is amazing that I've done this race every year since 2012 and it remains one of my favored summer traditions here in Utah.  Looking forward to next year.

2017 Legacy Midnight Half Marathon - Farmington, UT

Official Time: 2:08:51
Placement: 37th place for the males, 1st in age group, 53rd overall
Results: Here
Race Website: Here
Weather: Upper 80's at start, low to middle 80's at finish. Mild south wind
Garmin Route: Here

Mile	Time	Comments
1	8:42	Easy start. Feel like I could run this all night
2	8:37
3	8:49	Slowed up here. Not sure if it was mental or the heat was getting to me
4	8:59
5	9:13	When is the turn around?
6	9:30	I knew from here on out it was going to be a slog
7	9:44
8	10:32	Just shuffling along
9	10:20
10	10:55	Please be over. At least I am running with the 10K'ers
11	11:23
12	12:16	Slog with the 5Ks
12.89	9:48	So glad just to finish
Total Miles: 12.89 - 2:08:51

Introduction

A summer tradition for me, since 2012, is to run the Legacy Midnight Half Marathon.  The run is held in the middle of July during a full moon along the Legacy bike trail.  I've run the trail many times for many races and it is generally flat but not terribly exciting.  However, running at night while wearing glow sticks adds a unique element to it.

I signed up for the race this past winter on account of a nice coupon code.  Generally, the longer you wait to register the more expensive it is.  But signing up early with the coupon code brought this race down to a no-brainer -- and besides I knew I was going to want to run it.

This year there was a bit of a wrinkle. Normally you get to the Legacy Events Center, located in Farmington Utah, board a bus and get transported roughly 13 miles to North Salt Lake.  You hang around for about an hour and then start to run north back to the Legacy Event Center.  This year, however, there was construction on the trail that prevented that from happening.  So, the finish line this year was the start and you ran about 6.50 miles, turned around and came back.  I sort of liked this new format -- I could arrive later and have nice clean bathrooms to use before the start.

The Race

I showed about an hour before the race, grabbed my bib and prayed it would cool down -- just a little bit.  My car said it was about 92F and the forecast said it would drop to 89 by 10PM.  I knew it was going to be a tough one.

And to be honest, I really wasn't in the mood to race, let alone run.  I hadn't slept much the night before and with the temperatures as hot as they were, I knew this was going to be a slugfest.

Looking behind me at the start of the race

The race started exactly at 10 PM.  I always like it when a race starts on time.  I started off with what I felt was a conservative pace.  I was hoping to hit about 8:45 - 9:00 min per mile and just try to hang on as long as I could.

It was hard to judge my pace though.  The trail was dark and it was hard to read my Garmin.  Also, when it is dark, it is hard to judge.  I just hung on as best as I could and as the miles ticked off on my Garmin, I adjusted my pace.

I knew by mile 3 this wasn't going to be "my" race.  Up to this point, my pace was consistent but I felt like things were going to get tough -- and soon.  I was also getting passed periodically.  And it seemed like those passing me felt like it was an easy pace.

As the race progressed I found myself running by myself. There was no sight of any pacers and I could see a distant light bobbing ahead.  Occasionally, a half marathoner would pass me, but for the most part it was lonely business that night.

By mile 5 I was praying that the course was going to be short.  Already some of the lead pack was coming back and it made my heart sink that I had so much more to go.  By the time I hit the turn around point -- roughly 6.45 miles into the race, I simply wanted to walk.

I knew my ego wasn't going to allow me to do that and after seeing that I was still in a reasonably good position (overall) I kept going.

As the race progressed, I saw my splits go from 10 minutes to higher.  I was starting to get really hazy in the final 5K.

There had been water stations every 1.5 miles that were amply stocked.  Kudos to the race director for the ice cold beverages.  But I am fortunate that I brought my own hydration as well.  I was drinking greedily at it (by the time the race was over, I had gone through all of it).

I had hoped that running into the 10K racers (who had started at 11 PM) would motivate me.  But it really didn't.  I was still running faster than most of them.

The 5K didn't inspire me much more either.  I kept telling myself I really didn't care what my time was, I just wanted to finish.  But the competitor in me was doing whatever I could to make an honest showing.

The final stretch finally came and we crossed a service road and back onto the driveway to the events center.  It seemed like the final .75 of a mile couldn't come fast enough.  I had picked up the pace every so slightly as I knew the end was near, but to be honest, I was on the verge of cramping, my shorts were sopping wet and I was a mess.

Conclusion

I was really glad just to finish.  After a week of eating all the wrong food, not running a lot (the only other run I did this week was the 4th of July 5K) and with obscenely hot temperatures, I knew this race wasn't going to be a good one.

I grabbed my finisher's medal and quickly refilled my container with ice cold water.  There were a lot of other people with the same thoughts as I had finished with a bunch of 5Kers and 10Kers.  It seemed to take forever and I felt like I was going to pass out.

Mercifully I got some water and walked around a bit.  The race finishes inside a hall with loud music, strobe lights, and snacks and refreshments.  It was just too much for me and I made my way over to the bathrooms, which were a bit of a hike, to get out of the building.  I had found a drinking fountain before the race and I had the most delicious ice cold water of the night.

I made my way back into the hall and was going to grab a snack and hit the road.  I was exhausted and whether I had gotten an age group award was inconsequential to me.  

I spotted a friend of mine who I run into periodically and wanted to share my greetings before hitting the road.  Turns out, after last year's race he had kindly grabbed my age group award and had had it in his car for the past year.  Wow...  he had won the 10K so I waited until the awards were given out for that and he had received his.  So the medals at the top of the page are the finisher's for this year (which was identical to the Utah / Provo Midnight Half Marathon) and the age group medal from last year.

Overall, I was disappointed with my performance.  I knew it was going to be a tough race but I had hopes that it would be "my" night.  I am still curious as to where I finished, overall, but when I finish post 2:00 hours for a half, I know it wasn't my day.

The course I knew and had run many times.  It was fairly flat but to be honest, a little boring.  I've just run it a bunch of times now and pretty much know every turn.  There wasn't a lot to look at to keep my mind off how badly I felt I was doing.

The race was well supported and well marked.  The first year I had done the race I had nearly gotten lost, but this year, like the recent past, it has been good.  I really didn't need my head lamp except at the very beginning.  I really wished I had left it at home.

I felt the course was a little short.  I came up at about 12.92 miles.

I'll have to see if I run this one next year.  Doing both the Utah and this one doesn't make a lot of sense since the t-shirts and medals are the same.  This one, however, is better attended and the competition more fierce.  I do like the party scene afterwards, but this year I was definitely not in the mood for it -- due to a lack of sleep.

In closing, this race was one I'd like to forget.  It was just painful from the get go.  On the plus side, I did finish (without stopping) and earned my medal.  Some races are like that and I try not to beat myself up too much about it.

2017 Provo Midnight Half Marathon Race Recap - Provo, UT

Official Time: 1:50:03
Placement: 10th Overall, 2nd in the 45 - 49 age division
Results: Here
Race Website: Here
Weather: Low 70's, mid 60's at start. Night race.
Garmin Route: Here

Mile	Time	Comments
1	8:13	Off to a promising start
2	8:13	A little fast for my liking
3	8:43
4	8:26
5	8:41	Might have started to get some stomach issues here
6	8:53	Turn around and had to fiddle with my glow stick
7	8:47	Bathroom break - stopped Garmin at this point
8	8:57
9	9:08	Sort of out of gas here.
10	9:18
11	9:56	Felt like I was running faster here, but clearly on my last wind
12	9:44
12.22	1:55
Total Miles: 12.20 - 1:48:59

Introduction

The Utah Midnight Half Marathon is a bit of a summer tradition for me.  I started doing its sister race when I first moved to Utah in 2012 (The Legacy Midnight Run) and I jumped on board the Provo race in 2014.

The race is located in Provo, home of BYU and is about 30 minutes from my house.  It is a "midnight" run that starts at 10 PM.  There is a 10K and 5K as well, which each race to more or less designed to have you finish around midnight.

Due to some high water issues, this year's race started near the Days Inn hotel in Provo.  In years past, it was located near the Baymont Hotel.  It was also pointed out that there was a bit of a water hazard on the race -- at about the 2.5 mile marker, the Provo River had flooded an underpass and would require runners to go about 50 (or so) yards in 6 to 9 inches of water.

So things were definitely a change from years in the past.

The Race

First off, I had a hard time finding the race.  The pre-race emails, at least to me, were a bit confusing.  I initially arrived about an hour early to the old starting line -- only to find no one there.  So I immediately pulled up the email and punched the address to the one in the email.  I arrived there and drove around a parking lot and didn't really see anyone who looked like they were getting ready for a race.  

I immediately broke into a cold sweat.  Darn, where was this thing. I don't know Provo real well but I drove around and didn't see anything that looked remotely like a race starting.  I finally decided to go double check the place where I stopped at and drove way into the back of the complex -- and saw what looked like runners getting ready for the race.  Yeah!

I quickly signed in, grabbed my shirt and had about 30 minutes to kill before the race start.

 I didn't have too many goals on this race other than to see what I had.  I hadn't run much all week thanks to last weekend's half marathon.  I had felt sore and beat up most of the week and just flat out burned out. On the plus side, when I did arrive to the starting line, I was feeling pretty good.

The race started at 10 PM. I wanted to start out conservatively, but the first part of the race is a slow down hill.  I was tailing the 1:50 pacer and wound up holding within shouting distance of him for most of the first half of the race.

For a while I was running with a group of 2 women and 1 young man but after about a mile and a half I turned on the jets a bit.

At mile 2.5 or so, we finally reached the 'water crossing'.  The race director had warned us this was coming up and I wound up splashing through it.  The water was chilling but actually not too awful.  For the next half mile though, I was sloshing around in my shoes though.  It was sort of funny, on the way back seeing people from the 10K taking off their shoes to wade through.  Come on -- it's race. Power through it!

It was pretty lonely running for the first half of the race.  I could feel someone breathing down my back every now and then.  His (or her) light was bobbing and helping illuminate my way.  Occasionally they would catch up but I just held steady.  The 1:50 pacer was making ground on me and I was using his beacon to figure out where to go, but soon he was a distant memory.

The race is usually held on a full moon but for whatever reason there wasn't much moonlight.  I wound up using my headlamp (which I carried) for most of the race. 

Water stops were at the 1.55, 3.10, 4.55 and 5.25 spots.  I had a hard time judging my pace.  I was so focused on not tripping over any of the little ridges from tree roots on the trail. Occasionally, I'd glance at the mile splits when my Garmin signaled a new mile.

I knew the course, which was good.  I was running solo almost the entire race and I think if it had been my first time, I would've been really uneasy.  It was just so dark and I kept having visions of some lunatic jumping out of the woods to mug me.  I did know where I was at all times and more or less you follow the Provo River until you get to Utah Lake.

The race director had warned us that the course was a little short (and had offered to make us run a bit of extra distance to make up for it) but this year it appeared to be WAY off.  The turn around came at mile 6.20 or so.  My total mileage, according to my Garmin, was 12.22.  I sort of checked in with a few other runners and they too came up short.  I think with the new start location (that resulted from a trail condition) that the course wasn't quite a half marathon.

After the turn around however, I was pretty gassed.  I was happy to see I was in roughly 6th or 7th place overall.  I was getting a lot of encouragement from folks on the way back in who hadn't reached the turn around point.  I did, however, at mile 7 have to use the restroom.  I thought about just toughing through it, but this was a critical situation.  I'll just say, I almost messed my shorts and luckily there was a bathroom just in the nick of time.  It probably cost me a minute and I think two or three people passed me as a result, but a more dire situation would've resulted if I hadn't taken care of business.

The last half of the race was tough.  I knew I was grinding out the miles and my legs just felt fatigued.  Looking at my splits and stride rate, I could tell where I was getting tired.  On the flip side though, I lasted a bit longer than I usually do.  I think it was nice to run at night with ideal weather conditions.  I was also getting a LOT of encouragement passing / working off of the 10K and 5K racers who were running a shorter edition of the course, who had started at 11 PM and 11:30 PM respectively.

Conclusion

I always think I am going to do well at this race.  But it is hard to run fast on this one.  The footing is a little off and it is hard to judge your pace.  For whatever reason, I felt like I was running faster than what I was.  

I carried my own hydration, which I went through about 50% of it.  The water stations were well manned and at appropriate spots.  I think they could've used a bit better markings on the course -- at least to let people know you are going the right way.  It was so dark and a little off-putting, especially to someone unfamiliar with the area.  This was my 4th time running the course, so I certainly remembered most of it.

The shirt I got was a repeat of last years.  Kind of a bummer because On Hill Events shirts are usually pretty cool.  I wound up swapping it out for a smaller size, which I'll give to a friend.  The medals -- both finishers and my master's age group award -- were outstanding.  They were nicely designed, heavy-duty and have blinking lights.

I jumped in early on this race.  I think I got a special for like $50 or something this winter.  For the experience received, it was a good deal.  With halves costing over $70 in some cases, this was good. 

Post race food was plentiful.  These night runs are like a party.  Plenty of Fat Boy ice cream sandwiches, which I love, cotton candy, Powerade, and fruit.  I wasn't in an eating mood, but the ice cream was a winner.

I wound up socializing until the age group awards were presented (it took awhile since I had to wait through the 5K / 10K awards).  I was freezing but I had come prepared and had a sweatshirt and jacket in my car, which kept me toasty.

It wasn't until just after 1 AM (about an hour after finishing) that I was able to hit the road.  I didn't hit the sheets until after 2 AM.  Definitely a long night.

My performance on this race was so-so.  If I extract out the results, I ran roughly a 1:56 half marathon.  I also extracted out the results to the other original course and I came in a few minutes slower than years past.  Not totally unexpected, but I would've hoped for better.  As usual, the latter half of the race was tough and I really didn't have anyone to work off of.  I was running solo for nearly 80% of the race.  But looking at the Garmin pull, a lot of it wasn't too bad.

2016 Utah Midnight Half Marathon Race Recap - Provo Utah

Me pre-race

Official Time: 1:53:30
Placement: 17th out of ?? overall, 1st in the 45 - 59 age division
Results: Here
Race Website:Here
Weather: Mid 80's at the start, mid 75's at finish. 10 mph winds from the north west
Garmin Dump: Here

Mile	Time	Comments
1	8:27	Feeling good. Feeling in control
2	8:23
3	8:20	Despite some bumpy bike trail, maintain a decent pace
4	8:20	Still feeling good.
5	8:45	Hit some head wind here. Also very dark
6	8:40	Head wind.  Feel like I am running faster.
7	8:34	Get a nice bump from the tail wind -- can I hold it?
8	8:38
9	9:00	Tail wind mostly disappears.  Nothing to work with
10	8:59	Legs feel heavy
11	9:49	Officially kind of done.  Mild up hill parts here
12	9:37
12.81	7:52	Whew...glad to be done.
Total Miles: 12.81 - 1:53:30

Introduction

Part of the summer tradition for me is doing the Utah Midnight Run.  I've done this race now two previous times (2014, 2015).

The Utah Midnight Run is put on by On Hill Events and is a lightly attended race, drawing about a 100 people for the half marathon.  They also have a 5K and 10K that runs on the same bike trail but start at different times.  I think the night races appeal to the younger crowd and for me it is a nice way to get in a solid training run.

Either way the race is held on the Provo River bike trail.  It is very similar to the bike trail near my house.  It is reasonably flat with only a few "hills" where you dip under a road.  The challenge of the race, however, is that a lot of the bike trail isn't well lit.  And given the cloud cover over the moon last night, it made it difficult to see.  There were a couple of times where I hit an exposed crack or root nearly causing me to slip.  I did carry a head lamp with me which I used sporadically when it was difficult to see.  I highly recommend you carry some sort of light source for this race.

The Race

I arrived just before 9 PM for the 10 PM start.  This year there was hardly any traffic and I got there way early.  I got myself very close parking to the finish line and literally walked about 20 yards to get to the packet pickup.  I got my shirt and a glow-stick and wound up hanging around for an hour until the race start.

The race started exactly at 10 PM and I was off and running.  The bike trail isn't terribly wide so the first half mile or so, you sort of have to bide your time until people settle into their paces.  

I didn't have a huge goal for this race and to be honest I was sort of worried.  I had been feeling pretty flat on account of the Lamoille Canyon Half Marathon that I had done just 6 days prior.  In fact, the amount of soreness I was feeling was comparable to having run a full a marathon.  

I started off at an 8:30 pace and basically dogged the 1:50 pacer.  I kept him within my sites for the first half of the race, figuring if I could at least keep him in my sites, I'd finish in a decent time.

I wound up passing a good deal of people in the first half and by the time I hit the turn around, I could still see the pacer (running solo) and was within shouting distance of him.  I had been running into the wind, which mysteriously had showed up (probably off Utah Lake) and I was hoping that when I turned around that it would give me a second wind, of sorts.

It did, and for about 2 miles or so I was really able to push it with the help of the wind.  Unfortunately, I think the pacer decided he was perhaps off pace and dropped the hammer, leaving me running solo.  Also, I was starting to close on the 3rd place (overall) female who for a while I thought was the pacer and I was matching her pace, which was slower than 1:50.  

Either way after crossing mile 10 I started running out of gas and was in survival mode.  My legs were just shot and I was slightly dehydrated.  I had brought my own drink and I was sipping on it periodically but the 80 degree temperatures had taken a toll on me.

The woman I was chasing seemed to be in the same state as I was but at least I had someone to follow and work off of.

Also around mile 10 is when I ran into the returning 10K (and eventually 5K) racers.  Some of them were still in the process of running their first 3 miles (they started at 11 PM).  It was good to make contact again with other runners after having run mile 6.5 - 10 largely by myself.  It was sort of surreal to be running in the dark and all of the sudden seeing a runner wearing a headlamp approaching...

I crossed the finish line in a somewhat disappointing 1:53:30.  I sort of expected this (and actually expected to run slower) but I was thrilled to get an age group win.

Conclusion

This year, the race was better marked.  Each year I would run it and I'd stumble across a fork in the bike trail.  Usually it was an easy decision: just follow the river.  They had put up a lot of blinkers on some of the deserted stretches to help guide you.  They also had the garbage cans illuminated -- I remember last year nearly colliding with one.  There were some areas that could've been better marked.  I saw the 3rd place overall girl nearly take a wrong turn by crossing a bridge she didn't need to.  Having run this one three times, now, I had a good sense of where to go and when. 

I got a discount into the race -- so I paid a little over $50, which is fair for a half marathon.  They provided 4 water stops (1.5, 3, 4.5 and 5-ish -- plus the turn around) and they were prepared for the runners.  Post race food consisted of the usual fruit, cotton candy, Fat Boy ice cream sandwiches, and peanut butter sandwiches.  They also had plenty of water and Powerade.  The shirt is a nice tech shirt in a similar style to their previous ones.

Awards were a little crazy.  They had 3 races and it just seemed to take a long time to get through them.  I was jazzed to win my age group though.  

The finisher's medal blinks and I think my age group one is supposed to as well, but either it is broken or the battery is out.  They are very nice medals and similar to what has been given out in previous years.

There is some room for improvement on the race.  From previous years the course was better marked, but there were some areas that could've used an arrow or something to indicate "don't turn here".  There were plenty of water stops and support was good.  The volunteers were enthusiastic and there was the occasional fan hanging out. 

The course itself is nice.  It is hard to appreciate the beauty while running at night, but it was tranquil and there were some nice views of the city lights of Provo from the lake.  Also there were plenty of bridges that made life interesting.

The return trip back to the start -- particularly between miles 7 and 10 are lonely.  It was pitch dark and I could only see the distant bobbing light of another runner. 

Running at night is also difficult to judge your pace.  You don't have instant feedback from your surroundings and you really have to use some of your focus on making sure you aren't going to run into something.  

I do think the race is short.  In years past I've gotten measurements of 12.91 miles or so.  Granted, you are running under some bridges which might result in loss of signal and there were some tree and cloud cover.  Most other people reported less than 13.1 miles, however.

Either way, I am happy to have done this race and I did have a lot of fun.  I should be there in 2017!

2015 Legacy Half Marathon Race Recap - Farmington Utah

Official Time: 1:52:34
Placement: 16 overall (out of 77 men), 3rd in the 45 - 49
Results: Here
Race Website:Here
Weather: Mid 80's at start, mid 70's at finish. north winds at less than 5 mph

Mile	Time	Comments
1	8:19	Feeling pretty good. Solid pace.
2	8:16	Still feels easy
3	8:40	Not sure why my pace slipped here. I think I could feel the heat a bit.
4	8:16	Back to running well.
5	8:18	Still doing pretty well.
6	8:27	I could feel some fatigue here. Mostly running solo
7	8:36
8	8:39	Starting to hurt
9	8:58	Just felt off here.
10	8:51	Really working here. Finally reach the 10K turn around, so I am picking up stragglers from that
11	8:33	Get some motivation here. Not much longer.
12	9:08	Just struggling here. Not much to work with
13	8:48	Got a second wind. Probably clicked the lap a bit early.
13.03	0:28	Push to the finish.
Total Miles: 13.03 - 1:52:34

Introduction

Since 2012, I've done the Legacy Half Marathon.  It is sort of a summer time ritual for me.  You can read about my past runs here:

• 2014
• 2013
• I ran the 2012 edition and didn't do a write-up.

The Race

I signed up for this race for about $60 about a month ago.  I probably wouldn't have run it had I registered this week.  I have been battling some tendinitis where my shin connects in with my foot.  Just about every step I take with my left foot yields a tiny bit of discomfort.  I get this injury from time to time and it usually takes 24 - 72 hours to resolve itself.

Either way, I left the house at about 7:30 to make the 35  minute trip up to the Legacy Events Center in Farmington Utah.  We have been under a bit of a heat spell of late and the temperatures in my car read about 90F -- definitely warm.

Farmington Hills - pre race

The Provo Midnight Half Marathon that I had done about 6 weeks ago is the sister race to this one.  I like this race a lot better -- the trail is in better shape and this race gets a bit more attendees.  On the downside, though, the finisher medal, t-shirt and awards are identical to each other.

I picked up my shirt (which will be given to a lucky recipient at work) and hung around until the 8:30(ish) bus loading time.  The bus drives you roughly 13 miles south to North Salt Lake where you get to hang around for about an hour before the race starts.

The time went quickly but I could tell attendance seemed to be done this year.  I think there are so many races in Utah right now and only so many runners so they are all cannibalizing each other.

The race started at 10pm sharp and I took off at a good yet comfortable clip.  Since this was the fourth time I've run this race and I've run various stretches of the bike trail countless times for other races I've done I knew that this course was largely flat and easy to navigate.  As a matter of fact, last week's Handcart Half followed a good portion of the course as well.

I tried to hold back at the start because with the heat, I didn't know how well I would respond.  I was carrying about 28 ounces of Powerade as well as a gel.  I am glad I took my flask on account that there were a few stretches, particularly in the early miles and late miles were my mouth was dry.  There were copious amounts of aide stations though, so I probably didn't need it.

Being that this was a night race it was very hard to judge my pace.  While I had a tiny headlamp and I was able to lap my Garmin during the mile markers I really didn't have a chance to do the math on my pace.  I felt like I was running pretty solid throughout but I also knew that I was fading at the end.  Looking at my splits, I do see a drop off, but I don't feel like there was a death march at the end and I still had some gas in the tank to go longer.

The first few miles I ran with various people.  However, since the race wasn't terribly crowded and many of the runners were on the slower side, I was primarily running solo.  Occasionally I'd hang with someone and I even managed to reel in some early fast starters.  I was hoping to keep the 1:45 pacer in site but after a few miles he disappeared.  The next pacer was for 2:00.

Around mile 10 I wound up catching a lot of the walkers for the 10K who had turned around at their half way point.  While it was empowering to know I was still running and running pretty well, part of me wanted to join in walking with them.  So it was a mixed bag.  I also ran into a few 5Ks.  (The 10K started at 11 and the 5K started at 11:30).

I managed to finish pretty strong and I definitely liked the new ending area.  The past two years you had to run on some really choppy dirt that made it easy to trip (especially running at night).  This was primarily due to construction.  The race had a nice finish zone and party area.

Conclusion

The finish line pre-race

I was a bit disappointed when I saw my time.  I felt like I was running faster than I was.  I felt for sure I was going to run a sub 1:50.  I think the shin splint issue as well as the heat contributed to an average performance.  I also suspect the bulk of carrying my own fluids slowed me down a bit, but if anything that would be trivial.

On the plus side, I did finish 3 seconds faster than last year.

After the race I hung around and socialized a bit (I really didn't know anyone but as runners, it is easy to make idle chit chat).  They have a big neon party with booming music, awards and food.  As usual, the race was about 66% women and 33% men and quite a few younger folks.  Amazing the ratio discrepancy.

Of course I grabbed a FatBoy ice cream sandwich and some peanut butter sandwiches.  I also managed to get a 3rd place in my age division.  Sort of a let down that by the time the half marathoners get their awards that most people have already left.

I didn't get home until after 1 AM.  I had a good experience though and for the most part I felt like I had run the race pretty well.  The Legacy Half Marathon continues to be one of my favorite events and I look forward to 2016's edition.

2015 Provo Midnight Half Marathon Race Recap

Official Time: 1:51:32.5
Placement: 5th out of 33 overall, 2nd out of 10 in the 45 - 49 age division
Results: Here
Race Website:Here
Weather: Mid 80's at the start, mid 75's at finish. No wind.

Mile	Time	Comments
1-3	24:33	Very slow first half mile. Lots of congestion on a crowded trail
3-6.5	29:13	It is hard to judge pace at night. Was feeling all right. Half way at about 56 minutes
6.5 - 12.9	57:36	Died in the last 3 miles. So warm...
Total Miles: 12.9

Introduction

It is that time in Utah where the temperatures have turned hot and the night racing has begun.  I did the Provo Midnight Run last year (which you can read here) and had a pretty decent time.  Looking for something to do this weekend I decided to hit the race up again.  For $65, I had a pretty good experience and ran reasonably well.  Also, I rarely make it down to Provo and they have a really nice bike trail system that I enjoyed running on last year.

Pre-Race

Running a night race is always a bit challenging on what to eat.  Granted the race started at 10pm so I had some time to digest my food before the race started.  I opted for a decent-sized stack of blueberry pancakes (at 4:30) and of course a can of beets around 7pm.  

I hit the road around 8pm and almost immediately got into heavy traffic.  It looked like there were a pair of stalled motorcycles near the fast lane and they are doing construction in the area, so there was no shoulder for them to get themselves out of the way.  Consequently there was a good mile or two backup of stop and go as gawkers proceeded through the area.  What should've been a 30 minute trip took nearly an hour.

Packet pickup was a breeze and I had about 40 minutes to kill (which went extremely fast) before the race started.

The Race

The race started at 10pm and about 100 half marathoners headed down along the Provo River Bike Trail.

Initially, the route was congested and I was hemmed in by people running 2 and 3 abreast.  I knew from my past experience, though, that the crowds would thin out.  Sure enough, after about half a mile I was able to get past people and be able to run at my own pace.

It was extremely warm but the river seemed to help keep the temperatures cooler.  Part of me wanted to hold back because I knew that I'd likely pay a price for going out too fast.

Being that this was a night race it was extremely tough to figure out what my pace was.  Granted, I had my Garmin but having to fiddle with it, while watching out for roots in the asphalt on the trail just didn't work.  I also was carrying a head lamp and my iPod shuffle (no phone this time).  Occasionally I would check the distance (there were no mile markers) but I wasn't terribly concerned with my pace.

I was pretty happy with the first half of the race except I did go out a little too fast.  I didn't see many other people in front of me when I reached the turn around point.  Although I knew the final 6.5 miles were going to be a challenge.  While my breathing seemed fine, I just felt incredibly thirsty and my stomach was sort of "off".  Also too, I had gas -- luckily the racers were spread far and few between.

For the first half of the race I pretty much hung with a few guys who were my age.  I was trying to keep up with a 1:50 pacer but he got off to a good start and I suspect he was running significantly faster than 1:50.

However, as the race progressed I wound up dropping the guys I was working with and by the time I was at mile 6 I had a young man within ear shot of me and no one behind me.  I knew I had a good shot at finishing in the top 10 and if I could hold my pace without blowing up too bad, I should cross in under 1:49,

The second half of the race went well but I knew I was hurting and the last 5K was a crawl.  I just couldn't muster up a second wind despite my head wanting to.  I was working with the same young man (it was his first time on the course and he seemed to want to take every wrong turn).  I also wound up catching one of the first women in the race and we were swapping positions every half mile or so.  It was also nice to work against the outgoing and incoming 10K / 5K racers (who had started at 11pm and 11:30 respectively)

Part of me was sort of holding back too.  I was a little worried about having another episode like I did in Helena.  Also I was having problems seeing.  I think the blinding lights from oncoming headlamps and the constant adjustment I was having to make after being blinded by them made this a challenging race.

The trail wasn't too bad, but there were definitely a few spots were I stumbled on a tree root that was cracking the pavement.  Definitely during the darkened portions of the trail, I was using my headlamp.

The first third of the race was on bike trail near "civilization".  There were people riding skateboards and there were parks near by, so it was a well-used section.  After about 3 miles, though, the trail gets more desolate and you are definitely in the "boonies".  There is heavy tree line blocking most of the moon's rays, so it was challenging to see.  Also, near the turn around point, you are very close to Utah Lake and a camping area.

Since this was the second time I've run this race, I knew the course (it is flat).  However, I came to a dead stop at about mile 8 as the trail forked.  I hadn't seen the fork on my way out but there really wasn't any marking on which way to go.  I wound up waiting for about 15 seconds for the man I had just passed to catch up with me.  We wound up taking the right fork (I think both trails led to the same spot) but it was disconcerting that it wasn't marked well.  The rest of the race was well marked though and other than that one spot I wasn't worried about getting lost.

Finish line before the race started

Conclusion

Water stops were also at 1.55, 3.10, 4.55 and 5.55.  Gatorade, gels, and water were served.  A few of the stations didn't really seem to know what they were doing.  Also I practically fell on my face when I went through the second station -- they had put the trash can right in the middle of the bike trail without anything in front of it to indicate that it was there.  I saw it at the last second and manage to sort of hurdle my way over it.  That could've been really bad.

The course came out short according to my Garmin.  Granted there were a few spots where my Garmin sort of stopped working because I was under a length bridge.  The 5K and 10K courses were spot on.

I was really surprised at how well I finished.  My time wasn't what I was hoping for, but overall, I finished pretty high up in the ranks.  I also won my age group (the results show I was second, but I think the first place guy was in the top 3 so he was pulled out).

After the race, I grabbed some peanut butter sandwiches and drank a ton of Powerade.  I also kept moving.  I only felt a tiny bit of "wooziness"

Also just as the majority of people were hanging around getting food and beverages, the host hotel's lawn sprinklers went on, soaking a lot of people.  Luckily, people had spare buckets to cover the sprinklers but it did create a wet and soggy lawn.

The race had a TON of women.  If you look at the results they outnumbered the guys 2 to 1.  Also the majority of the folks were in their twenties.  There weren't a lot of older folks.

This race series has really upgraded their medals over the years.  In 2012 I ran a sister race of this one and got a plastic flashing medal, which was nice, but definitely not top of the line.  This year's medals are heavy, have flashing lights and have a nice ribbon on them.  Definitely a show piece.  The t-shirt follows last year's theme (at first I thought they were recycling last year's shirts but the date had indeed been updated).

I really enjoyed my race and I wish my time had been better.  I think part of it was stomach issues and another part was that it was HOT.  I didn't feel 100% once the race started and part of me wasn't really in the mood to race.  Part of it may have been residual effects from the Helena Marathon two weeks ago.  Either way, I did place well and came home with some good swag.