Runner's World

The plan was to do 14, but an unexpected family event prevented me from putting in all the miles. I guess it is the spirit of the law and not the letter of the law. The original plan was to do 20, but I think Sasha is right with his can vs. should argument. I could do it, but I didn't think it would make me any stronger for the marathon in 3 weeks. In fact, I think it might have done more harm than good.

Regardless, the 10 miles were very good and included some small hills. I felt very good and tried to picture where I would be in the upcoming marathon and what my strategy would be as the miles went by.

Good run on a nice Labor Day. Went with the jogger again and had no problems. Kyle fell asleep quickly which makes me assume the ride is fairly smooth for him. I'm feeling good as the marathon date approaches, but I'm hesitant about what I'll face after mile 20. It seems as if everyone struggles after mile 20 and you just suck it up and keep going. That's my strategy. When I get to mile 20, I'll be within an hour or so of the end and I'm not going to let one hour destroy 5 months of work and preparation.

I've noticed lately that my times seem to be getting a little faster and when I'd pick up the pace, I was able to hold it longer and with less strain. Now, while I know that a couple of weeks before a marathon is taper time, I couldn't help but push myself a little bit.

As such, I set out to see if I could break the 1 hour mark for seven miles. I felt great and was able to complete the seven miles in 59:23. I felt great at the end, not gassed or beat. I think my endurance and speed have increased significantly over the past month or so.

Don't worry. I understand that I am in the taper stage and need to act accordingly. I will continue with my schedule and will not try to do too much.

Easy miles with Kyle in the jogger.

Didn't run Thursday or Friday. Just felt like I needed a break to rest the legs and keep them fresh. Had committed to run Huntsville Half Marathon and felt well enough Friday to give it a try. Felt great during the run and set a new PR: 1:52:22. Have visions of a sub-four hour TOU marathon. We'll see.

Ran 4 with Kyle in the jogger. I think I may have picked up a bit of food poisoning or illness on Sunday and didn't feel right Sunday night or Monday. Felt better today and got in some miles.

Quick run during lunch while the auditors were gone.

Keeping it low on the distance. Staying busy with work.

Nice long run when things cleared in the afteroon. Auditors left early for the day. We're headed to Los Angeles at 6:00 tomorrow morning for a work conference. Not sure if I'll have much time in the next couple of days to fit in many runs.

Great day for a run. Sure beats the hotel and the LA smog.

Took Kyle out in the jogger. Found a little mouse along the trail. He thought it was great. I feel ready for Saturday.

Sasha asked if I was feeling better from my "food poisoning". I don't know what I had, but I'm feeling just as strong as before, but I still have some residual gastrointestinal distress. Not to get too graphic, but things haven't been solid for more than a week. I'm thinking that I may need some Pepto-Bismol or Immodium AD for Saturday so I don't have to stop 3 times, but I'm worried what that will do to my system. Will it weigh me down? Will it cause hydration problems? Any advice/help would be very welcome. I want Saturday to be a day of good memories.

Quick 2.5 mile run in the cold should prepare me for Saturday's festivities. I'm excited!!

WOW!! What an experience. I certainly didn't expect anything like that! I've always wondered why spectators show up to watch a marathon. Now I realize that everyone has a story. Here's my story:

I loved the early cold morning. For some reason, it put me at ease. It made me feel like I was running in my neighborhood and not in one of the largest organized races in Utah.

Having never run a marathon, I think I played it a little on the cautious side. I took the canyon slower than I may have normally and it's hard to look back and say if that was the right or wrong thing to do. I hit the half-marathon mark at 1:57:40, just slower than my Great Salt Lake Half-Marathon result.

I felt good through mile 17 and then struggled through miles 18-22. Somewhere after mile 22, however, I got a second wind (or third wind or fourth wind). The last four miles were strong for me and I ran mile 25 and 26 at an approx. 9:30 pace.

When the dust settled, I end up clocking 4:07:58. This was not my ideal sub-four hour finish, but was far from disappointing. When I started training, I worried about the five hour mark, then the 4:30 mark, then the 4:15 mark. To see where I came from to where I ended up is something I take a lot of pride in.

I also take a lot of pride in the fact that outside of slowing to through the aid station, I never once stopped to walk. There was no better feeling than hitting that finish line and seeing the cumulation of months of hard work.

I've spent the entire morning telling co-workers about the experience and I get a lot of the same reaction. Everyone says, "That's amazing", "I can't believe you did it", and "I wish I could do something like that". It makes me realize that everyone who finished, whether it is Sasha with his awesome 5th place finish, myself at 662nd, or whoever finished 1500th, has done something that few people will ever do in their life. And it's not because they "can't" do it, it's because they "won't" do it.

Congratulations to everyone who took part on Saturday. Like all the signs said on Saturday, "You're awesome!" I feel great and I can't wait to start planning my next conquest: the Ogden Marathon!! Happy runnings and let's keep getting the word out about this website!

A quick easy run after a couple of days of rest. I can't believe how good it felt to run just for the sake of running. I had Kyle in the jogger and for once I didn't mind stopping to talk to him, look at some airplanes that caught his attention, pick flowers, look at the horses.

As much as I may not want to admit it, I know I had doubts in the back of my mind. Now my mind is clear. If something were to happen today, no one could take this accomplishment away from me.

Got in a quick 4 miles before EQ presidency meeting. Felt great. Perfect weather in my favorite loop (south end of the trail).

A perfect 10-K split into two segments. Kyle's favorite park in West Point is exactly 3.12 miles away from the house (almost too weird). Brittany pulled Kyle in the stroller while I ran. Once at the park, we enjoyed the nice weather and let Kyle play for about 40 minutes before heading home. It was weird to think that the marathon was just one week before. Now that I'm away from the run, I'm ready to gear up for Ogden. I'll probably maintain a good base for the rest of the fall and then I'm planning of joining N.U.T.S. to keep me motivated and going during the winter. I have about 5 people interested in training with me. We'll see if they really mean it. I'll certainly try to steer them toward the website and get them to set up their own blogs!