Traveling to Utah was quite an adventure. The devastating rains in Colorado put a ground-stop on ALL traffic in and out of Denver International Airport. They're calling it the 1000 year storm. We were given a 30 minute window to board the plane around 11 a.m.; only 2 1/2 hours past our scheduled departure time. The line was complete chaos. No zone boarding here. We all managed to board the plane, safely. The next flight to Salt Lake City was delayed too. I was thankful that I originally had an almost 4 hour layover in Denver. I was only about an hour late arriving into SLC. I managed to take the Trax; a public train. I was a little nervous; okay, REALLY nervous. I always have Dan to worry about the BIG things. But hey! The motto of the weekend was to GO BIG...so I did!
Do you see my little blue dot?! I'm representing Hooper! All the way in Utah :)
I arrived at the Holiday Inn Express, unpacked and hung out. My friends Jodi and Karen weren't to arrive until almost midnight so I tried to get some shut eye. The buses were leaving between 4 - 5 a.m. to take us up the canyon. I took my usual Flat Momma photo and went to sleep.
What a morning! Have you ever woken up for a race at 3:45 a.m.? First time for me! We left for Cottonwood HS around 4:30. It was only 8 miles away. Unfortunately, we had NO idea how AWFUL parking was going to be. We finally found a spot around 5:10 a.m. We had strict instructions that the last bus would leave at 5 for the canyon. As we got out of the car, all we could hear were people yelling..."THE BUSES ARE LEAVING!! THE BUSES ARE LEAVING!!" Jodi, Karen and I ran. We didn't travel ALL this way for them to leave us. We got on the second to last bus. It had 3 spots left. But we made it. I feel awful for those behind us. I have no idea if they made it.
Apparently, buses were breaking down. One bus transferring the FULL participants got stuck. The bus in front of us broke down. Those runners crammed onto our bus. But we made it to the start line; over 8 miles up Big Cottonwood Canyon. The sun hasn't risen yet. It was pretty dark. We began to worry how in the heck are we going to see. Quickly the sun began rising and it wasn't all that bad. Plenty of port potties...a runners best friend! I was told that the canyon could be quite cold. We were given Mylar blankets and gloves. Didn't I say, great swag?! And we wait...
I have ran hills. But a course entirely downhill was going to be my next feat. With a 15 degree decline, it proved to be an interesting race. I didn't want to over stride and reinjure my ITB. I took quick, little steps and managed to keep a low 10 min/mile pace for the entire 8 miles out of the canyon. Not too shabby for me! Plenty of aid stations to help us along the way too. My favorite: Aid Station # 1: Jolly ranchers :)
GREAT motivational signs...they were everywhere.
The next four miles was tough. The Gu I took earlier was not settling well in my stomach. I'm not a big fan of yellow Gatorade. But I needed electrolytes so I kept drinking it. I actually got sick around mile 12 but I felt a ton better after that. Trust me, Gu tastes the same way coming back up. I hate that stuff! Enjoy some FREE race photos...
Unfortunately, Fall hadn't set in. This wasn't quite the view I had, but it was still spectacular!
Smiling for the camera! I love this one. Maybe they'll use it for a promo pic next year.
Running through the town of Murray, Utah was nice. I came past one house. It was beautiful but it stunk. And I think that's where I began to feel sick. My times were slowing waaay down but I was still managing to stay on track. Those fast 10 min. milers saved my time.
Nothing like coming into the straightaway! I was ready to be done. My calves were on fire, my quads were on fire, and I was just tired. I guess I can't forget I just ran a half marathon only 13 days prior to this. More FREE pictures...
Nothing like finishing with a NEW PR!! 2:31:36. I was really hoping to break that 2:30 mark. But I'm okay with this. I even had a spectator! Margaret, my old dental hygienist, came to see me finish! She moved to Utah about 3 years ago and lived close. It was so nice to see a familiar face at the end. I really needed that. More FREE photos...
Well, duh! Me :)
PROS: Race swag, finishers medal, scenery, jolly ranchers, popsicles, motivational signs
CONS: Parking, buses, WARM chocolate milk
State # 3
Half Marathon # 6
Below are some personal photos...also FREE :)
