Training in Montana

Nice easy run today. Cool outside with snow in the forecast, but felt good, and the cold kept most people inside the gym so it was peaceful. AP 9:48, Avg HR 140.

Treadmill miles. Snowing today (happy birthday to me) and didn't want to get wet through the puddles so ran inside for the first time in a while. Warmed up for .35 or so then did my 3.7 tempo run. Stayed at 7.1 mph with a 2 incline. Didn't wear HR monitor so don't know, but I got warm and wished I was wearing a sleeveless shirt even though they look stupid. I was too hot and no fans nearby so did the dorky thing and hiked up my shorts sleeves to uncover my shoulders. I ran much cooler even though I looked like a wannabe sleeveless shirt guy. Oh well. When I was nearly done my wife texted to say she was on her way to pick me up, so I hurried and finished & showered and she took me to Jimmy Johns for my birthday. Yum. Hadn't been there before, new one opened downtown, and their bread rocks. Great sandwich & pickle, but could do without the friendliness. Creepy when you walk in and everyone behind the counter says hi. Creepy! After work will pack the car then head out tomorrow at 4 AM for the 14 hour 15 minute drive to St. George. Red Mountain 30K - here I come!

Short slow run to keep the legs warm. Ran on the St. George river trail - gorgeous. I would love to have a trail like that at home. Looking forward to hanging out in St. George then the run Saturday morning.

My first race report so bear with me. I'm kind of all over the place & a bit long winded.

The goal: I was hoping to run an 8:30 pace, but I wasn't sure I could do it. I had done 8:30 on my tempo runs and it felt good but not great. I'd only done one long run of 15.5 and I averaged a 9:30 pace for that. I was confident in my core workouts though, which was new for me in the past 3-4 months.

The organization: The Red Mountain 50/30K was a great small race. I did the 30K which only 45 of us ran, so not sure about the 50K but it seems like a well organized event. The aid stations were awesome - tons of gu, Heed drink, and lots of other goodies, and the volunteers were helpful. So now the actual race.

The prep: It rained on the car as we drove to the busses so it didn't seem promising, but it held off for the rest of the day. We boarded a couple school busses and at the appointed time headed to the starting point. Got there and 4 portapotties awaited, which was perfect for 45 of us. It was a bit chilly but I had on a long sleeve shirt and that worked great. I used the john a couple times, added more body glide, got in a decent warmup, then put my long sleeve shirt away in my drop off bag.

The race: We got started on time and headed off. Perfect weather - cloudy with a bit of a breeze. My goal was an 8:30 pace and I did my best to keep that at the beginning, but got talking to a few different people and fell off pace a bit, but that was okay. The first aid station was mile 3 and I stopped and took water and Heed then took off again, feeling good. Not long into the race I realized that I should mentally split the race into three 10K races, and that strategy worked great. My first 10K was about a 55:00 split which I felt great about. Before the second aid station I was starting to feel hungry and really needed to pee. I was glad to see aid station two. Got some Hammer Gel (Montana Huckleberry in honor of my state) and some electrolyte drink and water, peed, then headed off again. I ran a couple miles with a guy who was doing a similar pace, but left him as I wanted to push an 8:10 pace, which I'd been doing for a while and felt good doing. At the third aid station I took more gel and electrolyte, and knew I was nearly halfway done, but that didn't matter - mentally I was nearly done with my 2nd 10K. Just as I neared 12.4 miles, I heard footsteps behind me and wondered who was running so fast - didn't recognize the guy so yelled out "50K?" and he said yes. He was hauling. The 50K started an hour before we did. He's the only one who passed me after the start and he won by a long ways. Knowing that I only had a 10K left was awesome, as I knew the big hills were coming up. I also started reeling in a girl who skipped a couple of aid stations and was way ahead. I passed her at the bottom of the big hill, and went up the hill making good time. At the steepest parts I was doing a 9:30 pace, which I felt great about. Got to the top and hit an aid station. Took more gel and electrolyte and hit the loo for the last time. Another guy ahead of me left before me and I was trying to reel him in. He had to walk after 1/2 mile so I passed by, my last pass. We then had some rolling hills before the last hill. The last aid station was at the bottom of the last hill and I only took a sip of water and poured the rest on my head. I went up the hill feeling good and kept my pace in the 8's. I saw my Dad at the top of the hill and that got my legs going. I passed him doing a 7:30 pace, which felt okay but was a bit too fast. I knew we were close to the finish, but the course forced us to do a big loop before the finish so that messed a bit with my head. I slowed my pace on the stretch of dirt road down to a 9:00. Once we got back on pavement I picked it up. There was a guy ahead of me by 1/4 mile and it was nice to see which direction to take to the park. After making the last turn I picked it up a bit then saw my wife, boys, and nephew looking for me. I waved and told them to go back to the finish line. I got to the park and followed the arrows without knowing how far I had. I sprinted until I realized I still had a ways. My boys were running with me, but I was going at a good pace. When I got close enough to the finish I sprinted and got up to a 4:36 pace for the last bit, then crossed the finish line. I felt great! By my watch, I ran 19.1 miles, not the 18.6 that was advertised. Not sure why the discrepancy. 

The result: Ran a 2:43:36, good enough for 9th overall and 3rd in my age division. AP: 8:35. I was hoping for a 2:40 and just missed that, but I am really happy with the results. I was able to run strong up the hills and I was able to finish strong, which were my two biggest worries. I ran a negative split race which I am stoked about. It was a beautiful day for a run. My thighs are killing me from the hills! It's a good hurt, but stairs are tough to walk down. :)

Splits: 

Mile	Total Time	Cum Time
1	00:08:55	00:08:55
2	00:08:55	00:17:50
3	00:08:16	00:26:06
4	00:08:35	00:34:41
5	00:08:27	00:43:08
6	00:08:28	00:51:36
7	00:09:20	01:00:56
8	00:08:23	01:09:19
9	00:09:51	01:19:10
10	00:08:12	01:27:22
11	00:08:18	01:35:40
12	00:08:58	01:44:38
13	00:07:53	01:52:31
14	00:08:16	02:00:47
15	00:09:57	02:10:44
16	00:07:59	02:18:43
17	00:07:57	02:26:40
18	00:08:14	02:34:54
19	00:07:54	02:42:48
20	00:01:05	02:43:53

Garmin Report: http://connect.garmin.com/activity/81053674