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Utah Valley Marathon

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Location:

Fort Collins,CO,

Member Since:

May 15, 2003

Gender:

Male

Goal Type:

Local Elite

Running Accomplishments:

Unaided PR's:
5K: 14:48 (Track - 2001)
10K: 30:45 (Track - 2001)
10K: 31:32 (Bolder Boulder - 2013)
Half Marathon: 1:06:09 (Duluth - 2013)
Marathon: 2:17:54 (Grandma's) - 2014)
Marathon: 2:19:47 (Indianapolis Monumental - 2013)
Marathon: 2:19:49 (Indianapolis Monumental - 2010)

Aided PR's:
10K: 29:38 (Des News - 2011)
Half Marathon: 1:05:30 (TOU Half - 2011)
Marathon: 2:18:09 (St George - 2007)
Marathon: 2:17:35 (Boston - 2011)

Short-Term Running Goals:

Diagnosed with Ankylosing Spondylitis in June of 2008. Started taking Enbrel in March, 2009.

Run as much as I can, and race as well as I can. Make the most of however much time I have left as an able-bodied runner.

Training for the 2018 Colorado Marathon

Long-Term Running Goals:

  Run until I'm old, and then run some more. Stand tall.

Personal:

1 wife, 2 kids. 1 cat. Work as a GIS Specialist/Map Geek

Endure and persist; this pain will turn to your good. - Ovid

Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us. - Romans 5:1-5

 

 

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Miles:This week: 0.00 Month: 0.00 Year: 0.00
Saucony Trail Shoe Lifetime Miles: 247.50
Hoka Clifton Lifetime Miles: 491.50
Saucony Type A6 Lifetime Miles: 186.50
Saucony Zealot Lifetime Miles: 478.75
Saucony Kinvara 6 Lifetime Miles: 433.50
Saucony Kinvara 6-2 Lifetime Miles: 358.75
Brooks Pure Connect Blue Lifetime Miles: 337.25
New Balance Trainers Lifetime Miles: 314.50
New Balance 1400 Racers Lifetime Miles: 65.00
Brook Pureflow Lifetime Miles: 99.50
Race: Utah Valley Marathon (26.2 Miles) 02:19:28, Place overall: 2
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesCrosstraining milesTotal Miles
2.0026.200.000.000.0028.20

Utah Valley Marathon. I'll try to keep this short, yet somewhat entertaining. All-in-all, a good race. I met my time goal, and came up just a little bit short for the win, but am okay with how it all went down. Good day to run.

Got about 3 hours of sleep due to kids not wanting to sleep, and then me waking up about every half hour. Got up at 3:00AM, ate a bowl of oatmeal with a banana and drank weak motel coffee. Read Running Times until Clyde and the StG boys swung by to pick me. Once at the start, we had over an hour to blow, but chatted with a lot of people, used the potties, and the time passed pretty quick.

Weather was about perfect: upper 40s at the start, little to no wind, clear skies. I've gotten lucky with my last two marathons!

My goal for the day was to compete for the win, and also to break 2:20 for the time bonus. I knew the race would have good competition, which would be fun. There were two Kenyans from last year, including the returning champion, plus some good Utah runners in Bryant Jensen and Jake Krong. And that's pretty much how it played out.

The race started right on time. I wanted to go out at a pace that felt okay for my body, and didn't force anything the first few miles. My body decided to use that opportunity as warmup, and I was okay with that, just letting the lead pack of Bryant and the two Kenyans go, and enjoyed chatting with Clyde and Jake. First mile was 5:47, which was slower than what it felt like, but I figured we'd pick it up. It's a long race. Mile 2 was 5:29, followed by a 5:00. Not sure where the 5-flat came from.

We had a little pack for the first couple miles, but after Mile 3, Jake and I had separated ourselves out. Despite, the 5-flat, the leaders still seemed to be pulling away. And they continued to do so for the next few miles as well. But not a hole that we couldn't dig ourselves out of!

Mile 4 was 5:16, and then a 5:23 for Mile 5. This upper part of the race (I have no idea where we were, just somewhere in Utah), had some fast downhill stretches, but also a lot of rolling hills...more hills than I expected. I thought the whole first half of this race was actually quite challenging, and the second half a bit faster. Good negative split course, if the first half doesn't wear you out too much! The first 8 miles are very beautiful though, my favorite part of the race despite not being the fastest section.

Dropped a 5:13 for Mile 6. The leaders looked to be about a minute up. Jake and I still working together from behind, and somewhere in here, I decided it was time to narrow the gap (don't remember exactly where).

5:24 for Mile 7, then 5:33 for Mile 8. Took a Gu at Mile 7. Again, way more uphills than I expected. But the leaders were definitely coming back now, although I had dropped Jake and was now working alone. But seeing the leaders come back was enough positive feedback to keep it moving, despite slower miles splits. I figured if I was 1:11 or under at the half, then sub-2:20 was still doable, although I would have liked to see 1:10 or just a little under.

 Mile 9 had a major hill, and it was 5:46 for the mile. I passed one of the Kenyans on the hill to move into 3rd, and he was dropping pretty hard. But then used the downhill to surge to a 4:52 on Mile 10, and this is where I finally caught Bryant and the eventual winner, Hillary Cheruiyot. Once I caught them, I was able to settle and recover a bit, but the hills just kept coming. I was feeling a little frustrated, as I just wanted to get in a rhythm and roll. But the hills were manageable, and I was feeling okay. Not great, not especially fast, but strong enough to keep it up and hope for better things in the second half.

Mile 11 was 5:08, then 5:35 (lot of uphill), then 5:15. Came through the half in 1:10:16, and I was somewhat relieved. A few more 5:15 miles, and we'd be under 2:20 pace. Still had a nice pack of three. I threw a few tester surges here and there, and Cheruiyot responded immediately to each one. He looked good.

Once I got to the half point, I knew the course pretty well, from last year, and knew it should be a flier, with a few decent uphills here and there, but mostly great, runnable downhill. I was looking forward to really getting moving, and hoping my legs were ready, and fit enough to handle it. I was feeling decent, but that can change in a hurry during a marathon.

5:18, 5:12, and 5:30 for the next three miles. The slower split for Mile 16 was expected, as I remembered that hill for last year. Still the three of us in a pack. Keep rolling, still have work to do to get that sub-2:20!

5:10, 4:58, 5:14, and 5:17 for Miles 17-20. That's more like it! Took my second Gu at Mile 19. Then 5:21 for the final mile in the canyon. We dropped Bryant around Mile 17 (apparent he was having shoe problems), so it was a two-man race to the finish. Kind of a repeat of last year. Cheruiyot was still responding to everything I threw at him, and with 5 miles to go I was weaking and getting into "hang-on mode" rather than being able to throw that killer surge that I wanted to do. I was even starting to doubt if I could close well enough to get 2:20.

But despite not having the spunk in my legs, Mile 22 was still 5:17, followed by 5:20 for Mile 23. Still running shoulder-to-shoulder with Cheruiyot, still anyone's race. I wasn't sure how I could either win this, either have Cheruiyot suddenly fall apart (not likely, but definitely possible at the marathon distance), or sum up some strength for a hard half-mile kick or so at the end, and hope that nothing happens between now and then.

My watch ran out of memory at this point (still had Boston on there for some reason, maybe for the warm fuzzies), but I'm pretty sure Mile 24 was about 5:30. Despite not feeling spunky, the course is fast enough here to keep rattling it out.

Right after Mile 24, Cheruiyot won the race. Well, actually he won the race when he crossed the finish, but he made the decisive move to win right here, and the man had it in him. He pulled ahead of me by about 10 seconds during this mile, although I split another 5:20, or near there. I don't think there was much I could do about it. He was saving it up for that point, and I was just trying to keep my legs moving at the same pace.

During the last mile, I knew still I had a really strong shot at sub-2:20 and the time bonus, and was also hoping for a sudden slowdown by Cheruiyot. Maybe he played his card too early? So I drove as hard as I could, and ended up with 6:05 for the last 1.2, which means Mile 26 was near 5:10 or a little under. But I could not close whatsoever, and he maintained or even slightly increased the gap. I finished in 2:19:28, 2nd place overall. Second half was 1:09:12, so a negative split of just over a minute.

Hats off to Cheruiyot. I don't mind getting beat if I know I ran as well as I could, didn't have any physical or mental collapses, etc. He had that extra gear to win. I think I ran a good race, about as good as I can hope for, considering mileage of 60-ish miles/week since Boston. I'm glad I had a good winter base, as that surely helped!

Ended up taking home $1300 for my efforts, my second-best ever payday. Can't complain about that! And our St George Running Center team won the team competition, so that was nice icing on the cake.

I'm glad I ran UVM, not sure if I'll do the full marathon there again, but it was a pretty course, and it was nice doing an in-state race without the pressure of qualifying. And it's always wonderful and a blessing to be able to run the distance, at any speed.



Saucony Type A Miles: 28.20
Comments
From Derunzo on Sat, Jun 11, 2011 at 18:56:32 from 98.229.131.173

You're a beast! Awesome race.... and bonus payday!

From Andrea on Sat, Jun 11, 2011 at 19:13:06 from 67.177.21.60

Great race Paul! You still could've gotten 3rd in the half marathon after your 13 mile "warm-up". It was nice to meet you - you are definitely an inspiration in terms of hard work and consistency paying off over time!

From Holt on Sat, Jun 11, 2011 at 19:18:25 from 50.8.79.137

Great to see you and the fam again - even if only for a short time. And as always, an inspiring race!

From Burt on Sat, Jun 11, 2011 at 19:18:45 from 72.223.90.79

Man, you are awesome! Another sub 2:20! Some day I'll be able to tell my kids that I once received a personal email from the great Paul Petersen. That day will be today.

From Dale on Sat, Jun 11, 2011 at 19:26:00 from 64.206.238.24

Wow, you're really on a roll. Nice job.

From Steam8 on Sat, Jun 11, 2011 at 19:26:46 from 166.70.55.77

Loved reading your report! Awesome job...You are amazing!!!!!

From JamesH on Sat, Jun 11, 2011 at 19:46:49 from 174.52.139.219

As always Paul, your a fantastic runner and just a great guy. Congrats on another good race.

From Lily on Sat, Jun 11, 2011 at 19:48:57 from 67.199.178.210

Seriously, you are the stud of the FRB! Nice nice nice! :)

From Jake K on Sat, Jun 11, 2011 at 20:05:43 from 67.177.21.60

Awesome run, Paul. You and Moses Mosop both came back from Boston strong! It was great running w/ you for at least the first 6 miles. I knew you'd reel those guys in. We'll see you up at Top of Utah later this summer.

From Seth on Sat, Jun 11, 2011 at 20:19:55 from 75.169.118.22

Great run! You are a runner.

From crockett on Sat, Jun 11, 2011 at 21:00:15 from 71.32.232.58

Way to go Paul. It was great to watch you run and see at the finish.

From jtshad on Sat, Jun 11, 2011 at 21:06:59 from 24.10.248.6

Congrats on a great race! Your running at just such a high level it is amazing. Glad to be on your team and see you again (twice in a week!).

From Scott Ensign on Sat, Jun 11, 2011 at 21:19:40 from 71.166.199.254

nice race Paul, congrats on breaking 2:20 again.

From allie on Sat, Jun 11, 2011 at 22:08:23 from 24.10.191.18

congrats, paul! another super race for you. very exciting to see such a close finish. congrats on another sub-2:20.

From Dan on Sat, Jun 11, 2011 at 22:15:37 from 24.209.83.20

congrats again Paul, very inspiring

From Oreo on Sat, Jun 11, 2011 at 22:37:52 from 174.27.159.35

Great job... sub 2:20 is crazy.

From Walter on Sat, Jun 11, 2011 at 23:12:56 from 166.168.229.220

Awesome race Paul! I would never erase that Boston memory ever of that watch! I may even go as far as having it gold plated! :) You are so inspiring! Im so proud to tell my friends about you in running conversation! Yeah, he lets me run with him when im up in Logan on his slow recovery days!

From James on Sat, Jun 11, 2011 at 23:37:41 from 174.23.137.54

I loved the Paul recovery runs! When I get better and un-fat we'll have to do another one. Great race...absolutely studly!

From Jon on Sat, Jun 11, 2011 at 23:51:01 from 64.115.74.25

Paul- as always, very consistent, predictable, and well-done. But enough about your race report- good race, too! Congrats and enjoy the payday.

From Fritz on Sat, Jun 11, 2011 at 23:53:09 from 67.182.226.25

Great job Paul! I thought about tripping the leader but then I knew you would have waited for him to get up. Inspiring as usual.

From Burt on Sat, Jun 11, 2011 at 23:54:51 from 72.223.90.79

I saw the video on allie's blog. You weren't too far behind. Incredible.

From Superfly on Sun, Jun 12, 2011 at 01:19:01 from 74.211.21.81

Glad we got to kick it. Way to get that bonus. Your hotter than Hanzal right now.

From Little Bad Legs on Sun, Jun 12, 2011 at 01:37:52 from 68.186.75.3

Very impressive, as we've all come to expect. Nicely done!

From Predog on Sun, Jun 12, 2011 at 02:12:01 from 24.10.142.244

Paul, I was just telling Cody today that you are too boring. Too predictable. Always turning in crazy fast performances. Someday I hope to be half the runner you are. I really like the way you deal with the race mentally. Enjoying the run, but underneath showing some real toughness and tenacity. Great report, and very nice race!

From Clay on Sun, Jun 12, 2011 at 13:03:15 from 76.27.40.209

Great race Paul! I love your positive report you are always looking on the bright side of things! Very inspirational!!!

From MichelleL on Sun, Jun 12, 2011 at 17:31:04 from 67.41.162.117

Great race report as always.

From Dave S on Sun, Jun 12, 2011 at 20:06:01 from 4.254.220.238

Nice job! It looks like sub 2:20 is becoming a habit.

From Mik'L on Sun, Jun 12, 2011 at 20:48:11 from 74.211.21.81

Amazing as always! Fun to see you guys!

From Steve on Mon, Jun 13, 2011 at 10:06:12 from 76.27.106.132

What a great time on that course!

From David on Mon, Jun 13, 2011 at 17:45:21 from 174.52.182.34

Great job! That's amazing... I am amazed. I felt like my 7:03 pace hurt badly enough. I don't know how you guys do it but well done!

From Adam RW on Wed, Jun 15, 2011 at 00:35:05 from 24.10.132.131

Paul, As always you are an inspiration and lead by setting a great example both by your ability and your assessment of that determination and skill. It was great chatting with you for a little after the finish. Hope to see you again soon.

From josse on Wed, Jun 15, 2011 at 18:13:05 from 75.244.219.188

Great job on the race! You looked like you were closing the gap to me and you looked really strong. It was so exciting to see you finish the race.

From Aaron Kennard on Thu, Jun 16, 2011 at 11:50:02 from 98.245.117.176

That's an awesome marathon performance at altitude less than 2 months out from Boston!! Wow.

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