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Top of Utah 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
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesCrosstraining milesTotal Miles
23.0026.200.000.000.0049.20
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesCrosstraining milesTotal Miles
7.000.000.000.000.007.00

easy distance; ave HR 123

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Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesCrosstraining milesTotal Miles
4.500.000.000.000.004.50

easy distance; ave HR 154

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Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesCrosstraining milesTotal Miles
6.000.000.000.000.006.00

easy distance; ave HR 123

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Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesCrosstraining milesTotal Miles
4.500.000.000.000.004.50

easy distance; ave HR 128

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Race: Top of Utah Marathon (26.2 Miles) 02:45:09, Place overall: 7, Place in age division: 1
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesCrosstraining milesTotal Miles
1.0026.200.000.000.0027.20

Top of Utah Marathon. 7th overall with a time of 2:45:09. This was probably the most painful race I've ran since college, and among the worst. I thought that my training was good enough to go for the win, and I was out hard but hit a brick wall before even mile 18. Sasha and Demetrio Jr. were out of sight by the end of the canyon, and Steve Ashbaker and the 3rd place prize money passed me around Mile 17. Several others passed me like I was standing still over the 2nd half as well, not a good feeling. I contemplated dropping out near Millville, but my parents were in town from Indiana and were at the finish line, so I knew I had to at least cross the line. Plus, I've never dropped out of a race and didn't intend to start bad habits. Instead, I started walking. Once I got the nerve, I started running again, and stopped at every aid station to walk and heavily refuel. It was very hot for late Sept., and I probably didn't hydrate/fuel enough early in the race. I did the run/walk thing for the last 8 miles of the race and managed to hang on to finish in 2:45, 7th overall and 1st in my age group. Afterwards, I felt quite grateful to run that fast and to win my age group, considering how bad the second half was. I put all my marbles into TOU this year and came out without meeting my goals (or coming close), but I felt a sense of peace about just being able to finish the race and run and place how I did.

Mile Splits/Ave HR:

5:31/165

5:36/175

5:29/177

5:20/181 - this is an awfully high HR for this point in the race. Part of it was because it was warm, but in retrospect it was also a sign that my fitness was not good enough to be running that pace

5:32/181

5:29/182

5:34/183

5:22/180

5:32/181

5:45/180 - by mile 10 I already knew I was in trouble. Demetrio and Sasha are leaving me.

5:44/180

5:43/179

5:52/179 - 1:13:00 for the half, but slowing down quite a bit already

5:53/179

6:01/181

6:19/179

6:42/176 - I didn't know that it was possible to hit the wall this early after doing 100-mile weeks...where did the fitness go?

6:33/178

7:54/173 - started walking here for a while

7:22/177 - run/walk

7:00/179 - run/walk

7:27/181 - somebody just shoot me...

7:21/182

7:30/179 - contemplate crossing Main St. and going home, just 2 blocks away

7:22/180 - I think I might actually finish

7:44/186 - almost there!

1:29/187 - picked it up for the big finish

It took me awhile to figure out why this race went so bad. I had done more mileage than ever before, and had several great workouts that led me to believe I had a shot to go sub-2:30. My first half wasn't any faster than previous years, so what went wrong? Steve Ashbaker later suggested that I tapered too much and lost fitness. I believe that he was right. I went from doing 100-mile weeks, to a 2-week taper at 40 miles. Bad, bad, bad. I think I become so worn out from the high mileage that I was sucked into tapering too much. Lessons learned: 1)don't do consecuative 100-mile weeks before a key race; 2)taper less and for shorter durations. Also, looking back at my speed work, most workouts were of the V02 Max variety (400s, 800s, etc.), and there was very little threshold or mp work done. It should have been the other way around.

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Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesCrosstraining milesTotal Miles
23.0026.200.000.000.0049.20
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