It was my fourth year in a row running the race (5th all time) and third year in a row finishing second. I was super exhausted going to Japan after winning in 2012 so I don't think my body wants me to win again :) The real truth is that Bryant and Aaron, now twice, were just stronger and I couldn't hang. I am especially happy with my second place finish this year because after racing poorly and feeling lousy in the spring (Boston 2:36 and Ogden 2:33) I really didn't know if I would ever be back to or even close to the level I have been at for the last few years. After Ogden I decided not to run DesNews and I was on the fence about running STG. I only decided to commit in early August because I found out that I was being inducted into the race’s Road of Fame and I was asked to speak on a panel along with Aaron, Jon, and Amber at the expo. I am glad I raced because I enjoy training with my pals in Utah County and I came away at least knowing that my body and mind are still capable of holding up over 26.2 and that setting new PRs isn’t out of the question. I honestly don't know where I will go with my running from here. I love it but I also know that the training and racing takes away from other aspects of my life that have been neglected. "All things in moderation", right?
Oddly, the race wasn’t very different than the last two years. I started out at the front, lost ground to Aaron going up Veyo and from miles 8 to 11, ran solo from Veyo to 16, was caught by Taylor at 16 with Jon only feet behind, passed Taylor after half a mile then ran solo to the end, all the while hoping and praying that my legs wouldn’t fall off and that I wouldn’t be passed by a herd of runners. At mile 11 I got nervous because I needed a gel but the one I thought I had strapped to my bottle wasn’t there and the extra gel I had in my pocket had apparently fallen out. So from mile 11 on I started asking people at every aid station but to no avail. Fortunately right when Taylor passed me I spotted a little table with a big tray of candy. I quickly veered over to the table and took a huge handful of Dubble Bubbles. I regained ground on Taylor, slowly passed him on the downhill, then for the next two miles my focus shifted to unwrapping and shoving about 5 pieces of gum in my mouth then unwrapping another 10 to store in my back pocket as backup. If you need a diversion in a race I recommend carrying gum that isn’t easy to unwrap. Fortunately the wad of gum did the trick and held me over until the next gel station at mile 19. At mile 20 the clock ticked 1:48 which meant I had to run a sub 32 minute 10k to get sub 2:20. I knew that wasn’t happening but at least my legs had enough left not to fall apart. Miles 21 to 24 were fast but not fast enough then began the ever painful march down Diagonal Street to the finish. I came in at 2:22:27, about two minutes slower than my last two years. The real difference was a slower first half and not being able to push the uphill miles.
First half splits (1:11:55) 5:20,5:26,5:09,5:08,5:17,5:04,5:04,5:57,5:53,5:39,6:05,5:45,5:24
Second half splits (1:10:32) 5:25,5:04,4:57,5:18,5:19,5:44,5:23,5:08,5:29,5:19,5:25,5:31,5:43
After the race I was happily greeted by Amiee and little Roo, who was trying to tear through the fence. It was nice of them to make the trek to support me. I fixed a blister, showered, then headed back for awards where I caught up with Amber, Ben, Mike, Matt, Taylor, Justin, and Aaron. I do have to say it was sad that Scott, who finished 3rd, couldn’t be there for the awards. Fortunately I got to catch up with him and JP at breakfast later in the day. I have the upmost respect for Scott as a person and athlete so it just didn’t feel right to me that he wasn’t recognized for his effort and hard work. I think it took a lot of character for him to still race and to be so open about his condition. Except for that unfortunate situation, everything else about the race, organization, volunteers, community support and directors was amazing as usual.
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