Have I mentioned how much I dislike this course? :) The Pocatello marathon runs not only the marathon, but the half, 10k, and 5k all along the same course, just starting at different times. The marathon course is supposed to be quite nice, coming down out of the mountains and very pretty. Then you hit the halfway point, which is where I start. That half is hardly any downhill, lots of flat, and several uphills. Of all the halfs I've done this year, this is definitely the most difficult. That being said, I still set a goal and wanted to try to achieve it here. This is not a huge race. In the half marathon, they had 416 runners, I think the marathon had about 350. Total of all 4 races was just under 1300 runners. So, this was also the smallest race I did all year. I do want to say, though, that the race director here is top notch. He did a fantastic job and really did his best to make sure everyone had a great time. So, onto my race. The half didn't start until 8 a.m. Which, I hate. Especially yesterday, as it got warm pretty fast. But, they start the full at 6:15, then wait and start us later. I was still up at 4:15 a.m. to drive into Pocatello with my husband who was doing the full, so it wasn't like I got to sleep in for a later race. As we waited to start the half, we got to see the first marathoners coming through. That was pretty exciting to cheer them on. I also saw several familiar faces (I grew up in the area, which is the reason I do this race), and had several comments on my Ragnar shirt (that was fun, glad I wore it!) Then, they got us started (very promptly on time, I might add), and I got to actually start right at the front of the line. I've never started at the front before, so it was kind of nice to be able to just take off instead of dodging around people in the beginning. Here are my mile breakdowns: 1 - 6:38 - okay, this wasn't really mile one, it was 0.9, since we are on the marathon course. But, it looks good for me ;) 2 - 7:41 3 - 8:04 - between 3 and 4 there were some uphills. I had forgotten about all the uphills in this race. . . 4- 8:22 5 - 7:57 - at this point, my left foot got numb. Never had this happen before. Thought I'd stretched my calves good before the race began, but apparently not good enough. Made me a little nervous, as I've had achilles issues over the summer on this side. Thankfully, it eventually went away (thanks to short walks at the water stops). 6 - 7:52 - about this point my headphones decided to short out. Not a good race for this to happen. I needed the distraction. Couldn't decide whether it would be worse to have no music or faded music for the rest of the race. Decided some was better than none :) Also, at this point, I caught up to a barefoot marathon runner. As I passed him, I had to have a quick conversation on how he liked it. It was his first time to run a marathon barefoot, and he was starting to struggle (he eventually made it the whole way, but said he had MAJOR bilsters at the end!) 7 - 8:06 - Saw one of my old school teachers at this mile marker. How fun! Had to quickly stop and shake his hand :) 8 - 8:29 - This was the big hill. I HATE that hill. 9- 8:45 - Obviously still recovering from that hill. At this point, I'm also passing a lot of walkers. I guess the 10K had a lot of walkers in it. It was just kind of surprising to me. So, then I'm thinking, maybe I should have just done the 10K??? I probably could have placed quite well there - LOL! 10 - 8:28 - Saw a few other familiar faces cheering on the sidelines. Made this part of the race nice. It's just a LONG stretch of road. . . 11 - 8:20 - Had "purple shorts" in my sights most of the race. Not sure which race she was doing or even which age group, but wanted to pass her. I finally did at this point. 12 - 8:34 - Passing A LOT more people, especially walkers here. We now have the 5Kers running along the course. The nice thing? It feels GREAT to pass people that far into the race! The bad? Some of the walkers were walking 3 abreast and there was not a lot of passing space. Got a little tight in some spots. 13 - 8:23 - Saw my family just before this mile marker. (I always forget how far away they sit from the finish line!) .2 - 1:36 - That last .2/.4 miles I really tried to kick it in. It's a long straight stretch to the finish line, you see the banner, but it's just so far away. . . I tried to pass as many people as I could at the end. All I could think was, if I missed my goal by one person, I would be so disappointed! Crossed the finish line in 1:47:20, which was about 7 minutes faster than last years time (1:54:48). My goal had been around a 1:45, and I just wanted to place in my age group. So, I was quite happy with that time. But, was it good enough?? When I noticed they had some results posted, I ran over (okay, I didn't really run ;) ) to see where I stood. Here I was just hoping I would place, hoping for that #3 spot, and I saw I was actually #2. Wow!! I have never placed in my age group at a half marathon before, so this was pretty exciting! I was 12th in the women overall, and 46th out of 416 half marathoners, overall. What a great feeling! I want more!! :) As for the hubs - he also did a PR yesterday. 3:45. Which is great on this course. Can't wait to see what he does in Logan in 2 weeks, and St George in 4! And, that is the last of my halfs for the year. At least, I think so (ha ha!!) Now, onto marathon training - a little overwhelming for me to think about - for St George in a month. This will only be my 2nd marathon I've ever done, the first being 7 years ago (and it was NOT a good experience). However, I am in much better shape now than I was then. . . Really hoping to do well there and have a better experience this time around. Any advice would be greatly appreciated - lol!!
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