Wow, what a race! First of all, the people in Logan sure know what they are doing. They were so organized, friendly and generous (they doubled the race money!). It was awesome. I can't believe it's taken me so long to run this race. The course was beautiful and fast. The weather was perfect too! The night before, it was raining cats and dogs (seriously, I saw poodles falling from the sky). I was super nervous it was going to be wet and cold. But it turned out to be a great morning.
I carpooled up to Logan with Allie, Devra, Emily and Noah. We picked up our race packets and bright neon orange shirts and headed to dinner. I ate 4 pieces of pizza and was still hungry (I must be a nervous eater!). I bunked with Emily and we braided each others hair while we talked race strategy :)
I warmed up 2 miles and felt tired. But I didn't think about it too much because warm ups can be super crappy and you can still race well. At the starting line, I saw a lot of familiar faces and was able to talk to a lot of friends. I lined up behind Jake K and noticed how nice his freshly shaven legs looked. The gun went off and I tucked in beside Emily, Devra and Merrilee. I stuck with them the first mile and realized they were taking it out fast. Our first mile was a 5:47. I wanted to stay with them but I knew I wouldn't be able to stay at that pace for 12 more miles. My goal was to hover around 5:55-6:05 pace. So I fell back. I ended up running most of race alone. But I didn't mind because the scenery was so beautiful. I threw up my hands in praise a couple times to thank Jesus for His goodness.
Around mile 6, my legs started feeling heavy...and tired. "Oh crap!" I exited the canyon and thought that my goal of running under 1:20 might not happen. I saw Emily in the distance around mile 7-8 and used her to keep me going. I am a pretty good closer when I race so I thought if I could try to catch her that I'd still have a chance. I started feeling better again around mile 11 and was able to push it up the hill at mile 12. I looked down at my watch as I passed the mile 12 marker and knew that a sub 1:20 was going to be close. I had to push it! So I repeated, "Pain is temporary...pride is forever" over and over again in my head. I was getting closer to Emily but I knew I wouldn't catch her. So I focused on the time clock at the finish line. When I was just a few yards away I realized I was going to do it! 1:19:52! Hell yeah! I was so happy.
I took 4th overall and was a little bummed that I missed the top 3. But once TOU posted the results at the finish area, I realized they do top 5! Wahoo! I got a sweet trophy and some cash. It was great. I guess us women made history because they have never had the top 4 women run under 1:20. I am so impressed with Merrilee, Emily and Devra! Way to go girls! Here are my mile splits-
5:47, 5:58, 5:56, 6:05, 5:54, 5:52, 6:02, 6:14, 6:08, 6:08, 6:10, 6:35 (hill), 6:01, 1:01 (.18-5:36 pace). 6:05 AP.
This year has been great for me. I feel like I've improved SO much with my running. A lot of that comes from hard work, track workouts, tempo's, etc. But a lot of it comes from running with other runners who help push me. Emily, you are the best running partner I could ever ask for. You have always been one of my running heroes and I'm lucky that I get to train with you. Allie, I'm so sad you are moving! You've help me enjoy so many runs together and you've motivated me with your raw talent and mental toughness. Devra, (she isn't on FRB) you are a robot. You are nuts. And to everyone else who has inspired me along the way...thank you! *High five to all the runners out there*
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