The Top of Utah Half Marathon is the only race I've run all four years since we moved here. The past three years I've come in gunning for a fast time. That only worked out in terms of winning once. This year I was a much different place in terms of training and sharpness (my first race in 16 weeks!). My goals were:
1. Win
2. Finish the race strong
3. Continue to build overall momentum with my running
I'm not at the fitness level I've brought into this race previously, so I ignored the splits being spit out by my watch, and focused on running a smart race that would put me in position to accomplish all of the above goals.
Going down the canyon, I hung back to see who else would take the initiative. Jason led the early miles, while Fritz and Steve eventually moved up to him. According to the timing mat I was 17 seconds back of those guys at seven miles. I wasn't sure how I felt - not great, but not bad either. Then it seemed like Steve moved even further ahead and had a good sized lead on everyone. At the nine mile mark I was probably almost 30 seconds off the lead and needed to get moving. I passed Jason during the 10th mile, then Fritz during the 11th, and finally got Steve at the top of the Millville hill in mile 12. I had a good amount left in the legs and was able to stretch the lead out to a comfortable margin. It felt good to break the tape.
Splits and previous years...
It looks better when you use this view...
Obviously a lot slower than I've run here in the past, but I'm not reading anything into that. For where I'm at right now, I got everything I wanted out of this race. One positive that sticks out is my attitude over the final miles. I had the chance (and contemplated taking it for a few minutes) to cruise in and use excuses like "it's your first race in a while" and "you've got a lot of miles under your legs recently" but instead I told myself "go get everyone" and I ran the last 3-4 miles exactly as I planned. I also remembered around that time that I had already spent the prize money on Thursday so I had better win it back!
Random thoughts...
-Locked my keys in my jeep (in pouring rain) at the packet pickup on Friday night. Special thanks to the TOU staff for helping me out and making sure I got a good night's sleep!
-Broke a new uniform out of the plastic wrap today. It's actually the same exact kit, but I wasn't happy with how the spring ended so it was time for a fresh start.
-Adhering a temporary tattoo of a wolf to your shoulder gives you unlimited potential.
-Article from the Herald-Journal. Did I really say "boogie up the Millville hill"???
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