SoJo Marathon–The Good, The Bad, The Ugly

Remember how i've been debating whether to do this marathon or stick with the half? On Monday, I decided to go for it and sign up for the full marathon. I did 14 miles on Saturday and felt really good. I was a bit concerned going into the race that maybe the fact that my training has been spotty since the first of August would be a factor. Hmm....when will I learn? I should have brought my Twinkies.

The race. The race begins in a small township called Copperton, Utah. It is town that was created because of the Kennecot Copper mine. The mine is one of the few things on earth that can be seen from space and is a very active mine still. The race directors sent out many pleas to runners to take the busses up because the town just can't accommodate a lot of traffic. Everyone headed the words so I'm sure that next year we'll start there again. There were some bus and other minor snafu's and some runners didn't even start until 30 minutes after the gun. I was on one of the first buses and had no problem.

The course was a lot downhill and proved to be my doom. I wanted to hit a 8:00 pace and score a big PR for the marathon. Looking back, I would have been better in the 8:30-9:00 pace. The downhill portions I was consistently at a 7:45 pace which was way too fast. The result? By mile 13, I was spent...

The remainder of the 13 miles were pure Hell. I knew it was going to be interesting when by mile nine my calves and shins were burning. I couldn't keep a solid pace and even had to walk...a lot. I finished the race with a 4:35 time. An hour off of what I wanted and 45 minutes off my PR time.

The course was good, the aid stations were plentiful and the traffic control was really good. The food at the finish was good and there was sufficient. Some races that have 5k's and half marathons run out of food. They were well-stocked. I also got a free massage at the end of the course and that made my aching calves feel really good.

For a first time race, I'll give this a solid B+. Will I sign up for it next year, absolutely. Will it be the full marathon? Ask me next week.