I HAVE A RACE!!

Something is different in the air. Can you smell it? Feel it? Taste it? It's not the same type of smell you'd discover walking into a room full of toddlers. It's not the smell/feel associated with a 75 lb dog coming up and welcoming you home. What could it be...........?

I HAVE A RACE!!! 

Sort of.....

I'll explain.

On April 21, 2012 I will be participating in the Salt Lake City Marathon. The group I paced with last year offered me a spot to pace either full or the half. Of course, this means I get in for free. BONUS! 

In the past, I've only paced the half marathons, but since I am in training for the Utah Valley Marathon in June and am putting in close to 40 miles per week I'm going for the full monte. The key to pacing is to choose a pace that is comfortable to run. As a pacer, I am not out to get any PRs. Instead, my whole goal is to encourage all those with me to get their PR. I'll be pacing the 4 hour 15 min group. Last year I ran this marathon and finished in 3:55. It wasn't a stellar race and I didn't feel great about it. This year, I'll be aiming to finish 20 minutes slower so I'm not overly concerned. I will make sure that I follow all my normal pre-race routine (get their early for the honey buckets, drink plenty days before the race, eat well the morning of the race, use the honey buckets again before the race starts...). I will probably pack my own water though so that I don't have to take from the aid stations as often.

Can you tell that I'm already excited about this? The only potential hang-up is that the company who put on the race in the past sold the race to another company. The previous company hadn't been paying its bills to their vendors and had earned a pretty bad reputation. The new company seems to be more on top of things, but because the sell happened so late, they may not get their permits in time for the race. That would be the only draw back.

They did send out an email showing off the new medals for this year. That is at least a step in the right direction.