Rain, Wind, Hail...repeat

So, the weather has been doing it's own intervals today and I decided to let it have it's fun without me. It's typical this time of the year to start getting some cold storms come through, but to see snow in the mountains isn't always a pleasant idea. It's a harsh reminder that even though 1 month ago, we were hitting the mid 90's, one month from now and the highs will be in the mid 50s to 60s. I have a better running jacket on order that should be here soon. That will make the cold weather a little more bearable. Tonight I'll put in 5 miles on the treadmill. I signed up for the 10K yesterday at the local store. I was looking to see if they had anything on clearance worth picking up but they didn't. I've noticed that my pace has picked up since the marathon. I've done 2 rounds of 5 miles about 20 seconds faster than I was at a month ago. The first day I chalked it up to the fact that I took a week off. Yesterday though, my knee was a little bothersome but I was still running along...that's great to see.

Alpine Adventures on Friday

Here's a great little short film that was shown at a local film festival. There is a subtle link to running in this movie, see if you can spot it. Have a great weekend everyone.

2 Lead Feet

Yesterday I felt like it was time to get out and run, but I wanted to give it one more day just to play it safe. This morning I got up and went through my typical morning routine. It's cooler now in the mornings and the sun is now in my eyes as I run. I can either start running later in the morning or get some sunglasses.

This morning's run was to be a nice easy casual run. I might as well have been wearing lead shoes. My body felt like I was dragging it along. I looked down to check my pace and it showed I was running a 9:30 pace, but it just felt sluggish. I'll probably run again tomorrow or do a slightly long run on Saturday.

Next week I will work to be ready for the Oktoberfest 10K that is in my area. I'd like to beat my previous 10K time. I also get to look around for some cool weather gear. I plan on running outside more this winter and would like to be prepped.

Race Photos

I just received an e-mail from the race photo people for the Top of Utah Marathon. I actually have to say that this time I around I was a little more prepared for the photos and was on my best behavior. I scrolled to the bottom of the thumbnail images to discover that I had changed my shirt, put on sunglasses and lost a significant amount of hair during the race. I remember being glad the race was over and standing in front of the race banner, but I didn't realize I had changed so drastically. Here's my new (I guess) look...oh, and I changed my number also apparently. I was 356 when I started the race and I changed to 556 when it was all done...I guess a lot happens during the 26.2 miles.

Top of Utah Marathon report

Going into this race, the majority of the people who have run it really liked the course and now I know why.
The weather was outstanding. Our hotel had a complimentary breakfast and they opened it at 4 am because of the race. It was a 20 minute bus ride up the canyon to the starting line. We got there in plenty of time to hit the restrooms and get warmed up. By warmed up I mean getting into the tent with all the other runners and the heaters. It took enough of the chill off to be ok.
The first 19 miles of the course was mostly downhill. A gradual 1-2% grade so it didn't shred the calves. The race started. For the first mile I was glad that I had done quite a bit of trail running because I ran along the side of the road to pass people. After that it thinned out enough to squeeze by people. I started off slow and steady not wanting to hit my stride too soon. In retrospect, I think I could have picked it up a little and still be ok.

The aid stations began at mile 3 and were every 2 miles after that. The canyon was fabulous. At times, we got a slight tail wind which felt nice. My upper body tend to take a little more time to warm up so I debated whether to wear a jacket and throw it in one of the clothing drops along the course or just go for it. I'm glad I opted to pack it with my other clothes as I was fine.

The first 14 miles there were no spectators. At mile 14 there were so many people there cheering on the runners that it felt like the finish line. The volunteers on the course were fabulous. There were so many people handing out water and gatorade that I almost felt bad not taking something. Everyone of the volunteers were cheering on the runners. EMTs were at every aid station and the police presence was really good. I saw more than one policeman double checking on a runner as they were stopping traffic.

At mile 20, my energy was shot. I was so grateful for a banana at mile 21. After that, it was one aid station to the next. I knew I could make it one more mile. I also had done a 23 mile run once before so I just kept telling myself that if I had done 23, I could do 3 more. I rounded the corner with 3 blocks left to hear some familiar voices screaming "DAD!!" and then three kids came running beside me telling me to "Keep Going" and "Pick up the pace". They ran with me for about a block and a half.

Finishing was incredible. I had three goals in mind. The supreme goal was a 3:20 marathon, the middle goal was 3:30-3:40 and the other was "finish the damn thing in one piece". I ended with a 3:45 so I am pleased with the time.

The post race was cool. They had a live band that was really good, there was plenty of food, chocolate milk, gatorade, water, fat boy ice cream sandwiches. They also had a full-blown Medical station set up with hydration stations set up. Again, the volunteers were everywhere.

We walked back from the race to our hotel which was about 4 blocks away. It was good to just walk and let my muscles cool down and stretch out. I showered quickly then went down to the pool and just waded and stretched out a little more. The water was cool, but not freezing. After a celebratory lunch I came back to the hotel and crashed for a few hours. That night, we took the kids to a movie and just relaxed.

Hats off to the organizers. They stay at the finish until the very last person comes through to congratulate them.

The question is "What's next?" I'll figure that out later in the week.

POM Tea Review

The people at POM contacted me to see if I would be willing to try their new POM Tea. Since this falls right in line with one of my blogging mantras (free stuff is good..more free stuff is even better) I immediately said yes.

The 4 teas arrived a week ago and I've sampled 3 of the 4. The fourth one I never sampled because my wife beat me to it and drank it. I was a bit put out by that because it was the one I was looking forward to sampling the most.

I'm not much of a tea drinker. I generally don't like hot tea or ice tea. Mostly because they are too watery or way too strong. These new teas from POM are changing the way I think though. The flavor was really prominant, but they had a touch of sweetness to them so that the flavor wasn't overwhelming.

The four flavors I sent were:
Light Pomegranate Hibiscus Green Tea
Light Pomegranate Wildberry White
Pomegranate Lychee Green
Pomegranate Peach Passion White

My wife drank the Wildberry one and tasted the others and said that the Wildberry was her favorite.

I sampled the other three and my favorite was the Pomegranate Lychee Green. It had a sweet taste to it with a little of the Pomegranate coming through. The Hibiscus has grown on me. Initially I thought the Hibiscus was a little overwhelming, but after coming back to it, I found that it didn't bother me as much.

The one I didn't like out of the three I had was the Peach Passion. To me, this one had a bitter aftertaste that I just couldn't get used to. My daughter (who is 11) on the other hand loves the Peach Passion so I guess it all depends on your personal taste.

The day that the teas arrived I had just gone to the store and they had a big bottle of POM juice marked down so I picked it up. I still prefer the POM juice over the teas, but on days when I don't want a glass of water and a soda is too sweet, these teas would be perfect. One other thing I found out was that I prefer the tea a little warmer than straight from the refrigerator. It seemed that the flavors mixed together better and I didn't have any bitterness like I did when they were really cold.

Thank you once again to the wonderful people at POM. They were even nice enough to include a free coupon so I can go choose another flavor. They have a bunch of different flavors available.

Sock Dilemma

The Top of Utah Marathon is this weekend. I've picked up some new shorts (with pockets...no safety pins here), i've picked out the shoes I will wear and have worn them on enough runs that they have molded to my feet or my feet have molded to them. I'm pretty sure I will go with my long sleeve top since the weather at the start will be around 45 degrees and the finish will only be in the mid 70s. My new dilemma is with the socks.

In the past, I had my day to day running socks and then my super nice (meaning I had to pay more than $5 for one pair) socks that I saved for long runs or races. They were like the white shirt that hangs in my closet and only comes out on really special occasions unlike my other non-white dress shirts which come out on a regular basis—that and the fact that a white shirt really shows when it hasn't been ironed and a color one is easier to get away with not ironing. These were the "special socks". My kids knew that they were only reserved for special times. No one touched the "special socks". If I found that my socks were put in one of the kids drawers there was hell to pay (maybe not hell but I'm sure maybe heck was involved). They were like the lucky rabbits foot. I felt energized and ready for the race when they went on. Now, they've lost their magic.

Last month, the WRIGHTSOCK people sent me six pair of socks to test and guess what? I absolutely love the socks. Even the ones I thought were way too thick I wear now with my roomier shoes. I'm stuck now because I've lost my magic socks. Which pair will I wear now? Will it be the coolmesh ones that are ultra thin? Maybe the Running IIs which have the great arch ribbing so that my socks don't bunch? Maybe the SLX pair with their cool looking gray and red accent colors? I can't pack my gear until this has been resolved.

If I should choose incorrectly, it could blow my whole marathon strategy (I plan on having one by Saturday morning). I might be stuck with a Game Time Decision here. I may end up bringing the three pair that I like best and then choosing the morning of the race or if worse comes to worse, I could always safety pin the other two pair to my shorts so that I could just grab them and change. Although that has it's own drawbacks so that is out of the question. At least I have discovered where my limit is on how far I'll stoop in resolving this dilemma.