Utah Valley Half Marathon

State #37 is in the books!  And here’s how it went.

Pre-Race
I was looking forward to this race because I was meeting up with some blogger friends.  My flight left Chicago at 6am and then I had a short layover in Denver.  Then my flight left again at 9:25 am and I landed in Salt Lake City at 11am.  There I met up with Mary Beth and then waited for Marcia to arrive before we picked up our rental car and made our way over to Provo. 

Once in Provo we had lunch and then checked into our hotel.  Then we went to the expo to meet up with the rest of the bloggers.  Afterwards we went to California Pizza Kitchen for dinner and then back to the hotel to get ready for the race.  Plus it had been a long traveling day and I was tired.

About the Race
The race starts at Provo Canyon and it was mostly downhill.  I was excited about it but knew that it would mean trouble because the quads would not be happy about it.  It is also a point to point course and there were buses taking us to the start line as well as from the finish line back to the parking lot where we left the car.

Pre-Race
The race began at 6am.  That meant a 3am wake up call to get ready, drive to the mall parking lot, and get on a bus to take us to the start line.  It was in the high 50s which was nice but it was cold in the canyon.  We still had to wait about an hour for the race to start.  Those two things are my only complaints: 1) early wake up call and 2) long wait time for the race to start.

I drank 16 ounces (two servings) of Pomegranate Blueberry Generation UCAN at 6:30 am and filled up my two small water bottles with Berry UCAN Hydrate.

Gear
Oiselle Long Roga Shorts, Oiselle Flyout Tank, Pro Compression Socks, Headsweats Race Hat, Brooks Launch 4

The Race
It was still chilly once the race began and I started running with a jacket.  The plan was to toss it once I was hot but I ended up wrapping it around my waist.  I just couldn’t bear leaving it on the course.  I never got too hot because the course through the canyon was shaded and the sun was behind us.

The course was mostly downhill with some inclines and flat areas.  But the flat areas didn’t really matter because the downhills really take a toll on your legs.

I was doing really good for 9 miles and then my quads couldn’t take it anymore.  The last 4 miles were my slowest (13:17, 13:38, 13:04, and 12:12). 

The view was AMAZING!  I took some walking breaks and soaked it all in.  I’ve run in over 30 different states and this by far has the best views.

Post Race
I’m pleased with how this race went.  My “A” goal was to finish under 2:30 and “B” goal under 2:45. My finish time is 2:34:59.  I did not train properly for this race.  My longest run was 10 miles so I knew I was not going to PR.  

I did feel very sore for the rest of the day but that didn’t stop me from doing other fun activities (going to Bridal Veil Falls and Ziplining).  

Final Thoughts
I am glad I ran this race.  I don’t mind traveling and running a race alone but it is so much better and fun with more people. The race was well organized, with plenty of water stations and the volunteers were wonderful.  There weren’t too many spectators (once we left the canyon) along University Avenue leading to the finish line.  

The weather was perfect too!  We definitely did not get the heat wave that hit Chicago and other parts of the country during that time.

I love races that give out free photos!  There is a video that goes with the photo of me crossing the finish line.  I couldn’t upload it here but it was cool to see it.