Canyonlands!

Well race morning started out like any other. With the alarm going off. I was nervous. I wanted to do well, but I was as prepared as I thought I could be. I had my new socks, I had lots of chocolate mint Gu and bless the hotel they had breakfast (I had made sure of that earlier). So I fueled up on waffels and milk and headed out to pick up my packet and then on to the bus. I managed to catch the 7:45 bus and was under the impression that the last bus would be 8:15, but I made a critical error in not knowing what time the race started! I thought that it started at 9:00 am, but after getting up to the race I realized it would start at 10:00. It was freezing! I had heard that there would be a car that would transport our extra clothing from the race start to the bottom, but I didn't have any clothing that I thought I could risk not getting back if it got lost, so I just had my blue jacket ( with pockets that zip for my gu's!) and an old race shirt. It was cold and they updated us on the temp changes: "Its now 36 degrees, Hey its gone up to 38 degrees!" I walked around to warm my self up and drank the wonderful hot chocolate they had for us which was so appreciated!

The other racers and I started the half mile walk up the hill to the start and I realized that we were leaving the porta potty's behind! But I figured I would catch them again on the way down. The run down the hill was pretty quick, but almost all the other racers had the same idea and I actually had to wait in line! It cost my time almost 4 and half minutes. At mile two was the first water station, nice! I kept running and thought I was okay, becuase at that station I was just under 23 minutes and I usually take a while to warm up. Unfortunatly though I drank at every aid station and had make a pit stop at the next porta. I got to mile 7 and remember thinking that it should have been mile 8. At mile ten I checked my time to see if I had beaten my time from my previous long run of ten miles for a 1:45, I wasn't even close coming in at 1:55. I was kinda bummed, but kept running. I remember waiting for mile marker 11, but either it wasn't there or I missed it. I saw my parents a few hundred meters later cheering for me. Yea! I love that they come to my races and that they support me. Its always nice to have fans, but I didn't exactly show it. Dad had the camera and said to smile, but I couldn't do it. I was exhuasted, tired and I was bumming hard about my time being so slow. I was really loosing my focus. At my second half marathon the Top of Utah half they had brought the puppy and I had actually been able to stop and a talk to them around the same point in the race (and wonderful Charlie dog was lickin my face, I guess I was salty!) but I knew if I stopped my suffle here- and it was a shuffle- I would not be able to do anything more than 17 minute miles if I could move at all! I kept running and was just dreaming about that finish line. I was pushing as much as I could, but I had lost too much time with eating too much in the morning and drinking so much before the race and I crossed the line in 2:26:06. Later that day I was eating lunch with my mom, dad and cousin (who was driving a van shuttling racers that day!) and Dad started to tell someone my time and I shushed him, I was pretty embarrased about it, but I'm okay with it now. It was a learning experience. You'd think for my fourth half I'd be a little better at getting my ducks in a row, but now I think I really will be ready for a P.R. this summer. If I can find half that's close to home. It really was a beatiful run and the aid stations were awesome! Lots of gu, water, and gatorade. I wish I had felt a little better and that I hadn't been so obssessed with time. ( But darn it I shoulda done better, I put in the speed work!)

On the schedule for tomorrow- my longest long run ever! 14+ miles for tomorrow that's my goal. I think I will have two gu's plus Powerade and I think I will bring cups to place on the benches next to the track so I can stay hydrated. We'll see how it goes!!!
Happy weekend and running,
Meagan