Overall, the race went super well! The first 8 miles down the canyon was a piece of cake and the last 4 were a little tougher but I finished in 2:29 (with a 15 minute bathroom break and walking) so I am pleased because I had a fun time! Most organized race ever and great for beginners!
Ok so here's the details! Waking up at 3am wasn't as bad as I thought, we got on the bus at 4 and were in Provo canyon by 4:30am. They had fire pits and like a thousand porter pottys. It was a little windy but we lucked out with nice weather, about 60 degrees (June 9). The start was pretty casual, since we had timers on our number bibs we just walked across the start line to activate the time chip and started to run. It was so cool to see how many people were running, it was just a blob going down the canyon. It wasn't crowded but you definitely had to cross in and out of people. The scenery was beautiful!
Not gonna lie, the run in the canyon went by way fast! The aid stations kept appearing and I kept thinking, I already ran two miles? There was an incline on mile 3 and 5, it was gradual so if you paced yourself you were able to keep running. I caught up with my bestie Ashlee at mile 5 and we kept the same pace for the rest of the race! The porter potty at mile 6 (GU gel station) was packed so we went off to a bathroom at a campground but even there the wait took us 15 minutes. Once we got out of the canyon it was all flat road. This was where it got hard. The last 4 miles had water stations at each mile which was nice! We walked a little but on the last mile my dad met us and ran with us for a little :) We could see the finish line but it was not getting any closer. We kept running and when we got closer to the finish every one was cheering and all the pain went away! I started getting teary eyed because it was so awesome! People probably thought I was dying because I was trying to hold my emotion back. Ashlee and I crossed the finish line together with the biggest smiles on our faces! It did not feel like we had just ran 13.1 miles. Best moment ever!!!!!
They had smoothies, creamies, chocolate milk, powerade, oranges, everything! It was fun to hang around and get tons of pictures. After breakfast we came back to wait for Kaylie to finish the marathon! There was a guy who had sprained his ankle at mile 11 and finished the 26 miles! Crazy! Other people were pale with blue lips and others looked like they had just taken a walk in the park. I definitely want to run a marathon some day but I will for sure need to buckle down with training!
The Utah Valley Marathon is a great race and I loved it! My medal was awesome, they had great sponsors and it was so well organized. Training is really worth it! I followed this >> Half Marathon Training Plan. I will definitely run this race again! But ok, ok enough blabbing, here's the pics!
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| Ready to go the night before! |
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| 3am rise and shine! (Me, Kaylie, Ashlee, Mallory, Morgin) |
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| Starting line |
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| The finish!!!! |
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| So happy! |
Here's some tips that helped me get through my first half marathon!
1) Don't change anything on race day
2) Figure out if gels or shot bloks work for you a few weeks before the race
3) Try to use one of your long runs as a practice "race day" (eat, wear, and do what you plan to do on race day)
4) Plan everything out the week of the race (check list) and have everything ready to go the night before (outfit, gels, breakfast) so you don't have to stress about anything on race day
5) Sign up with friends, nothing is more of a motivator than knowing someone else is by your side
6) Do your research, use sites like Runners World or Fitness Mag to find helpful tips and ease your nerves :)
Good luck! I'm ready to go sign up for the Big Cottonwood Half!! xo
