Country Roads - Provo City Half Marathon

About a month ago I signed up for the Provo City Half Marathon because I figured I needed something that would get me doing the long runs again, and then I could commit myself to a marathon soon thereafter. A month ago the weather was great; it was getting warmer, feeling like spring, and officially became spring just a few weeks ago. So you can imagine my chagrin when two weeks ago it started getting cold again. However, last Saturday turned out really nice so I was optimistic that the temperatures would be better. I got in an 8-mile run last week, and felt good heading into the race.

It was a terrible day for a race. Not only was it overcast outside, but there was a light snowfall as well. A friend of mine also signed up for the race, and I ran into him outside the clubhouse a couple days ago. If I hadn't asked if he wanted to head down to the race with me, I'm sure that I wouldn't have been able to get myself out the door this morning. I was just feeling so miserable. The ambient temperature reading in the car showed 30 degrees, Fahrenheit, not Celsius. Oi. I was not happy at all.

We arrived as late as possible. They said the race was capped at 1,500 runners, but I'm guessing only half that actually showed up. I couldn't have been less motivated to run this morning under any other conditions. And then a funny thing happened - I started running and got warmed up.

I ran with my friend for the first couple of miles, but I eventually broke away. I think I prefer running alone because no matter what, you're always feeling some kind of pull. Either you're feeling pulled to a pace that you're not comfortable at, or you're worried about the other person being pulled too fast. At least I'm always thinking about that. Running alone is so great because I can push it when I'm feeling the kick come, and I can think about whatever I want and not worry about conversation. I love that alone time. Me time.

Anyway...I was surprised how good I felt throughout the race, so much so, that I'm sure that my last 5k time was much faster than the rest of them. I love being able to think to myself at mile 10 that I'm feeling good enough to run another seven or eight miles. I love that after more than an hour of running, I don't even strain to breathe. I love feeling like my heart is the strongest muscle in my body.

The hardest part about these races, regardless of the distance, is the time you have to wait until it actually starts, and up to the halfway point. Once I cross that threshold no matter the elevation, I always feel like I'm running downhill. I hit mile 10 at about 1:19. Once I hit mile 12, I felt like I had enough left in the tank to really push that last chunk of distance. Over the last quarter mile, I caught up to and passed this one runner with a long, lean physique. For both of us a competitive instinct took over as we both sprinted to the end not letting the other person get ahead.

This was my first race since running the Dana Point Turkey Trot back in November. When I ran that race, I finished really strong also, but I never thought I'd be able to complete a race of that much distance and feel fit enough that by the end I could sprint out the last stretch. So help me, I hate running as much as anyone does before I actually get out and do it. I hate that no matter how in shape I'm feeling, I still feel creaky when I'm warming up. And some days are just hard, no matter how much rest you've gotten, how well you're eating, or how consistent you've been with your training. (Karen...I almost put in a "you're" right there, but you teasing me about it made me catch it. Thanks :). But it really is such an amazing feeling to know that you can make yourself get out there and do it, that you can make yourself push through whatever obstacles stand in your way. And then when you're actually in shape, it's a whole 'nother level of feeling of accomplishment when you realize that you can run two, three, or four hours without killing yourself.

One of the best parts about this last race might be waking up today and not feeling any kind of soreness whatsoever. I feel so good, in fact, that I think I'm ready to commit to run a marathon in the next couple of months. I'm not quite there yet with fitness, but I don't think I'm that far off. LA on Memorial Day? Or Utah Valley on June 13th? I'm about ready to dive head-long into this mother one more time. Yahoo!