Heart of Life: Ogden 26.2: Week FOURTEEN (Salt Lake Half Marathon)

Hang in there guys, this ride is almost over! Wow. Fourteen weeks done, just like that! Crazy.

On Tuesday, I ran Bonneville. I pushed my speed hard and was happy with my splits. That evening, I also hopped on the treadmill for 2 extra miles of speedwork. Robert Merriman made me.

Thursday was a slow run. I wanted to feel rested for today's half marathon.

So today was the Salt Lake Half Marathon! It's hard to believe it's been a whole year since I struggled through my first half marathon. I wasn't going to run it this year because it is pricey, but I found someone selling their spot on KSL for a whopping $25, so I snagged that right up! Nate also ran it since he had to defer last year due to an injury. It was fun sharing the day with him!

We woke up early (kids were at grandma's). Joshua and Kasie met us at our apartment, and we walked up to the start together. I love having a race SO close to home! We joked and laughed as we walked about a mile to the U campus. We met up with some of the RA group at the Honey Buckets.

Then we headed over to the starting chute. We didn't have to wait long before it was time to sing the National Anthem and then GO! It took us about 2 minutes to reach the starting mats. I forgot how crazy these bigger races can be! So much energy and excitement. I loved it.

About a quarter mile in, the course had us all squeezing through these gates, so there was a big bottleneck of runners. It was really annoying. We all had to stop and shuffle through it, barely moving. They owe me a minute on my time!! Lame. After the bottleneck, it opened up again, and then we were off. The course took us up through Federal Heights and then along 11th Avenue. There were a few short, steep hills, but we were able to make up for them on some downhill. I stuck with Kasie and Nate for the first few miles.

Kasie and I run exactly the same pace, so we decided to stick together and push ourselves. Her PR was a 2:15, and I was shooting for a PR as well, with a 2:08. So we had a similar goal. I absolutely LOVED running with her. She's so positive and fun and hilarious.

The course went up City Creek, and then did a hairpin turn back through Memory Grove Park. We loved that downhill section! Right at Mile 4, I ran past Monnica Skinner, who was pacing, and it made my day to see her! She was SO sweet and encouraging to me, and it really gave me a boost! LOVE my friends!!! We ran past the Church Office Building and turned east on South Temple. Then we had about a mile of slight incline. It was tough. But we pushed hard. We lost Nate here, and I didn't see him again until the end. Sad.

We finally turned and headed south again and were able to pick our pace back up for a little bit until we turned east again on 800 South, which is a massive hill. It was not fun. Luckily, we only had to run 2 blocks up that hill before turning south again.

From here, the course flattened out for the rest of the run. This was both a blessing and a curse. It was very difficult for me to keep my pace up! But I was determined to not give up. I don't mind taking it easier on my training runs, but I have been trying to make my races really count. Kasie was an amazing running buddy today. We have that great understanding of when it's okay to chat and visit, and when we just need to run together in silence.

When we reached Liberty Park, I was DONE. I hurt and felt like I couldn't keep going. My feet dragged. And worst of all, I realized I was not going to PR. When we got to the last mile, I pushed through the pain and finished strong. Even though I missed my PR by a measly FOUR minutes (again!), I was very happy with my time. 2:13:32. A PR for Kasie!! Afterwards, everyone was talking about how tough the course was. It was also a little long (13.3 miles, trust me, those extra two tenths of a mile are a big deal!!), so that made me feel even better about my effort and time today.

Afterwards, we got some food and sat on the lawn. We met up with Robert Merriman and MY Janet and several others (Hilary, the Ridings, Shelley, Meridith). Nate finished about 10 minutes after me. He ended up aggravating an old ankle injury, so he was struggling. Kind of a bummer! Boo injuries. But he still enjoyed the race, so that's good! Shelley led us in some yoga, which I have never done before, but REALLY liked. Hmmm. I might have to see if I can take a class or something.

Joshua ended up staying with Jill, who was struggling, which was very cool of him. I love how we would all pretty much do anything for each other. In a heartbeat. We are a family. It is such a special group of people, and I have no doubt that they are in my life right now for a reason. Everyone is SO encouraging and supportive. We all understand each other. And it never ceases to amaze me how quickly we click. Like Shelley, for example. I have only run with her once, yet I feel like she is one of my dearest friends. She and the other WJ girlies are begging us to move out by them. I don't think I have ever felt quite so loved and completely accepted by people quite like I am with my running friends. Okay, I could rave about these peeps for hours, so I'll stop. I just love them all!