Top of Utah

Next marathon: Top of Utah, September 19th. This positive review from MarathonGuide.com (8th one down from YPR) helped me decided on TOU over the Air Force marathon.

Cache Valley, be prepared for snow that weekend! It's happened before (see TOU, 2000). Below is a graph comparing the elevation of TOU, Ogden and St. George marathons. TOU has more "inclines" in the last few miles, something I wish they could change.

Training officially started yesterday with a 14.3 mile run. Below is the old Nike+ view of my run. (I inadvertantly, stopped my watch after 13.34 miles but, honestly, I did one more mile)

Here's the newer look to Nike+. It makes me look a like a better runner so I like it.

Today I ran in the Habitat for Humanity, Four for the 4th fun run. I finished in 31:53, just under an 8 minute per mile pace. If I could keep up that pace over 26.2 miles, I'd be running Boston next April. If I could knock it down to a 5 minuter per mile pace I'd be running in the 2012 Olympics. How do people do that?

Anyway, the Four for the 4th run was fun. I ran most of it with Ethan Garrett. We ran most of the Washington D.C. marathon together back in 2002 and he ran the Indianapolis Marathon the same year I did in 2007 and was nice enough to wait at the end until I finished. I talked to Brett Bartlett at the start and then the finish. He didn't wait for me just like he didn't at TOU, 2000 and Memphis, 2000 but when you run that much fast than me, he shouldn't wait.

Depending on how things go with TOU, I may try the Monumental Marathon in Indianapolis on the first Saturday in November. Then, there's Tecumseh a month later. I can't wait for fall! Although the past week was perfect running weather. Well as perfect as you can expect for summer so I took advantage of it and logged 29 miles this week. A decent amount for me.

Indianapolis Marathon (#20)

Who are they?

When: September 20, 2007.
Who: Me and Ethan Garrett.
Recall: I wore #500 in the Indianapolis Marathon and these are the two pictures I was emailed saying they were me. Not close on both accounts. I looked through all the pictures and didn't find one of me. So they only evidence I can post that I ran the marathon is the graph from Nike+ below. Notice I did slow down a bit over the last miles but not as much at the end as the graph shows because I didn't stop my "workout" until 10 minutes after I cross the finish line while I was in line getting a hamburger. (My actual time was 4:39, not 4:49.) I honestly didn't feel at the "top of my game" that morning and tried to keep a slow but steady pace which work until mile 19 where I slowed consistently tapered my speed until the finish. Overall, a disappointing marathon both in performance and course. Ethan, who ran Washington D.C. with me finish with a new PR!
Overall: While many reviews of the course are positive, but I felt there are so many "out and back" sections that you are left with a feeling having run in a lot of small circles rather and a long distance. Not my favorite marathon (see the top 10 list below).
Rating: 3/5 carbs



Top Ten Reason to Run/Not to Run the Indianapolis Marathon.

10. The scenery along miles 1-3, 9-11, 13-14 and 24-25 is beautiful (good) while the rest is stickin' boring (bad). "Oh, look at this subdivision I'm running through. It looks like every other subdivision in the USA that was built in the 1980s. I'm so glad I drove all the way to Indy to see this."
9. At mile 15 I got a pre-opened gel packets (good) that left me with gel oozing all over my hands as I grabbed it (bad). "May I have another water please?" To pour over your head? "No, to wash my hands off with."
8. With the out and back course see the leaders' final push for the finish at mile 24 (good) while you are only at mile 14 (bad). "Very bad"
7. Free hot off the grill burgers for all finishers (good) with only Gatorade to drink (bad). "Like I didn't get enough of that watered down pickle juice the course! Where's the cold DP?"
6. Finishers get a cool looking, multi-colored medal (good) that is so small it looks like a lapel pin (bad). "Or, a tie tack!"
5. The course can easily handle the usual couple thousand runners (good) but the Chicago marathon debacle caused 5000 runners to show up (bad). "We were actually had to run single file through a narrow but short path that led into and out of the Fort Harrison State Park."
4. Midwestern hospitality was at its best as the locals cheered you on over the last mile (good) as did a few half-marathon finishers who thought it would help it they told you 'You can do it. You're almost there' (bad). "Hey buddy, I don't need a half-marathoner encouraging me. Go do one more "lap" and then I'll listen to you."
3. The course is relatively flat (good) with the only hill coming at mile 25 (bad). "One lousy hill in all of Indiana and it has to show up at mile 25?"
2. Seeing with a former student on the course (good) who passes you for good at mile 24 (bad). "Hey, April. I can go back and change your grades!"
1. Short lines for clean Port-A-Potties (it's just good with no bad) "But the sum of the bad out weigh the good making this a one time only marathon."

Ethan and The Washington D.C. Marathon (#4)

When: March, 2002.
Who: Ethan Garrett with Lesa as the support team.
Recall: This was the first and only D.C. Marathon, March 2002. It was canceled the next year and the organizers gave up after that. I ran with Ethan Garrett who was running his first marathon. The pace car, a new VW hybrid, malfunction and they played "Another One Bites the Dust" as I approach the finish line. We stayed at the Marriott which gave Lesa a great advantage point to see us a couple of times during the race.
Overall: It was fun to see all the sites along the way. Had a great time but it got a little hot towards the end which made the last couple of miles a little rough.
Rating: 3/5 carbs.