blake runs – Page 10 – as a hobby. mostly marathons. usually in the morning. sometimes while pushing a kid or two.

Race Report: 2016 Ragnar Wasatch Back

I had never done a Ragnar relay before, but last weekend, June 17-18, Cyndi and I joined a team for the 2016 Ragnar Wasatch Back. It was a different experience than my usual marathon or half marathon.

Originally, Cyndi’s dad and sister were going to run on the team (instead of me and Cyndi). But her sister’s daughter had a recital the same weekend so she dropped out. Cyndi’s dad recruited Cyndi and I planned on being backup. Then Cyndi’s dad had some knee problems and family issues that arose, so that left Cyndi and me. Cyndi was acquainted with one person on the team, but I had never met any of them.

I have only a little history participating in relay races. Back in 1999 and 2001 I ran in the Sawtooth Relay in Idaho when it was ~130 miles for a 12 person team. (Now it is ~60 miles for 6 people.) I was in high school for the first one. Then I was a recent college freshman for the second Sawtooth Relay on a team I didn’t know. It was pretty fun but I honestly don’t remember the details very well.

Then in 2011 I ran in the Hood to Coast Relay — which was one of the first big, 200 mile, 12 person relays. In fact, Hood to Coast inspired the Ragnar founders to create their first Ragnar. I didn’t have a great experience in that relay. That particular year, the HtC organizers added 25% more teams and the traffic was horrendous. We used my van and I didn’t get a wink of sleep all night because I was driving or staying awake to make sure the driver was alert and ok. I don’t do very well on little sleep and it showed by the end when I was utterly exhausted. I had one brother-in-law in my van that I knew, but not really well, and besides that I didn’t know anyone in our van.

However, it has been a few years and I was ready to try another relay — especially a Ragnar which I know are quite popular.

The Wasatch Back was the original Ragnar relay, and it takes place in beautiful country — small towns and cities among mountains and greenery. The elevation is mostly around 6000 feet and there are a few big climbs and descents. The race is basically from Logan, Utah to Midway, Utah.

The hardest thing we had to do pre-race was to get a babysitter for our five children for 1-2 nights. This was no small task. Luckily my mom was able to watch our two youngest and my cousin, who lives on the Wasatch Front, was able to watch our three oldest. She has similarly-aged children that play well with ours. We were grateful to have babysitting arranged once we finally did, and we are very grateful to the babysitters themselves.

Cyndi and I dropped off our littlest two on Thursday morning at my mom’s and headed for Utah. We got to my grandma’s house in the afternoon and chatted with her a bit. Then we left the three oldest there for a couple hours while Cyndi and I attended a team dinner at Olive Garden.

The team dinner was great and I highly recommend it for anyone doing a relay. It gave everyone a chance to meet each other, get acquainted, and get excited for the upcoming run. I liked the people on our team and looked forward to running the relay with them. I ate a ton (endless bread sticks and salad…) since I didn’t have to run until ~1pm the following day and since I wasn’t overly concerned about hitting a certain pace. (This is nothing like my pre-marathon meals where every bite has a purpose.)

Cyndi and I chatted with Grandma and my aunt and uncle for a while that evening, and I indulged in a few cookies and some ice cream. We got to bed by 10pm and after sleeping for a few hours I started tossing and turning like I normally do before a marathon. Finally the alarm clock went off at 5:30. We got ready and drove to my cousin’s house to drop the older kids. That took an hour. Then we had to double back for another hour to reach the designated meeting spot.

Finally at 8:30am we met up with our van and set off for another 1.5 hour drive to our starting exchange.

Ragnar Wasatch Back Exchange 6

Exchange 6 — where Van 1 hands off to Van 2 for the first time — was in Liberty, UT. When we came through the canyon into the valley where Liberty resides — part of the Wasatch Back — we were immediately taken aback by the beauty of the area. Everything was green, the sun was shining, and there was a glorious mountain backdrop in every direction.

2016 Ragnar Wasatch Back - Signing Waiver — Signing the waiver to run the Ragnar Wasatch Back. My shirt is quite bright — which is good since I often run in it in the early morning hours…

When we got to the exchange, we had to sign a waiver and watch a Ragnar safety video. Then we walked around the booths. There was a booth for BEX Sunglasses with a basketball hoop and I scored a free shirt by making 4 of 5 free throws! The sunglasses are quite nice, but a little out of my price range (5 kids –> cheap sunglasses).

Winning a free shirt at the BEX Sunglasses booth!

Another booth was handing out samples of Halfpops, which turn out to be quite tasty. You know when you pop popcorn and there are some kernels that are only partially popped? That’s what they are. I tried about 4 flavors and liked them all. I also scored a cowbell at the Great Clips booth.

2016 Wasatch Back Exchange 6 — Team Aching Bad, Van 2 at Exchange 6 of the Ragnar Wasatch Back relay.

2016 Ragnar Wasatch Back - Decorating the Car — Decorating the car: a Ragnar relay necessity

We took some photos and then Van 1 showed up, except for Emily, who was running.

Emily coming up to Exchange 6 to finish up Van 1’s first set of legs at the 2016 Ragnar Wasatch Back relay.

Van 1 had been running since 5am. Eventually Emily came around the corner, handed off to Cyndi, and Ragnar Wasatch Back relay started for us Van 2 folks.

Cyndi would hand off to Bert,

who would hand off to Ben,

who would hand off to Kelly,

who would hand off to me,

who would hand off to Matt.

Leg 11

It felt really hot by the time it was my turn to run. It was 1:46pm and 82F with the sun shining brightly, but something about the altitude made it feel even hotter. My leg, which was Leg 11 of Ragnar Wasatch Back, was only 4.4 miles long. The “10k pace” I had used to estimate my times was 6:15/mi, so that became my goal. I didn’t want to go too hard in this first leg because my next one would be more challenging, but I still pushed the pace the best I could. I did some warm ups prior to the run and I was ready to go when Kelly came around the corner.

My run went by fairly quickly. I passed a few people, which made it more interesting, but we weren’t really there to compete. There was a bit of a headwind for part of it, but I averaged 6:13/mi which I was happy with.

I handed off to Matt and he had the pleasure of a ~7 mile climb up to a ski resort. Our van headed to the resort to wait for him and meet up with Van 1.

While we waited at the resort, I whipped out my backpacking stove and boiled some water in the parking lot so that Cyndi and I could eat some Mountain House meals we had brought along. The lodge was selling delicious looking burgers for ~$15 each, but Cyndi and I are way too cheap. Besides, I didn’t particularly want to eat a burger in between my runs. The Mountain House meals were delicious and I highly recommend them for relays.

2016 Ragnar Wasatch Back - Exchange 12 — Both vans lounging around while we waited for Matt to climb the hill at Leg 12 of the Ragnar Wasatch Back relay. I’m measuring water for our Mountain House meals.

Mountain House meals at the Ragnar — Getting ready to make our Mountain House dinners!

Matt was handing back to Van 1, so they were also at the resort and it was fun to be around them for an hour or so while we waited.

When Matt came in and Van 1 left, Matt, Kelly, Bert, and Ben all got one of the burgers. I polished off some of the leftover fries and unwanted pickles, but thanks to the Mountain House I was pretty satisfied food-wise at that point.

Burgers for Ragnar Dinner — Nothing like a burger to prep for your second Ragnar leg…

Ragnar Wasatch Back Exchange 12 — Fellow runners lounging around at the ski resort — Exchange 12 of the Ragnar Wasatch Back relay.

We then made our way to Exchange 18, which was at a high school. We had about 3-4 hours of down time. Luckily I had brought a book along, so I rolled out my sleeping bag in the shade and read my book and relaxed. The wait was quite long. Fortunately, we were noticing that our team was one of the first through, so we didn’t have to fight for shade or battle traffic.

2016 Ragnar Wasatch Back Exchange 18 — The Ragnar relay doldrums… waiting at Exchange 18 for Van 1. Luckily I brought a book.

My stomach was beginning to rebel at this point. I think I was eating to many carbs and irregular junk. Next time I’ll try to bring more balanced food (i.e., more fats and protein).

Chocolate Milk — Note to self: bring more chocolate milk to my next Ragnar relay.

It was hot for most of the afternoon, but by the time Van 1 pulled up and Cyndi toed the line for Leg 19, it was beginning to cool down. She had a beautiful run through green, barn-strewn country. Starting with her leg it was time to wear reflective gear and lights.

2016 Ragnar Wasatch Back Exchange 13 — Cyndi handing off to Bert at Exchange 13 of Ragnar Wasatch Back. Note the beautiful greenery and mountain backdrop.

Leg 23

After starting and stopping for the other runners in our van, it was time for me to run again just after 11pm. It was really cooling off, but it was actually great running weather and I continued sporting my tank top. I noticed some people leave for their run in full hoodies and I knew that was a mistake.

My stomach was rebelling, but it hadn’t gotten bad enough that I was too worried about it. I put some TP in my pocket just in case, but I ended up feeling fine once I got going.

LDS Chapel - Ragnar Exchange — LDS chapels made for nice exchange points, including the hand-off to me at Exchange 22 of the Ragnar Wasatch Back relay.

This leg was nearly 10 miles (I measured 9.62, but started my watch about a quarter mile late). It was dark. The darkness didn’t matter until I had to start running on some trails and I had to pay extra attention to where I was stepping. The terrain varied between road, weedy gravel trail, rutted dirt trail, and weedy sandy trail. I asked my van to give me some water around Mile 3 to make sure I was OK, and at that point I told them I’d be find for the remainder. I also took a Honey Stinger to provide an extra boost.

I tried to push the pace, but between the trail and some slight elevation gain, not to mention the altitude, I wasn’t able to maintain 6:15/mi. At one point I wasn’t sure I was on the right trail, and the insecurity slowed me a bit. However, I still hit 6:41/mi and fortunately my stomach felt fine during the run.

(The Wednesday after the relay I was able to do a 10 mile training run at 6am by myself at a 6:37/mi pace — so I’m fairly sure the altitude, small hills, trail, and wariness from my previous run were affecting me.)

It was enjoyable to run under a bright moon in the cool mountain air. I pushed myself and worked to maintain a good pace. I passed about a dozen people, but most of the time I couldn’t see any other runners around. It was always a relief to see someone as that gave me confidence that I was on the right track.

I was happy to hand off to Matt and be done with my toughest leg.

Delay at Exchange 24

Matt had a short ~2.5 mile run and was done at about 12:30am. Unfortunately, the Ragnar folks notified us that our team was being held for 1 hour. This means that the Van 1 runners had to wait 1 hour before they would be allowed to run. That really stunk for them, as they were ready to go when we got the notice.

We weren’t thrilled about the delay. Ragnar had given us a spreadsheet with our estimated exchange times, and we were only 15 minutes off. Plus, we were actually 15 minutes late rather than early, so it didn’t make sense that we would be delayed. Oh well. There are perks to being one of the first teams through, but there can also be downsides.

We were at a high school, and my team was nice enough to let me take a shower even though everyone else just wanted to hit the road. The locker room shower cost $2, but it was money well spent. It felt fantastic to get clean and get in some warm water. I hurried and we took off for Exchange 30 once I got back to the car.

Trying to Sleep at Exchange 30

It was after 1am at this point and we were all exhausted and delirious and looking forward to sleep, but this led to some foolishness. We pulled into Exchange 30 at Park City and we were the first van there. It was a dirt/gravel lot, so we parked the van… and then we just slept. There was no grass in sight and half the people in the van were already asleep, so we didn’t want to wake everyone up. Rather than getting out and laying down in our sleeping bags, we just slept uncomfortably in the car and tossed and turned all night. Fortunately I was tired enough that I could sleep some; unfortunately I am 6’4″ and sleeping in the back seat of a van is not comfortable.

I was happy when we could finally wake up and stretch our legs. My stomach was also feeling much better. I heated up some water on my stove in the parking lot and made some oatmeal and hot cocoa which tasted amazing and soothed my stomach even more. I noticed there was a roped off area with about 50 people in sleeping bags on the hard gravel. I’m not sure I would have slept much better there since I didn’t bring a pad.

Park City - Ragnar Exchange 30 — Emily handing off to Cyndi in Park City at Exchange 30 of the Ragnar Wasatch Back.

Van 1 showed up and we waited for Emily to come up the hill. Cyndi took off after Emily showed up and we were all ready for our final legs. Van 1 got to go relax and have a big breakfast after a long night of running.

Bert was up for Leg 32 — the Ragnar hill. It started at the bottom of a ski resort and climbed about 3000 feet in 5 miles to the top, then dropped several hundred feet for the last mile. He said much of it was not runable because it was so steep. He did great on it and got his own medal for doing it. The next two legs were super steep downhill and about 4 miles each.

Leg 35 – Almost done!

I had a short 2.5 mile leg to finish up. It was nice that I didn’t have to worry about it, although I would have welcomed something a little more challenging. I determined to go as fast as possible.

Ragnar Exchange 34 — Waiting for Kelly to finish up his legs. How much time did we spend waiting for runners to come in? Lots. The anticipation is tiring.

We waited a little longer than I had anticipated, so luckily Ben spotted me some Mike & Ike’s as I was feeling a little hungry and light headed. Once Kelly came around the corner, I took off at a brisk pace. I was well under 6:00/mi, so I determined to try to stay under 6:00 for the whole run.

I only passed a few people as runners were fairly spread out and it was short. I felt good the whole run and was pleased to come in at a 5:59/mi pace.

That wrapped up my running for the Ragnar Wasatch Back relay, and I felt great.

Post Race at the Ragnar Wasatch Back

We headed to the finish line to wait for Matt. He had a tough run as the temperature was heating up, the sun was out, and he had some hills to battle — not to mention his run was ~1 mile longer than expected.

Ragnar Wasatch Back Finish Line — The finish line of the 2016 Ragnar Wasatch Back

The finish line is a bit of a party. There were a bunch of booths set up. Each van got a Little Caesar’s pizza. There were also Fat Boys and Muscle Milk. BEX Sunglasses was there again. I arrived as most of the BYU team had finish attempting shots. Since none of them won anything, the BEX team told them whoever won a game of Bump could get a free hat. Bert and I joined in. I missed a shot and immediately got out. Bert lasted a while before losing out. Fortunately I made 3 of 5 three pointers and was able to get a nice hat to go with my shirt from the day before!

Basketball — Playing a game of Bump with the BYU team. Winner got a hat from the nearby booth. I missed my first shot and lost, but then I redeemed myself by making 3 of 4 three pointers for my very own hat.

When Matt came through our whole Aching Bad team joined him for the final 50 yards or so. It was great to be done after ~200 miles! We received our medals and snapped some team photos.

2016 Ragnar Wasatch Back Medal — Sporting my new shirt and medal after the 2016 Ragnar Wasatch Back

Aching Bad Team Photo — Aching Bad team photo after finishing the 2016 Ragnar Wasatch Back

Since we were one of the early teams to finish, we even made the scoreboard for a few minutes.

Ragnar Wasatch Back Scoreboard — We made the scoreboard! If only for a few minutes. (Team Aching Bad.)

Final Thoughts on the Ragnar Wasatch Back Relay

Overall I had a solid experience in the 2016 Ragnar Wasatch Back Relay. Relays are definitely a different experience than the races I usually do (marathons and half marathons). The running isn’t terribly difficult, especially compared to a marathon, but there are other things that make it difficult: lack of sleep, all the anticipation and waiting, being on your feet quite a bit, unusual running times, being crammed into the seat of a van, being dirty, and abnormal eating conditions. All of these things make for an exhausting experience, and provide a unique challenge.

Cyndi and I, who are both mostly introverted, determined that relays work really well for extroverts. The people on your team make a huge difference. The guys in our van were funny and entertaining. There were lots of jokes, good music, funny commentary, and even a battle to see who could get the most steps on Friday between Bert and Matt (Matt edged Bert out by ~200 steps). We were fortunate to have a good team, and I think that made this experience such a good one.

Being in Van 2 helped as well, at least in this case. We had time to drop our kids off in the morning and didn’t have to wake up as early. We also didn’t have to run all through the night. And the event was ~4 hours shorter for us than for Van 1.

Would I do the Ragnar Wasatch Back again? Yes. Would I do another (different) relay? Yes. But I don’t expect to dedicate myself to running them like I have to marathon running. Relays are fun and some people absolutely love them. Bert has run Hood To Coast 21 times and multiple Ragnars in addition to that, so obviously some people love them. I enjoyed it, but marathons are much easier logistically and are more up my alley.

Nevertheless, I’ve found myself pondering when my next relay will be and whether I should organize something with a fun group of people…

Race Report: Famous Idaho Potato Marathon 2016 – PR and BQ!

The Famous Idaho Potato Marathon takes place in Boise, ID, which is right next to my home town. I wasn’t very excited to run it because I’m familiar with the course (it’s a common running path in the Boise area) and it wasn’t a “destination race”. In hindsight, I’m quite impressed with the organization and I had a great experience.

Background and Course

I’ve been training hard for a marathon since January. I knew I’d run one in the spring after the Race to Robie Creek, but I couldn’t decide between Western Pacific Marathon, running Newport Marathon again, doing the Ogden Marathon, or running the Famous Idaho Potato Marathon. We ruled out Western Pacific fairly early because I wasn’t confident I’d be recovered from Robie in time. We also didn’t want to take a trip to CA. We ruled out Newport since my in-laws wouldn’t be able to meet us there and it made a drive to the Oregon coast less appealing. I waffled between Ogden and Famous Potato for quite some time. Finally Cyndi said she wanted to do the Half, so easier logistics and much lower cost led me to decide on the Famous Idaho Potato Marathon and Half.

I wasn’t really thrilled about this. The Famous Idaho Potato Marathon takes place on Boise’s Greenbelt. The Greenbelt is awesome — it follows the Boise River from the Lucky Peak Dam for 25+ miles through a canyon, parks, trees, and nice homes. The only issue is that I’ve ran hundreds of miles on the Greenbelt as it’s a great place to train locally, so it wasn’t very interesting.

The course is basically flat. It has some slight downhill, particularly for the first few miles. There’s about 280 ft of elevation loss from the highest to lowest point, and about 100 ft of gain. The half marathoners and marathoners start at the same time. The half runners basically end at the marathon half way mark, then the marathoners do a ~6.5 mile out-and-back and end in the same spot.

Training

My training went wonderfully and I plan on writing a separate post on it. Essentially, I started my training cycle in January and I usually do three quality runs per week: intervals, tempo, and long run. I rest on Sunday and cross train on two or three of the other days doing cycling, rowing, elliptical, and an occasional easy run. My long runs are usually pretty fast — within 10-40 seconds per mile of marathon pace.

I’ve been blessed with no injuries or significant issues since December, so my training has been solid and consistent. I didn’t even catch a serious cold. I did a brief taper for the Race to Robie Creek, but otherwise it’s just been a lot of training runs.

Race Plan

Leading up to the Famous Idaho Potato Marathon I had one primary goal: run faster than 3:00:00 so I could break that threshold and qualify for Boston. My training was fairly unorthodox, so I wasn’t certain that I could hit it, but I felt like I should be able to. Most marathoners rely on high mileage for improvement. While I have increased my mileage, I still only run ~40 miles per week; however, I also do ~2-2.5 hours per week of cardio cross training, which I believe is equivalent to ~15 miles of running (although this violates the “specificity” guidance).

The point is that I wasn’t sure what pace I could sustain for 26.2 miles. To get a sub-3:00 marathon I needed to do 6:52/mile. I felt like I should aim for 6:45 to leave a small cushion. I decided to aim for 6:45/mile for the first half at least. If I felt lousy I could slow down to 6:50. Then around Mile 18-20 I hoped to have a kick. Given that the course was on a common running path, my friend, Greg, said he would come and run the final 4 miles with me to keep me company.

As an attempt to get some reassurance, I posted some of my training details on a RunnersWorld.com forum to ask for pace advice. The couple people that responded didn’t think I could hit 3:00. At first this caused me to doubt my plan, but then I decided I had to go for it. I really thought I could do it.

Eating

Since my training leading up to the Famous Idaho Potato Marathon was more intense than I’d done before, I tried to eat a little better. Generally, this meant a little less ice cream (which I usually eat every night), less sugar in general, and more protein.

I did some carbo-loading the week before the marathon:

On Monday and Tuesday I ate normally but focused on not over-eating, especially since my mileage was low due to tapering my training.
On Wednesday we ate potatoes and ham for dinner.
On Thursday we ate rice and fish for dinner.
On Friday I ate a ~500 calorie breakfast and a bunch of fruit and half a bagel before lunch. I ate a big salad, a PBHoney, and a yogurt for lunch. Then I ate an orange and a granola bar after lunch. Finally we had spaghetti and bread for dinner. I took it easy on the spaghetti — I was still pretty full from lunch. I ate some peanut butter toast before bed.
Then I woke up at 3am and had another PBH, a PowerBar, and some gatorade.
I definitely ate some extra carbs on Friday, but it wasn’t too egregious. On Monday through Thursday I didn’t really eat much more than I burned (I even counted calories a couple days to make sure I got it right). In other words, I didn’t gorge myself with carbs, I just tried to shift my diet to be more carb-heavy.

* I’m writing all this mainly just so I remember it next time I’m planning my pre-marathon eating.

Pre-Race

We took the kids to packet pick-up after dinner on Friday. It was nothing spectacular, but it was nice to get out and get excited. On Friday night my quads seemed tired, which was odd since I didn’t do anything on Friday. i think it was just pre-race jitters. Also, my left calf had been hurting all week and I was a bit worried about it. Luckily it seemed to loosen up on my runs after I got going. I was mostly concerned that it would cramp up at Mile 20 or something.

Cyndi and I watched Gattaca before bed — a favorite inspirational movie of mine. “There is no gene for the human spirit.” We were in bed a little after 10:00.

I slept well until 3am, and then ate a bit and laid in bed until about 4am. All week the weather prediction included a chance of wind and thunderstorms, so I was happy to see that there was a small chance of rain and the wind was calm. My mom arrived at 5am to stay with the kids while Cyndi and I raced. The bus ride went smoothly and we were at the starting line at 6am.

Studying the course map during the bus ride on the way to the Famous Idaho Potato Marathon

A friend from work, Rusty, was doing the marathon despite hurting his knee just weeks before. It was a little risky for him and there was some uncertainty whether his cortisone injection would be sufficient to get him through it. We bumped into each other before the race and sat on the road while we waited for go-time.

Cyndi and I a few minutes before starting the Famous Idaho Potato Marathon. You can see the pace signs on the left that helped everyone line up correctly.

Finally it was time to start. They had nice signs with different paces to help runners line up according to their expected pace. It was really nice — I was up in front of the 7:00/mile sign and it wasn’t crowded at all. (I have a feeling that these work extra well in Idaho. Anyone that’s driven here may know what I mean.) My friend, Chad, was running the half and we lined up together and chatted a bit. (One funny guy was having his friend take his picture while he stretched next to the 5:00/mile sign.) The pace signs made for a smooth start after we sang the national anthem and the gun was fired.

First Half of the Famous Idaho Potato Marathon

My goal for the first mile was to stay under control. We started just below the Lucky Peak dam in the Sandy Point park, wrapping around the little pond there and then advancing onto the highway. I caught myself speeding up a couple times and I reeled back. I ended up being able to hit my splits just about right for the first few miles. There were lots of half marathoners and it was good to have some company.

This was the starting area for the Famous Idaho Potato Marathon and Half Marathon

At about Mile 2 I found myself next to a marathoner (marathoners and halfers had different bibs). We chatted a bit. He was going for 3 hours +/- 5 minutes. I told him I was in the same boat. After running next to him for a mile or so, I decided I was going a little too fast so I eased up and he went ahead of me. His name was Kevin.

I was expecting my heart rate to be in the low 150’s as long as I was between 6:45 and 6:50, but it was stubbornly around 160 beats per minute. This concerned me a little but I decided that it may just be because I was excited and had a little caffeine in my system from the Gu Energy Chews.

There were some slight downhill portions in the first 6 miles, but I really didn’t go much faster than my target pace. In fact, my pace was right about 6:47 for the first 4 miles. In 5 and 6 I was slightly faster and the runners started spreading out a bit.

There was a definite breeze which I wasn’t happy about. Admittedly, I tucked in behind a couple halfers at one particularly windy point and used them to draft a tad. They were going a little too fast though, so I ended up letting them go.

My running friend, Jon, was on the sidelines and I saw him a couple times cheering us on, so that was nice. It’s always nice to see a familiar face, even early on.

During Mile 6 we made a turn then another turn a half mile later into Barber Park. Up to this point the race had been on the outskirts of Boise. The rest of the race would be right along the river in town from this point on.

I was trying to drink lots of water/gatorade, but the stations weren’t filling the cups very much. I started grabbing two cups to ensure that I got enough. I wanted my stomach to be sloshy with liquid. I was eating Gu Energy Chews. I ate three pieces (~70 calories) before starting. Then I ate about one every mile or two. I was also monitoring how I felt. My calf was a little tight, but seemed ok. Overall I really felt great and the cool weather (<50F) made me happy.

I found myself running about 30 yards behind a half marathoner — I believe her name was Rebecca — and there weren’t many other people around. We were moving pretty well. The course was a little windy through the Greenbelt and some neighborhoods. Keeping someone within sight was nice for both my pacing and my psyche. In fact, having the half marathoners around was really nice. I could see some of them farther ahead and occasionally we’d pass someone. I caught up to Rebecca around Mile 10. She said “Just a 5k to go!” to which I replied “Plus a Half!” We ran together for a couple miles. She was studying at BSU and loves the Boise area. So do I! Everything is green this time of year and it’s a great place to run. I was a little concerned about pace, but I recently read in “Advanced Marathoning” that sticking with a group can be worth 5-10 seconds in pace. I think this is true so I didn’t mind going a little fast. At miles 10-12 I was under 6:40/mile, but I was feeling comfortable so I didn’t fight it.

My heart rate was still higher than I wanted. I had fretted over it for most of the race so far, but I finally decided just to ignore it and not worry about it. The good thing was that it didn’t seem to be creeping up a ton — it was still in the low 160’s.

I ate my Honey Stinger Waffle around Mile 11 and thoroughly enjoyed it. I love those things. I limited myself to one for this marathon since they are too dry for me to swallow after running for a couple hours.

Rebecca started speeding up during Mile 12 so I started falling back. Before Mile 13 the half marathoners turned left to cross a walking bridge and complete the Famous Idaho Potato Half Marathon. The runners immediately thinned out. Kevin was about 40 yards in front of me with another runner, presumably Placido, about 20 yards ahead of him.

First Half of the Famous Idaho Potato Marathon

I knew the second half of the Famous Idaho Potato Marathon would be lonely. The halfers were nice to have up to this point, but I had tried to prepare myself for being alone during most of the second half. It was nice to see Kevin and Placido ahead of me, and this is how it was for the next 6 miles. A couple times the stretched their lead on me a bit, but they were pretty much always within sight.

Again, I thought about the “group running” advantage and I determined to stay with them even though the pace was about 5 seconds faster than my 6:45 target. In any case, I was feeling quite well.

At Mile 16 the thought occurred to me that one of my regular training loops is 10.25 miles long. I started visualizing myself at a point on my loop corresponding with the distance I had left. This helped put it into perspective. I’ve probably ran that loop 10 times in the past few months. I could do this!

At Mile 18 I realized I’d never felt this good at Mile 18 during a marathon before. My right hip was tight and my calves were a little tight, but nothing too concerning. I focused on good form and kept going. I was still drinking water, but I was getting to the point where I felt like puking. I ate my last Energy Chew by Mile 20.

My friend, Greg, yelled my name from a distance as I passed him at Mile 18 or so. It was good to see him and I knew he’d join up with me on my way back. I started what felt like a bit of a surge around Mile 19. Kevin had started gaining on Placido, and I had started gaining on both of them.

As we approached the turn-around point for the Famous Idaho Potato Marthon, we passed the first three runners. Runner #1, Eric Fitzpatrick, was a good 12 minutes ahead of us. Runners 2 and 3 were farther back, but I had no idea whether I could catch them or not.

Placido was definitely slowing a bit, and I passed him at the turn-around cone. It was good to be heading back. I was grateful that he and Kevin had been in front of me to keep me company during the past 6 miles. The course was now slightly uphill. Much to my dismay, there was still a headwind. I really don’t understand how we had a headwind going both directions! It was a bit stronger going back somehow.

In any case, I had a bit of a surge and despite the slight uphill and the breeze I pulled a 6:41, 6:39, and 6:39 at miles 20, 21, and 22. Rusty was coming “out” as I was coming “back”. We expected to pass each other a little after the Mile 20 marker and I was watching for him. Sure enough he came by and I cheered him on and he did the same. He also gave me a thumbs down, indicating his knee was getting the best of him. I still hoped he’d have an ok finish. I passed Kevin by Mile 21 and then passed runner #3. Runner #2 was up ahead about 150 yards, but I knew I was gaining on him. I felt really good when Greg started running with me around Mile 22.

Greg and I talked a bit and I set my sights on runner #2. I told Greg that I was feeling well. He told me some stories and encouraged me to keep going. We passed runner #2 at Mile 23 or so. I started getting quiet as The Wall finally caught up with me. My calves in particular were locking up and I was fighting to keep the pace going. I heard footsteps behind me and around Mile 24 Kevin overtook me and Greg. I was surprised it was Kevin, as I thought it would be the guy we just passed.

I continued taking cups of water/Gatorade, but I just spit it out as I couldn’t bear the thought of swallowing anything else. My pace slipped over 7:00/mile for the last two miles, but by Mile 24 I was confident I would hit my target. The last couple miles were painful, but I didn’t reach the point of total physical and psychological exhaustion that I have reached in other marathons.

Greg kept me company as we finally made it back to the walking bridge and headed for the final few hundred yards. At one point he asked if I could catch Kevin and I said “No”. By the end, Kevin had a decent lead on me.

Greg and I coming down the final home stretch of the Famous Idaho Potato Marathon

We came into the final straightaway for the Famous Idaho Potato Marathon and I saw Cyndi cheering me on in the crowd. I crossed the line at 2:58:15! That beat my goal by 0:01:44 and gave me a new personal best! It was also good enough for 3rd Overall at the Famous Idaho Potato Marathon.

Approaching the finish line at the Famous Idaho Potato Marathon

Link to Official Results

Post Race

I actually didn’t feel too terrible after the race. I walked around a bit and tried to loosen up. Cyndi came and gave me a hug. She ran her half in 1:52, which was her personal best, so it was a great day all around.

I wanted to eat but had to let my stomach get back under control before I dared. I started with water, some chocolate milk, and then a bagel. Greg, Cyndi, and I talked but I had to keep moving every once in a while as my calves were tight and burning.

I ran into Kevin and congratulated him on the strong finish. He’s also from Meridian. I also ran into Rachel Powell, who I ran with in high school (she was a grade ahead of me). I saw her during the out-and-back and she ended up winning the women’s marathon. She told me what a great experience Boston and got me excited to go.

Post race photo with Greg. I was happy to be done, happy to have hit my goal, and feeling pretty good considering I just ran 26.2 (26.4?) miles.

Post race photo with Cyndi after the Famous Idaho Potato Marathon. PRs for both of us!

After 20 minutes or so we were ready to go, so we went to the announcer’s table and asked when they would announce awards. We sat down for 5 minutes and I got my 3rd place overall award. It was pretty sweet: a potato plaque, two $25 gift cards to local running stores, and a sack of potatoes! We also grabbed a couple Chobani Greek yogurts they were handing out. (Chobani has a big plant in Twin Falls and I’m a fan of the CEO, who I saw speak a year or two ago.)

Right as we were leaving I determined I was ready for a baked potato, so I grabbed one for the walk back to the car. How could I run the Famous Idaho Potato Marathon and not eat a baked potato? They had some Chobani yogurt to put on it and with some salt, pepper, butter, and chives it turned out to be delicious.

We went home and ended up having a BBQ with Greg’s family later in the day. I ate a big hot dog, a delicious burger, and a bunch of ice cream and brownies to celebrate.

My post-marathon BBQ meal… although I also had more chips, fruit, brownies, and ice cream

My watch measured the course at 26.4 miles. I noticed a few other people on Strava had measured long as well. Hopefully it was a little long and I was going faster than my official time indicates.

Overall, the Famous Idaho Potato Marathon turned out to be a great event. It was well organized and everything went smoothly. There were lots of little turns on the course and all of them were very well marked — with big signs and HUGE chalk arrows that were impossible to miss. (I wanted to take a picture and send it to the organizers of the Idaho Falls Half Marathon.) Everything clicked for my race, including the weather and my health. I’ve had great support from Cyndi, Greg, and others. It’s such a relief to have met my goal so I don’t have to fret about it anymore and I can relax a little! But don’t think I’ll stop training anytime soon…

39th Annual Race to Robie Creek (2016) – Race Report

The Race to Robie Creek is to Boise what the Boston Marathon is to Boston. It’s big (by Boise standards), it’s fun, it’s competitive, and it seems that most of the town knows it’s going on. This year’s Race to Robie Creek brought out some fast runners and, as usual, the weather cooperated nicely on race day. I approached my 7th consecutive Race to Robie Creek with a goal I set several months ago, and I was able to meet my goal almost exactly. In fact, I beat it by 7 seconds!

Signing Up

Sign ups for the Race to Robie Creek take place on Presidents’ Day at noon. To make sure you get a spot, you need to be at your computer, refreshing your browser when the clock strikes 12:00. Cyndi (my wife), Jerry (my father-in-law), Kara (my sister-in-law), and I were all able to secure spots this year. Last year I ran with Jerry and Kara while Cyndi was about 8 months pregnant with our baby.

We were all excited to race together this year, but unfortunately both Jerry and Kara had to pull out due to knee issues. That was disappointing to us all and we hope we can all do it again in the future.

My Race to Robie Creek Goal and Training

Last year I ran the Race to Robie Creek in 1:31:10, or an average of 6:58/mile. That was good enough for 18th place, which I was very happy with. At that time I hoped to run Boston in 2016, so I wasn’t planning on running Robie this year (Boston and Robie take place two days apart this year). Well, after missing the reduced Boston qualifying time, I reset my sights on Robie and quickly came up with a goal.

My goal was 1:24:59. I felt that I could improve by about 6 minutes, and sub-1:25 seemed like a good target to shoot for. I also wanted to break into the Top 10 and figured this would get me there. This would be ~6:28/mile average.

My goal was very specific. I broke the race into 3 parts and knew the pace I needed to average in each of those parts:

~6:15/mile on the pavement (the first 3.4 miles). This would put me at ~21:00 when I hit the dirt. This section has a fast and flat first mile, then a 1 mile uphill, then a little downhill followed by some rolling uphills.
~7:45/mile on the dirt. This is the 5 mile climb from where the pavement ends to where the hill peaks. I need to hit the top at ~59:45. It has some grueling sections, particularly the last 0.8 mile that is very steep (many people walk this section — I used to). To hit the pace I’d need to go faster than 7:45/mile during the first 4 miles of this section since the 5th mile would be slow.
~5:30/mile on the downhill to the finish. The first mile is extremely steep and I expected to do it faster. The last couple miles are always a challenge for me to keep my feet moving.

I felt pretty good about hitting the first section. I was unsure of being able to climb the hill that fast or run down the hill the fast. What gave me confidence was that I had a fantastic winter training season. From January through March I did more miles than I’d ever done in 3 months and my average pace was looking about 30s/mile faster than the year before. I didn’t get sick or injured and did a long run basically every week and mixed in some hills for some of the long runs. I also felt that in 2015’s race I didn’t push the hill quite as fast as I should have.

The only run that caused me to doubt was a 20 miler I did 2 weeks before the Race to Robie Creek. It was only about 15s/mile faster than I did the year before on a very similar run. I ran a hill and my legs just weren’t there. I think it was due to a bit of over-exertion on a cross training ride the day before and my run the day before that. Otherwise, 30s/mile faster was looking just about right.

Pre-Race

Cyndi and I took the kids to packet pick up on the Wednesday before the race. You can pick up your packet on race day, but it’s a fun atmosphere and going early means one less thing to worry about on race day.

We were able to sell Jerry’s and Kara’s bibs a couple weeks before the race.

I did a couple afternoon workouts the week leading up to the race to acclimatize to the warmer weather and to work on eating right. On Friday I didn’t exercise at all and ate the same way I had the day before the 2015 race, as it had worked out pretty well. The noon start time always throws me off a bit.

Unfortunately I had a cold coming on all week. I thought it was allergies on Monday and Tuesday, but on Thursday night and Friday I knew I had a cold. I was just hoping it would stay out of my throat so I could breathe ok. I’ve ran with colds before and they generally don’t affect me too much as long as I’m not running on the peak day or two of the cold.

Friday night I slept well until about 4am. Then I was pretty miserable with the cold and preoccupied with the upcoming race. However, when I finally rolled out of bed on Saturday I was pretty congested, but my energy felt great. I ate breakfast, snacked, went to my son’s first soccer game, at my last pre-race snack, dropped the kids off at grandma’s, then we headed to Ft. Boise to start the race.

2016 Race to Robie Creek - Pre Race Crowd — Crowd gathering to run the Race to Robie Creek

We got there with about 50 minutes to spare. We had met up with my friend Adam Young, who was in town from Provo to run. After using the restroom a couple times, Adam and I went for a little warm-up jog around the softball fields. Usually I don’t do this for a half marathon, but I was hoping for a fast start and knew that I had sufficient endurance built up that it wouldn’t affect me too much.

Adam, Cyndi, and I before beginning the Race to Robie Creek.

Cyndi and I taking a selfie before the Race to Robie Creek

I lined up with about 10-15 minutes to go after telling Cyndi good luck, then I danced around to keep warm while I waited for the gun. A team of fast-looking 20-somethings in matching jerseys with “Boise Elite” printed on them lined up near me and my hopes for a Top 10 finish immediately subsided. Oh well! At least I still had my goal time to aim for. That was my target and whatever that placed me would have to do.

2016 Race to Robie Creek _ Blake at the Starting Line — Waiting for the Race to Robie Creek to start. Note the running team lined up around me.

The weather was sunny but not too hot and with a light breeze. I debated wearing my favorite hat but ultimately left it behind. After a lengthy performance by some Mo Town singers and dancers, we started running.

The Race to Robie Creek

2016 Race to Robie Creek - Starting Take Off — Start of the 39th Annual Race to Robie Creek.

2016 Race to Robie Creek - Blake Running at the Start — Navigating the crowded field for the first few yards.

The first mile went well. After clearing the first corner and getting a little more room, I forced myself to take it easy and I backed off my initial pace to get closer to where I needed to be. About a half mile in a friend from work cheered me on from the sidelines which was nice. I saw another coworker, Tom Liby, just ahead of me. I figured there were about 25 people ahead of me at about 0.75 miles, but right when we hit the bottom of the first hill I passed several of them and found my groove. I wasn’t sure exactly where I was place-wise, but I could see a lead pack separating ahead. There were a bunch of the “Boise Elite” jerseys up there.

I pushed up the hill and based on my splits at Mile 1, the start of the hill, and Mile 2, the top of the hill, my pace was just right.

Due to my cold, I was hacking and wheezing quite a bit. This was especially a problem when I was trying to drink at the aid stations. I hacked quite a bit all through the first 3 miles. I was slightly worried that it may cramp up my abs, so I tried to relax. Eventually I started to breathe easier and it became less of a problem.

I ate a Gu block before the Mile 3 aid station and noticed my mouth was really dry. This became a problem with my next block later on. I ended up consuming only one 90 calorie package (including what I ate right before the gun), and I decided not to attempt the other package I had in my pocket as they were too hard to choke down.

I hit the dirt right around 21 minutes — which was just right. There were a couple other guys near me and we would keep each other company for the next 4 miles. I worked the hill as hard as I felt I could. Some of my half-mile splits were around a 7:15/mi pace which is what I needed to reserve some time for the last steep section. I worked continued working on the few flattish spots and was able to make up some time for the steeper spots.

I was about 100-200 yards behind Tom Liby when we hit the dirt, but I never saw him after that. The two other guys nearby and I pushed each other. It was good to have them near me, but I was really focused on my Garmin and just pushing the best I could, without worrying too much about the other runners.

Climbing the hill at the Race to Robie Creek.

The aid stations went well. I swallowed as much water as I could handle and tried to keep well-hydrated. I knew from experience that I always became thirsty on the back side.

I worked the steepest section of the hill on the Race to Robie Creek as hard as I could. To make my time I needed to hit the top at under an hour. I was feeling really good overall and was excited when I came over the mat on top at 59:33.

The Race to Robie Creek is known for its uphill, but the downhill has its own challenges. Once I peaked, I immediately accelerated to a barely-controlled pace. I had to fight the urge to lean back and brake too hard. I wanted to go fast and that meant moving my feet as quickly as possible.

Running part of the downhill at the Race to Robie Creek

I knew there was another runner somewhat near me. I assumed there was another right behind him. I raced as fast as I could down the initial 2 miles. My pace was on target. I was faster than the 5:30 target, but I knew that was necessary as the hill would flatten a little after Mile 11.

I started feeling my legs quite a bit around Mile 10, but I fought the urge to slow down as much as I could. I wondered if I might reel in a runner ahead of me, but I couldn’t see anyone. It was pretty lonely. The curves make it difficult to see very far ahead. It was nice not to be passed by dozens of people like what has happened to me in previous years. Finally around Mile 11, the runner behind me came charging ahead at a pace I had no prayer of keeping with. I don’t know how he did it. He blew by me and kept going until he was out of sight.

Mile 11 was a little weak for me, but I felt like I picked it back up at Mile 12. I knew I was close and I charged ahead. I finally saw another runner ahead of me at about Mile 12.75, but it was too late to catch him. He was one of the “Boise Elite” runners. I was gaining on him, but he had too much of a lead for me to make up the difference. Perhaps if we had another 0.5-1 mile I could have caught him.

I knew I was cutting it close to hitting my time, but when I saw the finish I was able to pull in just under 1:25:00. My official time ended up being 1:24:52. I was very happy with it and pleased to be done at last!

Almost to the finish of the Race to Robie Creek

Ugly finish line photo at the Race to Robie Creek. I could have sworn I was trying to look good for the photo!

I was thrilled to have hit my goal. In further reflection, I’ve realized that had I run 8 seconds slower, I would have been slightly disappointed. Funny how that works.

Post Race

I congratulated the guy that passed me for his strong finish. He told me that he was pretty concerned when I was hacking during the first few miles but he was glad when it mostly stopped. I apologized but told him I had a cold and there wasn’t much I could do about it!

I grabbed my bag and a plate of food. I skipped the baked potato this year since I always take more than I can handle. Then I headed a couple hundred yards up the course to cheer on other runners and await Adam and Cyndi.

Adam had a good race. He came in at 1:39:17, which was great for his first showing at Robie Creek. He got 5th in his age group. I saw a few coworkers come in – Rusty got a PR, Matt did well, and Tahnee had a good run. She missed her goal by a few minutes, but she had run another half marathon a couple weeks before. Cyndi came in at 2:07 and I was excited to see her. She did well and had a fun race. I reminded her that I got 2:07 just a few years ago, in 2012.

We ran into a couple other friends in the crowd below, but after getting some food and chatting we headed home.

My in-laws were in town and we had a nice, barbecued steak dinner and homemade ice cream with them, my parents, and Adam and his dad. It was a great finish to a great day.

Final Thoughts

I’ve determined that the Race to Robie Creek is my favorite race. It’s in my home town. It’s fun. It’s competitive. It’s quirky and unique (noon start time, limited entry, silly themes, etc.).

It’s also a race I can do (almost) every year and measure my progress. I’ve been blessed to have been able to train mostly injury-free for a few years now. I’ve found that consistency in training and remaining injury free has been the key to improvement. I used to take long breaks from running, but I’ve been consistent in the past few years and it has yielded nice dividends for me.

These are my Robie times since my first Race to Robie Creek in 2010:

2010: 1:58:33
2011: 2:03
2012: 2:07
2013: 1:48:22
2014: 1:40:18
2015: 1:31:10
2016: 1:24:52

My point is that consistency and hard work can work well for anyone at least to some degree. Of course, injuries can destroy everything. I know that eventually I will either peak or become injured, but until then I hope to carry on. I also know that not everyone cares about improving their time at a silly race. However, I think that the same principle can be applied across other areas of life — parenting, relationships, education, work, gardening, weight loss, etc. Basically, with the right focus and effort we can get better at anything. There may be hiccups and setbacks along the way, but even those can be overcome with time, especially for things that really matter (i.e. not running).

What will next year bring?

Training for the Race to Robie Creek Half Marathon

Tomorrow is the Race to Robie Creek half marathon, my favorite race to run each year. This will be my seventh attempt to run over the mountain. My times have ranged from 2:07 to 1:31.

I think there are many people that sign up for the Race to Robie Creek that are unsure how to train for it. I decided to jot down some ideas and some training philosophies that I’ve developed over the past few years to offer training advice for those attempting Robie. I’ll split it into two parts: Training to survive, and training to thrive.

Part 1: Training to Survive the Race to Robie Creek

First, the Race to Robie Creek is challenging, but it’s not as hard as a marathon. I want to start with that since I’ve seen some people get overwhelmed by the challenge of it and give up before race day. Yes the race has a lot of uphill and downhill, but the length of a marathon makes even a flat marathon much more difficult to endure.

If you are just trying to make it over the mountain to Robie Creek, then you should first focus on building your endurance. Being a half marathon, the race is about 13.1 miles long. If you want to do fairly well in the race, you’ll need to build up to the point where you can run about 13 miles in a single run. Really though, you can probably build up to 8-10 miles and still be able to run most of the race.

How do you train in order to build mileage? I would suggest planning on three runs per week. For example, plan on running every Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday. The intention of the first two runs is to enable a better long run on Saturday.

Where you start your training depends on what your capability is. How far can you run today? Make that distance your first Saturday run. If you can run 3 miles, then target a 3 mile run on your first Saturday in the first week, and something less than that on Monday and Wednesday (perhaps 1.5 miles each of those days). If you can cross train on other weekdays it would help, but it’s not necessary. Cross training can include things like biking, swimming, yoga, crossfit, basketball, etc.

Each week, add one mile to your long run. Lengthen your two shorter runs slightly each week. If you’re still drained on Monday from your long Saturday run, then don’t worry about lengthening your Monday run. Your goal is to build the Saturday run slowly over 2-3 months so that two weeks before Robie you are somewhere between 8-13 miles in that longer Saturday run. If you have time, it would also be good to take one week a little lighter where you don’t add a mile — that will help you recover.

The mileage is most important, but it’s also a good idea to run some hills. Try to run hills about every other week during your longer run. If you don’t live next to hills, you may need to drive. I live in Meridian where the biggest hill is the nearby freeway overpass. I often drive to the foothills, to the Lucky Peak Dam, or to the dump loop near Eagle to get a hill workout.

What makes Robie challenging is the uphill. What makes you sore the next day is the downhill. Focus on both uphill and downhill during your Race to Robie Creek training. Many runners make the mistake of fighting against the downhill. Don’t put on the brakes the whole time you’re running down a hill! Let the hill do the work and roll down the hill. Don’t lean back too much — try to keep your torso as perpendicular to the hill as possible.

Most runners below the ~2:00 mark at Robie walk the last portion of the uphill — from about Mile 7.6 to the Mile 8.4 peak. That is fine and may save you a lot of energy. Besides that portion, I think that if you can do a ~10 mile run, you should be able to run the rest of the race.

Remember on race day to relax and have some fun. The Race to Robie Creek has a fun atmosphere and I’ve always had a great experience running it.

Part 2: Training to Thrive at the Race to Robie Creek

It’s one thing to train to survive the race, it’s another to train to improve your time.

Generally speaking, anyone who puts in more miles is going to improve their race time year over year. Aerobic capacity will enhance your performance at Robie. I noticed a large improvement in my performance once my long runs peaked at 15 miles rather than 10-12. I continued to improve as I trained for marathons with long runs reaching 20 miles.

However, if you want to get faster it’s not always enough to just run. You will need to train with speed. There are two typical speed workouts you can do to improve your speed.

Intervals consist of repeated running at high speed for a short distance, and resting between runs. The rest can either be actually stopping or just jogging at a slower pace. (Fartleks are basically the same thing.) Intervals can vary in distance. I usually focus on distances of 400m, 800m, and 1600m. For example, a workout may be 6x800m at a fast pace with a 400m jog between each.

To make these more relevant for the Race to Robie Creek, you can do intervals going up and down hills, although this isn’t completely necessary.

Tempo runs consist of running at a faster pace for a 20-50 minutes. Typically you should target a heart rate around 80-85% of your max. I generally warm up for a mile or two, then run the tempo, then cool down for a mile or two. These runs are usually at a pace that you can’t sustain for too much longer than you run them.

I use interval and tempo runs on two of my workouts each week, then do a longer run as well.

It’s also very important to train on hills if you want to improve at Robie (obviously). I wouldn’t suggest doing big hills every workout since your legs need to recover. I try to do a long run on hills about every other week, with my other long run being on flatter terrain. I feel like this gives my quads a break and enables them to heal and improve.

Finally, what has helped me improve my times at the Race to Robie Creek the most is consistently training through the year. If you wait until February to start training, you may or may not beat your time from the previous year. Working hard over the fall and winter has helped me to make continuous improvements and build on what I’ve already established.

To all who sign up for the Race to Robie Creek: good luck! I love the race and I look forward to running it every year I can. I think the difficultly makes it more valuable and adds to the great feeling everyone has when they finally cross the finish line.

Micron FABulous 5k – 2016

I don’t like to spend $25-$30 to run a 5k. It just isn’t worth it to me anymore since the distance is short and I have plenty of t-shirts. I’m not saying I’ll never pay to run a 5k again, but I can’t remember the last time I did.

Fortunately, there are two 5k’s I’ve ran in for the past couple years that are free or at least really cheap! One is the BYU alumni 5k that takes place in June. The other is the 5k my company puts on: the Micron FABulous 5k. (A semiconductor factory is usually referred to as a “fab”.) I like to run 5k’s since they are an opportunity to work on speed and racing without needing days for recovery.

On Saturday, April 9th, Cyndi, my three oldest children, and I headed out to Micron to run in the 5k. We left the two youngest with grandma. It was a good event and we had an enjoyable time.

We arrived about 15 minutes before race time, which was just right. We signed in and I did a little warm-up. Unfortunately, they decided to start the 5k about 15 minutes late. This actually turned out to be ok since I wanted to jog around and warm up a bit more. Cyndi, Paisley, and I lined up for the 5k, while the two younger kids, Cosette and Fielding, played in the volleyball sand.

Last year I placed 2nd in the 5k, but this year I didn’t see the 1st place guy anywhere. I did see Markus Geiger, who won the Race to Robie Creek in 2013 and 2014, and was in the lead in 2015 before some complications led to his DNF with only a couple miles to go. I knew Geiger could beat me if he wanted to. Of course, there really aren’t any perks to winning the Micron FABulous 5k — no ribbon, medal, or anything like that. It’s still fun to compete though 🙂

I lined up near the front and spoke with a couple other runners there. This 5k is limited to Micron employees and their families. There were probably 150 people lined up for the fun run. They had modified the course this year due to some construction. Instead of a loop it was an out-and-back. There was a biker that would lead the runners.

After a 10 second countdown (without any speech or anything) the runners were off. I took the lead and tried to hold back my nerves a bit. Once I was about a quarter mile out and feeling comfortable, I looked at my watch and was pleased to see a ~5:20 pace. It amazes me what a little competition can do for my pace! Usually I’m all alone in the morning and sustaining even a 5:50 pace for a 1 mile interval is very difficult. Sustaining 5:30 turned out to be just right for me in this 5k.

I was worried I might slow down, but after the first half mile, then the first mile, I was trucking along just fine. There was another runner pretty close to me for the first ~1 mile, but after that he fell back a bit. The turn-around measured more like 1.65 miles on my watch. At that point I saw that I had a good 50 yard lead or so. Geiger was a few places back and obviously wasn’t going full speed.

I was happy to pass Cyndi on the way back and then Paisley. I tried to give Paisley some encouraging words. I think she runs to make her parents happy, but I’m not sure she enjoys it much (yet!).

I slowed down a bit around 2 miles as I was starting to feel some burn, but I tried to keep it going. I started to really want the finish line to come up faster, and then I took a peek behind me to see how my lead was holding up. At ~2.5 miles I saw that Geiger was in 2nd. I decided I had more gas in the tank, so I picked the pace back up. If Geiger let me have the lead for this long I didn’t want to give it up in the last half mile!

He didn’t press too hard and I was able to hold on for the final stretch and win the race! The kids had started gathering up for the kids run and they cheered as I crossed the finish line. I can’t remember the last time I won a race. This was a small one, but it was still fun to win!

After a brief walk I headed back out to find Paisley. I saw Cyndi coming in and cheered her on. Paisley was about a mile back still. I found her and we walked and jogged for her last mile in. She was doing ok, just not enjoying it terribly. She was happy to finish and did a good job running hard in the last stretch.

While I was out with Paisley, Cyndi was able to do the 1 mile kids run with Cosette and Fielding. We had brought Fielding’s bike for him to ride, and he informed me that he was the 1st bike to cross the finish. I think he was the only bike but I thought that was really funny.

One great thing about the Micron FABulous 5k, is they have a bunch of goodies at the end: bananas, peanuts, granola bars, water bottles, chapstick, etc. My kids really enjoyed that part and loved their prizes and the blue ribbons they were awarded.

While everyone was snacking, I went and introduced myself to Geiger, who I had never spoken with before. It was nice to talk with him and meet him. He mentioned he isn’t doing the Race to Robie Creek the following Saturday as he hasn’t quite had the time to train that he wanted.

The 5k course was long, but I figure my 5k time was about 17:20. That exceeded my expectations, and really amazed me that I’m approaching the times I got in high school. I don’t have the speed I had in high school, but my endurance is way better. This makes me wonder if I can break a 5 minute mile. I’m hoping I have an opportunity to try in August with the local cross country team.

Just like last year, my 5k time also gives me a confidence boost for Robie on Saturday. I’m hopeful the competition-induced adrenaline enables me to hit my target time and have a good half marathon.