Skip to main content

Race Report: Timpanogos Half Marathon 2011

I ran the Timpanogos Half Marathon on Saturday. I was a little unsure of what to expect of myself in the days leading up to the race. After being sick for over a week and two short runs on Wednesday and Thursday that were more difficult than normal because I still had a cough and congestion, I was afraid to even set any goals. Of course I wanted to PR, and a sub-1:55 would have been even more awesome, but I didn't set out with either of those goals solidified in my mind because I still wasn't feeling 100% when I went to bed Friday night. I did, however, get to bed at 8 pm, so I knew at least I would be fairly well rested.

The 5:40 am start time meant I rolled out of bed at 3:20 am. Because the hubs is working nights, the babysitter got there at 4 am. One of the best things about the race was how close to home it was. It took less than 10 minutes to get to the parking lot, where I met Julia, Rachelle, Becky and Alisha.

Me, Julia, Becky & Alisha



On my third trip to the potty, the gun went off (while I was inside). Luckily the start was close to the port-o-potties, so I got out there and started. Gotta love chip timing!

The course was beautiful and just downhill enough to be fast but not painful. It was shady and overcast the entire race. It was cool but not cold at the start and it never got too hot. It was really ideal in almost every way.

There were a few times I felt like I couldn't get a deep enough breath and there were several runners that looked startled when had to clear my throat, but my lingering cold didn't seem to affect me too much overall. During the race, I carried my handheld full of PowerAde. I walked through every other aid station and drank a cup of water. Sometime within the last five miles, I caught up to Blaine who was pacing the 1:55 group. I quickly introduced myself and then said I hoped to beat his pace time and waved goodbye. About mile 10, I realized I never used my energy gel and decided it probably wasn't worth it at the point. With three miles to go, I knew there was a good chance I would PR if I could maintain around a 9-minute pace. With two miles to go, I knew I could run a 10-minute pace and still PR. So I slowed down.

What??? That's exactly what I thought as I hit the final mile. Why did I slow down if I didn't need to? My IT band was actually doing pretty well considering all the downhill. My legs were tired but not beat. And I felt good mentally. So I kicked it back into gear to finish strong. And I did, with a three and a half minute PR.

1:52:39 chip time
38/148 in my age group
165/721 female


Julia, Me, Rachelle

Julia finished just after me and we exchanged a sweaty congratulatory hug since she got an awesome PR too. Then we ran into Rachelle, who ran an amazing race.

Not much of a race report, but it was a great race and one that I will certainly do again. I will have more about my thoughts during the race in a guest post later this week, so I'll be sure to let you know when and where that appears.

Also check back tomorrow for answers to your burning questions. You still have time to ask if there is something you are dying to know.

Comments

  1. 3 1/2 min PR! that is great!
    congrats to you!!!
    and with a cold?!!! even more fantastic!!!

    ReplyDelete
  2. you freaking crushed this race. total domination. it is funny how we think though...I had the same thoughts...oh well I am definitely going to PR so I will slow down now. DUHHHHH. haha! I don't think I knew that you were running vegas??? Maybe I did but your comment on the group just reminded me either way and I am super pumped! That is AT LEAST 2 more races we will be running together this fall :)

    ReplyDelete
  3. Great job on the PR! I can't believe you slowed down! :)

    ReplyDelete
  4. Wow you set a major PR Candice! That is so awesome considering you had been so sick leading up to the race. Congrats again on an amazing race!!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Great race and an amazing PR!!!
    I love that the race had a 5:40am start time, I wish all summertime races started early before the heat sets in.

    ReplyDelete
  6. I wish I had known about this race - that sounds so fun!

    Great job, your time is awesome!

    ReplyDelete
  7. Way to go on the PR! I guess slowing downs means you'll be able to PR next time too!

    ReplyDelete
  8. That's an awesome PR! Also, if you slowed down, maybe that means you KNOW you can get another PR on the next one :)

    ReplyDelete
  9. I am so proud of you!! I knew you could do it -even with cough, snot and all. Great job!

    ReplyDelete
  10. You are so humble about your maja PR! Way to go chica, and seriously, why did you slow down?!?!? :P

    ReplyDelete
  11. Great run, well done! That is an awesome time! Here in SA we don't have chip timing so starting from the potty would not be ideal. You did great!

    ReplyDelete
  12. Congratulations on the PR!!! Great running!!

    ReplyDelete
  13. Congrats on the PR!! Been following your blog for awhile but never really comment. We have done similar races but I can never find you to say hello.
    I hope for a sub 1:55 at South Valley!
    Congrats again! You rocked it!

    ReplyDelete
  14. wow, congrats on your huge PR!! I'm impressed you could do that with a cold! And that you could get a babysitter at 4 am :)

    ReplyDelete
  15. Wow - What a great time! Congrats!
    New follower... just found you! :)

    ReplyDelete
  16. Congrats on the PR! Sounds like the race went great overall! You guys in Utah are so lucky with all the downhill courses that you have there, in CA there are pretty much none of those, haha

    I do have one question for Q&A - how did you think of the Runnerd term? That is my favorite running term ever now.

    ReplyDelete
  17. Congrats on the PR! That is so awesome!!

    ReplyDelete
  18. Congrats on a great finishing time and getting that PR!

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

I love your comments! They make my day, so be sure to let me know you stopped by. And I always try to respond to your comments, so let me know if you have any questions for me or if there is anything you want to see on here!

Popular posts from this blog

Carpet Burn On My Butt (and a giveaway)

After two lame, pathetic, lackluster weeks of running, I woke up excited to run yesterday. And today, I wore my running clothes all morning in anticipation of my nap time run today. Even in spite of sore glutes and tired quads from getting in some P90X Core Synergistics last night, I couldn't wait to get moving on Millie. I am a planner. Today I had a plan to get my run in while my girls slept, and my day was organized accordingly. I am also a creature of habit. The first thing I do when I roll out of bed every single day is make my bed and my girls' beds. If I do something else first, it throws off the entire morning. I am a creature of habit when it comes to my running routines as well. There are a few things that differ depending on whether I am running on Millie or outside, whether my girls are asleep or not, and whether or not they are joining me in the jogger. Yet, no matter when, where, how far or with whom I run, some things are always the same. My hair goes into a pony

I wasn't sure going in...

Yep, I'm checking in. Why? Because I did something completely out of my comfort zone that I wanted to share with you. Last week I went to a place near Salt Lake called Dexa Body, where I got a DEXA Scan. For those unfamiliar with what that is, I asked Google to help us out:  "Dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry  ( DXA , previously  DEXA ) is a means of measuring  bone mineral density  (BMD). Two  X-ray  beams, with different  energy levels , are aimed at the patient's  bones . When  soft tissue   absorption is subtracted out, the  bone mineral density  (BMD) can be determined from the absorption of each beam by bone. Dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry is the most widely used and most thoroughly studied bone density measurement technology." Since that is pretty medical sounding, here's my take. A DEXA Scan is a tool to measure your total body composition. It specifically breaks down the regional composition of your lean and fat tissue. It gives a fat distribution

Social Media: Some good, a lot of bad, and way too much ugly

There are a lot of good things that come from social media. We can connect with people we have lost touch with. We can unite as a group (runners!!) with a comment interest. We can promote a good cause. Sadly though, what social media does best is makes us feel bad about ourselves and makes us feel negatively towards others. This isn't just my opinion, although I can unquestionably support the truth behind this based on my own experience. I have spent way too much time feeling bad about myself as a result of comparing myself to others based on their Instagram or Facebook versions of themselves. And there are several people I have started feeling negatively about or have become completely annoyed with because of their IG and FB posts. It isn't just me though. There are actual studies that can back me up on the negative impact social media can have. I have read dozens of articles reviewing many different studies that show the overwhelmingly negative (vs. positive) effec