Sojourners Racing Team

Salt Lake City Track Club Winter Series 5k—January 28, 2012

2012-01-30T14:55:00.001-08:00

This is a great out and back flat course (not as flat as a track, but close enough!). I ran the first mile in 5:36. It felt really good and relaxed. The second mile had a hairpin turn and once I got around the turn around I realized why the first half of the race felt so good—the first half had the slight tailwind pushing us. Fortunately, it wasn’t too bad—even though it was nicer to have at my back than running into it (it was cold despite the sunny day). I hit mile two in 5:52 and mile three in 5:54. Just before mile three, I had caught up to a couple of guys and they really helped to push me in that last little bit. As I approached the finish I saw that the clock was in the 17’s so I pushed hard to break 18 minutes, but I just missed it. My final .1 was 36 seconds for a final time of 18:00—first overall female.

I really liked the course, but the one hard thing about it is that once you turn around you can see the finish line and it doesn’t seem to get closer for a long time. I tried really hard not to think about the fact that the finish didn’t seem to get any closer and just to focus on the race, but that was hard today.

Devra

New Year’s Half Marathon—January 7, 2012

2012-01-11T20:59:00.001-08:00

This was pretty small and laid back race. It started and finished at the race director’s home and so we were able to hang out inside his house before the start of the race—enabling us to stay warm (it was cold and snowy outside!). I did a short warm-up before the start, just to get my legs going. Just before the start the race director introduced me to Jody Benson and asked if we were trying to run a 1:15-1:20 half that day. When I left my house that morning I told myself I would be happy with anything under 1:31 or 1:30. I didn’t realize the high expectation for a fast race at the beginning of January! I started out really fast with Jody (probably a little too fast for the short warm up I did). The start was uphill and as we ran along the course I quickly noticed that we were running uphill into the wind with some snow and ice patches along the way. My shoe came untied very early on and after that I spent the rest of the race just trying to catch Jody.

After about four miles uphill into the wind we got some reprieve and ran downhill into a rolling hill section. After about 40 or 45 minutes I tried to get my Gu out of the pocket in the back of my shirt. It was really hard with gloves on, but I didn’t want to take them off because it was so cold and I didn’t want to slow down because I was vainly trying to catch Jody (I had to at least see him so I would know where to run). I finally gave up on that and rationalized that I would be just fine without it. It worked great for a while since we were running on a gradual downhill with the wind at our backs. Unfortunately, with three miles to go—too late to really make a difference—I recognized that it was a bad decision. I slowed down to a crawl on the last uphill. I was ready to be done, but I still had a couple of miles. Once at the top I knew I could made it the rest of the way. I just tried to not let the gap between myself and Jody get too wide, but I knew the rest of the way to the finish so it was hard to not let him go. I finished about two minutes back for second place overall and first female finisher. My time was a respectable 1:26:30. Not bad for a tough course at the beginning of January.

After the race I indulged in some very delicious chocolate milk, chili, bread, yogurt and orange juice. The post race meal was absolutely awesome.

Devra

P.S. This was a no frills race, so no timing chips. My time was based on my watch. Take it for what it is worth.

New Year's Revolution Run—December 31, 2011

2012-01-02T19:46:00.000-08:00

I honestly didn’t do this race justice. I was really nervous about running a lot of miles running around a track and just going around in circles. So, I chickened out of doing my long run at the race and ran 12-13 miles (I messed up my watch so I can’t be sure how much I ended up running) with some friends before heading over to the Oval. When I finally got there and starting running the 16 laps that I ended up running I realized my mistake—but by then it was too late to really do anything about it. Were I to do it over, I would just head over to the oval and party (run around in circles listening to music and such) with all the other crazy running/walking people.

The point of this race isn’t how fast you run, but it is to run more laps than the next person if you want to win, but you can just show up and run or walk however many you want within a four hour time frame. Who knows, if you just walk around for four hours you may just surprise yourself how much you walked. I had gotten a race entry as a prize from another race (Murray Moonlight run), so I figured I should just run the race. However, after signing up I got cold feet. I didn’t realize how fun it is to run around a track with up to 250 other people—especially with all the weaving between people. It was kind of like an obstacle course, but with moving targets. Perhaps it is the competitor in me, but I also found it a little thrilling in passing so many people every lap (hence the reason I ran 16 laps, it was kind of addicting)! Of course I knew that most of the people had been there longer than me and were way ahead of me in the number of laps. Given the chance I would run the race again and I would definitely recruit others to join me. Happy New Year to Everyone and Happy Running and Racing in 2012!

Devra

Two Turkey Trots

2011-11-30T15:41:00.000-08:00

I ran two Turkey Trots this year.

The first one was on November 12 in Tremonton. I love this small town race. All of my post marathon training was to try to achieve a PR at this race. It is flat, it is 100% accurate (strangely this is a VERY difficult thing to come by around here) and there are usually an ample number of high school XC boys to help pull me along. The drawback - it is in November in Utah. The weather was awful. I decided to head up to the race anyways. I was staying at my in-laws and they only live about 20 minutes from Tremonton, so what did I have to lose? Besides, my husband offered to watch our kids and the race was only $1.The rain eased off before I got to Tremonton and I started to get a little more confidence back. But literally 1 minute before the actual start it started raining really hard and the wind started to pick up. I was a little aggressive at the start and came through the first mile at a 5:55. I tried hard to push through the second mile (always my weakest) but lost a lot of time. Started thinking somewhere in the third mile, "Why am I doing this?" and just tried to hang on to the XC runner just ahead of me. Saw at 3.0 miles that I could still break 19 if I kicked it in a bit. Came through at 18:52. I tried to take a risk and go out faster, and that obviously backfired. I can only hope and wonder that under more ideal weather conditions I could have done a bit better. By the time the race was over the rain had turned into snow. It was blowing sideways. I was very wet and very cold and very much regretting the fact that I didn't bring any dry clothes to change into. I ended up wearing all the clothes I brought since it was so cold at the start. I usually race in minimal gear - singlet, possibly arm warmers, shorts/capri tights. Today I sported a hat, ear warmers, tech shirt, jacket, full length tights and gloves - and I never felt like I got warm during the race. I won a turkey for winning my odd age group (26-39), and donated it to my MIL for Thanksgiving Dinner.

The second Turkey Trot I did was the awesome Earn Your Turkey 4 miler here in Orem.Amanda and I drove over together and we met up with and warmed up a mile with Josse. One of these days I should experiment with longer warm-ups, but mentally they make me feel "tired," for faster races, so I usually stick to 1 mile. It was so warm! My husband was totally making fun of my outfit - singlet, arm warmers, capri tights and compression socks. He said I looked like a "real runner." Compliment or not? Hmmm, not sure about that one. I saw speedy Devra at the start of the race, but she was so fast, I only saw her up ahead of me after the first 100M. I went out comfortably fast and when we got to the .3 mile marker I realized I forgot to take my Gu. Normally this wouldn't phase me, but I decided to take it anyways. I mean four miles is a lot longer than a 5k, right :) I grabbed it out of my back pocket and luckily it was already open - probably from sitting on it in the car ride over. I sucked down half the packet and kept going. First mile was 5:58. The second mile was uneventful. We started to thin out a bit and I found a pack of guys to follow. The first two girls were up ahead, still in view, but it was hard to tell how far ahead of me they were. Second mile was 5:55. The third mile I did slow a bit, but I was still passing a couple guys here and there. I came through at 6:05. I looked at my watch not long after that and the overall time said 18:58 at 3.17 miles. I was doing this at 5k pace... I was hoping I didn't burn up in the last mile. I tried to latch on to a guy that seemed to be holding his pace and as luck would have it a buddy of his joined us right after mile 3. I did my best to push hard and when we made the turn for the .2 home stretch I was ready to be done. I saw the clock ticking in the 23s and I made one last push. I came through at 23:41, a 40 second PR on the course for me. My last mile was 5:55. Immediately after the race I started to dry heave and proceeded to empty my stomach of the Gu I had sucked down at the start of the race. Once it was out I felt great. The interesting thing is that I never felt sick during the race at all. I ended up coming in 3rd overall for women and won a voucher for a 12lb turkey. Thanks, Runner's Corner for a job well done.

Orem’s International Thanksgiving Day Run “Earn Your Turkey” November 24, 2011

2011-11-26T17:23:00.001-08:00

I loved this race! The course is very straight forward (very, very hard to get lost--imo) and it is the flattest race course I’ve run in a very long time. Once again I didn’t get much sleep the night before. Then, after I had gotten ready and was about to walk out the door my husband informed me that the whole family was going together and to wait while they all got ready. So, we left the house at about 7:15 and got to Orem Rec Center at about 7:45—the race started at 8:00. At this point, I was starting to feel super “lucky”. Fortunately, I had called a friend who helped me by picking up my packet. As soon as I had that in my hand I rushed through all my pre-race preparations. I barely got a half mile warm-up (I prefer a two or three mile warm-up, but a half mile is better than nothing).

As I was frantically putting on my racing flats that I decided at the last minute to wear I heard the race directors lining everyone up at the start. In a panic I ran over to the starting line, rip off my warm-ups and realized that I had lost my chip. I ran over to the starters and to tell them, but I was pretty sure I knew where it was (where I was putting on my racing flats). Fortunately, it was. I sprinted over to the starting line and hurriedly put the chip on my shoe and then stood on the starting line as they talked about something—the race course or something. I’m slightly delirious at this point, but the breather gives me a moment to relax a bit and start focusing on the race.

I had a great start and I saw Melody J. in the first 400 or so (I really wanted to just run and chat with her, but I let my momentum just take me). Within the first half mile I had company which was really nice as she helped push me through those first two miles, 5:50 and 5:47. Somewhere between miles two and three she dropped off a bit and I slowed down to a 6:00 mile three, but at that point I only had a mile to go so I pushed harder and got 5:25 for the last mile. I really should have tried to stay with the guys that were right in front of me, but I am having such a hard time being competitive with guys! Next time I will try and race them J My Garmin had mile three a little long and mile four a little short, but that is the nature of the race and running the tangents. I placed first overall (for women) in 23:04 for the four mile race. I’m super happy with that. Going into the race I was just hoping to average 6 minute mile pace. Happy running and racing to everyone out there!

Family Fun Run/To Make a Wish

2011-11-05T12:05:00.000-07:00

I did this race to support one of my running friend's amazing daughter. The Lakeridge PTA did a wonderful job with the race and lined up a ton of sponsors for door prizes.

I woke up this morning to what seemed like FREEZING temps. I think it was still in the upper 30s, but I have yet to acclimate to that kind of weather. Only warmed up .5 with Desi because I was such a wuss, plus I was feeling a bit tired this morning and didn't make any goals for myself. I still wanted to push hard, but I had no idea what my body had in mind for me today. Luckily I ended up feeling really good and pretty strong throughout the race.

I was following some HS XC boys the entire way (not sure what school). I nearly passed them at mile 1.5, but they threw in a good surge and held me off to the bitter end. I was proud of them! It was a very rolling course around the neighborhoods by the Jr. High. Mile 1 6:04, Mile 2 6:04, Mile 3 5:58, last .14 46 seconds or 5:32 pace, so redeemed myself from yesterday and finished strong in the appropriate spot. It finished up with a 3/4 lap around the track. I definitely think that helped. I could see the time clock ticking with about 150M to go and I saw that I could probably break 19 so I pushed hard. In summary I was happy with the race. I definitely didn't feel fresh, but it was a great workout to double up races and race on tired legs. Maybe I can draw upon that when I run the last 5K of the marathon in Boston next April. I believe that every workout/race can serve a greater purpose if you let it. I finished first for women with an unofficial time of 18:52.

Awards went to the top 3 - all guys, but my reward was seeing the beaming smile on Josse's daughters face the entire morning.

--Melody J.

Xango Best Buddies 5K

2011-11-05T12:03:00.000-07:00

This was a very small but well organized race. I originally had a hard workout planned for today, but I always prefer races to workouts so I decided to do the race instead. My husband has Fridays off and has been working long hours, so luckily he didn't have a problem with me taking off for a couple hours this morning.

It was beautiful when I woke up this morning. 50 warm degrees in Orem this morning, but when I stepped out of my car in Lehi at the Xango HQ at Thanksgiving Point, the wind was whipping around like crazy and it felt at least 10 or 15 degrees cooler.

I only wore compression shorts, compression socks and a singlet with arm warmers, so I was worried I'd be chilled in the race. I warmed up with MaryAnn S. for the first half mile of the race, then turned around.

The gun went off and MaryAnn and I followed a couple guys. There was a nasty hill about a quarter mile into the run and we both passed them going up the hill. I was out in front and hated it! I'm not used to being in the lead and I felt like it took a lot of energy to sustain that. Plus even though the course was well marked with bright orange arrows, I was a little scared I'd miss a turn. MaryAnn tucked in behind me and stayed there. I could see her shadow for most of the way. She definitely helped push me. First mile was 6:25. I didn't even care - the wind and hill made this first mile seem so hard.

Second mile was 5:55. That's more like it! A slight downhill for parts of it and I started to feel a little bit better. My sister came to watch and she was standing at the 2.25 mark where we make a critical turn. I'm glad I could see her for a ways ahead so I could run a smarter tangent. She cheered loudly with her cute 20 month old and I threw my gloves at her and tried to smile. I felt really bad inside, but she said I looked good and strong so I kept going. MaryAnn dropped farther behind somewhere around mile 2, so I was just trying hard to push myself and hang on. The wind was whipping around the entire way. There was a headwind no matter which direction we were running.

The end was a bit long and that is always somewhat discouraging for me. It ended slightly uphill and then we turned into the top of a parking garage. They had a huge balloon arch that I had to duck under because the wind was so bad. I stopped and started walking and they shouted at me to keep running. Apparently the "real" finish line was a few meters ahead where the clock was. Oops. I ran into the finish and enjoyed my second ever 1st overall win. Third mile was 6:01 - not bad for a nasty uphill section with wind, but last .21 was a 1:19 - 6:20 pace. I'm sure I lost several seconds in missing the actual finish line.

The sponsors were generous and for first place I walked away with Compression Sleeves (I love my socks, so I'm sure these will be great too) and a $50 gift card to a SL running store. Not a bad way to start off my double header this weekend. I know I'll be running really tired tomorrow so we'll see what my body has in mind for me.

--Melody J.

Halloween Half Marathon - October 29, 2011

2011-11-01T13:47:00.000-07:00

When all was said and done, I really did enjoy RUNNING this race. With that said, this was the most unorganized race I have ever been part of. I waited in a crazy long line at packet pick up (some people even said they waited 2 hours!), waited in another long & cold line for the buses in the morning, had a bus driver almost get lost, and more. By the time we started running nothing surprised me anymore about the disorganization... lol

I was very happy to finally have the gun go off. I was able to squeeze in with the front of the pack to start but was quickly passed by many many people going super fast down the canyon. About 1/4 mile in I met up with Krystal Harper. We ended up running together till mile 8. It was really nice to have someone to chat and run with. I had decided before hand that I wanted to go out conservatively for the first downhill portion of the race. We kept our pace between 6:05-6:30 for the first 4 miles. It felt like we were crawling along, but I was sure that a lot of people would die at the bottom of the hill and we'd be able to chase them down.

Pretty quick after we got down the canyon we were passing people right & left. We tried to keep our pace under 6:30 with the plan that we'd speed up for the last 5 or 6 miles. We passed a lot of people all the way up until we split up at mile 8. My legs were a lot more tired that I had hoped they would be by that point and I told Krystal to please go on without me. She sped up and I was able to keep her in my sights until a little turn around about mile 10. At that point I really lost her.

I kept my pace between 6:25-6:40 for the remainder of the race. I was able to sprint down the last stretch, but that was all I had left. I finished with a 1:25:21 & 1st place in my division. Krystal did awesome & ended up taking 3rd overall. I was happy with my time, but wish I could have kicked it at the end like I wanted...

-Kristie M.

Highway to Hale 5K

2011-10-31T06:58:00.000-07:00

I love this race and have done it for the past three years. After running the Pocatello Marathon in September I decided to shift my focus to 5ks and started working on my speed and turnover.

I felt really good the entire time in this race, even going up the .5 mile hill between miles 2.75 and 3.25. Could you pick a worse place to put a hill? I think it helped that I could see the yellow Angry Bird, aka Clark, and the running zombie monster, Devin, up ahead of me. Focusing on them really helped to pull me in. I was very surprised and happy to break 19 on a tough course. I finished first with a time of 18:31. My next goal is to break 18, something I haven't done that since running in college. I also saw Golden there showcasing his Altras. They are awesome shoes!

~Melody

Cincinnati Half Marathon

2011-10-22T19:54:00.000-07:00

Three days after I signed up for this race during one of my last tune up workouts, I tweaked my Achilles doing a couple of mile repeats. The good news was that I ran a 4:16 mile, the fastest mile I have ever run in a workout. The bad news was that I could barely walk after the workout. So for a week and a half before the race I barely did any running.

The day of the race was freezing cold. My Achilles was pretty tight and I was lucky that the pace was taken out really slow, this actually allowed my Achilles to warm up. After two, miles my legs were feeling pretty good. But I also was thoroughly dropped. I felt pretty good through five miles but after that I started to feel some muscle strain. Aerobically, I felt great, my legs just couldn't handle anything faster. For the next six miles, the top girl and top masters runner just drafted on me. At mile 11, I fell back big time and then I got out kicked in the last quarter mile. On the bright side, I didn't snap my Achilles. Now I can focus on getting better and training for next year.

-Danny

Murray Moonlight Run—October 15, 2011

2011-10-17T20:29:00.000-07:00

I decided to run this race a couple of weeks ago before agreeing to run the Timpview race, but I figured it would be fun to race in the morning and again at night. Unfortunately, my body decided to rebel. The side ache I mentioned that I got during my morning race remained with me throughout the day. I tried to take a nap with a heating pad, but that didn’t work—couldn’t sleep because I hurt too much. So somewhere between 7:00 p.m. and the time I left for the race I took some pain killers and I even took some ibuprofen for whatever inflammation I might have.

About the time I arrived at the race my pain had subsided enough that I decided I should be fine during the race. My legs felt great—I hadn’t run too hard during the morning race and I had picked up some CEP calf socks at Runner’s Corner after my morning race and they really seemed to help my calves recover. I warmed up with Whitney and Brandon on the last two miles of the course.

The starting line was a bit crazy since it couldn’t fit very many people across. I think it is funny, but also a little frustrating at times when little kids crowd the starting line. I tried my best to get as close to the front as possible, but so many people want that oh so coveted real estate space. As soon as the race started the little kids took off so fast it was amazing! I tried to remain calm as chaos ensued around me. The first right turn onto a dirt path was continued to make things a little crazy with all those who start out way too fast and then start to slow. It was hard for me to run as fast as I wanted to because of the dark on a dirt path with lots of people going wild. My first mile was right around six minutes which is pretty good considering the conditions.

Things started to calm down a bit after the first mile and I was able to relax a little and just run for a good time. Because it was dark and the start was so nuts, I couldn’t tell if I was the first woman or if I had to chase after someone. Fortunately, someone called out first woman as I passed so I knew my position. After that I just tried to chase down anyone in front of me. It worked until the race doubled back on itself. I couldn’t pass the two guys in front of me that I had gotten so close to. They had a little sprint to the finish so I never passed them since it didn’t matter that much to me to beat them.

I finished with 18:20 which isn’t too shabby considering that I hadn’t had the best day and almost everyone (including me) came down with the flu that night (I’m sorry Whitney and Brandon I hope neither of you get sick, I had no idea). I got a nice grab bag of goodies. Overall, the race was a good experience and I had a lot of fun.

Devra

Timpview Cross Country 5k and Fundraiser—October 15, 2011

2011-10-15T14:19:00.001-07:00

Kids must have some kind of race intuition, at least my little one does, because it seems that the night before a race she can’t seem to sleep. So, after a little sleep I showed up extra early to the race (before most of the volunteers and before anything was set up). It was my fault, I messed up on the timeline and I over estimated how long it would take to drive to the race start. My main reason for nervousness was that Danny wanted someone to run a fast race and with my limited speed work since Des News and Alta Peruvian I wasn’t really sure I could bust out anything super fast.

The race was nice and low key and the course, though difficult, was awesome. I started out well enough and had some great guys in front of me to chase after. Since most of the first mile was on grass it wasn’t screaming fast—just a good tempo mile pace and I didn’t want to go into oxygen debt since I knew I had a nice uphill dirt section coming. I continued to follow the guys in front of me and at times I thought I would pass them. However, somewhere around mile two on the trail section I got a nasty side ache. It is one of those things that happens every once in a while to me—a crippling side ache that no amount of breathing is going to help unless I stop or slow down. I think this might be the first time experiencing it in a race and, fortunately, it isn’t the worst I have ever had. So, from that point I let the guys in front of me go and just ran fast enough to the finish to get first.

The race was a lot of fun with friendly volunteers. I hope I get the chance to run it again next year and run a better, faster race. Kudos to Danny Moody and all those who helped put on a great cross country style race.

Devra

Pocatello Marathon

2011-10-10T19:13:00.000-07:00

I decided to run the Pocatello Marathon this year so I could qualify to run the Boston Marathon in 2012. We drove up on Friday morning, checked into our hotel, went swimming with the kids and then found a place to eat. 5am came around way too quickly. I felt pretty rested, but the baby was up a couple times and my 3 year old decided to join us in our bed at 2am. I took an imodium before bed, then another one with some gatorade and a power bar at 4am. I crossed my fingers that it would work...!

The bus ride was pretty uneventful. It was only about a 20 minute ride to the start, then we waited at the top about 40 minutes until the gun sounded. It was probably in the high 40s. I wasn't too cold waiting at the top and ditched my arm warmers before we even started. The weather was absolutely perfect. I saw Kristie M. at the top and was happy to see her. She ran a strong race and finished 3rd overall!

I never really settled on a goal for this race other than sub 3:20 and wanting to feel good for most (if not all of the race). I knew that to accomplish the later goal I needed to be super conservative in the first half since all of the 1400ft elevation drop occurs in the first 14 miles.

The first couple miles were slower than I expected them to be -around 7:20 pace. I think it was probably because it was so cold and I hadn't warmed up yet because after three miles I gradually picked it up. The out and back between miles 6 and 7 was not as terrible as I expected and it was nice to see where I stood in the field. I think I was around 8th place at this point.

I eased into a good pace and came through the half somewhere between 1:34 and 1:35. I'm not entirely sure because there wasn't a clock (that I remember anyways) and they didn't take our half splits with our timing chip. I did notice that my watch measured long from the very first mile. I usually measure long on marathons because I'm not the best tangent runner, but my split at the first mile marker and every subsequent one was between .15 and .18 longer. My watch measured 26.4 at the end of the race.

I felt fantastic and very much in control during the first 16 miles. Around mile 16 I started to feel a slight pull in my hammy. I was worried I had strained it, but after a couple miles it worked itself out. The rollers weren't terrible and I was keeping a fairly decent pace even on the uphills.

I had a minor panic attack at mile 18 where I thought my heart was going to explode out of my chest and I started freaking out. I felt okay, but I started to worry that I wasn't going to be able to finish. I don't know why, but I always seem to panic at some point in every marathon I've run. Luckily a couple deep breaths and positive visualization helped me to quickly work through it.

I cruised along until the hill at mile 21. It was definitely harder than I thought it would be. My dad met me at the bottom and was able to run about half way up with me. I know that helped me push through it, but I was definitely starting to feel really tired.

Miles 22-26 seem like such a blur now. They were all pretty tough. I stopped looking at my watch and just plugged along. It seemed like I was crawling, but when I looked back at my splits I wasn't going that slow. My family was amazing and cheered me on at almost every mile in this section. My mom even ran ahead of me at one point and joked, "come on you wimp!" It made me smile. I was able to make a slight push in the last half mile before the finish line and I didn't collapse at the finish. I knew I had given it my all without completely killing myself and I was really happy with my race. I enjoyed some chocolate milk, orange slices and an ice cream bar before meeting up with my family and heading out to Sun Valley for the remainder of our Labor Day holiday.

I really don't think I would have done anything differently in this race. I was as conservative as I set out to be the first half with the 1400ft drop, and only lost 3-4 minutes in the second, flatter half. I wasn't as strong as I would have liked to have been the last 10k, but I feel like that could be attributed to the lack of a solid endurance base. I have to remember I've only been running for four months since having a baby, and I was out for 2 weeks with an injury in July.

Race for Rhythm 5K

2011-10-10T19:04:00.000-07:00

I ran in the Race for Rhythm 5K in Lindon on Saturday.

It was hillier than I expected and it was very cold and drizzling this morning. I warmed up, but it started late, so I was pretty well cooled down by the time it started. I passed about 4 of the 10 guys that sprinted out at the start by the first mile. In the second mile I passed 2 more guys and set my sights on an older man in front of me. He was running strong and steady and I thought he could help me hang on. Even though it was almost exactly the same time I got a couple weeks ago, this was a much more difficult and unfamiliar course (I definitely run faster when I am confident where I am going). I felt a lot stronger physically and mentally too. I finished first overall with a 19:13.

-Melody

BYU Homecoming 5k - October 8, 2011

2011-10-10T13:16:00.000-07:00

I've always wanted to do this race and this year I got to. I have only done 1 other 5k in my life, so I was a little worried. I knew it probably wouldn't go that well, but that it would be good experience for me & hopefully help me with my speed. I went out a little too aggressive at the beginning and was pretty dead by the top of the hill. I picked it up quite a bit going down 9th east. I passed one of the BYU girl runners right before turning onto 850 & another while running past the Smith Field-house. I was hoping to catch up to a few more people but felt pretty dead after that. I came in about 10 seconds behind Sarah Earl for 2nd in my division & a 19:34 finish. I think I'll get the hang of these shorter races over time.

-Kristie M

Belated Race Reports

2011-10-01T20:46:00.000-07:00

Here is a brief update of all the races that I’ve run this year—aside from those I recently posted.

Utah Valley Half Marathon—June 11, 2011

With one week’s notice, I jumped into this great downhill race. I was a little nervous, but I wanted to see where my fitness level was. The leaders jumped out quickly and I slowly followed. Gradually, I worked my way up and at one point found myself in second place, but that only lasted for a brief moment before the eventual second placed woman passed me up. Fortunately, my former team mate came up along side me and we ran through mile 11 or 12 together. I was steadily taking some energy jells that my generous friend Kristen shared with me at the beginning of the race and I think that it really helped me to maintain my energy. I’m not sure what happened, but with only a couple of miles left I found myself alone and in no man’s land futilely chasing after the leaders and running scared that someone would pass me. Luckily, I managed to hold onto third place in 1:19:00 (1:18:58 chip time).

Homestead Golden Road Race 15k—May 28, 2011

I hadn’t run this race in years, but I wanted to run a longer race—but not a half marathon. This was the perfect race. Set in the beautiful town of Midway with beautiful scenery along the course and a tough hill to keep it real. I was nervous because I really haven’t run a lot of races in the past few years and those that I have run didn’t quite pan out the way I like. I got a good start and had a good high school runner pacing me for the first 5k and then I think my greater running experience helped me to pass him a little before the dirt hill. Honestly, that was an awesome part of the race, running up the hill and seeing who was in front of you coming down and then getting to fly down a dirt hill—something I truly enjoy—and get a glimpse of who is behind you. Shortly after the dirt hill I got a little confused on where to turn (I must confess here that I never looked at the course map before the race); fortunately, after waiting a bit at a corner the next runner indicated where I should turn. I had hoped that he would run with me and keep me company. Alas, it wasn’t to be. I was left to the nasty, horrible hill between miles seven and eight all by myself. It isn’t that it is as steep as the dirt hill it is that it is in that place where someone like me who isn’t in the greatest shape really starts to suck air and legs start burning. I managed to hang on and finish in first place. Yay!

29^th Annual Law Day 5k—May 14, 2011

I ran this race as part of a team for a local law firm—Olson Shaner. We had a great team with the incredible Jameson duo, Jamal Tongo and Seth Wold. I’d like to say that I was a great addition, but that would be untrue. I was the weak link in this awesome group of runners. My watches decided not to work when I got to the race and when the gun went off my body rebelled and decided that it didn’t like running. It was a slightly different course from the year before (I think it was longer . . .), still it was pain all the way through to the end. I finished third for women and our team, thanks to the effort of everyone, managed to garner first place beating out the perennial team champion. That is always nice.

Running of the Leopards 5k—March 27, 2011-10-01

Even though I hadn’t run in about three weeks, I jumped at the chance to run this race. It is a super-fast downhill 5k course. I guess I just wanted to run a race. I had a good start and first mile right around 5 minutes and then proceeded to slow down with the remaining two miles. I ended up in fourth place on the women’s side with a decent 17:42—slower than last year—but still decent considering the lack of running I had done prior to the race and no winter base. I enjoyed the great spread the race directors had prepared and went home happy.

Whew! Kudos to you if you read all that. :)

Devra

The Fabulous Alta Peruvian Lodge 8-K Downhill Dash and Barbeque Bash—Sept 10, 2011

2011-09-30T15:46:00.000-07:00

The greatest thing about this race—besides the awesome BBQ after the race—is the super fast course. I hadn’t done any workouts since I ran the marathon at the end of July. I hadn’t even been running consistently. However, I still managed to bust out a 24:54—only four seconds slower than last year. The hardest thing about this race is the recovery. The super steep downhill really gives your legs a pounding.

This year a few more good runners showed up to make sure that I didn’t slack off any. I had hoped that I would be able to run a relaxed race since the night before I had run a little harder than I had intended to (pre-race jitters?). My first “mile” was 5:00. The second mile was definitely short—4:45. I was still feeling fairly good and relaxed at this point and I was lucky that I could still see some of the guys in front of me. Mile three I clocked a 5:01 and I was starting to feel the lack of speed work take its toll on my form. I continued to follow the guy in front of me. It seemed as though every time I would start to get close enough to pass he would put on a burst of speed and pull ahead just out of reach, but still it helped pull me through a 4:56 mile four. A guy passed me between miles four and five and as I watched him pass the guy in front of me I decided that I had better just go for it since the race was almost over. I pushed and my form completely fell apart, but I managed to run a 5:11 last mile.

According to my Garmin, the first four miles were short and the last mile was long, so despite my last mile looking like it was my slowest, it was actually my fastest with an average of 4:42 per mile pace. Although the race results say I averaged a 5:01 per mile pace, my handy dandy Garmin says I averaged a sweet 4:59 per mile pace. I’ll take that and the win with a big smile, sore legs and all.

Devra

Deseret News Marathon—July 25, 2011

2011-09-30T15:42:00.000-07:00

I decided to run this marathon about mid-May (yes, that’s barely over two months prep time for a marathon—doable just not suggested). With one 20-miler, and a few 15-18 mile runs under my belt I felt like I just might run a decent race.

The night before the race was just crazy. Since it was the 24^th of July, it seemed like all my neighbors decided that it was the night to light all those fireworks they hadn’t yet lit and all the new fireworks they had just purchased. I think I got about one or two hours of sleep before I had to get up and leave for the race. I had prepped everything except the timing chip before I went to bed because I hadn’t decided which pair of shoes to wear during the race. I left my house with just enough time to catch one of the last busses up to the start. Half way there—too late to turn around—I realized that I had forgotten the timing chip in my room. So, with some trepidation I approached those who seemed in charge at the bus loading zone.

I did get a timing chip and despite nerves and some stomach cramps I lined up at the starting line. My plan was to run the first four miles easy and then just hold a steady pace from there. I figured I could run along side someone who has run this race many times in the past and I would be just fine . . .

The gun went off and my plan disappeared just like that. My first four miles seemed so easy, I actually joked that I was jogging. I think I got a season best in the 5k during those first few miles. It all seemed so easy running 5:27, 5:47, 5:43, 6:03, 6:23, 6:55 (nice long uphill right here. I’d heard about it, but I just didn’t really think about it) 7:31, 7:03—still running uphill here—6:25, 6:35, 6:20, 6:18, 6:22, 6:24, 6:19, 13:09 (two miles, I missed the mile marker). When I hit that mile 16 I figured I might still be able to hang on, but I was really feeling those first few miles and I knew that I might be in trouble; however, I was seeing people I knew that had come to cheer me on and so I tried to hang in there. I made it through mile 18 in 7:08 and 19 in 7:01.

By mile 20 I was seriously thinking about stopping, but managed to run a 7:23. I tried to hang on, but a nasty side-ache was really bothering me so I stopped and took a breather (after looking behind me to see if anyone was there—not that it would have mattered because I really couldn’t keep running). I kind of walked/jogged for a moment and then decided that I would get to the finish line faster if I just stayed jogging and tried to focus on getting rid of that nasty side-ache. The next few miles I think I stopped at least once per mile, but on a couple of them I may have stopped two or three times. I even stopped to walk for a moment with less than half a mile to go because I was done. I have never felt that awful in a race or a run in my life. It was sheer will power and divine intervention that got me to that finish line. My last few remaining miles were what did my overall time in with 8:54, 7:09, 7:39, 15:45 (2 miles here), 10:57 (last 1.2 miles). Fortunately, I had built up a big enough lead during those first few crazy miles that I was able to pull off a first place finish. The time wasn’t even close to a personal best, but I’ll take first place any day.

After the race I was pretty delirious and I think that despite my best efforts I still managed to become dehydrated. Lessons learned from this race? Don’t run it like I did--crazy fast beginning and very little training.

Devra

Bob Firman Invitational

2011-09-24T21:14:00.000-07:00

For some reason I decided to sign up for the collegiate division of the race. I am learning that it is not the best idea to race while babysitting high school runners. I slept for three hours outside the room of some of my athletes who were running around the hotel and by slept, I mean I told them to go to bed every half an hour.

I got to the race a little later than I would have liked and only got to run around for about 10 minutes. The race was probably the smallest race of the day which was nice. Like always, I went out too fast (5:00) but I wanted to be with the leaders. Two miles into it I fell off the back of the pack. For the rest of the race I was in no man's land with a pack closing on me. The pack got pretty close to me in the end but I was able to hold on to 6th place with a time of 26:40. What better reward for running a race than riding in a bus for 6 hours with high school students!

-Danny

Madeira Mile

2011-09-15T12:13:00.000-07:00

I've always commented on others "posts" to report my races but this is one no one around here will run. So, the Madeira Mile is in my hometown in Cincinnati. I did this race while we were there this summer. I have had a chronic sciatic pain for a while and haven't been running as much but in my hometown, I couldn't not do this race! It is an easy fast mile, on the main road before the 4th of July parade. I won last year but it was looking like there were some college girls warming ups so I knew they were going to be fast. Three girls took off from the start, the winner ran a 5:12, the other two followed, I came next at 5:40. I could hear my high school track coach at the half mile point cheering in the crowd. He didn't know I was running until that moment and he yelled at me like I was 16 again, "You can catch those girls, go gett'em!" It was fun to run, hopefully next summer I'll be pain free.

Back in Orem, our neighborhood had a 5k race in August. I ran a 20:40. Nothing too exciting because my hamstrings and sciatic are still messed up. I've been cross training and running just a few days a week, with some electric stim treatments. Hopefully I'll be able to race normal soon! Good luck you everyone running fall marathons!

Red Rock Relay

2011-09-10T20:49:00.000-07:00

I got roped into the Red Rock Relay in the last minute. It was actually a good thing because I always wanted to do this race. I did it with Chase and Mike on the Neyman's Red Roctane Team. The best thing about the race was that we had a motor home. I am pretty sure that I slept more during the course of the race than I usually do at home.

My first leg was the Navajo Ninja which was pretty much all uphill. My biggest qualm with this leg was that they made me wear a reflective vest. It was also annoying that it was raining. I took off pretty fast but I could tell a mile into it that I was going to have issues. My stomach started hurting and I started looking to the side of the road for an opportunity of relief. I finished in a decent time but my stomach was killing me and I racked up about 7 BMs in the next two hours. I took a bunch of Imodium and some Prev. A few hours later, I was as right as rain.

The second leg that I ran was the Runner of the Corn. It was a my longest leg and it was my night leg. The only problem that came with that was the cattle guards. I hurdled the first one but the rest I decided to play it safe and walked over them. The best part was that I didn't have any stomach problems.

My final leg was the Telegraph Tease. It was another uphill leg which I like. I felt very good and felt like I could even do another leg. This was definitely one of my best relay performances. We also got to stay in the Neyman's condo afterwards!

-Danny

Provo Timpview Alumni Race

2011-09-05T21:06:00.000-07:00

This a race that we put on every year. I got to set up the course before the race and got about 12 miles in before the race began. It is also very tiring to lug around a lot of cones. At the starting line, I saw Iain Hunter, Reagan Frey and Aaron Robinson. Nate Robinson was even walking around. Luckily, he didn't race. Anyways, it didn't look like I was going to be able to repeat this year.

I went out pretty conservatively with my top runner. We had planned on running the race together. We went through the first mile in about 5:25. Over the next half mile, we started to catch a lot of the other runners. I got a little over excited and decided to surge past everyone. In doing so, I dropped my top runner. But my move was strong enough to win the race. I finished in 15:46. Not too bad of a race.

-Danny

Pocatello Marathon

2011-09-03T17:41:00.000-07:00

I ran the Pocatello Marathon today along with Melody… and maybe some others… The first half of the course dropped about 1400 feet in elevation. Then the second half dropped about 150 feet. There were a few difficult shorter hills towards the end of the race. I ran a PR of 3:08:41 taking 3^rd place overall the females, & missing 2^nd place by 10 seconds. It was a fun race with 608 marathon runners.

-Kristie

Run A Crook Out of Town 5k

2011-09-01T20:20:00.000-07:00

I have been wanting some more speed workouts and I always prefer races to workouts so I put this local 5k on my training schedule a couple weeks ago. I ran this race last year when I was 11 weeks pregnant and my goal this year was to beat my time from last year (20:02).

It was so HOT! 88 degrees to be exact and I felt every one of those digits. I warmed up 1 mile easy before the race. I intended on a couple more, but I saw too many people I knew and lost time catching up.

Mile 1 6:30, Mile 2 6:38, Mile 3 6:29 I think it was a little short.

I beat my time from last year so I was really happy about that until I read my race report where I said I was holding back and just held a comfortable 6:40 pace. I was no where near feeling comfortable in this race at all and I even made up my mind to pull out of the marathon when I was at the 2.75 mile marker. I was hurting a lot and was letting my mind tell me if I could hardly run a 5k how in the heck was I going to make it through a marathon...

At the end of the race I saw Amber and Ty. It was really good to see them since I was MIA for so long with the baby.

--Melody

Cooper's Run 5K

2011-09-01T20:18:00.000-07:00

I will preface this report by saying that I ran 17 miles before the start of this race. I thought it would be helpful to really push myself at the end of a long run.
I saw Amelia T. right before the start. It was fun to catch up with her and know I would have someone to run with in the race.

I was really worried about the 5K and made lots of different goals. Ultimately I wanted to at least hang on to MP (7:30ish), but in the back of my mind I was shooting for 7min/mile pace. Even though my stomach was hurting and I was pretty tired my splits were 7:04, 7:02, 7:03 (talk about consistent) then 6:50 for the last .2 I was glad I was able to hang on to that pace, but it was tough for me. As soon as I crossed the finish line I made a beeline for the garbage can and lost the last gu I had taken. Yuck, but I did feel much better after it was out of my system. They only awarded prizes to the top 3 overall (all men, of course), but the race was for a fantastic cause and I loved running around my neighborhood. We ran right past my house at the 1/2 mile mark and it was fun to see my little boys cheering me on from the back yard.

I don't think I'll be combining a long run with another 5k any time soon, but I kept telling myself when the negative talk came into my brain (you can't do this, just slow down, I want to quit!) that the marathon would feel the same at certain points and I could draw upon the race to give me confidence that I could finish strong

--Melody

Hobble Creek 1/2 Marathon

2011-08-20T20:22:00.000-07:00

This was a fun race as always. Thanks Runner's Corner for putting on such a great race! There were so many racing team members there I don't think I could list everybody I saw there.

I debated what to do about this race. I registered for it back in May, before I was really serious about Pocatello - and when I found out it was only 2 weeks from the marathon I figured it was probably too close to really go all out and race. Every piece of literature I have read about racing before marathons suggest maybe a 5-10K tune up a week or two before, but that halfs are a little more taxing on the body. My gameplan was to go out and try and average about a 7min pace and then see what happened.

The first mile I came through at 6:39. It felt easy - it was kind of steep downhill (compared to the river trail here) and I didn't want to put the brakes on too much.

Miles 2-4 were 6:38, 6:34, 6:31. Okay, so my game plan is being thrown out the window. I was feeling pretty good- a little tired in the quads from some plyometrics in bootcamp, but cardiovascularly I felt fine so I decided to see how long I could maintain this pace. I also decided if I ever felt really taxed I would back off and slow down. I started playing mental games with myself and started freaking out about the marathon. Even though the pace felt relatively easy to me I always second guess myself wondering if I will "bonk."

Miles 5-7 6:38, 6:34, 6:44 Still feeling good and the mental games I was playing were now more like, "get to mile six, okay take 7-9 a bit easier..." The hill by the golf course slowed my pace a bit in mile 7.

Miles 8-10 6:30, 6:36, 6:41 I was feeling great and starting to pick off people. I made a slight surge when I hit the path part of the race because mentally this is always one of the toughest parts of the half for me. The "hill" at mile 10 was a lot smaller than I remember in years past. I guess that's a good thing.

Miles 11-13 6:33, 6:29, 6:06. I cruised through the neighborhood portion of the race. Physically I felt great - I was around a couple guys and a girl and they all took off with about .25 to go, but I held to my plan and didn't push it at all.

I saw the clock read 1:25+ change and I was thrilled. I knew I was keeping a pretty good pace, but I had no idea I would be breaking 1:26. - but I feel like it was a solid in between a race and workout run and I am gaining more confidence for Pocatello.

At the end of the race I didn't have much time to socialize or cool down because I had to rush to make it to my son's soccer game. Short .5 cool down to my car.

--Melody

Wasatch Wobble

2011-08-06T22:03:00.000-07:00

This is one of my favorite races out there. It is a race put on by Montrail at the Outdoor Retailer Show. This year it was a retro them. So I broke out my 80s attire and went to race. The course is in the trails of Salt Lake around Red Butte Garden. I repeated as the Wobble champion with a time of 17:13. Also I chafed pretty bad.

This was a satisfying race because I didn't win the Incline Challenge at the OR. I beat Dave Mackey in my head to head battle and held on to the top spot for most of the day. But due to my lack of hill training and my Achilles issues I wasn't in good enough shape to win the treadmill challenge.

-Danny

Skyline 5k

2011-07-30T21:56:00.000-07:00

We put on a 5k at the end of our cross country camp. The race is up at 10000 ft of elevation. I paced my top runner through the first 2 miles and then I broke away. I won the race in 17:20. I didn't have many problems with my Achilles which was nice.

-Danny

Battle at Big Springs

2011-07-16T21:48:00.000-07:00

I was able to pull off my third victory in the Cascadia Trail series. There was a little more competition this year. Derick was hanging on my tail the entire race. I was a little suspect in the race because I strained my Achilles a couple weeks ago. Probably not the brightest idea to do a trail run. Fortunately, my legs held up alright. The other downside was that this was my slowest BABS time. Still it felt good to win!

-Danny

Gruesome Grizzly

2011-06-25T21:35:00.000-07:00

Got to love the Cascadia races! I brought my entire team up to race this year and it was a blast. I relaxed a few times on the course because I wasn't pressed this year. I really cruised downhill and killed my quads. Surprisingly, I ran faster than I did last year. I wan in 33:24 and only have one more race to win the trifecta.

-Danny

Utah Valley Half Marathon

2011-06-21T14:54:00.000-07:00

My plan for this race was to start easy and gradually drop the pace down to MP or faster for the last 5-10K depending on how I felt.

7:15, 7:11, 7:20 (one of the few uphills) Feeling good and relaxed.

7:14, 6:56, 7:01 (potty break at mile 6, but was able to quickly catch up) Still feeling good. Starting to pick it up a bit. Took a citrus flavored Gu at mile 6.

6:48, 6:52, 6:58 Out of the canyon now and things are starting to get harder. People are pretty spaced out. Marie came and met me around mile 9 and asked how I was feeling. It was hard to talk, but I managed to tell her I was keeping things together, but I was ready to see the finish line.

7:02 (Country club hill, ugh), 6:49, 6:49, 49.32sec (6:23pace) Took a Rocktane Gu at mile 10. It kicked in at 10.5 and that helped tremendously, but I started playing mental games with myself. "Can I keep this pace up?" "Are my wheels falling off?" "I want to quit and go home right now."

I hated the fact that you could see the finish for almost a mile. It looked so far away! I kept it together and didn't ever fall apart, but after I finished my legs felt like Jello. I jogged back and ran Josse into the finish (yay!!! Josse) and she returned the favor by running me back down the course to where my husband was going to pick me up. Note to self - have him pick me up at the finish line next time :) I'm sure the little cool down will benefit me as far as recovery goes, but I felt horrible!

Postives: I was happy to see that I was able to negative split this course, especially since the last 5 miles are not nearly as downhill as the first 8. I got almost exactly what McMillan estimated I should get based on my last 5K (1:32:50)

Negatives: I need to work on my mental toughness. I kept thinking, "how in the world did I run this more than 10 minutes faster last year?... I'll never be that fast again...!" I need to be happy with where I am today. Baby W.R. is only 3 months old and I have lots of time to improve and get faster/stronger.

Final time 1:32:00

~MELODY

Community Action 5K

2011-06-21T14:53:00.000-07:00

I was a little nervous about bonking because I really had no idea how fast/slow to take this race. I made a gold standard goal of breaking 20 minutes, but in the back of my mind I thought that would be nearly impossible.

I showed up about 45 minutes early, got my shirt number and race packet and jogged 2 miles of the course.

This was the same course I PRd on last year. It was flat, with signs every quarter mile (I don't know if that was good or bad) and very accurate. I knew this race would give me a good idea of where I currently stand fitness-wise.

When the gun went off one girl dashed out in front of me and we followed about five other guys. At the half mile marker I passed her and picked off a couple of the guys. I continued to feel good and run strong until about 2.25 - then I started playing mind games with myself. 5Ks are usually my favorite race distance, but I've been out of lactic acid practice. I forgot how much they can hurt - luckily it's only for a short period of time. I pushed through the pain and negative self talk and came through the finish just a few seconds shy of breaking 20 minutes. I tried not to focus on the fact that last year I ran it almost 2 minutes faster and reminded myself that my baby is only 12 weeks old. Baby steps.

1st place, 20:05

~MELODY

Scera Park 5K

2011-06-21T14:51:00.000-07:00

This was my official debut after having baby boy #3. I was a little nervous to run this race because I had only been running for about six weeks. But you have to start somewhere, right?

Two other girls - I'll call them Boston (because of her bright yellow Boston shirt), and Gray (guess what she was wearing), Josse, Michelle L. and I hung together for the first two+ miles. There were 3 elementary kids in front of us, but we slowly reeled them in and by 2.25 we passed them.

I felt really comfortable for the first two miles. I felt pretty strong at the end of mile 2 so I decided to pick it up. Unfortunately I miscalculated my energy, plus since the course was a little long I kind of faded at the end. Boston and Gray passed me with about 400M to go, and I just couldn't keep up with their kick. Josse was right on my heels and had a great race too. I was happy that each mile got faster, but I was literally dead at the end, so I really think I gave it my all today.

I got third place and my time was 21:36.

My next 5k goal is to break 21 minutes.

~MELODY

Wasatch Back Relay

2011-06-18T21:30:00.000-07:00

Runner's Corner put together an all guys team with hopes of taking the overall race. Unfortunately, a lot of our runners were a little past their prime. It would have been interesting if we had been in shape, but we weren't. I was in decent shape and I had trained for the hills really well. Derick wanted the Ragnar leg so I let him have it. I did the You Have Got To Be Kidding Me Leg.

My night leg was frustrating because it was 10 miles, uphill, at 2 and half of it was on a trail (which I couldn't see). The instant I got on the trail I twisted my ankle and lost all of my momentum. I still finished the leg in 60:45, which I am happy with. I felt really good for my last leg. I finished that leg in 25:10. The best thing about the Wasatch Back is being done with it.

-Danny

Gistolfi 5k

2011-06-03T21:11:00.000-07:00

A bunch of nerds beat me! I was out at the ACSM conference in Denver and Gatorade hosted a 5k run. So I figured that I would have a pretty good chance of winning. We took off at 5 minute pace which wasn't that bad until I died a half mile later. I was able to hang onto 4th place. Tragically, this ends my undefeated 2011:(

-Danny

Homestead 15K

2011-05-28T21:01:00.000-07:00

I hate being out of shape. I got a pretty bad scare from Steve Sumsion. I was running scared most of the race. Thanks goodness for Memorial Hill! I was able to make a break up the hill. More or less, I felt pretty good. I just don't like being slow. I still won the race in 52.46.

-Danny

Timp Shadow 5K

2011-04-09T20:37:00.000-07:00

Well this is my first race after months of injury and of course I had to get sick and it snowed. I channeled my inner Galen Rupp and broke out the breathe right strips. Also, I doped up on some pseudoephedrine. It hurt a lot more than it did last year. I also ran a lot slower, 21.04. Luckily, I won.Yeah! I am undefeated in 2011!

-Danny

Run for Red 5K

2011-03-05T11:19:00.000-08:00

I ran the Red Cross's Run for Red 5K this week end along with Clark and Derrick. I ran a 16:24 and won it with Clark close on my heals. It was a fun race and had about 200 to 300 there running.

-Mike

Footlocker

2010-12-04T13:23:00.000-08:00

I took my team out to Mt. SAC to race at the Footlocker Regional Meet. While I was out there I raced the supporters race. This was the only reason I was still trying to stay in shape after he marathon. Unfortunately, I don't know how well I accomplished this goal. I went out really fast at 4.40 pace which was 1 second slower than the Boys Seeded race. I think that I am regressing into a high school racer. A mile and a half into the race, I really started to struggle. The last half a mile I was crawling. I finished in 16.38 and took 5th place, almost a minute slower than last year. I think that I am about ready to take a break and let my foot heal. Results can be found at Footlocker West.

-Danny

Turkey Day 5k @ Highlands Ranch, CO. Nov 25, 2010

2010-11-25T20:48:00.000-08:00

Thought I would run a turkey trot while I was in Colorado and try to win a turkey. That way I could have and easy day on Wednesday. Pick this one cause I was told it was flat and would have 2 to 3 thousand people, and it was close to where I was staying. The only thing accurate from that sentence was it was close. It was a long slow up hill the first 2 mile then a shallow down hill that didn't allow for time to be made up. It also only had 300 runners. I ran a 16:19 and took first. They didn't give out turkeys at this race. Bummer.

-Mike

Earn Your Turkey Run

2010-11-25T18:12:00.000-08:00

This was definitely the coldest Turkey Trot that I can remember ever running. This made me bundle up a little more than I have had to in years past. I really did not know who I would fare today because my training has not been that good since I had my foot injury. I knew that I wanted to win but Jared Keller showing up made me worry. There was no way that I was going to let any of the high school kids beat me. I don’t care what kind of shape I am in, I really do not like losing to high school kids.
The race started off really fast with the high school contingent pushing the pace. I held back with Keller and we slowly reeled them in over the first mile. We went out a little too fast going out in a 4:45 but that is what you get letting high school kids dictate the pace. Keller started to pull away from me soon after. I really was not confident that I could hang with him and I let him gap me. I came through the 2 mile in 10:00 but I noticed that I was closing the gap on Keller. Over the next half mile I was able to catch and pass him. As I made the pass, I put a surge in. I held the surge through the 3 mile (15:20) and then I started to struggle. I started to hear footsteps closing the gap on me and I was worried that the kids were coming up on me. With half a mile to go, I got caught. Luckily, it was Brandon Hebbert, who wasn’t entered in the race, who caught me. Brandon stayed with me to the last turn and he broke off. In the end, I came away with my first Earn Your Turkey win. Good way to start off Thanksgiving Day. Results can be found at Earn Your Turkey Run.

-Danny

Antelope Island 100k

2010-11-23T15:51:00.000-08:00

Couple weeks ago I ran the Antelope Island 100k. It was a last minute race but I had a great time. I forgot to pull food out of my drop bag which created a bad 10 mile stretch but overall is was an awesome and beautiful race. I took 3rd in a time of 10 hrs 28 minutes. Read my full report here

Backcountry 1/2 Marathon

2010-11-13T22:50:00.000-08:00

Devin and I spent the weekend in Boulder, CO. I was sent out there by New Balance to run with Tony Krupicka. We ran together on Friday. He took us on his daily morning run, which leads up Green Mountain. It was a really beautiful run, with an excellent view of the city. The trails offered a lot of variety from flat double track at the beginning to a grinding snow-covered ascend to a windy, rocky single track descent. All in all, the run was a lot of fun.

At dinner with Greg, the New Balance tec rep, mentioned that he was doing a trail half marathon the next morning and he invited me to go with him. I agreed because I was looking to do a road race anyways. This sounded like it would be more enjoyable than some of the turkey trots that I had found. It was a little longer than I wanted to do especially because I haven't been training for the last month.

There was a decent turnout to this race. It was fun racing against different people. I really did not know what to expect. I started off pretty conservatively back in the pack. It felt like the first mile took forever, which is probably because my aerobic fitness not where it usually is. Anyways, the pace seemed pretty easy and once the hills began people started to fade and I found my self in the lead after a mile. I plugged away for the next couple of miles and established a decent lead. After that the race got really hard. The next seven miles were riddled with hills. What made it worse was that the hills had hills. Since the course was on dirt trails where dirt bikes are frequently used, they put speed bumps on the hills to keep the speed down. This only made for a very irritating and exhausting run. Around mile 5, I saw someone closing the gap on me. I put in a pretty good surge for the next three miles and put some more distance between me and him. Around mile 8, I thought I had the race when I saw the guy wind around a corner probably 10 seconds back. I put one more surge in but he got me around the 9.5 mile mark. When he passed me, he broke me. I had expended so much energy trying to break him, I ended up committing race suicide. The last three miles were rough. Luckily, no one else passed me. I finished in 1:22.56. I found out that the guy who beat me is a pro ultra runner, which made me feel a little better. Results can be found at Backcountry Half. I am Danny Mooch in the results. That is what happens when you trying to write in below freezing weather.
-Danny

Orem Turkey TRI

2010-11-06T15:53:00.000-07:00

Clark

I had finished my first triathlon. The 5k was ok, nothing new or too difficult about that I finished first in the run with a 16:33. The 10 mile bike was not too bad, not my cup of tea but it was pretty fun. I finished the bike at 29:43 and was in 9^th place at that point. Now about the swim. I’ll tell you this I finished it and I am still alive. The 350m swim took me 12:29, which is about twice as long as the fastest swimmer. This was very exciting during the race. I think my favorite part was the transition parts, trying to change and get ready for the next part of the race. I finished 29^th over all at 1:00:52, and I was happy with it. I am just happy I beat my brother-in-law Zac, who swims.

Highway to Hale

2010-10-30T15:28:00.000-07:00

Clark
This 10k was fun. I had dressed up like a little cave man for the race and ran with some very creative people. This course had a gradual down hill then a mean up hill a little past the half point mark. This road race was not a very competitive road race, but the course was still tough. The race started in front of the Hale Center Theater with both the 5k runners and the 10k runners. The 5k/10k courses split on 1200 west and the 10k went out on Geneva Rd. Then came the hill and the hill hit me hard and I did all I could just to finish. The course was marked well and was covered well by volunteer police. For this race I received the largest package for first place. I think the entire thing was worth around $400. It was a good race to run.

Halloween Hustle and Monster 5k

2010-10-30T12:04:00.000-07:00

So I decided to double up today. It has been a while since I have raced and I kind of wanted to see what I could do. At 9am, I did the Halloween Hustle out in Santaquin. It was a pretty small race but I had some competition in Chase. I really just wanted to have an easy win but Chase ruined that for me. I really was not in the proper state to race. I haven't trained properly since St. George, I got sick on Thursday and I am pretty sure I have a stress fracture in my right foot. Anyways, I was surprised that I was able to cruise in around 16.10 to come away with the win. The best part was that I won lower bowl Jazz tickets! Immediately after the race, I drove to Provo to do another race that started at 10am. Arriving one minute before the start, I jumped into the race. There was also a mile race going on at the same time so I ran with the leaders of the mile until the course split and I found myself way ahead. This time I was able to take it easy. I finished in about 17.50 (the course was long) but I felt pretty good.

-Danny

Bruin Wrestling 10k

2010-10-23T09:57:00.000-07:00

Clark

This was another fund raiser that Zac invited me to do. This was a nice course that went around the neighborhood south of Mountain View. The weather was good that morning, and there was a pretty big crowd. Most of them being from UVU wrestling, it was good to see them run a 10k. Brett Andres ran the first two miles with me. We were the front of the pack. After the second mile he dropped back. I cruised in to finish first in the race with an ok time of 35 minutes flat. I felt very relaxed during the race and I think if this was a larger race I would have been able to push a little harder. I had fun in this race.

LDS Regional 5K

2010-10-13T21:13:00.000-07:00

Marie G. is our regional sports director and she organized the second annual 5k last Saturday. Unfortunately there wasn't a huge turnout, probably due to the wards not getting the word out and people forgetting about it over Conf. weekend. The course was fast and flat, but being 19weeks pregnant doesn't make for a fast 5K. I kept it nice and steady and comfortably averaged a 7:30 pace. I'm glad I'm feeling pretty good running-wise this far into my pregnancy and I hope to be able to run a few more races before the baby is born.

-Melody

Portland Marathon

2010-10-11T21:48:00.000-07:00

Well sitting in the airport and just reflecting on the race and wishing it could have gone differently. Read Glen Tucker's race report and got a lot of questions answered about the race. Thanks Glen for letting me run with you for a little bit and making it enjoyable. Wow, what an experience that I have never felt in all the running I have done in my life. I am pretty happy for how I finished especially or how I felt after mile mark 11. Well to go back to the beginning of the race I started out in a 5.39 mile and felt like I was doing well but I was leading the race which worried me a little. After mile 2 I slowed down to let two other guys take it and I stepped in behind them. Then after mile 5 one guy took off and I decided not follow and the other guy followed and at mile 6 two other guys caught me and I stayed w/ them for 5 miles and they eventually finished 2nd and 4th. Half way through mile 11 my stomach dropped and I had to pull over and use the bathroom then again at mile 15. Unfortunately at mile 11.5 it took a good 2 miles before I could find a restroom and slowed down to 6.30 just to keep myself together. I tried to find some kind of a fighting spirit to finish the race as best I could but it took awhile to find a reason to finish as best as I could w/ what was happening to me. I was in around 20th place after mile 15th and my friend that came w/ me almost caught me but he died after the bridge. Getting frustrated I took off my jersey so I wouldn't get my nipples ripped off. Don't worry I put it back on the last mile. So I just pressed on to finish the best I could. I found out after I finished the race my timing chip to work after crossing the finish line, luckily I looked up as I finished and saw 2:43:xx which I think would put me in 12th or 13th. My last mile was 6.01 and felt good about the finish. Now I got to get the finish worked out so I can go to Boston and redeem myself. It was definitely a learning experience and an enjoyable time beside all the chaffing if you now what I am talking about.

-Karl

BYU Home Coming

2010-10-09T21:21:00.000-07:00

Showed up to this race expecting some serous competition from BYU runners but none of their mens team raced. Ran a 15:44 which is not my fastest for this course but it was good enough to win. Did get lost this year like I did my first year.

-Mike

St. George Marathon

2010-10-02T16:46:00.000-07:00

This possibly could have been one of the worst races of my life. It was too bad because I felt really well prepared going in to it. Wednesday night I got sick and was throwing up all night. I felt a little better the next couple days but instead of vomiting I had diarrhea. When I woke up on the morning of the race, I took a couple of Imodium. Right before the race started, I took a couple of Imodium. At mile 5, I took some more. I even had some orange-ginger nuun dropped at the first 2 aid stations. None of this was enough. At mile 14, I couldn't hold it any more and ended up having to use every port-a-potty from that mile on. I was in great position before that happened. I was hanging in 3rd just behind the second place runner. I went from running 5:30s to running 11:00 minute miles at the end. On the bright side, I still qualified for Boston.

Bob Firman 8k

2010-09-30T18:26:00.000-07:00

Well it is a little late on this post but last weekend I ran the Bob Firman up in Boise, ID. The course I feel is an ankle ~~twister~~ breaker. I was lucky I escaped with know injuries except for some sore muscles that took me a good three days to recovery from. First college XC race in three years and took 20th. Well I was on pace for the 1st mile then I broke into marathon pace and finished the race by passing two people the last 400m. Not terribly bad but defiantly not good.

-Karl

Schutzenfest 5k

2010-09-25T16:40:00.000-07:00

I felt really good going into this race. I felt like my workouts were going great and that I was ready for a really fast race. The only thing that I didn't anticipate was that the marathon training would slow me down. It was crazy that the race ended up being super competitive. A couple of ex-Weber State runners and Mike showed up. The early pace felt good. I just couldn't respond to the pace change once we hit the down hill. I ended up in forth place and I won a big mug! Fun race!
-Danny

Bruin Booty 3 mi. race. (Sept. 18)

2010-09-25T09:29:00.000-07:00

This was my first race for about a month. This race is a fundraiser for the MV high school swimming team. it was a 3 mile race and I ran a 15:50 for first place. I had a little bit of competition in this race, someone that is trying to get onto BYU's team, and he was pushing me the entire way and at the end I had to lean to win. Clark.

Racing Cane

2010-09-18T21:24:00.000-07:00

This was my second year at this race. Ran a 19:39 for the 6k race it was 30 seconds slower than my first time. I took first. See the results at http://www.run13.com/wp-content/uploads/6K-OVERALL.htm They spelled my last name wrong.

-Mike

Wasatch 100

2010-09-15T08:04:00.000-07:00

Ran the Wasatch 100 mile trail race over the weekend. We had 10 miles of snow and 24 degree temps during the night but I persevered. Race went really well and I PR'd so I'm happy. Jeremy took some footage, mostly from mile 53-62...where most of the road mileage was. I assure you the course was typically much steeper and rockier then the footage shown! I finished in 27th place with a time of 26 hrs and 52 min. Read my full report here.

Fun video that Jeremy made. Wasatch ROCKS!

Hood to Coast

2010-09-12T00:05:00.000-07:00

I got a chance to run Hood to Coast as a fill in on a team my home ward put together. As a thanks for fillng in for them, they decided it'd be nice to give me the hardest leg. It was a very hard and very hilly experience for me, but it was also very fun. My first leg felt great. My second leg was in the middle of the night and was harder than I expected it to be. By the time I hit my final and hardest leg I was doubting my ability to ascend the 3.5 mile mountain and a few more miles of screaming downhill to follow. With a little support from my fellow runners and some cheesy but much needed motivational signs along the road, I made it. The race was run well. The people were great. I was lucky to be a college kid, since I was able to get the most sleep of anyone on my team(I can sleep anywhere these days). If I could change one thing, I would have eaten twice as much food. Overall it was a great experience. I'd do I again.

Alta Peruvian 8K

2010-09-11T20:44:00.000-07:00

This may have been the last circuit race that I am to do so I needed to make sure that I finished well. Luckily, the race wasn't as big as most of the circuit races. Unfortunately, it wasn't as big because most people had enough sense not to blitz down a canyon. I was happy that my knees held up alright even though my stomach didn't. It is not everyday that you set 4 PRs, so I guess it was worth it. I ran 2 miles in 8:56, 3 miles in 13:30, 4 miles in 18:10 and 8K in 22:51. I took 3rd overall behind Patrick Rotich and Teren Jameson. When results are available the can be found here: Alta Peruvian.
-Danny

Red Rock Relay

2010-09-10T21:28:00.000-07:00

This race was the perfect storm. The first van was in charge of snack and they loaded us up with junk food, like gummy bears and fun size candy bars. Then to top it off we had Lisa B. in our van and the two of use destroyed the candy bars and gummy bears before our first legs. Not a good idea. At least I made it through my first leg before the effects were felt. But spent the rest of the night with stomach issues. The funny thing was our whole van had problems. Stupid gummy bears. By my second leg I was kind of in control of my G I track so my run wasn't to bad till the half mile or so. I cramped up bad and walked the last 30 ft or so. I was so embarrassed. Then when we got to where we could rest the water slide wasn't on. By the time my third leg rolled around our team was locked in a battle with some team from St George, who was talking trash. I had to go up against their best runner, not something I wanted to do with what I went through the night before. My third leg was the last leg of the relay so I had to get the guy, and wasn't sure if I could. The temp was in the 90 and he had a 2.5 min lead. Don't know how I did it but I ran him down and put 3 min on him. Boy was he ever mad. His team didn't even talk to him after. Our team ended up 2nd overall. The worst part was I didn't even have to catch the guy, but I found that out after words. Then I went to a rock shop.

-Mike

Timpview-Provo Alumni Race

2010-09-07T22:53:00.000-07:00

This was the first year that I actually had to set up the race. Fortunately, Amelia helped me out and we were able to start on time. I utilized the race as a workout for my team, a workout that I won. It was fun to run with my team in this format. I was pretty tired going into the run because I had ran 60 miles in the 3 days leading up to it. I was able to finish in 16:08 and lead my Timpview alumni team to victory, 2 points over my Timpview team. It was also a lot of fun to see some friends from the good old days.
-Danny

Hobblecreek Half Marathon

2010-08-21T19:48:00.000-07:00

This was one of the more important races for me this year so a lot of what I have been doing has been building up to this day. I took it a lot more seriously than most of the road races that I do. Hawk even advised me to deplete and carbo-load before the race, which was a very interesting experience. At the start of the race, I went out really fast, probably too fast, but I felt really good. I lead most of the first two miles, which we came through in 9:26. After that Patrick broke away. I continued to push the pace hoping that Patrick might falter later on in the race. My first mile over five minutes was my sixth and then I ran another sub five minute mile for my seventh mile. This gave me a lot of confidence. I still felt good the second half of the race even though I was slowing down a bit. 67.06 is almost a two minute PR for me, so I am really happy with the result. The over all results can be found at the Hobblecreek Half Website.
-Danny

Minuteman 5k

2010-08-14T19:48:00.000-07:00

Another week, another road race. All of the typical USATF circuit competition showed up. So it was a very competitive race. My workouts have been going really well so I was excited to see how I have been progressed. I was a lot more competitive this time around. I stuck with Nathan and Jamal through 2 miles and they only barely beat me. I finished in 15:02 and in 5th place. Not too bad for the end of 90 mile week. Results can be found at Minuteman 5k Results

-Danny

Katcina Mosa 100k

2010-08-09T13:48:00.000-07:00

Katcina Mosa 100k (62.2 miles) was last Saturday. I had worked on leg turnover all summer and was a bit worried about the distance but I had one of my best races of the year. I finished 3rd in a time of 12:09.01. In the nine year history of the race my time was the 6th fastest ever. Just that 2 of the 5 people to run faster beat me! It was an awesome race on a gnarly course. Read my full report here.

Brian Beckstead

Run a Crook Out of Town 5K

2010-08-09T07:16:00.000-07:00

I found out about this annual community 5k at the last minute and roped my husband into running it with me. He pushed the boys in the chariot and let me race it. It was pretty small with probably only 150-200 registered runners. There were a couple really good male runners - John from Sojourners and a UVSC collegiate XC runner. I took first for women overall. It was really fun to get out and meet a lot of the Orem City police officers.

--Melody

Wasatch Wobble- Badrock Battle

2010-08-05T20:53:00.000-07:00

Montrail put on a really cool trail race in association with the Outdoor Retailer. It was superhero themed which spiced things up. There were a few special rules and regulations implemented to go along with the theme. Everyone had to do at least 10 push-ups after the first mile and the person who did the most push-ups got a prize. A little girls lost her four cats up trees and the superhero that could find and rescue any of the cats won a prize. Finally, the person who crossed the finish line with the biggest rock won a prize.

Needless to say, the race was awesome. I won the overall race and rescued a cat along the way, all while wearing a skin tight Spiderman costume. Mike also walked home with a win in the push-up category by doing 111 push-ups. The course was way tough but in the end we had a good time and got some schwag!

-Danny

Big Springs 8k

2010-08-02T18:52:00.000-07:00

Bigs Springs 8k was awesome. Aside from a couple youth moving course markings, I had a great time. Placed 5th. Full report can be found here. Afterwards, a group of us ran up Big Springs over Lightening Ridge and down Rock Canyon. It was awesome like usual.

Pioneer Day Classic

2010-07-24T21:38:00.000-07:00

Should have gone to Dessert News instead! This course isn't that fast and left be beat up. At least I didn't do Bryce Canyon half a week before like in years past. I took 2nd to a former BYU runner. And the cute girl at the massage tables was married.
http://www.run13.com/wp-content/uploads/10K-OVERALL1.htm

-Mike

Des News 10K

2010-07-24T19:42:00.000-07:00

It is hard to believe that it has been a year since last year's Des News. It is crazy how competitive this race is. I opened the first mile in 4:36 and was trying to take it easy! I even got displaced by an eleven-year-old at the start line. (The kid didn't even win his age group and finished more than 10 minutes behind me!) Anyways, it was fun to see so many faces that I was used to competing against in high school and college.

I had a lot of goals for this race earlier in the season before I got injured, but I had to modify my goals going into it this year because I was not quite ready. I really just wanted to see what kind of shape I am in right now compared to last year. In the end, I clocked 31:22 and felt pretty good doing it. This means I am getting close to the shape that I was in last year, which shows me that my training is going pretty well.

The club performed great. It was fun to get some recognition from spectators and other competitors because of the club affiliation. Results can be found here: Des News 10K

-Danny

Branbury Benefit Race

2010-07-20T09:08:00.000-07:00

I saw a flier at Seven Peaks announcing a local 5k on July 10 to benefit the woman that was brutally attacked on the river trail last month. The race was at 10am so that also motivated me to do it - I got to sleep in (for once!) on a Saturday morning.

I biked to the race (Branbury Apts) with my husband and kids. It was definitely a smaller race, but about 150 people came out to support the race and the cause. The course was simple - go down the canyon for 1.5 miles, run the perimeter of a park, then head back to the apartment complex. I decided after the first mile that a 10am start probably isn't the smartest time to start a July race.

I took 2 cups of water at the half-way point. One to drink, and the other to dump on my head. It evaporated within a minute or two. I slowed down a lot in the last mile because I was seriously over-heating.

Training in the early morning has its advantages, but racing in the "heat" is not one of them.

There was not a lot of competition, and I came in 3rd overall (men+women), and 1st for the women. Even though it was a small race, I was happy to support such a great cause.

--Melody

NUTS 1/2 Marathon

2010-07-18T09:12:00.000-07:00

Ran the first annual Northern Utah Trail Series 1/2 Marathon last Saturday. The race was on the Bonneville Shoreline Trail above Ogden. Almost entirely beautiful technical singletrack trail. Very cool race and I ended up placing 2nd overall. Read my full report here.

Brian Beckstead

Draper Days 5k

2010-07-17T20:15:00.000-07:00

This race was awfully disappointing. Which is saying something, because I didn't have many expectations going into it. I spent a good portion of the morning driving from cross country camp in Mt. Pleasant just to get to this race. The competition was good enough, but I was exhausted going into the race. The worst part was that I missed the last turn because someone decided that placing cones evenly spaced across the entire street means turn here. This cost me time and a place. I was pretty angry when I finished. My opinion of the USATF circuit has definitely gone down after this race. I refuse to look at these results.
-Danny

Lavendar Days

2010-07-10T21:44:00.000-07:00

Second time here. I ran a 16:38 and took first. The race started late. Funny thing was that at registration they were playing Safety Dance over and over, and the night before I watched the literal Version of it on you tube. Lets just say where the race is at could have been where the music video for Safety Dance was filmed. I kept looking around expecting to see a midget skipping around playing a lout.

-Mike

Freedom Run, Provo Ut

2010-07-06T12:18:00.000-07:00

The Freedom Run was a blast! The 5k had a really deep field of competition. There was no point during the race where I had to run alone, which was great. All in all, it was really fun running with such talented athletes. I ended up in 7th place, with a decent time. The race was really well represented by the sojourners as well, both in the 5 and 10 k distances. Results can be found at: Freedom Festival Results

-Bryce

Moroni "turkey trot" fun run

2010-07-06T12:12:00.000-07:00

I ran this tiny race in Moroni on the 3rd of July. About 70 people showed up, and it was fun to jog in and win the thing at a "stunning" 17:00 pace. A nice, quaint little run, and they gave me lawn chairs for winning too.

-Bryce

Grizzly 8k- Ultra Perspective

2010-07-05T08:51:00.000-07:00

Ran the Gruesome Grizzly 8k last weekend. First race shorter than a marathon in two years where I wasn’t wearing snowshoes! It was a test of my versatility which ended with mixed results. After the start I settled into the chase pack as it was clear Danny and Jace were 1 and 2. I passed several runners at the bottom of Grizzly but my ultra-marathon power walk wasn’t fast enough to keep several speedsters from catching and passing me by the top, including the womans leader Amber (an animal on the trail!).
Once over the top, less than half way through the race, I started my kick….my problem is that my sprint is a 6:30 pace. Luckily I can maintain that down any technical trail. Once the winding single track began I started picking off everyone that had passed me on the uphill.

With half mile left I was in 4th but I couldn’t get in front of Clark and had to tail him down the last singletrack until we opened up in the park where I surged taking the inside route, giving him the elbow. The problem however, is that my momentum heading around the corner kept me from seeing or dodging an overhanging tree branch. The ensuing facial close line and the fact I misjudged how long the final stretch was kept me in fourth place as Clark surged ahead for third.
Considering everything I ran well. I was hoping for more leg speed but I guess this is what happens when it’s been 4 years since my last speed workout. My new goal is to acquire some leg speed while looking forward to some more “Sprinting Races!”
Brian Beckstead

Murray Fun Days 5K

2010-07-03T18:02:00.000-07:00

Today was the day of another circuit race. As expected the competition was good and the course was not so good. Any course that is designed to follow a parade route is destined to fail. Especially, when you have to run out and back while little kids throw snaps at you. Sojourners performed well. Amber won the women's race. Danny and Clark took fifth and sixth in the men's race. Results can be found at: Murray Fun Days 5K

Squaw Peak 50

2010-06-28T16:00:00.000-07:00

A little delayed but the Runner's Corner mountain team participated in the nationally renowned Squaw Peak 50 miler on June 6th. This uber difficult race boasts 13,000 feet of climbing over rocky and gnarly trails from Provo Canyon to Hobble Creek and back. 4 men and 2 women placed in the top ten.

3rd- Shane Martin
6th- Karl Jarvis
8th- Phil Lowry
10th- Brian Beckstead

4th- Marci Lamoreoux
8th- Melanie Clayton

Gruesome Grizzly 8K

2010-06-26T21:36:00.000-07:00

This was my first race back where I felt like I was able to be competitive again. I was actually surprised that I was so close to Jace Nye. I was mainly happy that I was able to reel him back in after getting gapped mid-race. I knew that if I were to have a chance, I would have to gap him because there was no way I could out kick him. I am still not quite as strong as I need to be, but I am making progress. Anyways, the race was way fun. The new finish was really cool. With all the turns, I felt like the new course was a little slower than the previous one. I am excited to see where the rest of the season takes me. When posted results can be found at: Gruesome Grizzly Results
-Danny

Utah Valley 1/2 Marathon

2010-06-26T10:02:00.000-07:00

This post is long over-due, but since I was planning on blogging about the fun trail run Amber and Ty put on today I thought I'd post about the half.

The Sojourners Racing team was represented by myself, Darcy M, and Clark N. Did I forget anybody?

I loved the course. It started right before you get to the tunnels in the canyon. It was a nice somewhat gradual course with only a couple hills. My goal was to get a PR and I was lucky enough to shave a good 2 minutes and 25 seconds off of my previous half PR. I came in 5th overall with a time of 1:21:50.

I was pretty happy with my time, especially since I was running by myself for 90% of the race.

--Melody

Wasatch Back Relay

2010-06-19T20:31:00.000-07:00

I got roped into running the relay the night before the race with the team "We've Still Got The Runs." Probably not the best idea having only trained 10 days going into the race. Luckily, my team was pretty chill. Mike and I actually got to sleep quite a bit. Since I was out of shape I took the first couple of legs pretty easy, cruising along at 6 minute pace. Going into the Ragnar, I felt pretty good. I still made it with the 4th or 5th fastest time of the day, but it was the slowest I have ever run up the hill. Mike and I collected around 200 kills through the course of the race. All in all, it was a lot of fun.
-Danny

Utah Valley Marathon

2010-06-13T22:18:00.000-07:00

After a week long carbo load and a well needed taper, I was ready for my marathon debut. The weather conditions were ideal for a 26.2 mile race, temperatures ranging in the mid 40s with a slight rain. The race got off to a honest pace, ranging in the the mid to low 520s per mile. The 6 miles from Walsburg to the highway down the canyon were very pleasant. I was up in the lead pack with three other runners. There were hills that came next on the highway next to Deer Creek, which were tough, slowing the pace down, but everyone in the pack stayed fairly close. Coming down the canyon after the inclines increased the velocity of our pace, separating the lead group a bit. I feel off from the two leaders during the mid miles heading down the canyon. I split the half on pace for about a 2:22 marathon, so I was excited about my pacing. Coming onto University Avenue with about a 10k to go, I was in fourth and started to feel what I thought could be potentially "the wall." I knew my pace was slowing down a bit, but honestly I felt that I couldn't do anything else to change that. With a mile to go I paced the third place runner, and had enough energy to fight the pain to feel like I finished fast. Overall I had an amazing experience, I was pleased with how I executed the race for it being my first one ever. I hope to compete in one later on this year. Here is the link to the Utah Valley Marathon website, results for this year I imagine will be posted later on this week.
utahvalleymarathon.com
-Jake

Run for Rex

2010-06-13T07:58:00.000-07:00

This was a fun little charity race that was put on to help out a little two year old boy who suffers from brain cancer, what a cute little boy. I ran a 16:31 in the 5K. i was happy with that because it was the last race before the half marathon. for the prize i received $85 for 26.2 and got some shoes. great race great cause. Sorry no pictures. This is something i am going to try out so you can see my time and the course. Here is the connect garmin site for the race i ran with my time and the pace http://connect.garmin.com/activity/36540613 check it out. Clark.

Orem Summer Fest

2010-06-12T21:48:00.000-07:00

Expected to see a lot more of the racing team at this one. But they all must have been at the marathon across town. I won this race with a 16:12, and the winning didn't stop there. I won something in the raffle. I never do that, something is off with the universe.

-Mike

Provo Riverwoods 10 mile and 10k

2010-06-12T19:54:00.000-07:00

I was origionally signed up to do the Utah Valley Marathon today, but I have been having some shin splint problems recently so I decided to try and just find a 10k to do for today. This one was in Provo, a lot smaller, but in the canyon so it seemed appealing. I showed up as the lone person on our team (I saw a few of you running either the half or the full--way to go!) to what was probably the most disorganized run I've ever done. The busses got confused at when to leave, and left most of the runners without a ride to the falls on time...the director didn't have extra bibs for people who wanted to register late, so he gave me some persons bib who didn't show...it was apparently "chip timed", but there was no official start, and when I finished they asked me what time I got because they didn't keep track. I was extremely unimpressed with how this race was ran. But reguardless, it was a beautiful run. I had my GPS so my time for it was 42:31--I've never raced a 10k before so I was happy, but my shins acted up a lot at the end. I think I got 1st too, but it wasn't a huge event. So overall, I would just as well pretend that I did a nice, fast run in the canyon rather than call that an official race of any sort.

And sorry it has been a while since I have done some races or Saturday runs! I have gone out of town a lot this term on the weekends. But on those days I have been doing some beautiful runs in Moab, Zions, and other places in Southern Utah.
~Hilary

Heart of Holladay

2010-06-12T19:45:00.000-07:00

Well, I'm back to racing and running. After being out with a knee injury for a month and a half, I am finally feeling better. Amber, Ty and I drove up to Holladay for the USATF circuit race. As you could probably guess, the competition was pretty good especially for a smaller 5K. I held pace with the leaders through a mile before I fell apart. I was able to hold off Amber, who won the women's race. It really stinks to be out of shape. Hopefully, the next race will be better. The results can be found here: Heart of Holladay 5k
-Danny

Nestle Art City Days 5k

2010-06-05T22:32:00.000-07:00

I raced in the annual Springville Art City Days 5k today, mostly for the raffle and to do a 5k race a week out from the Utah Valley marathon. The main purpose of this race was to deplete my body of carbohydrates so I could begin my week long carbohydrate load before the marathon next Saturday. I felt a bit tired from the get go, and my legs were a bit sore from the week of travels and miles, but still felt alright about my runner up performance that day. Unfortunately there are no pictures from the race and I was unsuccessful in winning anything from the best raffle in the state. Hopefully next year! I really wanted the BBQ grill. But on the plus side I supplied myself with a week long supply of protein bars and energy gummys. Next week is the marathon!
http://www.artcitydays.com/Results.htm
-Jake

Marin county Memorial Day 10k

2010-05-31T22:20:00.000-07:00

For the memorial day weekend I decided to make a trip out to San Francisco to visit my sister. While I was there I did a little research and found a 10k to run in preparation for the Utah Valley marathon. I was pretty excited about this 10k since it was put on by USATF road racing circuit, and it had a history of being a fast road race. The race started at 830 sharp, and there were close to 600 people on the line. I found my way to the very front of the starting line. The gun went off and several of us were off in blazing fashion. The pace was quick early, with my first mile being around 4:41, I was chasing the two leaders with two other runners next to me. As the race strung out, three of us stuck close trying to stay in contact with the two leaders. As we rounded around the pond for the last mile and an exciting finish on the track I found myself in 6th place. I ended up staying in 6th and was pretty pleased with my performance, since the week before I concluded an 80 mile week.
www.marinraces.com
-Jake

Community Action 5K

2010-05-30T09:07:00.000-07:00

Melody attended a community 5k benefiting the Utah Food Bank on Saturday. The race was smaller (2-300 in attendance), but it was well organized and the course was accurate. She ended up coming in 1st place overall for women (2nd place overall in the race) and PRd for the season with a time of 18:19. Congratulations to all those that participated in the Homestead 15 and 5ks!

Homestead 15K/5K

2010-05-29T21:27:00.000-07:00

The Homestead Golden 5K and 15K was a huge success. The day’s events were completely dominated by Sojourners. Bryce Carr won the 5K, followed by Derick Moody in 2nd. Summer Harper won the women’s race and Amelia Troutner won her age group! Darcy McCarty took 2nd overall in the 5K. The overall positions in the 15k were swept by Sojourners. Mike Vick and Amber Andrews defended their Homestead crowns. Clark Nielsen and Karl Seibach rounded out the top three on the men’s side. Amanda Mouldin and Desiree Ward finished 2nd and 3rd in the women’s event. In other news, Devin Moody won his age group and beat Amber! Great job, everybody! Thanks to Cheryl, Hawk, and all of the volunteers for putting on a great event. Results will be available here: Homestead Results

Timp Trail Marathon 2010

2010-05-24T14:58:00.000-07:00

Mountain Team was representing this past weekend at the 1st Annual Timp Trail Marathon . Brian Beckstead won the wet and muddy event in a time of 4:12.45 with Jarl Jarvis 3rd and Matt Galland 4th. The race was hosted by Shaun Christian and Marc Sanderson and was a absolute hit (the whole event and not just Brian's spill near the end). Read Brian's race report here .

Upcoming Mtn events:

Squaw Peak 50- June 5th
Gruesome Grizzly 8k- June 26th

Brian right after "The Spill" passing 1/2 marathoners

All smiles after the big win

Race for Red 5k

2010-05-22T22:39:00.000-07:00

This was my first 5k of the road racing season. I had just finished my track career at UVU and was feeling pretty good. I took off pretty quick from the get go and separated myself from the rest of the field early. I took it hard through about half way and decided to let off a little for the second half of the race, since I was going to complete a 20 mile run a few hours later in preparation for the Utah Valley marathon in three weeks. I ended winning the race in a 15:59, which I was pleased with since I ran on my own. I was happy to compete in this 5k because it got me tired before going on my long 20 mile run up the canyon. Fun race, here is the link to the results

http://intermountainhealthcare.org/hospitals/uvrmc/services/heartnew/community/Documents/Results_Overall.pdf

-Jake

Fill the Ark

2010-05-22T21:52:00.000-07:00

Traveled to SLC for this one. Weather was bad one the drive fully expected to get rained on in the race but the weather cleared. The race was to raise money to buy animals for 3rd world country. The course was pretty hilly so I ran a 16:31 then went and ran another 18 mile after in preparation in case I feel like doing the Provo Marathon. http://www.filltheark5k.org/time2010.php

-Mike

Run to Walk 5K

2010-05-21T13:24:00.000-07:00

Sorry I don't really know anyone's names yet, but I ran in the Run to Walk charity 5K on May 8th. Mike ended up winning with a time of 15:50, and I came in second. Sorry to everyone else who was there, but I just don't remember your names, but there was a pretty good showing from the women on the team. I guess in the end, everyone was a winner because they gave out free donuts...oh, and because it was a charity for kids.
~Bryce

Cinco de Mayo 5K

2010-05-06T07:17:00.000-07:00

Melody, Clark and Mike all showed up for the Cinco de Mayo 5k to benefit the Scenic View Academy in Provo. The race course started at the Academy in the business complex in the Riverbottoms and was a mixed terrain course consisting of road, sidewalk and rivertrail.

Mike took second behind Kyle Perry, and Clark was close behind for a third place finish. Melody took first by default because Kassi Anderson was a bandit.

There were 230 registered runners in this inaugural race and the race director considered this a huge success. It was very well organized and they had a lot of great sponsers that contributed prizes and awards. There was a nice spread of food at the end of the race and we enjoyed chowing down on chips and salsa, fruit and cake. They also had virgin margaritas.

Melody's watch measured the course at 2.96 miles so it was a little short. Her official time was 17:50 - a season PR for her (even for a short course). According to the pace calculator this would have been an 18:40 for a true 5K.

~Melody

Provo City 1/2 Marathon and 5K

2010-05-01T14:14:00.000-07:00

The race was cold this morning. There was wind, rain, snow, and even hail durning the race making some of the people there want to go home and get into a hot tub. Mike Vick and Clark Nielson were first and second in the 5K and Darcy McCarty came in second for the women. Melody Jenson came in second of the women in the 1/2 marathon, even though she raced the Boston Marathon not too long ago. The Sojourners racing team had a good morning at this event. Melody was almost hit by a couple of cars during her race and shared her frustration. The free breakfast, massage, and even the raffle did not entice everyone to stay in the bad weather. Clark.

Child Abuse Prevention

2010-04-25T07:04:00.000-07:00

I raced the child abuse prevention 5k this Saturday. It was a lot of fun! Most of the race was on the Provo river trail. So it was a beautiful race. There wasn't a lot of competition. I think there were only around 35-50 people. I came in first over all for the women with a 20:20. So I was really happy because I improved my 5k time by over a minute!
Darcy.

Thanksgiving Point Half Marathon

2010-04-24T22:00:00.000-07:00

Thought I would give a Half Marathon that wasn't a downhill course a try. Defiantly like downhill more. It is faster. The course was way cool though. Got to run through the gardens at Thanksgiving Point then down threw Lehi and back to Thanksgiving Point. They had some great events after and gave runners and their families free pass to the stuff out there. Would have went but Kendra was out of town and my other friends were being wimpy. But that's not about racing. I ran a 76:34 to win the thing. Got a way cool trophy from it. Think I am going to eat ice cream out of it. Maybe Cheerios. http://www.thanksgivingpoint.com/calendar/events/halfmarathon/OVERALLREPORT.HTML

-Mike

Be Good 5K

2010-04-24T21:56:00.000-07:00

This race was to benefit the boys and girls club of Provo. It went up through some neighborhoods off of Geneva road just north of the Provo River Trail then linked on the the trail. The finish had the strangest hair pin turn that took you through the KOA and ended in Fort Utah Park. Or that's what I think they call it. I ran a 16:28 and took first.

-Mike

Boston or Bust

2010-04-21T16:14:00.000-07:00

Take that Heartbreak! (Me & Jon running up the last hill)

Boston Marathon 2010 will probably be one of the most memorable races of my life. My main goal was to enjoy the race and take in the surroundings. I also set some time goals of sub 3:14 (for a PR), sub 3:10 and then 3:05. I felt very comfortable with the goal of 3:10 - I don't know why, it just felt right to me. I knew I needed about an ave mile split of 7:15 but I found an awesome website that adjusts your mile splits based on the elevation profile AND it lets you choose options such as conservative start, medium fade etc so I had a rough idea of where I needed to be at each mile to meet my goal. I woke up at 5am, and caught my hotel shuttle to the city around 6. Then I caught another bus to Hopkinton and finally arrived at the athletes village at 7:45. I had plenty of time to kill so I laid out my towel and read, Born To Run and chatted with fellow marathoners around me. They made an announcement over the PA about pre-race massages and my left calf was feeling a little tight, so I went in search of the massages. They were giving them in the gym - the only indoor area the athletes were allowed. It worked out perfectly because it gave me a warm place to wait and I was able to loosen up quite a bit before the race. By the time my massage was over it was time to head to the start. The PP lines were insane so I pulled a Paula R. and headed to the start. The weather was absolutely perfect. 50 degrees for most of the race with partly cloudy skies. I didn't even need my extra DI clothes I brought with me to take to the start. I found my corral and within minutes we were off. For those of you that have not had the opportunity to run Boston YOU HAVE TO EXPERIENCE IT! I thought I would be bothered with the insane number of runners, but I found it quite motivating. Especially since I ended up passing nearly 4000 runners along the way.

Miles 1-6

Everyone I talked to said, "be conservative at the beginning. Go SLOW." So I did. Note my slower 5 mile time. I had to pull another Paula but it only added about 20 seconds. I felt MUCH better after that, hence the faster 6 mile time.

7:22, 7:14, 7:12, 7:08, 7:28, 6:56

Miles 7-12

I was taking in the crowds every chance I got. I ran near the sides so I could high-five the spectators. I took oranges and cups of water. I got chills. I wanted to cry. It was so emotional. I also pulled ANOTHER Paula at mile 11. Note it didn't affect my time too much this time. I think I have perfected my technique. What was up with my hyperactive bladder??? Must have been my nerves!

6:55, 7:09, 7:01, 7:04, 7:08, 6:58

Miles 13-20 I was really in my groove. I was hitting all of the miles under my projected pace but I felt really really good so I didn't make any pace adjustments. My quads started to feel pretty sore around mile 16, but cardiovascularly I felt terrific, and mentally I felt pretty strong. The hills started around mile 16 and I felt very prepared for this section.

7:13, 7:02, 7:10, 7:01, 7:18, 7:20, 7:06, 7:14

Miles 21-26.2 Heartbreak Hill definitely didn't break my heart. I was feeling really strong and was starting to pass tons of people. My husband met me at the bottom and ran me to the top and I loved that. When I crested the hill I shouted "Heyaaaa!," in honor of my training partner, Desiree. She would always yell that at the start of intervals or hills. The crowds were really pumping me up too. They were going crazy all the way up and down Heartbreak. I was feeling so great, but my quads were seriously on FIRE. The rest of the race after Heartbreak is downhill and flat and I could feel my quads seizing with every pound but I decided to take a risk and speed up anyway. I felt like I had a lot of gas left in my tank and I decided not to waste that sweet energy. Fortunately I didn't die like I did at mile 24 at Ogden last year. I think the extra Gu and making an effort to take in more fluids (ha ha) helped power me to the finish line. I crossed with a huge smile on my face and pounded my fists to the sky. Even though I had a ton left at the end I have no regrets. I might have broken 3:05 if I wasn't as conservative at the start, but I wouldn't have enjoyed it as much. I will definitely be going back some day.

7:19, 6:57, 7:04, 6:53, 6:35, 6:39 last .2 6:11 pace.

FINAL TIME 3:07:03 (so close to 3:06!!!, 64 seconds from 3:05:59!!!) I was also fortunate enough to negative split my halfs by a minute.

~MJ

Salt Lake City 5k, Half & Marathon

2010-04-17T15:19:00.000-07:00

Our tiring end of the race day... :)

Today was one of Utah’s biggest racing events of the year with nearly 10,000 people participating in the Salt Lake City 5K, Half Marathon and Marathon. Sojourners flocked north past the point of the mountain to compete in these races. Amanda Mauldin, Hilary Collins and newcomer, Desiree Ward, ran the marathon. Julie Thomas, Sarah Ingebretsen and Danny Moody raced the half marathon. Amber Andrews, Amelia Troutner, Shelby Brennan and Clark Nielson competed in the 5k. There were some really strong performances in all of these races. Amanda finished 3rd overall in the marathon. Amber won the 5k followed by Amelia (4th) and Shelby (5th). In the men's race, Clark took 2nd in the 5k. In the most competitive category of the day with nearly 3000 women, Julie (5th) and Sarah (7th) ran extremely well in the half marathon. Danny placed 2nd in the half marathon. Great job everyone! Thanks for representing the club so well. Good times were run despite a tough course. Results can be found at the following link: Salt Lake City Marathon.
Also, thanks to Liesl for a great nights sleep the night before. The sleepover was a blast, and the floor very comfortable. Here is only a part of the pictures of our adventures the night before race day:

First, our practicing correct running form from the clinic
given us by Olympian Grant Robison the evening before....

Danny preparing for the big fight with 6 year old Pierce.

Clark pulling our the big guns....

And the fight begins!

Checking pulse after Danny's been killed by Pierce.

Enjoying being done with the 5k & ready to go cheer on the others!