This was a race that I wanted to do again this year for three reasons - 1- it was cheap, 2-I had run it last year and wanted to see if I could beat my time and 3-After the race last year I could barely walk, my knees hurt so bad (ITB). This race was kind of the turning point for me making changes to the way I run and I wanted to conquer the course and walk away pain free. The race is held at Soldier Hollow and is what I refer to as a roller coaster course - it starts out with a long climb the first mile and a half, followed by an overall decent down, but filled with tons of ups and downs along the way, some big, and lots of small. This year the race was run in conjunction with the first running of the Wasatch Back Marathon, a mostly trail marathon that looks very tempting. The race started at 7:30am and as we began running, I pulled ahead with about a group of 10 speedies in front of me. It was a gradual climb at first, and then picked up slightly more as we went from pavement to the 'trail'. At first there were a few people just behind me, but as the hill continued, I noticed the breathing and voices began to become more faint. There was now one young guy hanging with me, and then a lady a little ways ahead. We caught up to the girl after a bit, then the three of us ran together for a short time, until about mile 2, where the young guy pushed on ahead, and I dropped the girl. We would stay in this order, though spread out a little, for the remainder of the race. Aside from that brief time at the beginning, I would spend the majority of the race alone, all the time trying to pull the kid back, and all the while being pushed by the girl behind me, who I could feel just wanted to catch me. For some reason last year I had tried to hold myself back on the downhills, to 'pace' myself or something...while you certainly need to do that in a longer race - this was a 10K! This time I just tried to keep my feet turning over as I raced down the hills. One cool thing about the race is you spend a good amount of time on the face of the mountain above the start/finish area, so you can see down there and hear the music they're playing - though being able to see the finish does mess with your mind a little, as you wind back and forth along the hillside. There are sections where you pass within just a few feet of other runners, but are over a half mile ahead (or behind!) them. I had run this in 59 minutes last year, so my first goal was to beat my time, but I also wanted to see if I could get close to 50 minutes - and deep down my real goal was to beat 50. As I was getting closer to the finish, I knew that 50 minutes was possible, but that I would have to push it. I put the hammer down on the last mile, coming quite close to the kid in front of me, as he passed a guy he had been chasing. As I hit the pavement and made the last little turn toward the stretch home, I could now see the clock, and it read 49...as I got closer I could see 49:34 and counting. I knew I could make it if I sprinted, so I pushed it hard, getting into the mid 4's and crossed the line just before the 50 minute mark. They had to scan my bib as I came in, so I really wasn't sure if my time would end up officially beating it or not. This was a runnercard race, which was nice because you just wait for a minute or two (and notice that you forgot to stop your own watch) and they give you a card that has your time and ranking on it. I was happy to see 49:50, with an age placement of 3rd - the same I had gotten last year. I was very happy with how the race went, and the best part was, I felt great and could have gone for another round! Far different than last year! Just goes to show what changing your form and technique can do for you! Don't know if I'll do this one again though, its a bit of a drive for a 10K (worth it if you're in the area though).
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