Utah Summer Games 10K - 36:57 - 3rd Overall and 1st in Age Group
The first mile I went out fast following someone that I knew was in my age group. I ended up passing him just before the mile mark and then realized I had gone out a little too fast. First mile was a 5:25 and I'm sitting in first place. I then decided to let up a little on the speed but this is a run down Cedar Canyon and gravity does a lot of the work and so my second mile was a 5:41 and I'm still in first place. I decide just to hang around at this same pace since it is feeling pretty comfortable and mile 3 is a 5:48 and I'm still in first place. I keep the same pace for mile 4 but there is less downhill. At mile 3.5 a high school cross country runner comes running by me and it looks effortless for him. He looks like a gazelle trotting down the road. Then at mile 3.75 another runner comes cruising by but I keep my same pace. Mile 4 is a 6:01 and I am now in 3rd place overall. By this point the sun has come out and it's getting pretty hot. At mile 4.5 we hit a bridge and aid station that puts you on a bike trail for the last mile and a half. I take a quick drink and look back up the road and realize there is no one else even close and the first 2 are pulling away. I just try to keep the first 2 in my sights as long as possible and mile 5 is a 6:10. I'm definitely slowing down with these rollers on the bike trail but I've also put it into cruise control with no one to push the pace. Mile 6 was around a 6:30 and the last 0.2 rounded out the overall time to 36:57. I was 30 seconds behind my time from last year but not having someone there to push the pace at the end and starting the race an hour later then last year didn't help. Still pretty excited about finishing 3rd overall (Bronze Medal) and 1st in my age group (Gold Medal). The pictures are the sprint to the finish, the podium (I could get used to being that high), and the much needed rest in the shade.
Utah Summer Games 5K - 18:00 - 6th Overall and 2nd in Age Group
The hardest part about this race was trying to get the stiffness out of my legs from the day before. We hit the starting line and I decided to do a one mile easy warm up to try and loosen up the legs. The top 2 runners from the day before were back so I decided to go out with them in the beginning. Another fast runner is there who pulls away quickly and the three of us hang together for the first mile. I look down and realized it was a 5:27 and I'm in 4th overall. It's amazing what you can do with gravity helping. Mile 2 I started to feel it in the legs but still was able to run a 5:51 and stay in 4th overall. At this point we are on the trail and I immediately get passed by 2 fast runners (one in my age group) but I'm OK with it. I just try to keep them in my sights to the finish and I pull off a 6:01 3rd mile and I'm 6th overall. The last 0.1 mile rounded me out to 18 minutes even which was good enough for 6th overall and second in my age group (Silver Medal). So between the 2 races I was able to come home with a Gold, Silver and Bronze Medal. First time I've ever had that good of a weekend. It looks as though all those track workouts and tempo runs with the St. George Running Club is beginning to pay off. The pictures are the sprint to the finish and the podium.
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