"St. George Marathon 2014"...breaking 4 hours was not in the cards....

"St. George Marathon 2014"

It's hard to believe the marathon is

already run and done again for another year...

was it two weeks ago that we were driving across

the beautiful desert?...eating plain cold pasta

from an ice chest and drinking tumbler after

tumbler of lemon lime Cytomax and water...mmmmmm....yummy!! 

*

Things just felt different this time from the very

beginning...to start, when did reserving a room

for marathon weekend become such a headache?...it's
always a bit difficult but being forced to pay
for 2 nights stay was something I didn't expect
from the usual friendly hotels and motels of
St. George. 

*

In past years, we've stayed the 2 nights...one

other year we were able to reserve one night's

stay and were charged for that one night...

...and it was reasonable pricing, not doubled up
to make up for the loss of one night's booking.

...When did everything get turned upside down?
Maybe it's been this way the whole time and
I didn't notice...maybe I'm the one who is
turned all upside down....

*

I do wish the weekend of the marathon could be a

little more relaxed than it ends up being...
that constant push to arrive

in town on time to pick up the bib and race

packet, check into the hotel, prep the race
*

 

*

*
 

paraphernalia pile, eat dinner and get back to
the hotel in time for a decent 5-6 hours of sleep...

(Me, a lovely 1-2 hours...being we brought

 *
 

  

*
the dog, we were put by the exit/entrance where
the door slammed closed all night long.... 
*

I got to the buses at 5 am, and the line was HUGE...
*

*

I must've walked a 1/4 mile to find the end and then

we just stood there for what seemed like and

eternity...we finally boarded, and were off...I

got to sit and talk to someone this time...

her name was Allyson and she was running it for the

9th time with next to no training under her belt...

(I think she ended up running it in 6:35...good job!)

*

Finally making it to the drop off starting area, we

hopped into the porta potty lines that were again,

ten miles long...when the announcer said it was

15 minutes til the start, I panicked. In past

years I've hung out at the bonfires, wandered aimlessly

and could've visited the porta potty lines 2-3 times
before the race start...how am I arriving with only
15 minutes to spare, and I'm still 10 people away from
a porta potty visit??!!

*

Magically the race started 10 minutes late,
the line dwindled down, and all was good...

*

The race went well with a few bumps in the

road...some stomach issues and unprepared quadriceps,

but nothing that a nice steady pace to the finish

*

 

couldn't cure.

*

To make a long story short, I was nowhere near 

breaking 4 hours like I had so hoped to do.

I ran a 4:21, my second best time,

 and am very happy with that!
*

*
 

Whether it was taking 2 years off from running

and being 2 years older, or that my training didn't

include enough of what I needed for that speed

and strength to break 4 hours, all of that doesn't
matter...it was a wonderful experience and that
is all that matters.