Pocatello Marathon
Very good day for me; much better than expected. I won the race and in so doing set a huge PR and bested the previous course I had set last year. This is a gem of a little marathon. It is well organized, the Pocatello folks are extremely friendly, and the course is beautiful and fast (especially the first half). It doesn’t offer a big prize purse, so it’s no surprise that there isn’t a lot of talent coming in here and throwing down good times. Somewhere in the neighborhood of 400-600 runners do the full marathon. They also host a half marathon, 10K, 5K, and 1.5-miler.
I went into this one only half-seriously, meaning that I didn’t prepare for it with a respectable taper that I would normally do for a marathon. I was feeling good and had no real injury issues to speak of (aside some minor, minor plantar’s in the left foot that’s been nagging for the last month). Based on my recent half marathons and the way my training has been going lately, I felt like I had the fitness to put up a respectable race and had a good shot at beating my time from last year (2:31:27). So that was the goal. Getting a win would be cool (simply because my family would be there), but it wasn’t a priority. I knew Jeff Shadley and Kory Wheatley would be there, but I wasn’t sure if any other fast dudes would show up.
I got a good night’s sleep Thursday night and had Friday off work. I slept in, did a light treadmill run at the gym, and spent the rest of the morning running around (more than I’d like) trying to get myself and our two kids ready for the trip. I also had to deal with our patio contractor and his crew coming over to rip out our old deck. We were on the road to Pocatello by 2:45 with my parents following in a separate vehicle. We got to Pocatello about 5:30-6:00 and went straight to the expo.
Salt Lake’s weather forecast for Saturday was slated to be the coolest day of the week and though I hadn’t paid any attention to Pocatello’s forecast, I figured it would be similar to Salt Lake’s and probably even cooler. My first impression upon stepping out of the car was that the temperature was nice, but it was windy…and more than just a breeze. It was enough for me to realize that it was really going to suck if we were going to be running head-on into it. I started having flashbacks of Moab and UV ½ from earlier this year and was thinking I may need to revise my goals for the race. I tried to mentally tell myself that it would calm down by morning, but some race organizers at the expo said that the winds were expected to continue out of the southwest until about 10 AM. I wasn’t sure if that would end up being a good thing or a bad thing (you end up running in about every direction at some point during ths race), but the thought of having any wind at all didn’t excite me whatsoever.
The race would be offering the typical water and PowerAde at each aid station every couple miles with energy gels at a few select points, but it didn’t offer the bottle drop option for elite runners like some races do (e.g. SGM). One of benefits of having my parents come up for the race was having my dad be able to meet me out on the course with fluid/gel while my mom hung back at the hotel to help my wife get the kids ready and over to the finish line. After dinner, my dad and I drove out on the course to go see the points along the course where I wanted him to meet me.
Similar to my plan from SGM last year (which ended up working well), I wanted to take in plenty of carbs during the race, at least 4 energy gels throughout the race and PowerAde at almost every aid station. The race would have GUs at approximately miles 12, 20, and 23. My plan was to carry two GUs in my shorts and take the first one about mile 8 and then use the race-provided one at mile 12. Then I’d meet my dad just before mile 16 with my EFS drink mix (with a gel taped to the bottle to take if I felt I needed it). Then I’d meet him again at mile about 19 for more EFS and another GU. Then I’d take my last gel at 23 (race-provided). I’d have the second GU in my shorts for insurance in case I missed a planned one along the way. Some may scoff and think that’s too much sugar, but my experience has shown that it helps me feel so much better during a marathon and will help me hold a better pace in the late stages of the race. I was also confident my stomach could handle it.
I had a restless night and didn’t end up sleeping much at all (based on numerous past similar experiences, I knew it that wouldn’t be an issue). Got up about 4:30, got ready, and had some oatmeal. Stepping out of the hotel, there was definitely a strong breeze coming from the east. My dad gave me a ride to the buses up the street at about 5:15 and they had us up the canyon and to the start line by about 5:30 – This small race runs so efficiently! No waiting time at all, just down to business. Once at the top, it was breezy, but not too bad. I hit the potties, and started to warm-up and stretch. Before long, it was almost 6:15 and time to roll. I saw Jeff and Kory at the start, but didn’t recognize anyone else. No one else seemed to be sporting any ‘fast’ shoes (usually a good clue if someone means business).
Sunlight was just barely starting to break over the eastern mountains as the gun went off. Jeff and I took to the front quickly at a decent clip. Another younger dude in basketball shorts and a cotton tee went blazing ahead of us (he would end up holding on for almost a mile before fading). The course starts on a decline from the very start and the first mile is very fast. The Garmin showed 5:06 for the first mile and I was already alone; the way it would stay for the rest of the race.
I consciously settled down the pace during the second mile and just got into a good, quick cruising pace. The whole first half of this race is fast as you blaze down the canyon The elevation drop over the entire course is approximately 1,550 feet of which 1,400 is during the first half. You’ve definitely got to be careful during the first half so that your legs have something left for the second half. I was hoping to average around 5:30 pace for the first half of the race realizing that the second half would be slower. I came through the second mile in 5:28; right in-line with where I wanted to be. The wind, though noticeable, didn’t feel like it was playing a factor.
Miles 3 through 6 are all very similar-profile miles as you cruise down the beautiful canyon in a mostly a south-east direction. Splits were pretty consistent at 5:25, 5:29, 5:25, and 5:26, respectively. As planned, I took small swigs of PowerAde from the stations at miles 3 and 5.
At about mile 6.5, the course comes to a tee in the road and you get break from the downhill as the course take a 90-degree left and puts you on slight incline for about the next half mile. I expected my pace to slowdown, but went through mile 7 at a respectable 5:28.
The course continues on the incline for a little longer before you come to a cone in the road and have to make 180-turn around it and start heading back down the same way you came. It wasn’t long before I saw Jeff Shadley running solid in second place on his way up. We exchanged high-fives as we passed each other. I estimated he was about a minute-and-a-half behind me at that point. I saw a few others who were several seconds behind him. This time when you approach the tee in the road (where you had previously turned left), you stay going straight. Coming up on the aid station at 8, I took my first GU. The split for mile 8 was 5:26.
Miles 9 through 12 are more downhill miles (some steeper than others) as you continue down the canyon. Splits were: 5:30, 5:17, 5:24, and 5:14. Right before the 12-mile mark, volunteers were handing out GUs and I grabbed one, as planned. The course turns 90-degrees and uphill for about 0.1-0.2 of a mile. At the end of that stretch, I grabbed some water from the aid station to wash down the gel and the course immediately turns right and resumes going downhill again. Mile 13 is pretty straight south and I ended up with a 5:36 split.
I came up on the half marathon start and could see the buses and race participants off to the left awaiting the start of their race. I saw Rob Murphy and he gave me a shout-out and I got a hand-slap from the race director. At that point of the race, you’re done with the canyon and you start the much more honest second half of the race. My Garmin showed me coming through the half in about 1:10:50. The race markers were measuring long at least a tenth to two-tenths of the mile (like last year) and showed me coming through at about 1:11:40. I did some rough math in my head and figured that if I could hold right around a 6-minute average the rest of the race, I could break 2:30 which would be awesome. I was pretty confident that was doable.
Mile 14 still has some modest decline and it veers you west as you start heading through the town of Inkom. My split was 5:18.
Reality really starts setting in during mile 15. Miles 15-18 features rollers. Nothing real steep, but enough to be challenging. Mile 15 was 5:34.
I was on a stretch of incline and was coming up on the first point in the course were I had planned to meet my dad. He was there (thankfully) and I made a successful grab of my bottle of EFS, took a few swigs, and elected to forgo the attached GU.
Miles 16-18 were mostly slight incline with splits of 5:46, 5:53, and 5:42; substantially slower than the first part of the race as expected, but not terrible. Still feeling good.
Just after the 19-mile mark, I met up with my dad again. Got some EFS and took the GU this time. This mile had a little more down and I hit a 5:25.
Miles 20 and 21 were 5:46 and 5:40. The course parallels some train tracks and I got honked at by a locomotive that was coming up from behind me. It made me jump and I think the volunteers at the aid station got a good laugh out of it. During mile 20, I started experiencing some minor GI distress. No big deal. Definitely not enough to force a potty stop. The sugar I was taking in, if was even to blame, was well worth the temporary discomfort for the energy it was providing.
By mile 22, I had forgotten about the GI discomfort. At that point you’re done with the long stretch going through Inkom. You go under the I-15 overpass and into the Pocatello valley. This little stretch features a modest uphill and it’s probably the most challenging part of the course. My split was 6:01 (my slowest of the race).
Miles 23, 24, 25, and most of 26 were nice straight miles as you head north-west into town on an ever-so-slight downhill grade. These miles actually felt great. I was tired, but not spent. Legs/quads were feeling strong. I love these LunaRacers! There was actually a bit of tailwind which was awesome. I just put it in cruise control and soldiered on. There were aid stations at each mile mark and I took advantage of each one. At mile 23, I took a GU from a volunteer (my fourth and last). Split was 5:42.
During the 24th mile, I could see two sets of guys up in the distance who appeared to be high school cross country runners. I made a mini goal to try and catch them. I went through 24 at 5:36. As I came up on the first set of guys, I jokingly asked, “do you guys wanna help pace me?” One asked, “how fast are you going.” I said, “about 5:40.” He smirked and said “that’s a little much for us today.” I laughed and kept trucking past them Mile 25 was 5:36. I could smell the finish. I briefly glanced at my Garmin; 2:19 something…I knew this was going to be a special day!..
I cruised past the second set of CC runners. The course makes a sharp left and after about a tenth of a mile it makes another left turn which puts you on the home stretch heading south to the finish at Ross Park. It wasn’t long before I could see the finish line up in the distance. I picked up the pace and just tried to stay focused and savor the moment. I saw my wife and mom cheering as I approached the shoot. I crossed the finish line strong with the announcer calling out my finishing time (2:26:10) and that I had broken my course record from last year by more than 5 minutes. What an awesome feeling. I was having such a hard-time fathoming that I had just run a 2:26. Did that just happen?!
My Garmin actually measured the course to be 26.39. Last year it showed 26.42. Maybe my Garmin was off both years, or maybe the course was just a little long. At any rate, I had just run the best marathon of my life!
I grabbed some food and was hurried over to the announcer who wanted me to say a few words to the crowd, which I did, though not much of a crowd had gathered at the park yet. I watched Jeff coming in looking very strong with an excellent time of 2:39. I had the opportunity to meet his wife and was able to chat with him for a few minutes before he had to head-off for his son’s cross country meet. Hats off to him for a solid performance. I’m sure he could have been several minutes faster had he not been playing it safe for the Twin Cities Marathon (his real goal) he’s got coming up.
I grabbed a little more food, and talked with a few other racers including Kory Wheatley. It wasn’t long before the half marathoners started coming in and I got to chat with Rob Murphy who had an impressive second place finish in 1:18. My family and I headed back to the hotel so I could shower and get back to the park in time for the awards. After the awards, we grabbed a quick bite, and hit the road for Salt Lake. Got home a little after 3.
I was felt surprising good after the race. Legs were tired, of course, and the quads were a little sore, but I wasn’t nearly as busted up as I have been after some marathons I’ve done. Going up and down stairs wasn’t an issue. Luckily, I didn’t stiffen-up much on the drive home. Later on in the afternoon, I felt the urge to stretch-out my legs and with LoToJa looming next weekend, and the fact I hadn’t ridden since Wednesday, I really wanted to get on the bike for a little bit. I just had both tires, the chain, and rear cassette replaced and was anxious to go break them in. So I went and did a very slow and easy ride north along Wasatch and back for a total of 30 miles. Go ahead... Call me crazy, or dumb, or whatever... I really just wanted to ride a little and celebrate my race. It was definitely more of a stretch-out than at a work-out. I finished up just as the rain was starting come down. Capped the day off with a sports massage.
Reflections on the race?... Obviously, I’m extremely happy with the way it turned out. I figured I was primed for a good race, but the result by far exceeded my expectations. Definitely a breakthrough of sorts. The weather and wind cooperated and other factors, including a lot of luck, came together just right. I used to think the St. George course is faster than this one, but now I’m not so sure. I seriously doubt my ability to put up a better time down there next month. I guess it’s possible and we’ll see what happens. Hopefully I didn’t burn through all of my mojo on this one. Worst case scenario, even if SGM ends up being a total bust, this has been a tremendously successful year of running for me.
Now it’s time to stock-up the glycogen stores and get ready for LoToJa next Saturday. I can’t wait!!! | 