26.2:4:37:07

We did it. Spent the weekend in St. George for the St. George Marathon. This year was so much more fun than last year. We loaded up and headed down to St. George Friday morning and got to the St. George Convention Center about 2:00pm. They have a Health & Fitness Expo that the kids really enjoy going to; it's also where the runners check in. I run in the weight class and figured I'd weigh in around 230 or so. I was surprised when 249 popped up. I think there was something wrong with the scale. After walking around for an hour checking out the booths and getting our share of free samples of Energy Bars and Goo, Leslie and the kids took off and I stuck around to wait for Peter, Nathan and Jill. After they got checked in we went up to Lane and Rhonda's for a big spaghetti dinner. (you've got to carbo load). Nathan and Jill stayed down in town, the rest of us stayed at Lane and Rhonda's house, (thanks you guys it was a good nights sleep) We were all up at 4:15am, including the kids. We had to get down to St. George to meet at the hotel to catch a shuttle to the buses that take you up to the starting line. Leslie and the kids, Lane and Rhonda drove up to Veyo which is at the seven mile mark. We hopped on the bus and started the drive up to the starting line. It's always a little nerve racking driving up there, you just keep going and going and you're thinking to yourself "I have to run all the way back down?" It's quite a site when the bus drops you off with 6500 other runners waiting for the start of the race. I was surprised when Dixon Kumer came walking up, somehow found us in the dark with all those people. After a twenty-five minute wait it was finally time to start running. The run was awesome. It seems like the miles just fly by, nothing like when I'm doing training runs. There are all these people along the way cheering you on, not to mention all the runners. It seemed like at no time at all I was in Veyo passing by Leslie and the kids and feeling pretty good about things and then hit the Veyo hill. Feeling good to not so good. It's pretty tough for me to get up that hill. I felt at the 18 mile mark I was making pretty good time and by the time I was at 24 miles I knew I was going come in at about 4:40 which I was hoping for. Last year those last two miles were mostly walking for me. This year I was still chugging along. It was a good run and can't wait for next year. Having Peter and Nathan there running it too made it even more enjoyable. (even though all I saw of Nathan was his rear end heading off in the dark at the start, he ran it in 3:47, Peter passed me at about the 10 mile mark I think, he ran it in 4:22, not bad for a 40 year old. ;>) Can't wait to do it again next year. I don't think, with all the athletics I've been involved in, I've ever done anything so extremely difficult and so completely satisfying all at the same time. Somehow you have to figure out how to keeping going when every thing inside of you says to stop. Good times.

What I learned this year:

Sodium Pills work really well for keeping the cramps to a minimum

That Goo stuff can really make a difference

Buy a shoe one size bigger next year(fortunately I only lost one toenail)

Compression shorts do a great job of limiting chaffing