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| 2 hour 20 minutes - American Flyers Race Pacers -- Shane Livingston and Michelle Matthews -- TOU 13.1 - 2017 |
Top of Utah 13.1 - Reflections and Focus
So, I think it was Saturday - one week before, a panicked request via our running groups came out asking if someone could take a pacer spot for the Top of Utah 13.1 - Half Marathon. On Sunday I responded like:I guess I could but I'd need to be highly persuaded..Anyway, persuasion efforts were completed and I committed to pacing my first event/race. The fun stuff. The longest run I had just prior was the 15k Freedom Run on July 4th. Then the 70.3 IM and a first season run of the actual course.
Needless to say, I wasn't nervous of the course or the distance, but I was still coughing up my lungs and was glad for the 2 hours 15 min slot. I only got a 4 miler in prior at about a 9:30 min/mile pace to assure I wasn't in over my head.
So, the day of the event came, I woke up a bit sick but nothing that would tell me to put on the brakes. Shane Larson from our Northern Exposure Running Club graciously reached out to me and said he and his small band of runners could give me a ride to the busses. It was great to receive the local TESLA treatment :) I am grateful tot he great running friends and community we have. Generally willing to help and assist where able.
I woke up and I have been trying a new morning routine (event and race morning only) and it works.
- 1 Thomas English Muffin toasted with butter and Jam
- 1 Banana
- 1 Apple - I don't always eat
- 3/4 - 1 cup of pumpkin seeds
- 1 28 oz water bottle with Amino Energy or water
The walk to the bus ride was nice to catch up with Shane and his band of runners. To get to know each other a bit better and him to say, we want to keep you behind us. And he did! Great job!
On the bus, I got a seat to myself. not sure what to make of that as I try to not be too evil and unfriendly, but maybe the no shower thing is a good move to get a solo seat :) The ride seemed slow and well it was but got up to the start without incident. I went over and grabbed a log and became a bump on the log for about 15 minutes. As the light came forward ran into some other friends and NERC's - Shawn, Kenny, Allison, their friends and family, Coach Don and many others. I then set about to find the pacers. Well I failed until just before the start of the race, they had made an adjustment or two and I co-paced the 2 hours 20-minute spot. GREAT!
Well, I made a good new friend in Michelle Matthews. We started off easy and tried to keep the pace band but we also were a bit quick as we can both run a sub 2 hour 13.1-mile distance. Below is our overall pace structure, a bit quick, but we walked the aid stations and brought many folks in ahead of their 2hour 20 time but still came in within 30 seconds +/- of the actual requested time.
| Lap | Distance | Time | Pace | GAP | Elev |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1.0 mi | 10:06 | 10:06 /mi | 10:31 /mi | -62 ft |
| 2 | 1.0 mi | 10:19 | 10:19 /mi | 10:25 /mi | -15 ft |
| 3 | 1.0 mi | 10:10 | 10:10 /mi | 10:28 /mi | -42 ft |
| 4 | 1.0 mi | 10:33 | 10:33 /mi | 10:37 /mi | -17 ft |
| 5 | 1.0 mi | 10:15 | 10:15 /mi | 10:57 /mi | -96 ft |
| 6 | 1.0 mi | 10:07 | 10:07 /mi | 10:38 /mi | -85 ft |
| 7 | 1.0 mi | 10:16 | 10:16 /mi | 10:27 /mi | -49 ft |
| 8 | 1.0 mi | 10:16 | 10:16 /mi | 10:32 /mi | -49 ft |
| 9 | 1.0 mi | 10:32 | 10:32 /mi | 10:57 /mi | -56 ft |
| 10 | 1.0 mi | 10:45 | 10:45 /mi | 11:06 /mi | -49 ft |
| 11 | 1.0 mi | 10:37 | 10:37 /mi | 10:33 /mi | 1 ft |
| 12 | 1.0 mi | 11:51 | 11:51 /mi | 11:19 /mi | 54 ft |
| 13 | 1.0 mi | 11:35 | 11:35 /mi | 12:06 /mi | -61 ft |
| 14 | 0.1 mi | 3:09 | 16:37 /mi | 11:58 /mi | -7 ft |
The orange times above match more to the 2 hours 15 min I bumped away from, the greens are the 2 hour 20 mins and the reds are SLOW it WAY DOWN and give folks triumph and HOPE!
Official timing below:
| SPLIT NAME | SPLIT DISTANCE | SPLIT TIME | PACE | DISTANCE | RACE TIME | OVERALL (/840) | GENDER (/?) | CATEGORY (/18) | TIME OF DAY |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
The conversations were many, the 4-5 stories we got were awesome. Michelle and I bantered all the way down partnered with a runner who is a professor at WSU. He was a treat and a wise cat. It was nice to bring him down and to share his stories and company and wisdom and great nature. About a dozen folks said they loved our random banter and kept us in front of them. most of our conversations focused on education and our current state of things. Gratefully, we each represented favorable perspectives including the challenges we'd like to see improved. It was a great day of conversation without incident, emotion or war of words. I would assert that Michelle and I kept each other in check and then we really toned it back for miles 12 - 13.1. In fact, one major lesson learned was a minor chastisement I got from Michelle - my simple "Check yourself" moment. I said in jest that this pace was 'easy' and that may have been interpreted by someone around us as discouraging or otherwise. I noted the need to change my jargon, and shifted/adapted my perspective and will continue to try to be better than that as those in the pace structure we were helping may not have the same outlook. It was an appreciated correction, thank you, Michelle!
We kept a strong and consistent effort, allowed those that were hoping for 2 hours 15 minutes to have a good gauge - pushed the 2 hours 20 min group to far exceed their expectation and then rescued a few to get in just before or near us.
Overall it was nice to not be in my head for me or staying out of my head to maintain the 'horse that I trained on'. I am a vastly different runner than I was in 2013 and this was not even an effort compared to the difficult 2hour 15 mins I did on this course 2 years prior. It's an amazing thing - growth.
So, the day after a few folks asked me what this pacing thing is, and to one I was like 'Meh, ya, i just did it." Chris was a bit shocked I could tell - wasn't sure if it was like - man you suck b/c you think that's easy or something else. I then said - for me, it's great to know I am at the level I am to be like, ya, whatever let's do this! I hope he understood I was talking about where I am, not another person nor judging the other/s.
Well, Liz and Dennis and Juniper were at the finish. I was glad for the change as it made it a bit easier for them to arrive on time. I got to see Isela and her little on who was excited to just go home after retrieving her momma. Dennis was excited and Juniper about leaped into my arms from momma.
SUMMARY
Thanks to Shane for giving me a ride. Thanks to Nathanial for letting me borrow his pacing singlet. Thanks to Michelle for dealing with me as a co-pacer. Thanks to those that relied on us. Thanks to Jenni for persuading me to step in. Thanks to American Flyer Race Pacers for trusting in me to 'play' pacer for the event. Thanks to my wife for letting me carve out this time to do so. It was a great day, great conditions. It was nice to see others happy to run and a few folks gritting through something that was under appreciated and became difficult. It was great to be part of our running community and the folks that pace. It brings a different perspective to the overall event. Yes, it is a race. For me though, it was just another run. And it made my 'just' a whole bunch sweeter.
Bottom line - as a pacer - it wasn't about me. And that was nice, to get out of my head and support others. Cheers! Oh, and Julie tried to twist my arm into being a pace leader for the Utah Running Club. I need to check that out. On a personal note, it's time to re-calibrate - refocus on me, and get back to 190 # and start looking at 185#. Here we go!
Bottom line - as a pacer - it wasn't about me. And that was nice, to get out of my head and support others. Cheers! Oh, and Julie tried to twist my arm into being a pace leader for the Utah Running Club. I need to check that out. On a personal note, it's time to re-calibrate - refocus on me, and get back to 190 # and start looking at 185#. Here we go!
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