Utah Spartan Beast, Super, Sprint Trifecta Weekend, 8-9 July 2023

I have to admit that it was a relief to check the races listed for 2023 and notice that Utah did not offer an Ultra (30 miles) this time around.  Because Utah in July, even in the mountains after the snowiest year on record, is HOT.    Just 13 miles on Saturday was hard enough...4000 feet of climbing was a literal beast.  

My friend Addie rode up with me on Saturday morning.   The Utah Beast would be her first Spartan.  She's fit and fast, but that's like running a marathon a week after buying your first pair of running shoes!    The Utah venue is one of the hardest they have, and it did not disappoint.  The course itself was very similar to the year before, which was nice in some ways...the downhill bike trails are a joy to run down in the first half of the race.  

Everything was so green and lush and the streams were running full.   There was even a few snow fields to walk across.  Amazing amounts of snow still here so late into summer.    A handful of snow in my bra and carried in my hands felt wonderful as it started to heat up.  

The bucket carry was diabolical this time...the longest one I've ever done perhaps...up a hill and then back down.   Followed closely by the longest barbed wire crawl I've ever seen as well...with the wire so low that even rolling under it was difficult.  I noticed I now have a big rip in my shorts...perhaps it's time to buy a new pair!  

I lost a little bit of focus on the second half.  My training this year had been hit and miss, I've been busy doing other things and workouts have taken a back seat for a little while.  It's always hard to know where I am in the age group racing.   I saw a woman ahead of me just after the dunk wall, she missed the spear and I caught up to her over the hurdles.   With 100 meters to go, I just didn't really care if she beat me or not, so she finished just 30 seconds ahead.  That put me 4rd in my new age group.   I was 7th overall which says again how competitive the 40-49 age groups are.  

Having the venue at a ski resort meant that there was a nice air conditioned lodge where I could hang out and eat pizza while I waited for Addie to finish.  Her start time had been later than mine and she was racing through the heat of midday.   She finished in one piece, thankfully, a bit shell-shocked but soon talking about how her next race might be a Super.  

On Sunday I came back again ran up the mountain twice more for the Super and the Sprint.  I actually felt better on the 2nd day than I had on the first.  I was able to keep my focus and finished 3rd in a race that was part of the National Series, so that felt pretty good.   Plus it was shorter than the Beast and that always feels so nice too!  

Jim raced the Super as well, he does the Age Group races now too.   This year they got rid of the burpee penalties, which he hated, and switched to penalty loops, which is his strength.   He's used to finishing on the podium against men much younger than he is.   The Nationals brought out some great competition for him, though....he was 9th this time.  His finishing times keep getting closer to mine, and I'm not slowing down so he must be getting faster!  

The Sprint was just an Open race, so there was no pressure at all.  I *might* have skipped the barbed wire crawl on the Sprint...rolling through it twice already had some nice bruises on my hips and arms and I didn't need any more.  I was really happy to go 3 for 3 on my spear throw, despite having not done any practice throws at all this year.  

All three races were a total of 7000 feet of climbing and about 24 miles.  My photos from this race are mostly grimaces!   No wonder.  

Even the kids race got nice a muddy course this year...lots of water everywhere.  My feet stayed wet from a marshy penalty loop on the Olympus but I didn't mind at all, the cool water felt amazing.  

Ogden Marathon, 20 May 2023

 

Sometimes you can have perfect preparation and still not accomplish the time that is floating around as a goal.   I had been hoping for a PR.   My training had gone well, but I had some massage and muscle tempering the week before the race and it was too much.  Plus I had been under a lot of stress and I really think that took an edge off as well.  

The weather for the race was picture perfect.  Cool at the start where it felt nice to stand around some raging bonfires at the start corral.   Warm by the finish but not horrible.  Gentle breeze and lots of sunshine.   

So much snow this winter that the Ogden River was in flood stage, threatening to take out the road we were supposed to run down.  It was actually over part of the road within the first couple of miles and we all edged to the right side of the road...the raging water would not have treated anyone kindly.

I knew within the first hour that I wouldn't be able to hold my desired pace.  The course was gently downhill, dropping about 1000 feet over the distance, with a small uphill just past halfway.  I came through halfway at about 1:45, but slowed down quickly after that.    I even got some muscle cramps...hadn't been taking enough magnesium.  Shame on me.   The last 7 miles of nice downhill through Ogden canyon came too late for me...my legs really wanted to walk and my mind had trouble convincing them otherwise!  

The waterfall in the canyon was absolutely raging.  I don't remember ever seeing it before while driving but as my snails pace it was a nice sight as the day was heating up.   I managed to hang on for 3:59:54 at the finish.   Still my second fastest marathon, but I'm hoping for better some day.  Perhaps at the St. George Marathon in October :)

Bonneville Backyard Ultra, 29 April 2023

A very different race format this weekend! I showed up at the dam on Deer Creek Reservoir above Provo, Utah, to run 4 miles every hour until I cried uncle.    This format is known as Last Man Standing, and if you can't finish the course within an hour, you can't start the next one and you are disqualified.  

The course was a gravel trail along the lake with about 400-500 feet of elevation change.  After 2.1 miles we punched our bib to prove we got there, turned around, and ran back to the start.  There were about 60 runners crowded into the starting box at 8 am, when the temperature still hovered just above freezing.  We were above the snowline, too, but this winter's record snowfall didn't make that hard to accomplish in late April!  

You know it's a nice day when there are hot air balloons up and the sky is a deep blue.   Temps would get up to the 70s which is hot for running.   Since I had about 20 minutes an hour to rest, I had time to sit down, use the percussion machine on my calves, drink and eat a little every lap, find the bathroom, and close my eyes.  The people finishing later didn't always have that luxury, often they would finish with just a couple of minutes left to spare and have to turn around and head back out again!

Lap 1: 38:44  - Found myself in the lead.  Of course it's not a race, but....the quicker I get back the more time I have to rest.  Beat the field by 1-2 minutes on every lap but #3.  

Lap 2: 38:39 - Drank some Ketones and a new product called Update (caffeine alternative that works!)

Lap 3: 38:17  -Drank some Kava and found an extra gear!

Lap 4: 38:19 - Changed shoes and my feet were happy.  

Lap 5: 39:43 - Getting hot.  Drank some Coke, and put a baggie of ice in my bra, some in my hat, some in my hands as I ran, and ice chips in my mouth to cool off.  

Lap 6: 42:45 - Total 26 miles, my marathon equivalent of about 4 hours, not bad with elevation changes and on gravel.  Really hot now, speed starting to slow.

Lap 7: 43:04 - Total distance 30 miles!  

After 7 hours I was hot and had reached my goal distance anyway, so I packed it up and headed home.  The women's winner went 54 miles and the men's winner went 66!

Here's the results:  https://ultrasignup.com/results_event.aspx?did=95538

Jim ran his own race elsewhere in the valley, a half marathon (13.1) along the Jordan River Trail.  He finished in exactly 2:00:00....how often does that happen?   He's getting scary...he won his age group.  Again!

The real crazy people of the day were the ones wakeboarding on the lake...I wonder how thick their wetsuits were? That water is more related to its cousins snow and ice than a hot tub, this early in the season!

The race went on late into the night, with the final runner at 16 hours!

Spartan Sprint and Super, Las Vegas March 2023

First Spartan of the year at a new location in Las Vegas...after a year hiatus in Nevada I was very happy to see Spartan bring back a race here.   I am a fan of dry desert races!  

Last year saw the accomplishment of a few large athletic goals for me:

100 miles in under 24 hours (23:52) in perfect conditions in March on Antelope Island.  

Ironman Triathlon in 13:10 at Bear Lake in September (Swim 1:40 Bike 6:44 Run 4:24) Still some room for improvement but that may never happen...I really hate swimming!

Marathon in under 4 hours (Finished 3:43 in Des Moines in October)   

This year my friend Tara and I are back in the same age group.  She managed to beat me in both races by what I'd like to think of as a small margin...just a couple of minutes!    The course was fairly flat but rocky and technical.  It was also not marked well...Jim and many other people managed to get a little lost in one section, but he still hung on to get 3rd in his first attempt at racing Age Group!  

For me there is nothing quite as good as racing Spartan and I hope to fit a few more in this year.  Not sure where they will be yet but I'll find some.  Otherwise, I don't have the large goals that I did last year, but that's ok too.   

Instead, I've been busy working on a new business, VIGEO Health.   

Check out my website vigeohealth.net  I offer nutrition consultations, athlete optimization, and peptides.  If you haven't heard of peptides then it's worth checking out what they are and what they may do for you!