Salt Lake 1/2 Marathon

Dr. Clint Blackwood and I after the race.

So, I decided to try my hand at a 1/2 Marathon. After last year's triathlons I thought it would be worthwhile to push my limits by doing something new. I enjoyed the competition, and the feel of the race. 7:00AM start time at the University of Utah and ending at The Gateway in downtown SLC. The farthest I had run this spring coming into the event was about 5 miles at one time, but I had been doing a lot of sprinting and biking. I knew my body could take whatever I dished out to it, but it was a question of how hard to push. I started the race blazing fast finishing the first 4 miles in about 26 minutes. When I got the four mile mark and checked my watch I thought I better pull back on the reigns a little and settle into a more manageable pace. The race took us east to west in the SLC valley. The course dumped us out onto State Street for the last 2-3 miles running north toward Temple Square. We climbed the hill right in front of Eagle Gate by the Lion House and then turned west to finish at the Gateway. On the climb up State Street my calves started to tighten up, but other then that my body did great. Finished in 1:46;29 averaging about 8:00 miles. With the St. George Tri coming up in less then a month it was good to get out and push my body and mind to do something I had never done.