Well yesterday I ran in my first 1/2 marathon in Provo, UT. This was probably one of the best races I have ever done.

The race didn't start until 8am; which is pretty late for a race. But it was well appreciated. It took a lot of stress off of me and my stomach. Also staying with a friend Friday night helped relieve some stress.

I had made a new playlist that I was excited to test on this relatively flat course. And it did. I was cruising...or at least I felt like it. Also I tried a little different approach on the nutrition side of things. Before the race I ate 2 energy gummies. They were tasty enough. I also made sure I ate a proper breakfast (which I usually skip on race day) and drank plenty of water. During the race, at about half way point, I busted out some GU (energy gel stuff). I needed this as I was about to hit 'the wall' but seemed to avoid it this time.

Once the cannon (yes they used a cannon instead of a gun) sounded the rain started falling. We ran through rain, snow and sleet. But that did not deter us from running strong. It was a little invigorating after mile 3 when I was warmed up.

The course was extremely well marked and manned with enough volunteers. We ran from downtown Provo to Utah lake and back. It really was a nice course.

Although my hands have never been so cold in my entire life. I was frozen to my bones. At the end of the race they gave us water and I couldn't even wrap my hand around the bottle so I clasped it with two hands. Someone also tried to shake my hand and I gave them my wrist because I couldn't feel what was my hand or not.

Officially my chip time was 1:42:50.7

An overall ranking of 68/663 finishers.

That's a 7:51 min/mile pace.

I was ranked 17 in my age group (19-24).


All in all this was a great race and a wonderful experience. Thanks to whoever planned and ran this race it was a success.