Saturday, May 3, 2014

Provo City Half Marathon

Such a great race! But before race details, we'll back up to the expo. I took these 4 funny boys with me, which I guess makes me crazy, but we've already established that here. They thought they were at Disneyland or something and all got a chance in the money machine. 
It was serious business trading in their "money" for State Farm paraphernalia. Overall the expo was really small, but packet pick-up was easy and efficient and that was crucial since I was outnumbered 4 to 1.
Jocelyn, Jenna and I made it on one of the first buses (around 4:50am), and we had a smooth ride up to the top. I blinded everybody with this picture. It was probably a little early to pull the camera out. 
 I'm so thankful for the drop bag option, because I was able to really bundle up until 15 minutes pre-race.
 You can see the sun starting to come up in this picture. The sunrise brought a fun and exciting energy with it.
We spent our last minutes in the potty line (it was so long, but I think that's the case with every race). Good thing about potty lines is that you get to meet fun new people. Kelli and Kim were so great and I hope to stand in future potty lines with them. ;)

The Course: I really liked the course. The canyon section wasn't steep at all, and the second half was a straight shot down University Ave. If you're looking for a fast course that won't tear your legs up, I think this is a great option. I knew by mile 6 that I wasn't going to get a PR, but I was able to run a really strong race and my second half was only 5 seconds slower than my first half (drastic difference from my last half).
Support: This race was well organized and well supported. Almost every cross street had police officers directing traffic and the aid stations were plentiful.
Extras: I love the race t-shirt, but mostly because it actually fits. It's cute and I plan on wearing it every day for the next week (along with my medal). There was a little bit of wind, but other than that the weather was perfect!
Runners: I liked the size of this race. Big enough to feel all of the energy of the other runners, but not so big that logistics were challenging.

I probably say this about every race, but I loved this one! Well... I guess one regret is that I never spotted Hungry Runner Girl. I was really hoping for a celebrity HRG sighting. Maybe in June at the UV Marathon. :)
 Half Marathon #5 is officially in the books with a time of 2:01:35

Anybody run a race or do a long run today?

Do you prefer small races or bigger races? 

3 comments:

  1. Congrats on a great race! I did the same one, and it was my first half marathon! I got 1:35:30, which I was very happy about. Plus, my friend got 1:45 without training. Go figure.

    You're totally right that this was a great race. If I wasn't moving out of Utah, I'd for sure want to do this one again!

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    1. I think you picked an awesome first race! You're super speedy too!

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  2. Great recap and great job at the race! You look great, I love the new new outfit :)

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