Race Report: Hobble Creek 1/2 Marathon

Do you even know how much I love going home to Utah? I love it. A lot.

This past weekend I trekked up to run the Hobble Creek 1/2 Marathon as well as for some good times with family and friends. It was a gorgeous weekend which did nothing to tame these ridiculous urges I've been having to move back there.

So, the race was really great. Only negative was having to wait at the start line all by my onesy which I really hate. I always feel so awkward standing there alone with no one to talk to. Anyway... after waiting for the bus for 45 minutes (45 mins of lost sleep...) we headed up the canyon as the sun was rising. I barely had time to visit the Honey Bucket before the races started.

The temperature was just perfect for running and the scenery was beautiful. Utah canyons make me so homesick. The course was nice and downhill for the first 9 miles which I really appreciated. The last few miles went through Mapleton and finally into the city park for the finish. I felt really great for the first 10 miles and was a bit ahead of my projected pace. Right at mile 11 I started getting pretty bad leg cramps and had to stop at one point to stretch them out. I had to do a bit of walking in the last few miles but pushed through the pain and kept running as much as I could in order to hit my goal time.

The good news- I did it! Well... pretty close anyway. I wanted to finish in 2:30 and I crossed the finish line at 2:31:19 and thus setting a new PR. Woot! My sis was there to meet me at the finish line so it was awesome having someone there to celebrate with when I finished. Thanks sis!
*race photo coming soon
I beat my Canyonlands time by 18:33 and my SLC time by a ridiculous 28:41. I've said it before and I'll say it again- I'm pretty sure I'm one of the worlds slowest runners and I'm still ok with that and as long as I'm improving (and not the last to finish) I don't care how long it takes me to finish my races.

The interesting thing about this race is that I don't think I was necessarily more prepared physically than I was for Canyonlands. I've changed up a few things about how I run but I think the main difference this time around was that I was much more mentally prepared. I knew my limits, I knew how hard I could push and I knew that reaching my goal was totally possible. I told myself I could do it. I believed I could do it. And I did it.

And while the thought of turning around and doing that entire race again upon finishing it makes me want to puke, this race was a good motivator for St George. I've only got another month of training so I've got to really kick it in gear and more than anything get on my mental game.

The best part of race day? Lanikai! Seriously the best Hawaiian BBQ ever (and I'm not just saying that because the owners are family friends). Once my post race hunger kicked in I was craving the protein. Yum. If you live in UT or are there visiting do yourself a favor and go eat there.