The 2014 Bear Lake Half Marathon (Utah)

Well, I have successfully completed my first half marathon race. I trained pretty hard over the last 2.5 months, and it has been a really great experience. Here's the route I ran for the Bear Lake Half Marathon: http://mammothmarathons.org/maps/bear-lake-half-marathon-map.php . I'll share some pictures below.

Here is all the stuff I laid out the night before. I only slept about 4 hours, which was irritating.

Me before the race. I feel my legs look really short in this picture, kind of like the characters on Punch-Out.

It was SO COLD. I wish I had brought a jacket for the run. I think I could have worn it for most of the race. 

Here I am approaching the finish line (I am the black dot in the middle). That is my daughter cheering for me in the foreground. 

My beautiful, supportive wife Katie also cheered me on.

This guy Henry  has run over 900 marathons, which I thought was pretty cool. 

Tips For the Next Race

I learned a few things on this my first official endurance-style run:

1. Bring a jacket. It was so cold this morning that my hands went numb. This was a problem when I couldn't get burrs out of my socks because my fingers weren't working.
2. Use running socks. Apparently there are socks that prevent blisters, but I just ran in cotton socks. I didn't get any blisters, but the bottom of my feet were hurting and still feel pretty sensitive.
3. Do it again. It was a great experience, overall, and I am looking forward to my next race.

This was a great experience, really, and I plan on continuing my running. As I mentioned in a previous post, I plan to run 36 miles on my 36th birthday. (Actually, it will probably be the week after my birthday due to some scheduling issues). I am not entirely sure how I am going to do this - today's run was pretty tough, and I only have 3 months to prepare. But I am excited to keep working toward it and believe that I will get there.

Running in Logan

Yesterday I went running. It was a beautiful, cool morning, and my training schedule called for a 10 mile run, so I left early, around 7:00. This was my last long run before I run the Bear Lake Half Marathon next Saturday morning. I've been training for about 3 months and feel prepared for the race - my first half marathon.

I usually run in Ohio, and running in Utah is an entirely different experience. The mountains, altitude, and lack of humidity make for a beautiful running environment. I ran out and back on a 5 mile loop orbiting Utah State's main campus - down onto the "island" area of Logan, up to the mouth of Logan Canyon, and across the Lake Bonneville Trail. I was shocked by the beauty of the valley and its mounts and took a few photos while I ran.

A look up 400 North toward the mouth of Logan Canyon, where I was headed.

A little closer to Logan Canyon. This is "first dam" at the base of the mountain.

Looking down on "first dam" from the mountain as I ascended on the Bonneville Shoreline Trail.

Looking up the mountain along Bonneville Shoreline Trail.

Looking back toward USU campus. You can see it in front of the distant mountains on the right.