This race did not turn out like I had hoped/planned. I felt well-trained and confident going in that I could hit under 4:10:00. I didn't, however, plan on it being so stinkin' hot! The start of the race quickly grew hot, for me. The humidity and higher-than-usual temp's had me in a pretty heavy sweat 1 mile into the race. That was my first sign that conditions were not most favorable for me. After a while, the sweating calmed down and I felt in a pretty good groove. I felt strong heading into Veyo and was trying to keep my pace under control so as not to pound my legs too early in the race. Then, I hit Veyo hill. This was the toughest time I've had with Veyo hill in a couple of years. I knew it might be a bit of a struggle because I probably had a lower hematocrit than usual, but this was tough. My legs just didn't feel like they had strength. I also had a struggle getting my breathing stabilized. And, it didn't improve from there. I was able to keep my pace where I needed it through mile 11 while still struggling with my breathing and the lack of strength in my legs. But, after mile 11, I really started to slow down. And, it went downhill from there. At mile 14, I sent my MIL ahead of me. I didn't want to hold her back. The downhill where I can usually relax and let gravity work it's magic felt like work. I was so behind my pace and felt like I was working hard to even keep my pace where it was. The heat was zapping me of strength. My fingertips were starting to tingle. My toes were on fire. I felt like there was a giant rock under the ball of my left foot. This was not good. After my arms started to tingle, I knew I had a choice to make. I could try to keep pushing to put in what I thought was a "respectable" time and probably end up climbing in a shuttle or being pulled off the course; or I could ease up and just make sure I finished the race. It was a tough decision, but I opted for completing the race. The next 12 miles brought a lot of internal struggles as I ran/walked the course. I hate to walk, but that was the only thing that kept me going. I walked A LOT. And, I just had to accept it. My vision was suffering from the exhaustion and heat. I felt a number of times like I couldn't really see well. Everything seemed pretty bright. My husband was waiting for me at Snow Canyon Parkway, and he followed alongside the course the rest of the way (he was left without a car so he had no other way of making it to the finish). I was happy to see him. I love the person who was handing out popsicles along diagonal. That was a huge blessing! And, the cold, wet towels on Main Street saved me in the end. They gave me the boost I needed to run the last 3/4 mile of that race. I wasn't fast, by any means, but I ran it in. And, then I just tried to recover. I felt sick, tired, and sunburned. Every time I stood up, I felt like I was heading for a blackout. Still not sure if that was from the heat or dehydration--probably a combination of both. In the end, I'm really just grateful that I was able to finish. I'm grateful that I survived the whole ordeal. And, I'm thinking seriously about when I'll have the courage to try this, again. I have now run two St. George marathons--the wettest and the hottest. I'm afraid, if I do it again, it'll snow. | 