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Location:

Vestavia,AL,USA

Member Since:

May 31, 2007

Gender:

Male

Goal Type:

Other

Running Accomplishments:

Marathon Top 10 Finishes: 7 Bridges ('15), Utah Valley ('13), Salt Lake City ('08), Top of Utah ('07), and St. Louis ('04). Ran around the equator (24901.55) in 4,388 days.

Personal Records
Marathon 2:39 (SLC '08)
1/2 Marathon 1:12.30 (Provo River, aided '08)
10K 34:16 (Track, sea level '00)
10K 33:15 (Des 10K, aided '08)
8K 25:32 (Crack of Dawn, aided '13)
5K 16:44 (Track, sea level '00)
5K 16:07 (Running of the Leopards, aided '12)
 

Short-Term Running Goals:

NYC Marathon November 3, 2019 done 

London Marathon October 3, 2021 done

Tokyo Marathon March 3, 2024!!!

And my largest challenge to date, raise $20,000 for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society in honor of my cancer survivorship and in memory of those lost to blood cancer...
DONE! $26,403.70

https://pages.lls.org/tnt/al/london2021/awende

Long-Term Running Goals:

Enjoy being a Masters Runner.

Get under 3 hours one more time...

Personal:

Grew up outside Chicago and joined the blog while I lived in Salt Lake City. Now living outside Birmingham. I am married with two daughters. Wife thinks I'm crazy for doing marathons. And yes I am crazy I'm a scientist for a living...

Click to donate
to Ukraine's Armed Forces
Miles:This week: 0.00 Month: 0.00 Year: 331.25
RM 090416 Lifetime Miles: 136.06
Saucony Type A Lifetime Miles: 200.18
Nike Vaporfly Pink Lifetime Miles: 122.22
Saucony Ride #37 - Black Lifetime Miles: 56.50
Saucony Ride #38 - Neon Lifetime Miles: 53.50
Saucony Ride #39 - Grey Lifetime Miles: 59.50
Brooks Launch #38 - Grey Lifetime Miles: 65.25
Brooks Launch #39 - White Lifetime Miles: 57.50
Brooks Launch #40 - Blue Lifetime Miles: 54.00
Race: Top of Utah Marathon (26.43 Miles) 02:44:45, Place overall: 12, Place in age division: 2
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTrainer 1 MilesTrainer 2 MilesRacer MilesTotal Distance
27.000.000.000.000.000.000.0027.00

Chapter 11

 

Back, again…

 

Year recap (brief)

It has been awhile, three years in fact. It is amazing, frightening, sad, etc. how quickly time can slip through your fingers. I think the hourglass is truly the best timepiece. A lot has happened between TOU ’09 and TOU ’12. I am still in UT although that was up in the air for a while and not sure what is next at this point but I have a good option on the table. Sandra and I finally found time to enjoy the state we live in and took a camping trip to southern UT and a number of other day trips to closer sites. She has also taken to running and in many ways has surpassed me in her dedication to the sport, even bringing strength training back into the house!

So here is the story of my ’12 marathon, number eleven on my list. As is my usual tradition, marathon race reports are a time of reflection for me on my year in running and life in general. The biggest news from the running standpoint is that I’m doing it again. In 2010 and 2011 combined I only had 9 weeks of 50 miles or more. This year alone I have 13 weeks above 50 miles with 5 weeks above 70. I even started the year with a PR in the 5K. Now this is a ridiculously aided course but still I’m 34 now and I was running about ½ the mileage of what I was running when I set the previous record. The year continued to go well with my 4th fastest half marathon in August. At one point I thought a marathon PR was possible but doubts did creep in from time-to-time. I was heading up to Logan again to once more attempt TOU. It is a great course and well-organized race.

 

Pre-race

            First and foremost I have to thank Cody and his family for opening their house and kitchen to my family. After school on Friday we loaded up in the car and headed up to Logan. It was a nice drive and when we arrived we drove the portion of the racecourse Sandra and the girls were going to cheer me on the next day. After packet pickup we headed to Cody’s and his family was in the front yard ready to meet us. The girls loved playing with his kids and we had a wonderful carbo-loading pasta dinner and salad. After the kids went down for dinner Cody went with me for a 3-mile shakeout run along the Planet Walk trail. Logan has sure been kind to me and between Cody and Scott it has been great to stay with bloggers pre-race. After some more nice conversation I did my prerace routine and got some sleep, restful with only one wake-up. No morning star. Cody was kind enough to wakeup early to bring me up to the race start. I sat next to “Mike” someone running his 32nd marathon with two Wasatch 100s under his belt. It made for some good conversation. After getting off the bus I ran into another Knox alum at the start. This was funny, but was because I was wearing my Knox ski hat. At the start I tried for that star but still no go. So it was off to the start area and deciding what to do. This was very difficult. I had made the mistake of mentioning 2:40 out loud before really examining my training fully. Although it may have been possible I think the way it played out was the best. I had good conversation with a number of people including Albert, Allie, Jake, James, Ben, and a number of others. I eyed Ben and his group aiming for the 2:40 and Allie shooting for 2:50 and decided to try and stay between these two groups. This was a last minute decision but I stand by it and I hope you will see that it worked out for the best.

 

The Race

            The weather was perfect for a marathon, cold but not unbearable. I was dressed properly after my experience at the half. Thanks to Andrea for suggesting the sock sleeves, that really did the final trick. I was wearing my compression socks, shorts, jersey, sock sleeves, gloves, and a headband. The start felt so smooth and between the group, the downhill, the taper in my legs, it felt so effortless to run 6ish pace. It took effort to stay back but I did. The first mile was side-by-side with Allie. Also, Will (a person that passed and beat me late in the TOU1/2 three weeks earlier) pulled up and said hi. We spoke for a bit and decided to run together. We gradually caught up with James’ group and ran together for the next two miles. Could see Ben upfront and hear Allie just back so right were I wanted to be. But the bathroom was calling and I decided to stop. The mistake I made was to rush out of the port-a-pottie and gun back up to James, Will, Kevin, etc. Even with the bathroom break that mile was still 6:16 so I was cruising. Luckily that didn’t kill me but I’m sure put a dent in my tank. The next 5 miles were so relaxing. I just stayed with the pack we had and watching Cynthia the lead woman. Then at mile 12, bathroom called again. Very upsetting but made the stop. This time I was not going to gun it back up and took nearly three miles to catch backup. At mile 14 is the first place you can really have spectators and my three girls were waiting there for me. It was great to see their smiling faces and get a Gu and water. Cody was also there and rode along with me for a little giving me some updates on the race. It was helpful. After that decided to finally make it to Will and what was left of the pack. I did this and continued on with them. These two miles were quick. When we pulled out onto Main Street we were hauling. Scott came up to run with us some but we were moving… Just before turning off Main Street my three girls were there again and after a little dancing to the music set-up there I got another Gu and water. I tried to keep with the pack as long as I could but after this turn I started to fall back. The next miles are some of the hardest in the race but I stayed strong. This was MUCH MUCH better than I had felt during miles 21 and 22 in this race back in ’09. Back on Main Street and a few zig-zags. Saw the girls two more times before the finish. Was VERY happy to see that I had sub-2:45 in the bag. Official time is 2:44:44, 12th overall, and 2nd age group. I finally got a bigger moose! Thank you to TOU for putting on a top notch race.

 

Post-race

            More chatting with bloggers, soak in the stream, massage, and back to Cody’s for a shower. Then we headed one more time to the park for the awards ceremony. Congrats to a number of bloggers, especially Jake for his overall win! Hit the road with a McDonald’s stop and to a birthday party. Crashed hard after dinner and just enough energy to get this entry out. My reflection on the race at this time is very positive. Even with the 2:40 mentioned I always had the 2:45 in mind for this my first race back. My printout for my splits was 2:40, 2:45, and 2:50 so I more or less nailed my predicted. But more importantly than that I ran it in a controlled fashion and actually enjoyed the last portion. I look forward to my next marathon and hopefully getting a good 4-6 months of solid mileage in for it instead of 4-6 weeks… Thank you to everyone who supported me during this training cycle and were there with me on the course today in body or spirit.

 

NERDY STUFF

Numbers, numbers, and more numbers. First, this was the 14th TOU Marathon. My number was 14. So the race number the moose on the medal is wearing is number 14. That was great. Also, comes the pressure of wanting to finish at or below the number. So the 12th place finish was also very nice. ]My Garmin output is below. As is my comparison of the course tool splits and my previous TOU splits.

One of the most exciting parts is the difference between the first 13 miles and the last 13 miles. A whopping 49 seconds!

First 13 1:20:40 Second 13 1:21:29

On to the splits, only 8 were slower than target pace and of those 4 were within 10 seconds.

More numbers are posted on Monday for post-race reflection.

 Split comparison


 Garmin info

 

Saucony Fastwitch Miles: 27.00Saucony Compression Socks 1&2 Miles: 27.00
Night Sleep Time: 5.50Nap Time: 0.00Total Sleep Time: 5.50Weight: 0.00
Comments
From MichelleL on Sat, Sep 15, 2012 at 23:52:41 from 168.70.21.27

Yay Adam! It sounds like you ran it really well. It is funny how too fast of a mile early on can really affect the rest of the race, but you did well anyway. Be sure to put your past TOU marathon splits in your nerdy table :D

From bgrun on Sun, Sep 16, 2012 at 05:25:47 from 68.251.37.230

WOW! Great job and stats. How exciting your girls were there for you so many times during the race!! Miss being there for you myself, like your Chicago Marathons, but there's no Metra in the mountains. Looking forward to your making your new goals.

From Jon on Sun, Sep 16, 2012 at 05:52:22 from 98.71.133.149

Congrats on another good marathon, Adam. I'm very, very impressed with how even your splits are- slowest mile was 6:40. Nice work.

From Paul on Sun, Sep 16, 2012 at 07:43:23 from 207.224.42.115

Very nice race, congrats.

From Superfly on Sun, Sep 16, 2012 at 08:41:03 from 174.255.149.21

You da man Adam. Good job!

From JD on Sun, Sep 16, 2012 at 11:44:39 from 65.130.246.68

congratulations Adam! really strong, consistent splits. it's been inspirational watching you come full circle these past few years.

From josse on Sun, Sep 16, 2012 at 12:31:38 from 70.196.201.11

So happy to see you back and running strong. great job Adam!

From allie on Sun, Sep 16, 2012 at 12:32:37 from 97.126.214.126

great race, adam. congrats. i'm very impressed with your first and second half splits. very smart and consistent running.

From Fritz on Sun, Sep 16, 2012 at 13:24:10 from 65.100.192.74

Congrats Adam! As Allie mentioned, very smart/patient racing. It's been a long timing coming and I am sure this is a race you can build off for the future.

From Bonnie on Sun, Sep 16, 2012 at 14:02:35 from 150.135.115.52

Nice job Adam, and very interesting set of statistics!

Congratulations on a very impressive time, and patience in terms of both racing and training!

It is so nice when all aspects of your life go well (family, work, and hobby)!!

From Jake K on Sun, Sep 16, 2012 at 16:07:20 from 67.177.11.154

Congrats Adam. I'm really glad you jumped on the marathon bandwagon this summer w/ us. Despite all the craziness in your life, you've had quite a good year of racing in every distance from 5K now to the marathon. Really smart racing - you showed how some early patience can payoff bigtime. Nice to be able to enjoy those final miles.

Happy for you! You and Sandra have quite the running family :-)

From Rachelle on Sun, Sep 16, 2012 at 19:12:11 from 76.8.202.193

Congrats Adam! I really enjoyed your write up and the nerdy stuff is actually very interesting to look at. You ran a great race and this is a great comeback to the marathon for you.

From Steve on Sun, Sep 16, 2012 at 19:31:01 from 66.87.65.63

Great run! You guys looked good flying by me!

From James on Sun, Sep 16, 2012 at 21:22:24 from 97.117.94.162

Good race Adam! Great to chat for a couple minutes yesterday. Hopefully we can both have a good year next year.

From ACorn on Mon, Sep 17, 2012 at 08:05:51 from 24.2.76.146

Awesome running! Very solid.

From Andrea on Mon, Sep 17, 2012 at 12:51:00 from 72.37.171.52

Great job Adam! I'm impressed with how dialed-in you are to your ability level..you ran exactly what you expected.

I love your little girls - they are so cute!!!

From Scott Ensign on Mon, Sep 17, 2012 at 17:05:08 from 129.123.3.84

nice race, you looked awesome out there. and thanks for stealing a fat boy for me. the fat boy lady looked kind of annoyed but hopefully she'll get over it.

From Camillo on Tue, Sep 18, 2012 at 06:23:04 from 79.46.224.136

Adam,

congratulations on a solid race and a solid race report, I missed your "chapter" during the last three years and I knew you were really disappointed not being able to run a marathon a year.

I am glad that you are healthy and back and your "chapter 11" was not about a running "bankruptcy":)

Good job.

From c h a d on Tue, Sep 18, 2012 at 09:27:45 from 166.70.238.194

Well done, Adam -- great to see you back crushing 26.2s.

From Adam RW on Thu, Sep 20, 2012 at 22:01:04 from 155.101.152.123

Dear FRB,

Thank you for all your kind words and support. Since Chad introduced me to the blog ~6 yr ago you have really had an influence on my running. Be it just the grouping us together to get the competitive juices flowing, the comments, support, etc. it is great to have this available. Thank you Sasha! Now for my race report long reply to all of you ☺…

Michelle, it is great to be at it again. You have sure been tearing up the 5K/10K scene. I hope that your next marathon blows your Yokhama time out of the water.

Mom, Thank you and even if you are not there I still think of you at the same mile markers you where at during the Chicago races.

Jon, I am very happy with the way it went down. Wish you were still in town and on the road but it has been equally fun reading your ultra adventures.

Paul, It was fun. Sandra and I reminisced over the pre-race party you had at your house back in 2007.

Clyde, It wasn’t the 2:39 we spoke about at the half but it was one of the best feeling marathons I have ever run so I’ll take it.

JD, You have to have been the most consistent blogger checking up on me during my all too frequent injuries. Thank you for keeping me motivated.

Josse, Thank you. Seems like overall running has been going well for you. Congrats on your half earlier this month.

Allie, I’m sorry that you didn't get a 2012 marathon PR, but your racing has been great and your report was fantastic very thoughtful and positive. Plus you still came home with the bling.

Fritz, You and I know how to deal with injuries. I just wish that when I came back from them I could drop a 2:21 like you did this summer. I hope that you recovery quickly.

Bonnie, As you know the balance is so hard between science and life. But I wouldn’t have it any other way. I’m just happy to have it back.

Jake, Thank you for the kind words about my family. The girls now say any fast guy they see out there running on the streets, “Is that Jake?”. You have been such a positive influence on the blog the last year. It is great to have you around and as an inspiration. Thank you for doing what you do.

Rachelle, Congratulations on making it in the money. That is a great accomplishment and to do it while shattering your old PR!

Steve, I have to say that when we went past you was the only low point for me in today’s race. If I’m going to beat you I do not want it to be that way. Seems like you are running again this week so I hope that was a fluke and you will be tearing it up again soon.

James, It was great talking to you again. Even if only briefly. I’m really looking forward to seeing what you will do in St. George.

Adam, I can’t wait to see what you do when you make the leap up to the marathon. I am looking forward to racing you again in a 5K next weekend. You currently have me 2 for 2. Let’s see if you make it a hat trick.

Andrea, I know you wish you could have been at the line with us. I wish it to. You have been very inspirational and I just wish the pains would go away so you could race again. Thank you for being as positive as you are and the girls loved playing with you at the finish.

Scott, Thank you for coming along at mile 17. Also, thanks again for helping out during the half marathon. Glad I could pay you back with some ice cream. I’m sure the volunteer will get over it.

Eugenio, It was beyond relief to finish the race in the fashion I did and still be running the next day. I have to admit there was so much doubt in me about this. The long break, lingering pains, etc. Now to find a way to get to Italy to run a race ☺!

Chad, From the running and workouts you have been up to lately I’m waiting for your surprise attack. I missed pushing each other the last few years and look forward to the day when we are both at the line again healthy and ready to tear it up. The half in Provo is still my best race ever and I attribute a lot of that to you pushing me.

THANKS AGAIN TO ALL OF YOU!

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