2017 St. George Marathon Race Recap #likenoother

Oh man, what a race….

We drove to St. George, Utah on Thursday and hit the expo Friday morning. After, my training buddy Ashley and I drove the course to check out what awaited us.

Me and Ash at the Expo #InBobWeTrust

There were SO many ups and downs, ups and downs that I began to worry if I’d even finish the race. I had not prepared for that undulation. And I knew me–hills are just not my strength.

This is NOT an all downhill course. Do NOT be fooled.

Nevertheless, I knew I was there to get to the finish line and get there with a smile.

———-

Race morning had us getting bussed to the start. We took the earliest one as I like to have plenty of time for things to settle if you know what I mean. But I had some issues….and that threw me off the loop for a bit. Whatever, I had a race to run.

I ran alone and had absolutely no idea what my race strategy was going to be. I just ran and the first mile chimed in at 8:28. I was fine with that as even though I wasn’t sure what my goal was, I knew my PR average was around 8:30.

But as I ran, the miles kept getting faster. I only looked at my watch when the mile would beep. I was just letting myself run.

Early miles smiles

I knew Veyo Hill was coming at mile 8. I knew that there were more after that, and I knew that it was going to suck. The only goal was to NOT STOP, and I didn’t, but man it was getting hard to move.

Going into the halfway mark, I was in dour spirits. The hills had crushed me. Thoughts of bagging it started creeping in. When I couldn’t bring myself to quit, I told myself a sub 4 would be an amazing time and if I could pull that off, it would be an accomplishment.

But I knew deep down inside I wanted to PR.

So I began to fight.

The sun would throw a punch, and I would just keep going. The rolling hills would get in good ones, but I would just keep going.

I could start to feel myself wearing down and wanting to give the race the W.

But somehow I’d find the strength to keep punching back.

The 3:45 pacer caught up to me and I said YOU WILL NOT PASS ME.

The last mile I ran as hard as I possibly could. I was beaten. I was broken. But I was not defeated.

I ran and fought for it.

You bet I passed teal shirt girl.

3:44:43

I have never been so happy to match my PR in my life. I am not the least bit upset that I didn’t beat it, that I didn’t finish 18 seconds faster. I worked SO HARD for that time. So freaking hard.

I’ve come away from St. George ridiculously happy. I’ve seen how my mental strength has grown by what transpired on Saturday. I had so many outs. So many excuses to use to give up.

But. I. Didn’t.

I’ve come away motivated, pumped for the next one (Phoenix next year). I thought St. George would be a bust, a miserable race to end a difficult training cycle. Not even close. I am so, so happy.

Thank you all SO MUCH for your love and support. You all have no idea ❀

–Have you fought with a race and won?

 

 

 

27 responses

  1. Congratulations on a great race! That is an amazing time especially considering how you were feeling about a month ago when things weren’t going well. You ARE a strong runner, don’t ever doubt that <3.

  2. Great job, Helly. The fact that you didn’t quit demonstrates how much mental strength you have now. You’ve come such a long way.

    Last year you had a great training cycle to produce this time. This year, you only needed a less successful training cycle to do the same thing.
    I know it’s a bit disappointing to not BQ this year, but even a less than optimal training cycle provdes a foundation for an incredible race in the future.

  3. SO F*CKING AWESOME HELLY!!!!!!!!!!! If you could mentally and physically throw down this well when the last month or two of training weren’t what you were hoping, I am incredibly confident you will get that BQ. Girl, there are big things coming your way and I am so excited to follow you through that journey! Congrats girlfriend!

    • This was such a confidence boosting race. I honestly did not think it was going to be and went in with a little bit of a negative attitude, lol! But I’m glad I was able to get myself together and not settle. I’m ready to get things done and get that BQ!!

  4. Seriously, great job! I can see the battle in your splits and I love the way you described it. So many runners have been there. I know your struggle and I know your triumph. It’s a great feeling!

  5. Congratulations!!! The more I race, the more I get that “winning” on the day isn’t about a particular time goal, it’s about giving it everything you’ve got & not giving up. Pretty amazing, especially considering how rough the last part of your training cycle was! Well done! πŸ™‚

  6. GET IT GIRL. I fought with the Chicago Marathon and won. But I had major help with one of my friends running with me (surprise) for much of it. But it was still a battle. I had to fight with Twin Cities as well. And those are two of my favorite races.

  7. Pingback: Some St. George Extra and What I’m Doing Now | hellyontherun

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