A lot of first time things happened with this weeks half marathon; first time 'last minute race', first time race, fist time experiencing a new hydration system, first time almost driving through the night to get to the race. And after it was all said and done, it was a great race and I think that Vacation Races puts on a great event.
Thursday - This race not even on the radar, and I was not planning to run a race until the end of October. I was browsing through different Facebook pages for local races, and I saw someone that was looking to sell their spot for the Lake Powell Half. This person was looking to get their bib off their hands, and were willing to sell it at a great price.
I tried to do a little research on the race, and the people who organize the race. I have heard of Vacation Races before, but never had the opportunity to run their events. They seemed to be well organized, and the feedback was great from others. I had read that they have a cup free policy, since most of their events are held in State Parks. I thought that this was an interesting concept, but didn't bother me.
I was then drawn to their finisher medals, and they looked fantastic! This was the tipping point to really want to run the race. I thought the medal would be great in my collection, and though if I get nothing else out of the race, I would come home with a great medal.
Friday - After making the decision to run Lake Powell, I did as much research as I could about the race. I saw that it was going to be about a five hour drive, and that most likely I would be having to drive through the night. I took a few moments to study the course, which was mostly downhill. I then started to make plans to make sure that I had food to eat before the race. I was hoping for a better pre-race experience than the one I had at Big Cottonwood.
I drove up to St.George a few hours after work, and I spent some time there to catch some sleep, since I had really no place to stay up at Lake Powell. The starting line was about three hours away from St.George, and I would be driving in the late hours in the night in unfamiliar territory. This had me worried a bit, I didn't want to end up as "I shouldn't be alive" episode.
Saturday - Most races have you park at the finish line, and the race will shuttle you to the starting line. This time it was reversed, we parked at the starting line. While I was picking up my bib, I got my hydration cup for the race. Vacation Races has a cup free policy, meaning the runners have alternate ways to get water. Either they carry water with them, or they carry their own cup. I thought that this was a different concept at first, but I really liked the way it worked.
Things from the race I remember:
-I arrived early, and since we parked at the starting line, I was able to do a proper warm and eat food(I was not able to do this at Big Cottonwood).
-First time trying out a new hydration system where you carry a makeshift cup with you, and drink water at the stations.
-I forgot to bring my small MP3 player, so I had to carry my phone with me to listen to music, but I did not have an arm band, so I had to literally carry my phone.
-It was an overcast day, which made it great for running, but the scenery was not as appealing with the clouds.
-Since signing up for this race last minute, I decided that I was going to take it easy and not run as hard as I can for the race.
-There was about a two mile stretch on a dirt trail, it was a great change up for the course. Except or the parts where there was sand, that was a little hard to run through.
-I felt good through out the race, running at a slower pace and the overcast made for a great day for running.
-I only had water and Gatorade at the water stations, I didn't feel like I needed anything else during the race.
-The scenery was great to see, even with the overcast.
-I placed 5th in my age group, which was a surprise two different ways. First, that I placed at all. Second, most races age group places are three deep, instead of five. But still very cool to come home with two medals from one race.
-I can now check Arizona of my list for my goal of 50 races in 50 states!
Not a bad time for just taking it easy for the day
The beach just beyond the finish line.
Overall, this was a great race, I would imagine that I would run this race again. I plan to run two other races from this series in Colorado and Arizona next year. One thing that I would change for next time is plan ahead to go up earlier and stay for a couple days after. I think there is a lot to do in the area such as hiking, relaxing on the beach, and other water activities. The race was very well organized, the support and the volunteers were amazing. I think that Vacation Races are headed in the right direction for creating great races. I see myself running many of their races in the future.
