Timpanogos Half Marathon

August 14, 2011

By Dan Varga

Dan Varga, 39

Lehi, Utah

4th Overall, Timpanogos Half Marathon, July 30th, 2011

Time: 1:16:33

Type of Shoe Worn: Saucony Kinvara

Wrist Watch Used: Garmin 305 with HRM

Had for Breakfast the Morning of the Race: Had a small bowl of Gluten Free Rice Krispies with some raisins. Before race: Honey Stinger Pomegranate Chews. During Race: 1 GU

The Timp Half Marathon was a new race this year. It was very well attended for a first year race with around 1200 finishers. I had run portions of this course before and had wondered how its close to 2000 foot drop in elevation would compare to other downhill half marathon courses in the state. American Fork canyon is a very beautiful and scenic canyon to have a race through.

The buses for this race and the race start time are early due to the need of getting American Fork canyon back open as soon as possible. The start time had been officially moved from 5:30 am to 5:40, in hopes that there would be more light so we could see the road. The actual start time was closer to 6am, which really helped with visibility on the upper end of the course. There are some nice potholes to avoid on the upper mile or two.

The starting area was setup very nice. They had a yoga instructor in a parking lot to help people in a class setting to get warmed up, as well as ample space at the starting line. The only major issue with the start was that the timing map only covered half of the starting arch and a few people ended up not getting their starting times clocked, which seemed to mess up their placement in the race.

I have only been running for two years, and am still trying to figure out realistic expectations for races. So for this race my only goal was to come in under 1:20. I figured I would go out as fast as was comfortable and as usual, kind of watch the heart rate and make sure it didn't get too out of hand. I noticed that the pace on the watch was kind of messed up through the first couple of miles, probably due to the closeness of the mountain walls, so I really didn't pay much attention to it.

The first seven miles were in the canyon. My quads were ecstatic when the canyon finally ended. My usual issues with the burnt up inner quads and hips with long and steep downhills had reared their ugly heads by this point, as well as my left ankle, which likes to stop working properly after extended downhills. The course then takes a scenic route through Cedar Hills by the golf course and next to a creek. There are some rolling hills through this section as well as a few tighter turns. I was able to catch a runner through the creek section. I was still feeling pretty good at this point. The heart rate was still under control and I was able to maintain a decent pace. There is also a nice climb up to the Timpanogos Temple during the last mile which is where I caught the last person I passed . I love the hills.

I like wearing my heart rate monitor while I race for two reasons. I have no idea what pace I should be running on a given course, so the only thing I have to go on is watching my heart rate and making sure I am pushing myself hard enough for a given distance as well as to make sure I am not pushing it too hard either. Looking at my heart rate it looks like I could have pushed a little harder those first 4-5 miles.