Last weekend Jeff, Barry and I headed out to Moab for the "
Other Half Marathon". Needless to say we were all pretty pumped about this run. The pictures online looked amazing and the opportunity to travel with a group for a destination run seemed really cool. Speaking of cool, Jeff and I were chomping at the bit to run in cool temps after what seemed like another long hot summer. Barry on the other hand was thinking of bringing a parka to run in. Barry and cool weather are like oil and vinegar.
We broke free of what was a pretty useless morning at work around 11:15 am. Google maps put the drive a little over 8 hours. However, we knew we could beat that time easy. Our plan was to stop in Flagstaff around 1 pm for some grub.
Jeff took the first leg behind the wheel and despite some traffic leaving town, we made it to Flag a little after 1pm and stopped at an Irish pub for some fish and chips and a Guiness (just1 for any of you getting the wrong idea).
Barry was next at the wheel. He took us through the asstastic town of Tuba City. Jeff and I grabbed our cameras in Flag...let the pictures begin. We stopped at a very shady gas station in Tuba City and emptied the bladders, said hi to the handful of reservation dogs just wandering around and picked up some yummy Starbucks Doubleshot Energy Drinks. Mmmmmm....sugary goodness.
Ok, my turn at the wheel. Wow, it was nice to drive a car with some pep. We headed through Monument Valley and into Utah. Monument Valley was clearly a preview of things to come in Moab. Really pretty scenery, perfect opportunity to grab lots of pix out the moonroof.
We stopped in Mexican Hat for a pit stop. Jeff grabbed himself a Big Hunk, why....cuz what other candy instructs you to slap your "hunk" on a table (child humor, but still funny). Anyway, it was starting to get dark and I think we were all ready to be there. The lady at the counter of the diner said 3 more hours till Moab....what, I don't think so. Time to haul ass into Moab. Speaking of ass, just outside of Mexican Hat we had to slow down for some asses, actual donkeys, crossing the road...not something you see every day.
I decided to take us into Moab, and it got dark quick. I mean, throw your high beams on to see 25 feet in front of you, dark (see Jeff's blog for a picture). We took that 3 hour drive and turnied it into an hour and a half. Finally we were here.
Moab consists of 1 main drag, lined with hotel/motels and a number of eateries. Oh, and bike shops are like Circle K's in this town. We headed for the condo.
The condo was really plush. 3 bedrooms, one with a king, one with a queen, and one with full size bunk beds. Big great room, full kitchen and most importantly a patio with a jacuzzi. I think we were all really happy with our switch from the La Quinta. Nice choice Jeff!
We dropped our stuff and headed to the Moab Brewery. It was packed which seemed to be a common theme of all restaurants in Moab. This town is based on tourism. Looking at the calendar of events, it's one outdoors event after another. We met up with a group from Jeff's wife's company. Good food, good beer and a chance to talk a little running. Good times. This is also the point in which we learned about the 3.2 beer in Utah. That's right they make weak beer for Utah, order a Bud or Coors and it looks like regular beer but it tastes like water. There were lots of strange drinking rules we soon learned about in Utah. I think if Utah could divorce Moab, it would.
Now the heavenly part. After picking up some weak beer and creamer for our coffee in the AM, we headed back to the condo for "jacuz time." It was after midnight now and the nighttime temps were in the 30's. Holy Cow, the warm water combined with cool air and cold beer was heavenly. This was gonna be a great weekend.
Luckily, we are all early risers and we had our first daytime glimpse of Moab from the back porch. Again, cool crisp morning
air and a warm cup of coffee was a great way to start the morning. We decided to head to the Diner down the street for breakfast.
We all decided to play the day by ear. After getting some grub we decided to drive the course. Thank goodness for digital cameras and my 4 gig memory card because we all could not stop taking pictures. As soon as we turned the corner into the Canyons....click....click....click. I'll say this time and time again, but the pictures only tell half the story. It was an incredible drive.
The course followed the Colorado River and 45 minutes later we reached the starting point at Dewy Bridge. Coming up we noticed that Dewy bridge was reduced to a skeleton of what used to be a bridge. The plaque said in was built in 1912, and we would come to find out later that it was burnt down in May after a 7 year old set fire to the surrounding area. What a shame!
After our beautiful drive, we decided to head to the expo. The word expo should be used very loosely. It was tiny but packed with lots of free stuff. Free mirofiber running jacket, free pint glass, free sweat bag....clearly a registration fee bargin.
It was mid afternoon and we decided to check out
Arches National Park. Another amazing site, it incredible to think that these rocks were formed millions of years ago and are constantly evolving. Funny site on the way out of the park was a group of kids sliding down a huge pile of red dirt like it was snow. All they needed was a sled, maybe next year guys we can hit this attraction up???
Race morning consisted of the usual routine for all of us. Lots of water, propel, and peanut butter on english muffins. The pre dawn drive to the Dewy Bridge involved a sidetrack by the bus driver who had no idea where she was going. Don't know how you get in a bus full of people not knowing where your going, but she was clearly not the sharpest tool in the shed.
After finally reaching the start we were greeted with a beautiful sunrise over the canyons. In addtion, they had set up barrel fires to warm yourself by till start time.
After stripping down to the bare essentials it was time to get this thing started. We positioned ourselves in the front of the 8 minute pack. Once that gun went off, Barry's nervousness shot him out of a cannon and there was no looking back for him. Jeff and I ran at a similar pace for about a mile or so, and then we began to distance ourselves.
Things felt good and I knew I had to set a good pace for the first 7 before the hills kicked in. Looking back I probably went out a little to quick, because my heart rate was up there even before the hills arrived. I heart hills!!! Ok, not really but these hills were rolling which allowed my heart rate to come down a bit before conquering the next group. The road just seemed like an endless ribbon stretching into the canyon filled horizon. It was awesome to look backwards or forwards at the huge group of runners.
Coming over the last hill, we were greeted by Indian drummers and we began the final descent into the Ranch area and finish line. Looking at this on an elevation map prior to, I was excited at a downhill finish, but by this point my legs had enough and just wanted to be done. When all was said and done I finished at 1:52 minutes. This was 206 out of 1400 finishers. Not a PR but I'm proud of my time!
We had planned the day before for a post run mid afternoon feast. We bought steaks, swordfish, baked potatoes, a huge salad and 3.2 beer. I gotta say that this was one of the best lunches I can remember. We ate on the porch, weather was beautiful.
After another night in the jacuzzi, we all slept well. We had another fantastic breakfast in the AM and headed for home.
Jeff brought up the fact during lunch that it is very rare for events you look forward to for so long to live up to your expectations. This trip lived up to the expectation and then some. It was mere hours after the race that we all wondered when registration for this race would open up. We'll be back!
Activity| Route: | -- | Elev. Avg: | 4135 ft |
| Location: | Cisco, UT | Elev. Gain: | -43 ft |
| Date: | 10/19/08 | Up/Downhill: | [+974/-1017] |
| Time: | 08:30 AM | Difficulty: | 4.1 / 5.0 |
| Distance: | 13.17 miles | | |
| Time: | 1:52:24 |
| Speed: | 7.0 mph | | |
| Pace: | 8' 32 /mi | Heart Rate: | 165 bpm (Avg) |
| Calories: | 1998 | | 180 bpm (Peak) |
Elevation (ft)
Pace (min/mile)
Heart Rate (bpm)
Heart Rate Zones| Zone | Range
(bpm) | Time
In Zone | Distance
In Zone |
|---|
| Zone 5 | 169 - 188 | 0h 33m | 29%  | 3.74 mi |
| Zone 4 | 150 - 169 | 1h 22m | 73%  | 9.84 mi |
| Zone 3 | 132 - 150 | 0h 01m | 1%  | 0.14 mi |
| Zone 2 | 113 - 132 | 0h 00m | 0%  | 0.01 mi |
| Zone 1 | 94 - 113 | 0h 00m | 0%  | 0.00 mi |
| (none) | out of range | 0h 00m | 0%  | 0.01 mi |
Splits| Mile | Pace (min/mile) | Speed (mph) | Heart
Rate | Elev
Gain |
|---|
| actual | +/- avg | actual | +/- avg |
|---|
| 1 | 8' 24 | -0' 08 | 7.1 | +0.1 | 156 | +55 ft |
| 2 | 8' 11 | -0' 21 | 7.3 | +0.3 | 156 | -46 ft |
| 3 | 8' 09 | -0' 23 | 7.4 | +0.3 | 161 | +27 ft |
| 4 | 8' 13 | -0' 19 | 7.3 | +0.3 | 164 | -40 ft |
| 5 | 8' 22 | -0' 10 | 7.2 | +0.1 | 165 | +7 ft |
| 6 | 8' 22 | -0' 10 | 7.2 | +0.1 | 165 | 0 ft |
| 7 | 8' 32 | +0' 00 | 7.0 | -0.0 | 167 | +20 ft |
| 8 | 9' 12 | +0' 40 | 6.5 | -0.5 | 172 | +167 ft |
| 9 | 8' 24 | -0' 08 | 7.1 | +0.1 | 166 | -99 ft |
| 10 | 8' 58 | +0' 26 | 6.7 | -0.3 | 170 | +27 ft |
| 11 | 8' 38 | +0' 06 | 6.9 | -0.1 | 166 | -79 ft |
| 12 | 8' 50 | +0' 18 | 6.8 | -0.3 | 169 | -3 ft |
| 13 | 8' 28 | -0' 04 | 7.1 | +0.0 | 169 | -69 ft |
| end | 8' 14 | -0' 18 | 7.3 | +0.2 | 175 | -9 ft |
| Versus average of 8' 32 min/mile | |
|
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