14 September 2015

ITC Run Idaho 2015

In a move of brilliant marketing, three races in my area hooked up together and offered something called the "Idaho Triple Crown." Anyone who ran all three races got an extra shirt, medal and, of course, bragging rights.

In June i ran the first one: Teton Dam Half Marathon in Rexburg.

i loved this one because it was through MY playground...where i do my training runs. It is just beautiful farm country.

My girlfriend ran the first 9-10 miles with me.


Then i picked up my pace and tore it up for the last three miles, finishing with miles a whole 1.5 minutes faster per mile than my first three miles.



Mr B wasn't at half marathon distances yet, so he ran the 10k. And he RAN it, coming in for 5th place and averaging just under 8 minute miles.


It is so fun to have friends to race with! Not only were my friends racing with me, but my mom, my little brother and Mr B's mother were waiting at the finish line and we had a huge celebratory breakfast after.

The next race was in July: M.A.D. Half Marathon in Idaho Falls.

i ran this one on my own. We started in the foothills to the east of Idaho Falls and were graced with a gorgeous sunrise at race start.



Because we had just done a 17 mile hike the day before, and because we were going on our long backpacking trip four days later, i told Mr B that i was just going to take it easy on the run.

Well, i didn't. i surprised myself by feeling my competitive side kick in and i ended up getting my second fastest time on a half marathon (30 seconds shy of making a personal record). When i saw Mr B at the finish line, i was ecstatic to announce that i made it under 2 hours.


The last one was just a couple days into September: Running the Gap Half Marathon in Pocatello.

i ran this one alone too and it was also the first time that i didn't have anyone at the finish line for me. It was a pretty course but it was a hard one for me. i had run my second full marathon just two weeks before that and then, the next weekend, Mr B and i had done another 17 mile hike (i haven't posted about that one yet).  i was pretty trashed. In fact, in August i had 95 running miles, 49.7 racing miles and 37 hiking miles. That will wear down a person's legs. 

So from the very get go, i started slower...averaging 9:30 min/miles. And then when the 15 mph headwind kicked in at mile 10, i dropped even slower, finishing with an average of 9:52 min/mile and a ending with a total time of 2:08:45 (a full 10 mins slower than IF!) But i was happy to have finished and very glad to be done!


My Idaho Triple Crown medal is pretty cool too! It says "ITC Run Idaho 2015" and lists the name and the dates of the three races.


So many races....so little summer! More pictures of races and hikes coming that i have yet to post about :)

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