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RUNNER Injury Prevention: How Important Is SPOTLIGHT: Utah Olympic Trials Strength Training in Qualifiers My Running Routine? TRAINING/RACING: Interview: Olympic HOW DO I GET MY BODY Hopeful, LUKE READY FOR RUNNING PUSKEDRA AGAIN?

Photo by Jami Caldwell JANUARY/FEBRUARY/MARCH 2016 | RUNUTAH.COM | a UtahRUNNING.com production RUN UTAH.COM magazine In This Edition Utah’s Running Stores Specialty PageStores Snow Canyon HalfMarathon -34 theSnow Canyon Half Race Review: Read thisreview of Find races place taking inJanuary, February, March 2016 Utah Running Race Calendar-32 theamazingresults fromSee theNike Cross NationalsandFootlocker Nationals- Corbin Talley High school Highlights-27 We’re featuringsomeofUtah’s olympictrialsqualifying athletes! Runner Spotlight Figure foryou. outtherightkicks Program? AStrength of Prevention: Importance IsThe What Injury youAre following theseessentialnutrition tips? Nutrition: Two Tests To ifYour Determine isReadyto Run Body Training/Racing: Ready IsMyBody For Running? -10 How thisolympicmarathon foundbalance hopeful inhislifeandrunningcareer. Luke Puskedra -05 Interview: Lora EricksonLora -39 -23 -14 - 17 RUN UTAH.COM magazine Editors’ Note trying, and kept tweaking things in our kept and tweaking trying, it We there. No. we made But kept first attempt? the on Did it happen in U.S. 1969.the it happen made until time the at far-fetched seemed know? We It moon. the on did land We did it, self-discipline? do or you confidence, ofdedication, it alack Why don’t we Is make it happen? moon? the on land and moon the for Well, Why why don’t not? we shoot them.” accomplish Inever because “I don’t make Year’s New Resolutions say, someone we hear when it does way same us in the Bothered quote. this us about bothered always has that While is this something is there true, all. at tried you not had been have you would than spot if you miss you’ll in abetter be aim high, big dreams, even chase and to idea The quote. likedalways that stars.” the you’ll among land We’ve if you miss, Even moon. the for “Shoot 2016. year the You saying, the know things) for two those separate you can in in and life runningaccomplish (if it is we what sights want on our to year.A new set to Time start. Anew UtahRunning.com Ken and Richardson Janae you enjoy thishope edition! make areality. dreams to our We is are required by determined all who in ourselves belief commitment, the and training,the preparation, the the different, be ofus may each for goal individuals, end while the but as these opportunity same of us the will have Trials.Olympic We all not realize that the for qualified have that women and men Utah highlightedalso other several We’ve marathon. in the Olympics the for qualify to potential the with native highlights Lukesection Puskedra, aUtah interview athletes…our amazing pretty thisIn edition, we’ve some spotlighted weand say…JUST IT! DO this year, special something accomplish in you bigwant your running to heart, a reality”, deep we that know because –“Make be of Run to dreams your Utah ofthis edition theme the why we chose is had, areality. but that once And just not someone adream became moon preparation, until the on landing RUN UTAH.COM magazine Run Utah Contributors all around Utah. experiences with therunningcommunity looksforward toeagerly upcoming She husband, Dan,asaparticipant! is thelong-awaited conversion ofher to dateaccomplishment inthesport little girls. Inarguably, hergreatest of runningwhileraising three sweet, and alsothemore recreational aspect running at Weber State University, the ultra competitive world ofcollegiate distances. Shehasexperienced both and hassince switched gearsto longer runner inhighschoolandcollege, junior high. Tori was trained asan800m ofherlife since Running hasbeenapart EditorRun UtahManaging TORI COX Exercise Science founder|Runner|Coach|MS in UtahRunning.com Co- Janae Richardson Triathlon Coach Personal Trainer| Runnerand and Triathlete|Certified Lora Erickson and TriathleteRunner – MDfor Intermountain | Steinfeldt Randall Dr – Runner –Runner

– and Cross Country Coach TrackSchool Runner|High Marc Ortega TeamRacing Member UtahRunning.com Elite Taylor Monson Coach Track andCross Country Marathoner|High School Athlete: Marathoner|Ultra Corbin Talley – - Elite -Elite – Interview with Luke Puskedra: Utah Native and Olympic Hopeful

Run Utah: Tell us a little bit about your running background. How did you get started? What are some of your high school and college highlights?

Luke: I fell in love with running in 3rd grade while running the mile in P.E. class; I liked how you could push yourself. In 4th grade I started competing in the Junior Olympics and have a lot of good memories of my dad as my coach.

Interview: Puskedra Luke Some of my high school highlights are winning the State Team Title Luke Puskedra is a Utah native who graduated my freshman year in Track and from Judge Memorial Catholic High School in Cross Country. It was cool for me . He was recruited by the University to be able to experience this as a of Oregon where he trained under Andy Powell and studied business administration. His high team with the group. From there school and college careers were replete with I had a lot of fun competing in individual and team championships, PRs, records, different state and national wide and goal setting for the next stage. Puskedra has competitions with my coach Dan had his share of challenges in the training realm and even took a break from running altogether Quinn, and Coach Thompson. in 2014. With the encouragement of his wife Trudie, and Coach Powell, he came back to Some of my college highlights are running with a monumental performance at the helping contribute to winning the Marathon where he placed fifth overall and was the first American to cross the finish line National Cross Country team title

RUN UTAH.COM magazine RUN UTAH.COM with a time of 2:10:24. my freshman year. RUN UTAH.COM magazine Interview: Luke Puskedra Run Utah: Luke: Run Utah: Luke: Run Utah: Luke: Run Utah: about thisexperience. family forthenextmonth;Ihad nodesiretocontinuerunningatthispoint. doing? Was runningstill inthebackofyourmind,or had youswornitoffforever? made suretokeepthisbalance. it.ButafterthatresultiswhenI’ve results toconvincemyselfnothavingaproperliferunning balancewasworth was hardformetograspthatIsacrificedsomuchanddidn’t comeclosetomyexpectations. wasfrustrating.Aftertheraceit up toitwhenmybodywasn’t respondingtothetrainingandespeciallyrecovery hardfortheracesoduringandevenweeksleading stressed myselftoapointoffeelingsick.Itrainedvery through thisexperience? and howthisaffectedyouroutlookonrunning.Looking back,whydoyouthinkhadtogo marathon inNewYork City. Thethoughtsthatwentthrough yourmindduringandaftertherace our expectationsandwhatwefeelarecapableof. Tell usalittlemoreaboutyourdebut girls ontheteam. What role has yourfamilyplayedin comebacktorunning? After crossingthefinishlinein NewYork Itoldmywifewasdone running.IwenttoSouthAfricavisitmywife’s It wasafterthisracethat youtooksome timeofffrom running.Whatdid youspendyourtime In thelongrunitwasgoodformetogothroughthatexperience becausebeforeIwashaving“justgoodenough” My debutinNewYork but Iputtoomuchpressureonmyselfandultimately wastough.Ihadagreatopportunity manyofuscanrelatetorunning aracebelow Although notatyoursamelevelofperformance, Salazarandtheguys alotfromAlberto oftheNikeOregonProjectwasagreatexperience.Ilearned Being part oftheNikeOregonProject,Salazar.After collegeyoubecameapart undercoachAlberto Tell us RUN UTAH.COM magazine Interview: Luke Puskedra Run Utah: Luke: Run Utah: Luke: aspects ofyour trainingdoyoufeelbest preparesyou toracethemarathon distance? etc. ride. were kilometersurgesofslowing downandspeedingupalongtheway. Itwasacoolexperiencetobealongforthe correlate tothemarathondistance. pressure; Ijustwantedtoseehowthedifferentapproachin training would withonly3weeksnotice. Goingintotheracetherewasno opportunity lucky enoughforCareyPinkowski(ChicagoRaceDirector)to givemethe there. ThatbeingsaiditwasalastminutedecisiontorunChicago. Iwas it feelstohavethefastestmarathonthisyearfor an American. going intothisrace?Tell ushowtheraceplayedoutand to competeintheChicagoMarathon?Whatwereyourthoughts marathon PRrunning2:10:24.Whatledyoutoyourdecision Marathon –1stAmerican,5thoverall,anda5minute out withmydaughterintheafternoon. ofhanging andgettheluxury and familylife.Idomytraininginthemorning where I’vefeltlikeIhaveabettergrasponkeepingthebalanceofrunning What doyou feelhavebeensomekey componentsinyourrunning success?Whatworkouts or It’s reallycooltobementionedwithalotof thebignamesI’velookeduptoovermycareer-DathanRitzenhein, Meb tacticalwithouttherebeingpacers.Ithoughtitwasgreatfortheathletesandspectators.There The racewasvery With familyfromtheChicagoareaI’dalwayswantedtorunmarathon We attheChicago aresoproud ofyourrecentperformance toabeautifuldaughteronJuly13,2015.Fromthereis My wifegavebirth RUN UTAH.COM magazine Interview: Luke Puskedra Luke: Run Utah: Luke: Run Utah: Luke: to competeinFebruary. Olympics. Ithinkthebiggestaspectispreparingmentally opportunity? physically andmentallyforsuchanamazing make areality?Howareyoupreparingboth what runningdreamswouldyouliketo the OlympicMarathonTrials thisFebruary, Running DreamsaReality”.Asyouheadinto the themeforthiseditionis“MakingYour UtahRunning.com’s onlinemagazine,and consistency. Oregon. SoI’dsaythekeycomponentformehasbeen in collegeunderCoachAndyPowellatUniversityof before ChicagoIdidalotofthesametraining a lotmoremileageandlongworkoutsetc.Buthonestly reality? attempting tomaketheir runningdreamsa seeking successinthemarathon distanceor to otheraspiringrunners, especiallythose Have fun! Is thereanyadditionaladvice youwouldgive It hasalwaysbeenadreamofminetomakethe willbehighlightedinRunUtah, This interview Before myfirstmarathonIthoughtneededtobedoing

RUN UTAH.COM magazine Training & Racing look at your individualfitnesslevel andgoals. you’d like? To findtheanswers, let’s takeaclose the pavement thesewinter during months than yourself? Have you spent less time pounding run? I doit?How far shouldIrun? that Ishouldimprove my fitnesslevel. Buthow do told methatIshouldgetinshape-- doctor My and have notprepared your body, you are running, uprunning you itisamust. If started in understand isthat patience isnotavirtue The firstthingthat Ithinkany runnershould READY TO BODY IS IF YOUR DETERMINE TESTS TO TWO RUN Are these questions that you’ve asked

How hard shouldI three week period. improvement inyour balance within atwo to andyou willprobablyquickly notice significant or balance. usually respondThese very skills but theycangive you anideaofyour stability These 2tests are simpleandare notinclusive prevention. for future muscles necessary injury recommended to condition andimprove the to theoutside, thensomephysical therapy is eitherdeviatesthat your to theinsideor knee sureMake bothlegsare tested. you If notice the foot ordoes itdeviate inward oroutward? gostraight upanddown that overDoes knee Stand ononelegandbegin agradual squat. legged standsuntil you’re ableto doso. touch andadjust, thencontinue one practicing to standfor 3minutes withoutneeding to wavering to regain balance. you If are unable duration ofstanding ononesinglelegwithout Begin withasimpletest ofbalance. Test the determine individualbalance orstability. evaluations to that eachathlete could perform running program. There are acouple ofquick to determine ourreadiness for aspecific Likewise, we needto prepare ourbodies and bodyisnotcapableofutilizingthat power. world will notmakeacargofastifthechassis enginethat inthe thebiggest, mostpowerful going to have someproblems. Remember BALANCE AND STABILITY TESTS RUN UTAH.COM magazine Training & Racing see if your knee can touch the wall without the cantouch thewallsee ifyour withoutthe knee knee touchingto awallforward andflexing the by placingyour foot ontheground withtoes A simpletest for heelcord canbedone flexibility being lessflexible. as causes asmuchincreased for risk injury being overly flexible isasdangerous and or flexibility.It’s to remember that important can alsobedetermined by tests ofmobility readinessOur to pursuearunningprogram need. there If are deficitsin flexibility, it would is no, you likelyhave you allthehip extension disappears. you Do feel astretch? theanswer If between your lower backandthe doorjamb back againstthedoorjamb) sothat thehollow Tilt your pelvisbackwards (keepingtheupper between your lower backandthedoorjamb. position, you’ll naturally have abitofspace this bone) oftheopposite In legisvertical. andthetibia(shin onisvertical are kneeling such that thefemur (thighbone) ofthelegyou down insideadoorjamb, ononeknee, Kneel are slackmostoftheday aswe sitat ourjobs. are themusclesthat are infront ofthehipand be checkedare thoseofthehipflexors. These The othermuscles andtendons that should todown thewall? andtouch the knee it 3inchesfrom thewall andstillkeeptheheel heel coming up. you If dothis, are you ableto do MOBILITY OR FLEXIBILITY TESTS some strength exercises that can bedone. work andbalance. onflexibility There are also days you would stillbeableto continue to would probably besafer. therecovery During beginning, for thefirst year, 3days a week that have at least2days off for recovery, when There are great benefitsinrunningprograms then five timesa week. andthenfourtimes aweek, timesaweek and with this, thenyou canmove that upto three (no soreness orfatigue) andhave nodifficulty you If recover aweek. running twice gracefully currently notrunningat all, thenscheduleyour first.training frequency That meansif you’re it comes to exercises. Irecommend to start the 3changesthat thebodyrecognizes when intensity, and “T” standsfor time. These are FIT. “F” standsfor frequency, “I” standsfor runningprograminjury-free istheacronym lace upthoserunningshoes! The keyto an adequate balance andflexibility, it’s time to After you have determined that you have significant and noticeable improvement. of consistent stretching before you get a improvement takes6-9weeks inmobility to increase thismobility. Generallyspeaking, who cangive you somestretching exercises be agoodideato visitaphysical therapist F.I.T. RUN UTAH.COM magazine Training & Racing is to notincrease theoverall weekly intensity whilereducing ofinjury risk on. The ruleofthumb for increasing program working that you could start oftherunning aspect be thenext be tough enough,thenduration would thisdoesnotseemto so persession.If sessions-- somethinglike10minutes or low intensity running andvery brief variable butIwould recommend very sessions. These elements are somewhat duration orintensity ofeachthe It’s intentional that Ididn’t specify activity. relatively inexpensive, free and injury principles, runningcanbe an enjoyable, I have found that whenfollowing these improved fitness. and bepatient asthebodydevelops increase any more than 10%perweek online. Again, similarto time, donot with acoach, orresearching programs consider discussingindividualplans youIf have racing goals, you may but stillableto talk. breath control-- notwell enoughto sing workout where it’s difficult tomaintain there moments shouldbebrief ofyour control). As you increase intensity, you are exercising goodbreath (very singalongwithyour musicas actually lowshould befairly sothat you can focus. Upto thispoint, theintensity exercise intensity canbea perweek, you have gotten to 180minutes of be about180minutes Once perweek. exercise that sessionsperweek, would per exercise session.So, ifthere are 3 back into running shapeis1hour guideline for thosewithgoalsto come depends onyour goals. Ageneral Clearly, duration ofrunningsessions duration ofrunningby more than10%. he says, from fat manto ironman, continues. thejourney the Ironman World year since Championshipalmostevery 2009.As adventure at to beenjoyed. inmedicalsupport Hehasparticipated day raredepression, asan headachesandheseesevery very hisbloodsugarsarehe nolongerhashypertension, normal, no Lotoja in2014andtook second place in2013and2015.Medically, Arizona andalsowon Lotoja inhiscategory. Herepeated awinin year totaling 12to date. 2012 hecompleted In Ironman Tempe in in 2007.Since thenhehascompleted at least1marathon per distance) andcontinued to improve Marathon andthendidhis first in2003,andcompleted hisfirsttriathlon(sprint endurance sports this hiswaist went from doing 40inchesto 36inches. Hestarted He placed inthe94thpercentile that during challengeandwith pounds andin2002hedecidedto for taketheBody Life challenge. better whichdropped hisweight from 270poundsdown to 225 up. changing hislifestyle. Hedecidedto Hebeganeating start blood pressure, to highcholesterol go andbloodsugarsstarted from dailyheadaches, developed high that timehebecamedepressed, suffered within thefirst few years ofpractice.During maximum weight ofjustover 270pounds andbecameobesereachinginactive adeal hewas physically Hospital. residency During Dee at McKay in 1991.Hedidhisresidency Wisconsin for medicalschool, graduating and thenattended College theMedical of graduated from Weber State University, was andraised He born inUtah. Randall Northogdenclinic.org 801-786-7500 Clinic Ogden Intermountain North 801.38.SPORT Medicine Sports McKay-Dee RANDALL STEINFELDT, MD Have you joined the conversation yet?

CLICK HERE to join the conversation RUN UTAH.COM magazine Health / Nutrition race-season, and how to properly fuel theirbody how to eatintheoff-seasonasopposed to the to knowwhatto eatwhenthey race andtrain, relating to whatandwhento eat.Athletes want asked many nutrition questionsparticularly coaching runnersandtriathletes Ihave been thenineteen yearsOver thatIhave been Essential NutritionPracticesforRunners believe work for most every athlete trying to fuel a to fuela believe athlete work trying formostevery for you? Ihave foundsomesimpletruthsthatI high-protein whatisright or a high-fat diet.So well eatinga raw athletes perform diet.Some feelbetter onaplant-basedor products. Others dairy, whileothersbreakout inarash withgrain all respond uniquely. to foods don’t Some tolerate athlete theanswer different; willbe the is fact we marathon orIronman triathlonevent. To each without gainingweight whentraining fora to usepure electrolyte drops, containing no want to have hyponatremia). Ipersonally like this through experience, believe me, you don’t will negatively affect your running(I’ve learned cause acondition calledhyponatremia which you candilute thesodiuminyour bloodand day. careful Be notto overconsume water or ounces hourofexercise for every you getina of water perday. anadditional20-35 Drink half your bodyweight (inpounds)inounces How much? Usually agoodruleofthumbis throughout theday andwitheachmeal. water. It’s better for your teeth too. Idrink unneeded calories, soit’s bestto stick with cansupplytooof electrolyte drinks many Staying hydrated isamust!Ifind over-use healthy andactive lifestyle. WATER IS KEY rich colorsrich from thenutrients theyhave in broccoli, have beetsand blueberries deep color. Many super-foods, suchas spinach,kale, fruits andvegetables are what give them their rainbow ofcolors.” Vitamins andminerals in tell my clients to, “Paint theirplates witha help ourbodyrepair andregenerate. Ioften vitamins andmineralsprovide to important ofourdailydietbecausethey to beapart fruitandvegetables need Simply colorful our routine. Isuggestthesamefor thediet. do thingsdifferently. We have to changeup to reach newpersonalbesttimeswe have to had before. Justlikeintraining, ifwe expect newvegetables orthingsthat Ihavetry never offoods.in eating avariety I always strive to in andday out. But there isundeniable value foods weand love know andhave themday eating habits. We tend to stickto thesame habit. Ifindthesameholdstrue for runners’ runners likerepetition andare creatures of day inandday out. Ithinkit’s fairto say sometimes for hours, poundingthepavement, one foot infront oftheotherover andover, As runners we lace upourshoesand put my thewater. bodyinabsorbing calories, inmy water to prevent thisandaide EAT A VARIETY OF FRESH FOODS & COLORS RUN UTAH.COM magazine Health / Nutrition things made withrefined sugarsorprocessed Therefore cakes, candy, donuts, andother are whenitcomes theculprit to bellyfat. inraces.performances Simple carbohydrates for gettingyou closerto your personalbest excessive weight gain,whichwilldonothing Eating too muchsimplesugarcancause Honey Bucketsat races. potty. Personallyto spendlesstimeinthe Itry special repeated withtheporta- connection on race day, unlessyou would liketo makea your food. Limitfibertheday before a race and the guttimeto valuable absorb nutrientsin that candecrease transit time andnotallow Iconsume100 calories eachday. More than to averagefiber dietisgood. Itry 3 grams per have itandwhennottoo. general ahigh In Yes, fiber isgood for know when you,to but on otherdays. should beavoided races during butconsumed races. fruitsandvegetable highinfiber Other fruits Irecommend before, andafter during to improve sleep. Bananas are oneofthefew needed by thebodyandhave beenknown color potassium they alsoprovide important in nutrients. Even thoughbananasare alight them. The thecolor theyare darker thericher KNOW WHEN TOSAY FIBER WHEN WITH CONTROL CARBOHYDRATES & PORTIONS Happy Racing, more successful season. racing seasonandyou willmostlikely have a simple truthsinmindasyou gointo your andbemindfuloffiber.portions Keepthese carbohydrates andprocessed foods, control fruits andvegetables, eliminate unnecessary water, drink short, In ofcolorful eat avariety mean-running-machine theyhadhopedto be. manage theirweight to become thelean- (I recommend Fitness My Pal), theyare ableto treats, andtrack measure theireating portions, carbohydrates cuttingoutexcess andstart become aware oftheiroverconsumption of marathon. ispower. Knowledge When they of weight gainwhiletraining for theirfirst had many athletes come to mecomplaining for runnersto eatimportant healthy. Ihave So, to popularbelief, contrary itiseven more requiring usto needeven more nutrients. runners we place demandsonourbodies extra food becausewe needmore calories. As doesn’t give ustheexcuse to eat more junk to fuelour bodiesto thefinishline. Running away pooreating. Healthy eating isaway who cannot. Idon’t believe you canexercise able to get away withthis, there are farmore whatever theywant andwhilesomemay be believe because theyrunalotcaneat sizes.measure serving Too many runners foods shouldbeavoided. Eat fresh foods and more visit welcomes beginners. To learn true passionforcoachingand coaching services.Shehas a group, corporateandprivate community classesaswell as Masters Swimming).Sheoffers Running, USA Triathlon &US is alsoacertifiedcoach(USATF Health Education.CoachLora she graduatedwithadegreein as UtahStateUniversitywhere for theUniversityofUtahaswell Runner wasascholarshiprunner Coach LoraEricksonakaBlonde BlondeRunner.com

PART 1- STRENGTH TRAINING FOR RUNNERS: CORE STRENGTH As runners, we already spend much of our limited free AND PLYOMETRICS time putting in the miles. Sometimes finding another 10-40 minutes to include strength training into our routine seems nearly impossible. However, as I’ve told my high school athletes, “It’s the little things in addition Injury Prevention to running that can make a huge difference in your training.” Ten extra minutes after each workout to do core work or 20-40 minutes a couple times a week to do weight training can be the difference between taking your running to the next level or having to take a few months off because of a muscle weakness injury. While it is difficult to fit in, if done right, it can be well worth your time.

The winter season can be a great time of year to implement a strength training program into our routine. It is usually a period of time when our focus shifts from racing or intensity to preparing for our competitive magazine season. Strength training helps us build a solid foundation to carry forward in the spring. Because the off-season is still a busy time of year, we need to make sure the time we do spend doing strength training gives us the best possible result. There are lots of different strengthening exercises and protocols to choose from but we need to be doing strength training that RUN UTAH.COM RUN UTAH.COM magazine Injury Prevention conditioning can help carry usthrough our conditioning can help carry an increase inmusclepower, force, and up for success inthecoming months. With through strengthening exercises cansetus routine. ofstrength Buildingareserve ofour include strength training aspart There are many reasons runnersshould training? ofstrength thebenefits are What keeping you healthy andrunningstrong. overall core strength, willbeessential to these weak areas, alongwithdeveloping will strengthen theweak areas. Strengthening produce specific, individual exercises very that need to focus on.From there, can anexpert help identify weak areas ofthebodythat you A thorough andprofessional videoanalysis can Medicine. withIntermountain Sports Blackham Therapy, andDr. Steve orDr. Scharmann Jason Therapy, Korryn Wiese withBody Tune Physical Jeremy Stoker LandPhysical withMountain with thePositional Release Therapy Institute, ofassessment: with thistype Tim Speicher Panel few runningbiomechanist. an expert We have a with abiomechanicalvideoanalysis doneby this reason, I’m anadvocate ofbeginning specific to ourindividualbody’s needs. For is specific to runners andmore importantly Experts that Iwould personally trustto help onour UtahRunning.com

Expert Expert way while running. Certain types of way of while running. types Certain muscles andtendons work inasimilar isreleased.it haswhenthespring Our being compressed andthentheenergy energy into pushoff. Think ofaspring andtransfer energyabsorb at impact that muscles andtendons work together to system. As we muscle-tendon run,the and utilize theelasticenergy ofthe and thebody’s increased to store ability creating smooth,complex movements) between muscles, andthebrain, nerves, coordination (more efficient communication is largely dueto enhanced neuromuscular runner. This runningeconomy improvement other words, you have become amore efficient (think ofacarwithbetter gasmileage).In faster paces withlessoxygen being required economy isimproved, itmeansyou can run and aerobic threshold levels. When running potential,performance alongwith VO2max main components that determine arunner’s your anaerobic isoneofthe threshold). It needs inorder to runat asteady state (below used to how describe muchoxygen your body economy. Runningeconomy isascientific term strength training canimprove ourrunning us forward. Additionally, research shows that joints ingeneral that are vitalfor propelling stabilizing muscles, tendons, ligaments, and help usprevent by injuries strengthening and racing seasonormore intense training. can It • • • STRENGTH TRAINING: BENEFITS OF Improve Running Injury Prevention Prepare body for Economy intense training racing seasonormore and abdomen. One purpose ofcoreand abdomen.Onepurpose work isto the musclesinyour pelvis, lower hips back, Core stabilization strengthand discuss weight training inmy article. next and stabilization andplyometrics inthisarticle For thesakeofspace, I’ll cover core strength/ stabilization 2)Plyometrics 3) Weight Training. into three categories: 1)Core strength and exercises. my In mind, Isplitstrength training to alotof differenttypes ofprotocols and Strength training isabroad term that canrefer for my strengthtraining? ofexercises kinds What doing shouldIbe elastic energy. can produce animproved to utilize ability this system and the stiffnessofthismuscle-tendon strength training (plyometrics) canincrease exercises train because because example, running. For motion of the during any attention enough or don’t get body that running running areas ofour strengthen RUN UTAH.COM magazine Injury Prevention I’ve inserted them in this article for youI’ve to theminthisarticle review. inserted offered some excellent examples ofsomerunnerspecific core exercises. – of RunUtah “ video analysis. Dr. Tim inaprevious Speicherwrote edition andarticle along withany otherindividualweak areas identified from arunning to strengthen areas it becomes theseneglected ofthebody important can causeinefficient running, joint instability, and overuse injuries. So, our bodythat assistinsideto sidemotiongetneglected. This imbalance happens inaforward planeofmotion,themuscles/tendons/ligaments in It isimportanttodoashortwarmupbeforebeginningexercises; numberofrepswilldependonyourcurrentfitnesslevel–startwith10 Lateral squat/tuckjumps Lunge jumps Squat jumps Tuck jumps Side hops Bounding Core Strengthening for Runners:Isitreally needed? *Adapted from The sameasthesquatjumpbutyoubringknees ashighpossible.Remainuprightand air, reversethepositionsoflegsandland; withminimalgroundcontacttimerepeatupto20times. A popularrun-specific drill,boundingisessentially anexaggeratedskipping motionfocusingonapowerful From aslightlunge(withbody weightequaldistancebetweenfeet)jumpashighpossible; inmid With feetshoulderwidthapart,jumpashighpossibleoff bothfeet;landinaslightsquatandwith Stand onyourleftfootwith leftkneeslightlybentandyourrightfootelevated;jump ashigh leap intotheair, holdingthearmsinafixed positionduringthemoment bothfeetareofftheground. www.runnersconnect.net you canandlandontheright foot;withminimalgroundcontacttimerepeatupto20times. SAMPLE PLYOMETRIC EXERCISES and overtimeworkyourwayupto20. The sameasthesquatortuckjumpbuttravelingsideways. minimal groundcontacttimerepeatupto20times. ” –that “TheBenefits ofPlyometric Exercises forRunners” avoid bendingforwardsfromthewaist. below for afew examples ofplyometric exercises. and cantherefore result inimproved thechart See runningperformance. our runningeconomy (lessoxygen isneededto produce movements), Plyometrics enhance ourbody’s to usethiselasticenergy, ability improve and tendons inthebenefitsofstrength (asdiscussedearlier training). body’s to more ability efficiently usetheelasticenergy ofourmuscles are any ofexplosive type jumpingexercise andcanincrease your shown cansignificantly increase runningperformance. Plyometrics Plyometrics are ofstrength atype training exercise that research has RUN UTAH.COM magazine Injury Prevention 6. 5. 4. 3. 2. 1.

Tiger Claw Wall Run Cable Trunk Run Pre-Swing Reach Running Bridge Plank withFlag The “Six-Pack Essentials”: 6core exercises specific for runners Exercise Level ofDifficulty Intermediate Intermediate Intermediate Advanced Advanced Beginner DYNAMIC STABILITY AND STRENGTH CORE STRENGTH / LOADING CORE STABILITY Mid & Terminal StanceandSwing Primary Initial Contact,Mid-Stance Mid & Terminal Stance Mid & Terminal Stance Loading &Pre-Swing Gait Cycle All Cycles

Demand • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • Hip Flexors Glutes Errector Spinae Rectus Abdominis Shoulder Girdle Errector Spinae Obliques Transverse Abdominis Glutes Hip Flexors&Quads Hip Abductors Pre-Tibial Errector Spinae Rectus Abdominis Glutes &Hamstrings Hip Flexors Piriformis Rectus Abdominis External Rotators Hip Abductors Pelvic floor Foot Intrinsics Hip Abductors Pre-Tibial Primary

Muscles Targeted RUN UTAH.COM magazine Injury Prevention plyometrics ofyour anextension running workout andIpromise you willnot regret it. are exercises. focusing onthemostimportant iskey. Consistency core Make work and fitting in core andplyometrics.work Five to ten minutes aday is really all you need if you I’veI know thrown alotofexercises your way already, butdon’t with getoverwhelmed PLYOMETRIC EXERCISE: SQUAT JUMP CORE WORK 5-10 MINUTES EACH DAY Ogden, UTwiththeirthreeOgden, children. UtahRunning.com Janae andherhusbandKenCo-founded enjoys coaching runnersofalllevels ofability. road races. USATF As acertified coach shealso continues to enjoy runningcompetitively in collegiately at Weber State University and She Nutritionist. ran Sports and isaCertified in Exercise Science from State Utah University Janae Richardson distance runners. Sports Med, 34,465-485. distance runners. Sports (2004). Factors affecting running economy intrained Saunders, P.U., Pyne, D.B., Telford, R.D., &Hawley, J.A. Runners.” www.runnersconnnect.net Phillips, Matt. of Benefits Plyometric Exercises “The for 1533. http://jap.physiology.org/content/86/5/1527 muscle power. ofApplied Physiology, Journal 86,1527- running timeby improving runningeconomy and training improves H. (1999).Explosive-strength 5-km Hamalainen,I.,&Rusko,Paavolainen, K., L.,Hakkinen, Sources: in2009andreside in hasamaster’s degree

RUN UTAH.COM magazine Runner Spotlight a “B”standard. You canqualify forthe Olympic Marathon To qualifyfortheOlympic Trials thereisan“A”standard and how theraceplays outforthemonFebruary 13th. and crossingthefinishlinein 2:10:24. We areexcitedtosee Marathon thispastOctoberrunning a5minutemarathonPR 2:12:56 andLukewasthetop American finisher attheChicago U.S. MarathonChampionships inMarchof2015withatime qualifying fortheU.S.Olympic teamaswell.Jaredwonthe for theOlympicMarathontrialsbutalsohavearealshot at and (Kaysvillenative),theyhavenotonlyqualified Olympic team.Forsome,likeLukePuskedra(Ogdennative) and participateintheracethatdetermineswhoison U.S. rub shoulderswiththebestofrunnersincountry in countlesshoursoftrainingandhardwork.Itisachance to for theOlympicMarathon Trials iswhatmotivates themtoput For manypost-collegiateand/orlocaleliterunners,qualifying in theU.S.OlympicMarathon Trials inLos Angeles, California. Utah menandwomenwillhavetheopportunitytoparticipate making theU.S.Olympicteam.OnFebruary13,2016,several for theOlympic Trials. And foraselectfew, itisthedreamof others itisqualifyingfortheBostonMarathon,or chasing. Forsomeitisthegoaloffinishingamarathon. We allhaverunninggoalsthatwespendourlives Olympic TrialsQualifiers our Utah athletesat the OlympicMarathon Trials! Find thatgoal foryouin2016!Inthemeantime, goodluckto the dooron daysyourmindtellsyou a runisn’tnecessary. that stretches you,forcesyoutocommit, andgetsyouout dedicate yourtrainingtoa meaningful runninggoal. A goal important piecefortakingyour trainingtothenextlevelis is irrelevantwhenitcomes to runninggoals.Rather, the are shootingforthestarsor shootingforthetopsoftrees having theirsightsonagoal suchasthis.So,whetheryou have pushedtheirbodyfurtherthantheywouldwithout has broughtoutthebestineachoftheseathletesasthey Trials. The goalofqualifyingandpreparingfortheraceitself lifetime tocompeteinsuchaneventastheOlympicMarathon For theUtahindividualsfeaturedbelow, thisis a chanceof Women Men Event Trials inahalf-marathonorthemarathon distance.

Half Marathon Marathon Marathon Event “A”

2:37:00 2:15:00 “B” “A” “B”

1:15:00 1:05:00 2:45:00 2:19:00

RUN UTAH.COM magazine Runner Spotlight 2:43:20 (ChicagoMarathon 10/12/14) 2:41:59 (ChicagoMarathon10/12/14) Rosy Lee–Mountain Green,UT Merrilee Blackham –Ogden,UT 2:41:32 (California International Marathon 2:41:32 (CaliforniaInternationalMarathon 2:38:30 (HoustonMarathon 1/18/15) Cynthia Fowler –Farmington, UT Taylor Ward –Logan, UT 12/6/15) 2:17:48 (California International Marathon12/7/14) Anthony Costales –SaltLakeCity, UT 2:41:21 (Grandma’s Marathon6/20/15) Amber Green–StGeorge,UT RUN UTAH.COM magazine Runner Spotlight 1:04:10 (USA HalfMarathonChampionships Deseret News) (Photo courtesy 1:03:21 (Grandma’s Marathon 6/20/15) Patrick Smyth – SaltLakeCity, UT Brett Hales--Draper, UT 1/18/15) Chicago Marathon) of America Bank (Photo courtesyof 2:12:56 ( Marathon3/15/15) Luke Puskedra Oregon butoriginallyfromOgden,UT 2:10:24 (ChicagoMarathon10/11/15) Jared Ward --Provo,UT -- currently resides in -- currentlyresidesin 1:04:49 (USA HalfMarathonChampionships Wilkey) (Photo byBYUJaren Wilkey) (Photo byBYUJaren 2:17:31 (ChicagoMarathon 10/12/14) Rex Shields – Springville, UT Rex Shields–Springville, Jason Witt-- Provo, UT 1/18/15)

RUN UTAH.COM magazine High School Highlights an individual competition with the top 5 individuals from an individual competition withthe top5individuals from together tocrown theverybest. The NXNrace alsoincludes teams fromeach regionandfourat-large teams) arebrought at GlendoverGolfCourse. 22 teamsfrom9regions(two the pasttwoyearshavebeen competedonthehillyterrain run inthemudatPortland MeadowsRace Track and weekend inDecember. Forthefirst10years,racewas and takesplaceinPortland, Oregoneachyearonthefirst Nationals orNXN. The NikeNationalsbeganin2004, The nationalchampionshipforteamsistheNikeCross the NikeandFootlockernationalchampionships. incredible yearforUtahrunnersandteams,asshowcased at to trainforthenationalchampionshipraces.2015was an end ofOctober, butthetopteamsandindividualscontinue running. The statechampionshipstakeplaceeveryyearatthe it comestopercapitasuccessinhighschoolcrosscountry Utah hasarguably becomethebeststateinnationwhen NIKE CROSS NATIONALS COUNTRY SCHOOL CROSS UTAH HIGH Fork boys’ 7thstraighttop10finish. The AFboyswereledby Nationals andearnaspotonthepodium.Itwas American at finally healthyandracedwellenoughtofinishin2nd place season plaguedwithinjuryandillness,theCavemenwere a 4thplacefinishattheSouthwestRegional. Afteraregular finishers fromUtahaftergettingasurpriseat-large invite with championships. The American Forkboyswerethetop Utah boys’ teamsandoneindividualqualifiedforthe The 2015NikeNationalswasagreatraceforUtah. Three “Only True NationalChampionship”inhighschoolsports. Nevada, andNewMexico.NXNisoftenconsideredthe Southwest Regionagainstthebestfrom Arizona, Colorado, each region.Utahteamsandindividualsqualifythroughthe Casey Clinger of American Fork winningthe NTN individual title RUN UTAH.COM magazine High School Highlights the final mile to finish 3rd in 15:05. the finalmile tofinish3rdin15:05. with thelead pack throughouttheraceand movedwellover by individual qualifier, AlekParsons fromOgden. Alek stayed managed asolid11th placefinish.Utahwasalsorepresented in theirfirstvisittotheNike Nationals,theLonePeakboys out of3rd.Itwas Timpanogos’s 2ndstraighttriptoNXN, and also ranverytoughwitha5th placefinish—only25points strong finishingspeedforthe victory. The Timpanogos boys from theleadpackinfinal600mofraceandused his 5000m raceinacourserecordtimeof15:03.Caseyemerged individual nationalchampion,CaseyClinger, whoranthe Utah HighSchoolathletesthatparticipatedatNike Team Nationals season. Courtney finished 17th at NXN with a time of 17:29, season. Courtney finished17thatNXN with atimeof17:29, Wayment, whoalsowonthestate championshipsearlier this out withastress fracture.Davis’s topfinisherwasCourtney place, whilerunningwithout standout Aubrey Argyle whowas 4 finishersallwithin25seconds. TheDavisgirlsfinished20th have beenastrongpackteam allseasonlong,andhadtheirtop by SarahMusselmanwhofinished 54thin18:15. The AFgirls capped offagreatseasonwith a6thplacefinish. Theywereled finished 3rdandreceivedanat-large invite. The AFgirls Fork girlswontheSouthwestRegional,andDavis Two Utahgirls’ teams alsoqualifiedforNXN. The American RUN UTAH.COM magazine High School Highlights California. The Footlocker Nationals takes place in San Diego. from Utah compete in the West Regional at Mt. Sac in Walnut, competitors –thetop10from4differentregions. Athletes Championships” until1993. The raceincludes40individual since 1979andwascalledthe“KinneyCrossCountry The FootlockerNationalCrossCountryracehasbeenaround earning 3rdteamall-Americanhonors. FOOTLOCKER NATIONALS Olivia Hoj(Olympus High),MckennaLee(Weber High), and Kate Hunter(Provo High)at Footlocker Nationals 16:03, and Talon Hullfrom Weber Highfinished37thin16:20. 4th in15:14,Connor Arnell fromLehiHighfinished34thin qualify forthefinals:GarekBielaczycfromEastHighfinished Provo Highfinished31stin18:28.Utahalsohadthreeboys Olympus Highfinished24thin18:21,andKateHunterfrom Lee from Weber Highfinished17thin18:09,OliviaHojfrom in 2015. Three Utahgirlsqualifiedforthefinals:McKenna well—particular inrecentyears.Utahhadastrongcontingency been anumberofUtahathletesqualifyforthefinalsandfinish While Utahhasneverhadanindividualchampion,therehave Talon Hull(Weber High),Garek Bielaczyc(EastHigh), and Conner Arnell (Lehi High)atFootlockerNationals RUN UTAH.COM magazine High School Highlights 2015 2014 2013 2012 2011 2010 2009 2008 2005 2004 2015 2014 2013 2012 2007 2005 2004 BOYS GIRLS UTAH NXN HISTORY ------(22nd) (22nd) (5th), LonePeak (11th) Timpanogos (12th) American Fork(2nd), Timpanogos American Fork(5th),Davis (6th), American Fork(7th),Davis (17th) American Fork(2nd),Davis (13th) Davis (3rd), American Fork(6th) America Fork(8th),Davis(11th) American Fork(8th) Alta (20th) Mountain View (5th) Mountain View (5th) American Fork(6th),Davis(20th) Davis (15th), American Fork Davis (3rd) Davis (12th) Davis (9th) Fremont (10th) Fremont (5th) traveling theworld. Center. Inadditionto running, Marcloves mountain biking, hiking, camping, rafting, and Riverton, UT, buttoday heresides withhiswife andtwo daughters inLayton, UT. to , andhasalsocompeted inseveral ultra marathons. from isoriginally He and continues to run competitively today. hascompeted He inevents ranging from 5Ks Corbin’s successful. running career very hasbeen excelled He inhighschool, college, State andaMaster’s Degree inHealth, P.E. andRecreation from State Utah University. High andPrinciples at ofEngineering Weber Innovation teacher. Junior Ogden currently He teaches math at North for two years Engineerbefore asaMechanical becoming a at State Engineering Utah in Mechanical University. worked He grewHe upinOgden, ofScience UTandgotaBachelor degree over 15years. His favorite race distance isthehalf-marathon. inOgden,School UT. running hasbeen He competitively for coach isatrack at andcross country Marc Ortega Weber High Country Coach –Runner|High School Marc Ortega Track andCross has aBachelor’s Degree inEnglish Teaching from Weber Championships, and6Boys Track State Championships. He Boys Cross State Country Championships, 6Girls Track State championships: Cross State 6Girls Country Championships, 2 there since 2003. hascoached He histeams to several (Kaysville, andhascoached Track UT) andCross Country Corbin currently teaches Englishat Davis HighSchool Coach Marathoner|High School Track andCross Country Corbin Talley -Elite Athlete: Marathoner|Ultra

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Saturday, 30 January Herriman Saturday, 23 January Saturday, 1 January Saturday, 9 January Sunday, 3 January Friday, 1 January Don’t missasinglerace! Get free e-mail alerts at alerts e-mail Get free Frigid 5kand Polar Plunge 2016, Provo 38th Annual Magna Winter 5K, Running Series Frigid 5kandPolar Plunge, Provo 38th Annual 30k Winter Series-5k, Tooele BigfootKahtoola Marathon Snowshoe Festival 25K, 10K, 5K, The Winter BURN,Draper KOPFC Winter Indoor Triathlon #1,Kearns Series HospitalIndoor Intermountain RIverton Triathlon &HealthFair, LakeCity Salt Snowshoe 1K, Stomp 5kandKids St. George HalfMarathon, St. George Polar City Hurricane DashandDip, Hurricane Life Time Indoor Tri-South Jordan, Jordan South Commitment Day-South Jordan, Jordan South 2016-Running/Walking Rising Challenge, Mercury 2016 New Year’s Revolution Run,Kearns and 50K, Midway and 50K, LakeCity Salt January RacesJanuary 6 February, Saturday 27 February, Saturday 20 February, Saturday 13 February, Saturday 6 38th Annual Magna Winter 15K, Running Series HalfMarathon, Kearns Indoor Utah 38th Annual 30k Winter Series-15k, Tooele Antelope Canyon Half, 50M,55K, Big Water KOPFC Winter Indoor Triathlon #2,Kearns Series Jordan South Date2016 SoJo Dash5k, 38th Annual Magna Winter 10K, RunningSeries Moab Hot55kand33k, Red Moab Chasing Cupid 5k, West Jordan 38th Annual 30k Winter Series-10k, Tooele RUN SLC LakeCity Salt 5k, RunSeries- RUN SLC Full Series- Race LakeCity Series, Salt Striders Winter Circuit, Race Ogden updated, Race My Alpine 5th annual Vigor Winter 5k/10KRunorObstacle, Midway February Races Utah’s Online Largest Race Directory RUN UTAH.COM magazine Race Calendar

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March RacesMarch March, Saturday 26 To MORE see RACES and The Highland Pink County Utah 10k&5k, Series Ice Breaker Tri Fork American and5k, St. George Hog andJog5k, Jordan South Rush5k, Gold 2016 SoJo Monument Valley Half, 50M,50K, Hat &4M,Mexican KOPFC Winter Indoor Triathlon #3,Kearns Series Sandhollow Marathon, Hurricane race info Utah’s Online Largest Race Directory Click Here! RUN UTAH.COM magazine Race Review events scheduled during thoseyears,I didn’t to itquickerthan fouryears,butwithother if somethingis awesome Itendtogetaround became apparent, “Itisawesome!”Naturally, of allcategoriesonecommonmessage participated in it. As I conversed with runners the event,andwouldbeaskedif Ihad would hearmoreandchatter about year since.Duringeachofthose yearsI heard aboutitin2011 andevery following have hadonmyradarforfouryears.Ifirst The SnowCanyonHalfMarathonisaraceI SNOW CANYON HALF MARATHON category weallknowas “injured.”Imention the springwithout runningintothatdreaded in checksothat Icanbeginhittingitharderin tend todoenough justtokeepmyfoundation training. Iconsiderthismaintenance, andI to as“survivalmode”withregards tomy winter months, I am in what I commonly refer November inSouthernUtah.During the would considerideal–thefirst weekendof The dateandlocationofthiseventisoneI find myselfatitsstartinglineuntilthisyear. The price ofthisevent($60) isbetterthan season ofhardtraining. chance toachieveagoalorrun aPRafter of occurringlatefall,anditoffers onelast Snow Canyonfitsmyidealrace timeline to theluxuryoftraininginnicer weather. likely toachieveagoalorset PRthanks and fallracesarewhereIfindmyselfmore are toughertoprepareforthanfallraces; this becausespringraces,inmyopinion, COST/REGISTRATIONGRADE: A RUN UTAH.COM magazine Race Review find yourbibnumber andgrabyourpacket. were afairamount ofvolunteerstohelpyou around 6pmand itwasn’t toobusy. There no packetpick-uponracemorning. Iarrived so itwasnotagamechangerthat therewas little moreshut-eyethenightbefore therace, always beenarunnerwhoprefers togeta and occurredfromnoonto9pm. Ihave Pick-up isofferedonlyduringthedaybefore, with plentyofparkingandwaseasilylocated. painless. Itwasheldataconventioncenter Packet Pick-Upforthiseventwasfairly the race. it easierforustodetermineifwecouldmake advance, ratherthanmonthsinmade I appreciatedthis,becauseaweekortwoin before theracedate.Bothmybrotherand registration forSnowCanyonendsoneweek plagued withaninjuryandbeout$80.Early could dampenyourtrainingoryouget for youmonthsinadvance.Something be difficulttogaugewhatlifehasplanned slight petpeeveofmine.Sometimesitcan increasing theprice. This hasalwaysbeena registration endmonthsinadvancebefore registration cutoff.Manyeventshaveearly the runners. A strongpointistheirearly average foritssizeandsupportofferedto PACKET PICK-UP/SWAG GRADE: B- a littlemore difficultif youwaittoboard on had left),butIcould envisionparkingbeing showed upabout 30minutesafterthefirstbus busses wasn’t toodifficultwhen Iarrived(I them alltothestartontime.Parking nearthe accommodate alltherunners,and totransport smooth. There wereenoughbussesto Parking andbusingforthisevent went is hideous.”Ididn’t disagreewithhim. wearing theoversizedshirtsaying,“This he putontheshirtandwalkedintoroom I returnedtoourcondoafterpacketpick-up, a goodcombination. When mybrotherand yellow, desertorange andblackcolors–not race’s designgraphicmixedwithmustard The shirtwasabluelongsleevewiththe colors oftheshirtdidn’t meshwelleither. honestly statingthiswithoutexaggerate. The the smallstheyissuedfitlikelarges; andI’m small. Normallyasmallwillfitokay, but not offered,myhandisforcedtogowiththe go fortheXSwhenitisoffered.If Typically, thisisn’t abigdeal,butIalways The smallestshirtsizeofferedwassmall. can bedifficultfindingashirtthatfitswell. given atraces.Iamasmallerperson,soit their swag.Icanbeparticularabouttheshirts Rating themwiththeB-gradecomesfrom RACE):B+ RUNNER’SBUSING AND AREA (PRE- make their waytotherunner’s areatouse several runners arriving onthelastbusses to fightthecold forabit.However, Isaw my clotheswithout anyissues,andjusthad race time.Igottothestartand droppedoff This wasroughly10minutesor sobefore the dropoffvehiclesweregoing toleave. asking ustodropoffourclothes because before theracebegan,officials started possible totrystaywarm.Severalminutes wanted tokeepmyextraclothesonaslong from thestart.ItwascoldatstartandI area wasalittlewaysofftheroadandaway clothing drop. As Imentioned,therunner’s The reasonIscoredthisaB+isfortheir chance tousethefacilities. up justbeforestarttime,youwon’t havethe and awayfromthestartline.Ifyoushow around acoupletenthsofmileofftheroad the start. The runner’s area and facilities were you donotwaitforthelastbussestoride a HoneyBucketbeforetherace,makessure One thingIwillmentionisifyouplantouse were enoughtoaccommodatethedemand. Bucket, thewaittimewasn’t toodrastic;there Buckets. IfyouneededtouseaHoney the classicsight/smellofanarrayHoney There wasplentyofspaceforeveryonewith one ofthelastbusses. RUN UTAH.COM magazine Race Review had flashesofbeinginaHollywoodmovie trying tothrowtheirbagsintothetrailerI off vehiclesastheydroveoff. Astheywere their warmupwithchasingafterthedrop had thepleasureofwatchingthemincorporate runners waitedtoolongtostripdown,andI the facilities,andmissdropoff.Other The A- ratingcomes fromthemarking of some soliddownhill training. believe thisisa courseworthyofthat,getin three miles.Ifyouwanttorun aPR,andI to notbethecaseandIwassluggish thelast beforehand intrainingruns. This turnedout pounding atwithoutsimulating thedownhill and thatIcouldhandlethehigher thannormal had hopedthatthecoursewouldbeforgiving, miles. That alsoturnedoutnottobealie.I my legswouldbehammeredforthelastthree coached byothersnottogoouttoofastor That turnedoutnottobealie.Iwasalso was thatthecourseissteepfirst7mile. from otherswhohadrunthiseventbefore proper training. A consistent messageIheard said, aPRwillnotbehandedtoyouwithout course. Itisscenic;itfast.Butwiththat This coursehasthepotentialtobeyourPR throwing tomatoesandrocks. watching amobchaseoutthetown’s witch COURSE: A- provide notonlymuch-neededfluidand I amalwaysgratefulforthevolunteers. They have holleredtogetmebackontrack. exit, therewerevolunteersclosebywhocould him. IfIhadmissedthecorrectroundabout near meatthetimeandIwasabletofollow at aroundabout.Luckily, anotherrunnerwas couple pointsitwasconfusing,particularly go throughacoupleneighborhoods,andat the course. After youexitthecanyon some type ofpower/granola bar. They did chocolate milk, a bagofpretzels,bread,and my typicalbanana, somewaterandGatorade, quality and wide variety of choices. I went for finish oftherace.Iwasimpressed withthe There wasalarge selectionoffoodatthe selections, Iamnottoopicky. stations, andwhenitcomestotheamenity I normallydon’t usetheresourcesofaid 2 stationsfeaturingGU.Forahalfmarathon, Each aidstationhadGatoradeandwater, with were 5aidstations,andeachdidagreatjob. volunteers tomakeforasmoothrace. There race. This event hadthenecessarynumberof mental boostweallcraveatcriticalpointsina energy replacement,butmoralsupportandthe POST-RACEFOOD: A STATION: A VOLUNTEER SUPPORT/AID donated bylocalcompanies (IthinkIreceived division, aswell asgiftcards/offersthatwere were presented for thetopthreeofeach to otherhalfmarathonsofitssize. Trophies name. Otherawardswerestandard compared with amountainsilhouetteand the event’s bulky, butnotcheap.Itwasstandardsized a finisher’s medal.IlikedtheNot Like mosthalfmarathons,everyone receives they werestockingupforthedrivehome. fill theirbags(youknowwhoyouare).Ithink take adozentripsbacktothesnackstable finish. I even recall watching a couple runners snacks, andtheywerealllocatedclosetothe a greatjobathavingwideassortmentof AWARDS: A- RUN UTAH.COM magazine Race Review checking results-itcan controlalarge crowd appear. I’mnotopposedtothis methodof name orbibnumber andyourresultswould up underanawning andyoucouldenteryour time/place atthefinish.Computers wereset The markdowncomesfromchecking your happened. and Iknowwouldnotbetoohappy ifthat that ifitisnotreturned,youwill befined; there isalwaysthethreateningdisclaimer has everbeenanissueforme.Ijustknow forgetting/missing toreturnit–notthat attaching onetoyourshoeorankleandthen form ofchiptimebecausethereisnoworry type usedwasonebuiltinthebib.Ifavorthis The eventischippedtime. The typeofchip couple hoursstiff,sticky, andsmelly. and abedwithouthavingtowaitaroundfor but itisnicegettinghometoashower, food, the resultsneedtobeinbeforetheycanstart, the awardsinatimelymatter. Iknowthatall getting toawards.Ilikeitwhenracesget I appreciatedthattheywerefairlyquickat Southern Utahatmosphere. wooden base. They wereuniqueandfitthe sandstone intheshapeofanarchgluedtoa third inmydivision). The trophieswerea a massage,carwash,andZeppe’s forbeing TIMING/RESULTS: B+ the event torunnersofall levelsandwould colder weatherhits. Iwouldrecommend perfect forgetting inonelastracebeforethe is one-of-a-kind. The dateofthe eventis appreciated; thepriceisfair;and thecourse was spoton;thevolunteerswere much The peopleweregreat;theorganization its hypeofbeingafantastichalf marathon. Overall thiswasagreatevent. Itlivedupto to wait. official resultsarepostedonline,butyouhave not. This information canbeobtainedonce close youweretootherrunners,could place –butifyouwantedtocomparehow you need–time,overallplace,anddivision division runners. To befair, itgivesyouwhat information withtheoverallrunnersor that itdoesn’t giveyoupresentcomparison never comingbackonline. Another pitfall is with thisapproach;andIonceexperiencedit but Ihaveseenthisissueacoupletimes long untiltheywereupandrunningagain, none ofthecomputersworking.Itdidn’t take my resultsandthesystemhadcrashedwith minutes, Iarrivedatacomputertocheck take longer. After waiting inlineforacouple (you getinalinetaketurns),butitcanalso and itcanmakethingsalittlemoreorderly hovering aroundawallofprintedresults, CLOSING THOUGHTS: adept at escapingtosomeone’s housefor I wasassociating withontheteamweremore for mytraining and racing’s sake,thepeople who Iwasassociatingwith.Unfortunately to intervals,hillrepeatsorraces; butIliked less thanamusing,especiallywhen itcame participating incrosscountry. Ifoundit school whenafriendtalkedme into I startedrunningmyjunioryear ofhigh you therenextyear. training. HappyrunningandperhapsIwillsee run aslongitiscoupledwiththeright It arguably hastheupsideofbeingyourPR marathon forafirsttimerorseasonedrunner. feel comfortablesayingitisaworthyhalf ABOUT TAYLORMONSON: RUN UTAH.COM magazine Race Review Running hasbecome—and willremain—a is thiscyclewhich keepsmysanityincheck. cycle, whichmost wouldcallinsanity, butit testing this“will.” Ithasbeenarigorous Ten yearslaterIcontinuetofindmyself I graduated! even completingafullmarathon shortlyafter winning variousracesmysenior yearand way, Idiscoveredwasquitesuccessful, doing somethinglessvigorous. Along the body, whichwasperfectlysatisfiedwith knowing thatIwasincontrolofacomplacent those goals.Ienjoyedtestingmy“will”and goals andperformingtheworktoachieve body toitslimits.Ifoundpleasureinsetting in lovewiththechallengeofpushingmy but inaweirdsenseIbegancravingit.fell bug. Istilldreadedpractices,andracing; potential asarunnerandIcaughttherunner’s running ability. He guidedmetofindmy if Iaddedalotofhardworktomynatural helped merealizewhatIcouldaccomplish summer beforemysenioryear, mycoach let aloneoveradecadelater!However, the running theirsenioryearinhighschool, showed atthattimewasnotlikelytocontinue with thelevelofcommitmentsuchthatI beat theoddsbecausestatistically, arunner honing ourrunningskills.Lookingback,I video gamesandslurpeesduringpracticethan of thedistanceorintensity. Ihavehadthe made itoutthedoorforarun,regardless of myidentity. My dayisbetterwhenI’ve define whoIam,buttheyarecertainlypart part ofwhoIam.Runningandracingdonot UtahRunning.com Elite Racing Team. his life. Taylor iscurrently of the amember a result ofhischoice to weave running into andtravelingpeople to different as locales of hislife andidentity. enjoys He meeting years later he’s running apart stillmaking graduatingafter from highschool. Ten and even completed afullmarathon shortly limits. won He various races hissenioryear towith thechallengeofpushinghisbody its his natural running ability. fell He inlove accomplish ifIaddedalotofhard work to His coach himrealize helped what hecould to catchhe really therunning bug. started until thesummerbefore hissenioryear that than honingtheirrunning skills. wasn’t It practice during video gamesandslurpees adept at to escaping someone’s housefor he andsomeofhisteammates were more all through juniorhighandschool, incross country.participating While heran himinto talked whenafriend high school Taylor running injunior started Monson Elite Racing Team Member Taylor –UtahRunning.com Monson life. result ofmychoicetoweaverunninginto and travellingtonumerouslocalesasadirect pleasure ofmeetingmanywonderfulpeople Support Your Local Running Stores Just ‘Click’ on the store below that you’d like to visit online... 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