#140- The Pocatello Marathon!

Labor Day weekend always means three things to me:

1. The last real weekend of summer;
2. Put away the white shoes; and
3. The Pocatello Marathon!

I have run the Pocatello Marathon almost every year since 2009 and I love it. The last few years I have been fortunate enough to get to join the pace team. This year (as well as last year), I paced the 5:00 group.

I originally was scheduled to pace the half marathon, but after some back and forth shuffling of pacers, I opted to keep the 5:00 spot. With a 6:00 cut-off, having the last pacer at 4:30, just didn't seem right.

I had a bad car accident in July and had just got another car a few days earlier and didn't want to drive it out of town alone for the first time, so my friend Martin was pacing as well and offered me a ride down with him. 

We left for Pocatello at around 12:00PM on Friday and made the 2 1/2 hour drive there pretty easily. When we got there we went right to the Clarion Inn, which was the host hotel. This was where the packet pick-up and small (really small) expo was.

The swag at the Pocatello Marathon is always great! This year we got these great gym bags, a long sleeve shirt and a bag of Idaho potatoes!

After the expo, Martin went to his hotel and I went to mine. I was staying at the Best Western which was right next door to the host hotel. One nice thing about pacing in Pocatello is the race director covers hotels for pacers. My room was nice and comfortable.

I had a quick nap and headed to the pasta dinner. The dinner is OK, but you better get there early! I got there about 15 minutes late and there wasn't that much left. I did get some lasagna, salad and a piece of cheesecake, so I was happy.

We had a quick pacer meeting at 8:00PM and I headed back to my hotel to get some rest.

Hanging with Neil, Othman, and Martin! Not only were we all pacers, we are all Revel Ambassadors!

The bus to the start picked us up right in front of the hotel. It is a shorter ride than you expect as we are not picked up at the finish. The start area is an actual farm. There were goats walking among the runners! There was a donkey and a horse as well.

Donkey and goat at the start!

Before the start, we got the Marathon Maniacs together for a group photo!

The marathon is small, but I started with a good group of people with my pace group. This race starts with the first half going downhill (with the exception of a one mile out and back around mile 8). I was running an even effort pace which meant I was going a few seconds per mile faster on the downhill and a few seconds slower per mile on the uphill). My group was doing great, but the course flattens out and there are a few rollers in there too. I lost most of my group around mile 15 and the rest by mile 17.

The 5:00 group looking strong!

The weather this year was great. I have run this race in the past where the heat would be oppressive. It was warm in the second half, but not too bad.

We pace by mile marker and while I felt the markers were a little off, they were a consistent distance apart. My Garmin was going off about a half mile before I hit each mile marker in the second half of the race. This is normal to have some difference, but this was a straight road in a wide open space, I don't think they could be that off, but who knows? 

I was consistent on my pace through miles 20 and 23. I was 55 seconds under, but I knew the last 3 miles has some rollers that I would slow on which would what I hoped would be 15-30 seconds under. I hit the 26-mile marker exactly 30 seconds under. I turned the corner to the finish and saw this big green arch really close! I even asked a spectator if that was the finish and not a vendor's arch. I looked at my watch and it didn't add up. I tried to slow my pace, but it was too late, I came in at 4:58:43. I was 30 seconds under at mile 26. I would have had to sprint to have made up over a minute in .2 miles. I don't know what happened. My thought was that the 26-mile marker was placed .1 away from the finish instead of .2, but I don't know that for sure. I do know I came in too hot and that is not what I wanted.

I finished a little hot!

I had a late checkout from my hotel at 1:00PM, so I grabbed a plate of food and headed towards the bus back to the hotel. The post-race food is great! This year they had Texas Roadhouse out there with pulled pork sandwiches and baked potatoes with butter and sour cream! I also grabbed a slice of pizza and some popcorn! I was starving and we had a long drive home.

I got on the bus and as we pulled up to the hotel, I realized that I left my drop bag at the finish, so I had to go back and get it. By the time I got back, I had 20 minutes to shower and change and get out of the room. I just made it! I sent Martin a text and he drove to my hotel to pick me up and we headed home. I was back in my apartment by 4:00PM! That was a first! I didn't get ot see my cute aunt and uncle this trip, but it was nice to get home early.

Pocatello Marathon Swag!

Pocatello is one of the best races for the price. If you register NOW, the marathon and the half is only $40! You can't beat it for such a nice race! The bag, the shirt, the medal, the post race food all make this race a steal! If you need Idaho, do Pocatello!