AMY:
My decision to run the Grand Slam began as a way to celebrate turning 40 years old. It ended up changing my life in many ways, but maybe most importantly, I am living healthier and happier than ever.
To complete the Grand Slam, one must run four of five designated marathons — Ogden, Deseret News, Park City, Top of Utah (Logan) and St. George. Before this year, I had run a single marathon. After I finished, I assumed that was it. The itch had been scratched.
But as I continued to run, I decided I'd like to try again. I'd like to try and beat my first time — which I did. And I'd like to see if I could sustain marathon training — which I did with some irregularity.
The reasons for starting the journey, however, became almost completely irrelevant after I ran the first race.
In this column, Deseret News photographer Brian Nicholson, a veteran runner, and I chronicle a few of our favorite (or not so favorite) moments from the 2008 Utah Grand Slam.
BRIAN:
About five years ago, I decided that it was time to get in shape. At 6-feet-1, I found myself weighing in at 210 pounds, feeling like a slug, eating like a manatee and I had had enough. So, on Thanksgiving Day, it began with me covering three miles in what seemed like an hour.
A year later, I ran my first marathon in Richmond, Va., and to keep me on track, I already had my eyes on the Ogden Marathon six months later.
Since that time, I have accomplished several goals regarding running, the first of which was to qualify and run the Boston Marathon, a common goal shared by many runners.
The second was to complete in the Utah Grand Slam. After qualifying for Boston in October 2007 and completing it last April, I figured I was ready for the Slam. Little did I know what I was in for.OGDEN
AMY:
This was my favorite race — and not just because there were portable toilets every mile.
I ran this race with my baby sister, Dani. Well, actually she ran ahead of me, and, occasionally, she'd check in with me. Training for that race changed our relationship. We are 21 years apart and I have always been more like a mother to her than a sister. This allowed us to become friends, to trade training information, and to just share the experience of how running regularly can transform your life.
This was a gorgeous course, not too hard or too easy, although it did get a little warm for us slower athletes.
BRIAN:
I have always had a soft place in my heart for the Ogden Marathon. The first time I experienced it, I was on a bicycle with a camera bag on my back as I covered it, start to finish, for the Standard-Examiner.
It's probably also my favorite course of the five, because of its beautiful scenery, gradual downhill grade, and the river that follows you down the canyon.
There is, however, an uncomfortable nuisance that sneaks up on you a bit — that last three miles. Because the first 23 miles are mostly downhill, those last three flat miles made it feel like I was running over the North Ogden Divide.
DESERET NEWS
AMY:
I admit I was a little anxious about this race. My friends who had run it before told me it was the toughest marathon in the state.
Worried about the temperature on July 24, I trained by running in the heat of the afternoon. I was well-prepared for the hot July morning. I was not prepared for what running several miles downhill would do to my legs. Ouch.
Brian ran a couple of miles of this race with me and made me laugh so much I didn't realize I was running seven-minute miles until I started to get lung burn.
BRIAN:
Ogden was my 10th marathon and one might conclude that with that much running, I would have it figured out. Maybe I was lazy, maybe burned out, perhaps it was "brain splints" (like shin splints for your brain). Whatever the reason, I made a critical error while prepping for this one that cost me.
As most runners know, shoes only last between 300-400 miles. Mine had nearly 500, which caused cramps after 20 miles and two weeks' recovery time.
I also decided to be a good little employee and run with a voice recorder and camera to document the race for our Web site. Bad idea had I been chasing a PR, but I wasn't. I just wanted to finish without the help of a stretcher.PARK CITY
AMY:
This one is special. I was advised not to run it by my doctor, as I'd had abdominal surgery just eight days before the race. I gained her approval after agreeing to go even slower than I normally do and starting early so I could take my time.
I started an hour and a half early, and then I got lost. I ran three extra miles before I was back on the course. I battled frustration and the knowledge that I could quit and still earn the Grand Slam as only four are required. I have never run so slow in my life or felt so tired. In an effort to compensate for my pace (or lack thereof), I sucked down so much Hammer Gel I wondered if it was possible to overdose on carbs.
As slow as I was, this one has come to be especially meaningful because of what I went through to finish. Someone told me long ago that sports teach a person to deal with adversity. This race taught me to redefine what I see as adverse conditions.
BRIAN:
I was very anxious about this race because I had heard from a friend that the course was difficult and the elevation plays a factor. With those expectations, and a new pair of shoes, I stepped over the starting line.
To my surprise, this was a beautiful course, well worth the pain, and earns my "Best Kept Marathon Secret" award. There are only 500 available entries and I'm glad I ran this one, which takes place mostly on trails, paved paths and dirt roads.
At the onset, I expected to run slower than the previous two, and if it wasn't for that five-minute "sit down" in one of those green boxes at mile 17, I would have beat my Deseret News time, which was a much easier course.
I hung around to run the last mile again with Amy, a real champion having run after surgery.
TOP OF UTAH
AMY:
John Bozung and Carol Harlow — talk about tough.
John is a veteran ultra marathon runner who tripped less than a mile into the race. He broke his nose and severely cut his upper lip and forehead. Dazed and in pain, he finished the race. Interestingly, he actually got faster as the race progressed.
Carol was my running partner for all but the final two miles. It was, she said, her last marathon. We shared a lot in 24 miles and 4 1/2 hours. She'd started running to lose weight and while she'd lost a lot, she had a health problem that caused her to swell up after running long distances. She actually gained weight training for marathons.
She said her body couldn't take the stress anymore, so this was it. She showed me every step of that race what toughness is, while she also helped me realize that anything — even a marathon — is made easier with a friend.
BRIAN:
Not the fault of organizers, but the Top of Utah Marathon was one of the worst running experiences I have had. However, I vow to conquer this race another time.
I have a "marathon eve" routine and I followed the routine, just like clockwork — well, almost. It went something like this: Lay out clothing, attach bib to shirt, attach timing chip to shoe, set out the oatmeal, banana and energy gel, set clock to 5 a.m., and sleep restlessly. Well, that is exactly what happened, and in the morning when it was the sun that woke up me up, I knew I was in trouble.
It was 6:20 a.m. While the race started at 7 a.m., organizers closed the canyon to traffic at 6 a.m. to accommodate runners.
Too late to catch the bus, I frantically dressed, skipped the oatmeal and sped to the canyon, talked my way up to mile seven before the wheelchairs came flying past me. Then I talked my way up to mile five when the runners were starting to pass. The volunteer "kindly" told me that if I drove any further, I would be DQ'ed. I figured there would be no way for me to get an official time and started running with some guys about as fast as me.
I caught up to my friend Jason Forsgren and ran with him until he bonked (hit the wall) at about mile 18. Then I sped up a little, finished with a 3:37 and knew what I had to do to feel good about collecting that medal.
My wife reluctantly drove me up to the starting line. My legs were stiff from sitting in the van, but I half ran, half walked down to where I'd parked that morning. It was the hardest five miles I've ever covered on foot.
ST. GEORGE
AMY:
This was the second time I seriously considered quitting a race.
Standing in the rain for an hour before the race and running into a cold headwind the entire time, it made for the worst running experience of my life. Never have I been so cold. Never have I been in so much pain — my knees, my hips, my left Achilles, my right foot. Seriously, it is not possible to name all the parts that hurt.
I ran in a garbage bag for about eight miles. I ditched it when I thought the rain was over. Then I paid for that decision for the next 12 miles.
I know people can help you get through tough times, but in this race those people were my salvation. They actually helped me enjoy what was physically the worst situation I've ever been in.
BRIAN:
I ran this race last year where I qualified for Boston, and I had every intention of beating my time. Unfortunately, I wasn't as prepared but went into it with the same game plan. As Amy mentioned, there was a rainy headwind the whole way.
My game plan gradually changed.
With every mile, I calculated my acceptable finish time. At mile 1, it was 3:10; at mile 8, I was optimistic, maybe 3:12. At mile 13, I was behind last year's split so I recalculated, perhaps a 3:20. Near the 20-mile mark, I was just hoping to finish. At mile 23, I got a second wind and hoped for a sub-8:00 minute mile average. I was happy with a 3:27. Doing 26.2 miles in the rain is something I'll never forget.THE FINALE
AMY:
Claiming my T-shirt and medal at a booth in St. George seemed a little anticlimactic. That is until I began to realize just what I've gained in running these races. My life has changed — from my food choices to my exercise habits. Whoever said the joy is in the journey must have been a runner because it is no longer the finish line that entices me but the adventures and inspiration (most of the time in other people) I find on my way to the chute.
BRIAN:
More important than the finishing times, shirts and medals was the fact that I had accomplished one of my goals, despite the brain splints, bad shoes, potty stops, and uncharacteristic weight gain, I had done it. Waiting to pick up that shirt and medal was miserably cold, but I was warm inside. My legs ached but my spirit was uplifted. That's what keeps me going and who knows what lay ahead, a 50? A sub-three-hour time? We'll see.