Ever consider taking a vacation that coincides with a marathon? Last year I started driving to different marathons to run in a new state and experience something different (Leadville Trail Marathon, Montana Marathon, and the Omaha Marathon). Last fall I decided I wanted to fly down to Phoenix to run either the Sedona Marathon or the Lost Dutchman Marathon (LDM). I decided on LDM for the extra week of preparation.

I woke up early on Sunday morning (4am) to drive to the Rodeo grounds in Apache Junction to catch the bus to the starting line. I was on the first bus which left at 5am. The starting line was one of the most unique things about the race. There were several burning logs on the ground with blankets/carpet next to them so you could sit or lay and wait for the start while staying warm. The race started at 7am and the first 6 miles were probably the most scenic as they followed dirt road mostly downhill surrounded by beautiful desert scenery with the sun rising behind us as we ran west back toward Apache Junction.

The course was largely downhill with some good rolling hills near the end. The famous hill, “Dutchman’s revenge” laid waiting at mile 23 with a conveniently placed race-photographer. I really don’t want to see those photos. There was only one thing I didn’t like about the race and that was the 2 1-mile segments along US60 a fairly busy highway. They were 1-mile straight-aways which seemed to take forever. I didn’t like them, but considering that was only a little over 2 miles of the entire marathon it was tolerable. I just looked off to the right to see the mountains and desert plants.

Overall the race went ok for me considering my longest run in the last 4-months was 13 miles. I expected to hit the wall at mile 15ish and go to a walk/run. I was on pace for a 3:40 time until about mile 16.5 where I made an extended trip to the porta-potty. After that my stomach wasn’t cooperative even though my legs felt surprisingly good. I struggled but still managed to slip past the finish line in under 4-hours (3:58:40). Ever since I started running Ultras two years ago, the proverbial “wall” is just a minor inconvenience.   Like I said, I can’t complain because my endurance really isn’t at the level it usually is when I run a marathon.

If you haven’t dabbled in “marathon tourism” then I suggest you try. It doesn’t have to be fly in, run, and fly out. Stay a while and enjoy the area. I flew down on a Wednesday and will fly back to Rapid on Wednesday. I took a trip up to Sedona to do some hiking/trail running in Red Rock Country and will explore southern AZ for the next few days.

- Joe

I thought it would be a good idea to blog about some of the local races in the Rapid City area at least. I just got back from a 4-mile race in Sundance, WY, “Freeze Your Fanny”. A fun race, but I could have done without the half-mile into a strong headwind.

I know there are people who tend to focus on that lingering goal of running a marathon this spring, but don’t let yourself get tunnel vision and miss out on the variety of races around town. You can access a complete calendar of events on blackhillsrunnersclub.com. There are 5K’s just about every month and even a 10K in April. I think these races are very beneficial if you are training for something longer. They help you work on your speed and mix up your schedule a little bit. I personally like the 10K in April to give me an idea where I am for the upcoming marathons. Runner’s World kind of beet me to the punch on article they had concerning using shorter races as a “tune-up”. I’ve been doing that for the last five years only I called it a “shake-down” run. Use it as a chance to really focus on your body and how you feel. They usually are a good predictor of times to come.

Running in local races also helps keep you motivated throughout the training “doldrums”. Marathon training can get stale after a month or two, so you need to mix it up with shorter/faster runs. Rather than focusing on May or June for that marathon, you can break your focus up into segments and monitor your improvement throughout your training.

Hopefully I see some of you out at some of the races in town.

-Joe