The things you can't plan

Okay, so last weekend was the Ogden Marathon and Half Marathon. And, the weather was rough! I didn't do it put I'm friends with enough people who did to know how they felt about it. It rained. A lot. I have a little experience with this.

My very first marathon was St. George. I had previously done the Red Mountain 50K so I had gone the distance but my first organized marathon was St. George. I think it was the 33rd running of the race. In those 33 years, it had rained three times. Well, my first year it rained. It wasn't a drenching rain, just constant. They handed out garbage bags at the starting line to keep the runners warm. I happily took one. I don't think it was really even raining. Sprinkling maybe. Anyway, once the race started, I tossed my garbage bag just like everyone else. I didn't know any better. I was just doing what everyone else was. That was my first mistake. I remember being cold. I remember trying to open my nutrition and struggling with it so much I slowly stopped eating. I came through an aid station and slowed to a walk so I dropped my arms. Once I started running again, my arms started tingling. It took five miles for it to stop tingling. So, I stopped drinking. When I crossed the finish line, I swore I would never again do the St. George Marathon. It was too hard to train for and I was miserable. Within a few weeks I started thinking about the things I could change that would make things better and here I am, nine year later.

Here's my concern: the weather along the Wasatch Front in June can be finicky. It could be beautiful, it could be hot, it could snow. I really didn't consider this when I signed up. Now that we've had a cool spring and the weather north of here has been unsettled, I'm a little concerned. Whether or not the weather cooperates with my expectations, I'm still running this marathon and I'm still planning to run my best. I don't think I'll have the problems with rain like I had during my first marathon. I know a few more things this time. Basically, I'm just complaining. Or maybe just worrying out loud.

I may wear some form of plastic to stay dry. I will eat and I will drink. And, I will run faster. That was part of my problem last time. I need to stay working hard so my core temperature stays warm. I will also stay positive. I won't ruin this race in my mind. I've done that before too.

Thanks for letting bounce my thoughts off of you. I hope you are moving toward your goals. Thanks for checking in with me and come back again soon!