Baker's Dozen Half Marathon (Race Recap)

Hurricane, UT
Saturday, December 14
Half Marathon #98
Baker's Dozen Half #2
Weather - Chilly

After failing to be crowned 2012's "Sugar Slayer," I knew I would have to return this year to run the Baker's Dozen Half Marathon and vie for the title.

L had to work the night before, so my dad dropped me off near her work so we would only have to take one car to the airport. We were not on the same outbound flights, as I had cashed in miles on Frontier and she was flying on Southwest. I was supposed to leave first, arriving about 20 minutes before her. My flight was delayed, then had a gate change, etc. By the time L was already in the air, I had not even boarded yet. Le sigh. The flight itself was uneventful. We were not able to meet up with each other at the airport as we somehow landed in two different terminals. The solution was to take the shuttle and meet up at the rental car place. Everything there, also went smoothly.

We had planned on replicating our eating schedule from last year, so as soon as we got the car, our first stop was In N' Out.

Apparently, if you eat lunch around 11:30, they are not that busy. We actually got a place to sit and didn't have to wait long. Our next plan was to head to Dunkin' Donuts, you know, for a coffee and snack. We both got the Red Velvet Lattes, and were disappointed that they were pretty gross :(

L was tired from being up all night, so I did the drive to Hurricane. We arrived around 4 and checked into the hotel so L could take a nap. We got up at 6 so we could pick up our packets and get dinner. On the way out we asked if we could have a noon check out and were told no. (NOTE TO SELF: Do NOT book at the Days Inn next year). Packet pick-up was a breeze and we did NOT get into the wrong car in the parking lot. Same dinner as last year - Italian sausage bread bowl. Delicious. I watched about three hours of Law & Order before going to bed around 9:45.

Race Day

Got up around 6:40. Headed downstairs, and like last year, the food selection was blah. I had a piece of toast and coffee anyway. We planned to be out the door around 7:20 to head to the start. Found the start with no problems this year. Scoped out the start area, used the bathroom, and negotiated leaving our Diet Pepsi under the Sugar Shack table so we wouldn't have to run with them this year (good thinking, L!)

All professional pictures used with permission of Santiago Photography

Cory had asked early on if people would prefer he pay for official timing or have bigger/better medals. The overwhelming responses was BETTER MEDALS! What I didn't realize is that this event was not going to be timed... at all. Oh wells. 

Shortly after 8, we were off! L and I had discussed at great lengths our strategy for being the Sugar Slayers this year. Last year, we didn't eat enough the first loop. By the time we came in for subsequent loops, everything was frosted. Frosting=No Bueno.

Loop 1 - Temperature is 32 degrees, which is warmer than was forecasted. I remembered the first part was a gradual uphill. The short trail section was reminiscent of last weekends race, snow-packed and icy. I jogged some of this, but it hurt my ankles, so I walked parts of it.

L met me at the aid station with... a cup of hot cocoa! What a brilliant idea (I said THEN). Yum. I downed my cup and then grabbed a cup of water to wash it down. Delicious. The back section of the course is through a neighborhood and is a gradual downhill. MY FAVORITE. There were sections of the road that were pretty icy, so we had to use caution, although I still had to be ridiculous when I saw the photographer:

When I could see the start area, I started to get anxious. I yelled to L, "IT'S TIME TO DIG DEEP." We were NOT messing around this year.

Sugar Shack

We arrived at the Sugar Shack and immediately started downing the non-frosted cookies. There were gingerbread, sugar, snicker doodles, etc. The volunteers at the aid station remembered us from last year, as did some of the runners, "Oh, are you the girls from Colorado? Are you in it to win it this year?" Yes. Yes, we were. We did NOT disappoint, with an impressive 17 sugary treats consumed the first loop.

Loop 2 - 36 degrees. I feel mostly ok. Maybe this was The Best Strategy Ever. Like the previous loop, I walked some of the snowy section, then stopped and used the bathroom at the aid station. Have you ever seen a portapotty like this?? It was like using a cat box!

No hot cocoa this time. I was starting to feel the effects of the sugar. We headed into the back section, still feeling mostly ok and running a decent pace. A man on a bike paced alongside us. He also remembered us from last year. He asked all sorts of questions about our eating, traveling for races, etc. Made that loop pass quickly.

Headed into the Sugar Shack and we were relieved/horrified to see that there were still plenty of cookies. They were not going down as easily this time around. Too much time was wasted on chewing. I was starting to feel a bit "off" but I knew that if we wanted to win we were going to have to shove as much as we could in our mouths. Cookies no longer tasting delicious. Every bite was like eating one of those terrible "bit o honey" candies that used to fill up Halloween bags in the 80's. The Diet Pepsi tasted a little less delicious this loop. 10 more sugary treats consumed for a total of 27.

Loop 3 - 48 degrees. Getting hot and having food sweats. Questioning our strategy. I have to walk some up the hill as with every step I'm afraid I'm going to barf. This is not good. Much slower heading into the aid station this time. Again, water only. Man on the bike finds us again and asks our count. When he pulls away, I'm trying to describe how I'm feeling. The sugar was warping my brain and while I was searching for a descriptor like "dizzy" or "vertigo," all I could come up with was "Gepetto." I'm clearly not doing well.

The last mile comes and all I can think about is that I do not want to eat even one more tiny bit of sugar. I'm having the gag reflex that usually only happens when I get too close to smelling whisky.

Curses. I do NOT care. I ask if we are in the lead, and it appears that we are, but no numbers are thrown out. I am ready to throw up all over the place, and knowing I still have an entire loop to go, I eat only one item. I'm done. I cannot consume anything else without risking it all! As we are leaving the Sugar Shack, the reigning men's Sugar Slayer comes in. He is at 22 but still had a loop to go. Not sure what his final count was, but we weren't concerned as Cory crowns both male and female winners.

Loop 4 - Still 48 degrees. This is terrible. I'm sweaty. Feel faint. Stomach hurts. I want to curl up on the side of the road and die. More walking this loop. Feel very sick and suspicious. Water only at the aid station. The glorious downhill? Not so much by the last loop. Every step has things sloshing around in my stomach. Cannot run the entire last mile. Walking is barely better. SO HAPPY TO SEE THE FINISH LINE.

We crossed the line, got our AWESOME medals:

Did we do it??? Were we the 2013 Queen Sugar Slayers??? We looked around for Cory to find out, and YES!!! WE WERE VICTORIOUS. I could not WAIT to see our prize.

Holy crap. AN EIGHT POUND BAG OF TAFFY. lol. So the win? Bittersweet. I never want to eat another piece of candy again. And the bag is SO heavy.

L, Fast Cory, Me

This bag of candy is as big as my head!! ("The human head weighs 8 pounds" - Jerry MacGuire, and so does this bag of candy)

We came to Utah and we CONQUERED. We even killed our other goal of beating last year's time. Not an easy feat since we were trying to not explode.

Garmin Time - 2:48:57
Moving Time - 2:22:41 (so, 26 minutes at the Sugar Shack and/or bathroom)
Mile 1- 11:10
Mile 2 - 12:31
Mile 3 - 9:30
Mile 4 - 18:26
Mile 5 - 14:13
Mile 6 - 9:47
Mile 7 - 21:28
Mile 8 - 14:58
Mile 9 - 10:10
Mile 10 - 12:56
Mile 11 - 13:51
Mile 12 - 10:15
Mile 13 - 11:05

Drive back to Vegas uneventful. We stopped and got pizza again. Walked through the outlet malls in Vegas for an hour, buying nothing. Got to the airport with HOURS until departure. Gambled my $4, ate a burger (seriously, something is wrong with me). Flight left a few minutes late but we got to Denver a few minutes early. VERY smooth trip, again.

Thoughts:

• I love this race! People are surprised that I travel for this. I will come back next year.
• Related: I will relinquish my Sugar Slayer status to some other unsuspecting victim. I'm fairly sure the taffy will still be here in a year. DID I MENTION WE HAVE EIGHT POUNDS OF IT??
• The medal this year is fantastic! The gingerbread man is so cute!!
• I should have a picture, but the shirt this year is great. Women's AND men's shirts in a fun neon yellow. I'll wear that bad boy to the gym for sure!
• Cory puts on an amazing event. Well organized and FUN.

(PS - Never fear, I have recovered from the sugar funk and have already had 3 donuts since completing the race)

Baker's Dozen Half Marathon (Race Recap)

Saturday, December 15
Hurricane, UT
Half Marathon #72
Utah Half #2
Weather - Upper 30's, Rainy/Windy

I was SO excited when I saw that Fast Cory was going to put on an OFFICIAL race this year. The Baker's Dozen was immediately added to my calendar. Combining sugar/eating and running? Um, hello. That's practically the dream. The race itself, SUPER cheap - $35!! In order to earn your AWESOME medal, you had to eat a sugary treat at the sugar shack at the end of each loop, so a minimum of three items. Sweet.

I lucked out finding a one way flight from Vegas for $60 and cashed out miles for the other flight. Rental car was crazy cheap, and so was hotel. The entire weekend pretty much cost what ONE Rock 'n' Roll entry would. Ahem.

Friday morning I took A to school, stopped at the store on my way to the airport, and still arrived with plenty of time to catch my flight. L had managed to book the earlier flight, so she was waiting a few hours for me in Vegas.

By the time we got the rental car, it was already about 1:30. We immediately went to In N' Out. I know, we normally do that AFTER we run. And then an hour after THAT, we stopped and got munchkins from Dunkin' Donuts. Does that count as a warm up for the race?

The drive was a few hours, and seemed MUCH longer. We arrived at packet pick up right at 5:00. Fast Cory recognized us, and seemed really happy that we came out. We grabbed Ruth's stuff too since she wasn't due in for hours. There is a story here. Maybe we accidentally got into the wrong car in the parking lot and didn't notice right away. Or maybe that didn't happen.

This is the race shirt. HILARIOUS

We decided to get dinner early and go to bed early. Bread bowl from Domino's (not the mac n' cheese, sadly that is discontinued) but Italian sausage marinara. Tasty. L was in bed by 8, I was asleep by 9.

Race Day

Slept GREAT. Woke up at 6:30, got ready, and headed down to get breakfast. Sadly, there was nothing appetizing, so we had to head back upstairs for our bagels. Heading outside and it was raining. Sigh. I'm a bit tired of running in the rain.

We had a hard time getting GPS to work. On our way to the start, there was a BIZARRE procession of police cars and other emergency vehicles. 7 am, and they all had their sirens on. It was like there was a parade or something going on. Only there wasn't. Turns out our directions were NOT right. We got a bit turned around but luckily Cory had included some landmarks in his list of directions and we found the start.

Quick trip to the bathroom, and then we just sat around in the car until the start. Cory had a cool idea for a mandatory pre-race picture (courtesy of Alex Santiago, photographer extraordinaire):

The race just sort of started, and off we went. In addition to our goal to win the title of "Sugar Slayer" (she who eats the most baked goods), I also was running with a 20 oz diet coke. Sounded like the most appealing thing to drink with all that sugar. Yum

Loop 1 - It's pretty chilly, so I am wearing my arm sleeves and gloves. We had started in the back, and since my running has been so awful lately, we obviously were not pushing the pace. The first part of the loop felt uphill for sure. I had to walk early - tight calves AGAIN. So tired of this. We enter a dirt/gravel path and I start to feel a little warm so I take off my gloves. The aid station on the far side of the course is water only - I take a cup and we walk a bit.

Turn the corner, and we run. I am ecstatic that the back half of the course is flat/downhill. Excellent. Bathroom first and then we arrive at the sugar shack for our first treats. We eat. And eat. And eat. See the big plate in the middle? We each devour 7 of those bad boys. Our goal was to eat as much of the non-frosted goods as possible. Favorite snack this round was the snicker doodles. Yum.

While at the aid station, we meet up with the previous years winner. Since there is a separate men/women's division, we feel confident in discussing our strategy.

Loop 2 - The diet coke is FANTASTIC. As soon as we leave, we are wondering if we should have done more. We both feel "fine." I have to walk a bit again on the gradual uphill. Not too keen on the dirt section, the ground is really soft. We are running behind a big group of runners that sounds like they are having the time of their lives. It's fun :D Quick walk through the aid station and then again, run the entire back half.

Molly's Nipple

By the time we get to the sugar shack at the end of our first half of the race, there is nothing left that isn't frosted or huge. We try to eat a half a donut. I vaguely recall donuts just sort of dissolving in my mouth. NO. THIS WAS NOT THE CASE. I swear it was like chewing dough. Wasted so much time on ONE item. Had a total of 5 items the second time around, for a total of 12. The volunteers look horrified as we keep stuffing our faces. Favorite of this round? The red velvet cookies with cream cheese frosting.

Loop 3 - It has "warmed up" now to 40 degrees. However, it is now raining. Brrr. I was actually not really complaining, at least it was not windy! Heading into the dirt section and the volunteer offers us a beanie. How nice! I have to stop and use the bathroom at the water station. Overall, I still am feeling fine. Run the back section, and pass the big group right as we are heading into the sugar shack for the last time. We ask the volunteers if we are still in the lead. WE ARE NOT. What????? I had eaten a couple more treats, bringing me to 15. Only to find out the lead female was at 21. 21??? I don't think I want to stand there in the cold rain for another few minutes and eat frosting covered THICK cookies or powdered donuts. We have failed. I slam the rest of my diet coke, give L my gloves, pull down the arm sleeves over my hands and head out for the last loop.

Loop 4 - 41 degrees. It does not FEEL like it is 41 degrees. L says, "I am not complaining, but this might be the coldest I have ever been." It WAS pretty cold. The rain is turning into snow, and the gutters are filling up. Having flashbacks of CIM. Quick cup of water, but we really just want to be done. SO COLD! We are trying to catch up to the big group, but it appears they also just want to be done. We are probably less than a quarter of a mile from the finish and the rain/snow stops and the sun starts to come out. Ha. Figures.

Bib #39
Official Time - 2:56:32
Gender Place - 48/50 (lol)
Division Place - 27/28
MapMyRun Time - 2:56:43
MapMyRun Distance - 13.34 miles
MapMyRun Pace - 13:15
Fastest Mile - 10:42 pace (mile 13!)
Slowest Mile - 27:10 (Mile 4 - LOL!!!)

Can you tell where the sugar shack miles were?? lol!!

We get our AWESOME MEDALS. Cory thanks us for coming to visit, hooks us up with some awesome water bottles and gift cards for Road ID, we took some pictures, then we had to (of course) head out so that we could shower before heading back to Vegas to catch our flight.

Maybe my favorite medal yet

15 marks for 15 baked goods

Ruth, L, Me Post Race

L and Me

We arrived at the hotel with plenty of time to take scalding hot showers to warm up, pack, and headed out right at noon. We stopped twice on the drive back to Vegas to get gas and to eat lunch. Yes. We shared a medium all meat pizza from Godfather's. Clearly, my stomach is broken.

Arrive in Vegas with about 3 hours before our flight, so we walked around the outlet mall for a bit, then headed to the airport. Played the penny slots until I lost my $8, then I got MORE food. (WTF, me). The mac n' cheese proved to be too much, and I actually couldn't finish. Phew. Maybe I *am* human after all.

Flight back to Denver, uneventful.

Thoughts:

• Small races are the BEST.
• Fast Cory puts on one hell of a race. The shirt was awesome. The medal was awesome. The four loop course was actually really great. (Yes, even though we got lapped. Frequently).
• I will likely run this one again. Only next time, I will do better. I can't believe I was out eaten. I'm ashamed.
• The sugar shack miles took roughly 73 MINUTES. That's insane. Even assuming we would have run 12-13 minute miles, taking 35ish minutes off my time would have been a GREAT time for me. So I'm pleased, especially since my last mile was sub 11.
• I think I will run with diet coke again. That was pretty amazing.
• Theme races are super fun. Some of the costumes were REALLY creative.
• I ran in the Glycerins for the first time. They felt a bit heavy at the end, but for the first time in ages, my feet did not hurt after a race. So that was good.
• My IT band was a bit wonky, but it held up.
• Did I mention this was pretty much the most fun race ever?