Park City Marathon (#13)... Race RUNdown

Hello from...
UTAH!!!

Yes, I just posted my Race Ratings from last week and now I'll be posting my RUNdown for THIS weekend! It's another back to back Marathon week, and this time I"m traveling to Park City, UT.

Inspiration Points...
1. This is my 10th Marathon this year! No extra Spinny stars, but I think that's still pretty big!
2. MB will be meeting me in Utah to run as well
3. Altitude what? This is going to get interesting

Race RUNdown...
Park City Marathon
Registration Fees: $65 Early then $75 after

When: Saturday August 22, 2009
Where: Park City, UT
Year Running: 10th
2009 Expected Field: Sold out race! 500
2008 Field: 411 Finishers
... Females: 160
... Age Group: 32
2008 Avg. Finish Time: 4:36:00
Weather:
When I landed it was 102 degrees!! Yikes!! Last weekend I ran a race starting in the 40's and 50's! Fortunately, it's supposed to drop down to the 50's tonight then start picking up around race start time. We should be running in the 60's and 70's with little humidity.

Course:
Excerpt from their website...
• 17 miles of wide gravel or paved bike paths; balance on quiet streets
• Scenic vistas and wildlife, no “urban ugly” sections
• 8 mile mostly downhill finish
• Loop course marathon and out-and-back half marathon—no shuttle!
• Music on course
~Also, we've been warned that there are a few monster "hills" that may be better known as mountains. Also that nobody runs up mile 18!
~The mountains out here are beautiful! It's definitely an "wild west" meets "hiking mountains" type of a scene. This should be very pretty to run through.
~It seems that a lot of people rave about the course (Marathonguide.com) but it's for everything EXCEPT a PR! This is ok since I had my "hard run" last weekend.

A little ALttitude Adjustment:
This race goes up to about 7,ooo ft. Being from Cincinnati, I'm definitely not used to that. I know the altitude will have an affect on me, but as of now I'm not sure how bad it will be. I've taken the following steps in precaution:
~ Drink Water! Lot's of it.
~ Stay away from salt
~ Swam a few times this week... breathing under water helps your lungs adapt similarly to thin air
~ We found some pills that are supposed to help your body adjust faster to altitude
~ Taking it especially easy for the first few miles. Let my body adjust

Race 411:
~Remember the winter Olympics in Utah? We'll be running all around some of the old olympic sites/equipment.
~This is another GREEN marathon! There's been a big push for marathons to "go green." How are they doing this? Among other things, recycling all water cups, no paper inserts in your goody bag, Courses designed to run without Buses (no C02!), and much more!
~Aid stations GALORE! There are water stations all through the race (which will need with the heat and altitude) and there will be SEVEN GU stops! LOVE IT.

Race Plan:
Run easy and run smart! The altitude and heat will be big factors, so I plan to at least start out easy. It will be nice to relax and enjoy a race for once.