We arrived at Highland High School at about 10:35 PM on New Year's Eve. We checked in, received our t-shirts and put on our bib numbers. This race was not chip timed and all the bib numbers were the same - 2012. They had a raffle for some vests, hats and other swag at 10:45 PM. I was surprised at how many people were there. You could tell most of them were avid runners. After all, who else wants to run in the middle of the night on New Years right? At 11 PM everyone started walking to the starting line which was about a quarter mile away. The course is 2 laps of a paved road that runs through Sugarhouse Park. All of the fastest runners got to the front of the line facing west. There was a little bit of confusion when they realized that the front of the line is actually facing east so everyone was scrambling about trying to find the perfect starting spot. We waited 15 minutes until 11:30 for the race to start. I love waiting at a starting line. The energy around you is almost tangible. There were a couple of people that dressed up for the event. Some guys were dressed in tutus, one was dressed as a band member of Kiss and I think I saw someone dressed as Superman pass me during the race. I also managed to get a glimpse of father time walking around the starting line .
When 11:30 hit the race director started the race. The race started a the top of a hill so right when you start you're running at a fast pace. I looked down at my GPS watch and my pace was at a 6:15 minute mile. Then I hit the first hill. I usually run around the Centerville area which generally flat. There aren't a lot of rolling hills around my neighborhood. When I want to do hill runs I have to go drive somewhere to find a good one, which I rarely do. This weakness showed during the race.
After the first half mile my body felt so heavy. I checked my watch again and I was at an 8 to 8 1/2 minute mile pace now. I was yelling inside my head to run faster but my body was not obeying my commands. I picked up speed down the 2nd hill and slowed to what felt like a snail's pace when I started back up the hill towards the starting line to start the 2nd lap. It was about that time that I noticed my heart rate on my watch - 200. Holy smokes, why was my heart rate so high?! No wonder I I was struggling. That's a good 30-40 beats per minute higher than my normal heart rate during a race. I decided I to back off a little and let my heart rate drop down. I slowed my pace down. Everytime I looked at my watch my heart rate was still in the 190s. I ended up finishing the race in 27:27. I had a cold the week before that I thought I was over but the race made me realize that I wasn't yet. I was coughing up yucky stuff for the next two days.
At the finish line I was handed a nice wooden plaque. My husband was waiting for me and greeted me after the race. A couple of minutes later the time struck midnight and we could see all the fireworks go off around the valley. Even though I was way off from setting a new personal record I still beat the New Year so I was happy. We walked back to the high school and drank some hot chocolate. We had a fun time running in the New Year!
Right after the race
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