Let’s Compare CIM to St. George and St. George Recommendations!

Morning!

After many of you said yesterday that your treadmills are off on the distance, I decided to just trust the treadmill setting on my watch instead (I really want to get the foot pod though).   PS Our treadmill felt like it was really on at our last house, I think moving it is what messed it up.  We have recalibrated it many times but I’ve also read that the updates on the iFit software could be the problem too.

Only 51 interruptions to get these miles in but that’s just what happens when running at home for me (especially if I don’t wake up early to do it).

The pace that my watch said I was going felt much more accurate than the pace the treadmill told me I was going.

Fast forward a few hours and Brooke and I hit up Sundance.

My sister and her family were there too for the day.  I loved watching Brooke helping out her younger cousins.   I asked her on the drive home if she would rather go skiing or to Disneyland and she answered skiing!

Another highlight of the day was stopping at my parents’ house for cookies!

Beretta is sure that Brooke’s old bedding is officially hers now.

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The other day Keri said, “I’d love to hear a race comparison between St. George and CIM!  Course comparison, how it felt different on your body, if the downhill at St. George helps or hurts you or if the gradual course at CIM is easier on your legs etc.”

This question got me really excited to think about but I’m also not sure if I can give the best comparison because my 2:49 at St. George was done on one of those ‘I FEEL SO ALIVE AND FAST AND NOTHING CAN STOP ME’ days and my 2:58 at CIM was done on of those “THE FIRST STEP HURTS” days.

But here we go:

CIM

VS St. George

*I don’t think CIM is gentle until mile 18;). Maybe it’s because I was having a bad day that I feel this way but really this course is non-stop rolling for 18 miles with the last hill at mile 22ish (I think that’s where it was).  I would get to the bottom of one hill only to start climbing the next hill.  The marketing team for this marathon does a great job advertising that it’s the ‘fastest marathon on the west’ but I’m not totally sure if they say it is the fastest because there are so many fast people running it with you which helps, the weather is usually perfect or the amazing course support/crowds/organization… but I’m not sure I would call it the fastest because of the actual course.  Emilee has done CIM multiple times and she thinks it is easier than St. George but I think it is harder.  If I look back and really think about it… Even if CIM happened for me on one of those amazing running days where I felt great, fitness-wise I probably still wouldn’t have hit that 2:45 there.  Probably more of a 2:48-2:50.  I’m sure that I am going to get people thinking I’m crazy but I think that the Boston course is easier than CIM’s course (I SAID IT)!

*Andrew says that it is much easier as a spectator to see your runners often at CIM compared to SG.

*I feel like the majority of elevation loss for SG happens in the last 10k.  Which for me personally, my body can fight through the first 20 miles and it’s always the last 10k that kills me off which makes the last 10k at SG a huge plus for me.  Sure you have to get through some steep ups in miles 7-14ish but if you can hold pace through the first 20 you really can bring that average pace down in the last 10k.  I think this last year we brought our average pace down from a 6:35 from the first 20 miles to a 6:28 at the end.  BUT if you aren’t prepared for the down in the final portion of SG your legs are going to be fried.  Our coach had us do a ton of downhill work and trails with a lot of up and down in our training and made our legs ready to handle that.  If you pace St. George correctly, you can have the most beautiful negative split race of your life.  For me, St. George is definitely a faster course.

*I have no idea how to pace CIM still ha.  The more I think about it the more I think that an even split race would be the best option for me.  Most of the net downhill happens in the first half of the course but I think going out at the same pace I wanted to finish with would be the best strategy for me there.  Not sure my legs would have much speed in them for the last flat miles at CIM after all of those hills where in St. George you can really make up for slower miles in the beginning with those final miles.

*I LOVE the dry heat at St. George so if that isn’t your thing, maybe SG isn’t the race for you.  I know that CIM usually has the perfect weather for marathon running so that is definitely a huge plus!

*If running with fast people really helps you to run faster then sign up for CIM right now.  I couldn’t believe how many incredible athletes were there and the feeling of ‘team-work’ there was unreal.  Everyone wanted to help each other get to their goals.  At St. George you are more likely to have miles where there aren’t a ton of people around you.

*Both online course maps show that they are net downhill but those course maps don’t show the ups.. make sure you are prepared for uphills in both races and the pounding of downhill (especially for SG) for both races.

*You are still at a bit of altitude for SG and CIM is sea level so don’t forget about that!

*I do think that the CIM hills are more gentle on your body because they are more rolling (but there are a lot of them!) than the St. George hills… I wasn’t sore after CIM but I was after St. George!

*I prefer the scenery of the SG course personally.  There are way more spectators at CIM to give you that energy boost you need and not many spectators at SG until the end of the race and spots like mile 15 BUT for me personally, the red rock views at SG really help me to forget about the pain I am experiencing.  I guess I feel more in nature during SG if that makes sense and I really love that but don’t expect to be distracted by spectators/signs the whole time there like bigger marathons like CIM (best crowds ever) when running SG.

*Learn from my mistake and probably don’t fly to a goal marathon the day before the race ha.  From here on out if I am flying to a goal race then I’ll want to get there at least 2 days in advance.

*At SG you have a total of 3 turns the entire race and those happen at the very end and at CIM there were more than that but not a crazy amount.

*Both finish lines are amazing.  At St. George you can see the finish line for about .35 miles and at CIM it feels like you turn a corner and boom there is a finish line.  Both finish areas are amazing—> Loved finishing at the capital for CIM and they also had hot soup for the finishers.  I also love the huge park that you finish at for St. George with Great Harvest bread waiting for you.

*For St. George you have to really wake up early to make it to the busses on time and for CIM we were able to have our husbands drop us off pretty close to the starting line (but I know that CIM also has a bussing option).

Both courses are phenomenal.  I know that I’ll be at the SGM every year I can (it’s easier to travel to for me and it’s my all-time favorite marathon) but Emilee and I have also talked about how we really want to go back to CIM (because it is an amazing race and we want our goal to OTQ in the future to happen there).  I do know that the next time I do CIM, I won’t be running a different marathon just 2 months beforehand.

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I’ve also had a few people ask me for St. George travel arrangements for the marathon! I hope you all come do this marathon someday, it is an incredible experience.  PS I think I heard that they are starting to do a half-marathon the same day as the full so that is exciting!

*We always stay at the TownPlace Suites by Marriott the night before the marathon.  It is about a 4 minute drive to where the busses pick you up AND the finish line and it is right by a Target for any of the last minute items that you may need.  You can also get a really nice suite with two bedrooms (if traveling with kids or a group) which I love.  The hotel has breakfast items out for the runners very early that morning and I’ve never dealt with being waken up by noise in the halls/other rooms.   It is also just about a 10 minute drive from the expo so that comes in handy too.

*If you go to St. George then I’m going to require you to eat at Viva la Chicken, Morty’s Cafe, Kneader’s, Cafe Rio, Bear Paw Cafe and definitely follow every recommendation from Female Foodie for St. George.  The night before the race I just had take-out from Olive Garden at my hotel.  I don’t really care about the food before… I just need noodles, grilled chicken and red sauce.

*As far as things to see while you are there… Hike around Snow Canyon (after the race), visit the sand hollow sand dunes, Zion, Bryce Canyon (my favorite), their Children’s Museum is awesome if you have kids, St. George Temple & Visitor’s Center, make my brother fly you around in an airplane;) and go see a show at the Tuacahn theater.  There are so many amazing places to bike, swim and hike… you are going to run out of time to see it all.

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Who has done either CIM or St. George Marathon… what are your thoughts on the courses etc?  

What would you say is your all-time favorite race course?

Do you prefer smaller races or big ones?

Have any trips planned this year?  Would love to hear where you are going!