26.2...big cottonwood take 3

after a few less than stellar race performances i decided to take a break from marathon running for a while-until i got a little faster. even though i continued to run every saturday with generation gap, i was not in good running shape. after taking a year off and spending a lot of time and effort working on getting in better shape, i signed up to do the big cottonwood marathon again. i wanted to do better than i did the first time which meant i needed to train harder and smarter.

i did several long runs down the canyon. i did both of my 20 mile runs down the canyon to prepare my body for the very steep downhill. i also spent a lot of time training my mind. by marathon number 11 you would think my mind would already be prepared. i knew exactly what i was getting myself into. in the past i have let my mind take over and not always in the best way.

i went into this race determined to do well. i knew i was prepared. it was a beautiful day. i had a couple of friends coming to meet me along the way. i was all set for a great race.

i met sharon at the buses and we waited at the start together. we ran the first several miles together before getting separated. i talked to several people along the way and really enjoyed the beautiful day in the canyon. i kept my thoughts extremely positive and thought how grateful i was to have a strong healthy body to be able to do this,

mandi met me at the bottom of the canyon at mile 17. i was ahead of schedule and feeling great. she ran the hardest part of the course with me. by the time i saw her i was definitely ready for someone to talk to and encourage me. she pushed me to do a little better than i thought i was capable of while allowing me to do things my way. we ran the out and back loop on wasatch, and i was so grateful for her help and support.

andrea met me at the end of that loop and ran with me the rest of the way. i was still doing pretty well although by the end it was definitely harder. she talked me through it, and i was also grateful for her help and support. 

i was so happy to see the finish line. i felt better than i ever have and did so much better than last time. it's hard taking any time off, but with a lot of hard work, determination, and a major attitude shift i took 25 minutes off my previous time. i was so proud of myself and so grateful for the support i had a long the way. i often end a race unsure if i will ever do another one, but this was exactly what i needed to remind me why i do this.

5 little confessions...running edition

before i get started on today's light hearted post, i can't avoid mentioning the love in blogland. social media exploded (to the point of crashing the website with the story) yesterday for a family that tragically lost their son. there are so many good things about social media and blogging. one of the very best is seeing people come together to support each other. as much as my heart is broken for this poor family, my heart is also warmed by the goodness of people. to learn more or to help, go to thrive moms or indienook.
there's no easy transition from that...

we're back for another round of 5 little confessions. in case you're new around here (welcome) or forgot the details...

we've all seen the posts going around blogland and social media about being honest and keeping things real. bloggers often get accused of posting only the parts of our lives we want to show off. we know we all have those less than bloggable moments in life. as readers, we all love reading those posts, but as writers we sometimes avoid spilling the dirt. in the spirit of keeping things real, we bring you 5 little confessions. did you go 5 days without washing your hair? did your clean laundry sit on your floor until it was time to wash again? did you spend all weekend keeping up with the kardashians? did you eat cake for breakfast? dig up a few of your secrets and link up below.

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if you've been around here or my other social media for more than 1 minute you know i'm a runner. sometimes i wish people didn't know that, but it's kind of hard to avoid something that takes up such a huge chunk of my life. people assume i love running and must run every day...wrong!

i don't actually love running. in fact i don't even really like it all that much. what i do love is the group of people i run with and the major accomplishment at crossing the finish line.

i really only run once a week-long runs on saturday. i go to the gym 5 other days a week, but i don't usually run. don't ask me how i survive marathon training on once a week runs.

 

whenever i post a mileage picture of my garmin i hide the time on purpose. i am super slow, and i would be pretty embarrassed for you to know how long it takes me to run. when people ask my times for races, i usually won't say. i get really self conscious about my ultra slow pace.

at the bitter end of a race when people are trying to be so nice and supportive and encouraging, i just feel dumb. i get super emotional about it. i always feel like they must be thinking...oh that poor girl. this is probably her first time, and she's really struggling. little do they know...

 

even though the nashville marathon was pretty miserable, i already signed up for the st. george marathon in the fall. i need to prove to myself that i can do better. plus i knew i would have major missing out syndrome if i didn't sign up.

   

   i can't even wait to hear what everyone else has to confess this month. spill it, and then link up below. 

An InLinkz Link-up

13.1...st george

i ran another half marathon on saturday. i wish i kept track of those races so i had some sort of idea how many i've done, but i don't. i run with a group. we typically keep a 10-13 mile base so i usually just go run a half without much thought. i say that like it's no big deal, but what i really mean is i have never trained specifically for a half.

between the holidays, bad weather, and nasty air, my base has dropped to somewhere around 8-10 miles. i didn't feel very prepared at all.

before start with tiffany

i ran this race as part of the st george runners series. i run 2 races down there and automatically get in the marathon. prepared or not, i had to run. i had pretty low expectations for my performance and decided to have an enjoyable time in the nice sunny weather.

the weather was amazing! i was so happy to be out in the sun. i walked a lot of this course, but i stuck to only walking 60 paces at a time before starting to run again. everyone always asks if i run the whole thing. the answer is a definite no.i run as much as i can and stop for walking breaks when needed. the key is not walking so much that the body cools down. 60-100 steps about the right amount of walking.

i didn't really pace myself this race. I ran faster and walked more. my time was still pretty close to the usual.

i was really dreading this race. even the night before i kind of freaked out a little. i'm so glad i did it. it was a beautiful day. it helped me get my base back up a little higher. time to start training for nashville.

13.1...snow canyon

I took a quick trip to St. George over the weekend to run the Snow Canyon half marathon. One of the many things I love about Generation Gap (my running group) is we keep a 10-13 mile base. It doesn't mean it's easy, but it means we are always trained for a half. I wish it meant running a half was no big deal, but it's still hard.

We got a bit of a delayed start leaving town, but the amazing sky made up for it a little. 

Speaking of start, I got off to a pretty bad start. I'm not sure what exactly happened, but the first 3-4 miles were killer. 

Luckily I met a couple of girls and talked to them for a bit. We caught up to each other throughout the rest of the race. Having someone to talk to is always a good distraction for me. 

The weather was so nice. The course is one of the prettiest. Winter is basically here so I loved one last warm weekend. 

The rest of the weekend flew by and was equally beautiful. 

Luckily the drive home was much faster than the drive down. I have no idea why, but we almost ran out of gas an hour from home. We made it to the gas station and laughed our heads off about what might have but fortunately didn't happen.

random rambling...thoughts on running part 2

did you catch part 1 of my running story? if not, check it out here.

I never thought I would run any kind of race much less organize a relay race. After working at a few Ragnar races I decided I wanted to be on the runner side of things. Being in charge of the team was so stressful which made the running part even more stressful. I was runner 8 so I had to wait many hours before my turn to run. After my first leg, I felt a little better about the running part. My last leg was TERRIBLE (6 miles gradual uphill in the 95 degree weather), and I kind of thought I might never run again.

Signing up for my first Wasatch Back made me actual train for the race. Teresa invited me to come run with her running group, Generation Gap. I knew for sure I needed people in order to stick with the training. Before running with the group I had never run more than a 10k and never thought I ever would run more than that. The first time I met up with the group they had a 14 mile run planned. That's 8 more miles than I had ever run in my life ever. Teresa reassured me I would be fine (don't ask me how she knew) so like a crazy person I decided to do it.

I thought I would run with the group to get ready for the relay race and then stop running. That's also complete crazy talk! I ran with them for a little over a month before the relay. I survived Wasatch Back, and I actually really liked it. I also liked the running group so much I just couldn't stop. They all run many marathons a year, and before I knew it they convinced me to sign up for my first marathon.

that's basically part 2. i'll be back to continue the story very soon...

as a completely random side note...happy 1st birthday to my nephew kyler. i have no idea how a year has already gone by.

random rambling...thoughts on running part 1

ANNOUNCEMENT...i'm starting a new series around here RANDOM RAMBLING. in my attempts to have a little more organization on this blog, these posts will be on mondays. sometimes i might post weekend recaps, 5 little confessions, or just rambling about whatever. feel free to join me.

in my guest post over on carrie's blog, i promised to tell my running story. i have actually had this post in my drafts for 2 years, but never published it. right after i wrote it, i had a hip injury and really didn't know if i would be able to run again. i promised myself once i recovered enough to feel like i could be called a runner again i would post it. i guess being right in the middle of marathon training qualifies so, here is part 1 of my running story.

I've written this post in my head over and over again over the past several years. I even started typing it about a year and half ago, but for some reason I never got around to actually posting it. This isn't one of those wow that looks fun, I can't believe that happened, or how cool kind of posts. It's like the title says...a random rambling...possibly part 1 of my running story.

I've always been pretty active. I danced my whole life, starting swimming when I was a baby, and played tennis growing up. After those organized activities ended, I had to find my own fitness. I did a few aerobics classes (that makes me feel old. I don't think any classes are called aerobics anymore) in college and went running ( I really kind of hated running) every now and then before joining a gym.

5 years ago (edit...now 7 years ago) my good friends Ben and Kate literally had to sign me up for the Race for the Cure...best thing that ever happened to me. I was scared to death (I know it was a 5K), but I actually loved it. I did a few more over the next year or so and even a 10K and thought that was about the end of my running story...

...until another friend needed some help with the Ragnar relay in Washington state. Sounded like a fun thing to do. After working at several races and seeing that all types run, I kind of thought "I can do that" so I did. On a little bit of a whim I put a relay team together for the Wasatch Back. My friend's mom (who is really my friend too) joined the team and invited me to start running with her running group (Generation Gap), and that's really where my running story begins.

i swear i will finish this story, but it's way too long for just one post. i'll be back soon to continue the story. do you have a running story? or some other how i got started story? i would love to hear about it.

on my mind

today's fat mum slim #fmsphotoaday prompt was "on my mind." she makes the list a month in advance so obviously she had no idea that most people probably have had a lot on their mind this week (marathon bombing, plant explosion, missing child. etc).

as a runner i have definitely had a lot on my mind this week. i have experienced a wide variety of emotion...anger, fear, horror, pride, relief, calm, and believe it or not even joy. i could go on and on about the negative emotions i have felt and will probably still continue to feel, but what is the point of that? it only makes things worse.

when i first heard the news of the bombing on monday, i immediately got online to check on a friend. fortunately i was able to find out right away that she was ok and later in the evening heard she finished the race.

a marathon finish is such an amazing experience. after finding out my friend was ok the next thought i had was oh great i just signed up for a marathon 2 days ago. a few days later i am actually really happy i signed up for a marathon. runners are already coming together to show support for boston and to KEEP RUNNING!

i got home from work that night forgetting about the giant pile of laundry on my bed. my new york marathon hoodie was on the top of the pile. it's hard to put into words how i felt. i will most likely never run the boston marathon ( i am way too slow), but i did run a really really big marathon, and it was one of the greatest experiences of my life. i was seriously overcome with emotion seeing that piece of clothing.

the salt lake marathon was today. i didn't have plans to watch the race at all, but i happened to park my car along the course when i went running this morning. i am so glad i was there. i saw the first runners come through. the first 2 men were wearing shirts in support of boston with KEEP RUNNING on the back. i probably saw 10-15 runners in shirts from the boston marathon 5 days ago. running one marathon is such an accomplishment, but to run 2 in less than a week is so amazing to me. races are always super emotional for me, but this was exceptionally emotional. the weather was terrible. it was freezing and so so rainy, but people were out there. the running community is huge, but it is incredible to see how small it is at the same time as people come together to show support for a cause. my friend who ran boston on monday ran today. i literally had tears in my eyes talking to her this afternoon about the experience.

i may never be fast enough to run the boston marathon, and i may never run another big marathon again, but today and everyday i felt extremely proud to call myself a runner. i feel joy thinking about all the good memories i have from running. aside from the sheer horror of the whole situation, i find some comfort in seeing people come together and to make a statement that people will forever KEEP RUNNING!

***several local running companies including the salt lake running company and wasatch running have put together runs on monday evening to benefit boston. how amazing to see that put together in just a few days.

***i am feeling extremely inadequate to teach sunday school tomorrow following such a rough week. say a little prayer:)

what are your thoughts about all of this? what's been on your mind this week.

26.2 x 100

My running friend, Sharon, ran her 100th marathon yesterday. She decided a couple of years ago to make it to 100 marathons in celebration of her 60th birthday.

Many of the Generation Gap runners gathered at the Park City marathon finish line to celebrate with Sharon as she accomplished her goal. It was a very bittersweet experience for me. I was supposed to run that marathon, but I am STILL injured. It was hard to be there as a spectator instead of a runner. I knew it would be hard, and I didn't know if I could emotionally handle it. I am glad I went. It was great to be there to support and friend and celebrate with her, but I decided it is mentally much harder to not run a marathon than to actually run the marathon.

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Wasatch Back 2011...Team Leap Frog

Robyn (with some persuasion and promise to help) signed up a team for Wasatch Back almost a year ago. The team changed several times over the past year, but in the end we ended up with a great team. There was definitely major stress leading up to the race (we need a replacement runner...multiple times, van 1 needs a van, van 2 needs a van...kind of at the last minute, dance recitals to get home to, start time, will Joe be able to run...3 days before, shirts), but somehow everything even the small little details worked out perfectly.

Van 1 met early Friday morning and went to Logan to start the race. Van 2 (minus Robyn and Joe who were at a funeral and came later) met in the early afternoon to meet van 1 in Eden.

van 1 (Brandon, Laurie, Emily, Shannon, Bree, Jessica) at start line in Logan

most of team (Jessica, Laurie, Shannon, Emily, me, Robyn, Joe, Lindy, Marci, Bree) at exchange 6 waiting for Brandon to come in

Marci and Bree in their unplanned matchy matchy outfits...so cute!

dinner at snow basin after van exchange. our reflective vests really are reflective.

exchanging with Carrie for my first run

exchanging with Lindy after first run

the only running picture of just me. too bad it's of my backside.

Joe got the beautiful sunrise leg.

Marci rocked her legs. She did well last year, but she is by far the most improved runner this year. She has worked so hard, and it shows. She did amazing on all of her legs.

backcountry.com has a team every year. they do all kinds of crazy things like run with a snowboard, skis, etc. this guy "ran" his nearly 7 mile leg on skis.

this race has some beautiful scenery especially this year. everything was so green from all the rain.

most of the team at the finish line waiting for Marci to come in

the team minus Laurie. 32 hours and 27 minutes later we all ran across the finish line together. Marci even wore the green wig for her last leg.

Wasatch Back was a little different for me this year. Ever since the Ogden marathon, my hip has been hurting. Physical therapy is helping, but running is not. I had so much fun. My team was great. Everyone was so supportive even though I wasn't running well at all. I ran slower on purpose because I didn't want to hurt my self even more. I often want to give up when things get hard, but this definitely showed me that I can do hard things. I loved the race this year. I loved my team and new friends, and I loved the things I learned about myself. People think paying lots of money to stay up all night, eat whatever you can find, and run a lot sounds crazy, but I love every second of it.

26.2...Utah Valley

Running 2 marathons in 3 weeks might not be the best idea I have ever had. Remember my post about the Ogden marathon and how it didn't go all that well?!? Besides not having the best marathon ever, I ended up having some hip problems and not being able to run much between the 2 marathons. I heard great things about the course, but I didn't start out with too high of expectations about how the marathon would go.

When my hip wasn't feeling better a week after Ogden, I started going to physical therapy. I felt much better, but I knew I wasn't 100%. I didn't get as nervous as I usually do until the driver didn't know how to get to the start line. Every time we turned around I got more and more anxious. I never really got over that. I am not kidding when I say I started struggling in the first mile. I could never get my pace under control, and my hip was bugging me. Thankfully the Grand Slam made it so quitting was absolutely not an option. I knew I could push through and get to the finish somehow.

I don't usually run with people I meet along the way, but this marathon was totally different. I met 3 groups of people that literally got me through the marathon. All of the groups had at least 1 person who was struggling a bit and someone who could have finished much faster but slowed way down for a friend. I learned a really important lesson about charity that day.

Suzie ran the half and then stayed to run the last few miles with me and drive me home. I don't have a picture to prove it, but Emily S stayed for hours and hours to see me run in and take these pictures. It was so nice of her and Suzie.

finally getting to the finish line

with my new friends Natalie and Tiffany. they inspired me all along the way.

The kindness/support of strangers and friends got me through this marathon. I might not have preformed as well I would have liked, but this marathon experience was about so much more than running. Some day soon I really am going to do a post about running and why I keep doing this over and over again.

26.2...Ogden version round 2

Somehow someone or something convinced me to sign up for the Grand Slam. I've pretty much been dreading it ever since...not the best thoughts to be having staring at a 4 marathon year. I've been anxious to get going and at least get one down. Saturday I got one down...barely.


Teresa, me, Caroyn, and Alyson after the finish
My usual training tactics haven't been working that well lately, and my long runs were pretty rough. I tried to be positive and hope for the best. I did the Ogden marathon last year. I was a little excited to do it again. I remembered how beautiful the course is but somehow forgot about the many rolling hills that nearly killed me. I was freaking out all week and especially Friday evening and early Saturday morning, but somehow once I stood on the road for the start line I suddenly felt calm. I started out pretty well (not too fast and not too slow). Somewhere along the way (not exactly sure where or when or even what) I went from doing pretty well to ending pretty bad. Not my best marathon but not my worst. Lucky for me I have 3 more chances this year to do better. Time to step it up a notch. Anyone want to go running?
stay tuned for a post about my thoughts on running and how I actually survive these dang things...over and over again