Sorry, I couldn't Resist...I had some requests for a race report so here we go. The race was awesome. I'm trying to use that word less though so instead I'll say that it was invigorating, exhausting, hillarious, incredible, and definitely worth doing again. I was in Van 1 so we started the race on Friday morning up at Brian Head ski resort. We were supposed to start around ten but managed to get our start time moved up to 7. Our first runner rode the lift up to the summit and then did a trail run down the resort. I was runner 2 so I met her in the parking lot and started my run there. The nickname for my leg is The Diablo....dum dum dum....I started at the base of Brian Head and ran on the highway up around the resort to Cedar Breaks National Monument. Its a 900 ft elevation gain in just over 4 miles and summits at over 10000 feet. It was a beast!! Then I got to take it easy most of the rest of the day. When our van was finished with our first legs we stopped by Golds Gym for showers, went out to lunch, and then laid on the grass at SUU in Cedar City until Van 2 finished.
Our second leg started at SUU (Southern Utah University). Our first runner ran around the University and then met me at a church. Mine started at the church and ran out of town toward the middle of freakin nowhere. This was by far my worst leg. It was 5 miles, long straight and flat. Not my favorite. But I survived. I ended on the start of a dirt road that the rest of the ladies in my van ran on long into the night. We finished around 11, got to our hotel at 12 and got to sleep until about 2:30. It was around midnight that I was wishing I was home in my bed....I really like to sleep....
But when we left our hotel at 2:45 and headed off to meet van 2 I surprisingly had a lot of energy. My final leg started just outside of Veio Utah (middle of nowhere) and ran 6 miles down a highway to the top of Snow Canyon. It was by far my favorite. I had a ton of energy, there were millions of bright stars overhead, looming red rock cliffs on either side of me, it was incredible (or awesome if I was using that word). We finished up in St. George just after sunrise and handed off to Van 2. Overall it was a great experience, the running was great and massive amounts of caffeine and a serious lack of sleep made all that time in the car deliriously fun. Here are the amazing ladies of Van 1:
Here's our big girl Hallie looking very stylish and all ready for 3rd Grade. She loves school and was so excited to head back. She also cut about 6 inches off her hair as part of her back to school look. She was really excited that her teacher this year has their room decorated with a cowboy theme. This is the 4th year in a row that has happened (maybe because we live in Spanish Fork?) and she loves it! She's also very excited to learn cursive and mutliplication this year.
Here's Jake all ready for Kindergarten. He went with a super hero shirt (of course) and picked those pants because of the robot key chain hanging off them. (I mean really, does it get any better than that?) He's been ready to join Hallie at the "big kid school" for awhile now and finally has his chance! He was a little overwhelmed that first day but has loved it ever since and he and Hallie love riding their scooters home from school together every day.
