The Fiesta Bowl Half Marathon

Well, this past weekend many people on our running team went up to run the Las Vegas Half Marathon. I decided this was just not feasible due to the cost, Christmas right around the corner, the fact that we were just there in October for Ragnar, and because we are heading back to Vegas at the end of this month for our anniversary. Many reasons here, so myself and 2 of my other close running pals on the team, Karine (left) and Amanda (center), decided to sign up for the Fiesta Bowl Half Marathon. I've started to REALLY like getting medals for races, so with this race being such a lower price than Vegas with a non-rock 'n' roll type medal it was worth the $50 to get in a half as part of my training with a different medal. Call it "Something Shiny" syndrome if you will.

We got to the race start area at about 6:45 and the race was a 7:30 start. Not an overly crowded race (only 961 halfers) so we had no issues parking or picking up our packets that morning. I was literally parked right next to the finish line and packet pick up. Rock star parking! We got our bibs, tech shirts and timing "tags" and walked over to my car to prep. It was a cold morning so the first thing I did was busted out the hand warmers for each of us. I worried about what layers to leave on, but ultimately decided that I'd warm up eventually and I opted for just a long sleeve shirt, my capris, and some cheap gloves. We got our bibs on, timing tags (a type I never used before - interesting orange tags that don't have to be returned - very cool), hats, water, etc and headed for the potty pit stop. Unfortunately, we were in line JUST FOR ME and missed the half marathon start. Thank goodness for chip timing and great friends that will wait for ya anyway! We were just hoping we were on the right path because we were surrounded by 5Kers that had just started. Luckily they had staff out there to tell us halfers to turn left!

It was actually quite nice starting later. We didn't have to fight a crowd and we quickly caught up to those that were slower than us. Amanda, Karine and I ran about the first 3 miles together. Amanda pacing us through. After about 3 miles, Karine (our newest mom on the team!) needed a break from our crazy Amanda 9:20 pace. I was still feeling good so I decided to keep going. Amanda cut her pace and stayed with Karine. Maybe I was motivated by the twin tu-tu costumes racing in front of us! ;) I kept going, feeling good! This race was on my daily turf - north on Scottsdale Rd to Via de Ventura, right past my work building and then south on Hayden back over to the old town area. It was flat for the majority. Only two dips down onto the greenbelt and back up a couple times. Just nice Scottsdale scenery the whole way. It was overcast for the first 6 miles or so but the sun came out on a very lovely morning!

While I kept asking myself, "How do you feel?" I found that encouragement from others definitely sticks in my mind. I kept thinking of a Facebook post from my best friend's brother, Danny, who is an amazing runner - wishing me luck and he said "I hope you get a PR!" Danny's comment stuck in my mind as I ran - he's one of the fastest runners I know - hoping I PR. I wanted to be able to say I did. Not even in a competitive nature really, but just because I really wanted it to be true so that a fellow runner's wishes for me would be fulfilled. Do you know what I mean by that?

Anyway, I had a great surprise at about mile 6 right in front of my work. I expected Karine's husband and saw him out there to cheer us on, but then shortly after I saw my friends Justine and James out there cheering for me! What a boost and a wonderful surprise!! I didn't know they would be there. :) They gave me more of what I needed to get through when my knee pain started setting in at about 7 miles in. I only stopped twice - once to pull up my knee braces real quick and once to stretch my IT band at mile 8 so I could get past my left knee pain. I walked through a couple water stations just so I didn't cover myself in cold water in the cold weather, but really I ran all that I could and I had never actually RUN that many miles without a good deal of walk breaks. Coming around the corner to the finish and seeing my friends there cheering me on again was fantastic!!! My time was 2:19:47 which was a 10:40 pace. I PRed by about 7 minutes! The Garmin of course lists the race as slightly longer than 13.1 clocking me at a 10:31 pace, but you never know what to believe. ;) Either way I was VERY happy with my official time! Just minutes later Karine and Amanda came around the corner after keeping up an awesome pace and Karine grabbed her new baby boy from her hubby and ran with him across the finish. The race staff gave little Aydon a medal...awwwww! Such a nice race with great friends running it and cheering us on as well! James even put together a short video of us - check it out if you're interested here.

If you guys are looking for an alternative to PF Chang's or just a nice flat run in general next year for a 1/2 - I highly recommend it!

Excited to see how the next few weeks of practice will go - I really hope that my knees are going to hold up to get me through the full next month! I'm already getting a little emotional about trying to get through a full - is this normal? I'm scared and excited at the same time. I've started to do my therapy exercises for my knees regularly again and my ankle is finally getting better after 2 and 1/2 months. Are any of you doing the PF Chang's full? I don't really know anyone my pace doing it so that is a bit of anxiety for me too. The girls on my team that are doing the 1/2 this time all say that I will likely have a better time being on my own and making it a personal experience within my self and that they will be there to cheer me on after they finish their 1/2. It's such a long time though! I'll be looking for some advice before race day if I do in fact decide to go for the full!

Mountain Trail Adventure

This Picture was taken in front of my Parent's garage, right after our Saturday Adventure.

On Saturday I had the opportunity to run in Ogden with Marcie. My parents recently moved to North Ogden, and I havent figured out all the options yet. I searched mapmyrun.com and found 2 routes that joined up with each other. Together they equalled the 12 miles that Marcie and I were hoping for. My Dad took me out on friday night to help me find the entrance to the first trail. I was hoping that we could leave from my parents house on foot. My Dad was looking for the best entrance to this mountain trail. He suddenly stopped the truck, in the dark, and started walking briskly up the mountain. So I got out and tried to follow him. Straight up the mountain. Stumbling through the dark. 'How far up this mountain is he going to go???' I wondered. We did find the trail after we were both out of breath. He thought he could find an easier way to get on the trail, though. Which he did. We found a neighborhood that led right into the trail, with a kinder entry. Thankyou Dad for helping me! I never wouldve found either of those trail entries on my own!

On Saturday I had alarm issues. Luckily Marcie waited on my porch for 10 minutes or so until Noah heard her knocking and woke me up. The alarm issues were not my fault. But that's another story.

The first few miles were kind of brutal. We started out going up hill, right out of my parents drive way. The first several miles were mostly up hill. The first 6 mile half of the trail was a mountain trail with several spots we had to walk over or around large rocks and such. At times we wondered if we were still in the right place. But we kept going. We were looking for Rainbow Gardens, where we would start the 2nd half of this run. We finally got to a spot where we could see Rainbow Gardens. But it looked very far away, still, on the mountain trail. So we took a short cut. The shortest distance between 2 points is a straight line, right? Learned that in my math classes. So we started running down the mountain toward Rainbow Gardens. Marcie demonstrated her crazy downhill technique.

After Rainbow Gardens it was smooth sailing. A nice paved trail. It overlapped part of the Ogden Marathon route I ran in 2006. Fun to see and remember those familiar sights.

When we hit our 12 miles we called Noah on my cell phone and asked him to come find us. No, we didnt really know where we were. We described what we could see and hear. He did find us. A good man.

I look forward to doing that one again. Next time we'll know we are on the right path, and that will take a little bit of the excitement out of it. Its kind of fun feeling slightly lost with a friend. We kept making jokes about the Blair Witch Project...

But it was a super adventure. A great day. One that Ill remember.

Running with Megan

On friday I wanted to step out the door for a 3 mile run. Noah was home from work, but heading out for a chiropractic adjustment. No problem- I could leave Megan to babysit for less than an hour. But Megan wanted to rollerblade alongside me. "No, I need my babysitter" I said. As she protested further, Noah thought he could solve this with another approach..."Megan, rollerblade around the block with Mom. If she beats you back, you can't go with her." Megan beat me back.

So Noah cancelled his adjustment, and Megan came with me.

Now, Megan is my child that I assumed would probably not take up running with me. She says that running hurts her tummy. She does not like pain. So I had to smile as we zipped along the streets together. Life was handing me an unexpected gift. Megan had found her own way to come enjoy 3 miles with me. I hadnt run with Megan for 4-5 years. Since she outgrew the double running stroller and got replaced by younger siblings.

I am happy to add Megan to my list of fabulous running partners. (:

I Cannot Do My Run Today

Justine just sent this to me and I just had to share this with everyone. This is soooo me on some days! :) The writer was inspired by Shel Silverstein’s poem, “I Cannot Go To School Today”
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“I cannot do my run today,”
Said little Jack or John or Kay.
“I have shin splints and the runs,
A gash, a rash and achey buns.

My mouth is wet, my throat feels like Charmin,
My sunglasses broke and I lost my Garmin.
My hamstrings are as tight as rocks,
I’ve counted eight different chafing spots.

And there’s one more, that makes it nine,
I have the flu, maybe swine.
My heels hurt, it must be plantar fasciitis,
And on top of that
I have achilles tendonitis.

I feel queasy, running makes me choke,
My last track workout was a joke.
My hips hurt when I move my legs,
My hamstrings feel like scrambled eggs.

My back is tweaked, my ankle’s sprained,
My ITBS flares each time it rains.
I get dizzy when I stand too fast,
I have six blisters on my left calf.

My foot has a stress fracture,
My psoas is weak,
I hardly talk about when running when I speak.

My favorite shoes are losing their sole,
I think my motivation is starting to go.

My arches are flat, my gait is off,
My rock hard abs are going soft.

I have runner’s knee, there are holes in my waterproof gear,
My brand new compression socks are covered in beer.

I have a neuroma, my quad is…

What? What’s that you say?
You say…. that it’s my day to race?
Goodbye then! I’m going out to run my PR pace!”


Source: http://www.runningrelays.com/?p=2001

All About the Feeling

So, I had a race this morning. Well, really TWO races. :) It was the Phoenix 10K and 5K double header in downtown Phoenix. I've never had 2 races in one morning - I started to think of it as just one big 9.3 mile race. The 10K was to start at 8:00, the 5K at 9:15. I woke up at 5:30 to be downtown by our 7:00 team warm up time. I arrived, parked and had a couple of blocks to walk over to Wesley Bolin Plaza where the race start was. As I'm walking around the state capitol building I realize that my wrist is naked. I had forgotten my Garmin! Not only that, but I further realized that even my backup Timex is in my gym bag at home. No timing method! :( So, during my walk over to the start site to go pick up my timing chip I talked myself into the fact that this is a great opportunity for me to again NOT be dependent on something for my run. I figured I could go out, enjoy it and just do what feels good!

I picked up my timing anklet and walked over to our team meeting location to head out for our warm up. Upon returning from our warm up, my friend Karine had arrived a bit late. I told her I forgot my Garmin and she immediately offered her's to me since she was doing the run with a stroller with a couple of other moms and volunteer stroller pushers that also have GPS watches. It took some considering on my part but I told her no. I said that I already talked myself into an opportunity to see how I can do without it. To go by just how I was feeling without alarms nagging and seconds staring me down.

Just before the race started I was searching for any of my teammates. I finally found Justine who was also searching for our friends. We were happy to find each other to start together. :) We started out at a seemingly easy pace due to the crowds. This is a VERY popular race. The first mile reminded me so much of PF Changs. It starts in the same area and the runner filled street was so strikingly similar. Not only that, but there were bands about every 1/2 mile - again a reminder of PF Changs. Each band I passed I took my headphones out to have a listen. I hate to be rude when they are out there for us. Some weren't so good, but I really enjoyed a few of the bands - there was even an all girl band rockin' out there. Fun times!

Side note: Water station first time incident...water up the nose!!!! Mental note for next stop: do not try running while drinking from a cup. Just walk the few steps to avoid this problem! LOL

I truly had no idea how far into the race I was at certain points. I just started to ask myself - "Do you think you could go a bit faster and stick with it?" Usually, the answer was yes and that is what I did. Just when I had turned the corner to run toward the 3 mile mark the motorcycle cops came through asking runners to move to the right over their loud speakers. They were clearing the path for the man in first place so that he had ample room on the left of the road. AMAZING! Wouldn't we all love to be fast enough to have a police escort!!! This of course made me pick up the pace a little, inspired by him. :)

At the halfway point I saw my friend James along the left side cheering for me as I ran past, then Suzanne and Jeremy on the right. All of them cheering on the 10Kers while waiting for the 5K start. Such a boost to have them there!

The 10K race was the 5K loop twice. I knew what to expect the 2nd time around, so the bands I liked the first time I made sure to remove the headphones early to soak in the good stuff! They rocked pushing me to the finish faster. I finished my last mile strong and saw the clock reading 1:03 something when I crossed. I knew I had to beat 1:02:13 to PR so this was a close call. I didn't know how far off from gun time my chip time would be. I remember it took a couple minutes to get to the actual start, but I wouldn't know until times were posted. Hmmmm...MAYBE. And there was Suzanne and Jeremy to welcome my finish then walk me over to our5K start. No more time to think about the 10K just finished!

Suzanne didn't have any particular goals. She is now almost 8 months pregnant, still very quick, but she said she would stick with me whatever pace I wanted to go after I had just finished the 10K. I was glad for this since I really felt I did my best to give the 10K an awesome effort - I wanted to just have a fun 5K. We had a nice chatty run around the same course I had just run twice. I pointed out all of the bands I liked to her. We saw some racing Elvises (Elvi??? hehe). They were in full jumpsuits "taking care of business"! Quite funny really. We kept our easy pace and finished the 5K in 32 and some seconds according to Suzanne's watch. Again, we'd have to wait for official times to be posted to know how we really did. We met up with my team and waited for Jeremy to run in. After that we milled around to get all of the free goodies being handed out and then we parted to get back to our cars to get home.

The waiting was killing me. I was checking the web site every half hour (well, except during my well deserved nap). ;) The results were finally posted at about 6:00pm. I DID IT!! I PRed the 10K by a mere 14 seconds. 1:01:59 - 9:59 min/miles. Yay! The 5K was still pretty good for taking it easy - a 32:46 - 10:33 pace. Not surprising since by that ninth mile my knees were getting sore, and my ankle too which has been sore since I twisted it October 2nd (ouch!). Still happy with that 5K though after a 10K PR! A beautiful morning and a great time. Maybe there is something to be said for not being a slave to my wrist all the time. It was nice to think about nothing except how I was truly feeling as I went along. To the Garmin girls...try a race once without it just for kicks. I surprised myself! Maybe you will too!

not feeling so well

Its not a big deal. I dont feel that Im totally sick. I just have extra bad allergys, or a head cold on top of allergys. But I did feel pretty gross last night and this morning. Noah said "youll have a bad day today if you run and wear yourself out..." So I almost cancelled. But then I thought...Ill DEFINITELY have a bad day if I dont get my saturday run.

I went, and enjoyed it. Im glad I went. Maybe I will pay for it in the long run...who ever knows if running makes your sick recovery process slower? But if I feel miserable all day, I know I enjoyed my run outside this morning.

Anyway, just made me think about how much I look forward, all week, to that longer saturday run.

It was a fun group this morning...Cynthia, Lisa, Karen, Sarah, and Meghan. The Saturday's Warriors!

There Was This Race Like a Month Ago ...

I can't believe it has taken me so long to write about St. George! You would think my shirt would have arrived in the mail by now ... Did you get yours yet, Lindy?

All month I've been thinking about the race and what I could write about it. It was really, really fun to meet everyone there. It definitely made it more exciting. I can't imagine standing in that line for the toilet without someone to talk to. :)

Friday -- All day I was mostly worried about what to or not to eat. I took Lindy's advice to eat lots of carbs and fiber on Thursday. Friday I was more concerned about drinking enough and eating protein ... and much, much less fiber. (I've been known to have issues with fiber and racing.) So, unlike me, I ate hamburgers and eggs and ice cream and pasta-minus-the-sauce and skipped the Fig Newtons and the oh-so-tasty-looking spinach salad for dinner. And I drank and drank and drank tons of water all day long. As for rest, I think my six hours of sleep were more than any one else was able to get.

Saturday Morning Pre-Race -- I was very, very grateful to Lindy, Cynthia, Lisa, and especially Lisa's husband for picking me up so my husband did not have to wake the kids at 4:30 to take me to the buses. I was also very grateful for the advice to layer clothing, especially with clothing I wasn't afraid to toss. Since we had quite a wait to start, I dared eat a bagel (did I eat two??) and a banana. The ride up chatting with Marcie didn't seem twice as long as the ride up for the Hobble Creek Half. Once we arrived I was surprised by the noise (who expects lots of loud music at 5:00 a.m.?), number of people, and cold. I was very relieved to reach the potty and completely empty my insides before the race started and thankful to Marcie for bringing extra toilet paper. It was nice to have Lisa and Cynthia to wait with for the five (if that many?) minutes after Marcie and Lindy took off. I just thought of how fun it was for them to train for this together and finally be there to run it together.

And we were off -- Right out of the gates, I flipped on my shuffle and accidentally set it to shuffle. As I had a book to listen to, I wasn't excited to have chapters mixed up. As soon as I realized it was mixing things up, I turned it off and then on again to play normally. It was mid-book! I actually stopped running to figure it out. As it is relatively new, I had no idea how to reset things. So, I figured I'd just listen to whatever came up. I had already read New Moon (um ... twice) and knew I wouldn't be lost, just slightly annoyed, if things were mixed up. It turned out that I had skipped a whole lot of the book, but it actually started playing at the most exciting part (when Alice and Bella are on their way to Italy). The rest played in perfect order. Phew! All of that before mile one! No wonder that first mile came up so quickly. And actually, the first three miles were over before I realized it.

I wish I had written sooner. The miles have blurred in my mind. I do remember being totally stoked to have someone playing the Rocky theme song from the back of a pickup truck. That was prior to stopping to apply band-aids on both feet. And that was just before the hill at mile eight. I really liked that hill, the up part. I also liked the polka band and the signs. Even though the signs were not for me, I still found them motivating. My favorite (if I remember it correctly) was, "That's not sweat, it's your fat cells crying."

I wasn't too worried about when to refuel or drink. I just drank when I felt thristy. I plodded on through the water stations until I felt my energy slacken and then I grabbed a gatorade. Near the end when my water was running low I did refill one bottle. A friend of mine had given me some Gatorade jelly beans for the race. I loved having them along! They were great to suck on and gave me a slight boost. I also packed some fruit snacks which I munched every few miles. I only needed one Honey Stinger - right about mile 13. With such little intake, there was no need to stop in line at any of the pit stops.

Other than stopping to put on more band-aids around mile 17, nothing very eventful happened until that wretched downhill at mile 20. It was not as painful for me as for others of you, but my knees were screaming as I headed down. Perfectly, the book had ended and my music started up. Yay for upbeat music when it was most needed!!! From that point on, I knew I would finish the race running. Every time I thought about finishing and seeing my family I teared up. I thought how silly that was since I hadn't overcome anything huge to make it. I hadn't fought a battle with cancer. I was not running to raise money for any great cause. But I was touched by thoughts of a supporting husband who did sacrifice during my training. I thought of my kids who would get a better-rested (and therefore less grumpy) mom back. I thought of all the 4:00 and 4:30 a.m. mornings I wouldn't have to run anymore and felt such relief that it had all paid off. In fact, any time during the run when I felt a little bit tired, I just thought, "This is it, Hannah. This is what you have worked MONTHS for. You can do this just this one time." And I knew I could.

It was tempting to speed up, but I didn't dare. I wanted to finish strong and was afraid of hitting a wall if I went too fast. In my huge history of races, I've never been able to see the finish line from a distance and therefore have not been able to "sprint" to the finish. I wasn't even totally sure all the balloons were the finish when I first saw them. I was elated when I figured out they were. I felt like a million dollars as I raced down that stretch. My husband and kids were cheering for me and I was able to cross the finish line grinning. It was perfect, even with the slowest time of our group (5:01:30). Who knows if I'll ever run another marathon. Do I really want to mess with such a fantastic memory? I loved this experience. Thanks so much to you women who motivated me to attempt it and to finish it. You are so strong. I, like you, do indeed love to run.

Still Time to Join the Ragnar Relay Team!

Hi ladies! Just a reminder that there are still open spots for our Ragnar Del Sol team. We need 3 more girls for the team. It's going to be amazing fun so let us know if you or someone you know would be interested!

From the blog we already have Lindy, Bronwyn, Cynthia, Karen, Karen's friend Bryn and myself on the team - we're hoping for a few more of you or your friends!

February 26-27, 2010 - 202.1 miles from Prescott to Mesa, 12 runners, 3 legs each, around 3 to 8 miles each leg over about 24-30 hours. AMAZING FUN!

Details here: http://www.ragnarrelay.com/delsol/index.php

Registration is $85 which we are hoping for by the end of October (or in payments starting as soon as possible). In February we will have additional fees for vans, gas, etc but we are trying to keep those to a minimum at around $40 depending on the amount of money we raise to offset the cost. We hope to have 12 runners for the team by the end of the month, so please email me at bridge.hokinson@gmail.com or comment on this blog if you or someone you know might be interested.

Ragnar Del Sol Team Name Ideas?

Hi ladies! Ragnar Las Vegas was a great time! I will have stories posted soon. But first…we need a team name for Ragnar Del Sol so I can register us this week. Best team name in Vegas was Scrambled Legs and Achin’. :) Looking for some creative ideas by this Thursday – hoping that we will keep this as an all girls team so that might play into the name. If we don’t decide on a name we can just put To Be Decided and update it later. Here are a bunch of examples of last year AZ teams, but let’s be original:

2009 Team Names

Even if you can’t join the team with us please make some suggestions if you think of something! Thanks, girls!

Go Bridge!

Hey Bridge,

Goodluck with your Ragnar this weekend! I hope it is super fun with lots of good stories to tell afterwards! Ill be thinking of you friday and saturday! It'll be great!

We Did It!

I have to agree with the others, it was a great race. I was pretty far off my finishing goal, but I didn't care at all. I had a great time with friends, I felt like I ran strong and steady, and I never hit "the wall", and the best part was finishing with Lisa to the sound of our families cheering us on.

I was VERY nervous the night before. I was fine through dinner, I enjoyed meeting Marcie and Hannah and their families. I got several texts and messages from friends and family wishing me luck, I was touched that they were thinking of me. After the dinner clean up we all called it a night before 10pm. I think I laid in bed till nearly 2:00am before finally dozing off with the alarm waking me just two hours later.

At the start Lisa and I enjoyed a cup of hot cocoa, I thought that was a perfect pre-race treat. We tossed our bags in the truck as the race started and then we headed back to the fires for a final warming before starting the race about six minutes after the clock started. I felt good for the first little while but I was worried about going too quick at the beginning. I know my body likes to hold steady, where Lisa likes to change her pace a lot more. So we would get separated as she flew down the hills, then I would catch her on the flats. We were mostly together for the first 13 miles.

Around mile 9 I knew I needed to stop at a porto-potty. I kept seeing them and they would have long lines so I would go to the next one. At mile 13 I finally stopped and sent Lisa on her way. I stood in line and stretched while 7 MINUTES ticked away on my watch. I was frustrated, but once I stopped I knew it would be stupid to start back up as there would probably be another line at the next one so I just enjoyed visiting with the others in line. Once I started again I was running strong and decided I didn't care that I was clearly not going to make my time. My new goal was just to catch Lisa.

It was a HUGE BOOST to see my family at mile 16. Brianna and Madelyn were at the front of the crowd and saw me and ran back to tell the others I was on my way. They were all cheering for me when I got up to them and Lyndsee had her signs she had made for me. I took a swig of the cold chocolate milk they had for me, found out that Lisa was probably still 5 -7 minutes in front of me and ran on. It was awesome to see them and I felt really strong for the next few miles.

I was hoping that I was catching up with Lisa, I was running under our goal pace and all was going well till around mile 18. I started having foot cramps, not too bad at first but getting more frequent. It felt like my toes just wanted to curl into my heel so when I put it flat on the ground it hurt. I stopped and stretched a bit and walked through every aid station. I was getting more and more worried that I might not catch Lisa.

Finally during mile 22 I thought I saw her. Again I had a mental boost and I was able to really kick it (which at that point was a 10:30 mile) I caught her just past the mile 23 marker where she was stretching her calves. I was so glad she had dawdled and waited for me!

We ran together the last three miles, my foot pain was back and becoming more frequent. During the last mile it would cramp up what felt like about every 10 steps, I would moan a little and sort of limp it off but I was going to stay with Lisa! Just before the finish line we saw our families again and then we crossed the finsish line hand in hand. As we looked at each other we were both tearing up, and it wasn't from the pain!

What a fabulous experience. It was such a good feeling to have this huge goal out there, to have a plan to work towards it, and to finally accomplish the goal. I was proud of my finish time, even though it was not what I originally wanted. I learned a lot and think I will definitely do this again!

Thanks to all of you who trained with me, supported me and cheered me on to the bitter end.

The Nitty-Gritty Details

It was a lot of fun to train for this marathon with four other people via the blog and it was especially fun to finally meet Lisa and Cynthia on Friday at the marathon expo and then share a delicious meal together with all five of us the night before the race. It was fun to share this whole experience.

When the gun went off to start the marathon, the five of us were in line to drop our drop-bags. When I heard the gun, I quickly threw my bag towards the truck and tried to make my way to the road and finally to the start line. Lindy was with me and we ran together for 7 miles until Veyo Hill. We were keeping a fast pace and I felt good but knew I needed to save a little for the end. I told Lindy that I was feeling good but I was going to slow down a little. We’d probably lose each other on the hill and I’d try to catch her on a downhill. We did lose each other and I never did catch her. I took those first down hills like a madwoman. I flew down them with no regard to how my legs would react. My legs didn’t like that at all and around mile 18 I could feel my right quad muscle tightening. At mile 20, I looked at my garmin and it showed 3:00. I had six miles to go. If I could run a steady pace for the last six miles, I could finish in under four but that was not what my legs had planned. My right calf started to cramp. I have never, ever experienced leg cramps while training or running a race so this was a first for me. And it was painful. I walked until the cramp stopped, then I’d start to run again, then my calf would cramp, walk, run, cramp and that was the cycle until I crossed the finish line. A difficult last six miles. I stopped at the aid stations between 20 and 26 and the volunteers would rub icy hot and ben gay on my calves and right quad. That would relieve the pain for a minute or two and then the cramps would return. But, at last, I reached the finish.

One cute thing that happened while I was on the straightway to the finish. There were so many people lining the road and shouting encouragement. I was walking off a leg cramp and one man noticed me and yelled, “Come on Nike Soccer (that was what my shirt read) you can do it!” I replied to him in a painful voice, “I have leg cramps.” He jumped off the curb and put his arm around me and ran with me for a few seconds. How cute is that?

But my story doesn’t end there. This is where the nitty-gritty starts. As soon as I crossed the finish, I told the volunteer that I have leg cramps and they helped me to the medic station. I laid down and they took my vitals. She said my vitals looked good and did I want to go get a massage? I walked over to the massage area and didn’t want to wait in line so I walked to the runner finish area, grabbed a popsicle and sat down. Then I became extremely nauseous. I stood up and found a garbage can. I was not feeling good at all. I realized that not only did I need a garbage can but I needed a toilet as well. I headed to the porta potties and got in line. The wait in the line about killed me. Finally, when a porta potty became available I sat on the toilet and began to throw-up in the urinal. The thought crossed my mind that I just may spend my last moments in this porta potty - I felt that bad. About 45 minutes later, I managed to get the strength to stand up and make my way out of the porta potty. I made my way over to the medic station and told them I wasn’t feeling good at all. They let me lay down on a cot and there I stayed for a good half hour. I think I fell asleep for a minute. Then one volunteer came over and told me I needed to get up and walk around. I felt good enough to get up and made my way out of the finisher area and found Wayne. We walked to the place we were staying and I returned to the toilet and threw-up a few more times as well.

Even with all the post-race mess, I am anxious to run the St. George marathon again. I know those hills can work in my favor instead of against me. I need to work on taking in more substantial liquids during the race and not dehydrating myself. (I don't want to spend that much time in a porta potty ever again!) It’s definitely not good to throw-up that much. The St. George marathon bug is in me. I would love to give it another try and see if I can get those last six miles to be my friend.

St George 2009- Lindy's version

St George Marathon 2009

I set my phone alarm for 4 am on race morning. This was perfect, as it was the time I set my alarm for on most Saturdays all summer long. Lisa’s husband gave us a ride to the buses. Cynthia, Lisa, and I were all staying at the same condo with our families. We picked up Hannah, and were able find Marcie at the pre-designated spot close to the buses. I was so happy that we got to ride up on the buses together. I only wish I had done a better job of pre-planning so that Yoshimi could’ve met us and bused with us as well.

After the bus dropped us off, the time seemed to go really quickly. I spent the time situating all my stuff. Music, gel, waist-pack, bib, watch, etc…It is my feeling that I have to run with EVERYTHING, so it takes me a while to get situated. I wish I could’ve been more social and relaxed at the start line. We also waited in line to go potty. They started the race while we were in line to drop our “drop bags”.

I felt bad that it got crazy as the race was starting, and I didn’t even get to say “goodbye and goodluck” to everyone. Suddenly everyone was gone in the crowd. Except Marcie. Marcie and I stuck together, and had 7 or 8 good miles together. I felt like we had a really good synchronized rhythm for those first miles. I couldn’t talk much, as I felt the need to conserve energy. But it felt good to have a good friend by my side.

I was trying to hold back in the beginning. I really wanted to get “negative splits”. This means to run the 2nd half faster than you ran the first half. St George didn’t give us our half way time on the results. But my Garmin watch shows me that at 13.1 I was exactly HALF of my finishing time- to the second! So I didn’t get negative splits, but equal splits. Good enough. (Isn’t that weird???)

I think that it takes multiple marathons, for me anyway, to figure out how much to hold back in the beginning. How much to save for the end. I feel like I’m finally getting better at pacing myself- because this 3rd marathon is the first time I didn’t feel like I hit the wall. My personal definition of “hitting the wall” is having to walk a little in the last few miles, because your body and mind feel light and tingly- like if you keep running you will probably pass out and hit the pavement with your face. I’ve never tested it at that point- kept running through that. I walk til it passes, and then go again. But this time- the last few miles were painful, but I could keep running.

The highlight of the race was seeing Noah, Megan, Hannah, Kelly, and Melissa at mile 16. I high-fived all the girls. They couldn’t be any cuter. And Noah couldn’t be any sexier. What a wonderful boost they always are to me.

The weirdest part of the marathon was seeing a girl stand up out of a squat- with her shorts still around her ankles. She was barely off the pavement. She went to the bathroom right off the side of the road. Right in plain sight- no bush!!! Is that okay?

The item I was greatful to have brought along- 2 mini clif bars. Ive never consumed solids during a race. I think this was a good move for me. It’s not easy to chew, but the energy and calories were much appreciated.

The frustrating part of the race- a 5 minute port-o-potty stop. At least it was there when I needed it. But it’s such a time killer!

The beautiful part of the race: St George is amazing. The course is very pretty.

Results: I was wearing a pace band with a finishing time of 3:43. I came in before that time, so I guess I accomplished my 2nd best scenario goal. Best case scenario was a PR, but I wasn’t determined to run myself into the ground for it. My other goals were to finish without having to walk- did it, and to get a negative split- almost did it! So I’m feeling pretty good about things.

Once I stopped running, all my salty sweat slid down into my eyes, and I couldn’t see anything for a few minutes. So I’m stumbling around the finish area- hands out in front of me, in the dark, trying not to run into anyone. I must’ve looked funny. (:

I was so happy to see Yoshimi as soon as I could open my eyes again. She came up to me and looked happy. She got an AWESOME 3:36:35. I knew she’d nail her BQ goal.

I was sad that I didn’t get to see Marcie finish. But upon talking to her later, I was proud of her for getting a PR marathon time. I did get to see Cynthia and Lisa come running in together- the Awesome Green Girls!!! They looked terrific. I was very proud to be their friend. They’ve achieved an experience I have yet to experience- to run over the finish line with a dear friend. Very cool.

And then I saw Hannah in the finish area too. I couldn’t believe how good she looked- just like nothing had happened to her in the last 5 hours. She looked terrific. Very strong!

I enjoyed a bullet pop someone handed me as I made my way through the finishers area. But my favorite post-race food item was the Rockin Refuel Chocolate Milk in Scott’s (Cyndi’s husband) cooler.

Thankyou everyone for grueling out the summer months- I think I speak for everyone when I say- It was so worth it!!!

I hope I get to hear 4 more accounts of this day in the blog! Everyone's experience is so unique!

WE DID IT!

Lisa, Hannah, Marcie, Lindy, Cynthia

Can't wait to hear everyone's stories of the St. George marathon! Mine will be coming shortly as soon as I can stop rubbing icy hot all over my legs. A marathon is a huge undertaking that starts with the very first day of training and the sweet reward comes when you cross that finish line. Congratulations! We did it!

Good Luck in St. George!

Just want to wish the ladies that are headed to St. George good luck and injury free thoughts!! You all have trained hard and the day is almost here! So proud of you ladies for what you have accomplished and for training hard through the summer heat! Amazing work! I know you will all do awesome and I want you to make sure you remember to just enjoy it! I want to hear really great stories when you are through. If you can manage to take pictures along the route or have family take some for you that would be fantastic so the rest of us can see. :) Wish I was going with you guys! ENJOY!

Believe It or Not - Ragnar Del Sol 2010 Registration is Upon Us!

It's time, ladies! I know we have talked about it in the past, but the time has come! Ragnar Del Sol registration is due in mid-October! Lindy, I know you said you want to co-captain a team with me - let's do this! Again, I'd love to get an all women team together if we can, so call out to all of your girl friend runners!

February 26-27, 2010 - 202.1 miles, 12 runners, 3 legs each, around 3 to 8 miles each leg over about 24-30 hours. AMAZING FUN!

Details here: http://www.ragnarrelay.com/delsol/index.php

We need $85 for registration from each of you that want to join us. I'd like to get your registration and commitment by Friday, October 9th from as many as possible so we don't have to front so much to Ragnar. I know most of you see Lindy, so please get your dues to her. You can get your $85 to us in smaller chunks over the next few weeks if that works better for you too. In addition to the $85 we will need to cover expenses for vans, food, possibly uniforms, rest lodging, etc. From past experience I have to estimate this at approximately another $80 to $100 in addition to the $85. We don't need this until February though. This CAN BE LESS if we can do some good fund raising and get sponsors! I know it sounds like quite a bit, but this race is truly amazing at over 200 miles with the experience of being with a team! Del Sol '10 will be my 5th Ragnar - there MUST be a reason for that, right??!

Anyone can join us - I've had walkers, joggers and sprinters on past teams together...it's all about the team and the fun! Who's with us?!

3 States in Less Than 7 Days!

Ok, so I'm a little behind on blogs. I FINALLY got my pictures off of my iPhone to share with all of you from my IL/MO/NC trips! :) I know I blogged about O'Fallon, IL - I DID get in St. Louis, MO and the next week I ran in Wilmington, NC! Crazy couple of weeks but some good times were had. The run I was really excited to tell all of you about was my 6 miles in Missouri. I really wanted to run in the Jefferson National Expansion Memorial Park beneath the St. Louis Arch but I also wanted to do Forest Park (I mentioned earlier is about 500 acres larger than Central Park in NY and beautiful!). With everything we had going on and the distance of the parks from where we were staying in IL, I had to get them in on the same day! I set out early on my Saturday morning on a 40 minute drive from O'Fallon to St. Louis. I drove straight to a parking lot we'd noticed about a mile from the arch when we were there earlier in the week. This is my view running up to the park. (I brought my iPhone with me tucked into my sports bra since I was by myself in a strange place - was great to have so I could snap some pics to share! Click on the pics to see them larger!)


I had to climb up these stairs and had the view of the capital when I got to the top. Very cool!


When I got to the arch after the long drive and the mile run, I ran around the park for a bit.


Then of course needed to potty. What a geek I looked like going into the underground tourist entrance for the arch all sweaty and in my running clothes - I had to go through security and put my water belt through the x-ray, then my knee braces went off when I walked through the metal detector! The guy was nice enough just to feel them for the metal rather than make me take them off. I went in and hit the bathroom, then of course, since I didn't hit up the Arch store earlier in the week I went in there with the $20 I put in my water belt as a "just in case" and bought a magnet for us and a pin for a friend for about 7 of those dollars. Silly, I know, but hey...who knows when I'll be back, if ever! Came out of the underground and realized it was a real treat to be running right along the Mississippi - I went and dipped my hands in the muddy water just to say I did!


I even saw a Lewis and Clark statue on the way back to the car right along the river!


Got back to the car and headed about 6 miles away to Forest Park. I had just finished about 2 miles total at the arch and needed to get in 4 miles here. BEAUTIFUL park! I passed by museums, sports teams practicing - even some "medieval knights" practicing with real swords that had protective covering on them that almost looked like big sword shaped potholders! I contemplated taking a picture but didn't want to make a mockery out of them since I was actually really impressed as I ran by watching them. A beautiful morning in the park - I wish I had all day there but we had to get to our cousin's wedding (and get the groom there early!). Here are some shots from the park - I highly recommend checking it out if you are in the area.


So that was Missouri. I went to North Carolina on business the following week. I did get in some running there but it was unfortunately NOT on the beach. We made it to the beaches for couple dinners, but since my coworker isn't a runner and the car was in his name it didn't quite work out to make it back for a run on the beach. Still enjoyed a few miles on the treadmill at the hotel and a few miles around the hotel (literally around the hotel in the parking lot!). It was really nice outside so it was definitely enjoyable! Here is what the beaches were like - next time I'm running along there! I did get to put my feet in the Atlantic finally, though!

Random info about my 20

Our "Islands club-St George division" had to split up for the 20 mile run. Saturday was just not working out for any of us this time. So Cynthia and Lisa went on friday, and I went today on Sunday. And Karen, bless her heart, ran with me. Friday I was scheduled to teach cycle. I probably shouldve just done the run and then ended with a cycle class. It would be the closest thing to a triathlon that Ill probably ever do. But I felt wimpy about that idea.

Today was one of those runs- I know most of you have had at least one and can relate- when the bathroom issues interfere with the enjoyment. There are very few things that I DONT like about running. Needing to go #2 is definitely something I dont like about running. Ugh!!!

Luckily there are some bathrooms and drinking fountains along our route.

I ate breakfast this morning- corn pops with milk and a little gatorade. Then I took one gell and some power jelly beans while running. I felt so empty, hungry, weak at the end of the run. Its amazing how you just run for a few hours and it seems to sap all your readily available carbs bye-bye...why is my body not drawing more from fat stores??? Cant we tap into that???

I enjoyed running with Karen, and I enjoyed our route. Karen did 15.75 of it. Still no official half marathon under her belt! She's such a good running friend!

I fell asleep for a minute in church. Im in with the Young Women. When I opened my eyes, they were all staring at me, and one girl was laughing. Im glad she laughed, because its probably what woke me up. Oops. So rude to the Women giving the lesson...!

Now that Im tapering, can I still eat custurd at Culver's every friday or saturday night? Its been so easy to justify with these super long runs!

I did a good job with the body glide this morning. There's only one important spot I missed.

Any other questions? I dont know if Im sharing too much random info, but its these details that interest me to know about all of you and your runs. So Im giving you my details...

St George, Im ready for you! Bring it on!!!

22 miles

This run went a lot better than my 20-miler. I felt good at the end and felt like I could have gotten another 4 miles from my legs. Let's hope we all feel that way come marathon day. I started running at 4:50 a.m. and needed to wear a light jacket until mile 13 because it was a little cool. Hope your morning weather is getting a big cooler in AZ, too.

Now it's taper time. The long runs and even the weekday runs are cutting back on miles. My legs are going to love it!

Go Bridge!

Good luck on the 10K tomorrow, Bridge! I've never tried one. It sounds like a fun distance. I'll have to look to you for advice when I decide to sign up for one.

Are we St. Georgers planning on the early bus? Have you already let them know?

We Totally ROCK!

What's better than driving home from the gym after a 20 mile run than finding a note flapping in the wind on your windshield that says "You Guys Rock!"? Lisa and I knew immediately that it was from our #1 fan - even before we saw that it was written on Diet Coke stationary. After we had done about 15 miles Lisa had turned to me and said "Lindy will be so proud of us for doing our 20 miles today!" She was right.

It's great having a cheerleader all throughout this marathon training. Between that and the ice cold chocolate milk waiting for me it almost made the 20 mile run worth it. Now it's time to taper! YEE HA!

Back in the Saddle

I haven't written in so long for so many reasons ... one of which is shouting, "Mommy, mommy, mommy, mommy" as I write at 8:51 p.m., which is way past bedtime.

So, a few run updates.

Hobble Creek 1/2 Marathon

I fully expected to run this without any issues and finish at least close to the 2:04 I ran Provo River 1/2 last year. Oh, when will I learn to not be so arrogant? My time was 2:20, which isn't a bad time but just a whole lot more slow than last year's. I knew I had been running more slowly in my trainings but not that much more slowly. Here are a few of the lessons I learned:

1. Get more sleep the night before.

2. Eat something before the race.

3. Don't wear newer shoes for a race, especially a downhill race. My feet were battered.

4. Don't run downhill races, meaning significantly steeper downhill races.

5. Just because I had bathroom issues last year didn't mean that I needed to stop at EVERY potty on the course.

6. If taking a beverage from the beverage stations, walk, do not run, while drinking otherwise it is a pointless endeavor.

7. Know the course ahead of time so that the sprint to the finish can really be to the finish and not to the last bend before the finish. (See Lindy's post, too!)

8. Drink more.

This 1/2 was brutal for me. I left wiped out, more sore than I'd been in months, and highly discouraged. For a few days I was convinced I would be cheering you all on from the sidelines at St. George. Even the week following was horrible, but it turns out I was just getting sick when I ran Hobble Creek. My son had a stomach bug a few weeks prior and I came down with it a few days after the race. I didn't run for almost a week after the 1/2.

I had met a friend at the race start who has run St. Georrge 10 times -- every year since she was 12, except last year when she was pregnant. She runs a mile and walks a minute for the whole race. I decided to try it for an eight mile run the Saturday after the race. I made it four miles and walked the four miles back, knowing that I can't stop to walk because it's so hard to start running again!

Well, last weekend I just decided to give another long run a go. I was shooting for 20 miles but my watch wasn't working so I couldn't tell for sure how far I'd gone. It ended up being an 18 mile loop ... and I felt TONS better than I had for the 1/2. Here's what I learned on the 18 mile run:

1. When planning for a long run, make sure there is an open 24-hour somekind of place with a bathroom along the route. I'm not a McDonald's fan, but I loved the sight of the Golden Arches at mile seven or so.

2. Eat goo a small squirt at a time with lots of water. I tried taking a big swallow at first, but it was horrid. I'm glad I figured out how to down it because it really did give me some much needed energy. I'm also glad I had enough water to wash it down.

3. After 13 miles, who really cares how fast all the other runners are going? I just kept thinking to myself, "He must be out for a 5K today. She's not training for a marathon." And, by the end when I was merely shuffling along, I didn't care how I looked or who ran past me.

I'm feeling much more optimistic today. I've decided to do more strength building this month than I have in the past. I know it's a little late, but even a little will help, right?

Also, here's some advice from the friend who has run St. George 10 times: It's cold at the beginning so have a pair of stretchy gloves. I didn't know that they have labeled bags for all runners so that jackets and sweatshirts can be put in them and left at the start. That's mighty considerate of them. So, here's to St. George! Are any of you getting on the 4:00 a.m. bus?

Late Start at Saguaro Labor Day 8 mile Race

Noah and I decided to take the girls to Tucson for a labor day weekend getaway at a favorite resort. There was an 8 mile race taking place this weekend, which was perfect for me- the typical distance I would do on a tuesday, so why not do it one day early and get some new scenery? I was especially excited about the elevation picture. This would be a hilly run, and just the kind of experience my legs needed in preparation for St George.

I planned to run the race, but decided that the fee I paid was not enough to worry about if I decided to sleep in on race day instead. Noah laughed at me whenever I mentioned that option. The night before there was a lightning storm, and so I still went to bed sunday night not wholly committed to this run.

I kept reminding myself to take it as a training run. So when I needed to go to the bathroom, just minutes before the race start, I left my place toward the beginning of the line up. The porto potty line was still long. The gun went off and the girl in front of me said "oh well" and left running. I went into the porto- potty. I started to get nervous about how long it was taking me, and I heard them about to start the gun for the 2 mile "Fun Run". I didnt want to get in the wrong race, so I left my business unresolved and took off.

There were 2 paths, and at this point I couldnt even tell which path my race had taken. I made a guess- to the left. Then I took off like a bat out of hell. I had to catch the group. I was getting deja vu to my very first 5k back in college where I got lost and came in (probably) last. I quickly caught up with a group of runners and felt like I was in the right place.

Slow down now, Lindy, I told myself. This is a training run for you, not a race. But I noticed that I was only passing people, and not being passed by anyone. This was the benefit of starting dead last. Nobody faster than you started in back of you.

But it became my mantra. "Dont get passed!" I even tried not to pass anyone until I thought I could hold my gain.

I remembered Cynthia giving me a quote once that said not to count out loud the people you are passing- thats just rude. I wondered if it was somehow rude to count the people who were passing me.

At mile 5 a guy did pass me. And then at mile 7, another guy passed me. Just before mile 8, the finish line, I saw the shadows of 2 guys in back of me start to sprint toward the finish line. Dont let them pass me, I thought, and I started to sprint too. I sprinted around the corner, and my watch said 8.1 miles, and I saw a group cheering, and I thought I was done! So I let up my pace. But then I saw the finishing arch ahead of me- oops. I had to run a stretch further. So those 2 other guys passed me and beat me. I got passed 4x in all, and none of the 4 were women.

I felt presumptuous waiting around to see if I got an age group award. But I thought there might be a chance that I did, since it was a small race. The race had just short of 900 registered to run. There was a chance that nobody in the 35-39 female age group had entered...so I waited around for awhile and was excited to get 3rd place in my age group. My prize was a racing singlet and a flashing clip on light. Cool.

I enjoyed the race. The hills were challenging. The mountains were beautiful. The paved trail was nice. The other runners were friendly. I look forward to running in Tucson again sometime in the future.

20 miles

"Do I really have to run six more miles?" was my first thought after finishing my 20-miler yesterday. I don't think I could have coerced, bribed or coaxed another 6 miles out of my legs. Good thing I wasn't running the marathon and good thing I still have five weeks of training. Time enough for more speed and hill training - so I can convince my legs to give me six more miles come marathon day.

A few things I learned from my run yesterday. I might need to invest in some body glide. I had a little chaffing where my sports bra rubs just below my chest. Haven't had any problems with chaffing except with my 18 and 20 milers. I guess the warmer weather and more sweating equals chaffing.

Since my water-belt got swiped from the car break-in, I decided to try a hand water bottle instead of a belt. Yesterday was the longest run I've used it on and I love it. I use this hand-held Ultimate Direction Fast Draw Extreme water bottle and since it's fairly inexpensive (not quite the price of a water belt) I won't feel bad if at some point during those last six miles of the marathon, I decide to ditch the bottle alongside the road and run without it. Sometimes, just lightening your load by a mere 4.5 ozs. gives you a lift physically and especially mentally. Although, I will remember this time to remove my car key from the side pouch.

Five weeks, ladies. It's almost here.

Could a girl with $100 get a little friendly service?

I decided to reward myself today after my 19 mile run with a trip to a local shoe store. These Nikes are still okay, but if I renew before my shoes are completely thrashed, then they still work well as cross-trainers.

I walk in with my Runnersworld magazine- asking to try on a few of the shoes reviewed in a recent issue. Worker A says to me "dont use that to pick shoes, that is one person's opinion. It doesnt mean anything"....in a voice that accuses me of being completely stupid to be bringing my magazine in shopping with me. I ask to try a New Balance brand. Worker A says "We only sell running shoes in here, New balance is not a running shoe." (Okay, I know one of my best friends loves to run in New Balance, but whatever...)

Then someone else comes into the store and Worker B takes over helping me. She brings me 2 different brands that Ive requested. One is a Saucony, and one is an Aasics. Im kind of wanting to go back to this Aasics shoe, because Ive gone through 3 or 4 pairs of this particular Aasics in the past. But then it changed, and it wasnt as comfortable, so I thought I should just try something else. I ran down the sidewalk in both pairs of shoes. They both felt great.

I come back in saying "they both feel pretty good, although nothing feels GREAT after doing my 19 miler this morning!" I make this comment thinking I might get a knowing chuckle. I am aware that everyone in this store is constantly training for something big. Theyve "been there". Now, Im not really suffering much from my run this morning, but I feel that we can share a small chuckle together over the knowledge that a 19 mile run isnt cake. But worker B looks at me with a completely straight face- blank. Okay- I shouldve realized that nobody in this store will ever admit that a 19 mile run is any different than a 3 mile run. Kind protocol is to joke about these things being challenging, even if you secretly think that it is cake. Relate to the mortals.

Worker A asks if Im training for St George. This point is for later in the story. (o:

Back to the shoes- I say that they both feel equally great. Not sure which to pick. Is there a price difference? Yes, there is. One is significantly cheaper. Well, they both feel equal to me. Maybe Ill take the cheaper one then. Worker B says "At mile 20 of a marathon, you arent going to care about price." Well, Im thinking, everything else feeling equal, how should I choose, if not by price? Flip a magic coin? I actually WANTED her to give me a reason to choose the more expensive Aasics, just cause I consider myself an Aasics girl. I ask her "Is one more durable than the other?" She replies "No". Well, then, I say...Im not sure what else to base my decision on. They feel the same to me. "Dont choose based on price" she says. "okay. Ill take the Saucony's."

Im about to check out. I ask Worker B "what are you currently training for?" She says "tsk, (eye roll- think Bella Swan) lots of things." and then adds quietly "I will be at St George". Wouldnt a friendly person have said this earlier- when finding out Id be in St George? Cool, me too???

Maybe these people deserve to be running snobs. Maybe they are so awesome that they just cant relate to the mere mortals. Maybe running is so easy for them, that they have no clue what the rest of us are doing. But maybe just for the sake of the sale, they could ignore their own Awesomeness just for a moment and be cool to me?

Will I make the drive to the other running store? I dont know. I like to support a local running business here. What do you think? Ignore the condescending attitudes? Maybe just always bring a friend in, so we can at least make fun of their snobbery afterwards, and therefore feel validated by my friends? Or drive to the friendlier running store in the nearby town? What would you do?

Are You Inside?

"Are you inside?" No, I'm not inside. This is what the Garmin asked of me today as I'm waiting for satellite sync out in the clear open area behind my hotel. It's never asked me this before. So, I answer no. It proceeds to ask, "Have you traveled several hundred miles since your last use?" Why yes, yes I have!!! Welcome to O'Fallon, Illinois little Garmin! Just thought this was something to share...this hasn't happened to me yet during my California travels. I must be syncing to a whole new set of satellites here in the Midwest! :) Wondered if any of you have yet had this question from your device...?

Anyways, enjoying our trip out here. There is a nice oval running path around a small lake with a fountain here behind our hotel. 3 times around is a little over a mile. A nice path, but boy is it humid! I waited until about sundown but I was still dripping! Nice to get in some speedwork around the "track" though!

Tomorrow I'm trying to talk Tim into driving me over to the St. Louis arch to take some pics of me running in the park there (although I'm sure if he tried to get a pic of me and the entire arch I would look like a tiny spec in the photo!). He asked me, "What time are we talkin'?" When I said, "Oh, maybe 6:00 or 6:30" he just laughed. We shall see what he says in the morning. ;) We were at the arch today just to explore and take the ride up to the top. Amazing! I highly recommend! There is a nice park with lots of beautiful trees and some small lakes surrounding the arch. Plenty of runners there, so I'd like to be one of them tomorrow! Also, for Saturday I'm hoping to run in Forest Park. Huge park here that is larger than Central Park in NY. :) I'll keep you ladies posted! Enjoy your long run Saturday as well!

I recommend hovering

We went to Las Sendas today, knowing we had a "cut back" week- shorter distance so that we could handle some hills.

It was an enjoyable run. Kind of humid, but I didnt think it was too hot. I felt way better off than my sweat level would have indicated to passers-by. Do people sweat more as they age?

It was Cynthia, Lisa, Karen and me. At one point, Karen and I took a small detour to get into the community pool and use the community bathrooms. There were a few swimmers out doing laps, and luckily for us, someone had left the gate ajar. I always line the public toilets with tp before sitting. I prefer tp over the crinkly paper covers sometimes offered. The tp was a BIG mistake today. The tp was completely stuck to my skin when I stood up. I had to roll it off in little balls. Im sure Karen was wondering why I was in there so long! Note to self: when sweaty, hover, dont sit.

At one point some bikers passed us and asked "Is this a running club?" We proudly replied "Why yes, the Islands Running Club". I feel like our little club is getting so official! Dan the running store guy knows of us, and now some people in Northeast Mesa know of us too. It just somehow feels funner to consider ourselves a club :)

I think we were annoying Karen because we kept saying how great it was to have such a "short, easy" run today- only 13 miles. Karen's longest run thus far has been 13 miles. But trust me, I would only consider 13 miles "short", while in the thick of marathon training! I still think Karen is the toughest of us- doing the majority of our runs with us, even though she is not training for anything.

Anyhow, 13 miles was clearly not enough, because I never even got around to asking Lisa how her anniversary date went last night???

And now I better get to the dishes and the mess that I left last night in order to go to bed at 9:00. Which I also highly recommend, when setting the alarm for 4.

Run Hannah Run!

Hannah, I'll be thinking about you tomorrow morning as you run your Hobble Creek Half. Here's hoping your legs feel strong, your mind is determined, you have a great race and most importantly you have fun! Don't go bananas and kill yourself. Meaning - take it easy especially while you're healing from your injury - you've got a marathon in October, young lady. Can't wait to hear the report.

More Shoe Talk Leads to Curiosity...

What brand and type of shoes do YOU wear? Do you have just one pair, two pairs of the same that you alternate, one road pair and one trail pair...?? Also, who uses custom orthotics or after market insoles? What kind? I need some good ones for my hiking boots because I don't want to overuse my custom ones or get them torn up from rocks and dirt while hiking. ;) Just curious...

Me:
One pair for the road - Brooks Aeriel (Motion Control)
One pair for the trail - Brooks Cascadia (Trail - these aren't profiled as "stability" shoes, but they are comfy, protective, and they have a good grip so I like them quite a bit for trails...can't wait to use them more when it gets cooler!)
And yes - I have custom orthotics from eSoles that have helped my knee pain tremendously! :)

Not quite enough...

Last night's workout left me wanting a bit more. It was sprints with core exercises worked in. We would run on the football field, one end to the center. Get down in the grass (itchy!!!) and do a core exercise. 5 on each side/leg for the majority. Then run from the middle of the field to the other end and get down for another exercise, repeat. Me having a bit of a pilates passion, I just didn't think the small number of reps was doing much for us and it seemed like the run distance was short each time. Still, it was cool to get out there and do something different, but I hope if we do that again we can improve it a little. :)

When to get new shoes

Today is the first morning in these shoes where I felt the pounding on the bottom of my feet. So when I got the opportunity today, I opened up my workout log and counted the miles- 293.5 miles on these Nikes. It seems like I always feel the pounding on the bottom of my feet right when my shoes start to approach 300 miles. In the magazines, they say to replace your shoes every 300-400 miles or so. I wish I could get a little over 400 miles on a shoe...

Once I feel the need for a new shoe, I try to wait it out a couple more weeks. Same as needing a new haircut...

Im just curious how often you all usually have to replace your shoes. For many years I was only replacing them once a year- on my birthday. But with Marathon training, I feel that I have to do it allot more often.

Do you all feel it in your foot when you need new shoes? Or do you buy your shoes on a certain schedule?

New Shoes

For the last year now I've been dealing with achille's tendon pain.
Never had had it before then.
It started within a week, maybe even just a couple of days, after going to RunAZ and getting fitted with the "right" type of shoes for me. Unbeknownst to me I had been running all summer in a "Motion Control" without a problem and Dan switched me to a "Neutral". I had never done this before. I had been a Big 5 or Sport's Authority shopper before. But since I had decided I really wanted to get into running, with no more pregnancys on the horizon, I wanted to do it right. My achille's started hurting right at the end of a running club workout.
I asked both the club coach and Dan at RunAZ, "Could it be something about the shoes?" Both gave me the impression that that was a ridiculous question.
So I kept wearing the shoes, when I ran.
During the past year, I've tried resting it, icing it, stretching it, astm treatment, strength training, Adviling it and two physical therapists!
The second PT suggested I try a stability shoe with a firm heel counter, instead of the neutral one that RunAZ had recommended. Both of the shoes I got were Asics GT something, one was neutral and one was stability. Now I have to admit, I'm the one picking out the shoes, they just told me the type.
Well this summer I thought I'd bring along my "old" neutral ones, I'd only used them for a month before I switched to a stability shoe, just to stand and walk around it on our vacation to Yellowstone. Better than flip flops right? Well, I'll be darned if my achilles didn't start hurting just from standing and walking!
OK then, I thought, something about these shoes is not working for me! Not sure what!
Last week I went to the gym and wore my newer Asics "stability" shoe. After I did some stationary biking, I noticed my achilles felt a little more irritated. And I thought of a comment I had overheard Cynthia make last weekend about how she likes Saucony's because they are low around the ankle. I examined my Asics and noticed how high and firm they both were around the ankle and wondered if that could be the problem?
I went to SoleSports and told them my saga. I tried on a bunch and I mean a bunch of shoes, the salesperson got a workout! I ended up with a pair of Saucony's.
I tried them last week and they felt good. It didn't feel like they increased the irritation of the achilles at all, but since it had already been irritated earlier in the week I could feel a little bit of it still so I didn't run on Saturday.
I also went to Dillard's and got some supportive sandals to help my feet during the day. The soles of my feet have been really sore lately. And although Dan at RunAZ had told me that since I have high arches I can wear flip flops all I want, a Runner's World article I read last week when I was at the gym told a different story.
Which brings me to now. I'm so hoping that my problem has been the shoes. And I'd like to get into running again. But I'm nervous to find out for sure. It has been so frustating!
And it will be really annoying if it was the shoes to think I could have been doing marathon training right now if I'd gotten the right shoes last fall, instead of ones that gave me problems!
There is nothing I can do about that now. And I just need to get going! But I haven't been able to go early in the morning when I like to because I've got high-schoolers that need a ride. But we are bike shopping for them so they can ride to school. And then that time slot will become available.
I hope it goes well.
Injuries as you all know are so frustrating!
I hope I can be a part of training soon instead of just reading about your training, although I enjoy that too!

Tuesdays are Jinx

The last several Tuesdays have been rough on me. I usually look forward to our Tuesday runs. There is generally a big group of people and good conversation. For me the last several weeks I have ended up finishing the runs alone and usually in pain!

Three weeks ago it was the heat I think. I had run on Saturday and again on Monday in the nice cool weather and then on Tuesday the heat (and some humidity) was back, darn it. I had to stop and walk and send the group ahead. The next week was dog trouble. I had fallen a bit behind (the Tuesday jinx was already starting) and then when crossing a street a dog jumped up on me and knocked me to the ground. I landed on my hip, knee and elbow, and my hip is still bruised. Today it was arch pain. It would come and go. When it came it was really painful - like a cramp that wanted to squeeze my little toes towards my heel. I stopped and walked when it got bad and the walking motion seemed to stretch it out a bit. I picked it back up and tried to stay with them until it was light enough out to send the group ahead and walk/run home. I cut my run a little short and came home and iced my foot. I think I will try to run easy this week, and luckily Saturday is a cut back day where we are heading for the hills again.

Hopefully the Tuesday Jinx will wear off soon - three's a charm right?

Kind of Funny

I went to a new running store to try on some shoes a few weeks ago. When I told him what I was training for and about my injury, the running store guy told me, "Train on pavement as little as possible." I simply said, "Uh, ok," but inwardly I wondered, "Where in the world do you find somewhere not pavement to train for a marathon???" I guess Marcie's 18-mile treadmill run would be the obvious answer. I didn't buy shoes from him. I went back to the store in Bountiful owned and run by a former University of Utah cross-country coach who assured me that I'd do fine running the marathon. "Just run slow if you need to and you'll make it," was his advice to me. And you know, I believe him.

PS I am excited about my new Amphipod RunLite TrailRunner. I've never run far enough to need to carry water with me before.

Surprised Myself

This Saturday was mile repeats. Funny, I'm now really finding out what all of these terms I see in Runners' World mean! When the schedule stated "3 miles" I wasn't sure how it would be accomplished, but it was a 10 minute warm up, two 1 mile repeats with 5 minutes rest in between, and a mile cool down. The goal here was to do the second mile faster than the first. The second mile didn't need to be faster by much (a couple seconds was fine), but I was nervous about this because the second time around only meant that it would be hotter out there! I actually surprised myself though - the first mile was 9:05. This was 12 seconds faster than my timed mile from last Saturday. I thought to myself during my 5 minutes of rest there was no way I could do it again. 2nd mile start was great, but I saw myself drop the pace at around .75 in...I wasn't sure what to do to get back on track. Luckily I always carry water with me because a little water as it was warming up out there got me around the corner at a quick enough pace to finish it out at 9:03 - 2 seconds faster than the first mile, but that was all it needed to be! By the way, did I mention I love my Garmin at times like this? :) I also think I did well running with my friend James - he is typically much faster than me so far in our training, but he unfortunately had a bit of knee pain that day so I did my best to keep up with him until that last quarter mile. Always motivating to have fast friends! I do hope his pain goes away though - that's never a good thing even if he helped my pace for the day. Can't remember what tomorrow night holds - I'm sure I'll have something interesting to report on Wednesday!

You only set your alarm for 4 am to do the thing you love the most

My Dad sets his alarm for 4 am during hunting season. Especially opening day. Noah's Dad sets his alarm for 4 am to study the scriptures. What are you willing to get up that early for?

Saturday we met at 4:30 to repeat last week. A 12 mile route to the gym, and then finish on the treadmills. Complete with recovery chocolate milk at the end. I thought about that chocolate milk all week- and had to repeat the experience!

I was very impressed with our friend Karen, who has been getting up so early with us to run- even though she is not registered for a marathon or any event. This isnt training for her, its a 4 am social opportunity! Im very glad she has been willing- she is a fun part of the group. She said 12 miles was good enough for her, so she stashed clothes in my car and took the opportunity to shower and do her hair while we finished our mileage. Weve decided the best thing about our new gym is the shower facility.

I didnt check how many calories I burned on the run saturday- maybe around 1800? Let me tell you, I MORE than replaced those 1800 calories throughout the day. Those long runs make me SO hungry! I eat all day on saturdays. How is a runner supposed to lose a pound or two? There's no way. Is this different for anyone else? Do any of you find that marathon training is a good weight loss method? If so, Im jealous.

Thanks for all the entries...its fun to get on the blog and see like 4 new entries to read! I love hearing about everyone's training programs!

Wanting to Stay Warm

As I was waking up this morning, I could hear the wind howling outside. Howling. Like it wanted to break our windows and come inside for a visit. Ugh. I wasn't up to running in the howling wind this morning and on top of that it was raining. I wasn't up for running in the rain, cold and wind. Triple threat. (Sorry Arizonians, you would probably love to run in a bit of cold weather right now.) But I was being a wimp this morning. And one of my little boys kept us up last night with a horrible cough. Poor thing. So I didn't get a good night's sleep and for some reason, I just wanted to stay warm.

So I headed over to the gym and ran on the treadmill. 18 miles was on the schedule. And I ran 18 miles on the treadmill. I started at an easy pace and then would pick it up at random times during the run. As I was nearing 16 miles, I picked up the pace to an 8 minute mile because I wanted it to be over so very badly. I was thinking to myself, "Must run faster. I want this to be over. Can't watch another infomercial or music video." Much prefer the outside scenery over the inside. It took me 2 hours and 49 minutes. It was a long 2 hours and 49 minutes, believe me. I hope I don't ever have to run that long on a treadmill again. But if I'm ever faced with that option, at least I know I can do it.

Happy Anniversary!

Happy anniversary to Cynthia and Lindy today! How unbelievable that you randomly share this occasion. :) Here's to the good men you have in your lives that support you in running and ALL you do! And to you two women for being amazing wives and moms! Your strong marriages are invaluable! Have a wonderful celebration weekend!

Not a Bad Thursday Night

Last night's meet wasn't too bad except for the fact that I was dripping with sweat after speed walking our 1/2 mile warm up! Ew...you didn't want to smell me on the drive home. ;) We had a warm, rainy and muggy day yesterday here. Anyways, it was run for 3 minutes at your target marathon or half-marathon race pace then rest for 3 minutes, run another 3 minutes, etc. We did that 4 times so that took about 25 minutes. I found that my co-worker Justine and I run at about the same pace right now (about a 10 min mile), so it was nice to be running with someone. We chatted it up and the time flew by. Pretty easy night on the track, but since it was so hot and sticky out I was glad for it being easy! Off for today and just 3 miles tomorrow morning plus a mile warm up, a mile cool down and a meeting about workouts. It feels weird starting over again with such a short "long" run, but my legs are still sore from Tuesday's hard running...I'll embrace the 3 miles and try to make it a fast 3!

Games?

So the first week of training is already interesting. Saturday was a timed mile in addition to about 2 miles total of warm up and cool down. My time was 9:17 – not bad for me at all, but let’s keep this number in mind as the months go along because this is the “baseline” and it should improve from here – I hope, but I never really thought this could be! After our cool down Saturday morning were all handed schedules and forms to fill out our goals followed by an introduction from Josh, our coach, talking about the season, making goals, etc. Some of us had a 5K race at South Mountain the next day. I was one of them – didn’t do the best out there, but it was hot and since it was an out and back ½ of the race was uphill. We took it easy and were just happy to have gotten out there and finished the race, meet up with running friends, etc.

Monday - 25 min easy on my elliptical at home.

The schedule for Tuesday’s training showed “Games”. I’m thinking all day Monday and Tuesday…what does “Games” mean? Well, we found out.

The first game had to do with a couple of dollar bills. Someone says a random number between 1 and 30. Josh counts over across the serial numbers of one of the bills the number said, whatever digit was there is how many yard lines we had to run on the football field before switching between easy and hard running. The luck of it comes in when someone drops the dollars on to the field, they can drop as 0, 1 or 2. If the dollars both land face up it counts as 2 (even – start easy), one up one down as 1 (odd – start hard), both down as zero (I think this would be all hard, but we never had this drop thank goodness!). We wanted the even drop in most cases because if the digit was 8, it would be 8 yard lines easy, 8 yard lines hard, then the remaining 6 yard lines easy again. There are 22 yard lines to cross on the field. We would run from one end of the field to the other and do the dollar drop again so that each time across the field was different. Kind of fun, but man does the sprinting get you winded! We finished that one off with 5 easy, 5 hard all the way up the field and back on the last round.

Next, Josh pulls out his cell phone and pulls up the phone number for one of the people on our team. Someone now has to pick a number between 1 and 10 for the digits in the phone number to count over. Even was to start out easy, odd was to start out hard. Now this game we wanted odd – it had to do with the way the light poles around the track are laid out, we would switch between easy and hard at each light pole. Just so happened that the longer distances between poles were at the even changes. And this time, luck was not on our side – most of this trip around the track was hard running! Thankfully we only had to go around once for our first night out there on the track! I can’t imagine what it will be like when we build up! That was only about 1.25 mile total running but it is amazing how sore my legs were when using them in a different way for sprinting, etc.

Anyways, that is games for that evening. Wednesday night was another 25 min easy on my elliptical at home, but I sure didn't want to move the legs! LOL Tonight’s meet is listed as “4 x 3 min w/3 min rest”. Details to come later – going to change out into my running clothes now! :)

Double Coupon for P.F. Chang's in January

Might be too late on this but it is worth a try if you are planning to sign up for P.F. Chang's Rock and Roll Marathon in January. I registered for the full! :)


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½ Marathon.

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What Running Means To Me

I had to share this from Kristin Armstrong's blog Mile Markers:

"How do I express in language that will resonate with them how running kept me together when everything else seemed to be falling apart? Or how it keeps me sane and clear headed, and creates a pocket of silence in my core that no level of noise or chaos can touch for the remainder of the day? Or how it gives me an identity and a community that I wouldn't have otherwise? Or how it saved me twice from post-partum spiral? Or how it can alter my mood from sour to sweet, resetting my gratitude meter, in a mere 30 minutes? Or how it reminds me that I'm beautiful even when I feel nothing close to cute? Or how it reminds me that I'm strong and resilient, even at my puniest? Or how it cultivates a foundation and awareness of endurance that far exceeds the mere physical? Or how it has become a standing date with my girlfriends, scheduled, reliable, and heaven-sent? Or how it is a proven method to transcend cattiness, PMS, mood swings, and body image issues?"

She describes it so well.

{to read the entire post click here}

Just Running ... Scared.

So, I've been trying to catch up on all the time I missed while recovering. I just read about the 16 mile Saturday day run and Marcie's long run from a week or so ago. I'm scared that St. George is less than two months away and I have yet to run over 12 miles in a long run. I am building my miles back up and can't build up too quickly and risk injury again. Saturday I ran about eight and felt ok, just sore calves. This weekend I have 10 planned. In two weeks is the Hobble Creek 1/2. So, how high do I dare jump after that and how soon and how far from the marathon to allow recovery time? I was already supposed to have run one 20 miler and one 18 miler by this point. So, yeah. I'm feeling the pressure and total lack of confidence.

P.S. I ran in Vegas this week. I am so impressed by you Arizona runners. It is WAY too hot to run outside!

Expect the Unexpected

What do you think about before you drift off to sleep? If I'm running the next morning, it's usually about the route I'm running. I have a few routes: a one-mile loop, two-mile loop and five-mile loop. Usually I repeat loops or connect them together depending on how many miles I need to run. But for long runs, I usually head to the paved trail about 15 minutes from my house.

So last night I was thinking about the trail - where I was going to park, what direction I was going to run, the water fountains that are available, etc. But things didn't turn out how I envisioned them. About a half-mile into the trail, I came to a sign that said "This Trail is Closed." What? Why? What? I looked for a way around the sign but there was no going around the fence and barbed wire. They were making sure no one went beyond that point. So I turned around mad, dejected and mumbling under my breath, "Now what?" I wasn't familiar with the neighborhood and streets in that area but I needed to get the miles in so I just decided to run and see where I ended up. I ran on busy streets. Ran in unfamiliar neighborhoods. And I ran three tough hills. My legs are sure feeling those hills tonight. Maybe that's a good thing about my little detour this morning - the realization that I need to incorporate more hills in my running. And another realization, when a detour comes I should embrace it. It just might make me stronger.

Chocolate Milk Rocks!

This morning we did our 17 miles. Okay, I only did 16 miles. I think next week Ill bump it up- step up my game and merge with my groupie's program. They've been doing a harder program than I.

When my alarm goes off, I always run downstairs and set my watch outside to sync with the satellite, while I get ready. I am usually met by a blanket of hot air when I take that step outside. This morning was surprisingly cool! And even stayed pleasant throughout our run!

Cynthia had planned a good route for us- one that would keep us outside for 12 miles before we got to the gym where we could finish on the treadmills.

We had a new face in the mix today. Molly is a neighborhood friend who is training for Chicago marathon. And then it was Lisa, me, and Cynthia.

The only bad thing about it being nice outside, is that the last few miles on the treadmill were actually harder, instead of a relief. Id like to think that it is going to stay this way now, and that our saturdays need no longer include treadmills. But that is probably not the case. Today was probably a gift to remind us of cooler days in our future.

Cynthia did all the pre-work for this run. She stashed her car for our return ride home, and even went the extra mile. In the car was a cooler full of ice and very cold, individual sized "Rockin Refuel, protein fortified lowfat chocolate milk." I highly recommend it as a post-run recovery drink. It hit the spot!

Now we all know that its better not to drink our calories. Chocolate milk seems like a luxury only allowed to the lucky younger generation. After our long run I felt TOTALLY justified to indulge. I felt like I was living in luxury there, with my creamy cold chocolate milk.

Thank God for the small, but huge pleasures in life!