McDowell Mountain Frenzy 50 Miler

Me, and Blue Shirt who I saw off and on throughout the day. He finished just ahead of me. 

Left Dixie Mine, heading up to Thompson Peak

Beautiful Views toward the top

Pictures cant portray how steep this was

See the Tower, that is where we were going

Beautiful View

More Beautiful

Fun to look down and see the trail winding all over the place below

Turning a corner on this steep climb

Spectacular!

I made it! Once you get to the top here, you admire the view and then start back down. Back down was no pic-nic either!!!

Picture of the tower to prove I was there!

My camera makes it look far away, but I could actually see the Fountain Hills fountain very well. Can you see the little while dot in front of the mountains? 

McDowell Mountain Frenzy 50 mile Trail Race

December 8^th, 2012

“At the start of races 50 miles or longer, most people have the spirit of We’re about to embark on an adventure. At the finish, regardless of how we place, we’re all equals because we have finished a grand adventure.”

-Kami Semick

This is the quote that solidified my commitment to try a 50 mile race. I’ve always been in awe over my Uncle Leland’s race portfolio. He runs a hundred miles. I tell people that all the time. But that sounded like way out of my league. It just sounded like something only a super kind of person could do. Someone with different genes than the rest of us. But when I heard this quote it got in my head. Fifty miles. Fifty miles is enough to make it an epic adventure. Fifty miles would be enough to take most of the day. Fifty miles would be enough that I could stop and chat with Aid Station workers and not be bothered by the clock ticking. Fifty miles would be enough that you’d look around at the people you are starting with and know that they might be your new best friend! Fifty miles would mean if I wanted to walk it wouldn’t be that I was done and just had to get to the finish line so I could pass out. If I wanted to walk, Id just be regrouping. Getting ready to run some more.

Cynthia signed up for the 10 mile distance at McDowell and kindly agreed to start her day an hour early so that she could drive me for my 7:00 start. (The 10 milers didn’t start til 8:15). Mary got a ride with us too and so the start of my day was calm and comfortable. I get so nervous for these races, but always feel TONS better when I have friends with me! Racing is so much funner with friends!

When we got there it seemed like we had plenty of time, and we did. But then right before the start, the 50 milers were called over for a meeting. I guess I didn’t realize the meeting would be so short and to the point cause suddenly he counted down and said Go! “Oh!” I hadn’t even put my phone out of my jacket pocket into my fanny pack….! So I started.

I had imagined that we would all take off together, pacing ourselves very slowly in the beginning. But a group of people in front went out very fast and were soon out of sight. There were 40 of us. Throughout the day I marveled that I was alone so much. I knew for sure that there were a bunch of people ahead of me. I figured that there were a bunch of people behind me. But I was often alone. There wasn’t very much passing or being passed. If someone was in front of me, and I could pass them, I just thought maybe Id be better off to slow down anyway. I think that people in back of me felt the same way. Change to the order would happen when we got to an aid station. I was slow at aid stations and people who had been with me would be off again before I was. I had decided to take my time at Aid Stations and make sure that I ate something, drank some coke, got everything I might want out of my drop bags. I wanted to fully utilize the Aid Stations.

There were three guys I was around for quite a bit of the race. White shirt, Blue shirt, and Fort Worth. We’d go long periods of time separated but then see each other again. Fort Worth was behind me for awhile and was very chatty. I enjoyed the company but worried that I was going too fast with him behind me. He said he didn’t want to pass me. When we got to Dixie Mine he went ahead and took off.

It was easy getting to Dixie Mine. I had pre memorized the Aid Stations and the distances between each one. So it was easy to think just a few more miles until…..(the next thing).

But after Dixie Mine I had to get up to Thompson Peak. At least this was no surprise. I knew this was coming. The Coury’s (Race Directors) had been bragging about it on facebook. About this Brutal climb they threw in for us. They weren’t kidding! Brutal was the right word! Leaving Dixie Mine I knew it was just 5 miles to get up and down from the peak. But it got steep real fast. The climb was not runnable. It had 3 paved sections. It was too steep for me to keep at a run. It was hard to even take walking steps. It was so so steep. I was going so slow that I pulled out my phone to answer a couple of text messages. I mean it wasn’t going to slow down my progress. That’s how slow I had to go here. Sometimes I walked backwards to switch up the stress on my muscles. I took a few pictures which I will include for you.

At the top there was a volunteer sitting up there by the Cell Towers just hanging out and having a good time, watching us get to the top. It must have been fun to watch. I wish I could’ve seen how the top 5 finishers tackled this hill. One guy was laying on the ground at the top. Taking a break. There were a couple of girls who made it to the top about the same time as me. The view was A-MAZE-INGJ Worth the climb. I mean if you’re gonna run all day you wanta see something cool, right?

As soon as you are done lookin around then you turn around and go down the hill. One of the other girls there, green shirt girl, she flew down so fast. I couldn’t believe it. She was zig-zagging and maybe I should have tried her method more. I didn’t want to pick up extra mileage with zig-zagging but she finished like an hour ahead of me, so I think she was doing it right! I was really slow coming down. My stomache couldn’t take the pressure of a hard down hill descent. If I tried to go fast at all my tummy yelled “NO!”

Right after I got back to Dixie Mine 2^nd time, that’s when it got hard. It just got hot and my stomache didn’t feel very good. I don’t do very well with heat. Having a visor helps allot, but hot is hot. My strategy for the race was to take a gel every 5 miles and eat something at every Aide Station and drink some coke at every Aide Station. I was able to eat a few bites at every one. I always tried something different. Peanut M&M’s, Peanut Butter Pretzels, bananas, oranges, Nutter Butters, figs….and for most of the race I was able to take my scheduled gels. My stomache was always on the edge, at least by mile 20. It was hard to tell how much of this was a result of distance racing and how much of it was a result of being kinda sick. I got sick Thursday, two days before the race. Just a yucky head cold. Congestion, Sinus pressure, cough…I think if you wish hard enough to NOT get sick or hurt before a race- You definitely WILL get sick! So for whatever reason I just didn’t feel like eating stuff but you can just tell that if you don’t do it then you’re gonna get in a bad place. So I just kept trying to get my nutrition down. It was fun to pull out gels. I have shorts with 3 pockets in back. I kept three gels back there and would restock out of my drop bags at aid stations. When Id reach back and pull out a gel then Id look to see what flavor and that would make me think of a person that was rooting for me. I mentioned on facebook a week or so before the race that I would love to get some gel contributions from people. Nobody gave me the same flavor so when I pulled out a gel Id know exactly who it was from. I would smile thinking of that person and feel a boost.

I knew the middle of the day and the heat would be hard but it really didn’t feel very long. It seemed to pass very timely. I just walked when I wanted to walk. My theme for the day was “outdoor adventure, enjoy every moment”, so if I didn’t feel good I would walk and look around and appreciate the day. And wait to feel good again. I would think about how lucky I was to have this opportunity. I would think back to my IT band injury that lasted all summer. Over the summer I kept hoping Id get to do this race, but not knowing if my injury would heal in time to let me do a proper amount of training.

For part of the race I could look over and see the Fountain Hills fountain going off. That was kind of fun. I felt like I was so far away but knew that town was right there…when I got back to Gate Aid then I knew it was 6 miles back to Start/Finish, and then another 5.4 mile loop. So I was headed the 6 miles back to S/F, not expecting anything imbetween and I came upon an abandoned Aid Station about mile 43. What???! This freaked me out big time. At this point I thought I was 2 or 3 miles from Start/Finish. But this unexpected table of food and drink made me worry that I was in the wrong place. I was seeing the orange with black polka dot ribbons that means you are on the right trail…but what if I somehow got turned around and was headed the OPPOSITE way on the correct trail? This is the type of thing that can happen to me. I don’t have an internal compass or anything. So I decided to just keep running and really hope that in 2 miles I would be at Start/Finish, and not 2 miles farther away from Start/Finish!!!!!!! I looked around and wished that Blue Shirt or White Shirt would show up. I think I was smack in the middle of them at this point.

So I’m running along a little freaked out at this point…and was SO SO SO happy when I heard voices and saw 2 bright colored shirts on 2 girls who looked familiar to me! I could see they were holding up a poster and I started to guess and hope that they were MARY and JULIE-ANNE! Yay. They were. They ran with me to S/F. I picked up my pace a little to run with them. It gave me a boost of energy to have friends here! Then JA asked if I wanted company for the last 5 mile loop. I did, but I was nervous that Id be too slow at this point and it would just be torture for her. So I was slow to answer. She said “I don’t want to take away anything, if you need to do this on your own…” Nooooo, that’s not it at all! I’m just worried that I will need to slow down, and also walk some! She said she’d do any pace I wanted at this point. Once I could tell she was really willing to do this, I was sooo happy to have the company!

My question at this point was whether I needed to get my headlamp out of my drop bag. I didn’t want to stop at my drop bag because I knew that if I stopped long at S/F then I wouldn’t want to leave again. I wanted to move through it. I also had a goal, given to me by Dan to be done before dark. I decided to take the risk and move through S/F without getting warmer clothes or a headlamp.

So we ran along, and walked any time it was up hill gradient, and she talked and let me not talk. It was perfect! I was feeling mostly good. But breathing pretty hard. We saw a table with water to fill up. In our excitement over this water station we missed a sign to turn a certain way. So we got headed a shortcut back to S/F. We started to get excited but thought ‘this is too soon, we can’t be done yet’. So JA ran back and flagged Mary and got some instruction and came back to me. We retraced our steps a little and figured out where we went wrong. Blue shirt appeared and ran the last couple of miles just in front of us. He asked me if I had been worried by that abandoned Aid Station back at mile 43 or whatever. Ummm, ya! Later Cynthia suggested that the abandoned Aid Station not on my course was leftover from one of the shorter distance races….yes that makes perfect sense.

JA kept reminding us we were close, on our home stretch, our Victory Lap. She was the perfect pacer not pushing me to go faster than I needed to at this point. Not being impatient. Not expecting return conversation. Just giving me the company that I really was ready for!

So I finished!!!!!

I was beyond words grateful to have Dan, Mary, and Julie-Anne there with me at the finish. My husband was planning to be there but was running late and as soon as I stopped running I think I went into a little shock or something. They were telling me to sit down and I wasn’t sure I wanted to. I was breathing really hard for a long time- almost but not quite hyperventilating. It took like an hour for my breathing to calm down. And I was shivering. But my friends brought me food and made me sit down and got my drop bags and pulled out a blanket for me and put a jacket around me. I just couldn’t seem to think what I wanted at this point…so they just took care of it. I need to remember this if I get a chance to be on that side- remember to just take over! I didn’t feel bad. Just….shocked I guess.

I was just so so happy though! So happy to have accomplished this thing that I wanted to do. How do people run 50 miles??? I wanted to know! I knew a small few people who had done this before- and it really inspired me! But I had to know for myself! And now I know!!!!!

I wouldn’t recommend an Ultra to someone who doesn’t want to do it. Its not something to do just to say that you can do it or you did do it…not to prove anything. Its something to definitely do if you WANT to do it. If you want to experience the high and the low of the day. If you want to run and then get tired, but then run some more. If you want to challenge your endurance. If you enjoy the flow of the trail. The feel of the outdoors and the rocks and jumping and twisting….if you want to be around other people that also feel the same way. If you like or can at least endure the lonely times when there isn’t another runner by you. I will admit to preferring the times when there was someone else around.

I was very happy with my first 50 miler. I know I will do it again. I never once during the day thought “if I can just finish I'm never doing this again!” – NO. I never felt that way. I was really glad to be there.

Thankyou to support from friends who gave me treats and gels and words of encouragement. Thankyou to friends who thought of me and sent texts and messages of good luck and inspiration. Thankyou to friends who tracked me from home or came to see me at the beginning or the end. Thankyou to friends and family who were supportive of my training. When you try to do something out of your comfort zone, a challenge, you realize how much strength you get from your family and friends. Even small gestures mean a big deal. It means allot just to know people believe in you. So thankyou, thankyou! And Big Thanks to Aravaipa and the Coury’s and the Volunteers. You ROCK!

I was happy with my time. It was surprisingly right on target with my expectations. I didn’t know what to guess but Dr Horton out of my “Relentless Forward Progress” book said that you could multiply your marathon times 3. To get an estimate. So I multiplied my fastest and slowest marathons by 3 and then used that as a range. I came in on the faster end of that rangeJ

***I’m going to include some stats and numbers here because I find the stats interesting. Skip them if you don’t.

My first watch of the day:

29.74 miles

5:52:35

11:51 avg pace

3390 calories

My second watch, I switched at Dixie Mine:

21.47 miles

4:43:43

13:13 avg pace

1660 calories

November 10, 2012
Pass Mountain 50K

I did the 25k distance at Pass Mountain last year, so I knew what I was in for. This time I just needed to go up and around the mountain twice.

The 50K was to start at 7:00 am. I was late. In the dark of morning I followed the wrong cars into the wrong event. My event was just across the street. But I followed traffic into the Shooting Range. Then I noticed that everyone had guns....hmmmm,  wrong event. So I asked my phone navigation to take me to Pass Mountain. My phone navigation took me to a different park entrance 20 minutes away. The wrong one. And then my phone died and my gas light came on. Well....I considered just going home. But I knew that if I could find my race that I could still have a good run. Going home to run 31 miles around the neighborhood didn't sound like the right option.

I found my race and could've started 45 minutes late. At that point I decided to wait and start with the 25k'ers at 8:00. So I wouldn't be alone. I liked running with the 25k group. I found a spot amongst runners who were running a pace that felt conservative for me. This group kept me at a good pace for what I needed to do. I didn't want to push things today because this event was a step toward me doing a 50 miler in December. So I needed to recover fast. I needed to run conservatively. My goal was 6-6.5 hours.

I was behind red short girl for a long time. She had a good rhythm and was easy to follow. But then she took a spill. I helped her up and made sure she was okay, but then continued on ahead of her. I saw allot of people lurch and almost fall. I did allot of lurching myself! There were allot of rocks to catch my toe.

Time seemed to pass quickly and once you come up over the mountain you are rewarded with a spectacular view. Worth the climb.

This whole race seems runnable to me. I wondered if I should walk up the first climb to save energy for the second time. But I went with what felt right. I stayed at a "run". On the other side of the mountain I caught my toe and fell. I didn't go all the way down because I took a body slam against a big rock on the side of the trail. Minor scabbing and bruise. The guy behind of me said "be careful" and I had to bight my tongue to not reply with some rude sarcastic response. My initial response to getting hurt is a little surge of anger...oops...he meant well!

A girl in back of him said "keep going, you are almost done now!". The 25k'ers assumed that I was a 25k'er too. I didn't tell them that I was only almost half done.

I was sad when the 25k'ers left me around 15 miles and then I was alone until after 20 or 22 miles. I felt a little lonely for a while, but my mantra of the day became "This is my reality now". Meaning - don't think about how I could've been done an hour earlier in the day if I had started on time!

It was nice when I started to catch up with a few of the 50k'ers. At the beginning of the race I told Nick and Jamil (race directors) that I was still intending to do the 50K, even though Id be starting late. Nick asked me if Id have a problem with the cut-off time. So when i started to catch up with some of the other 50K'ers then I felt safe that I was fine with my time. I felt reasonably safe anyway, but this gave me added security. Its always nice to catch up with other racers because then you know you are on track. I never felt lost on this course. It was well marked and not complicated at all.

It was a boost every time I passed through an aide station. The station workers were really helpful and friendly.

I only carried one bottle of water and one of the stretches between Aid was 8 miles. I ran out of water 2 miles before Aid and that hastened my step. I was getting anxious to get to water. After I made it the second time up the mountain I knew that I didn't need to hold back anymore. But I also didn't have a lofty time goal so I just did the pace that felt right.

After I passed 26.2 I kept marvelling at how fast the race had passed. Time and miles had passed quickly and enjoyably.

I finished to a fun surprise! Noah and the girls were at the finish line! I hadn't expected them at all. What a beautiful sight! I told Noah that I had started an hour late. He said good thing I had or they would've missed me. He knew my goal for the day was 6-6.5 hours and he had planned according to that. He told me to go look at the computer monitor with the results. He pointed out that I was 2nd girl to finish. The computer was reflecting chip time, lucky for me! I was only about 4 minutes behind the Female winner! And I beat my previous 50k time from last year on San Tan!

I gobbled down bagels and coke and then took off with Noah and the girls to go get Firehouse Subs.

It was a really great day. And now I look forward to further testing my endurance on the McDowell Mountain December 8th. 50 miles, here I come!!! I hope I'm ready for you!!!

Cave Creek Thriller

Cave Creek "30K" 

October 20, 2012

Drop Bags

Wanna know what you're Playin For???

The trophies for the 50K winners- I think the best trophies yet!!! Wish I could win the girls something like this! They'd love me forever!!! Yes, I think I could buy their love with a colorful dragon. The wings even fluttered in the breeze!

This is what I was playin for- COKE!!!

This race has a cool halloween theme!

People are even encouraged to wear costumes, and the more adventurous runners do! This is a mother/son duo dressed as Peter Pan and Tinker Bell! Someday I will be brave enough to run in a costume. 

Paulette Zillmer would go on to win the 50K. Even though she would be out there shorter than anyone else, she still uses bodyglide. 

This is the 50K runners toeing the line. Self- seeding here. If you know you have a chance to win, then you start out up front. 

This is me. Check out my Icy Cold Towel. I don't know how I ever lived life without one. Once the sun comes out, I'm toast. My cold towel really helps. I was sure to wear my bib number high after the fiasco at St George. 

I loved the Cave Creek Thriller. It was a great day. A great trail. A fun course. I had a wonderful time. I will mention that I set my brain for 18 miles of running. A 30K=18 miles. When I thought I was just one mile from the finish line, I came upon an aid station table. I was surprised to see an aid station just one mile from the finish. So I asked "am I just a mile from the finish?". The reply "no, about 2.5 miles from the finish". I was crushed! I felt mentally done. My snacks were gone except for one electrolyte tab. I should have taken something from their aid table, but I just didn't feel like food. I only felt like gels, and I didn't see any on the table. So I said to myself "just do this...move along....just keep moving forward...." I stopped and put my electrolyte tab into my water, and I think that helped. I had been drinking straight water up to this point, but the sun was starting to get to me. So I finished, and it was fine. I just need to stop setting my mental boundaries before I start. Im not sure how to not do that. Of course I can run farther than 18 miles, but when I think thats all that is required of me, it is then so hard to do more. Anyone have any suggestions of how to keep an open perspective in my brain? It is such a mental sport. 

I hung around for a little while afterwards and talked to other runners. I met Elizabeth afterwards who confirmed she had also ended up with 19.5 miles. So at least I didn't just take a wrong turn or something. The girl who won first place for the 30k distance- she didn't know her mileage. She was wearing a watch that ONLY told time. What a tough woman! Another guy in our conversation was the same - no special watch. To just run and run and run and not get any feed back of her pace or how many miles were passing. Wow. I thrive on the feedback. 

The race was allot of up hill, but all runnable. I enjoyed the trail. Challenging and fun. I finished in 3:16:42 with a 10:08 avg pace. Third girl. And then I enjoyed allot of coke in my new finishers glass. Thanks again Aravaipa! You guys Rock!

St George Marathon 2012

The Bonfires at the Beginning of the race are Awesome!

Then Cynthia pointed out to me that Bart was standing by our fire. Bart is the creator of the "Yasso 800's" that we all do to test ourselves during training. Bart approached Cynthia to chat for awhile. 

 

After the race we decided to reward ourselves for the hard work with post-race burgers from Five Guys. We had already parted ways with Marcie and Wayne, but ran into them again at Five Guys! We hadn't even discussed our post-race lunch, so I think that Five Guys must've just been the OBVIOUS post race choice for the day!!!

Then we rewarded ourselves more with some fancy cookies. 

I love ST George Marathon!!! It was my second time at SG. I ran it in 2009, but the lottery turned me down the last two years. Thanks to their "3rd time is a charm" policy, we were guaranteed entry this year. So essentially we've been anticipating this race for over 2 years! Getting in the lottery every year, waiting for our opportunity. 

The scenery is gorgeous. The volunteers are great! The community is great. Its only a half days drive away. Their sponsors are Awesome! Its the perfect combination of up hill and down hill. 

The scenery - Lots of bonfires in the dark of morning. Then when it gets light out, Beautiful red rock.

The volunteers - Helpful kind people handing out liquid and fruit along the course.

The community - They love their St. George. On the bus ride up to the start, a local coached us on the best strategy for the course - describing the course perfectly, play by play. 

The drive - no plane ticket needed, just 8 hours driving time. 

The sponsors - Great Harvest, Blue Bunny, Cliff, Even Texas Roadhouse! What more could I want at the end of a race? Bread and Icecream - I was in HEAVEN!!!

Up hill and down - So the course has a net down hill. It is allot of down hill, and my legs were pretty sore in the days following the race. Its probably about as much downhill as I could take. BUT there were some really prominent climbs to give our legs the break they needed from the pounding. Even though my heart rate would increase on the up hills, my legs were very thankful for the variety!!! 

Other random comments- It was fun to wait with several girlfriends at the beginning of the race. Cynthia and Karen, Virginia and Marcie. Marcie and I left for a last potty opportunity and then got in line together. It was our intention to stay together if the stars aligned for us. We had most of 19 miles together. A couple of times one of us would stop to kiss a husband, refill water, or potty. The other would keep going, as we had agreed to both do our best. We got a little separated for a mile or two on Veyo. So I used that time to stop and refill my water bottle. I wasn't sure if Marcie was ahead or behind me. Then I saw Yoshimi and talked to her for awhile. She ran with me for a mile or so. I could tell she was running a really easy pace. She was hardly breaking a sweat. Then I saw Marcie's pink tank up ahead. I was so glad to see that she was up there running strong. I sent Yoshimi ahead to tell Marcie that I was a little behind her, but for her to continue making Relentless Forward Progress! Marcie and I kept getting passed by a group of 3 girls wearing matching shirts. The shirts said "Just shuffling". I think their shirt should have said "An interval run today". I kept thinking 'didn't they already pass me???'. I'm not sure if they finished ahead or behind me, but I know they passed me at least a dozen times! When I finally decided that I would just have to stop for a potty, I saw 3 available porto's. I started running that direction, and then the 3 shufflers sprinted ahead of me and took all 3 portos! Darn Shufflers!!!! So I waited and took my potty stop later. 

At the beginning of the race Cynthia had a sweatshirt to stay warm. It was meant to cast off and possibly not be seen again. The sweatshirt said "Make a Wish", so we asked Cynthia what her wish was. She was very kind to make a wish that "The porto potty's wouldn't stink". I thanked her aloud when I made my potty stop, because that was the most pleasant porto I've ever stopped at mid-race! I even sat on the seat! Normally I would have to squat over the seat, but this porto was clean and amazingly odor free! 

At mile 19 Marcie and I started to get separated. I was mentally to that point where I just had to do what I could do. I've had some marathons where I felt great in the last 6 miles, and sped up to finish the last 10k at a faster pace. That had been my strategy and intention for this race. I tried to stay conservative in the beginning, and hoped to have allot left in the tank for the last 6 miles. But it was not so. At least for the last 6 miles I felt like I could hold my pace. I just couldn't speed up much. People say that SG should definitely be negative splits. I'm a believer in negative splits anyway. So that was my goal. But I ended up with equal splits. My avg pace at the half way was my avg pace at the end. So then of course you analyze your results later...if I started out faster, could I have held THAT? Or if I started out slower, could I have sped up more at the end? Maybe I started out just right, and equal splits were Terrific!!! I'm pretty happy with my experience. I don't think Id go back and do it differently. My "yasso 800's" had indicated that I might be capable of 3:26-3:30 for this race. But my training started off badly with an IT band injury. And downhill courses are hard for me. A year ago at Top of Utah I struggled and walked a whole bunch with screaming pain in my quads. So I was very pleased to hold a steady pace for the last miles of SG. I never considered walking. Didn't feel like walking. So I'm not disappointed that I also didn't feel like speeding up! 

I saw Noah during the race. That was a fun boost. Him and his two besties came riding up along the trail on their bikes. He gave me a new water bottle and a dry sweat towel and a wet cold towel. Thanks Hon! The water and towels were awesome, but just seeing him and getting a mid-race kiss was the BEST!!!

Toward the end of the race, volunteers were handing out cold wet wash cloths and little bags of ice. I put the bag of ice in my bra, and the wet towel on my head. Genius! Wonderful, wonderful volunteers!!!

When I stopped running I felt like the ground was moving beneath me! A feeling I kind of enjoy actually. Hey we all get our own kicks, right? And then there was the misters to walk under. Love it. And then the post race goodies. Awesome! I hung out with Marcie in the finishing area. Marcie finished well with an awesome 3:45. Then we saw my friends Barb and Julie in the finish area. They did really well. Barb was very happy with her time and said it was a great time for her to frame and retire on. She is ready to focus on triathlons instead of marathoning. I saw Virginia in the finishing area too and she was also very happy with her time. Cynthia finished well and so did Karen. We hung out in the finishing area and enjoyed sitting in a shady patch of grass. I love you SGM! I will be back!!!

PS. Don't wear a waist pack over your Bib!!! I had issues getting my chip time. I didn't realize that my pack was covering and bending my bib. SG helped me get my true chip time. 3:37:43. Thank you Steve from timing. 

Kick-off the trail season at Javelina Night Run!

Javelina Night Run, 25K
Sept 29, 2012, 6:30 p.m.

Javelina Night run was allot of fun! I really enjoy running at night - it is exciting and just a little bit scary! But not too scary. Just enough!

I thought Id pick a conservative pace because I was resting up for St George Marathon the very next weekend. But it is hard to take a conservative pace when your legs have been resting up! My legs wanted to GO!!! We all started off in a pack and I started a little faster than I usually might do, trying to find an open spot in the trail for me. I need my own space out there on the trail. Once I found my own space then I settled into it and got in the zone. Dark came quickly. The first half of the course is the harder part with allot of climbing and rocky technical terrain. After the aid station, its kinda smooth sailing for the last 7 miles.

As I came into the aid station I needed to refill my water bottle, but I tried not to linger at the station for long. I wanted to keep my groove. I knew that my pace was faster than last year and I kinda hoped to beat my time for last year. I came into the aid station with 8.5 miles and a 9:25 pace avg.

The second part of the race was fast and was good, except for I was experiencing waves of gut cramping. I thought the cramps might just be a result of my womenly hormones and the time of the month, but on the way home I realized that the gut cramps were something else - yuck! In the second half of the race I heard the coyotes crying. It makes me a little nervous, but its kinda cool.

I finished with a 9:04 avg., 4th woman. I stuck around for a while and saw some friends finish. I ate some of the finish line offerings. Which seemed fine. But I was starting to feel chilled and my stomach not so great. So I hopped in my car and started for home. On the way home I got pretty sick, and I will spare you the gory details. The next day my husband and daughter got stomach sick, so that settled it in my mind - a flu bug. Not food poisoning. At least it didn't come on full-force until I was on the way home.

It was fun to see friends Sammi and Becky there this year. Mary took an early start so I was thinking out there about her, knowing she'd be finishing about an hour or so into my race.

It was a little warm this year, but was okay. I wore my icy cold towel and that helped.

Great Job Aravaipa! I am so excited for this trail season and Javelina is the perfect kick-off!!!

Two Marathons

The Ogden Marathon was May 19th.

Official time: 3:45:56, a PR!

 The Good:

•  I ran the entire race.  Usually towards the end, I walk a little due to cramps and fatigue, but this time I stayed strong both physically and mentally and ran to the end.
• No cramps - which is great since this marathon has a good amount of downhill.  My right quad threatened to cramp but never did.  The electrolyte pills I take during the marathon seem to have stopped the cramping I experience towards the end of the race.
• No bathroom breaks.  I despise bathroom breaks during a marathon and I'm glad I didn't have to stop at all.
• Took in a gu around miles 3 and 8.  Swallowed electrolyte pills every five miles.  Ate two bites of Clif bar twice later in the marathon.  FYI: When you're using all your energy running, it's hard to chew and swallow.  But when those bars hit my stomach, my body was much happier.
• First time I've ran this marathon and I loved the course!  Especially liked the downhill towards the end.  

The Bad:

• I was going for a BQ time {my BQ time is anything under 3:40. 3:39:59?  I'll take it!}but didn't get it. I can't be too upset with myself though considering all the good things that happened.  
• It was downright cold at the start.  I was shivering and used a lot of energy to try and stay warm.
• Next time I'm going for a time goal, I'll wear a pace band.  I was trying to remember important split times {half, 20 mile, etc} from memory and wasn't too good at it.
• I'm a mess after a marathon.  I have to spend a good amount of time in the porta-pottie and I feel like curling up in a ball and dying.  But once I get showered and fed, I don't feel like dying so much.

Utah Valley Marathon was June 9th

Official time: 4:02:34

Since this was my 11th marathon, here are eleven random thoughts about the marathon:

1. Woke up at 2:30 a.m. for this race.  Southbound traffic was busy for that time of the morning - a lot of crazy people up early heading to Provo to run.  {There was also a half-marathon and 10k)
2. The bus that took us to the start of the marathon was the slowest bus ever.  There were probably eight buses that passed us.  Lots of comments from other runners like, "Is it the bus or the driver?"  "He needs to downshift."  Luckily, we got there before the race started and I even had extra time to use the porta-pottie.
3. Since we're talking about porta-potties, I dislike them with a passion.  But if you're going to be a marathon runner, you have to get used to those puppies.  And those good ol' porta-potties have provided me with lots of embarrassing moments.  Yesterday was one of them.  After the race, the porta-pottie is my second home.  I was sitting down and the door flies open.  I screamed because it startled me and I'm pretty sure the little girl who opened the door got a good scare.  Gotta love those porta-potties.
4. It was CRAZY windy.  Major, major headwind until around mile 20.  I had to hold my hat on through a few gusts and one lady that I was running behind, lost her hat and she chose to run back and get it.  If that was my hat, I would have let it rest in peace.  
5. Running uphill, into the wind is completely exhausting.
6. I'm not convinced I like pacers.  Before the start, I grouped myself with the 3:40 pacer and talked with him for a minute.  When the gun went off to start the race, he ran to the side of the road and sprinted forward.  I thought to myself, "What is he doing?"  There are so many people at the start of the race that there was no way I could keep up with him.  I couldn't get around all the people. Finally, I did catch him and he was running around a 7:30 to 7:38 pace.  A fast pace to start the race when our average pace should be around 8:20.  I should learn to ignore the pacers and run my own race. 
7. I'm thankful for the volunteers who hand you water, gatorade and gu.  They're friendly and they cheer you on.  It takes a lot of volunteers to pull off a marathon and they're always so happy to be up early in the morning dealing with all the sweaty runners.
8. During a marathon, I never question why I'm running.  I love running.  But when things start to get hard, I wonder why the race has to be 26.2 miles.  Couldn't it stop at mile 20.2?  Or even mile 23.2 would be fine with me.
9. At mile 23, I hit the wall big time.  I was exhausted and there was nothing left in the tank.  Zero.  Zilch.  I told myself that I'd just walk the rest of the way.  I walked from mile 23 to 24.  Then when I hit mile 24, I talked myself into running again and ran to the finish.
10. I drank some chocolate milk at the finish.  The best chocolate milk I've ever tasted.
11. I love running!

Whiskey Row

My disposable outer layer

We are the first ones here

The race was to start at 6:00 am. We got there a little early – about 5:20. The start was on a street corner in front of Hotel St Michaels. We knew we were in the right place because we saw the overhead banner- Whiskey Row Marathon. But we were the first ones there! Okay one other guy was arriving at the same time as us. Just one. We walked into the hotel looking for a restroom to use. As the race got closer a few other people showed up. But not til about 5 minutes before did the “crowd” show up! Next time I’m staying in Hotel St Michael so that I can walk out just 5 minutes before start!

I was looking around, trying to decide if I had a chance of winning that day. There didn’t seem to be very many women, so I decided that it might be a remote possibility…

10 minutes before start

I had no time goal for the day. The whole race was 5,000-7,000 feet elevation, and I didn’t know what that kind of elevation would do to my pace.

We had hills to climb right off the bat. The air felt thin and I wanted to walk within the first few miles. My pride didn’t want me to be the first person around walking. I did start to walk 5 miles into the race though. I think I saw someone else walk and thought ‘okay, now I can too’. Even though I was one of the first to start walking, I thought, ‘these hills are going to catch up with everyone. Maybe if I start walking now, I’ll be better off later’. And I believe I was right about that.

When I started walking so early in the race I thought ‘Do I really want to do this today? This is going to be a looooong day. Maybe I’ll take the whole time given’. I wasn’t worried about missing the cut-off, but I just thought that suddenly I was in for a long day. But after questioning myself I decided ‘yes, I do want to do this today. Karen and Cynthia are watching my kids. Noah is mountain biking. No one is relying on me to do anything. All I have to do is enjoy the scenery of Prescott! I just have to let go of my pace, and just keep moving forward’.

So that’s what I did the rest of the race. I just kept moving forward. When I wanted to walk I walked. It was ALLOT. Sometimes I felt like I was walking more than running. But then I’d run a little. As long as I was moving along the 26 mile course…

The course was to run up a hill, climbing from 5,000 to 7,000 feet. You knew when you were at the top- there was a beautiful lookout. Then it was down hill, but not all down hill. Back to 5,000. Then turn around and go back up that big hill. Nothing was flat. It was never ever flat. Always up or down. The first and last 5 miles were paved. The rest of it was on shady dirt road.

I wrote texts in my mind to my friends sometimes. Texts that said “I’m doing the buddy walk today…but where are my buddies?” This is a reference to an inside joke from one of our earlier races…Long Beach I think. And at the half way point I did a mind text that said “I’m half way through, now Ill turn around and walk home!”….

It felt so good to get to the highest point for the 2^nd time. This was mile 17. Then I knew the hardest stuff was over. There would still be some hills to climb, but I had reached the highest point for the last time. My pace was at this point averaged close to 10 minute miles- just under. Over the last 9 miles I was able to shave it down to a 9:22 pace on my watch.

My legs felt strong and good in the last 9 miles. I was happy to find that I could still take the down hills fast. I thought about Top Of Utah Marathon where my quads hurt so bad that I had to walk down hills toward the end.

I started to catch up with people I hadn’t seen in awhile. The crowd really spread out and with maybe 5 miles to go I found myself alone. I couldn’t see anyone and started to panic that I had missed a turn. I decided to keep moving forward and hope for the best. I was so happy when I saw other runners again.

I remembered there had been steep ups and downs in the first few miles. So I knew I still had some steep hills to climb in the last couple of miles. But I wasn’t worried anymore. I just kept thinking ‘do what you can do today’. I kept thinking that training was the time to do the pushing, and today was the day to let my body do whatever it was prepared for. Whether it was walking or running hard. And some of it, luckily, was running hard!

I was happy with the experience because it seemed like a great opportunity to work through challenges. I had a chafing spot that I fixed. I pulled out my aquaphor and took care of the problem before it got any worse. I worked a small pebble out of my shoe. Some races I’ve just held onto my rhythm and ignored pains, figuring that I’d deal with the consequences later. It felt good to solve problems and keep working my way through this race.

It felt good to be in the moment, realizing that I wouldn’t work through this race in the usual timely manner, I started to just enjoy the moment. To think about only the mile I was in. Or the hill I was on.

But in the end my pace and finishing time wasn’t bad at all! It ended up allot faster than I thought it would be. I’m happy with my finish time but I’m most of all happy with my mental acceptance for the day.

I love PF Chang’s Marathon because I can work into my rhythm and just hold it. I can take it easy or I can push my pace and be really challenged. But sometimes I like to seek out a course that cannot be easy. A course that is challenging no matter what. It won’t be my last elevation race. It won’t be my last hilly race. I’m already wondering about Flagstaff marathon now. How does it compare?

I went back for the awards ceremony at 5:30 pm. I had no idea where I came in. I couldn’t really tell out there because I saw other women ahead of me but figured some were part of the half marathon and some might be relay? I wasn’t sure. But I thought there might be a chance….turns out I did get an age group award- 2^nd place in age group! I was 6^th woman out of 46 female marathoners and 39^th marathoner out of 166 marathoners. Very exciting to get an extra medal for an age group place. A perk to small challenging marathons I suppose!

And the best part of my marathon day was when Mitzi texted me that very day to tell me that my 2 little nieces, age 10 and 8, just completed a progressive marathon and were super excited to show me their shirts and medals! What an exciting thing to see someone you care about catch the excitement of running! Hearing that was like the whip cream and cherry on my marathon sundae:)

Age group award! 

Extra Info: Of course food and running go hand in hand for me and so I need to put in a plug for the food establishments of Prescott! We stuck with a chain for lunch- 5 guys, but enjoyed some local establishments later in the day- A bakery in downtown historic Prescott- called “Granny Annie’s Bakery” I think.  Anyway this women working in the shop makes it all herself. I had my first chocolate Napoleon. It was really great. But she had many amazing choices- cookies, cannoli’s, cream horns, fresh pie, cinnamon rolls, etc etc….amazing. And then we ate dinner later at Firehouse Plaza. We sat outside upstairs and enjoyed the ambience of the perfect day and good food. 

More Proof

In the last two weeks I have had three people tell me that running is bad for me. Two told me my knees are going to be ruined and a third told me that it has been proven that walking is much better for your heart. I don't really run for the same reasons as many of you, its mostly social, but I love the physical side effects. :) So here's another study that proves running won't kill me!

According to a recent Copenhagen City Heart study, jogging less than two hours per week can add years to your life.

The Copenhagen City Heart study started in 1976, around the time that the jogging boom happened, and followed 20,000 men and women, aged 20 to 98. Of the group, there were 1,116 male joggers and 768 female joggers. When their mortality rates were compared with the main group, the men lived 6.2 years longer than non-joggers, and women 5.6 years longer. Even crazier? The amount of exercise needed to drastically increase your lifespan isn't much at all. Just one to two and a half hours per week, split over two or three sessions.

Sure, folks who at least make the effort to run a little bit every week might also be taking care of themselves in other ways. The lesson? Stop being such a lazy turd. Or if you're already pretty active, you are probably going to live to be older than your lazy turd friends. Really, though, rippling abdominals aside, five or six years tacked on to the end of your life for a few hours' worth of effort a week is a pretty good deal.

I especially love the part that says one to two and a half hours per week will drastically increase my lifespan. I can do that.

The Boston Marathon

Here is what I can remember about the Boston Marathon, It is crazy that it has already been two weeks since I ran this.  I woke up at 5:10 am on race morning (Monday April 16th), but truthfully I woke up several times during the night, I was worried I would over sleep and I was nervous.  I woke up and put on sunscreen and my pink tank top and pink checker shorts, and headed out the door.  Reddin and I drove to the subway station and I was happy to see so many runners getting on the subway.


We meet Heather and then got back on the subway to park street.  There was a long row of yellow school buses, we took a few pictures and got on a bus and Reddin took of to go explore.


Heather and I talked the whole way on the bus, It was nice to have someone to talk and it made the trip go quick.  We got to Athletes village a few hours before the start so we ate a bagel, stood in the potty line a few times, collected free stuff (powerbars and body glide), and at about 9:30 started walked to the buses to drop off our drop bags and walk to the start.  Before the race even started I was sweating.  I was in wave 2 in corral 8 so I wished Heather good luck and we both went to the correct spots.  I crossed the start line at around 10:25 and then started running.  I didn't look at my watch very much I just wanted to do what felt comfortable but every time I did look it was always around 8 or 8:15.  I felt pretty good but sweat was dripping down my face and I really wished I had a towel or visor or something.  I drank all of my water and had to take my first gel by mile 5 because I was starting to feel funny.  At mile 10 I started to slow and knew that I needed to slow down if I wanted to finish this race and not pass out or get sick.  I was doing anything I could to cool my body down.  I ran from sprinkler to sprinkler, the spectators were amazing they lined the whole 26.2 miles and they came prepared with garden hoses, spray bottles, and water guns to keep us cool.  Several also handed out ice and cold wet sponges (those where to of my favorite items).  The race organizers where really worried about the heat (It got close to 90 degrees that day a race record I think) so they had the fire department come out also.  They fire department opened up fire hydrants and sprayed us down and they even has at least three huge yellow tents that you could run thru that sprayed water on you.  My shoes were soaking wet early on in the race, but I didn't care I just wanted to finish.  At mile 13 I ran by Wellesley college and laughed at all the signs (kiss me I am a senior, or never been kissed)  I saw a few guys stop and get kissed.  Right before mile 17 I saw Reddin and stopped and gave him a big sweaty hug and kiss and then kept running.

 I was felling pretty good then, but a few miles after that I started to slow again and took another gel, I realized then that I probably wasn't going to finish in under 4:00, but I just kept running.  I walked a little to take a gel as I started up Heartbreak Hill which helped and then just kept going. I loved the spectators at Boston College they were so loud and called me pink (go pink, looking good pink).   The last 4 miles I just kept telling myself one loop around the Islands and then when I got to 3 miles I told myself you can do anything for 30 minutes.  Then the crowd really started cheering the last 2 miles and even though my legs where tingly I finished as strong as I could at 4:16:59.  My worst race time ever, but I was still so proud because I finished.  This was the hardest race I have ran so far but I was glad I did it, it is fun.  After I finished they have you walk to get you metal and goody bag and then you have to keep walking to to get your drop bag.  I saw the long line of runners in wheel chairs and I didn't want to have to sit in one of them but by they time I got to the bus with my drop bag I felt like I was going to pass out so I set down behind the bus and texted Reddin.  He was waiting for me in the family area under the letter E.  I ate a few potato chips that is the only thing that sounded kind of good and then got up and walked to him.  After I found him I set back down again and finished my chips and then we walked to the park and got on the subway and headed back for our hotel.  I took an ice bath and then went and got in the pool and finally around 8pm that night decided I wanted to eat more then just salty snacks.  Overall it as so much fun and want to do it again someday if I can qualify again.

Runabout - An amazing addition to my training schedule

Karen, Lindy and I set out on our first Runabout on Friday, March 30th around 8:30am.

We learned a lot:

1. Always do a Runabout with friends! I loved having all day to spend with Karen and Lindy and we never ran out of things to talk about.

2. Eating must be central to your loose plans for the day, but don't eat too much, definitely don't eat until your full. Instead, eat half as much as you want and then a few hours later eat some more. Next time I would stop for a bagel or a muffin a few hours in, then half a sandwich a few hours later then a cupcake a few hours later. Along with gels and Gatorade that should get you through a day of running. I loved our stop at 7-11 to share a Cherry Coke. It tasted delicious!

3. Run as far away from home as you can, on new routes if possible. Next time it may be nice to park at Tempe Town Lake and run up through Scottsdale.

4. Plan a Runabout during cool weather. I loved our day, but after lunch it was just too hot for me to enjoy the running part of the outing, and since that was pretty much all we were doing that kind of spoiled it. :) Along with this, wear sunscreen! I'm still peeling from my sunburn, and it's a funky tan line because I sunscreened my shoulders and wiped down my arms but not enough got down to my forearms. So it is smeary and I have a definite line from my Garmin.

5. Bring more stuff. Medicine (Tylenol and Benadryl for me), maybe a few wipes in a ziplock bag, sunscreen. I feel like there should be more, but I don't know what else.



About to leave, looks like Lindy was still giving directions for her babysitter. :)

Lindy and Karen at Discovery Park with the new Gilbert Temple going up.

 

Discovery Park. I knew my shorts were too big, but this pic might make me retire them...



LUNCH!



We ran in to a friend at Paradise and she took our picture. I'm fairly certain she thinks we are all nuts!

They are so fast! We braved some construction and unknown canal routes.



Cooling off at Zanjero park.



When I saw this oasis park in the distance I knew that was where we needed to stop!



Yep, this is how we felt when we reached the shade!



Still smiling.



Our final pic, we must be good friends because we were disgusting, but still willing to touch each other for this pic.