Christmas Running Party

Islands Running Club after what I hope will become an annual running party!  Pictured above are the party attendees after our yummy breakfast.  Top row: Karen and Lindy (we let them stand on the fireplace so they could be in the back row of a picture for once.) Front row: Cynthia, Barb and Lisa.

Saturday morning Lindy and Karen started bright and early, so they could have 18 miles by the time we got to breakfast, I joined them 6 miles in for a total of 12 and we picked up Lisa with 10 to go.  Lisa was very disappointed when she realized she could have taken an even shorter option to breakfast but we needed her every step of the way!  I had mapped 10 miles from my house in what took us in a Z pattern, Lisa of course complained every time we weren't heading directly to the restaurant. :) Barb chose the biking option today and parked at the restaurant and biked for two hours so she would be equally sweaty while eating with us.

The run was great as always. We took a new canal and I really liked it, nice and smooth (no speed bumps to trip on), and it was fun to run through Freestone Park, with lots of runners out and about.  We went to Joe's Farm Grill and all got delicious breakfasts. We need to talk to them about adding hot cocoa to the menu though, that was a disappointment.  Next time we will have to bring packets and get hot water there.

After breakfast we had a running gift exchange. It was so fun! We had all chosen a running related gift valued in the $10 - $15 dollar range and then we played the 'stealing' game. Karen was first and kept getting stolen from but we all ended up with really nice stuff! Its fun to get and give new gear! 

I had left a car at the restaurant the night before so I drove everyone home and hated for it to end. I had looked forward to this run for weeks and felt just as excited for it as I do for races, etc. I hope we can do it every year and I hope more people will be able to make it in years to come, but I'm so glad we had our core group there this time.

Here is an idea of the fun gifts:  ininji toe socks, balga socks, blinky light, long sleeve tech shirt, fuzzy socks, aluminum water bottle, ragnar jewelry.  Everything was popular, but everyone ended up with the right gift for them.  Merry Christmas! I can't wait for next years running party!

If I Could, I Would

Too bad this half-marathon is almost four hours away {near St. George}.  If it was a little closer, I'd run it in a heartbeat.  Doesn't it sound fun in a warped way?  {Of course, after it was over, I'd have to make sure my heart was still beating after consuming all that fat.}

Click image to enlarge.

Garmin 405

I saw this on Costco's website and almost started to drool. 

It's the Garmin Forerunner 405.  Anyone already have it?  Looks less bulkier than the previous versions and it comes in black or green.  I'm liking this green.  I can't wait to upgrade to this but I should probably wait until mine dies.  Unless it suddenly gets lost or something unfortunate like that happens . . . 

Click here for more info.

Long Beach- The Detailed Account

Last spring when we didn’t make it into the St George Lottery, we scrambled to find a back-up marathon. This caused us a great deal of stress because none of our options sounded as ideal as St George.

We finally decided on a weekend girls trip to Long Beach California. It ended up being a great decision! So much fun!

We started our carb loading 2 nights before the marathon, at Pei Wei. Pad Thai noodles with shrimp for me. Yum! The perfect start to our carb loading! And carb loading is part of the joy of marathoning for me! Definitely worth mentioning! Night 2 of carb loading was the pasta dinner on board the Queen Mary. It was a dinner specifically for the marathoners. Pasta: penne, tortellini, or ravioli, choice of red or white sauce, salad, breadsticks, cookies, and brownies. Just right! I think the 2nd plate full was not helpful to my marathon, but luckily didn’t hurt me too much either! It was lots of fun to walk around the Queen Mary. A big ship with multi-levels and some history to it. Posters showed that people like Clarke Gable had taken vacation time aboard the Queen Mary.

Karen and I had a plan to stick together for the first half, and then to see how we felt from there. We also had a plan to stick with the 3:40 pacer for the first half. We were supposed to be in the first wave for our start. But the start line was so packed, and closed in on the sides, that we couldn’t get up to where we needed to be. People were giving us dirty looks as we tried to push our way to wave 1. We missed the wave 2 start, and then got to the starting line after wave 2 and before wave 3. We were off. The start felt fast to me. I usually spend the first few miles trying to hold back and not go to fast. This time we may not have been going that fast, but the stress of catching up with our pacer made me feel like we were pushing fast. After a little bit we caught up with the 3:50 pacer. We gave up on finding the 3:40 pacer and decided we’d just have to keep ourselves on pace. When we’d pass a mile marker, I would tell Karen the time on my watch, and she’d tell me if we were on track.

I was just getting over a flu, and could really feel it in the first miles. I didn’t really feel like I could find my groove until about 10 miles in.

I made a mental note that allot of this marathon was on concrete. I had worried as much when the website mentioned some concrete, and not how much concrete.

The weather was nice. Overcast. Not too hot. Definitely not cold. I liked that we were along the ocean for much of it. I didn’t like all the loops. As Mark Remy would call it- a wormhole course!

The benefit of the looping portions was that I got to see some of the elites run by- an amazing sight! And I got to see Cynthia and Bridge at different points. Having them call out my name, and seeing their bright smiling faces was a huge boost! They both looked very happy and strong when I saw them.

Karen and I were together until mile 16, but then she said to go on, that she needed to walk for a minute and try to get a gu down. I hesitated to leave her but she waved me on. So I settled into a pace that felt comfortable.

I was wearing a 3:30 pace band, but hadn’t checked myself with it at all. I never ended up using it. I just decided to ignore my watch until the last 6 miles, and then if I felt good I would keep it under 8 minute miles for the last 10k. I kept wondering if I was going to start to suffer or feel a “wall” of sorts. But I never did notice a wall. I did feel good with 6 miles to go, so I let myself speed up. I tried to fight the urge to “just get it over with”, and go too fast. I kept telling myself ‘under 8 is good enough!’. Everytime I looked at my watch I was between 7:30 and 8:00. In the last few miles I came across lots of people walking, and lots of them were walking in groups too. I just said “excuse me” and pushed through. I didn’t want to do too much weaving around people, because my watch was already telling me that I would be getting more than 26.2 miles on this day.

I saw Lisa right after crossing the finish line. I had been hoping that she would be there. She ran the half marathon on this day. I knew that she would finish before me, but I was not letting myself get my hopes up too high- knowing that she might go back to the hotel for a shower, or she might be getting food in the finisher’s area. But Lisa was right there to give me a hug and even shed some tears for my fast finish! Such a terrific friend!

My final stats on my watch were 26.48 miles, 3:32:51 with an 8:02 avg. Good enough for 15th in my division. Hey, Ill take it!

Lisa and I stayed up close to the finish line to see Karen, Cynthia, and Bridge all come in. I love seeing my friends cross the finish line and complete such an accomplishment. They all finished their race strong, with determination and the Will to Succeed!

PR’s for Lisa, Me, Karen, and Cynthia. And Bridge finished strong too, despite some arch pain she was suffering! I feel like it was a really great day.

Fuel: I carried 5 gu’s, and used 4. I carried a pack of Clif Bloks, and ate only one of them. I took an orange slice from a cute little girl along the way. I carried my own water bottle and asked for 3 kind water volunteers to fill me up. I enjoyed chocolate milk, trail mix, and a banana at the finish line. I refueled later with cheese and tomato pizza from Bueno’s. And topped the night off with a caramel and heath apple.

Funny story from the course:
Karen and I passed a married couple arguing over what pace they should keep. Him- Do you want to run with me or not? Her- yes but at this pace. Him- Cant you go a little faster? I slow down a little, you speed up a little? That is compromise! Her- I don’t think I can. Him- Just a little???

Me: This is why its better for husbands to excel at Mountain Biking!!!

Tempe Women's Half Marathon

Congrats to all the Half Marathon runners today! It was a great course, a beautiful day and such of fun group of women to be with and be inspired by.  Lindy, Karen, Barb, Cresson and I all got PR's.  I'll try to post a picture soon. The medals are neat, with a removable charm to put on a chain and wear.

Long Beach- A Few Pics

Some Serious Carb Loading!!!

Karen and I get the Royal Chair Treatment at our hotel! Cynthia is also in the picture, with an angelic halo!

Our Running Group- the matchy matchy girls for our day-before run. Just two miles to work out the kinks!

On board the Queen Mary!

Who would guess these glamorous Ladies ran a Marathon today???

Super Mega Ultra Lightning Babe!!!

Good luck in Long Beach this weekend, Lindy Lou. I hope you win!!!!

St. George Marathon

I've been reading some race reports from the St. George marathon and wanted to share this one with you.  This runner follows the walk/run method and he takes some great pictures along the way.  Enjoy.

http://www.fastcory.com/2010/10/st-george-marathon-2010.html 

Top of Utah

I'm a little sad. Not that I didn't make my goal time of 3:45. But that the Top of Utah Marathon is already over and in the books. I really liked this race. I liked the route and loved the crowd participation. I can see myself running this one again and again. And it's close to home, which is nice, too.

Here are a few highlights of the race:

• Race start was at 7 a.m. Bus loading took place from 5:15-5:45. I caught the bus at about 5:30 and headed to Hardware Ranch in Blacksmith Fork Canyon. I'm glad I layered because it was FREEZING at the start. I stood in line for the porta-potties then headed to the start line where I took off my warm clothes and put them in my drop bag. It was six minutes to start time. Those six minutes went fast. The race started.
• The first 14 miles is running down a canyon. Then the route levels out. But towards the end, it seemed like there were lots of little neighborhood hills.
• About five minutes into the race, a girl came from behind me and said, "I've been following you for five minutes. I think we're the same pace." We ran together for the next 13 miles. Christina is from Providence {right next to Logan} and her goal was 3:40 - her bq time. But it was her first marathon and she said she would be happy just to finish. We talked and talked and it made those first 13 miles go by a little faster. I wish she lived in Salt Lake so I could adopt her as a running partner.
• At fourteen miles, the canyon ends and now we're running through neighborhoods. From this point on, it seemed like there were always spectators cheering.
• At mile 20, I was at 2:47:40. On track for a 3:45 finish. But around mile 22, I was slowing down and my right quad and left calf were threatening cramps. I would walk through the aid stations while downing some gatorade and then run to the next aid station. From that point on the aid stations were one mile apart. That seemed to keep my legs from full-on cramping. As I got to mile 24, I knew I would have to keep up a wicked fast pace to make my goal time and I knew my legs probably weren't up for it. But I kept running.
• Finish time: 3:51:18. Not a BQ but a PR by 22 minutes and 10 seconds.
• I took gu at 6, 11, 14, 19 and 22 miles. I was planning to take it every six miles but decided to take it when I felt like I needed it.
• I carried water until mile 15, then I dropped the bottle at an aid station.

After the race, I headed back to where we were staying and even before I showered, I sat down and called Lindy. I told her that this was an overall pretty good race for me and I didn't think I could get a faster time. This was it. The fastest time I'll get. And she immediately said, "No." And I love her for it! After I thought about it more, I think I have it in me to shave off those six minutes. With a little tweaking to my overall training, I think I can do it. Time will tell. And as long as my body allows, I'll keep trying.

My sweet husband and sister came to cheer me on. So happy to have them there!

Inspiration for Marcie!

Alright, Marcie is running this weekend, and its all I can think about! So I have been thinking of inspiring mantras for Marcie, and then for the Long Beach Marathoners in a few weeks. Ill share a few quotes, and invite any of you to share your favorite quote for Marcie!

Here is the one that Cynthia gave me the night before I got my PR at PF Chang's 2009. I thought of this quote ALLOT while running!

"The body does not want you to do this. As you run, it tells you to stop but the mind must be strong. You always go too far for your body. You must handle the pain with strategy...It is not age; it is not diet. It is the will to succeed."
Jacqueline Gareau

And then my newest favorite quote, that I might need to call on during my next race-
"A lot of people run a race to see who is fastest. I run to see who has the most guts, who can punish himself into exhausting pace, and then at the end, punish himself even more."
Steve Prefontaine

"Run like the Wind!!!"
Marcie Clark

"Better make this good, its what youll be thinking about for the rest of the day, week, month, year..."
Lindy Manwaring

So lets hear what youve got!

More Guts Please!

Last year I ran a nice hilly 8 mile race in Tucson. It takes place on Labor Day, so a perfect weekend to get away while Kids and Hubby have a day off. Ive been itching to go back and do that 8 miler again.

Now, I seemed to forget allot about this race. As I ran yesterday, it all started coming back to me. Hills the whole way. Brutally steep downhills, but mostly uphills. At mile 3.5 there is a huge uphill. When I climb that hill, it is really really difficult, but I keep thinking that Ill get over the top and then get to go down hill. What goes up must come down, right? This is how it goes in Las Sendas where I do my hill training. But after this big hill, there is another hill and another hill and another hill...on and on...you get the picture.

I had a challenging pace goal in mind. I wanted to finish in one hour. I thought finishing in one hour would be so super cool. But as I did the math, I realized that I would not pull it off in an hour. No way. So I decided to make 61 minutes my goal. This seemed properly challenging, but perceivable. Possibly attainable. This would mean having a 7:37:30 avergage.

I went out fast and went into the hill at 3.5 with a 7:25 average. At the top of the big hill my average had slowed to 7:50. I had less than 3 miles to bring it back to speed.

I recently saw the movie about Steve Prefontaine. So I kept thinking about how he said that "most people run a race to see who is the fastest, I run to see who has the most guts." I kept reminding myself to have allot of guts. To go for it. To fight for my goal. To work hard and accept the pain. I was wearing a headband that said "dig deep", and oh how I tried. But I did not have it in me to get my average back to 7:37. I dont know if I dug a little deeper if I had those kind of guts. Im not sure I had 7:37 guts for that course. Toward the end I was feeling a little tingly and wondered if this would be the race where I passed out. Maybe there were more guts in me, because I didnt hit the pavement after I crossed the finish line. Maybe I didnt leave it all out there.

Anyhow, I did beat my watch time from last year. Last year's garmin time was 1:05:48. This year my garmin said 1:03:05. Which was a 7:43 pace. I am happy with achieving my 2nd case scenario goal. And it leaves me thirsting for better. I want to go back and dig deeper.

I did pull a strategy move! Ive been reading books about milers- The Perfect Mile, and Once a Runner. I never used to think of strategy, but these books have put it in my head a little. There was a girl in front of me on the course- most of the race she was way ahead of me. I slowly gained on her, but ran behind her until the final stretch, and then turned on the speed. I didnt know if she was in my age group, but I thought she might be. And I was really hoping for an age group prize. As I passed her I kind of felt like apologizing- this is the part of me that was never good at sports!

It was a fun race and I did win my prize. This year a white wicking cap by New Balance. Yay for prizes! I love the schwag!!!

Southern Arizona Road Racers (SARR) are a fun bunch. You can tell there are allot of neat running locals there. I feel that they have a running community- that allot of these same people do all the races over there. They even have a point system- I think they call it the Grand Prix or something....I enjoyed their race very much.

Proof that I run

Sorry for the quality of the picture, how do you take a good picture of your own foot?  However, if it were more in focus maybe it would be too repulsive to post.

Note the following:

1. Blister on big toe (every time I run hills I tend to blister, suggestions? I already use body glide...)

2. Missing toenail on second toe. I actually think it looks better than the blackened thing that fell off recently.

3. Tip of second toe callous. Developed over months of blistering, healing, blistering, healing. Now it is just a nasty thick slab of scaly skin.

4. Black third toe. Will look like second toe soon.

5. Blister on TOP of fourth toe. That's a new one.

6. My pinkie toe seems fairly normal.  Maybe after my next 20 miler it will catch up with my other ugly toes.

40 days to the Long Beach Marathon, will my feet make it?

Happy running!

Provo River Half-Marathon

I love this race. If my memory is correct, this is the fourth time I've ran it. The course is down the Provo River trail and mostly shaded. On Saturday morning, I woke up at 3:50, got ready and headed down to Provo to pick up my bib number, get my timing chip and board the buses. The buses took us to the start and there we waited for about an hour and a half until the seven o'clock start time.

Those of you who have run any of the Provo River runs know they're not the most organized races in the world. This is the 18th Provo half-marathon and you'd think the organizers would have it down to a science . . . but they don't. The buses took the runners and dropped us off in a field. No one knew where the race started. About 7:00, Curt {the race organizer} came in his truck and yelled out the window, "Throw your drop-bags in here!" as he's driving off. All the runners are frantically trying to get their drop bags in the truck that's driving away. Luckily, I didn't take a drop bag so I didn't have to participate in all the chaos.

Shortly after 7:00, a car makes its way through the crowd and a couple of people set up the start and place the timing mats down so our chips will work. The race starts at 7:10 and we're off. It felt good to finally be running. I took my own water so I flew by all the water stations and downed a gu at mile 6. My goal time was 1:45 and I crossed the finish in 1:43:52. A new PR. This isn't the most organized race but since it's such a lovely course, I'm sure I'll be back to run it again and again.

A few thoughts:

• a deer was roaming around at the start and was letting people pet it.
• this race has the most females I've seen that run in full make-up: eye shadow, mascara, eyeliner, lipstick. Interesting.
• a couple of 13 year-old boys started the race by me and after we'd run a few minutes, I heard one of them say, "I think we've ran a mile already." He asked me how far we'd run, I checked my garmin and it said .6 miles. It might have been a long race for those two.
• this was my "easiest" half-marathon. In all the half-marathons I've ran there's been a point where I've had to dig deep mentally and physically but this half-marathon I felt strong and energized the whole race. I'm pretty sure I can thank my rough eighteen-mile run last Saturday. Compared to that, this was a walk in the park.
• This may go down in the books as my fastest half-marathon. I'm not sure I have it in me to get a faster time. But, you should never say never. Maybe with Lindy pacing me, I can break 1:40. Maybe.
• I crossed the finish line, walked straight to my car and drove home so I could make it back for my husband's tennis game.

Map, Trail, Green mojave rattlesnake...

We were intending to camp in Greer this weekend, to get a break from the hot local temperatures. The reason we chose Greer for this camping trip was that Karen and Reddin would be there doing extended family stuff, but they were going to take a break so Karen could run with me and Reddin could bike with Noah. Intended departure, thursday. But Karen called me wednesday night and said it was too rainy there for fun camping.

Thursday we were celebrating my daughter's birthday lunch at Joe's BBQ. Noah suggested we take off for one night in Sedona. I will never turn down an opportunity to get away somewhere fun with the family, and to run in a fun new location. So we went home and packed the van. On the way to Sedona Missy watched a Dora movie over and over. Bridge, door, tall mountain....Dora always picks a sequence and the kids use a map to help them follow through the sequence.

Noah got me a map, and pointed out some trails I might run the next morning. All of them close to Bell Rock. It looked fabulous. Bring on the 16 miler!

I got up semi-early and snuck out of our hotel room leaving everyone else to sleep in. I took my little map and 2 bottles of water and a couple of gu's.

The trail was nice and not too difficult. There was a fair amount of climbing, and it was humid. My pace wasnt very fast. It was fun to look around at all the big red rock formations. Sedona is a magical place. Some even say it is literally magic! Some people practice yoga in Sedona in special vortex areas. Maybe I did run through a magical vortex because my ankle seemed to be healed. Last Saturday in Las Sendas my ankle hurt like crazy- but not at all yesterday.

There was a mountain biker playing leap frog with me out on the trail. He was from the local village and seemed to know the area well. He seemed really capable and nice and I was glad to have him close by. At one point I saw his bike sitting on the ground, in the trail in front of me. I worried he might be hurt. But then I saw that he was taking a picture of a HUGE snake. It was rattling at him and he told me "Stand back, this is a Green Majave Rattlesnake, one of the most deadly snakes out there!" After that I really kept my eyes and ears open and was easily startled by every beetle and rabbit out there!

Do you see the snake? It doesnt look like much in this picture, but I promise it was Huge!

The rest of my run passed uneventfully. I was sad for it to end. Sedona is definitely a new favorite running location for me. It seems to me that the best way to experience a new place is to run through it. Something about passing through a place, not so fast as in a car, but not so slow as a walk. On foot so you are a part of it.

So if you yearn for adventure like Dora does, I highly recommend the sequence in Sedona- Map, trail, Green Mojave Rattlesnake!

Summer Running

I dont have any pictures and not any races to report. But Ive been having some really fun summer runs. We were in Utah for over a week and I got to do some of my favorite runs there. I ran with Noah's sister Mary. She is kind of new to running and this was our first time running together. She recently ran her first half marathon and did really well. It was fun running with her and bonding with her over a view of Pleasant Grove. She showed me a new running route- a canal that I didnt know was there. It is really close and convenient to my in-laws house.

I pr'd on my interval session on the Pleasant Grove Highschool track the next morning. Thanks to the cooler weather in Utah.

I got to run twice with Marcie. Once in Provo Canyon where she challenged me with her 8:16 pace for 9 miles. Go Marcie! And a 12 miler in Ogden. We ran a nice foresty trail run for the first few miles. Unfortunately the foresty trail ran out so we finished on a nice paved trail. Its the trail that is part of the Ogden Marathon. I really enjoy catching up with Marcie while we run. (literally and figuratively!) Conversation is easy and the miles fly by. I am already anticipating our next run when I go back in the fall.

I had a chance to run with my brother Blake. It wasnt a real chatty run. It was only 4 miles but more up hill than down. Blake was visibly holding back to run with me. I enjoy running with Blake, because its something we can do together one on one. But I think Ill be in trouble if he ever has time in his life to run consistently! He is already naturally faster than me at the top of my game. Im glad he puts up with my pace.

And then today back to a long hot arizona run. I anxiously anticipated today, as 13 miles is the minimum distance we feel is worthy of a post-run chocolate milk. I took a lemon-lime gel on the way there and celebrated post-run with a chocolate milk from Circle K. Me, Barb, Cynthia, and Karen ran the canal system to my gym, getting 9 miles on the way, and then finished up with 4 more miles on the treadmill.

The treadmill and the indoors might not be as glorious as a foresty trail run, but there IS something to say for a posh fancy flushing toilet, a clean white sweat towel, and a cold drinking fountain. Not to mention stepping into the cool air conditioning. Aaaaah!

Good stuff, all of it! Thankyou friends! Thankyou running! Thankyou God, for our sport!

Water Station from Deanna

On my birthday I was running along when much to my surprise I saw my good friend Deanna standing behind a water station like the ones you pass on a race. She had ice water set out for me and a birthday banner. My very own elite water station with sharkies for me to refuel on too!

I was not expecting this and almost ran right past her! I barely looked up and noticed her as I was passing the water station. It was a fun surprise!

We later found out that a guy we know told his wife that Deanna was running a lemonade stand- at 6am! We teased Deanna that she must be really hard up for a little extra cash!

I had a really great birthday and was greatful for friends to run with me, water me, dress me in new wicking run apparel and send me Dean Karnazes books and video from Utah!

What a great day! Thanks all!

New Girl

Sarah, Barb, Cynthia, Lindy, Karen, Lisa, Sara.

During last saturday's run, a girl joined our group for just the last mile or two. I thought maybe Julie had invited her to meet up with us. She seemed to know Julie. I added her to our email list and invited her this week. This week she told me the story...Julie hadnt invited her. She only recognized Julie after she had already latched onto our group. She said that she was running, and heard us behind her. We sounded like we were having a good time. She was in need of a running social network, and we sounded like a fun one. So she jumped right in.

I feel that we do have allot of fun, especially on saturday mornings! So I am glad that Sara found us. Because she seems like a really neat addition to the club! Its like a party on wheels!

We also have another recent addition- Barbara Moss. She runs on Vibram Five Fingers. She is also a fun addition to the group! I met her in my daughter's t-ball, while Lisa and Cynthia met her in PTA. It was meant to be.

Running girls are generally kindred spirits:)

Ps. As you might have noticed from the picture, wicking sweatbands are the TOTALLY cool running accessory right now!!!

A Memorial Day Half

I ran the Striders Memorial Day Half-Marathon yesterday and had a good run. This is my second time so I knew what to expect - an out and back course and pretty flat. I woke up at 4:45 a.m. and arrived at the start/finish at 6:00 a.m. to pick-up my bib, shirt and timing chip.

The director started the race at 6:45 and we were off. A girl and I started running in sync with each other and stayed together for the first three miles. After mile three, she dropped back and I picked-up two male runners and stayed with them until mile seven where I dropped back a bit but still kept them within eyesight. In this small of a race, it was nice to have someone help me keep pace. I wore my Big Sur shirt and as I passed a group of runners, I heard one of them say, "That's the race I really want to do!"

As I came to mile 11.5, the course crosses the entrance of the parking lot. As I was running I heard, "Go Marcie!" and looked up to see my mom, nieces and nephew in the car just pulling into the parking lot. They were coming to see me finish. Great timing! They parked the car and found the finish line in time to see me finish in 1:46:45. A new PR.

There were a total of 193 runners that ran the half. I came in 5th out of 41 in my age division, 11th out of all 95 females and 46th out of the total 193 runners.

Two for One: Boston 2 Big Sur 2010!

Big Sur was everything that I hoped it would be. It did not disappoint in the least. It was only better than I could’ve imagined.

Karen and I went to the Expo Saturday, timing it so that we’d get to hear Dean Karnazes talk about long distance running and his book about running 50 marathons in 50 states. This was fun to hear. And it came in handy later when we needed stories to share along the course!

Karen sweet-talked Wally Kastner, the Race Director, into giving our group the “cushy” bus tickets to the start. Marcie, Karen, and I were staying in the Hilton, and wanted to walk over and meet Sharon in front of her hotel. Sharon was on the nice buses, and Mr. Kastner was kind to let us be with her.

We did our carb loading that night at California Pizza Kitchen. Karen’s family, Mine, and Sharon with her husband Dave. The pasta with Marinara sauce and chicken seemed like good pre-race fuel.

On Sunday morning Noah kindly got up before 4 am to take us to meet Sharon. We walked back and forth in front of the Marriot looking for Sharon. Marcie, Karen, and I. We were just about to give up and get on the bus when Sharon came running up. Yay!!! I really wanted to ride up together. I remember a long lonely bus ride on my own- at Ogden Marathon, my first. I didn’t want Sharon’s first marathon bus ride to be a lonely one. Luckily it all came together!

Big Sur is a smaller marathon than others I have done. It was fun because I actually saw everyone there who I knew would be running it. I saw Heather Fetter on our same bus. She is a friend who used to come to my cycle classes at the old Gilbert Mountainside. I saw Dan Beaver “The Shoe Nazi”, as we call him, there with his wife. Dan sells shoes to me and all my friends. He works at Run AZ, and is usually there, with great advice about shoes and running. And Marcie spotted Scott Dunlap toeing the front line as we passed the front of the pack trying to gauge where our collective starting position should be.

Karen, Sharon, and I wore our Ragnar shirts and this was a good conversation starter along the course. Allot of people started talking to us about which Ragnar races they’ve run. Sharon told us later that she also talked to allot of people who asked about Ragnar.

We saw a guy running alone wearing the Clif Team gear. We asked him where his people were, and he told us that he is the “float”. He starts up front and gradually slows back through the crowd. If one of the pacers is having trouble then he takes their place. We asked questions about what it entails to be a pacer. I must admit that Im interested! It doesn’t sound like something I can do while I’m mom to young ones. Someday it would be fun!

We had beautiful perfect running weather. We were so worried about fighting wind up the Hurricane Hill, but there was no wind resistance on Hurricane. Seeing it in front of us it looked very intimidating! A girl running by us said that it is not as bad as it looks. And I felt that way myself. I thanked myself for all the weekend runs in Las Sendas. Hurricane Hill was very doable. Hurricane was mile 10-12, and after completing Hurricane I had the confidence that the rest of the race would go well.

My quads were sore in the beginning of the race- reminding me of Boston 6 days ago. But luckily they didn’t seem to get any worse during Big Sur. I did feel throughout the race that I preferred the up hill and didn’t like the down hill so much. The up hills felt much better on my leg muscles. And EVERYTHING seemed to be up or down.

Karen and I had been planning beforehand to prepare for a game I call “Friday night at the movies”. It’s a game from my mission where you tell an entire movie from start to finish to someone- a movie that they’ve never seen before. We played it on the mission while tracting in rural areas. But Karen and I never could decide on a movie- I haven’t been able to stay awake for movies during marathon training! So we came empty handed. But then I remembered that Marcie hadn’t heard the stories from Dean Karnazes. So throughout the marathon I related little stories that Dean had shared on Saturday.

Bixby Bridge came at the halfway point. It was fun to hear Michael Martinez playing the grand piano. You could hear him way before you could see him. It sounded so beautiful. I liked the upbeat selection- he was playing “Bohemian Rhapsody” as we ran away. We wanted to stay and hang out and hear more. But decided to finish the race. So a few pictures and we were on our way.

I consumed 3 gels and a packet of gu chomps. I also got brave on this race and took the bananas, oranges, and strawberries offered along the course. It all served me well. I really liked the BYOB- bring your own bottle program. This was the first year for them to try this, and I hope that more races move this direction. Marcie, Karen, and I were trying to stay together. When they refilled their bottle, I would wait until the next water stop to refill mine. It was my hope that it would take us less time on refills if we staggered the refills. This seemed to work out well. And it gave me a small walking break while they refilled. Karen joked that I needed to refill more because she wasn’t getting enough walking breaks.

The points of interest Id read about on Scott’s blog were coming up one after the other. It made the marathon flow by pleasantly. And it was beautiful scenery the entire way.

Marcie seemed to be holding back most of the way, she got ahead of us for a little while on hurricane hill. But she held back and allowed us to catch her. She said it did feel better when we were together. It’s my first marathon to stick with anyone past mile 7/8. (Marcie in St George). It really was fun to stay together.

With 4 miles left to go, Marcie said she needed to walk a little. Karen told me that if I wanted to go faster, I could leave her. I said we’ve come this far- we need our “Lisa-Cynthia” moment!!! Lisa and Cynthia finished together in St George, and I thought that Karen and I should stick this one out together, as long as we could maintain some sort of a run. Which we both did. My calves suggested a mild threat that they might cramp and force me to walk. But they didn’t follow through on the threat. I was happy to feel good in the last few miles.

Karen and I grabbed hands and crossed the finish line together. A fun feeling to have made it the whole way together. I only wish Marcie could’ve made it a trio there. But at least she was with us most of the way. She came in shortly after us, achieving a personal record on this challenging course!

After we finished, they put a really sweet medal on us. A very hand-made looking medal. And I picked up my long-coveted jacket from the Boston-2-Big Sur tent. And received another medal with Boston-2-Big Sur on it.

Dave called and said Sharon would be coming in soon. My kids were a little restless but said I could walk over and watch for Sharon. I really wanted to see her finish this, her first marathon. She has kindly allowed me to be her personal trainer and has obediently done most of everything I told her- only putting her foot down to the post-race ice bath! So I got to see Sharon cross the line- looking strong.

After a marathon I like to keep walking around, because I’m on such a runner’s high, and because I fear going stiff if I stop to rest. Karen felt the same so our families headed straight to Monterey Aquarium. My husband assured me that, despite the marathon, I still smelled better than everyone else at the Aquarium. What’s the expression that means “blinded by love”, but referring to the sense of smell?

It was great training for one marathon, and getting 2 marathons out of my training! I would do that B2B every year if cost and time were not an issue. I definitely hope to do it again someday.

Thankyou Marcie, Sharon, and Karen for sharing this experience with me! It was so fun and so memorable!!!

***Also a word of thanks for the support team! Before Boston I was bestowed with cookies, cream puffs, chocolate milk, diet coke, gu, caffeinated jelly beans, and even a special made mix tape!!! All of the kind wishes and gifts trully mean allot!!! Lots of kind texts and emails from friends wanting to get the scoop. You all are Awesome!!!

Loved the Big Sur Marathon!

Bart Yasso said, "If we were told that we could run only one marathon in our lifetime, Big Sur would have to be it." And boy, oh boy, I have to agree. This marathon is gorgeous and touted as one of the most beautiful marathons in the world. The route is on Highway One, right along the coast, which is very beautiful AND hilly and windy. Experienced runners say to add an additional 15-20 minutes to your normal marathon time to account for the hills and wind. So I was preparing myself to have a good time, take some pictures along the way and just enjoy the run. I felt confident knowing that I had four months of solid training under my belt. One small glitch that occurred right before the marathon was that I got sick with a nasty cold that included chills, achy body and runny nose. Great timing, huh? Luckily, by Thursday, I was starting to feel better and feel like I could run the 26.2 on Sunday.

I appreciate whoever donated their Ragnar shirt for me to wear. That was very nice of you! But unfortunately, it was too small. I had taken two other shirts just in case that one didn't work out but in the end, I decided to wear the Big Sur marathon shirt. On marathon morning, Lindy, Karen and I met outside Lindy's hotel room at 3:55 a.m. Noah took us to the Marriott Hotel, where we met Sharon, and caught the bus that would take us on the long drive to the start of the marathon. On the bus I chatted with Lindy and ate a half peanut butter sandwich and drank plenty of water. Our bus was a nice, cushy travel bus which included a bathroom in the back. I definitely took advantage of that and used the bathroom. When we got to the top, Karen and Sharon got in line for the porta-potties and Lindy and I sat on the grass and waited for 6:45 a.m. - when it would all begin. {Lindy and I at the start}

It wasn't too much time before they started calling the runners to the start according to finish times. Lindy and I started prepping by taking off our warm clothes. We got rid of our long pants and extra jackets and stuffed everything in our drop bags. I ran our bags to the truck that was loading the drop bags and then we re-united with Karen and Sharon and made our way to the start line. As we approached the start, I spotted Scott Dunlap, author of A Trail Runner's Blog, lined up front and center at the start. We stopped and gawked, then we made our way to our start places. The weather was beautiful - not too cold and not too windy. Later, I was told we had unusally nice weather. Last year, it was pretty cold. We lined up and the announcer gave us a 30 second count down and we were off. The start is at Big Sur Ranger Station which is up a canyon, so the run begins downhill with trees on either side. Around mile seven, it opened up and we could see the coast and the beautiful scenery. This marathon is gorgeous! And this marathon is hilly! One hill right after another. As we approached mile 10, we faced the big hill that extends from miles 10-12. Lindy, Karen and I charged up the hill, running every step. We had conquered the biggest hill. It's hard to see but the hill wraps up both these hills and just seems to keep going!
As we came to the halfway point, we approached Bixby Bridge. And you know you're approaching Bixby Bridge because you can hear the sounds of a grand piano echoing through the valley. Unbelievable! We stopped for a quick picture. My husband and I drove the marathon course the day after the marathon and took these pictures at Bixby Bridge. Isn't it gorgeous?

I stayed hydrated by taking gu every six miles and drinking lots of water along the way. Lindy, Karen and I all took water bottles and when our water was getting low, the water stations were pretty efficient at filling them nice and quick. At some water stations, they were out of water but had gatorade. I loved talking with Karen and Lindy along the way. This made the miles so enjoyable! We stayed together along the whole route until around mile 23. I started feeling my legs tightening and my feet hurting. I knew I needed a walk break. I waved Lindy and Karen on and walked for a bit. I would run 30 steps then walk 30 steps. Then it turned into just walking. My legs were feeling every single step I had taken to that point. As I approached mile 25, I decided to kick it into gear and see if I could beat my time at St. George. I mustered enough strength to sprint to the finish and clocked in at 4:13:28. A new personal record!

This was such a fantastic, gorgeous marathon! I hope I will be returning to run Big Sur again for the fun mile marker signs, the bands that played along the route, the big drums beating right before the big hill at mile 10, the piano player at mile 13, the strawberries at mile 25 and seeing that finish line! I am so proud of Karen - she did absolutely awesome for her first marathon. She will rock it in St. George. And I am so proud of Lindy - she completed the Boston 2 Big Sur challenge so very strong! I saw the pictures that the photographers took of Lindy and Karen crossing the finish line together - so awesome! Can't wait to read Lindy, Sharon and Karen's perspective of the race.

My First Boston

On Friday we flew to Boston. I was imbetween Noah and Dawn. She was, like me, reading Runners World Magazine. We didn’t start up conversation until we were asked to buckle up in preparation for landing. Then she piped up to tell me that a friend of hers on the plane was friends with Scott Jurek, who I was reading about in my magazine. In our short conversation that followed, I learned that she has done 44 marathons, and 5 hundred milers. I guess she didn’t start conversation with me until the end because she probably knew Id make her talk the rest of the time. A person with her race resume could’ve kept me entertained for the whole flight!
On Saturday we got our first taste of Boston. The city was full of colorful jackets with striped sleeves. Apparently there is an Addidas jacket made every year for the Boston Marathon. So walking around Boston you can identify who the runners are. And you cant miss the recent jackets- they are very bright blue and yellow. Some of the previous years have different colors- navy, orange, etc…it was kind of fun to look at the year on people’s jackets. I assumed this was probably the year of their “first Boston”. I didn’t immediately want one of these bright jackets, but I am easily influenced by trends, and now I am thinking that this should perhaps be my birthday present to myself in June.

Saturday was very cold and rainy. Noah and I were not prepared for this weather and were huddling together to try to stay warm. In the expo I looked for gloves to wear in the race. I didn’t see a single pair of gloves for sale. There were lots of arm warmers this year. On the way back to the hotel we found a Dick’s Sporting Store and purchased some Nike running gloves. At the expo Noah wrote a nice note to me on a whiteboard.

We took a duck tour which was a nice rainy day option. We were warm and had a roof over our head while we got a tour of the city and drove right into the Charles River.

Saturday night we dined at the Omni Parker Hotel- where Id read that one should go for good Boston Clam Chowder. After we walked in we realized this wasn’t the place to go for just a bowl of soup. It was pretty fancy, and for us, a higher end restaurant. I stuck to my plan of soup, salad, and rolls. But Noah ate Salmon. The chowder is creamy and the rolls are yummy, but a pretty pricey option. Next time we may look for chowder somewhere else. Or try the Italian district.
Sunday was a little rainy, but allot nicer than Saturday. And by Sunday we felt we had a better grasp of how to get around in the city. We were learning how to get around on the subway. We walked around following the freedom trail and walked through Quincy Market. We noticed a Dunkin Donuts on almost every street! So we decided to eat some quick sugary carbs- yum! Sunday night was the pre-race pasta party. It was really fun. The volunteers are super excited and fun. The music was loud and the volunteers were dancing and the food was just right for pre-race night. We were even given a bag of Lindt chocolates to complete the meal.

Monday morning I dressed with my Blinged out arm warmers from my running girls. They say “Run” down the side- in crystals. I wore my Boston 2 Big Sur shirt over the top- in hopes of meeting some of the other runners who would be in Big Sur with me next week. It worked- I talked to several people who said they’d be there with me next week. One gentleman talked to me along the course, advising me to just have fun next week. He did both races last year. He said it’s the marathon where lots of people stop to take pictures and enjoy the scenery. Sounds Great!!!

Hopkinton was a close drive from our hotel. Noah was easily able to drive me into Hopkinton State Park where there were school buses available to take us to the start. Athlete’s Village was the start where we all waited for kind of a long time. Especially those of us in the second wave. We were all numbered by our qualifying speed, and the faster people started at 10:00. I aspire to be a first wave person some day:) Waiting was okay, but I was anxious to get going.

There were lots of inspiring runners along the way. I saw a blind fellow with a small rope attaching himself to a guide. It wasn’t his first Boston either.

I had a rough start because I dressed too warm. This over dressing resulted in 3 lengthy stops. 1. to remove leg warmers which required taking off shoes. 2. taking off arm warmers which required taking off watch and music arm band 3. looking around for noah at mile thirteen so I could give him all the clothes Id taken off and couldn’t part with.

The first time I pulled off was not easy. You have to gradually merge to the side because you are tightly packed with other runners who are your same pace. They make you start in order so you are right with others of comparable pace. This is nice and I wish I could’ve stayed in my spot. After Id stepped out of my spot, I had to spend the rest of the race weaving around people. Which resulted in me running .3 miles more than necessary.

I knew that Noah would be in Wellesley to see me. He texted me that he was right about the half way. So when I got to 13.5 and still hadn’t seen him, I totally stopped and called him and was trying to tell him that Id leave my stuff with someone in the crowd, and he could come find them and retrieve my possessions. He told me to start running again. After I told him my scenery, he was convinced that I hadn’t actually passed him yet. I was glad to find out that he was right. When I stopped to give him stuff, there was a porto potty there, so I let him refill my water bottle while I relieved my small bladder.

I saw the Wellesley girls Id heard about- a long long line of college girls holding signs saying “Kiss Me!” I ran slowly past them, hoping to see some action- but these runners were not taking the time. I didn’t see any kisses.

My race really picked up after seeing Noah. Seeing him gave me a big boost. Freeing myself of extra gear gave me a boost. I now felt light and fast. I’m sure I must’ve had negative splits for this race.

I was slightly annoyed with runners who would be running along, seemingly fine, and then suddenly stop to walk. Right in front of me. I ran right into a couple of these. Literally. Race etiquette is to run off to the side before you abruptly change your pace.

I wasn’t counting the hills so after a few of them I started to wonder if I was on Heartbreak yet. Id ask myself “Is this it?” but then there’d be another one. Heartbreak didn’t seem to be much bigger than the others that led up to it. I was not humbled by the hills, but then I wasn’t running a really challenging pace either. I can see the elites being hurt by the hills.

I had pre-memorized certain mile markers in the race, and I was surprised by how fast they were all coming. When I turned onto Commonwealth I was really surprised to already be at that point. Maybe the race was going so fast because of all the wonderful people I was thinking about. It made the time pass quickly. I pre-made a wrist band with 26 names on it. I borrowed the idea from Kristen Armstrong. So every mile I thought about someone different who I really cared about. Someone who is a big part of my life now, or a few who were a big influence on my life earlier. Some of the names led to a faster pace- some were more emotionally charged. Mile 15 was for my brother Clint who was killed right before he turned 15. That was a fast hard mile for me.

Now in the races I’ve done before, the crowd gets really charged, loud, crazy for the finishing stretch. The finishing stretch lasts about 2 miles- maybe less. This was a much bigger Marathon than I’ve ever done before. The finishing crowd was the last 5 miles! Thick crazy cheering for the last 5 miles. This makes your mind think you are almost done- like the finish line is right in front of you- good thing I had a watch to tell me that I still had 5 miles to go! The crowds and cheering made me feel good and I was spurred onto faster paces by the support. In previous marathons when I’ve felt depleted- the loud crazy cheering has been a little painful. On Monday I was really greatful for the cheering crowds.

In the last few miles I realized that I was close to a re-qualifying time. This is 3:45:59 for me at this point. Though I wasn’t running with a goal time- I still didn’t want to miss a qualifying time by seconds. So I really kicked into gear and the last couple of miles were as fast as the crowded course would allow me to go. I really had to do some weaving though to get around runners who were suffering in these last miles.

I crossed the finish line and forgot to look up. So I didn’t see my clock time. Knew it wouldn’t be accurate any way, because it was 2 minutes in the beginning before I even got to cross the start line. I was anxious to see my “net time” from my chip to make sure I got under 3:46. Unfortunately there would be no available “net time” for me. I was one of 143 runners affected by a “glitch” in the finishing line. So I’m still hoping to get an official finish time. Kind of a bummer.

I felt good until I stopped to let them put the medal on me. Then I felt dizzy the same way you do when you spin a hundred circles as a child.
My stomach was quickly able to tolerate food. I ate half my finish line goodies and then we went to find Bukowski’s Tavern where I ate a whole Peanut Butter Bacon Cheeseburger. Yes- Peanut Butter! I heard of this strange combination in an article written by Editor-in-chief David Willey of the Runners World Magazine. I didn’t feel right about creating such a thing at home- but logged it in my brain as an experience I might want to have in Boston. I will say that I really enjoyed it! And I would do it again. Only on Marathon day. I can only feel good about eating that combination on marathon day. Sometimes I wish everyday could be marathon day!!! My husband justified it for himself by thinking that it is okay to eat a burger and then a peanut butter cookie for desert. So why not just smash that all together?

Then it was back to the hotel for the ice bath that Scott Dunlap had prescribed on an earlier occasion. I followed his formula- 5 minutes in cold-as-it-comes bathwater, then dump in ice for another 5 minutes of fun. Okay- it is super painful in the beginning, but by the end it actually feels kind of good. And by the time you get out your legs are all tingly. I like that. And then if you add some Dr. Hoyt’s after that- my legs were in heaven. And it must’ve worked, because today Wednesday I would expect to be the most sore, and I’m not!

I can hardly wait for Sunday and Big Sur!

GO LINDY!!!

I'm watching Lindy's stats this morning on the Boston Marathon web page! She's doing great!!!! GO LINDY! You ARE fast! Enjoy every minute! (Not that she is reading this right now while running Boston, but at least she'll know we were thinking of her while she is running it!) We love you and are soooooo proud of you!

Passed by a Girl

I had a funny running story I thought I would share about this morning's run.

We all know I'm not fast, right? But I have been getting faster. So passing people is not a regular thing for me. This morning at the VERY end of our group run we passed a guy. He looked youngish - late 20's maybe, and had headphones on so I don't think he knew we were coming till we passed him. I was sure he was struggling with his ego after being passed by four middle aged women (well, at least three of us are in our late 30's, Karen brings down the average;)

Right after passing him Lindy, Karen and Lisa all went their separate ways at the corner but he and I turned down the street into my neighborhood. There is a half mile stretch that I'm alone there and I usually slow way down and cool down. At this point he was across the street from me and had picked up the pace so I was just slightly behind him - I'm sure I was in his line of vision. Just out of curiosity I picked up the pace a little. So did he. I picked it up more. So did he. I kicked it up for the last quarter mile to my quarter mile interval pace, and he never let me pass! He turned in at the corner before I do, I like to think it was because he didn't have it in him to keep up that pace, but he was probably just going home. Good for him. It was kind of fun, like a little Tuesday morning race.

I'm sure his ego is in a better place that he didn't get passed by a girl, ...again! I asked Scott if he would do the same thing and he said of course! I guess it's a guy thing.

Good luck to Lindy, Karen, Marcie, and Sharon running races in the next little bit! You've put in the training, I know you will all do awesome!

St George lottery 2010

My husband begged me to do St George again so he could go get in some St George Mountain Biking. Okay, maybe not begged, but he was all for it, and that's good enough for me!!!

Marcie, should we register under your name again? Do we use your email address to link our names?

They will link 5 names together in the lottery. It doesnt give you 5 chances- it just means all or none. Five of us have already committed, but we want more of our fun runner friends to come have the St George experience too! So let us know if you want to be a part of the next 5 to link. I think Bridge is starting the next wave? Or else just sign on solo if you dont mind risking youre the only one to get in.

You need to put into the lottery in April. Dont miss out, St George is Gorgeous!
Goodluck Everyone!

Sporting the Hardware!

Karen, Lisa, Cynthia, Lindy.

Unfortunately Sharon had to leave after the race and wasnt there to receive her metal.

Team B.L.I.N.G. "sweeps" the Islands 5k

Lindy - first woman finisher - first in her age group (obviously)
Karen - first in her age group (seconds behind Lindy)
Cynthia - third in her age group (SEVERAL minutes behind Lindy & Karen - but managed to pull out an age group award)
Sharon - first in her age group
Lisa - first in race organization

PR's for everyone! Lots of our friends got in on the awards too. I love local races!

Go Team B.L.I.N.G.!

Riverton Half-Marathon

I'm here. And I'm still running. And loving it. And love reading about all of your races and training runs.

Today I ran the Riverton Half-Marathon posting my fastest time yet, 1:48:29 (which included a bathroom break at mile three, UGH!). I was aiming for 1:45 but I am absolutely thrilled with 1:48. I didn't want to go too fast, lest the olympics come calling. I just don't have time for that right now. :) I'll let them chase after Lindy.

I am always saying to myself that if I want to run faster, I have to train faster. And that's what I've been doing. Training faster. Posting some of my fastest training runs ever {which are not earth-shattering by any means} and working on a lot of speed work. And it paid off today. Who says age has to slow you down?

BY THE WAY, did everyone see who commented on Lindy's March 7th post? WOWSERS!

1:49:58 p.m. Saturday- The conclusion

After my second leg, I was feeling pain around my ankles, and on the inside of one of my knees. I was having a hard time walking. I still had one more run to go. I knew from past experience that if I could just run through the first half mile of pain, then I would numb up and be okay. Afterwards Id just have to deal with the consequences. I started my last run and then after not too long I had to stop at a traffic light and cross the street. A speedy guy ran up to the stop light, and a girl with a bright obnoxious Boston Marathon jacket. (I hope to own one myself someday soon:) I wondered if Boston girl might be a similar pace as me. I tried to start up a conversation, and thought I might run with her for awhile. But she was not interested in talking so I took off. Speedy guy raced on ahead of me and was soon out of sight. I don’t know how far behind me Boston girl was. I never looked back.

My mantra I kept telling myself was “You don’t have to run this damn fast”. My mantra wasn’t helping. I couldn’t slow down. My ankle and knees were feeling fine now. But it was hot and windy and noisy. It was noisy because the whole run was right along the busy highway. My girls weren’t allowed to stop and support me along this leg. I had my waist pack and water with me. I tried to ration my water to last through the 8.4 miles. There was one water stop.

I saw allot of “roadkill”, and hoped that it wouldn’t be me! I was running with traffic, and couldn’t see the oncoming cars that were going by.

After half way I was feeling a little nautious. I wondered if eating something would help, or make it worse. I choked down some shot blocks. They did seem to help. When I went through the water station, I used the cup of water to dump on me.

I had my music on and couldn’t tell that I was breathing hard. We had to stop and cross the road just maybe a half mile from the end. When I stopped by some other runners, I pulled my headphones out to be social. As I pulled my earphones out, I realized that I was breathing very hard! Its nice that music masks that from myself.

It felt good to run through the finish chute and know that my work was completed. Now I could just cheer on our last four runners.

I had a really great time at Ragnar. Im greatful to Bridge for being such a knowledgeable, great team captain. You got us to do this Bridge- Thankyou, thankyou. It was a very memorable, fun experience!!!

Thanks to Azamba!

I need to mention...a BIG THANKS to Azamba Consulting for sponsoring our Ragnar team BLING! for the remaining funds we needed. Meant the world to us! So much goes into this race and it was great to have the help when we needed it! If you ever know anyone that needs a great team to help with their CRM processes, send them to Azamba! :)

Ryan House 5K

Well, I know I owe this blog a full marathon story, a half marathon story and some Ragnar stories, but rather than get behind with the NOW here's this morning's story. I've been getting faster recently so I've been wanting to run a 5K to see if I could finally run one in under 30 minutes. Most of you know that I've always aspired to this, but I never was sure if I could ever get there. My last leg of Ragnar last weekend was just shy of a 5K (3.06mi by the Garmin) and I did that in a 28:40, a 9:22 pace, so I figured I am finally ready. It worked out that my IKAG team was off of regular Saturday practice today and the Run for Ryan House was on our schedule instead. I decided to sign up for the 5K.

I got in some good stretching and foam rolling last night. Not as much sleep as I really wanted, but no big deal - 5 hours would do. I woke up around 5:00am and did the pre-run morning rituals. Got on the road and called Sharon on my way to wish her luck. She was doing the 1/2 marathon part of the event so I wanted to remind her that she would ROCK it! :) I checked to see what she was wearing and when I got to the race I noticed her in her Ragnar tech shirt in the line up for the start of the 1/2. I got to give her a send off hug! Can't wait to see how she did! Then I turned around while in line for the port-o and there was Jen and her son Garrett. She was also doing the 5K. Nice to see her out there and wish her luck too. I milled a little with some of my IKAG friends after that and got in the line up. My buddy Tim just had gotten a new Garmin and was disappointed to find out that the battery was dead just before starting. Bummer! Well, I must have been thinking about Tim not using his watch because after the race started I didn't realize until over a mile in that I never started mine! I kept glancing at my pace, but when I looked for the mileage...nothin! Dang! So I started it right then just to get a little tracking out of it.

The course was beautiful through the DC Ranch area. Started running directly towards the beautiful mountains. A little overcast and a little breezy, but overall very nice running weather. The hills at the start we more gradual, but once we got into the last mile the couple hills there weren't so gradual! I started to look around while climbing the hill and saw people start to lose stamina and start walking. I decided I wouldn't let it get to me and just when I thought the climb was over we came around the corner and we're still going up! Oh well...press on! :) By then I knew it wasn't much further so I gave it all I could. I saw my fast friend Patrick, who was finished in 20 min, near the end cheering for me. Even more of a boost! I ran for the finish and for once actually looked up at the gun time just before crossing since I knew I didn't have an accurate time on the watch. I saw 27:08 and I was rubbing my eyes after I crossed looking back up at the back side of the clock. I just said to myself, "Sweet!" My friend Michael was taking pics for Zazoosh at the finish too, so I was happy to see him as he snapped my pic and he told me "Good job!" Super smiley now, I grabbed a banana and some water and went back along the course to cheer for Tim. When Tim finished, Patrick, his friend Naomi, Tim and I milled around for the free stuff and then eventually parted ways.

I was happy to come home to look up my chip time - 26:53, an 8:39 pace with hills. I'll take it! :) Definitely a PR - blew that 30:12 out of the water. Hmmm...maybe that flat Run for the Islands is next!

1:37:13 a.m. Saturday, Tragedy befalls Ragnar

We were able to purchase a pasta dinner for $6 after our van completed our first legs. They had penne pasta with a choice of marinara or meat sauce, with garlic bread and a side of fruit. The warm pasta and sauce tasted so good.

Then we went back to our hotel to catch a couple hours of sleep. It seemed really bizarre to set our alarm clocks for 11 pm. I knew that I was only getting a couple of hours of sleep, here, so I was very tempted to skip the shower. But I also longed for warm water and a clean feeling. It was too tempting- I took the shower. It was worth it! One of my favorite showers ever!

There were 3 double beds, so we all had a spot. I had assumed that I would be sleeping in a bag on the floor, so I was very happy to slide into clean sheets on a comfortable bed! I didn’t feel like I slept at all- maybe I really did. But just laying there resting and pretending to sleep was helpful.

Once our van got started again, it was quickly my turn. Jen seemed to be done in no time at all, and I was on. We were all decked out in glowy apparel that Bridge brought for us. It was a nice way to be able to spot our runners, and helped with safety. We were all required to be wearing reflective vests during the night, even when we were not the runner on shift. My run started at 1:37 a.m.

This was the run that I had been worried about- being in the middle of the night. But it was turning out to be my favorite run. I was really enjoying the night run. It wasn’t a super dark night, and I liked the way the silhouettes of the trees looked in the dark. It seemed like a peaceful night. And I had my music, which I had forgotten to wear for my first run. And I decided to just run whatever pace felt right- not putting any pressure on myself to run as hard as possible. I was fully enjoying myself, and then realized that I was almost down to only a mile left. I got sad realizing it was almost over. I wondered if I should slow down, to prolong my turn. I knew that the last mile of my run would be down hill, so I decided to run hard the last mile and up my final average for the leg. Just as I was about to start my final mile, I saw a big group of runners on the side of the road.

I thought ‘maybe an animal or person was hurt, but there are plenty of people there to help out. Id be best to keep going and not create any more road congestion. So I just went right around the group and kept going. But then a cop yelled me down. I tried to be cooperative “Where would you like me to be?” He yells “Right by all the other runners here, that would be a great place for you!”

So I stand with all the other runners in the road. After a few minutes I ask “Does anyone know what’s going on?” The guy by me says “Someone got hit.” It was cold and I hadn’t dressed appropriately for standing around. So I found myself a bum spot leaning against a cop car. I talked to the guy by me who said he’d been there for at least 20 minutes already. He said that he was one of the first 5 to be stopped. I think we probably stayed there for at least 40 minutes. Then we were told to go back to our van, and then skip to leg 24. We were told to carpool over if we couldn’t find our van. I was thinking that my van might have gotten ahead of the accident, and that I probably wouldn’t find them. I walked back along the highway probably a mile. I was looking for a friendly girl van to get in with. I didn’t want to get in with a van full of guys, which was what I kept seeing. I was getting nervous and wondering how much further Id have to walk. A guy caught up with me and started talking to me. He didn’t think he’d find his van either. I was sooooo happy when Bridge and Justine appeared in front of me. They had my jacket and put their arm around my shoulder, leading me back to the van. They were very concerned about me, and it made me feel good that they were so nurturing. Once our van started driving the other direction, I started worrying about the guy Id been walking by. Then I saw him walking and told our girls to offer him a ride. He glady took the ride and stayed with us until we got to leg 24. We started asking him all kinds of “get to know you” questions, which was a nice distraction from the sadness of the runner who had been hit. I thought Rich was a nice distraction from the situation, but having a guy in the van did stop me from changing out of my cold wet clothes. Luckily I had a cozy blanket with me. But I decided that all girl vans are betterJ

We kept waiting for more instruction, and were finally told that we could pick whether van one or van two would continue the race at leg 24. We were cutting out 4 legs of the race. We let van two proceed with their pre-assigned legs, and it was 4 of our van girls who lost their middle run.

I was very sad for our van one girls. I was visualizing them having just gotten to the hotel, taken a warm shower, and climbed into bed. Then us calling and telling them to get up and drive to leg 24. If we had known sooner what was going to happen, we could’ve run the first few of their legs. But we didn’t know what would happen.

The tragedy made it feel like all the rules were kind of out the window, and I wondered if it was even appropriate to finish the race. Some teams did leave- or at least their van one’s went home. After this I felt very concerned for the hurt runner, and also more paranoid about my own safety for my last run.

Next entry:
1:49:58 p.m. Saturday- The conclusion

1:49:58 friday, 1st leg

Van 1: Cynthia, Bryn, Karen, Sharon, Sarah, Lisa
Van 2: Jen, Me, Justine, Sarah, Bridge, Beth

Our van supported Karen along much of her first run. She was runner 3. She was killing some really big hills. It was fun to see her fly up those hills. She was unstoppable. I ran over and tried to see if she needed a gu or anything- all she needed was to give me her "bling" ring to carry. I tried to run with her for a few minutes, but she was going toooooo fast, and blew me off- good girl Karen! We drove slowly at one point so we could see her pass "Rainbow Bright".

I was runner 8. The second in my van. My first leg was 5.5 miles. It was rolling hills. I felt pressure to start things fast. I had estimated my time to be 8 minute miles, and didnt want to disappoint the team by putting us behind estimated schedule. I considered this a "short run" and knew I wouldnt have time to up my average late in the run. So I started out fast and just kept charging the hills. There were about 5 big hills. About half way through it I felt warmed up enough to start enjoying it. At the end I felt like my face was totally flush. I felt really hot for a long time afterwards. Bridge said that I wasnt all red, but I think she was just being nice.

We quickly realized that some of the other teams were checking us out- considering us competition. We walked past the "gingerbread girls" while they were talking about us "they have those sparkles on the back of their shirts, and those sparkly ribbons in their hair- watch out for them and dont let them pass you!" Bridge called them out- she turned around "hey, are you guys talking about US???" They looked a little awkward about getting caught.

We kept seeing "the Brides" and Beth's friend's team "Los Dos Chicos", I think was their name.

We saw one guy sitting with his naked bum over the curb, bum facing the road, pants around his ankles, reading a paper- for a long time! And it was really cold outside! His team was called something like "Dont take no crap"....something like that.

Everyone was pretty nice- other teams would drive past and give you a cheer. But there was a little spirit of competition in the air too.

Our van stopped at this quaint little old-fashioned convenience store (think Little House on the Prairie General Store) to change into running clothes. Jen was the first runner from our van.

I just realized Im kind of typing this all out of order. Ill be more coherent with my next entry:)

Stay tuned for my 2nd leg entitled "1:37:13 a.m. Saturday, and tragedy befalls Ragnar"...

Edge of My Seat

You guys are holding out on me! I want to hear some Ragnar stories and see some pictures. How was it? I've read some accounts of the race from other runners but none from our blog. Do tell. Please. I'm on the edge of my seat.

Highlights of Ragnarly Training

Ive been meaning to blog some of the fun running experiences Ive had lately, but been so tired by the end of the day...Im tired right now and this might not come out in an orderly fashion, but Im just going to give some information on recent training...

*February 11th was a thursday, but we chose this night to carry out our long run for the week. I had signed up for an all-day resistance workshop, on the following saturday, to get my cec's. And Cynthia got volunteered to do a Ragnar fund-raising garage sale on the saturday.

Sharon needed 13 miles on her training plan. Karen and I only needed 12, on our plan, but wanted to go the distance with Sharon. We wanted to make sure that she ran 13.1, because this was her first time doing the half marathon distance. We had to pass by our vehicles to get less than a half mile more. It was fun to experience this break-through moment with her. I love running friends because they give you the chance to live through these experiences over and over again. I love marathon training with first time marathoners, because I remember how exciting it was when every run was the longest one ever. I remember wondering if Id be able to accomplish that next longer distance.

There were several things noteworthy for me regarding the 11th.
-Sharon's first half marathon distance run.
-Possibly my first double run in a day. I dont really remember doing a double day before.
-My first long run at night.
-A fun turn-out! Me, Karen, Sharon, Cynthia, Sarah, and Lisa. Our gas station potty break took a long time (single stall), but it was worth having so many fun running friends show up.

I hadnt planned on it being a double-day. I had been looking forward to sleeping in thursday morning. But Karen said "We are still going to run in the morning, arent we?"

*February 18th I did my usual run in the early a.m. with Karen, and then realized that there wasnt anything I really HAD to do during Kelly's preschool. Id been wondering about one of the cut-through roads we hadnt tried at Las Sendas. Cynthia and Lisa were quick to agree to a spontaneous mid-week field-trip with me to Las Sendas. Missy came with us to ride in the running stroller. She was a pleasant addition to our running group- happily enjoying the outdoors and the great weather. Cynthia and Lisa kept joking about throwing rocks in my stroller to make it harder on me. They didnt really put rocks in- just full bottles of water they didnt drink the whole run:) Im totally okay with toting water for friends who are willing to drop everything and run with me!!! On the way back home to get our kids from pre-school, we stopped at the Quicktrip for a 32 oz. icy cold diet coke. I must say that in a perfect world everyday would start out with 2 runs and a Quicktrip!

*February 20th, Saturday, we planned to hit Las Sendas again. We cant get enough *heel work right now! Bridge sent out the message to all the girls, and we planned for anyone on the Ragnar team to show up for the last 6 miles- anyone who could make it. Karen and I left home at 5 am, planning to get 19 miles. Cynthia and Sharon left at 5:40, because Sharon needed 15 and Cynthia was willing to do 15 for the fun of it. And Lisa left at 6:20. For the last 6 miles we met up with Bridge, Justine, and Beth. This was our first time meeting Beth, who is part of our Ragnar team.
I get a little thrill from the preparation and anticipation of a run such as this. Having to think about where we will be at certain points so that people can meet up for their various desired distances. Cynthia came up with a better 6 mile route than mine for the finish, so we used hers. But I had fun all week thinking about the route and how it might play out. Everything went well. We were a couple of minutes behind schedule in meeting people- this was because of a few minutes late leaving home and a few minutes spent buckling on waist-packs, etc, at the car. But my pre-planning was for us to do 10:38 avg- which would include bathroom and water stops. The final avg. on my watch was 10:40, so I was happy with the way it played out.

*heel=hill. Cynthia just told me tonight that for some time now her and Lisa have been trying to get me to say hill as much as possible because apparently I pronounce it like heel. Lol. I can handle that being the joke on me. There could be worse things!

Arizona has been great weather lately for running. the kind of days where you can wear a light jacket in the early morning, and may even end up tying it around your waist. The kind of days where you can wear shorts for late morning runs. I love this time of year!

Ragnarly training, coupled with marathon training, has produced higher weekly numbers on my calendar than what Ive ever logged before. And it feels great!!!