McDowell Mountain Frenzy

The Bathroom line is not bad at all before race start. Notice the Guys line is longer than the Gals line! This is not typical in life, but has been the case for the 3 trail runs Ive participated in!



This is the Start of the race, and later the Finish!




At the beginning you get to stay warm by a fire, or more modern- space heaters!

December 10, 2011

I got an icky head cold just in time for my December Trail Race. I figured Id be okay…usually congestion seems to clear up for awhile when I run. I was okay but found my nose dripping like a faucet the entire race. This distracted from my fun a little, but luckily I still managed to have ALLOT of funJ

I hate bonking so my typical strategy is to start out conservatively. Then when I am half way through with the race I speed up a little if I am feeling pretty good. The closer I get to the end, the faster I let myself go.


This was my 3rd trail race now, so Im starting to get a little better feel for what I can do. The first 2 races I felt in the beginning like I could keep up a sub-10 average pace. This time I had more confidance and felt that I could keep a sub 9:30 pace.

I try not to look at my watch pace allot because with trail running you have to roll with the terrain. Dig in to the up hill, and then fly on the down hill. Hold some momentum, and get up the next hill. So I think more about my perceived exertion. In the beginning I ask myself, is this a level of exertion that I can keep up for a long time?

But I did go out a little bit harder this time. With my new confidance I felt that I could start out a little less conservative. I also thought that it would be cold, and that I would need to be speedy to stay warm. It was warmer than I expected and I would’ve traded my long sleeve tech shirt for a short sleeve one. But I didn’t regret my tights. They seemed right.

At one point a guy came flying by me and the guy running just in front of me. Passer guy said “On your left please”. After making these 2 passes he took a hard fall. His pride got him back up quickly and he sped off.

I had to pull off at an aide station to ask for tissue. When I pulled off, three women passed me. I would later regain them and pass them.

When I had 4 or 5 miles left I decided I had enough energy to kick in an extra gear. And then when I was just about to the last mile I decided to really cruise. Just as I had decided to make my final sprint- the terrain turned into total steep up hill. I mean the kind of up hill you almost need a rope! So there was no last mile sprint to the finish.

I ended my 15.5 miles with an 8:59 average. 2:19:17 on my watch.

The view was beautiful the whole time. Big blue sky and mountains all around. So nice to be out in nature surrounded by the beautiful outdoors. My trail running experiences have fully converted me to the beauty of Arizona. Ill admit that for many years after moving here from Utah, I had a negative opinion of desert landscape. But I Love, Love the landscapes I’ve been running in over the past few months. Love. Look forward to. Love.




These were the trophies for winners. I coveted. Look how cute!!! Colorful ceramic chickens!

***I never got around to reporting on my November Trail Race. Pass Mountain. Usery Park. It was great. It started out easy and then lots of challenging climbing and then runners were rewarded with SPECTACULAR views from the top of Pass Mountain. And then some crazy down hill. Pass Mountain was a little scary as I realized that at times if I got my footing wrong I might go off a drop. And I was going fast anyway. Just hoping for the best. There was some thrill in the danger…anyhow GREAT race!!!

At the end of each of my 3 trail races I have received a finisher glass. They all say the name of the race. I love my new glass collection!!!

I wish I had a ceramic chicken, but I am happy to have a fun drinking glass.

Mesa Turkey Trot 2011



Before the starting gun...will we be fast?

 

She beat the turkey!


 I love starting my Thanksgiving day with the Mesa Turkey Trot. I started running this in 2007 and have done it every year since. Karen and I went up together and had a fun morning. At the start we discussed the fact that neither of us felt super motivated to be fast, plus we were both fast last year so we weren't sure if we could get faster.  The horn finally sounded and Karen said goodbye! About 46 minutes later she crossed the finish line with a new personal record! Yay for Karen, she even "beat the Turkey" for bragging rights. Go Karen!

I started out feeling a little sluggish, with 'heavy' legs so I thought I would just settle in to a decent pace and take whatever time I got. However, when I looked at my watch at the mile mark I realized I was actually running at a decent clip. I was warmed up now and felt good so I sped up a bit. The next few miles flew by.  By mile 5 I realized I was going to beat last years time so I thought I might as well try to crush it and I pushed hard for the last few minutes. I came in at 56:07, which was about a 9:05 pace. I'm pretty happy with that! Karen and I enjoyed chatting with a few friends we saw after the race and eating the delicious oranges but we pretty quickly headed home. We earned a diet coke stop for sure and it tasted delicious! I'm glad we were able to burn some calories this morning to sort of help with the calorie surplus I created this afternoon.



The nice man cut off my head!

Happy Thanksgiving! I'm thankful for running and especially for running friends.

Javelina Trail Run at Night

Javelina 100 (25k for me)
Oct 15, 2011, 6:00-8:30 pm.

I have been vicariously running trails for years, so when I struck up a conversation with Mary Knott at the gym, and she invited me to go out on the trail with her, I jumped at the chance!

After trying out several different trails with her, I decided that it really was as fun as it sounded in other people’s blog reports!

Noah took me out on his mountain-biking trail a couple of times too. He would ride ahead of me but wait up for me every once in awhile.

Although Ive wanted to do this for a long time, I didn’t quite have the determination to do it on my own. So its been nice to have some company!

Trail running isn’t highly social- it seems you need your space to pick the best footing. But it often involves allot of driving TO the trail, and then knowing there are friends close by- I prefer not to go it alone.

I was very excited to try my first official “trail race” last Saturday night. I wondered if it was such a good idea to do my first trail race at night, in the dark. But I was anxious and it sounded like a fun adventure.

Now that I think about it, I did do the night trail portion of Ragnar last year- so maybe this isn’t as novel as Ive been feeling. But in my head it was my first trail race and my first night race.

When I got there I was alone for a little while. I was so happy to see Mary and her husband, Dan show up. Dan showed up to support Mary- they have an awesome team- last week she was supporting him at Kona Ironman!

There was no “seeded corral”, so I worried that elbows would be flying in the beginning as we tried to find the right order. But it seemed to fall into place in a very orderly fashion. I didn’t feel like I passed or got passed very often.

I tried to wait as long as I could to turn my flashlight on. I had a headlamp, but it didn’t feel like enough. Noah told me that our flashlight, even with a new battery, would probably only last an hour and a half.

I only got a couple miles in though before I felt like I needed it. When I saw someone up ahead of me turn their light on, I felt justified in using my own as well. Luckily it lasted me to the end!

The field spaced out quite a bit, and there would be lengthy periods where I couldn’t see anyone ahead or behind me! Not even their flashlight! So I often felt like the only one in the dark on a mountain. A little scary, and I think it drove me to keep a fast pace.

I worked into a pace that felt comfortably challenging. I couldn’t look at my watch to see what that pace was- I had to watch the trail and stay focused! Three times I caught my toe and lurched forward. Three times I felt like I was going to face plant. But luckily I was able to run out of it all three times.

Even though running alone was a little nerve racking, I found that when Id get close to someone else, that their light would give me a headache and make me feel dizzy. So it was better to control my own space.

The aide station was about 8.5 miles into the race. I looked forward to the aide station, just knowing that I could refill water and would be close to finish after the station. The aide station was stocked with all kinds of fruit, candy, salty snacks, even pumpkin pie! I ate half a banana while they refilled my water bottle for me. Aide station volunteers rock!!!

The more technical part of the trail was the first half, and in the last several miles the trail smoothed out allot and I was able to pick up my pace. Especially since I knew that I was nearing the finish.

When I crossed the finish line there was a nice group of supporters there to clap and cheer. They sent me to the table for food- again a very nice spread of food- even pizza!

They asked if I was going to go out for a 2nd loop or if I was done. When I said that I was done, they gave me a finisher’s glass. I was confused about receiving the glass- did this mean I won??? But no, everyone gets the glass!

Dan tried to convince Mary and I that one of us needed to get back out there and do a 2nd loop. There was a prize for first place girl in every distance. And the first place girl in the 25k distance was done. So 50k prize was up for grabs! But we politely declined.

I wanted to finish my first trail race feeling GREAT! And, I was anxious to text Noah and let him know that I successfully completed the loop. And to text my Sweat Sisters who were anticipating a finishing text!

I can’t wait for my next trail experience. Noah says that he likes mountain biking because he feels like he is flying. I think this is why I like trail. I like the scenery, but what about when it’s dark? The ups are fun and challenging and then I am rewarded with downs where I feel like I am flying. I really love the rolling hills. The variety keeps things fresh. I like the focus that I have to dedicate to finding the best footing. And whether I can fully appreciate the scenery as I run by it, I still like the feeling that I am out there in nature. It feels right.

A Love Note

Dear Trails,

I love you.

Love,
Lindy

St. George Marathon 2011

When my husband and I got to St. George, we went straight to the marathon expo and I picked up my bib, drop bag and bought some gu's.  We decided to try the $8 all-you-can-eat spaghetti dinner the marathon was offering and it was a good decision.  Because of the stomach problems I had during the Top of Utah Marathon, I was being careful of what I ate but the spaghetti and breadsticks hit the spot.  Yummy carbs. 

On Saturday morning, I got on a bus and the only seat left was the front seat.  I sat down and another lady sat by me and we started to talk.  She was from Utah and had run several marathons but not the St. George.  We got talking about Veyo hill - the dreaded hill at mile 7- and she said she had conflicting advice about the hill.  Someone had told her to walk it and save her legs for later in the course and another runner told her to shorten her stride and run it.  She could run it faster than she could walk it.  I asked her what she was going to do and she said she'll cross that bridge {or hill} when she gets to it.

We got off the bus and I headed to the porta potties.  Then I had about an hour to kill so I sat down and relaxed.  They had bonfires and a huge sound system where they played music and made some announcements.  I learned there were 7200 runners registered for the race, this was the 35th year of the St. George marathon and one lady had run it every single year and was running it again for the 35th year, that all 50 states were represented except two and later I learned that it was the warmest start in the marathon's history.

Finally, it was time for me to take my warm clothes off and head to the start.  The start was packed like sardines.  I could hardly move.  The gun went off and we started to shuffle to the start line mat where your time officially begins.  I was about four minutes behind the gun time.

It was dark, the sun wasn't up yet and I felt good.  I started running and noticed I was at about an 8 min/mile pace and it felt easy.  I probably should have slowed a little but I felt good and just went with it.  The first few miles flew by.  Then came Veyo hill.  The huge hill of the marathon.  I was feeling good.  I shortened my stride and ran up the hill.  I made it.  Then there's another hill and another hill and another hill.  St. George is sold as a downhill marathon but there are plenty of uphills - especially during the first 14 miles.  After mile 14, we entered Snow Canyon and it was beautiful.  The sun was up but the mountains were providing a little shade down the canyon.  I was still feeling good.  At mile 16, I was running down a hill and picked up my pace to a 7:50 min/mile.  I thought to myself, I just might do it today.  Maybe 3:45 is a real possibility {even though my BQ time is now 3:40}.  But a lot can change in a couple of miles.  At mile 20, my legs were feeling heavy and I was hot, tired and feeling the effects of the heat and the effects of running a marathon two weeks ago.  I would walk through the aid stations and it would take me a few seconds, okay minutes, to start running again.  Those last few miles of a marathon sometimes seem like they are 50 miles long.  But I was thankful because I didn't have any leg cramps and no porta pottie stops the whole way.  I told myself to just keep running.  Finally, I was nearing the corner that turns toward the finish line and I heard my name. Wayne was there to snap a picture as I ran to the finish.  {I'm in the red and black.}

Finish time: 3:57:53
{In 2009, I finished the St. George marathon in 4:15:21 so it was an improvement from the last time I ran it.}

I got a medal for finishing the marathon and also for finishing the Utah Grand Slam.

Utah Valley Marathon 3:58:40

Park City Marathon 4:10:13

Top of Utah Marathon 4:17:14

St. George Marathon 3:57:53

I love the St. George marathon, the course, the volunteers, the running vibe that fills the city.  Love it all.  I want to be in the ten-year-club so hopefully the lottery will be good to me for the next seven years!  Thanks St. George! 

Top of Utah Marathon: Rain, Hail and Porta-Potties

There's one thing I know for sure about the marathon, it's unpredictable!

On Saturday, Lindy and I both ran our 8th marathon together - Top of Utah.  She came into town on Friday night and we carbo loaded at The Old Spaghetti Factory with pasta and marinara sauce.

 Then we went to Logan and headed to the expo to get our bib numbers and then to our hotel.

When I registered for the marathon, I booked one of the cheapest theme rooms at the Anniversary Inn - Lost In Space.  It was pretty cheesy.  I thought I would be sharing this room with my husband but since Lindy was willing to fly in and run the marathon, she got to experience the cheesiness.  Lucky her.

Here we are on marathon morning ready to run 26.2

 We were worried about rain and we should have been. It rained.  Not lightly.  Heavy, downpour rain and heavy, downpour hail.  We got soaked.  Also, I had stomach problems and had to stop at the porta-potties four times.  Four times.  That eats a lot from your time.  I wish I knew what caused the stomach problems because I would never eat that food again.  What did I say about the marathon?  Unpredictable.  On the other hand, my legs didn't cramp at all - probably thanks to my electrolyte pills - and I felt like I ran more the last six miles than in any other marathon I've ran.  Official time: 4:17:14.

The first portion of the marathon is downhill and that did not agree with Lindy's quads.  She's not sure downhill marathons are for her.  But I like the marathon for that reason.  Gotta love starting out the first half downhill - if your body can take it.  I'll be back to run it again.  Next time, it better be without the stomach issues.  Bring on St. George in a couple of weeks!

Funny story.  I was running by a girl and we were getting pounded with hail.  Her friend was cheering her on from the side and then started running with her.  As we're getting soaked and pounded with hail he said to her, "Remember, only thirty percent chance of rain today.  Should be dry."  That made me laugh.

Top Of Utah Marathon

Top of Utah Marathon

My watch says 26.44 miles, 3:47:48, 8:37 pace, 7.0 mph, 2283 calories, ascent of 1263 feet.

Things I did right:
Carb-loading- Thursday night I had rice, Chicken rigatoni, sourdough bread, pita bread. Friday night I had spaghetti with a marinara and mushroom sauce, and French bread. Saturday morning I had a plain bagel and a banana. During the race I took one of my own gels, and the two that the race handed out. I also took orange slices and banana quarters that race volunteers handed out at several points along the course. I had two gels leftover on my body at the end, that I never took, and a packet of pomegranate gummy chews that I never took. My nutrition was good. I never felt empty or light headed. I never felt hungry or lacking.

Electrolytes and fluids:
I had my hand-held. I refilled it several times along the way. I started with water and put a nuun tab in my water. I used 2 more nuun tabs along the way. In water. Never took Gatorade. I didn’t cramp along the course. I didn’t cramp until I bent down to put my warm-up pants back on at the end of the race.

Injinji socks:
They served me well. My feet don’t look any different today (Sunday) than they did Friday. Even though my feet were wet for the entire race. Even though I ran through pouring rain. Even though many others around me were complaining of blisters and feet squishing in wet shoes. My feet were fine.

Body Glide:
I did a good job. I only chafed one little spot in my left arm pit. Not bad at all.

Choice of clothing:
Mary said extra clothes in the rain would just be extra wet clothing. She was right. I chose a gray sport-bra, knowing that my white tank would be wet with rain. Wore my favorite long-distance shorts and my most comfortable white tank. I added my white aasics cap that Ive never practiced with. Im glad I did. This was advice from Mary and Uncle Lee- to wear a hat since there was 20% chance of rain. The hat was perfect in the downpour I could see clearly and never had rain getting me in the face. We stopped at Sport Authority the night before the race and got Marcie a visor. We were very happy to have these.

Things I did wrong:
Didn’t practice enough on downhill.

Chose a course with 18 miles of straight downhill.

Stopped doing my leg strength workout. Stopped doing squats and lunges and such when my mileage was high during training.

Let my pain in my quads get the best of me. I need better mental strategies for pain.

Perhaps went out too fast? I think it’s hard to fight the downward pull of gravity, so I just let it carry me. Perhaps I should’ve held back? Perhaps I need to study up on proper downhill stride.

What I learned about myself:
I can run in rain. I can run for a long time in rain.

Downhill is my kryptonite. Courses with variety or flat serve me better.

Positive people (around me) help me feel strong. Negative people make me feel weak. I need to remember to be positive for others. For a long while I was running by 3 young guys who were talking very optimistically and positively. After awhile I couldn’t keep up, but I appreciated their optimism while it was there. Sometimes I ran by people who were audibly moaning and complaining. This did nothing good for me!

I get a big boost from having a friendly and familiar pacer at the end- About 2 miles from the end the guy running by me asked me how I’m doing. I came out of my zone and saw that it was my Uncle Lee! How long had he been there? He was running by me, at a slightly faster pace so I picked up my pace just a bit. He gave me words of encouragement “your legs are still working good”. And after seeing him I had a little more pep in my step and felt like I could actually finish this thing. Then my brother-in-law, Scott, showed up running alongside me on the sidewalk. This was a boost as well. He disappeared and then showed up again. And ran alongside me a little more. I threw him my empty water bottle, and ‘doh’ it landed in a mud puddle:( He fished it out for me.

I really like a double scoop of Aggie Icecream in a waffle cone at the end of a race! Even if I’ve been wet and chilly the whole race, Icecream is still pretty rewarding!!!

In summary:
I had a great time hanging out with Marcie. I had a great weekend. The marathon was hard- maybe my hardest out of the 8 I’ve done. But at the end of the day I learned allot and I don’t regret it. I survived. Sometimes just making it to the finish line is a huge triumph.

*Sorry no pictures. Anticipating rain I decided to leave my phone/camera at the hotel.

Ultra blood in my genes!

http://www.bear100.com/

I know many of you have heard me brag about my Uncle Lee, the guy who runs 100 milers. I have always be in such awe over his accomplishments. It is hard to get information out of him, as he does not brag. I have to beg for information.

Sometimes it seems like Ultra Runners come in 2 varieties- the kind who go on and on about their accomplishments...or the kind you cant get anything out of!

Anyhow I was so excited to come across this race website, that I had to show you guys! Scroll to the bottom of the page and it says Leland Barker is the Race Director, and that drop bags should be dropped at his house...SOOO cool...

So if he is my Dad's brother, I must have some of the genetic endurance in my genes, right??? Or in my tempo shorts???

This Just In...

This just in from Ragnar:

"Guardsman Pass is open and will be driveable for the race as long as the weather holds and no freak June snow storms hit, Avon Pass will also be driveable. In the unlikely event that Mother Nature doesn't cooperate, we have a contingency play for Avon Pass. If necessary, we will notify you of this change at the start line with new maps.

Some people have asked about the road conditions and the need for 4-wheel drive at these points. While 4-wheel drive is recommended, it is not completely necessary for these locations. If you have a 4-wheel drive vehicle, we encourage you to use it on Avon. Our staff will have tow ropes in case vans get stuck. We also encourage you to bring tow ropes as a precaution if you have them."

Well, I can't really say that is comforting, but we are definitely looking forward to an adventure and will be making sure to be safe in all ways possible! 8 of us from AZ will embark on a 12 hour drive to Layton tomorrow starting at 5:30am to meet our other 4 teammates from UT. Van 1 will head to Logan for our 10:30am start time Friday morning. We are scheduled to be done around 6:00pm on Saturday ending in Park City.

Our team pace is about 9:50. I have a 5.6, a 4.9 and then a 7.9 (18.4 miles total). I really wish that my longest leg was first, but it is what it is. :) I'll let you all know how the "ski trip" goes! haha Looks like highs in the mid 60s and lows in the high 30s and 40s (yes, I said 30s). Scattered thunderstorms in the forecast too. Yowza! We will be staying in Park City Saturday night and driving back to Phoenix on Sunday. Talk to you all again when we return!

First of Four

On Saturday, I ran the Utah Valley Marathon.  I had high hopes of Boston qualifying but that didn't happen.  I know Lindy and Karen are going so I can live Boston through them!

The race started at 6:00 in the morning and it started right on time.

I tucked in beside the 3:40 pacer and we were off.

I have a tendency to want to take-off quickly at the first and the pacer helped to hold me back.  He varied between an 8/min/mile to an 8:30 min/mile.  Sometimes he got up to 7:50.

I didn't carry water so I stopped at all the water stations to drink.

As we were coming to the aid stations, the pacer would sprint ahead of us, grab his drink and then he said he would slow down so we could all catch him.  But I found myself sprinting after the aid stations to catch him.  I didn't like this method because I knew that towards the end, my legs wouldn't have any sprinting action left.  I stuck with him until around mile 15 and then I kept him in my sight until mile 18.

At mile 18, my right calf and quad started cramping.

There were some major uphills and downhills on the course.  Both did a number on my quads and calves.

At mile 20, I started alternating between running and walking.

The last 5 miles of the race are flat and a straightshot to the finish.  I wished I had felt good enough to take advantage of the flat part and run hard to the finish.  Next time.

The weather was fantastic. 

Not too hot and sometimes overcast so you couldn't feel the sun beating down on you.

When my legs started cramping, I knew that I wasn't going to get my bq time.

So my new goal was to try and come in under four hours.

Finish time: 3:58:40.

Just barely.

Utah Valley Marathon: check.

Next up: Park City marathon in August.

Go Marcie!!!

Just a shout out to MARCIE who is running 26.2 in Utah tomorrow! Everyone send energetic carma her way tomorrow morning! I know she will ROCK!

Marcie just remember "It is not age; it is not diet. It is the WILL to succeed." Jacqueline Gareau

So Run like the Wind Girl!

I AM A MANIAC!

Well, tonight is filled with some excitement for me! After finishing 4 full marathons last year including my Marathon Maniac Bronze level qualifying back to backs within 16 days (St. George and Long Beach), I submitted entry into the unique club and can now call myself Maniac #3597. I've had this "title" since I submitted back in March, but today it just feels official because I just received the hat and arm warmers that I finally ordered last week! I wanted to make sure I had some MM swag to wear in a couple weeks at the Wasatch Back Ragnar, so I could wait no longer to purchase my "elitist" gear (LOL). I cannot wait to wear them and with the crazy weather in Utah right now, the arm warmers will come in handy for sure! The hat will be worn as early as tomorrow!!! :) Thanks to many of you that I was able to join in training many early summer mornings last year! Couldn't do it without you!

The arm warmers are some of the nicest I've ever tried on. Very nice bands at the top that don't pinch but have non-slip rubber. The hat is full mesh with a sweatband on the inside. I'm quite pleased with the quality of both! Next time I'll order a shirt or some shorts, but I figured these are perfect for my upcoming running trip. About that...

If some of you don't know, I'm captaining a Wasatch Back Ragnar team. The race is June 17th and 18th. 8 of us are driving from Phoenix in a 15 passenger van and we have 4 Utah team members as well. Our team name is Sofa King Awesome Runners...don't say that out loud if the kids are around. ;) Fun group of runners of all abilities. I'm also very excited to again be sharing another Ragnar with Al (the amazing man in my life for those that haven't heard from me in a while). It's awesome to get the chance to share your hobbies with your partner! This weekend Al and I went up to Flagstaff to get some elevation training in. We did some major hill repeats on NAU campus on Saturday evening and hiked on Sunday (see pic of the view from the hike - we watched elk grazing in the distance!). Gearing up for this mighty race has been a challenge since we haven't run much since Del Sol, but it feels so good to be getting back into it! We are packing in the training this week especially and will likely travel to Flagstaff again on Saturday. We may hike Lockett Meadow which is even higher elevation than Ragnar's 8950 foot high point. Anyone been there?

We are still hoping all the passes for the Ragnar race will be open and the 192 mile route will go as planned. The biggest part of the race - "The Ragnar" leg - goes over Guardsman's Pass which isn't scheduled to open until late June. Ragnar says they are working closely with the state, hiring excavators, etc to assist in the repair process after already reworking the course routes to avoid the current damage to Old Snow Basin Road (see picture). We shall see! Always an adventure no matter what roads they send us down (or UP)!

More Ragnar updates to come later! Hope everyone is doing well out there in WeLove2Run Blog Land! Happy running!

Rave Run

Location: Grand Canyon, Arizona (near Indian Gardens, about one third of the way up the canyon from the river)

The Experience:  After hiking all day with heavy packs from the top of the south rim to the river and then up to Indian Gardens (approximately 12 miles) Scott and I decided to go out to a lookout point to watch the sunset. We dropped our packs at the campground and left our kids with Lisa and Brad.  As we left we realized how light we felt and decided to try to stretch our legs with a trail run.  It felt amazing to run. The trail was mostly flat and wide.  It was a mile and a half to the lookout point and we saw a few people along the way. One of them called out to us "are you in a hurry?"  We weren't really, although we felt bad for leaving our kids, it just felt so good to run. 

We got out to the lookout and the view was AMAZING and so worth the extra three miles that day. This picture doesn't do it justice at all.

Here is a 360 view of the experience.

We finished the hike out the next morning and I'm not sure if the extra few miles helped or hurt my body, but it was worth it! I highly recommend this hike to anyone. It should be on everyone's bucket list. 

If you want to read a more detailed account of the entire hike I will posting that to my family blog in the next few days at thebaxter5.blogspot.com

Early Mother's Day in Las Sendas

The sunday before the REAL Mother's Day, Noah gave me a true morning off. He got the kids ready and took them to church. What to do with my free time....so many possibilities! The Hills of Las Sendas were calling my name, so I threw on some tempo shorts, and off I went. It was a beautiful and peaceful morning. I enjoyed my solitude and enjoyed running up the hills. I even did a few "hill repeats", running up those hills at a really hard pace for a half mile at a time.

The 2nd time up the hill I felt that I needed a pit stop. Bathroom options arent a guarantee at Las Sendas. I mean, there are plenty of cactuses to squat behind, if you have to...but then there is the posh club at the top of the hill....

Sweaty runners from outside the community are not really welcome to use the sweet porcelein toilet. I found a worker and inquired if an out-of-towner might pay a club fee to have access to this nice bathroom. She almost gave me a number to contact, but then decided not to. She was pritty sure that this was not a privelege for anyone but the Las Sendas inhabitants.

These nice rolled towels with ice cubes and eucalyptus, are not to be mine. They will enhance the well-being of somebody, but not me.

So when you see this sweaty runner girl squatting behind a cactus- Look the other Way!!!

We've Been Snubbed by the "Winged Goddess of Victory"

From my rejection email...

The Winged Goddess of Victory has spoken. From the 30,000+ registration entries we received, we’ve drawn the names of the lucky women who will get the chance to run in the 2011 Nike Women’s Marathon.

Unfortunately, your name was not one of them.

I'm so sad! I was really wanting to get in to this race, and NOT St. George, so I guess now I have to start hoping for St. George. 

To those who signed up for St. George, lets hope "The Winged Goddess of Victory" sent our names to Utah!

SUSPENSFUL DAY!

Those of us that registered for the Nike Women's Half are waiting IMpatiently today for an acceptance email! GOOD LUCK TO US! CROSS ALL BODY PARTS that we get in!!!

I could live in Nike Tempo Shorts

Years ago at the Old Mountainside, I overheard a conversation amongst childcare workers: "Have you noticed that *Sheila Smith is always stinky?" Other girl- "Maybe she works out hard" First girl- "She is already stinky when she first gets to the gym!" 2nd girl "Oh, yeah, that is weird".

*Names have been changed to protect the innocent yet stinky.

I bet these days that I am the girl the childcare workers think is stinky. This is because sometimes I have to do a cycle class at 8:30, when I ran at 5:30. The 5:30 workout is a freeby because most people are still sleeping, so it is my bonus workout and it doesnt even count. Its a little bonus treat I get for getting up early- yay me! This is what you have to do sometimes when you love cycle, like yoga, and are obsessed with running. Sometimes you have to double up workouts. Especially when your 3 year old loves the childcare gym.

Somedays its not a 2nd workout. Somedays I need to make a trip to the store after I run, or go hiking, clean the car, or go easter egg hunting. I know that eventually I will need to get showered and put on "real clothes". I like to be clean and fresh. But I will admit that I am reluctant for the tempo short part of my day to end. I LOVE them. They are so light and fabulous. They feel like you are wearing NOTHING, and yet they are appropriate and not embarrassing the way wearing NOTHING would be.

If you dont have tempo shorts, get some! If you dont run, wear them to do your grocery shopping, clean the car, or go easter egg hunting. You will LOVE them too!

No I am not advertising for Nike. I do not have the Nike Account. But maybe I should!!!

The Leggos from Ragnar Del Sol

I know the Green Leggo!!!

This is a video from one of the fun teams we were around allot during our Ragnar Del Sol. They won the Ragnar video contest with it. Way to go Leggos!!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_ZBLVSbvOGc

Eating my Veggies

I cant think of anything I want more than veggies right now! With fresh fruit a close 2nd. Okay- granted I like the fruit to be on top of icecream or yogurt. But Ive never craved salad and veggies as much as lately.

It is probably because Summer is around the corner. But I am thrilled that after a winter of wanting to bake bread and cookies, that my body is asking me for veggies right now!

Will this help my running? I hope so. I dont know...Id like to think so! What do you think?

Bell Rock Trail and Courthouse Loop

A beautiful Day for A Trail Run!

We are the Matchy-Matchy Girls!!!

Sedona is a great place to walk around and work out the Lactic Acid after the run. These are some of our energetic kids, helping us work out the Lactic Acid!

Wildflower is where we chose to start our nutritional recovery from our run. But it took all day to recover! Aloha Chicken, and Coldstone Creamery were also key to our recovery! And a little gourmet popcorn and fudge helped too! Ahhh, The joy of recovery!

Kayda and Missy are great examples of the FIT life. They can never have a non-blurry picture because they are always on the move! Even while hugging!

Pictures I missed- sorry (I need to get better at this whole picture-blogging life)

-Our Scandanavian Friend who played beautiful flute music on the motel porch every night (He was part of the ambiance of Sedona and we want to make sure he is there next time we go too- we need to synchronize our travel plans with him!)

-Our Beautiful Icecream

-Our hot husband mountain bikers

-Karen and I's Delectable casseroles, Cynthia's scrumptious salad and rolls, and the adorable mini-sodas!

A great weekend full of friends, endurance activities we LOVE, and food!!!

Running in the Snow

The weekend of April 9th I got the rare opportunity to run with Marcie in Utah- Yay! I flew to Utah for my Grandmother's funeral. It was cold and snowy all weekend. The snow was pretty, falling lightly and gracefully, but constantly. I kept looking out the window throughout the weekend, wanting it to stop because I was worried about our run. But everytime I looked out the window, Id see what you see in the pictures above. More and more snow...

Marcie and I debated running together on treadmills at Gold's Gym, but Im glad we decided to just "go for it". It did snow on us almost the whole time we ran, but it wasnt very cold. I didnt feel uncomfortably cold until the last 3 miles. So for 12 miles I felt really great! And even the last 3 werent too bad.

We ran a paved trail, and then some roads and then decided to do the bulk of our run on our old Highschool outdoor track. This way we could just run and talk and not worry about where to go. So we had a great time "catching up" and just changed direction every few miles. We had 3 miles to the track, 9 on the track, and then 3 home.

I love that I have a good running friend in Utah. It is always a treat- I count it right up there with the excitement of going to a race!

My First 10K

On April 2nd I ran my first ever 10K. I mean, okay, once I ran that distance on my own, in the Islands, just to see. In 2009. But this was my first real race of this distance. So in theory, any time I got would be a PR, right? But what if my pace was slower than my half marathon pace, and even my marathon pace? Still a 10K PR? What do you think?

It was still a good saturday run. I ran a 5 mile warm-up to Freestone Park where the race was being held. It was just too hot, and we knew it. Cynthia was doing the race too, and we realized quickly that it was NOT a PR racing day. TOO HOT!!!

Everyone was hugging the shade. At one stretch we were running along side a tall fence and everyone was single filing, trying to catch that little bit of shade. The shade was priority for most. People couldve taken advantage of this stretch to pass up other racers, but most preferred to get as much shade as possible along the fence line.

They passed out water 3 times. I took a cup at each water stop and dumped it on my head. This offered a moment of relief.

Cynthia and I agree that we could run this another year and possibly get really great weather! April here is a little unpredictable. Really hot, and then a cold front...hard to tell what we will get.

Anyhow it was for a good cause. Funds were donated for Leukemia.

Still a good experience. But SOOO hard. We survived. And I have more respect for Badwater Survivors! Why anyone chooses to run in horrible heat, I still dont know.

Physical Therapy

I have allot to catch up on with the running blog. It will take me a few entries. Ever since Ragnar Ive been babying my left hamstring/glute. You all know it, because I cant stop obsessing over it- sorry all of you who have had to listen to my complaints. I broke down and paid for some visits to the Physical Therapist. They have helped and seem to be worth the money. He gave me some good stretches and strengthening exercises. Thankyou Dan Beaver for a good referral. If any of you are in need of a Physical Therapist, I will recommend Nate Snell. If money was no object I would continue to go every once in awhile. Who doesnt have a small issue that they wish would go away? Its nice to have an "expert" tell you that you can keep running! And that he can make you heal even while you run, if you follow his routine. Good Stuff. If I was as fast as Kara Goucher then I could justify having my own physical therapist, masseuse, coach, and mood therapist. But until Im doing sub- 6 minute miles, I guess Ill try to figure most of these things out on my own.

San Francisco Marathon/Half Marathon Group ID

Several of us are putting our names in the lottery to run the Nike Women’s Marathon or Half Marathon on October 16^th of this year in San Francisco.  We can link our names together so that if we get picked all of us would be able to run it.  If we don’t get picked, none of us would get in.  So far I think the committed runners are: Cynthia, Lindy, Barb, Lisa and Karen.  We are all bringing our husbands and making it a fun “couples” trip, no kids!  I would love to have as many of you come as would like! I’ve heard it’s a fun race with a Tiffany Necklace as the prize. J  I think so far everyone is running the Half Marathon but you can choose which race you want to do.

Here is some info from their website on the registration process. If you decide to register with us you MUST PUT THE GROUP ID in correctly! 

From the website:  http://inside.nike.com/blogs/nikerunning_events-en_US/2011/03/16/nwm-faqs

Registration for the 2011 Nike Women's Marathon will once again be held through a random drawing process. Runners can begin registering for the random drawing beginning Monday, April 11th at 9am PDT. Registration for the random drawing will close on Friday, April 22nd at 11:59pm PDT. You may register at any time during the registration period; registering early does not improve your change of being selected.

This year, if you are interested in registering as a group, you can obtain a Group ID prior to registering in the random drawing.

OUR GROUP ID IS:  21KV84

* All group members need to copy and paste the Group ID to reduce the chances of typos.

*  Starting April 11th, every member of the group needs to input the Group ID in the appropriate box on their own random drawing application. Your Group ID must be entered correctly to be considered. If your group is selected and you mistyped your Group ID during registration, you will not be included in that group.

Here We Go Again . . .

St. George Marathon put out this video in honor of it's 35th year.  Here's hoping we'll all be running it together! {The video is about 8 minutes.}

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zWwKrjgSsrg&feature=player_embedded

In Training

I haven't posted in a while so I thought I'd make a few notes on how my running is going.  I ran 13 today and had to post a picture of what I wore.  Shorts!  YAY!  It's been so cold here that I've been stuck wearing long pants {not to mention the hat & glove} but it finally warmed up enough to pull out the shorts.  These are the Nike shorts that Lindy gave me for my birthday.  I love them so much!  Aren't we all lucky to have a friend like Lindy?

I registered for the Utah Grand Slam this year, which is a total of four marathons: Utah Valley, Park City, Top of Utah and St. George.  It's a competition between 175 runners for overall and age-group awards based on total time of all four marathons.  How fun does that sound?!?  Anyway, I'm in training for the Utah Valley Marathon in June and I've got Boston on my mind.  A training run doesn't happen without me thinking of BQing. I'm hoping the training program I'm following will help me get there.  I'm now on week seven of the training schedule.  Here's a look at how my week's four through six training went:

Week Four:

Monday: 5 miles at 7:53 pace (39:34)

Tuesday: 8 miles at 8:10 pace (1:05:22)

Wednesday: Rest
Thursday: 5 miles at 8:13 pace (41:05)

Friday: 4 miles at 8:46 pace (35:05)

Saturday 12 miles at 8:25 pace (1:41:10)

Week Five:

Monday: 5 miles at 7:53 pace (39:25)

Tuesday: 8 miles at 8:53 pace (1:11:03)

Wednesday: 6 miles at 7:56 pace (47:37)

Thursday: Rest

Friday: 4 miles at 8:50 pace (35:21)

Saturday: 15 miles at 8:24 pace (2:06)

Week Six:
Monday: 5 miles at 8:12 pace (41:02)
Tuesday: 9 miles at 8:50 pace (1:19:36)
Wednesday: Rest
Thursday: 5 miles at 7:48 pace (39:04)
Friday: 4 miles at 8:52 pace (35:30)
Saturday: 13 miles at 8:15 pace (1:47:20)

Team BLING - Ragnar Champions!

I love this picture of us, although I am wondering why everyone is looking so powerful and I look like I'm "doing the twist."  This was at the very end, and I think we just wanted to prove that we COULD still climb up on top of the van! It had been an exhausting, fabulous, exhilarating and crazy few days. We had soooo much fun, and we ARE Ragnar champions. (Thanks Laura, for declaring us as that!)

This is what Lindy referred to as "The Look at Me Girls." We LOVED it!

This is me on my last run, it was ridiculously hard.  I had around 9 miles that leg I think and it was virtually all uphill. When Lisa emailed me this picture she labeled it as "pre-puking" because in the last mile I got totally sick and ended up gagging and throwing up for the last mile or so. I tried soooo hard and even though I ended up with a really slow average (SORRY) I know I gave it all I had! 

My sweat sisters gave me an awesome tunnel! Stuff like this is so energizing!

This is Captain Underpants.  He enjoyed his Ragnar persona immensely, certainly living out some unfulfilled fantasy.  At the end of the race he still strolled around in this "outfit" for at least an hour, well beyond the moment when costumes may have been appropriate and entertaining.

Thanks ladies for another awesome year, next year we will reign again as RAGNAR Champions!

TEAM BLING PICS

BLING Van 1
BLING Van 2
Karen about to Get This Party Started!!!

Makeover for Lisa's Van!

Our other Lovely BLING transporter! We are begging for compliments:)

Lisa passes to Kecia- Go Kecia!!!




At night we become the "Look at Me!" Girls!!! Everyone wants to touch our glowy pigtails! Where does Bridge get this great stuff???