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!!!