Utah Valley Half Marathon

These ladies talk me into (I mean inspire me) crazy crap!

Utah Valley Half Marathon!

We met up and took ourselves to a yummy pasta dinner the night before. 

We decided to take a picture BEFORE the race since we all look so good after the race!

This one was a hard one. Nicole (in the middle) asked me to pace her so she could get under two hours. I felt great, but she didn't. It was hard to know when to push her and when to just let her be - I made her pretty grumpy toward the end. lol! We came in at 1:54, so we just barely made her goal, but we did it!

 

Marathon Runners Are a Special Kind of Stupid!

It's one of THOSE kinds of posts . . . it's long, it's mushy, and you've been warned!

After a summer of almost no running, frustration, pain, loss of identity, and going a little PSYCHO, I was more than blessed to be able to run the St. George Marathon!



While it sounds like a funny thing to call a blessing, I have good reason . . . marathons teach you an awful lot about yourself and how you view the world.

In my own personal experience, they bring me closer to my Heavenly Father and give me a new found appreciation for a lot of things.

For example, I have never been more grateful for the human body - and what mine has overcome and been able to accomplish (surgeries, babies, dumb varicose veins, and recently, a torn calf muscle and stress fractures).

I have never been more grateful for the support of my amazing husband, family and friends.

I have never been more grateful for the power of prayer and guardian angels - both of which I felt all around me as I ran.

I have never been more grateful for the beautiful landscape we have right here in Utah - majestic!


I have never been more amazed at the strong will and spirit of the everyday man and woman, and the determination that so many have to do something extraordinary!

I am touched by the camaraderie, and the kindness that others have for those who are a little down on their luck. I am touched by how many are willing to "carry" another so selflessly.

I know that this comparison is SO over-used, but it hit home so much for me during this marathon: Life really is like a marathon. We are never alone in our race - and we really need the support of others to make it to the end. We have two choices when it gets hard: Quit and give up, or dig deep and keep going! It's not an easy thing to do, but it can be done - by anyone - if you want it bad enough!

I got to experience the "heart of the race" in St. George this year - the reason that we all keep doing this to ourselves! I will never finish first (or last, hopefully), and I will never know what it's like to be in the top five runners, but those who are focused so much on that goal will never experience the race the way that I do.

I watched numerous people stop to help another, got cheered on by complete strangers, got high-fived by hundreds of spectating children, got to watch the most beautiful sunrise I've ever seen, watched people push their loved ones with disabilities in wheelchairs up giant hills, watched complete strangers link arms just to keep someone having a hard time going, and watched the human spirit and love for running conquer any challenge that marathon offered.

I finally found Joy in My Journey, and for that, I am grateful.

Thank you to all of my cute friends and family that did so much to get me out there, and that believed in me when I didn't. The care packages, the notes, the yummy treats - it was better than Christmas, and it was your love that got me through! Love you all!

(Yes, my eyes are closed - and I am beet red - and EXHAUSTED . . .
and no one said I had to look pretty after running 26.2 miles anyway . . .
and for the record, I only lost one toenail, but got PLENTY of blisters!)

Wasatch Back!

I had the awesome privilege of running Wasatch Back Relay again this year -
with yet another amazing team! It is the craziest, most insane thing to do to your body
and mind, but it is also a huge personal accomplishment each and every time!
188 miles from Logan to Park City . . .

Run, Eat, Sleep, Repeat!

Wasatch Back "Skirts and Skins"
These people are amazing athletes! So much fun!

The first leg of my race was running up the beautiful Snow Basin Canyon in Ogden.
The hill was intense, but the views and scenery were incredible!
My second leg started in Wanship, and wound around Rockport Reservoir - beautiful again!
And my third and final leg - although hot - came down out of Wasatch State Park in Midway and ended up on a trail through the forest - which was unexpected, but gorgeous non-the-less!

Our race seemed to be going too smoothly . . . which meant that it was!
Our last runner got so sick on her first run! Poor girl! She ended up in the lovely first aid tent, followed by the ambulance . . . with two legs of the race still to go!

Rod, our usual hero, came up to support me during the night - and ended up taking one of our other runner's legs in the middle of the night! He did great - unfortunately, no pictures turned out to prove it, but we were beyond grateful that he was there and willing to help out! None of us were begging to run any more than we had to!

Rod (glowing in the middle of the night!)

More than half of our team was missing at the finish line due to crazy traffic and long waits, but we did it! Hungry, trashed, tired, happy and ready to go home, we came in 23rd out of 648 in our division! Not bad!

Our Road Kills (people we passed on each of our legs of the race).

Every year I swear I'll never do this again, and somehow I end up doing it anyway . . . and every time, I end up loving it all over again!
It's amazing to watch friends and family come together for their own reasons to run this insane race. The camaraderie is beyond touching. Runners and non-runners alike encouraging each other to finish, just to keep going, or to stay strong. As crazy as it sounds, it's one of the most inspiring and spiritual experiences I've ever had, and I'm grateful to those who gave me the opportunity and carried me through!

Provo Marathon

My amazing running partners . . . Leesa, Jill and Matt

Lots of pictures and long post, but it's definitely an experience to record!

I love running, and I even love races - most of them anyway. I've done a fair amount of 10 milers and half marathons, but I've never really had the courage to do a full marathon. I knew I could do it, but I was afraid of not doing it well. This isn't a post about my OCD though, so we'll leave that little factor right where it's at. My great running partners, Jill and Leesa, knew that we could run all 26.2 miles of a full marathon if we just did it together - so we did!
We picked a marathon close to home and with a low registration fee so that if any of us were injured (or chicken) we could back out and not feel so bad about it. Little did we know what that meant about the actual race - next paragraph! We trained together all summer and had a great time in the process - minor injuries and all! We were finally ready!
I have never been so nervous for a race in all my life! Rod was such a blessing through the whole process and kept my confidence up as best as he could . . . fast forward to race day. Jill, her husband Matt, Leesa and I met up early that morning to ride down together. On the way down, there was a lot of speculating and nerves about the whole thing. We pulled up to our designation to get on the bus. The race director, who looked like he had been run over by his own truck several times got on the bus to give us our final directions . . . on a piece of poster board drawn with a sharpie, and scribbled out all over the place! We all giggled, and Matt took the paper to study. We started up the canyon and realized that there were only about 70 of us actually running this race and that we all shared a mutual fear - getting lost on the course! It was crazy! We got to the top of the canyon, had about 10 minutes to take care of any final business, and we were off! It was the most casual and low-key thing I've ever seen! No one sprinted out, and we all ran like we were on a long training run! Fast forward to our aid stations - the poor race director didn't even have volunteers for the aid stations, so he left tables every couple of miles with a paper cup of water or gatorade - and some kind of snack - like a raw potato (?), a half a cliff bar, and so on. We ran down to a point that we were familiar with from our training runs - and were told that we had to run up the same way we had just come to get enough miles in - against the wind none-the-less! I split off from Jill and Matt a little after that point - of course, Leesa was already miles ahead as usual, and I thought that I would find someone else to pace myself with. Little did I know that I wouldn't find another runner for another 7 plus miles! That's right! Not a soul in sight! No bathrooms, no spectators, no other runners - and no desire to run my guts out! Thank heavens my sweet friend Stephanie came to support me and run me in for the last 8 miles! I couldn't have made it without her! The finish line was mostly - okay, completely, anti-climatic! First of all, there technically wasn't a finish line, and we weren't sure where to go once we got there, and second of all, there wasn't a crowd, or a time clock or anything!!! The race director handed me my medal and said that he thought I probably came in fourth in my age division - but he wasn't sure! I still can't find the results! :) He congratulated us and directed us to a fine meal of jelly belly jelly beans and licorice - or pancakes, if you cooked them yourself! LOL!
On a positive note though, my incredible family was there and every one of them cheered their guts out for me! It was enough to make me bawl like a baby, and it's a memory I'll cherish forever. My mom and dad met me on the trail at the last mile with signs and smiles, and it was the most comforting thing in the world to have them there. My sister made shirts for her, my girls and Rod, and nothing made my day more than seeing my "crew" all in pink waiting for me - and yes, Rod is totally man enough to wear pink - and look good in it! My sweet daughters ran the last 1/4 mile of the race with me to get me across the finish line, and it gave me a whole new sense of purpose for finishing. I came home to a huge banner hanging across the front of our house made by my three princesses. I have never felt so grateful for the support of those I love, and I have never felt more proud that they're all mine. Thank you to all of you! I love you!
While it wasn't a race - or a time to brag about - it was definitely an accomplishment and a task to check off my bucket list. My goal was to run 26.2 miles and come in under four hours, and I did, and I'm happy. . . . And for now, I'm tired.
Thank you to my great friends who gave me the strength and courage to do this. Maybe next year, we'll try a big-girl marathon -- maybe.