Updates!

So school being out does not do wonders for keeping my blog current. Obviously, neither does moving. Anyway, hopefully this will bring us current. Our ultra team for running the Napa Valley Ragnar relay opted to defer our registration to next year. It was sad but we figured it worked best for our team. 

I ran a 10K for the 4th of July. I have done well at this race several times and I was hoping to possibly PR. The race started and I was up toward the front. Sadly, I forgot my Garmin so I wasn't sure what my pace was. Just shy of a mile in, my shoelace came untied. Up to that point, there were only 2 people in front of my. I had to stop to tie my shoelace and in those short 10 seconds, 3 people passed me. I was able to overtake all of them but one guy just kind of sat on my shoulder. On this course there is really only one hill. It's decent and you go down it run a bit, turn around and then run back up it. On the down, the guy running right behind me passed me. I didn't really worry because I know I'm strong running uphill. At the turn around I was able to know for sure that there were only 4 runners ahead of me, 3 guys and a girl. I was happy to think I was in the top 5. When we got back to the hill, I just kept moving. I pushed it a little because I could tell the guy right in front of me wasn't as strong as me. I passed him just passed the crest of the hill. I was feeling good and knew I could hold him off to the finish, especially when we hit the 5 mile mark. He would surge a little every once in a while but I met his challenge every time. I crossed the finish line in just over 43 minutes, a new 10K PR!  I was the 4th finisher overall and the 2nd female. I'm pretty sure that I helped the guy behind me have a great run too. 

Right now, I've just been keeping my long runs at 15 miles. I figure the build for the St. George Marathon will be easier if I just stay up around 15. Then the build is simply 4 weeks long. That's the only thing I have planned for now. I'm sure I'll pick a few more runs up only the way. 

I hope things are going well out there. Thanks for checking in and come back again soon!

St. Goerge Marathon 2011, pushing Mom

Several years ago my brother, sister-in-law and I were running. I know, wow, we were running. Anyway, my brother got the idea to push our mom from start to finish in the St. George Marathon. He wanted to get all of our siblings together to do this. I loved the idea and we moved forward in putting this idea into motion. I have six siblings and not all of them are runners but we figured that if we gave everyone enough time, they could all be ready. Sadly, I figured someone would probably be pregnant so not everyone could do this. When it came time to sign up for the marthon, not everyone was on board but we did have my brother, two sisters, my sister-in-law, and me. We contacted the marathon and asked for permission then set to work looking for a chair to push her in. It required much dedication and some pestering, but we got permission to push my mom. My grandma found us a sponsor and my sister found the chair. My Team Triumph is an amazing organization that sets "captains" (physically disabled people) up with chairs and "angels" (able bodied runner). They set us up with a chair and Robert J. DeVry sponsored the shipment of the chair.

We got the chair about a week before the marathon. Two days before the marathon we went for a run pushing my mom. We didn't get her centered in the chair and the chair pulled to the side all 5 miles. After that run, I was really worried about the marathon. I should probably mention that this was one sister's very first marathon. Race morning the weather was a little warmer than we had hope for. My mom has MS, which is why she is wheelchair bound and she cannot sweat. If she gets too hot, she just melts and it takes hours to cool her back down and it just wipes her out for the rest of the day. The beginning of the marathon is always kind of crazy. It takes a few miles to find your place where you are pacing the same as the people around you. With that running wheelchair, it was a little crazier. That was the most incredible marathon I have ever run. We would pass people or people would pass us and they always had a comment. So many people were inspired and thought what we were doing was so amazing. My mom's reaction was the best. If she was able, I know she would have run a marathon with us. We were simply able to do for her what she couldn't do. She has seen the marathon from a helicopter and loved that experience but right in the thick of the running crowd is an entirely different experience. 

Because of the weather, we had to leave the sister who was running her first marathon. After we got Mom to the finish line, my brother, sister and I went back for the other sister. We had shirts made up for us because we wanted people to know why we were doing this. As we passed people going back up the marathon, so many people told us that what we did was so amazing. I had no idea that we had had that effect on people. Our goal was simply to give Mom the marathon experience. We were able to do that but we got so much more. Hands down, that was my most memorable and favorite marathon. 

Thanks for checking in with me and come back again soon. 

Boston Marathon II

Haha. I bet you thought there was no way I would be back so soon. Here I am. I'm writing today because I just finished reading the July edition of Runner's World magazine. They have devoted about 70 pages to the Boston Marathon. Other than the plane ride from Boston to Minneapolis the day after the marathon, I haven't spoken to anyone about Boston that was adtually there except my husband and we really haven't talked about it much since that first week.  Reading those first-hand experiences was, I don't know. Perhaps I should advise right here that if you haven't seen the Runner's World for July, beware that it is graphic. There are several pictures of the finish line shortly after the bombings and of people who we injured. Those pictures are graphic. That being said, the magazine is worth the read. Those stories needed to be shared. They surfaced feelings though that I didn't realize I still had. Don't get me wrong. I am mostly okay. I have moved on. There is still part of me that is not okay. I don't know. That part of me may never be okay. It may always be an open wound. It may scab over. I have no idea what my next race will be like for me. Even though I have already run another race since 

Boston, I think it may have been too soon to know what it will really be like for me. Only time will tell. 

I was robbed of the opportunity to cross the finish line of my first Boston Marathon. I was stuck just short of Mass. Ave. for more than an hour as we waited for the BAA to come let us know what we needed to do and go and expect. I never got to turn onto Boylston and hear the roar of the crowds as they cheer me and my fellow runners through the finish line. I missed the climax of my experience to Boston. I was cheated and I am still struggling with it. I had feelings that I am ashamed of. I was frustrated and angry that I didn't get to finish the race. I wanted to know if I would still get a medal. I wanted to know if the BAA would allow me to come back next year without qualifying. Reading 

Runner's World made me feel better. Many runners felt those same feelings that I felt. And they too felt guilty about it. 

Boston was an amazing race. It was a beautiful day and seriously fun. Right up to the time we got stopped less than a mile from the finish line, I was having a wonderful time and I was so glad we made the trip to Boston. I echo the sentiment of someone (I really wish I knew who it was!) who said that bombing the Boston Marathon was a bad idea. The picked the wrong group of people. Runners are used to adversity. We run through it. We are used to pain. Runners are strong, not just physically but mentally and emotionally. We will be back next year an we will be stronger than ever. 

Thanks for listening to me rant and ramble on. Thanks for checking in with me and check back again soon. 

50 miles? Ready, set, . . .STOP!

So you may be wondering, maybe not, how our 50 mile run went. The short answer, it didn't. Our last training runs I think I told you about them. Ryan was sick so we didn't go as far. By the next day, my brother's knee was bothering him. He knows everything about evereything so when he wasn't sore the  first day but really sore the next, he started worrying. After some at home testing, he started thinking that his original idea that he injured a ligament may have been wrong and that he was healing. We postponed the run for about a week and a half. After some rough days at work, my brother decided it was time to see a doctor. Last week he saw one and he told my brother he is pretty sure he tore his miniscus. That means surgery. They've ordered an MRI but we know that's what it is. I won't go 50 by myself unless it's in a race. It's just too far to go alone. So, needless to say, the 50 is off. I can't figure any way to do it. That really frustrates me but it is the way it is. 

I ought to add here that we have purchased a new home and sold our home so I have been busy trying to get ready for the move. That's the reason I haven't recently posted and will probably be sporadic over the next few weeks. I promise that once we get settled I will be better about posting. I'll write about when we pushed my mom in the marathon and my son's first half marathon. 

I hope everything is going well for everyone out there. Thanks for checking in with me and come back soon!

Prepping for crazy. . .

So we planned to go 25/25. Our first 25 miles was sheer guts for me. Thoughtlessly, I increased my weight training last week but neglected to increase my food intake. None of those 25 mies felt good. After about 7 miles I realized that the run simply wasn't going to get better so I changed my thinking. I decided I was running 5-5 milers. Mentally it helped but physically it was just guts. My brother was fighting something so I was concerned about our second run. I got a text 5 minutes before my alarm was supposed to go off. The night before we had decided to just go 20. My brother was not feeling well. I told him to go back to bed then I decided to I would go back to bed for another hour and put in 12-14 miles after that. My brother told me to text him when I got up. We got up and ended up going just shy of 13 miles. Interestingly, I felt much better this second run than the last second run. The hills hurt but we were able to move. My brother was still fighting whatever so we walked more than usual but we got it done. 

We have decided what we are going to do next week for our 50 miler. Our older kids want to run a midnight 5K so when they are done we are going to drive up to Zion and start. We figure we should be running about 1:30 and be done before it gets too hot, roughly 12 hours later. My brother keeps saying it's good training for a 100 miler. I keep thinking when did I agreed to that. 

Nutrition is going to be interesting. I'm getting tired of chewy nutrition, gels are already out and so are PayDay bars. Stinger waffles are still amazing though. We'll probably carry 25ish miles worth of nutrition and water and plant both about 20ish miles into the run. By the time we need more we'll be into town and food will be available. There's a wood-fired pizza place in Hurricane that makes an amazing margherita pizza and we're hoping he'll be open on our way down. 

I'll fill you in on our run later. Thanks for checking in and come back soon. 

Back-to-back 20 milers

In preparation for our 50 mile run, we decided to run back-to-back runs. Yesterday morning we went 20 miles and today we did another course but also ran 20 miles. Yesterday's course was one we've run several times now. It has some really good hill climbs on it, basically the first 8 miles are off and on hills with more on than off. The second half of Red Hills Parkway was so dark! It was so surreal, almost dreamlike. An animal could have attacked us and no one would have known. I guess I should add that we left about 3:30 am so most of our run was in the dark. We did that so I could get my kids to school. That run was great. We moved along great, walking only to fuel and on the last hill for a short recovery.

Starting today was a little rough. Right from the start we could feel yesterday's run. We decided that we would run the hills as far as we could and then walk it to the top. There were 4 big hills on the run today and 3 little ones. We could feel them! Strangly, the longer we ran the less the hills bothered us. We could still feel them and they still hurt but the longest and hardest hill we ran to the top. We worried afterward that maybe we might have burned ourselves out (that hill came at mile 12) but we actually handled it well. I could feel the run today in my hips more than normal but overall, it was a good run. I am famished and can't seem to stay full long but that's okay.

Next week we haven't decided if we are running 25/20 or 25/25. My brother has to work when we were supposed to run so we haven't quite figured out what we'll do. I am tired of sports nutrition and I'm trying to find something else to eat. I want to take a burrito but I'm not convinced it would stay good while we're out running. A peanut butter sandwich would be great too but it would be awfully bulky. Someday I'm going to invent a new product. Someday.

Thanks for checking in with me and come back soon. :)

Crazy high mileage

I knew I had been running a lot of mileage but I hadn't totalled it up. Then when I was out running on Saturday, I figured out just how how my mileage was. After my run today, I have run 140 miles in 2 weeks. What I have found to be the most amazing is my body's ability to adapt to the demand I am putting on it. I blogged earlier about how my brother and I decided on a training run for
Red Mountain that we were going to run 50 miles in May. So 2 weeks ago I ran a marathon (Boston), five days later (not yet fully recovered) I ran the Red Mountain 50K. Then five days later I decided to run the St. George Ironman 70.3 run course. Two days later I ran 18.5 with my husband and brother (to train for the 50 miler) and today we put in nearly 17. I didn't mention the mileage I put in doing hill repeats or interval training but I did count them. When we did the 50K, I felt good but the hills were hard. By the time I ran the Ironman course, my body had adapted and I ran it well. By the way, I love the run course for the Ironman. It's killer but I love a challenge! The 18.5 we did on Saturday went well but near the end of the run today, we could feel the mileage and the heat. We went after our kids went to school so we didn't get started until after 9:00 and we had a daytime high of like 93 today so it was a warm run. We figured it would be good training because some of our 50 miler is going to be in full sun.

We decided that our training for the 50 miler would be back to back runs. Our plan was to run a 20 followed a 15. We got off late on Saturday and had a full day so we had to cut our run short and added onto the second run. Our next set will be two back to back 20s. Our last one will be 25/20 or 25/25, depending on how we feel. We're both solid runners and well able to run. With our heads so we should be able to knock this 50 miler out! It's probably crazy but I'm excited. I love a challenge and pushing my limits. It's only in pushing the boundaries and limits that I find out just how strong I really am.

Thanks for checking in and come back soon.

How did I miss making this announcement?!

Back in February I tested through AAFA to be a group fitness instructor. I only had about 2 1/2 weeks to read through all the material and to prepare so I was initially really nervous. I even considered not going to the test because I just wasn't sure if I could do it. By the time the workshop started, I found my confidence. I knew this stuff and I knew I could do it. But the time the testing rolled around, I was so ready for it. I left the workshop knowing that I had passed the test and I was ready to move forward. AFAA says it takes 4-6 weeks to receive test results. It took 7 1/2 weeks for me to get mine back. By then I had lost some motivation but was thrilled that I am now legal to teach group fitness classes. I really want to teach indoor cycling and maybe yoga. I wouldn't mind a bootcamp class either.

I'm not really sure what I want to do. My passion is running. I know I can get anyone to a finish line. I would love to be a running coach. I think I'm going to try my hand at being a pacer for marathons and half marathons. Helping people accomplish their goals is somehting that would make me really happy.

Anyway, thanks for checking back in with me. Feel free to ask me any questions you may have. I will try to answer to the best of my ability. Have a great one and come back soon.

I'm getting better and Red Mountain 50K

I had a really bad day. Crazy as it seems, after the really bad day, I started to do better. Everything seemed so surreal until about Wednesday morning. At that point everything became too real. I dealt with my emtions and allowed myself to feel all of them. By Thursday I was feeling better. I still have moments when thngs are not okay but the good out-weighs the bad.

Friday morning my husband and I went to my brother's house to get to watch the marathon. He had recorded it on his DV-R. That was one thing that frustrated me. I missed all the highlights from the day because of the attacks. We swtiched back and forth between the marathon and the developments going on in Boston. We had our race the next day so I spent the time making ribbons for the runners of the race to wear as a tribute to Boston, the runners, and the victims.

Saturday began cool though not as cold as I was afraid it would be. We started the race and only about 2 or 3 miles in it became apparent that we weren't as recovered as I hoped. The flats and downhills were fine but the hills hurt. The first 13 miles of the 50K are over a mountain. I was so glad to be done with the mountain. "We" was my husband, my brother, and me. My husband and I just didn't have the power that we usually have and my brother was sick. What a group we made. We walked the hills and several other times but we made it. What's crazy is that I was feeling better at miles 25-30 than I was at 6-13. We finished the 50K in about 5:45ish. It was a slower finish than I hoped for but with Boston being only five days before, I'll take it.

I'm looking forward to 2013 being a great running year. Thanks for checking in and keep running because it's still important.

So I'm not okay

This was not my intention when I started this blog. It was never meant to be a place to vent but since this applies to so many people, I feel that it's appropriate. I'm not okay. People keep asking me that. Initially, I told them that I was, but I'm not. I feel like processing the events of the Boston Marathon is like peeling an onion. I deal with one thing only to find another layer. This morning I went to the gym and turned the TV on while I was on the treadmill. The morning news was showing footage of the finishline. I nearly lost it right there. I pride myself on being a strong person and dealing with the things life throws at me but I am not handling this. I feel violated. Running is my sanctity, my outlet, what makes me a better person and someone I don't know for whatever reason tainted it. I deal with my problems, write papers, receive inspiration while I run and now my safety net has a hole. Every time I toe the line for a race for the rest of my life, Boston 2013 will be in the back of my mind. Why a marathon? Why runners and their supporters? Monday was supposed to be a celebration, the culmination of months of hard work, sacrifice, dedication, discpline. This was a senseless, shameful, cowardly event. I cannot make sense of it and I am struggling. I have found myself in tears off and on all day.

A thanks to the many, many people who have reached out to me and my family. Your thoughts have meant a lot. Please continue to pray for those that have been affected by the tragedy in Boston.

Thanks for checking back with me and come back soon. Hopefully, I'll have a better handle on things next time.

Boston Marathon 2013

I should start my Boston Marathon experience with getting to
Boston. We picked up our rental car and then headed to the Prudential Center where the expo was. We grabbed some luch and then shopped until the expo opened. CRAZY amounts of people all there to get their numbers for the marathon. Boston is so well organized and the volunteers were great. We wondered through the expo and saw Team Hoyt. What an inspiration! We were feeling beat so we decided to check into our hotel since we had red-eyed it in and we were exhausted. We grabbed some dinner and went to bed early. In the morning we did some sight seeing and then went back to the expo. My sister used to live in the Boston area and she told us we needed to get a cannoli from Mike's Bakery so we walked to the north end for a cannoli. After dinner, we went back to our hotel for the night. On Sunday we went to worship services and then to the 300th anniversary celebration of Lexington. After the celebration we went back to our hotel to put things together for the morning. Race day! It started at 6:00, I know, not too early. We had to board the buses at Boston Common between 7:00 and 7:30. It was a cold morng but the sun was shining. We had had cloud cover, rain, and wind since flying into Boston so we were thrilled for the sun. That was the longest bus trip to a starting line I have ever experienced. The starting line was crazy. So many people. We were in the last wave, in the final corral. Our start time was 10:40. We weaved in and out of people for the first 6 miles, fnally pacing about the same as the runners around us. I don't really remember the first 10 miles very well. By mile 15 I was feeling great and ready to let my endurance legs fly. My husband was starting to struggle, though. Several times we had to slow to a walk. I will admit that I did consider running ahead of him and then coming back to finish with him. I decided at wouldn't be fun for either of us so we would stay together. Just after crossing the 40K check point, just passed the 25 mile mark, we ran into a wall of people. The corral gates had been shut. Someone said something about there being an explosion at the finishline. We had 3/4 of a mile to the finish! It became apparent very quickly that we weren't going to get to finish this race. Cell service was spotty, clogged with so many people trying to use the system. I was thinking about our kids watching the race on TV and knowing we were so close. We kept trying and were finally able to reach our daughter to let her know we were okay and to tell her to call her grandmas to let them know we were okay. My husband had better service than most and was able to send many text mesages to famlies at the finishline that people were okay. After about an hour, a volunteer came to tell us they needed us to walk several streets to pick up our drop bags. We probably walked a mile and a half and were able to get our drop bags, a warming blanket, and a goody bag they handed the finishers. We asked a police officer if the train was open and he said yes. We walked back to Boston Common only to find that the train was closed at that stop. We ended up walking about another 2ish miles and were finally able to get on the train. We got stopped on the train but finally made it back to our car and then our hotel. We finally got food at about 8:00 that night. We were able to get our flighht out early this morning and made it safely home early this afternoon.

Something I would really like to emphasize is that during the crisis, humanity showed its best side. People came out and brought the runners drinks and garbage bags and sweatshirts. People forgot that they didn't know each other and just thought about the fact that we are all people.

Thanks for checking in with me and check back soon. Remember the victims of this tragic event.

Nutrition, nutrition, nutrition

This is one of those things that is so much more important than I could probably express. I need to state here that I am not a dietician or sports nutritionist. All the ideas expressed here are my own opinion and not intended to cure or diagnose anything. That being said, let's get to the fun. When I first started running, I was overweight. I wasn't necessarily running to lose weight, mostly just because I enjoyed it and I loved the boost my self-esteem received when I accomplished a goal. I bring up these things because I did not have a healthy relationship with food. It took me a long time to get there. I have been from one extreme, food was my go-to--for the good, the bad, or otherwise, to the other, it scared me to eat. Thankfully, some education and a changed perception has brought me to a healthy relationship with food. Right now I see food as the fuel my body requires to do the things I want to do. Good nutrition is necessary if you want to be active and have your body function at its best. I have eaten horribly and had by body scream at me on a run. I have had the opposite result and had amazing runs because I have taken good care of myself. My relationship with food only changed when my perception of food changed.

I want to address nutrition while exercising. If you are going for up to about 60 minutes, nutrition while exercising is probably not necessary. Anything longer than that will probably require nutrition. There are a million things you can take with you. A drink with calories, ie. sports drink, is probably the easiest. You are going to need to hydrate and a drink with calories just kills two birds with one stone. Other things can include gels and blocks, anything really. I have a really hard time with gels. I literally have to give myself a pep talk to get it down and even then I usually gag. The texture is what I struggle with. They are really convenient though and super portable. Blocks really are my favorite nutrition. GU blocks are my favorite brand but Clif and Stingers make a good product too. Blocks are a gummy product similar to fruit snacks. Often, one package is two servings to check the label. Really, anything can be your nutition. I have used candy bars cut up into 100 calorie servings. Chocolate is not a good idea because it melts. PayDay bars or Salted Nut Rolls worked really well though I have eaten so many on training runs that I can no longer eat them so keep that in mind. I discovered pinole after reading "Born to Run," a great read! It's a corn masa dough that can be eaten raw or baked into a cake or cookie. I have run with peanut butter fillled pretzels and trail mix before so the sky really is the limit. Recently, I tried Stingers waffles and I think they are amazing! They are endorsed by Lance Armstrong (say what you want about his etthics, but he is an amazing athlete) so they are great for endurance events.

Nutrition while doing endurance events can be tricky. Staying ahead of the burn is essential if you don't want to tank. You don't want to overeat because your body slows digestion and you'll end up with a lead belly but you have to eat to keep going. Usuallly, you fuel before you go and then re-fuel every 30-60 minutes depending on your fitness level and your size. Usually, the more fit you are and the bigger your size the faster your body burns. Re-fueling too slow makes you sluggish until your body can metabolize your nutrition.

Best of luck as you experiment with nutrition. Thanks for checking in and come back soon!

My first running race

I was preparing for a sprint triathlon. While talking with my brother, he told me I should run a half marathon that was in like two weeks. Like usual, he had me talked into it before I really had time to think it through. By the time I got home I thought things through and decided it was crazy and I hadn't trained and didn't have time to train so I wasn't going to do it. Several days passed and I kept thinking about that half marathon. Somehow I decided to do it. I did my tri that weekend and then went to the gym the next Monday to run the farthest I had ever run at one time, seven miles. That Saturday was the the half. So the longest I had ever run in parparation for this race was seven miles and it was five days before the race. Thankfully I have learned from my mistakes and I usually properly train for races now. That day I will never forget how long that bus ride to the starting line was. I kept thinking that surely we had gone 13 miles and the bus was going to stop, but it didn't. It just kept going. It was cold and windy at the starting line so I was so grateful for the bonfires. It seemed like we were there forever before the race started. My brother was there but he was so much faster than I was so when the race started I told him I would see him at the finishline. I didn't want to hold him up. I ran every step of that race. All 13.1 miles of it. By miles seven, my calves were absolute knots. My knees started to really hurt by about that same time but I was going to did it. The last two miles I thought I really might die. I was really familiar with the course but I had never run it before, only driven it and those are two completey different things. Those were some of the longest miles of my life. I finally hit mile 13 and decided I wanted to sprint it in. I thought the finishline was in a different place so I turned the speed on a little too early. It was sheer dumb luck that allowed me to finish that race. The good thing that came out of that race, besides knowledge, was that emerged a runner. I finally LOVED to run. I got excited about running and that started the crazy runner that I am today.

Many of my races are special to me for diffeerent reasons. My firsts are specials because they're firsts. One of my marathon finishes means so much because we pushed our wheelchair bound mother from start to finish. One is a PR.

There is something good to find in everything, even the negative, or in my case, the crazy. Thanks for checking in with me and check back soon. I'm hoping to blog at least one more time before the Boston marathon, maybe twice. Have a good one!

One crazy week

So last week I'm out shopping and my husband calls me. He had earlier entered a contest to win a free entry to the Boston Marathon on Instagram. He was calling to tell me he had won the entry. Now, at this point I should probably tell you that I want to qualify for Boston. I haven't, as yet, done all that is required to qualify. I know I have a Boston qualifying time in me but I haven't made the commitment to do it yet. I don't know that I even really want to go to Boston. I just want the bragging rights to say that I did it. When my husband told me he won the entry, I was so jealous. He hadn't spent the last six years of his life becoming a runner like me. He has been a runner off and on but not consistently. We immediately went to work looking into the logistics of going to Boston. With four kids, the oldest only being 14, a trip to Boston was going to be hard. We were having a hard time finding flights that would work. I had all but written off me going. Enter my brother and sister-in-law. They wouldn't take no for an answer. They conspired with my husband and found another entry into the marathon. My sister-in-law even said she would take work off to watch my kids. So, one week later, we are going to Boston to run the marathon. Yes, I know the race is 2 weeks from today. Yes, i also know that it's 5 days before the 50K we've been training for. And in answer to your question, yes. We are doing both. Neither race is going to have the finish that I would really like but we will finish and earn both medals.

I guess I'm nothing if not flexible. It will be an adventure and a nice getaway. Thanks for checking in with my crazy life and come back for a good laugh again soon.

Peak week happened!

So yesterday we ran 28 miles, wow! Huh, I don't think I ever explained what I was traning for. People are probably thinking I'm crazy. I probably am. The race is called the Red Mountain 50K. It started six years ago, taking its second year off because of lack of sponsorship, I think. It was back on the third year and has steadily grown since then. I am the last person to have done it every year so I feel a responsibility to keep doing it. The 50K is an amazing race and is really well put together. For those of you who are baffled by the distance, it is 31 miles. Yes, that's an ultramarathon. Like I said, it's an amazing race. Sometime I'll tell you about the year it was sabotaged and people got lost.

Anyway, back to yesterday. We literally ran like half of the county. It was a great run. No matter how well prepared you are for it, the upper miles seem to beat you up a bit. My husband was really struggling toward the end but I've decided that it's because he just doesn't have enough recovery time for his body to fully recover, between work and training. Our planning was a little crazy too. Our last mile and a half was uphill. I should have thought that one through a little better. We have discovered how much we really like coconut water on a long run. It's available readily now at convenient stores, mostly in the Naked brand but some carry it in brand specifically marketed to Spanish speaking individuals. Any brand is great. Coconut water is naturally high in electrolytes and its light flavor is refreshing.

I read an article about a year and a half ago when I was in a sports medicine class that cited a research study done in Europe. It said that consuming non-alcoholic beer after a long run can actually be good for a runner. It has to be non-alcoholic but it's true. Non-alcoholic beer is high in polyphenols that can help to boost a compromised immune system do to building for a race. Its alchoholic counterpart doesn't work because of the dehydrating affect of alcohol. Needless to say, my brother and husband couldn't wait to get done so they could drink their O'Douls. I can't stand the smell of the stuff so I don't drink it Chocolate soymilk is my recovery drink of choice. My brother has been fighting a cold so he was especially looking forward to it.

Well, we did it. We made it through peak week and even did it right! Next week we'll taper and continue for a few more weeks. Then, it's race day, the day we've been working toward since January.

Thanks for checking back with me and come check back again soon. Have a good one!

My first open water triathlon

So my road to being active, as you know, began with a triathlon. I did them for a few years but I always avoided the open water tris because I'm scared of water. My husband is an amazing swimmer and has given me some great tips so I decided to give it a go again, this time comfronting my fear of the open water. My training was a little sub-par but I had been swimming a little over a mile once a week for months with consistent running and biking where I could get it in. I didn't have a wet suit but I didn't want to rent one since someday I am going to complete a full Ironman and I will need a wet suit to train for that. My husband has a friend that could get us a screaming deal on a wet suit so we went through him to get it. It arrived the day before the race. Yes, that means that the first time I swam in the lake and the first time I swam in a wet suit were the day of the race, during the race. My parents wanted to be there for the race but ended up going to my niece's dance recital out of town. The last thing my mom told me before thet left was not to freak myself out, that I could do this. Just before the race started they had us jump in the water. I was fine. The race started and I was fine. I was even staying with the pack, up near the front. I'm not sure why, but a few minutes into the race, I had a panic attack. Thankfully, my mom's words stuck in my head and I was able to keep my head but every time I tried to put my head in the water to freestyle, I would freak out. I swam most of that race breaststroking and backstroking. I came in at nearly twice as long as I thought it would take me. My family was starting to worry. I distracted myself by singing to myself. Coming out of the water was the strangest experience. I felt so disconnected to my body. I wasn't sure that my legs were going to respond to the "walk" message they were getting from my head. Once I got on my bike it was smoothe sailing. I was able to fly and of course when it came time to run, my body can go on auto-pilot it's so used to that. I came accrossed the finish line happy to have accomplished my goal but disappointed with my performance. To add insult to injury, my timing chip malfunctioned sometime during the race so I do not have an official finish time for that race. I have since tried to do some swimming at the lake but with no real success. I know the only way to overcome my fear is to stare it in the face. I wanted to do the Ironman St. George 70.3 event ts yesr but it sold out before I could make up my mind. I've been looking into full Ironman tris that could double as a vacation but still haven't made up my mind.

In May of 2010, St. George hosted it's first Ironman event. I volunteered but it was the first time since I've been active that I've sat the sidelines at a major event. It was harder than I thought it would be and that was when I knew that I have at least one Ironman in me. In 2012, just previous to the St. George Ironman, Ironman announced that 2012 would be the last full distance event in St. George. I was so disappointed because 2013 was going to be my year. I would be done with school so I could put in the time required to complete a full distance. That's why I'm looking now. Maybe Cozumel!

What I'm hoping you can take from my experience is that we can't let fear stop us. Stare it right in the face and say,"I am stronger than that." You are more than your fears. They do not define you.

Thanks for checking in with me and stop back by again soon.

I'm not setting a good example, but here's 26, kind of

So this past weekend the plan was to go 26 miles. My kids had been on Spring Break last week so we went to Vegas on Thursday and stayed the night. My brother had to go back to work on Saturday so we decided to run our 26 miler when we got home on Friday evening. First of all I should mention that no matter what, I lose most if not all motivation as the day wears on. By the time we got home and ready to go, my husband and brother really didn't want to go anymore. We decided to run a quick 7 miler and my husband and I would finish the run up in the morning. The late night in Vegas really did us in because we woke up at 8:00 and didn't get out the door until after 9:00. Thankfully, we had cloud cover most of the run so even though it was warm, we weren't frying. By the time we got to the end of our run, I could tell that we had gone 26 miles in the last 16 hours.

Once again, I do not recommend getting your miles in this way but it does work. Next week (peak week!) we are going 28 miles, no matter what, not broken up!  Sometimes life just gets in the way. We are hoping to go on Friday since we have soccer games and dance competitions on Saturday. Even if Friday doesn't work out, we will go on Saturday, even if it means going at zero dark thirty.

I really should apologize for my terrible example of how to train for an ultramarathon. I normally am so diligent in and dedicated in my training but this time I have two other schedules to accomodate. Here's to doing better for my next race!

Thanks for checking in with my craziness and please check back again soon!

These are a few of my favorite things

Almost two years ago, after doing some research, I decided to change my gait. That is a story I will save for another time but after changing my gait, I found an interesting shoe. They had no drop from heel to midsole. I will admit that, initially, I thought they were an ugly shoe. The brand name is Altra.   Altra's toe box is more square shaped. I looked at my own foot and realized this shape actually makes sense since that is how the human foot is shaped. I tried the Altra Intuition on in my local shoe store. I kind of liked it. It was different but in a good way. I purchased the shoe and on my first run in them, I fell in love. Up until that point, I hadn't felt like I had found "my" shoe. Ever since I started running, I have dealt with blisters on long runs. I just accepted that blisters were part of being an endurance runner. That stopped when I started running in Altras. I just don't get blisters anymore.

Interestingly, most running shoes have a "life" of between 350 and 500 miles. I hit 500 miles on my Altras and decided to see just how far they would go. On my 22 mile run, I turned over more than 1000 road running miles. I have worn them down on the outside to the midsole but those shoes just kept going and I love them.

Altra has a full running shoe line from their Adam/Eve minimalist shoe to their Lone Peak trail shoe to their Torin max cushion sole shoe. For what it's worth, I am not a paid endorser of Altra brand shoes. I just simply love their shoes and feel like it's a great brand. Check out Altras at www.altrazerodrop.com.

Thanks for checking back in with me and I hope you'll check back in again soon. Have a great one!

24 miles, or not :/

We were supposed to run 24 miles this weekend. With the exception of summer when it's just hot all the time, I almost compulsively check the weather for days leading up to a long run. I check all of the local(ish) stations for their weather forecasts but I put the most stock in accuweather.com. I can input the name of the city or the zip code and get an accurate hour by hour weather forecast that includes wind speed, rain/snow, and "feels like" forecast. This week I checked everything all week. We often run on Friday so we can have it done before my kids get out of school but we go on Saturday when Friday doesn't work out. This week, no matter whose forecast I checked, it was rain and wind. Friday came and we decided Saturday would be better because that forecast at least didn't include wind. I hate running in the wind. Last night I checked the forecast on accuweather one last time. The "feels like" temp was 32 degrees. Now I realize there are people out there who are right now saying, "So?" Well, I have a really hard time regulating my body temp. If I get cold, I freeze. Besides, it's March, in St. George. I'm done with those kinds of temps. On top of the temp, we were going to deal with rain off and on. As much as I really hate skipping a run, we were going to have to skip this week or be miserable. I have missed a run every once in a while training for other races and things have worked out fine. I am a little nervous doing it so close to peak week but it will be okay.

What I'm hoping to he people understand that as long as you are consistent, missing a run every once in a while is okay. It won't undo all your training. Consistency is the key here. We did make it to the gym this morning and I can report that we killed the pace today. Six miles at 7:51, 7:36, 7:49, and the last 3 miles at 7:33. It felt great to just run and go hard.

I hope this information helps someone out there along the road to whatever goal they have set. Thanks for checking in and I hope you'll check back again soon.

22 miles. . .

Last Friday we went 22 miles. Once again, "we"was my brother Ryan, my sister-in-law Laura, and my husband Jeramiah. We were probably 2/3 to 3/4 of a mile in and we were running up a small incline. My brother made the comment that that hill took it out of him. I kind of chuckled but I have run enough to know that an off-handed comment like that can be your un-doing later. I started asking questions. Ryan had played three games of basketball the night before. Ryan doesn't toss a ball around and shoot hoops. Ryan plays ball. I then asked him what he ate the night before and how much water he'd had. I also wanted to know what he had eaten that morning and how much water he'd had. I determined that Ryan hadn't eaten enough the night before and was probably dehydrated. I immediately told Ryan that he could cut out early if he felt like he needed to. Secretly I was hoping he would because I was worried about him. We did the same route we did last week just adding a short addition on the trail into Washington at the end. When we were about 15 miles in, I asked Ryan how he was doing and he said not well. I encouraged him to cut out when his wife met us and he agreed. We missed him for the last 6ish miles but I was glad he listened to the limits his body was setting that day.

I put Ryan's story in here because everyone has an off day sometimes. Part of being a runner is learning to listen to what your body has to say. It can be disheartening to not accomplish your goal for that particular run but rest and recovery are so important to your overall training. Trust the process and you will be successful. A day off can mean a killer run next time!

Thanks for checking in and plea check back again soon.

My battle for no medication

I have a family tendency to have depression and/or anxiety. After my last pregnancy, I realized that I would need to be careful if I didn't want to take medications long term. I need to emphasize here that thee is nothing wrong with medications. I am a firm believer in modern medicine and that it is there to help people. I made a determination that if there was anythng I could do to not have to take medications, I would do it. Part of the reason that I am so active is that it's my anti-depressant, my anti-anxiety.  I didn't realize the extreme effect that my activity could have on my everyday life until last year. It was a Friday and I had must spent the morning in class. I had many errands to run and my kids would be out of school by early afternoon. I was frustrated when I realized I wouldn't be done before I had to pick my kids up from school and they would have to accompany me to finish my errands. My last errand was a trip to Costco. I was frazzled by the time we finally walked out. Anyone who has taken kids to the store will understand why. My kids weren't being bad, they were just being kids, touching things, wondering, making things take longer than necessary. A few months prior to this, my older son told us he wanted to run a half marathon for this 11th birthday so my husband and I had been training him. We had to get in a long run this particular day. I was frustrated that the thing I love, running, was going to be invaded by one of the reasons I was so frustrated to begin with. I have neveer regretted a run but I was so not looking forward to this one. We finally got out on our run and by the time we hit the first mile, my mood had done a complete turnaround. I was in the best mood, having the best day. To that point, I had never had such a dramatic effect on my mood by a run. We completed our run, having a good time and since then I have been a big believer that if you are struggling with depression, get moving. I know it's hard and somethimes the last thing you may want to do but you won't regret it and you will feel so much better.

My son did complete his half marathon and we had a good time. Another time I will share that experience. Tomorrow (hopefully) we are putting in 22 miles so I'll let you know how things went.  Thanks for checking in with me and I hope you'll be back soon!

February 22

Today I headed out running with my favorite running partners, my brother Ryan, my husband Jeramiah, and my sister-in-law Laura met us toward the end of the run. We went 20 miles, running the back half of the St. George Ironman running course.  We've spent the last 6 weeks running the Red Hills Parkway and I feel like we're really getting to know it well. Our run was basically uphill for the first 7 miles then we ran downhill for the next 4 or 5. Once we hit the trail, we were pretty flat until about 16 1/2 miles in. The next mile and a half was uphill with no shoulder and no sidewalk. That's one place I try to avoid because it's not runneer friendly. It was a gorgeous day and we had fun. About 11 miles in, I realized I didn't eat enough food yesterday and my body started protesting. I didn't think that one through very well. I know better than that. Hydration and nutrition are so important the day before a long run. Fortunately, we were close to a convenient store and we shared a small bag of Cheetos. Yum!  There is a place for junkfood!  Once the snack hit my system, I felt so much better.

Thanks for checking in with me today. I'll check in again soon. Have a great one!

The beginning. . .

My husband has been after me to start a blog for years. I have more time now than I have in years so I guess the time is finally right. In the words of Julie Andrews in "The Sound of Music," I should "Start at the very beginning" because it's " a very good place to start." The beginning is when I was about 12 years old. I was talking to my older brother, Ryan.  He's four years older than me and I have always admired him. Anyway, Ryan told me about this crazy race in Hawaii. You swam a few miles then biked over a hundred miles and finished the race with a marathon. Ryan told me then that some day he was going to do that race. I thought he was crazy but that conversation stuck in my head. Fast forward several years. It's May of 2005. I'm married and have four kids. It's Ryan's birthday and he's telling me about a triathlon in a nearby town. I probably ought to add that at this point in my life, I'm not really active. Anyway, the distances in this tri were a 200 yard swim, 5 mile bike, and a mile and a half run. I remember thinking, "I can do that."  The tri was in seven days and I hadn't trained. I discussed it with my husband and we decided I should do it. I can look back and laugh. Back then I could side stroke and dog paddle. Not that it mattered because I could touch the bottom of the pool the whole time. It was one of the hardest bike rides I've ever done. Really though, my only comparison was rides as a kid. The run wound around town and you could see the finish at nearly every corner. I ran the intersections and as much of the blocks as I could but I wasn't a runner back then and consequently earned myself shin splints. Crossing that finishline changed my life. At the time I had no idea just how much it would change my life. I was so proud of myself for accomplishing my goal. To this day, that medal means so much to me. That day my inner athlete was awakened, the inner athlete I never knew existed.

At later dates, I will try to give you more of my background so you can better understand who I am and why I do what I do. Thanks for being with me and I hope you come back soon.