I ran a relay! And it was fun.

I finally got my chance to join the Ragnar family by joining a group of complete strangers in a place I had never been. Exciting? You betcha! One of my lovely Daily Mile friends, whom I had never met in person, asked me to join their team to run the Northwest Passage Ragnar relay race. For those of you who don't know what the Ragnar is, it's a 200 mile relay race, staged in various states across the nation. You have a team of 12 people (an ultra team has 6), 2 vans, and 2 days to finish. So I joined the team Imaginary Friends, so named because most of the team members only knew one or two other people in the group.  So I bought my plane ticket and headed to the lovely, green state of Washington for an epic adventure.

We started out at 7:15 am. I was runner 2, so I had a nice morning run after runner one finished. Except for the part where it rained on my through my entire run, it was lovely! A stretch of the run was right along the coast and I could watch herons fishing in the shallow water as I ran past. It was pretty level, which was nice but running in humidity like that was new to me. It got to the point where it felt like a large person was sitting on my chest while I was trying to run. I got used to it by my second run of the day, just before the sun went down. Our van completed our first 6 legs (sections of the race assigned to each runner) right on schedule and headed to the Olive Garden to carb load for the next stretch. We enjoyed the chance to use a real restroom instead of a porta-potty. You take your simple pleasures where you can on these relays.

After lunch, we headed to the next exchange where we would me up with the other half of our team who were finishing up their legs. The exchange was at a school and they let the runners use the gym to lay out sleeping bags and try to get some rest. Guess what? I can actually sleep on a hard gym floor. I didn't think I'd be able to, but you take your sleep where you can on these relays.

When we started up again, the sky was getting darker, but it was only around 7 o'clock. I was worried it was going to rain on me again, but it held off. I started my second leg just after 8 pm and was feeling a little fatigued. I haven't ever really done two runs in one day like that before, but once I got warmed up, I settled into a nice rhythm and managed my fastest time for my three legs. I had to dodge slugs for a good three miles of the 5.7 mile run. Those things are everywhere up in Washington! And they are BIG! You don't want to step on one, you'll slip and fall right on your tushy. Not only does that hurt, but you're also covered in slug goo. I managed to dodge all of those slimy booby traps.

Our van finished our second set right around midnight and headed to the next exchange, where again, we did our best to sleep on the gym floor of yet another high school. This school had showers that people were using. I was just happy to brush my teeth and close my eyes for a bit. We were up and out of there by 3:30 am to head to the next exchange and hit the Starbucks as soon as it opened. Unfortunately this was the one day the manager of the coffee shop slept in and we stood around outside for 45 minutes before my restless team members could get their coffee. I'm not a coffee drinker, but I wanted a muffin. Real bad.

Muffin in my belly, my team caffinated, it was time to start our third and final set of runs. It was foggy and misty but it kept things nice and cool. I started my last leg, what I thought was going to be a breezy little jaunt, after all, it was only 3.1 miles, when it turned into a hill-fest. Ugh. Every time I turned a corner, there was yet another hill to go up. And it wasn't like they were little rolling hills either. They were beasts! I had to walk so much, I was really concerned about keeping on schedule. But I finally hit a downhill section and was able to make up my lost time. Until the final stretch. Guess what! It was another hill! A long hill, not to steep, but looonnngggg. And I ran that whole damn thing. A girl tried to pass me but petered out and I just chugged along like the little engine that could. I wasn't fast, but I was steady. It leveled out enough for me to sprint to the end and hand off to runner three. And then I was done. My contribution to the 200 miles being just under 16 total miles. Our team finished in 32:54 and we were all quite pleased with that. Now please, enjoy the photos from this amazing race.

I'll have another race report after the Timpanogos Half Marathon this Saturday! Happy running everyone :)

Do you want to run a relay race

This video helps to explain what I spent my weekend doing :)

Enjoy!

Long blog, lots of pictures.

I have finally mustered enough motivation to blog. This summer heat has been draining me! Even though I am sitting in an air conditioned room, there is some sort of oppressive mojo hanging in the air. But I must blog! My race reports won't write themselves you know. I'll start with the Freedom Festival 5K. There was a 10K option, but I figured I could cut myself a little slack and just do the 3.1. There were thousands of people in this race! And when I looked at the results, it was obvious most of the people in it didn't do much running. My finish time was ahead of thousands of people! Thousands! That never happens to me. I feel pretty good if I can just pass a few people at the end of a race. I spent this whole 5K passing gobs of people. And that was on 2 hours of sleep. I was also really trying to focus on my form, since for this race I whipped out the Vibram's Five Fingers to get some minimalist action in. I ended up with my 2nd best finish time for a 5K (34:46) and even a medal! Not that I did anything special, every finisher got a medal. But still, kudos to the Provo Freedom Festival folks for giving bling at a 5K!

Then 3 days later, on July 7th, I ran my 8th half marathon, the Hobbler Half. This race was enjoyable for the simple fact that it was practically in my back yard. I run the Hobble Creek trail all the time. I got to sleep in a bit, since the meeting point to get on the bus was 5 minutes from my house. It was a really nice day too. It got a little warm towards the end, but there was a cool breeze for most of the morning. The guy at aid station 12 really liked my shoes, so did a little girl on the side line. You can never go wrong with blinding neon. Never. My finish time was 2:47:50. I was honestly thinking I would have done this one faster. I can attribute 5 solid minutes to waiting in line at a porta-potty. Not much I can do about that. Running with a full bladder in not my idea of a good time. At least I got an entertaining show while I waited in line. There was this one girl laying on the ground, screaming while her friend was trying to stretch out her legs. Screaming. Loudly. The best part was this was only at mile 3. I was feeling really good about my fitness level at that moment. There were misters at the finish line and I stood under them to try and get rid of the massive amounts of sweat off of my face. And that way, people would think, "oh hey that girl is just wet from the water" and not "eeeewww that girl is a sweaty beast". They had the delightful frozen treat, Creamies, at the finish line and it was most welcome. My mom also made it to this race to capture my great form at the end of the race. (I've been doing a tremendous amount of form work. I think it's paying off.)

I realized that I never posted any of the official photos from my marathon finish, so I'm adding them into this blog. And besides, who doesn't like pictures! The first picture is from the marathon (look how jubilant!), then the lower ones are from the last two races. Just ignore the fact that I'm wearing the same shirt for both races... White is good in the heat, okay you guys?

7th Half Marathon: Done!

I honestly cannot believe what has happened to me. In less than a year I have become a Half Fanatic, joined the Idiot's Running Club, and now I am on track to become a Marathon Maniac. It seems strange that for 29 years of my life, I hadn't the slightest idea that any of these things existed. I sort of knew that crazy people ran marathons, I sometimes saw people out jogging but never paid that much attention. And now when I see people running, I am instantly analyzing their form, seeing what shoes they're wearing, and feeling extremely tempted to roll down my car window and yell motivational slogans. I suddenly know when every race in the state of Utah is and am signed up for most of them. My new regrets involve things like not being able to be in two races at the same time, owning too many running shoes to justify buying more, and not having enough Body Glide.

Anyway, on to the race report. I ran the AF Canyon Half Marathon last Saturday. It was a really lovely race down the canyon. I'm glad it started nice and early because that summer sun is getting brutal. It was a really well put together event and 100% of the proceeds from the race went to cancer research. So I got a neat medal and shirt, and got warm fuzzies! I got to meet a few of my Daily Mile friends out there as well. It's so nice to meet my internet friends in real life, you guys. Sometimes I get to wondering if they really exist, you know? But they do, and they're great. I have been having a bit of a weird issue with a muscle at the top of my right shin though. It cramps like a bugger for about three miles of every run, thus forcing me to walk A LOT until it finally figures out that I'm not going to stop running and it gives up the fight. I still managed a decent (for me anyway) finish time of 2:46:41. That's my second fastest time this year and my third fastest overall. And the best part, well besides the shirts and medals, was the Kneader's french toast at the end! You all know I'm a plump runner; I love to eat. I had thought that maybe distance running would make me thinner, alas it just made me hungrier. But I digress.

A wonderful race for a wonderful cause. I highly recommend it and will most likely be running it next year as well. I'll be back next week with two new race reports since I decided to do a 5K on the 4th of July and a half marathon on the 7th.

Happy running!

Marathon: Complete!

I did it. I actually did it. I ran (well, ran and walked) 26.2 miles. And not spread out over weeks either. This was all at once and everything. And I really enjoyed it. Really. Even when I got tired around mile 15 and had to walk a fair bit. Even when I felt a blister rising around mile 16. Even when I was standing in line at various port-o-potties. I may have even loved it, a little. Last year at this time, I hadn't even entertained the idea of running a marathon. I had only just decided to train for a half someday. I am completely amazed at what has happened over the last 11 months. I have gone from being terrified of a 7 mile run to willingly waking up at 2:30 a.m. to go run 26.2 miles. Body Glide, LSD's, Fartleks, and Gu have become integrated into my life and vocabulary. Every run leading up to this race taught me something. Some taught me patience, some gratitude. An awful lot of runs taught me humility. And most of all, running has taught me about myself.

It was the perfect day for a race. The most beautiful June 9th on record (in my mind, okay guys? Just go with it). It was a gorgeous morning up Provo Canyon in the tiny town of Wallsburg. It wasn't even cold like we were all expecting.  A pleasant 60 degrees. The Marathon Maniacs chose this marathon as a meet up. There were Maniacs everywhere. I wanted so badly to go and talk to them, but felt like I would be intruding. I am a member of the Half Fanatics, the Maniacs younger sibling, so to speak. But I remained timid. I listed to them talk about all the races that they had run. Many had completed over 150 marathons. The best part is, most of the Maniacs that I heard talking, were planning on finishing nice and slow, like me. They talked about running ultras and how it was so great to walk the hills, chat with other runners, and eat. I instantly thought that maybe ultra running could be my thing. I like to eat, okay?

There were so many nice people running. All the Maniacs were fun and friendly to me as I ran. I shouldn't have been worried about trying to talk to them. The Gear Guy even ran mile 3 to 4 with me, since I finally got up the nerve to talk to other runners once we started. I was wearing the brightest neon pink calf sleeves on the face of the earth. That garnered much approval from my fellow runners and also the aid station people. One of my favorite things about running is all the neon apparel available. But back to the marathon. The course was beautiful. The canyon was alive and green. There were verdant pastures filled with frolicking horses. The half moon stayed in the sky all through the run. There were a few windy sections, but I just imagined myself flying through the air, like a super hero, cape flapping in the wind. A true champion of justice  and all that. Running is a very mental sport. I have to use all sorts of visualizations and self talk to get through the long ones.

I had a bit of a scare when the sag wagon pulled up to me around mile 16 and asked how I was doing. I guess I was falling a bit behind. I politely waved him on and started booking it down the canyon. I managed to get back on track and beat the time limit. By mile 21 I was actually getting my second wind. It got to the point where I didn't like stopping for my walk breaks because it was harder to get going again after. So I just kept on truckin'. I was passing people there at the end too. I was actually passing people! After running for over 5 hours! There were so many people who looked so miserable. I couldn't quite understand it, since every step I took was taking me closer to the finish line. I could feel the smile on my face grow with every inch of ground gained. I didn't feel fresh as a daisy, by any means, but after training for so long, the last thing I was going to do was hate this experience.

I crossed that finish line in 6:08:54. And I was beaming! Other runners had finished in nearly a third of my time. But I bet they weren't as thrilled as this plump runner. I hope I enjoy the Park City Marathon as much when it rears it head in August. At least now the fear of the distance has dissipated. Now I know I can go that far and my heart doesn't explode and my legs don't fall off. Because, before, I thought that maybe that could happen...

Here's to living, learning, and running happy :)

Busy girl, busy life.

Hey everyone in blogger land! I am still here. And I am still running. But life is busy and then when your little brother breaks his neck while mountain biking (he's mostly okay, not paralyzed at least), one tends to forget to blog. Anyway, I have now done the previously unthinkable, I ran 23 miles, on my birthday even (3 weeks ago, now I'm in taper mode). If someone had told me last year that on my 30th birthday, I would wake up early and run 23 miles, I would have laughed in their faces. Short, fat, white girls don't run that far. But you know what? Turns out, they do. And it doesn't even kill them.  I hope that by being able to run 23 miles without dying that means that I can run my first ever marathon next week without dying. I guess when you've already gone that far, what's another 3.2, right?

I had a lovely little race today, so it's time to share the race reports and fun photos! This was my third year in a row running in the Dirty Dash. This year, I actually had a team of people with me. That's so much better than running it solo, like last year. Team Rocket got down and dirty and had a great time. It took two shampooings to get the mud out of my hair... That means it was a most excellent mud fest. This is a good race, for pretty much anyone really. You can skip the obstacles if you don't want to do them (or can't, like when I couldn't jump over the wall that was as tall as I was). There's a gigantic slip n' slide, which is by far my favorite part. And the big ol' mud pits are a blast. That's some cold mountain water they've got in them though. It's a good idea to get in on the earlier start times. The course is not as crowded and it's over nice and early, plus you can actually get a good parking spot.

 

Please enjoy theses mud filled photos and run happy :)

Dino Half Marathon!!!

My sixth half marathon is in the bag baby yeah! I was pleased with the course, a nice downhill without banging up my knees. Because of gravity being the force that it is, it pulled me along at paces I don't usually hit. I was managing a stellar sub 11 minute mile pace for the first 4 miles, and was at the 10 mile mark in just under 2 hours. For me, that's quick! The course was very scenic, coming down Dry Fork canyon in Vernal, UT. It was also a very small race. Only 115 people registered, and I know not all of them showed up. When I saw how small of a race it was, I panicked, thinking I would certainly be the last person across the finish line. I'm usually towards the end when there's thousands of people running. I figured my strength was in numbers. But I was able to pass people at the end, not as strong a finish as last time, but still very nice all in all. Despite having a slower sprint to the end, my overall time was my second best ever at 2:39:39. I will definitely be doing this race again next year. The finisher medal is my all time favorite!

So now the next big race on the agenda is my first ever marathon coming up June 9th. I've got two more extremely long weekend runs coming up and then the fun of the taper begins. I'm looking forward to the tapering process honestly. It will be nice to only have to run 12 miles instead of 23...

Happy running!