Worst. Blogger. Ever.

I have been chastised by my mother once again for my lack of blog posts. She will bring up other people she knows who hardly ever post and say "So and So has posted twice since your last one." (the name has been changed to protect the innocent). So now that I have been shamed by my mother, and So and So, I will try to redeem myself with another mashed up blog of many races.

Some really great and blog worthy things have happened in the last month + that I haven't written. The first of which is that my little brother completed his first half marathon. This was a proud day in Big Sister Land. And of course, he was able to run it much faster than I ever have. Isn't that always the way? You inspire someone to try the thing that you do all the time, and they're instantly better than you at it. I'm still proud though. As a slow runner, I don't have much of an ego anymore. I just try to have a good time and get my money's worth.

He's looking a little TOO chipper. Perhaps it's the excitement of being almost done. 

There. He looks sufficiently exhausted. I feel better now.

At least I LOOK sort of fast here...

Tada! 

Nice shirt, nice medal, as always. 

The next race in the mix was the Big Cottonwood Marathon. I had waffled back and forth for 6 or so weeks about this one. I knew I could drop down to the half marathon at the race and still get a nice medal and a decent workout. I was not trained for the full 26.2. Things hadn't really come together for a good race. After much debating, soul searching, and reviewing last year's training leading up to the Park City Marathon, I realized that I could do the full marathon. I probably wouldn't love it, but I could do it. I spent way too much time pouring over the course map, studying the elevation chart, and pep talking myself into believing everything would be alright. Okay, the amount of pep talking was probably adequate. I managed to be in a really positive mood the night before the race and even right up to the start. It was such a beautiful day in such a lovely canyon, I figured if nothing else, I could just enjoy being out there. 

I planned my nutrition a little differently for this marathon than I have for others. I know you're not supposed to try new things in a race but I did anyway. I ate a different pre-race dinner, a rice bowl with chicken instead of my usual pizza, which worked really well and will be my new go-to meal before an event of this nature. I packed a bag full of pain pills that also had caffeine in them. I don't usually take pain pills, but I knew I wouldn't make it the full distance without them and the caffeine boost definitely made a difference. I also had a wide variety of gels, shot blocks, and other tasty  things, depending on what my stomach would allow. I made sure to fuel early and often as well as taking a pain pill or two when the slightest twinge would surface. Someday, I would like to be able to run this distance without the pill popping. It's good to have goals, right?

Because of the better fueling, I had less gastrointestinal issues this race. Thank goodness. At least this race had ample port-a-potties. I was more than a little thrilled to see so many of those blue boxes lining the course. After the Utah Valley Marathon port-a-potty debacle, it has become one of the top things on my list of what makes a good race. 

I started out in the back of the pack, as usual. I knew I shouldn't push too hard at the beginning so I just tried to settle into a good rhythm and let the gradual downhill do its thing. I'm surprised at how the miles flew by. I felt fresh and good and happy to be running. From mile 9 to 10, I walked and ran with a guy who was having some trouble with his foot. He was staying upbeat and positive, so it was nice to share that mile with him. After the mile 10 aid station, I knew it was time for me to move on though; I was feeling good and wanted to keep putting those miles behind me. We wished each other well and I kept on trucking. I hit the halfway point around 2:40 and felt great about that. I hadn't pushed too fast but was still making good time. I was on track to beat six hours. Now in every other marathon, there has been a point when I WAS on track to break 6 hours and I have always missed the mark. So I tried not to get too caught up in that. 

Feeling strangely fine.

We came out of the canyon around mile 17 and continued into town. We ran on a nice paved trail that was by the creepy old mill. It is haunted. I know, because even in the daytime, it makes you shudder. The mill was about mile 18. I was being awfully chipper and a man asked if I was having fun yet. I said "Of course! We're in the single digits now! And there's a creepy haunted mill! What could be better?!" He looked at me like I was a little crazy and tried to run a little faster. My chipper mood lasted all the way until about mile 22. I couldn't believe that I had felt that fine for so many miles, especially because of my lack of long training runs. I had to walk quite a lot of the last 4 miles, but when I was walking, I made sure to keep it at a brisk pace. I tried to maintain a 15 min/mile while walking. It paid off. I was able to complete this marathon in 5:53:11, a personal record by almost 16 minutes! I couldn't believe it. Sometimes, things actually work out, even if the training didn't. 

This is my favorite race picture ever. My mom snapped it just in time. She was yelling "You beat 6 hours!!!"

So happy with this race!

The medal is almost the size of a salad plate. My kind of bling.

After this most epic race, I had about two weeks off. I tried to just rest and recover without too much stress on my body. After the rest period, it was time to run the Huntsville Half Marathon. I ran the full last year and wanted to just do the half this time around. The half was rough for me. Maybe I wasn't fully recovered, maybe it just wasn't my day. But it was another gorgeous day here in Utah and I just tried to enjoy the day for that. It was one of my slower races, since my feet started to hurt around mile 9. And I mean hurt to the point that walking was difficult. So I walked the last 4 miles, while trying to run when I felt I could. 

Just happy to be done with this one. 

Nicer medal and shirt this year than last. Good work, Huntsville!

The last race to talk about in my mash up race blog is the Undead Race 5K. I don't run many 5K's, due to the lack of medals. However, for this race, people I actually knew wanted to run it! WHAT. I don't know many runners in real life, I have many internet running friends that will occasionally be at races where I am. But this time, people who were already my friends wanted to run. So we have been training for this one as a group for the last 3 months. It was so much fun to see everyone out there and enjoying themselves. Everyone in the group did better than they thought they would too. I bet I can talk them into another one soon enough. The other great thing about this race was that is was zombie themed. Some of us were zombies, and some were humans. The humans got a two minute head start and then the horde was unleashed. I was a zombie and it was pretty enjoyable chasing down all those humans. 

The best zombie makeup I could put together in the last minute. I procrastinate sometimes...

The zombies and the humans, coexisting for a tiny moment. 

How can you not like a race for charity that is also zombie themed?!

I have two more half marathons coming up this month and then another Ragnar Relay plus a half for the month of November. Then things die down for the winter months. I did just find out that I got into the Ogden Marathon, so that training will begin in January, in concert with my training for my first 50K in June. Also, in the last two weeks, I have started to weight train seriously. I can feel a difference in my body already and I am hopeful it will lead to faster finish times next year. Here's the point in the blog where I promise to try and post more often and you all say "Yeah, right.". But I will try. I will. 

Happy running!

Three weeks, three races. And more to come!

I like to do this thing where I race every weekend for a month or more. I like it for two reasons: lots of medals and shirts in less time, and it makes my mom upset. She thinks that it will turn out like last year where I wanted to die for 7 weeks straight. I keep telling her this is only 5 weeks worth and last year was 7. No comparison at all, right?

I completed my fourth relay, the Grand Teton Relay with the team Bear Bait.  Here we are at the end, looking quite unmauled.

I'm chewing on my medal while everyone else is being normal. Story of my life right here, people.

The Grand Teton Relay is a nice small relay. I enjoyed that my night run was basically by myself. I was off on my own on a rails to trails section. I could see the vans on the road a ways off but I was only passed by one runner that whole leg. And she was running scared. I had my can of bear spray but I really wasn't worried that anything would happen. And nothing did happen. It was incident free and really quite pleasant. We finished in 31 hours and 18 minutes. I'm assuming that's an amazing time, because, let's face it, we're amazing.

The next weekend brought the Run Elevated Half Marathon down Little Cottonwood Canyon. This was a great race. The canyon was gorgeous. I honestly can't remember the last time I was even in that canyon... It rained on us for a bit around mile 2, then hailed on us for less than 30 seconds but you should have heard the whining!  I found it quite refreshing, and the hail wasn't that big. Just tiny little pellets that didn't even sting. It was over quickly and I continued to sail down the mountain. I rocked a nice finish of 2:37:something and then couldn't walk down stairs normally for the next 3 days. That down hill will really rough you up.

I was recovered enough to feel sassy for my race last Saturday, the Hel's Half Pound. Let me show you what that course looked like.

There was no time limit for this race. It's their first year so they weren't sure how long it would take people to complete this beast of a course. I took them at their word and signed up. I could walk the first uphill part and then make up time on the downhill. Which is exactly what I did, which is exactly why I came in last. Last place. As in everyone beat me. But let me tell you something. I was the only "average' runner there. I was surrounded by ultramarathoners, Boston qualifiers, and crazed trail runners. I knew right when I got there that I would be last. And that's okay. There were a total or 38 runners, there would have been 39 but that guy DNS (does that mean I beat him at least?). In a pool that small, I don't stand a chance.

I really didn't mind coming in last. I made it look good. And the best part was the way everyone was cheering me on, they all knew my name, and at least three people were snapping pictures. I was basically a running celebrity right then. I even got a bunch of extra swag they had because they didn't want to take it with them. Who doesn't love free stuff?

The course itself was really beautiful. It helped take my mind off of how much it sucked to run straight up and then straight back down a mountain with 16% grade. I saw some squirrels fighting, some grouse grazing, a fish in the stream, baby goats in a field, some cute chipmunks, and lots of confused townsfolk (they were all wondering why I was running the streets of their fair city with a number on and no one around).

I still haven't decided if I'm coming back for this one next year. I may actually have to try running some of that uphill if I did... We'll just wait and see.

The next two weekends bring two more races, the Mt. Nebo Half Marathon and the Big Cottonwood Marathon. I may be dropping down to the half at Big Cottonwood, we'll see how I'm feeling. I may just be feeling crazy enough to take it on, despite my lack of 20+ mile training runs as of late.

Until then, happy running!

Another threefer!

Do you ever get into an anti-blogging funk? I do. It's called "most of my life". But here I am, to recap the three, yes three, races that haven't been immortalized in blog land.

I'll  start with the Ragnar Relay, Wasatch Back race. I ran with a new set of strangers this time, but there were a couple of familiar faces for as well (for once). The main bulk of our team was from Southern California who had come out for the race. Utah put on her finery for their visit and didn't disappoint. The oppressive heat that had been lingering broke for the weekend and the mountains stayed lush and green from the more than usual rain we'd gotten.

The first leg that I ran was slow. I walked more than I had wanted to. I still was able to finish close to my projected finish time and even had a few kills. The second leg I ran felt really too warm. At least it was a short 3 mile run. I had to walk only once due to a side stitch that came on about a mile in. Once that passed, I finished really strong, only missing my target time by a few seconds. Strangely enough, my third leg was my best of them all. That hasn't happened to me before in a relay. I didn't have to stop and walk, I nailed my pace right on, and no one passed me the entire leg. I repeat. NO ONE PASSED ME. That has never happened to me before. I hunted one woman down like an antelope on the African plain. Every time I got close to her, she would speed up, just out of range. At the home stretch, I resolved to take her out with extreme prejudice. I could see the exchange and I just kicked it into high gear and took her and another lady out. It was an impressive way to finish my Wasatch Back experience. Like a freight train, baby. Oh yeah.

My team was really fun. Many of them are originally from England and Wales. They were friendly and easy to be around, which is key when you have to spend two days living in a van with them. I will be going up with them again for the Las Vegas Ragnar in November. I'm quite looking forward to it.

 Most of our team, one runner is out on her leg.

 I had just finished my leg. Ice cream time! Conveniently, there was an ice cream shop right across the street!












Five of van 1's 6 members, by the reservoir.

Enjoying my post race pizza :)

 Some sweet bling from the 10 year celebration. The medal is huge!

I love this picture that Chris took of me. I look so happy! Running looks easy and fun. And sometimes, it actually is. Everyone should check out Chris's pictures. He's one talented photographer. Chris Holcroft. Google him, you won't be sorry.










The second race I ran was the weekend after Ragnar, the Provo Midnight Half Marathon. It was run on the Provo River Trail, at night. We started in town and ran down to the lake and back. It was so hot in town. So very very hot. June decided that it had been too nice during the last week and cranked the temperatures up. It was 85 degrees at 10 p.m. The heat got to a lot of people, slowing everyone down. I felt like I was running a strong race, but actually had one of my slower finish times. Darn you heat! I did take fourth place in my division, AKA, the fat girl division. I just hope there were more than 4 fat girls running this race... It's really called the Athena division, but it's based on your weight, so potato potahto,

The medal has LED's in it that flash. It's a fun one :)

The third race to report on is the Hobbler Half Marathon on July 13. It was fun to run 13 miles on the 13th. It was also fun to be running this race for the second time. I felt fantastic through this race and was able to beat last year's time by almost three minutes.  I like this race because it's on a route I run often. There are no surprises, I'm close to home, and it's a nice downhill slope for most of it. My friend, Melissa, ran this as her first half. I was so proud of her! I'm trying to talk her into some other ones, we'll see if I can coax her into it. It seemed like she had fun. Upright and smiling at the end equals fun, right? The shirts and medals were much better this year than last, always a bonus.

Love me some Roman numerals. 

I've had my ups and downs with my training lately. I went on a vacation that lasted over a week. I tried to keep up with my running, but it was difficult. Also, going down to sea level for over a week made running back home much more difficult. I finally had a really good double digit run today. I'm hoping that will continue. I've bought some new shoes to try out, the Hoka brand. They're very different from all the other shoes I've run in and I'm still trying to figure out how I feel about them... They're supposed to be amazing for down hill running and I've got three predominantly down hill races coming up. We'll see. 

I'll do my best to post timely about my next race, the Grand Teton Relay, in a couple of weeks. Until then, happy running!

Angry Blog

Usually my blogs are all happy running stories and fun pictures. Maybe after I get done venting out the anger, I'll throw in some fun pictures. Let's see if I can get my emotions into words... Maybe it will work best in an open letter style.

Here goes nothing.

Dear people of the world,

Stop telling me what I can and can't do. You have no right to try and get in the way of what I want to do with my life. Just because I had a rough marathon (details of said marathon will be provided after my rant), does not mean I should never do another one. What really burns my biscuits (yeah, I said "burns my biscuits") is that pretty much all of you naysayers have NEVER run a marathon. What would you even know about it? Where do you get off telling me not to do any more? Are any of you running coaches? Do you have any sort of basis for advising me in this? No. No you don't. So stop it.

Is it because you're all threatened by the fact that I'm doing things that scare you? Is that it? Is everyone so insecure that when they see others pushing his or her limits, they're driven to try and stop them? Is the crabs is the bucket analogy really so true? My successes and failures have nothing to do with you. They never have and they never will. So stop trying to keep me at your level of stagnant complacency.

And for all you runners out there who have decided to chime in with your opinions and tell me to back off my running, maybe you should back off. Because I'm fat and slow doesn't mean I can't do these things. I just do them with more jiggling and at a more leisurely pace, okay? I've finished every single race I've ever started. That is more than most runners can say. And if I keep this up, my guess is that I'll get thinner and faster.

I do a tremendous amount of reading. Lately, I've been devouring books on ultra running. These people are no different than I am. I have just as much resolve and will power as they do. I can do great things. I have already done great things and I will not stop. Not only will I not stop running marathons, I will continue to train for my first ultra marathon. My body and mind are capable of things that I haven't even contemplated yet. And if I haven't found my limit yet, how on earth could any of you know what my limits are? I heard something today that sums my feelings up nicely: "Just because something is difficult, doesn't mean I shouldn't do it.".  I'm of the opinion that if something scares me and excites me at the same time, that means I should give it a go.

You don't have to do what I want to do. Go out and live you own crazy dreams. No matter how stupid or insane or any of many other adjectives it may seem, it's your life. Go nuts. And if you want to be stagnant and complacent, go nuts. It's not my place to tell you how to live. But it is my place to run my own life, so I'll keep doing that no matter what you say.

Sincerely,
The Girl You'll Never Stop.

Now I can do a race recap on my last three and throw in those fun pictures mentioned earlier. I ran the Alpine Classic Half Marathon, the Thelma and Louise Half Marathon, and the Utah Valley Marathon in the last three weeks.

My friend wanted to run the Alpine race so I thought, sure why not? It was a tiny little race, but the shirts and medals were nice and I enjoyed the chance to run somewhere new.

The Thelma and Louise Half was really pleasant. A nice flat course down in Moab. You all know how I love racing in Moab. The scenery can't be beat. I did have some rather debilitating GI issues the second half of this race, making for a slow finish but it was still a lovely day and a great little race.

And finally, the Utah Valley Marathon. The race that I loved so much last year seriously let me down this year. The first major issue was with the total lack of porta-potties along the course. As in not a single one. Apparently there was a mix up with the company and they didn't deliver any of the porta-potties that were to be placed along the way. This wreaked havoc on my mental well being. It was hot, I was thirsty, and I was also worried to drink too much because of the lack of facilities. This year, they also had some kids on a four wheeler herding us down the mountain. Last year, there wasn't anyone behind me, pushing me along, making me think they were going to pick me up and take me out of the race. I was 40 minutes ahead of the canyon closure cut off time and I knew it, but the anxiety that was caused by having a four wheeler on my heels nearly the whole time was very upsetting.

I finished 5 minutes slower than last year. And it wasn't for lack of physical training. I did the work, I put in the time, but running distance is more about the mind than the body. And mentally, I just wasn't prepared for the trials of the race this year. But next year I will be back, stronger and more prepared for whatever they throw at me. Bring. It. On.

Now I'm going to go out there and run the hell out of Ragnar Wasatch Back. And don't try to get in my way.

Happy running, or whatever it is you enjoy doing.

Dino Half Marathon, the second time!

You guys, I've been running long enough now that I'm re-running all sorts of races! And it's better than any kind of television re-run because things are never the same in running. Now that I said that, I'm not sure it's better that way... Uh, so yeah.

This year in Vernal, things were a big ball of stress and anguish. Well, not the whole time, just the part where I was trying to get to the race. The night before went well enough. We found a little place to get some pasta for the ever important carb-load. I had time to relax and do some foam rolling before bed. I woke up perfectly on time and proceeded to slather myself in body glide and sunscreen. My mother, AKA photographer/race chauffeur, and I headed out the door and on the way to the bus pick up.

Here's where the tranquil trip turned into the big ball of stress and anguish. Well, the stress part started when I realized that I had left my water bottle and energy gels back at the hotel. We flip the car around and head back to the hotel, trying to keep the speed within the reasonable limits of the law. I calmed down somewhat when I realized we had just enough time to get the bottle/gels and make it back to the bus pick up just in time to catch the last bus. I run into the hotel, grab the forgotten nutrition and sprint back to the car. We start off again. We get even closer to the bus pick up, a mere couple of minutes away, and I have a sudden, horrible realization. Here's the anguish part. I don't have my race bib. Perhaps the most essential piece of running paraphernalia. It's the key piece that lets you on the bus in the first place. It has my timing chip on the back. It's how to find your official race pictures taken during the course. And I had left it, sitting under my stuffed dinosaur, Mr. Mittens, back at the hotel. I start hyperventilating and having a panic attack. I don't have time to get back to the hotel and back to the bus pick up in time. But I can't run the race without the bib. So we turn the car around again, and burn rubber back to the hotel of forgetfulness, for what I prayed was the last time that morning. I grab the race bib and we're off yet again. If all else fails, we can drive up the course ourselves and drop me off at the start. This is what I keep telling myself, to keep the bawling to a minimum. Just let them try and stop me. We careen into the parking lot of the school where the bus is supposed to be. No bus. But, wait. There are people. Quite a few people. Standing there in their race clothes, bibs and all. Standing. Waiting for the bus. HALLELUJAH. I was late, but so was the last bus. And that's when my heart stopped trying to pound its way right out of my chest and the adrenaline had a chance to work its way out of my system.

Looking back, I realize the level of panic and freaking out that happened may not make sense to other people. It's also a little obvious that I might be a tad obsessed with racing. The thought of not being able to run that race was heartbreaking. It was not an option. We all have our things. Don't judge me.

Then things were just fine. Because of the bus's lateness, I didn't have to stand around in the cold canyon waiting for the race to start. It started off well for me and my fellow racers. Up until around mile two, when a poor woman ended up smashing her face on the road. I only saw the aftermath, and it wasn't pretty. She had blood streaming down her face and the pacer had called in a vehicle to come pick her up. I made a conscious effort to watch my footing the rest of the race. Canyon? What canyon? All I see are my feet, not tripping and making me die.

Once the road smoothed out some, I could relax my vigilant feet watching and enjoy the race somewhat. I love this course. It's such a nice, gradual course. The ups aren't too uppy, the downs aren't too downy. It was one of my faster races last year and it was my fastest of this year. Although I didn't beat last year's time, I was only about 30 seconds slower. I felt really good through the whole thing and wasn't as sore afterwards. I take that as a good sign.

I had to recreate my epic finish, since there was a snafu in my original finish line crossing. But this way, Mr. Mittens could share in my glory.

I saw this giant orange dinosaur walking by a hotel the night before the race and started giggling like a school girl. And then it was at the race. Best day ever? It's quite possible. 

The front of the medal, a sweet fleshed out stegosaurus. The back, the skeletal version. Best medal ever? It's quite possible.

The small town of Vernal, Utah really knows how to put on a good race. I'll be doing this one every year for the rest of my life. In case anyone hadn't noticed, I have a bit of a "thing" for dinosaurs. And running. You add the two together and I'm powerless to resist.

Next up, two more half marathons and then the big one. The Utah Valley Marathon. I'm oscillating between sheer terror and massive excitement. I've done this before. I can do it again. Now what I want is to actually finish a dang marathon in LESS than 6 hours. I CAN DO THIS!!! (Right? Right?!)

Until then, happy running :)

Another double race post!

It's race report time boys and girls! I had two races in the month of April. The first one was the inaugural Rock n' Roll half marathon in San Francisco. Who doesn't want an opportunity to run on the Golden Gate Bridge? The course was tough. Hillier than I expected. I figured that since we were running so close to the bay, the hills would be minimal. Oops.

I had a rough first 5 miles but then we got to the bridge. The bridge was phenomenal. The slight incline was just what I'd been training at on my treadmill and the slight decline was perfect for speeding me along at a sub 11 min/mile. I made up a great deal of time on the bridge. With as tough of a course as it was, I managed to finish in under 3 hours, my fastest Rock n' Roll half ever!

My second race of April was the Thanksgiving Point Half Marathon. Another tough, hilly course. What was I thinking?! For some reason, I thought this race was just great last year... But this year it seemed so tough! I'd like to blame it on some icky GI issues that started at mile 9, causing me to walk most of that mile until the aid station restroom at mile 10.25. I calculate that I lost a total of about 13 minutes due to the walking and the pit stop. I was on pace to beat last year until mile 9. Oh well, there's always next year, right? It was a really perfect day to be running though. The tulip festival was in full swing and the course was very pretty. 

See the girl in blue? I heard people on the sidelines yelling "Go Emily, go! You can take her!" As I heard footsteps pounding up behind me, I realized I was the "her" that was to be taken! I couldn't let that happen, even as tired as I was, so I kicked it into gear and fought hard for the win. I've never been challenged at the finish line like that before, it was kind of fun. We high fived after; Emily is a good sport :)

As far as training goes, I'm doing pretty well on working up to my next marathon in June. I managed a solid 19 miler last Saturday, finishing it in 4:04:48, all on the treadmill even. I've also started with a personal trainer to round out my cross training. I go three times per week and I think it's making a difference. I know that if I can correct all the imbalances in my body, it will improve my running, and that's all that matters, right? I've got another half next weekend, one of my favorites. Just wait until you see the medal! I'll keep you wondering until next blog about what it is. Until then, happy running! 

Catch up time.

When your mother comes to you and asks "Are you ever going to blog again?" then maybe you should... I guess it has been three full months since the last post. It's not that I haven't been running; I've been running my little guts out. And I've done three races. So I suppose I should actually say something about all that :)

I'll start with bubbling on for a minute about my latest acquisition, a Nordictrack treadmill. I named him Odin, it seemed appropriate, what with him being a NORDICtrack and all. Odin has been a tremendous help with my pace. I've worked my way down closer to an 11 minute mile with nice consistency. Odin keeps me from getting lazy. When I run outside and get tired, I slow down without realizing it. To slow down on the treadmill, I have to make a conscious effort and push the button to slow down. So for the most part, I stick it out until the end of the run.

Now remember how I signed up for that crazy thing called the Goofy Challenge? Well, I survived it and even kind of enjoyed it a bit. It was honestly one of the more difficult things I've ever done, but that doesn't mean I won't do it again. The major difficulty came from the humidity. You would think that the major difficulty would be from the 39.3 miles you have to run, but no. I had no idea that I could sweat so much. After the first mile of the half marathon, I was basically drenched. It was also hotter than average for that time of year. They had signs up all over warning people to hydrate and slow their pace. Hey, you don't have to tell me twice. I like to drink and run slow, so it was my kind of atmosphere. I actually felt fairly sassy at the end of the half and sped across the finish line, since I took it so slow throughout the race up to mile 12.5, it seemed like the thing to do.

This picture is at mile 4. Notice the insane amount of sweat. It's my gift, and my curse.

When Sunday morning rolled around and it was time to run the marathon, I started to panic. I actually got nauseous waiting in the corral. That hasn't happened to me before a race. I knew I wasn't really prepared for this. The half wasn't such a big deal. I do those all the time. But a full marathon in and of itself is rough, and throwing it in the day after a half is something else entirely. It's interesting how much one's mind influences one's body. I was actually pretty miserable for the first 16 miles of the race. I even considered dropping out, it was that bad. But I'm very stubborn and this race was darned expensive. I decided to stick with the 7 hour pace group (since you had to cross the line in 7 hours to get the medal, it was sort of a no-brainer). They were doing a 20 second run with 40 second walk ratio. It worked really well and I started feeling much better. The group was fun too, lots of joking and laughing. It took my mind off how much my feet hurt. I broke away from the group with a quarter mile to go. I actually felt refreshed and strong enough to sprint that last quarter mile and cross the finish line with a smile on my face. And when you can end a race with a smile, you're bound to do it again. So in January 2015, I'm planning on running the newly introduced Dopey Challenge. It consists of a 5K on Thursday, 10K on Friday, then the half marathon on Saturday, and the full marathon on Sunday. Bring. It. On.

A couple weeks ago I completed half marathon number 21, running the Canyonlands Half marathon for the second time. It's exciting to have been running long enough to be repeating races now. I'm pleased to report that I beat my time from last year by just over 9 minutes. It was a gorgeous day to be running in red rock country. They also added a finisher medal for this year. Bonus!

And because running 13.1 miles isn't enough sometimes, you go hiking after. That's to insure you won't be able to walk normally the next day.

My next race is April 7th.. I'll be running the inaugural Rock n' Roll Half Marathon in San Francisco. It should be a grand adventure, which I'll report on in a timely manner (I promise mom, okay?).

Until then, happy running!