Goodbye 2012, you were something else.

I realized that I had not posted about my last two races of the year. So I'll just work that into my year end wrap up (since this is MY blog, I can do that if I want). I finished off my 2012 racing schedule with the Winter Sun 10K in Moab followed by the Rock n' Roll half marathon in Las Vegas. The most fun part of that back to back race weekend, was the 7 day stomach flu that I got the morning before the Moab race. At first I thought I had food poisoning, but it turns out there's a new strain of stomach flu that sticks with you for 7 whole days! Neat, huh?

So I spent most of Friday in bed, trying to pull myself together enough to drive the two and a half hours to Moab. I made it down there without throwing up, but it was close. Saturday morning I was up and at 'em, not feeling great, but well enough to stay upright, mostly. I surprised myself by finishing with my fastest 10K  race time. I think I was really just trying to get done so I could rest some more... I received the Triple Crown award for running all three races of the Moab race series in 2012. That got me a sweet pair of socks, a sticker, and a guaranteed entry into the Canyonlands Half Marathon for 2013 (Now with finisher medals! Woo!).

My mom, AKA my race photographer, loves to get shots of me stopping my watch. I even waited until I was a bit past the line to give her a clean shot. *sigh

As soon as I had finished the 10K, I managed to get some Gatorade down, and then it was back in the car to drive to Las Vegas for the race on Sunday. We stopped off in Green River so I could be super classy and take a baby wipe shower in the bathroom and change out of my sweaty race clothes. Oh running, you have given me a new appreciation of indoor plumbing.

Moving on. It's a long drive from Moab to Las Vegas. It was over 7 hours to get there but we made it in time to settle into the hotel and for me to try and lay very still. My insides were throwing a royal fit and the lack of eating after running wasn't adding to my feel good status. Thank goodness the race on Sunday didn't start until 4:30 p.m. Sunday morning, I tried to get some food in me, settling for a ridiculously over priced Vegas smoothie. I wasn't moving too quickly that morning, so by the time I was actually up and functioning, I didn't have much time before it was time to go stand in line for the port-a-potties and get a racin'.

It was really great to run on the Las Vegas Strip at night. It almost took my mind off of my intestinal distress. Almost. It was my slowest half marathon time ever, but honestly, I'm just glad to have finished it. I knew I needed to get my blood sugar up, but every time I even thought about eating a gel, I got nauseous. So I just kept plugging along, real slow like. At the finish line, they had some apples, so I plunked myself down on the curb, choked down the apple, and held back the tears. It was a rough race but my medal glows in the dark so I guess it was worth it. I trudged my way back to my hotel, which was sort of on the strip, but set back a ways. It was hard to find the entrance in my whacked out state (that's a scientific term, by the way, "whacked out"), and a nice man guided me to the doors. He could tell I wasn't doing well... There's nothing like running back to back races with the stomach flu. I don't really recommend it, but it sure was an experience.

Now for the gushy 2012 wrap up. 2012 was a year not to be forgotten. I ran my first Ragnar, my first marathon, I traveled all around the Western states in search of bling. I cried, a lot, which was new for me. Running makes me kind of emotional... I got blisters on top of blisters. My toenails fell off. I made it into the Marathon Maniacs, the Half Fanatics, and the Idiots Running Club. My race totals are as follows: marathons: 4, half marathons: 17, Ragnar relays: 2, 5K's: 2, and one 10K, to keep things interesting. I learned that things I thought would kill me actually wouldn't, even though at the time I may have felt like I was dying (Park City Marathon anyone? I have PTSD from that race). I have met some amazing, inspiring people. I now have running friends all over the United States and throughout the world. I've been invited to be part of relay teams and grand adventures. Running has added so much more to my life than just some heavy medal. I know I can't stop now. I just can't. Especially since there are some people I know who think this running thing is just a phase. Like I'm going to grow out of it or something. Yeah, right. I've even made the leap to acquiring a treadmill to keep me going through these frigid winter months. I've begun planning out 2013's epic adventures, the most intimidating and exhilarating being my first 50K. Here's to the year gone by and the year to come. And as always, happy running.

Thanksgiving Racing!

I have never participated in a Thanksgiving Day race before. Now there are a myriad of 5K's around on turkey day, I've just never been inclined to participate, until this year. But why just run a 5K when there's a half marathon available, with a medal and everything?! You all know how I feel about medals; it's become somewhat of an obsession I suppose.

So the Thankful 13 race helped me to earn my turkey and another sweet medal. What more could a girl ask?  The race was in Lehi, and much of the race was along the Jordan/Provo river parkway trail, which is lovely, by the way. The morning was clear, no snow to contend with thank goodness. There was a biting cold wind that spurred us along for the first few miles. As the sun rose higher in the sky, the wind became less of an issue. It even became quite pleasant. There were flocks of birds, large and small, flying overhead. There are a good deal of wetlands in the area and the wildlife was a nice diversion.

I felt really good through this whole race, which is a big change from my last few races. My last 5 half marathons have all been over 3 hour finish times. I realized around mile 5 that I was well on track to finally get back to a sub 3 hour half. And I was feeling pretty sassy about it. The sassyness continued through the rest of the race even. I began to pass people around mile 7 this time. Most races it takes me till around mile 10 to catch up with the people who don't pace themselves and bonk around there. I managed a really consistent effort for this race, and was pleased to come in at 2:50:41. My family was waiting at the finish line and I think it's the first time that they've all been there to see me finish a race. I ended up getting an apple pie along with my finisher medal too! Then we were off to enjoy Thanksgiving frivolity at my uncle's house.

It was a great way to start off a day of Thanksgiving and I'll definitely be doing this race again. I hope everyone is enjoying the holiday weekend and running happy :)
Cheers!

2 weeks, 2 races, 2 states

I am going to attempt writing this blog with a hazy mind clouded by whatever cold virus is circulating itself around these days. I had fought the good fight for at least a week, only succumbing to it after a weekend of Ragnaring. And now, the race reports.

The first weekend of November took me to Pocatello, Idaho, for the Just Cuz Half Marathon. Why? Just cuz! This little race had a theme to follow, a double theme actually. It was Zombie Apocalypse/Joe Fro. I didn't feel much like wearing a big fro wig, so I went as Shaun from Shaun of the Dead. I carried a toy shot gun for the entire 13.1 miles too. It was a fun, small race. I was expecting it to be mostly locals, but was surprised to meet a bunch of Utahans that had come up just to run. I ran almost the entire race with a nice lady from Salt Lake named Marva. It was nice to be able to run with someone who had the same pace. We were able to talk the whole way and that really helps the time go by. I really need to get some local running friends! Even a group run once a week would really boost my morale I think.

The course for the Just Cuz was down a little canyon and ended in a small city park. It was mostly downhill, but towards the end, it went to rolling hills. I don't like hills at the end of a race! But there was a delicious dutch oven lunch waiting for us at the finish line, so I soldiered on. Unfortunately, there was no finisher medal for this race, but that tasty lunch pretty much made up for it. They had a ton of random prizes to give away as well, most everyone walked away with something. Well, I didn't, which is strange since I usually have good luck at drawings like that.

I spent this last weekend down in Las Vegas, Nevada, running in my second Ragnar. Again, running with another group of complete strangers. It's a great way to meet new people, that's for sure. We all met up for dinner Thursday night and enjoyed getting to know each other a bit before we had to spend the next two days living in a van together. We went to bed early, since our start time was 6 a.m. A cold front was pushing its way through and the start line was all snow and ice up at Mount Charleston. I was feeling pretty lucky to be in Van 2, since we didn't start running until they had come out of the mountains. Van 1 survived the cold and ice, ahead of schedule even and without anyone slipping or getting injured. Hooray!

I always have the most anxiety waiting for the previous runner to hand off to me, and that was the case when runner 6 came through and I was up to run. We had a smooth transition though and I was off on my 5.2 mile leg (which turned out to be 5.51 miles instead). The wind was blowing the entire day and the air temps were low, which would prove to be a challenge when the sun went down. I managed 1 kill on this run (I'm not the best at passing other runners, since I'm pretty slow...). Our van completed our legs just before the sun set and we were off to grab some warm food for dinner. We had driven past the Cheesecake Factory on our way to pick up our last runner and it was calling out to us to eat its delicious vittles. With our bellies full and a few hours to kill, we headed to the next major exchange, where Van 1 would be handing off to us again. We expected the exchange to have a place to sleep. How silly of us to think that! It was a gravel parking lot and they told us we had to sleep in our vans. Needless to say, we didn't get much sleep.

By the time runner 6 came though the exchange it was around 10:45 p.m., pitch black, with a bitter biting wind blowing right in our faces. I bundled up the best I could and started out on my 7.9 miler (which ended up being almost 8.5 miles in reality). This leg was really rough for me. Not only was it dark and frigid, but it was a steady incline the whole way. I knew this before I started running and had a negative attitude right from the start. It was a slow, awful run, mostly walking really. I spent the entire time wishing it was over. Running is so much more mental than physical!

I lived through it and tried to get warm in the van while the rest of the runners did their legs. We were able to get some sleep intermittently and runner 12 finished just as the sun came up. Runner 10 had a brother in law in Henderson that let us come over to his house to shower and sleep that morning. It was a life saver. He even had food waiting for us. The man is a saint. After we got cleaned up and rested, it was time to head to  our last major exchange. My last run was scheduled to be 6.2 miles but turned out to be a whole mile longer than that! At least for this run I was feeling really good. I managed 6 kills even! One of them I fought pretty hard for and reveled in it quite a bit. It's the best feeling when you finish your last run of the Ragnar. It's one tough race mentally and physically. My total mileage should have been 19.3 miles but ended up being 20.96. It was a weekend of ups and downs but it ended on a high note with a successful finish. Most of our team qualified for an extra medal because of running more than one Ragnar this year. Nothing like extra bling to make it all worth it!

I know this blog hasn't been the most humorous, but at least I didn't skip 4 weeks this time! If anyone needs me, I'll be back in bed recovering from all this excitement.

Happy running!

Race Montage Blog!

My friend Trevor suggested that I should do this episode of Plump Runner as a montage, since I have 4 races to report on (I'm not very good at the whole "timely blogging" thing). I only wish I had the technological skill set to add some epic 80's music while triumphant pictures and inspirational quotes filled the screen. Since I can't manage a montage, I'll just give a quick and dirty recap with plenty of pictures. Deal?

The last weekend of September, I completed my fourth and final marathon of 2012, the Huntsville Marathon. This was the final race to get me into the Marathon Maniacs. Mission accomplished, by the way, you're looking at Maniac #5880! Woooooo! Any way, the race was gorgeous. The canyon we ran down was very scenic. The leaves were at their peak of fall splendor and the weather was perfect. It was an easy downhill, nothing too steep and jarring. I managed to finish in my second fastest marathon time of 6:10 and some change. I know basically everyone in the world runs faster than that, but I was pretty pleased.

Those are cat ears with the medal shot, he just can't stop being a camera hog...

The second race to report on was the Utah Half Marathon on October 13th. It had spent the entire day before raining and being quite cold. But the weather held for the morning of the race. Thanks Mother Nature! My friend Jesse ran this race with me as his second half marathon. He wasted me by a good bit. It was a super hilly course, the first 6 miles were basically uphill. It was a nice run though. Lots of great old homes to run past. My best friend Krista came to the finish line and brought cake! Woooooo! Gotta love that chocolate cake.

The third race was The Other Half down in gorgeous Moab, UT. I loved this race sooooo much. Moab is such an awe inspiring place! The scenery can't be beat, the weather was absolutely perfect. The Taiko drummers at the top of the hill at mile 11 were goose pimple worthy. Great race swag too! I will definitely be running this one again. It's actually a fairly tough course, quite hilly, but who cares when you get to run in such a beautiful setting?! After the race, we made sure to hike up to Delicate Arch and enjoy the perfect lowering light, which set the red rocks aglow. 

And the final race of this report was this last Saturday, the Harvest Halloween Half in Syracuse, UT. It was a tiny little race, maybe a couple of hundred runners. I dressed in costume, as a runner. I'm so very clever. It was a nice little course, flat and easy. I didn't feel very good for the first 5 miles though. After a pit stop and a good mental reset, I just started plugging along and by mile 6 I was feeling pretty good. I was able to catch up to the group by mile 10 and was passing a few people in mile 11. There wasn't a medal, but there was a nice finisher glass, so I'll live. 

This weekend brings a half marathon in exotic Pocatello, Idaho. C'mon, you're all jealous. I'll leave you with a shot of my two favorite things :)

Happy running!

Denver Rock n' Roll Half Marathon

Woooweeee. Those Rock n' Roll people sure know how to bring in the runners. This was the biggest race I have ever been a part of. There was somewhere around 19,000 people running this thing. And I thoroughly enjoyed being part of such a big group. There have been a lot of times in my races that I end up all by myself, wondering if I'm the last person out there, or that I've taken a wrong turn. There was not a single, solitary moment in this run, which helped tremendously. Not that it made me any faster, this was my slowest half ever, coming in at 3:20:50. Honestly, I walked most of it because of the amount of pain I was in from the first mile until mile 12.5. More about that later though.

The energy that comes with such a huge race is phenomenal. There are so many different shapes, sizes, and abilities represented. Mentally, this race was fantastic. It was a really great way to see the city of Denver. Being able to trot around the big buildings and parks as one solid river of runners was something else. There were many wonderful spectators, and fluffy squirrels. I especially enjoyed the squirrels. The volunteers were all friendly, and the live bands along the course were fun (and some of those band dudes were quite attractive too. I may have walked extra slow past a couple of stages).

It's a good thing that this race had a perfect mental set up, because physically, it was a nightmare. The course was fine, not really difficult or anything. It was my body that was causing all the grief. I have learned that 8 hours of driving with minimal rest stops and stretching will cause your IT bands to tighten to a level you didn't know was possible. We all know how it feels when you take a long car trip, the stiffness, the aches. Well, I found out that trying to run a race after driving that far doesn't work out in such an awesome manner.

I was actually feeling pretty sassy before the race. I felt a tiny bit stiff, but nothing to be alarmed about. And then we started running. The first few miles of any race are always rough for me. I take a while to warm up. But this was different. The tightness in my hips and down my legs wasn't going away. And so I walked. And walked. And then I would shuffle along at a snail's pace, followed by more walking. And squirrel watching. I'll tell you what, a cute fluffy squirrel really takes my mind off of pain. Who knew? When I hit mile 12, I told myself that I had walked enough and I was going to run that last mile, even if it killed me. So I started into zombie mode, scuffling my way along. At least I was able to out-scuffle quite a few people in that last mile. I just kept it up until about mile 12.5, things finally loosened up, just enough to actually look like I was running. The last bit was a nice downhill slope and I was able to crank it up and cross the finish line looking like a running rock star. No one had to know that I was only able to rock that race for the last half mile.

All in all, despite the pain, I had a fantastic time in Denver. I definitely want to do this one again, and I'm really excited about the Rock n' Roll half in Las Vegas coming up in December.

And thus concludes my 13th half marathon :)
Happy running!

Top of Utah Marathon

Running is teaching me things. Things like running 26.2 miles is really hard. The first 18 or so are kind of fun really, but then things go south. After mile 18, I start wondering why. Why am I doing this? Why did I think this would be a good way to spend my Saturday morning? Why does everyone in the entire world run faster than I do? Why do I keep signing up for races with a time limit I can't beat?

I know that all sounds pretty negative. But that's what went through my head on this, my third full marathon. But here's the thing. I'm not sorry about doing it. I'm not sorry that I am questioning things like my motivation, among other things. I probably should figure out why, in the last year, I have gone from an anti-runite, to a full blow insane race running fool. The current top theory is that I'm trying to fill a void in my life. Perhaps this is true. At least filling it with a healthy activity is much better than the other things I could be doing? But then again, this is only a theory. I have realized that I am in love with the idea of running. I have a runner's mind, just not a runner's body. Maybe one of these days the twain shall meet.

Enough of that for now, on to the race report. The Top of Utah Marathon has some really lovely parts. Basically, the first 19 miles are pretty delightful. Then it turns boring. And hilly. I don't really enjoy running hills at the end of a marathon. I'm not that level of crazy yet. We spent the last 7 miles running through blase neighborhoods. The final insult came at mile 23 when we had to run right past the finish arch for another 3 miles. There's nothing like the mental blow that comes from seeing the end and knowing you're still so far away.

I was doing quite well those first 18 miles. Sure, I was a little tired, but I was on track to finish in under 6 hours. But all the hills, boring scenery, and fatigue caught up with me and I finished in 6:31:22. I wish I could just get to the point where the last bit of a marathon wasn't so rough. I hope I get to that point before two weeks from now. I've got another one to run down the Monte Cristo canyon in Huntsville. And that one has a strict 6 hour limit... It's a good thing the whole race is downhill, I just might make it.

I know this hasn't been the peppiest of blogs, but look at the pictures. I'm smiling. During and after even. I guess it really wasn't that bad then, huh.

Happy running everyone :)

3 race reports in one!

Let's hope this three for one is a one time offer... In the three and a half weeks since my Park City marathon, I have run three other races. The first one was a 5K called the Kiss Me Dirty 5K. It was a mud run for women's cancer research. It was a nice event, low key, no timing to worry about. Which I was glad of, since I was still in recovery mode from Park City.

The next weekend was the Only Half Crazy Half Marathon, which started in Herriman and ended in South Jordan. They had made it sound like it was this down hill course. And it really wasn't. Sure, the first two miles were down a little canyon, but then we wound up through some foothills. I was really not happy about how much uphill there really was. Even with it being two weeks since Park City, I was nowhere near mentally able to handle the hills. Talk about PTSD. I finished in my second slowest time, but I was just happy to finish. The race had to start half an hour late due to all the lightning that was happening. I met another Half Fanatic at this race. It's always nice to meet more crazy people like me. It was an interesting day all the way around.

The third race, my favorite race, the Mt. Nebo Half Marathon, was last Saturday. Some of you may remember that this was my first ever half marathon last year. I was so excited to be able to run this race for a second time. There's something wonderful in running a course you've run before. I finished this race in my 3rd fastest time, not as fast as my first time running it, but not that far off. I must say, I enjoyed it even more this time because I actually knew how to pace myself and didn't bonk at mile 9. It was a gorgeous day for a race. It never got too hot and I was prepared for the cold start with a blanket and thicker jacket.

The Mt. Nebo Half was also my last race for Run the Slam. This was a half marathon challenge to run 4 of 6 half marathons in Utah County. I ended up getting two extra medals for the alternate races that I ran as well. It was a fun little program, I love all the extra bling, of course :)

This September is my fullest month for racing. I have 3 more races before it's over, and two of them are full marathons. It should be worth it though, since it will gain me entrance into the Marathon Maniacs!

I'll do my best to write up better, more descriptive blog posts on a more regular schedule. Happy running!