Ogden 26.2: Week FIFTEEN (Strider's Ogden 30K)

On Monday, the Salt Lake Running Company held a free Boston Memorial 5K.  I wanted to get some extra mileage in, so Joshua and I decided to run TO the race from my complex.  We're hardcore.  Joshua was wearing an awesome shirt he made last year with a quote by sweet 8 yr old Martin, who was killed at the Boston bombing.  "No more hurting people.  Peace."  The names of the other 3 victims killed were on the back.  The Boston bombing was such a horrible act.  I just read Jeff Bauman's memoir, one of the men who lost both of his legs.  It has been amazing to watch the running community and Boston come together and refuse to be weakened.  Boston STRONG!

It was a nice, easy downhill run.  We made it to the starting line with about 2 minutes to spare, though!  Close!  We met up with a nice-sized group of RA peeps.  I barely had time to choke down a Gu before I had to start running again!  I ran most of the 5K with Meridith.  It was just a straight out and back course, nothing too exciting, but we had good conversation, so that was fun.  Since we are a family, we all rallied together and cheered everyone is as they came across.  No RunAway left behind!!

On Wednesday, I did intervals at the Church parking lot.  Those are never fun, but the benefits are so worth it.  My friend, Jarom, and I joke that pushing yourself to the speed where you feel like you're going to puke is the key to getting faster.

So yesterday was the Strider's 30K in Ogden.  30K is 18.6 miles.  I had a 20-miler on the schedule for this day, so it worked out.  My sweet friend, Sonja, has an injured ankle and was unable to run it, so she kindly gave me her spot.  AND she offered to let me stay with her the night before, since she lives in Ogden.  The race was kind of a crazy experience, but first of all, I need to go off for a moment about how much I LOVED her house!  Cutest, coziest bungalow ever.  I know we shouldn't covet, but....I am a little bit obsessed.

Anyway, Sonja made the most AMAZING homemade pizza for us for dinner.  We chatted nonstop for a few hours, and then hit the sack.

We woke up at 6 the next morning (MUCH better than how early I would have had to wake up if I'd been at home!).  We drove up Ogden canyon to the start.  It was drizzling rain, and showed NO sign of letting up.  Joshua was running it with me, and we had decided to get some garbage bags to wear.  Sounds and looks super ghetto, BUT it really helps keep your core much warmer.  Our clothing still got wet, but we didn't lose our body heat nearly as much as we would have.  We pinned our numbers on, visited the Honey Buckets, and then put our bags on.  Josh emerging from his bag was pretty hilarious!

Little funny story:  So Joshua and I first met and became friends last October when Nate ran the Haunted Half.  So we joke that April 26 is our 6-month "Runniversary".  I was signing the waiver when I picked up my bib and chip, and when I dated it 4/26, I showed Joshua, and he goes, "Oh, that's right, it's our 6-month anniversary!"  The girl at the table immediately looked over and said, "Congratulations!!"  We laughed and corrected her, but it was really funny.  I love friendiversaries.  Ermie and I celebrate ours each year....coming up on 15 years!!  I love my friends!!

We look so happy and innocent here....we had NO idea what we were in for.  Well, I mean, we knew we were in for 18.6 miles of rain, but I dunno.  This run just ended up being SO DIFFICULT.

We were one of the last few people to start.  We trudged along the first few miles.  We met a few other runners, took some pictures, visited.  It was slow going, though.  The course was pretty flat, with just some very gradual hills that you don't really notice until you realize you've slowed down.  I actually think those types of hills are worse than the obvious hills that you can see and tackle.  Our miles were pretty slow.  I'm not quite sure why, but they just dragged on and on.  We tried to stay positive and visit, but for whatever reason, we just both were starting to deteriorate pretty early on.  Like by Mile 6, I just wanted to sit down and never run again.  NOT a good sign when you're only 1/3 through a run!

Sonja was working at the Mile 9 Aid Station.  It really helped seeing her at the halfway point.  She loaded us up with chocolate Gu and offered to take Joshua's backpack from him.  We all thought it would be a good thing for him to be carrying less, but it turned out to be a mistake because later on, he was REALLY needing calories, and he didn't have anything with him!  More on that in a sec.

After we left Sonja (which was SO tough to do....her nice, warm car was parked right there!), we sludged along.  We kept having to walk and were honestly just miserable.  We tried so hard to not get discouraged, but we just did NOT want to run.

About a mile later, I think my chocolate Gu kicked in, and I felt okay for a little bit.  I told Joshua I was going to keep running.  I thought I'd run a little ahead, but I surprised myself by not needing to walk for a little bit, so I just sort of zoned out and kept going.  I TOTALLY ditched him!  I felt bad, but when I got to the Mile 12 Aid Station, I looked back and couldn't even see him, so I decided to just keep going.  I'm a horrible friend!!

So I ran the next 5 miles alone.  I passed several people, which made me feel hardcore, but overall, I was just miserable.  I texted Nate at Mile 13 and told him I hate this run!  I ate a Cliff Bar, and that helped.  I prayed and asked God to strengthen me and get me through this.  Sonja drove past me at about Mile 15 and gave me some encouragement.  That helped a ton!  Sonja was such a saint for this run!

Finally at Mile 17, I caught up with a girl name Chris, who we had met back in the early miles.  We ran the last mile together, and that was really nice.  She is running the Ogden marathon, too.  I love meeting new running friends.  I love how easily we click with each other because we are all accomplishing and working towards the same goals.  It's amazing.

I finally crossed the finish line with Chris.  I was supposed to go tack on an extra 1.5 miles to get to 20, but it just wasn't happening.  I don't think the extra mile would have benefited me at that point anyway.  I had been running for almost 4 hours!

Sonja and I sat in her car, I changed my shirt, warmed up, and we waited for Joshua.  We waited...and waited....we decided to drive down the course and check on him.  He was in last place, so we were worried.  We found him about half a mile away, hunched over.  He said he'd just thrown up and was about to pass out.  We got him into Sonja's car to warm up.  He was shaking.  I felt SOOOO bad for him.  After a few minutes, he got out and tried to walk the rest of the course, but just couldn't.  We drove him to the finish line, and he walked across the finish line and got his medal.  He earned that medal.  I was so proud of my dear friend!

Sonja bought us some hot chocolate (which I accidentally left on her counter, grrrrr) and we went back to her place to change.  Then we stopped by the running store to snag our free water bottle (Camelback!  Score) and then had lunch at Kneaders.  Sonja is such a blast to hang out with.  She was our big sister for the day, and I think this day would have been even worse without her!

I still feel guilty about leaving Joshua behind.  He keeps telling me not to worry about it, but I feel like the worst friend ever.  I need to bake a triple batch of pretzel bites to make it up to him.

TOUGH course.  This profile makes it look obviously hilly, but all of these climbs were gradual, so they just wore on us mile after mile.  I'm so glad that's over!  Although, I guess if I look on the bright side, I set a 30K PR!  It was nice to see/drive some of the marathon course.  Plus, as Sonja pointed out, this was an "honest" training run.  No advantages.  Sheer hard work.  I feel very ready to tackle my marathon in 3 weeks!!

Last night, I drove out to West Jordan and had a girlie movie night with a bunch of my running girls.  There was so much yummy food, hilarious conversation and the movie, Austenland, was SO funny and cute.  I think most of us are running the Provo Half next weekend.  Finally some DOWNHILL!  Can't wait!

Top:  Sonja, Camille, me.
Bottom:  Jerri, Elvia, Meridith, Terri

Ogden 26.2: Week NINE

My marathon training is officially HALF OVER.  I can't believe it.

I was reading a post I wrote back at the beginning of January about how scared I was to begin training.  Now, 9 weeks later, I am feeling awesome and full of confidence that this marathon IS going to happen.  Last week's 15 miler was really tough.  I was hurting pretty badly by the end, and that scared me a lot.  I'll go into more detail about it later in this post, but today's 17-miler was AMAZING.  I am so excited.

On Tuesday, Ashley and I did some speed work around the Village.  Nothing fancy, just tried to keep our pace up.

On Wednesday, I did a 9-mile trail run with Meridith and London.  This was my first time running with Meridith, and it was so fun!  I loved getting to know her better.  And London is always a blast!  We started at the zoo trailhead, ran all the way over to the top of Dry Creek Canyon, and then ran back.  Wow, it was SO much more difficult than I thought it would be.  But we DID IT.  The hills were INSANE.  I've done each section a few times, but I've never put all three together.  And back!  When we got to the top of Dry Creek, the views were amazing.  The trail kept going off to the north and disappeared around a bend, so we decided to tack on an extra half mile and see what was over there.  Rounding that bend nearly took my breath away (that sounds so dramatic, but it's TRUE!).  It was GORGEOUS.  The three of us all stopped and were just in awe.  It was a very, VERY cool moment that I will always remember.  This photo does not do it justice.

Me, London, Meridith

This run completely killed my legs.  I could barely move the rest of the day!  Probably not the best idea to do this tough of a trail run in between two long runs, but I just cannot resist these trails!

I took Thursday and Friday off to rest up for today.

SEVENTEEN MILES!!  I was nervous, but mostly excited.  This is the route that we planned out:

It's hard to tell on this map, but that pretty much runs along about half of the entire Salt Lake valley.  I was intimidated, but also determined and ready to kill it.

This morning, I met Cindy and Joshua at the 3900 S parking lot (Mile 17).  They piled in my van, and we drove up.  We met the rest of the gang.  Once we started getting further into the canyon, we started getting into snow.  And wind.  The roads ended up being pretty bad, so we turned back and started at Mile 3.  It was a wise decision.  We still had to run the first several miles in snow and wind and COLD.  But we are awesome and didn't let it stop us.  We just knew we'd have to make up the mileage at the end.

I LOVE THESE PEOPLE!  When I signed up for the marathon, I had NO idea my Saturday long runs would end up like this.  Absolutely amazing.

(In case you're wondering, YES my calves were FREEZING and bright red.  Luckily it warmed up after a few miles of getting lower in elevation, and I ended up being glad I was dressed how I was.)

So Vince, Jonathan, Shelley and Meridith are speedy, so they immediately took off.  I actually didn't see them again.  The rest of us stuck together.  Terri (the cute, short lady in white) was a few minutes slower than our pace, but Christy and I didn't want to ditch her, so we stayed with her.  It was slower than I wanted to run, BUT looking back, I think it was actually very wise for me to save my energy, so now I'm grateful.  Plus, I got to visit with her and learn more about her conversion to the Church not long ago.  She is an amazing woman.

It was fun to chat with Christy, too.  I LOVE that girlie.  We always have fun together!

Gorgeous views.  Once again, hard to capture in a photo.

Katheryn and me.  We're going to run that marathon together.

Christy and I around Mile 10-ish, I think?

Our view along Wasatch, heading north.  This was such a great course.  I'd love to do it again!

 Once we got to the park & ride at the bottom, Terri, Meridith and Shelley left.  The rest of us trudged along Wasatch.  This is where I had to mentally start to dig in a bit.  I spent the rest of the run mostly chatting with Cindy.  She taught me some great techniques for running up hills, and I was able to tackle all of the nasty hills along the last few miles, which I was planning on having to walk.  I'm so grateful for her!  We talked a lot about running and RA and what those mean to us.  Talking with her brought on a lot of this clarity I'm feeling, and I know that her being there was not random, either.

I love Robert Merriman.  I say that all the time, but I really do!  He makes me feel safe.  He's so kind and comforting and encouraging.  And so so hilarious.  I loved running with him today, as always!  And he brought me Welsh cakes.

I felt really good for the entire run.  I tried to stay really fueled and hydrated and not wait until I was hungry or thirsty or feeling sluggish.  This is good!  I'm learning what works for me, and that boosts my marathon confidence as well.

When we got back to the parking lot, I was only at about 14 miles, so Katheryn and I turned around and ran back up Wasatch for another mile.  She is running Ogden with me, so we took our minds off of our tired legs by talking about logistics and how we want to approach the big day.  I was tired, but overall still felt pretty good when I finished 17 miles.  This run was such a confidence booster!  I still have 9 more weeks of training, and I can already run 17 miles (albeit slowly).

I DID IT!  I am so happy with how this week went.  This coming week is a step-back week, so that will be good to rest a little before I take on 18 miles.

P.S. Today I hit 1004 total miles of running since I started exactly two years ago (March 16, 2012 was my first run.  Two miles, and I had to take walking breaks).  Not a big number compared to many runners I know, BUT as a busy mom of 3 young kids with a husband in grad school, I'm very proud of that number!

P.S.S.  After the run, Joshua and I decided to fulfill a dream of ours we've had for nearly 6 months now and go get tacos at the Sears taco stand downtown.  Don't ask.  Just know that it was a life-changing experience.  And very, VERY delicious.  And hilarious.  And the essence of our friendship.

And...I look awesome after running for over 3 hours...

I was SO hungry, that I couldn't even wait to get home to start chowing down.  Yum.

December RA Group Run

I cannot get over how much I love my RA friends!  They make me so happy, and I feel like they are all family to me.  Even the ones I just met for the first time today!  We all just have this bond that is very real.  I'm not the only one who feels this way about this group.  We ALL feel it!  I know a lot of people don't understand it, and that's okay.  One of our sweet members wrote this yesterday, and I have to save it here because it means so much to me!

Looking through the photos of our run in Orem yesterday I was filled with Love and humility. How lucky I am to have been included with such a great group of friends! Honestly all my life I was a bit outside the great groups...partly my own doing...but here we are. What more can I say but you have each been a tremendous blessing in my life. I love each one of you for the goodness you have been born with and admire how much you've taken that and run with it-yes and no pun intended. Please take a moment or two and feel the gratefulness I have for you. If you are reading this-yes it means YOU and your future. Be well, be healthy and know you have touched someones life with your wonderful 'you-ness!'  -Gay Tregaskis

This month, the run was in Orem.  It was at a park that had a nice 1/2 mile loop around it.  I was extra excited to get there this morning because Susette and I had come up with a very special Christmas gift for Josh.  He has well over 50 race medals, and that number goes up every month.  He told me once that he hangs them all on a lamp.  Not acceptable!!  So Susette and I put our heads together, and she told me her husband could build him a nice rack with enough room for all of his medals.  It turned out gorgeous!!  She tied a ribbon on it, and we both signed the back of it.

We were so excited to give it to him.  He had NO idea what was coming.  I knew it was going to be cool, but seriously, giving him this gift ended up being one of the sweetest moments of my life.  I grabbed the camera and let Susette do the honors since she is our Mama Duck!

So excited!  What is it??

Ta-da!!  Surprise!!

Okay, this is hands down, one of my favorite pictures ever taken of anything or anyone.  Ever.  Susette's beautiful smile and sweet hug, and then Josh's emotional response of tears.  I LOVE IT!  He said it was one of the best gifts he's ever gotten.

It was a very emotional, sweet moment.  Okay, wipe your eyes.  Time to RUN!

The loop was perfect.  You could run a few laps, stop and warm up with some hot chocolate and treats, visit and then head back out.  Everyone took turns running with different people at different paces.  The chatting was nonstop, along with the chattering of our teeth!  It was FREEZING!

My dear pal, Robert Merriman, was there, and he ran almost all of my laps with me.  We had a great time talking.  I also finally got to visit with Cindy, Gay, Janet and London.  Such fabulous ladies!  I met several others for the first time, although we really already all know each other!

I managed to run 5.3 miles, which I was happy with.  My shoulder held out pretty well, along with the hip.  I am hoping to run 13.1 miles on January 11, so we'll see how that goes.

What a great morning!  Can't wait until next time!

Peace

I'm feeling better.  Prayer and studying the Book of Mormon have allowed the Spirit to bring me peace.  This time around, I'm slowing my reading down a little and focusing on some topics and labeling.  I can tell that the Lord has been granting me more clarity and a more "mature" view on the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  I understand the scriptures better now than I ever have.  I cannot get enough...

On Sunday evening, Ashley and Robert had us over for hot chocolate, gingerbread cookies and our gift exchange.  Hoping to make a tradition out of that!  They have become like family to us this past year, and we love them so much.

Nate has been enjoying his break from school.  I haven't felt well all week, so we've just been hanging out here.  This nagging head cold has kept me from running, and I feel so antsy and sluggish!  Nate ran 7 miles the other day though!  He rocks.  My world.

I can't believe it's almost Christmas!  Our countdown chain is short, I'm finished with shopping/wrapping gifts, and so I'm hoping to finish up the week with some baking, if I can feel better! 

Cameron's latest obsession is Ninjago.  See, he cut his Spiderman mask to become a Ninjago mask.  He's so creative and intense...never know what he'll be into next!  I love that about him!

Darth Claire.

Pretty Roo with long hair.

Claire in a Cart.  She likes to go fast.

Claire in a Basket.

My early Christmas present.  It inspires me.  And the navy jersey fabric is SO comfy.

A Wonderful Birthday

This post is going to be sort of braggy, but I don't care!  I had such a GREAT birthday this year!  Probably one of the best birthdays I've ever had.  Lots of fun!

*I got some new pajama pants from Downeast.  $7 on clearance, plus they were actually free because I was exchanging a cardigan that had gotten a hole in it.  I kept telling Nate I really wanted new pajamas, I've been wearing the same ones for YEARS, so finding cute ones for free was awesome.  Plus, he was happy he didn't have to go out and try to shop for me!

*Since pajamas were off the wish list, I asked Nate for my Gary Schmidt books instead.  But then that awesome lecture and book signing fell in my lap, so not only did I get my books, I got them signed and hear from the author!  Score again.

*Nate's mom babysat for us on Thursday while we went to Texas Roadhouse for dinner.  It was so good.  SO GOOD!  The rolls, the sweet potatoes, the bbq chicken, we just ate and ate.  We were SO full, on the drive home, we could barely even coherently talk to each other because we were too busy trying not to hurl.  Hoping to go back in June for Nate's birthday and make ourselves sick all over again!  Good times.

*Nate's mom gave me a garlic mincer, and Nate's grandma gave me some new cutting boards and a rice cooker.  I was thrilled!  Call me a nerd, but I was a little more excited about that garlic mincer than I probably should have been!  I love cooking lately, and now my daily stir-frys will have perfect garlic!  :)

*Nate's mom also gave me some money, so of course I had to buy some Cake Bites at the Sweet Tooth Fairy.  I also took myself on a little trip to my favorite Bookshop.  I spent an hour there just browsing and adding more and more titles to my to-read list.  I hope we can read in Heaven, because I will never get through all of the books I want to in my lifetime!  I used my birthday money to buy "Little Princes", which is about a foundation that helps orphanages in Nepal.  I will always hold Nepal and it's people near to my heart, so this had to go on my bookshelf.  Can't wait to read it!  I'm saving the rest of my $$ until April when the Bookshop is hosting the author of a book I recently read and really enjoyed.  Book signings are quickly becoming my new favorite outting!

*Then today, my parents came up and spent the day with us.  We went to the Zoo, had Costa Vida for lunch, and I begged my mommy (like a little kid) for more Cake Bites.  I can't help it, they are little tiny bites of heaven, people!  Plus, Costa and Sweet Tooth are right next door to each other, so that worked out nicely in my favor!

*My mom gave me two wonderful cookbooks.  My parents also gave me a birthday card.  Inside was a folded peice of paper, and it said:

For your birthday, we will fly you to Cleveland to visit DeAnn.  Happy Birthday!

AAAAAHHHHHH!!!!!  I am so excited!!  My mom said that she feels bad that all of my other siblings have been able to travel around to visit each other, except for me.  A whole week with DeAnn, BEST present ever!  I am also excited to visit Kirtland for the first time and see the Church History sites there.  I can't wait!

(and in care you're wondering, yes, I'm already sick to my stomach about flying.....luckily I'll have Claire with me to distract me!)

Nate and I have been struggling with this Waiting Game about our future, and we've had some big decisions come up with his current job, and Nate's been having some health issues that are resulting in lots of expensive tests and drugs (don't worry, it's not serious, just expensive to keep it from becoming serious!).....LOTS of praying and discussing and pondering going on over here, and even though we have faith and hope, it is always exhausting trying to navigate through things like this.  SO, I'm grateful for such a wonderful birthday week that took my mind off the "heavier" things in life that always loom overhead.  Being surrounded by new books and yummy food and my family and feeling a little pampered was a blessing to me.

31

Wow, time has flown.  Hard to believe that last year on my birthday, we were looking at houses!  We are so SO grateful that the Lord intervened when He did and pointed us in a different direction.  We are now waiting (and waiting!) to hear back from the 2 programs.  Our patience is being tested, but our faith is stronger than ever!

This morning, I was woken up by my cute little family.  Nate had a plate of hashbrowns, eggs and toast.  Cam was carrying the OJ, and Roo's job was to bring me my napkin.  Such a sweet way to wake up!  But even better than that, was that I got to enjoy the breakfast in the quiet of my bedroom while I could hear Nate doing his best to break up fights and deal with Cam's daily 7 am tantrum.  Sigh!

Sadly Nate had to work ALL day today, and then he went to West Jordan to play basketball with Preston.  So we just pretended my birthday is March 8, since he's off on Thursdays.  We have a hot date tomorrow, can't wait!!

I got plenty of birthday love today though!  I have wonderful friends!!!  Strawberry Limeade from Sonic, Cake Bites and a Sugar cookie from Sweet Tooth Fairy, and a trip to the library.  Staci offered to be my birthday buddy so I wouldn't have to be alone all day.  I love her!  My kids are being ANGELS today, and it's sunny out with blue skies.   After a ridiculous trip all over Salt Lake City trying to find a Playland (and being dumped onto the freeway against our will!), we got ice cream and then came home and had dinner all together.  We haven't done that in awhile, it was fun!  Thank you Staci, for taking good care of me since Nate wasn't home!

I am too blessed, too loved, and am humbled every single day by God's goodness to me.