Professional Shots from the Marathon

Here are the professional shots from the marathon.  I gotta say--I am doing a better job of keeping my eyes open!  There aren't nearly as many shots of me sleeping running this time around.  :)

This photo doesn't count...

Smiles!

My eyes are borderline in this one...but I'm saying they are open!

The ground must be really interesting.

Finish line!!

Told ya I didn't even see the photographer...eyes on the prize!

SO HAPPY!!!

Top of Utah Marathon

I kinda dropped off the face of blogger planet for a while.  Not sure why.  I've been reading...just didn't feel like writing, which is super odd considering that the topic I needed to write about was a topic that I have a whole lot to say about--that's right, the fact that I RAN A MARATHON.

Let's just say that one more time:

I RAN A FREAKIN' MARATHON.

Okay, I've determined that no matter how many times I say that (whether out loud or in my head) it still doesn't feel real.  Just like I can comprehend running 26.2 miles, I also can't comprehend the fact that it is actually possible and that I'm one of the crazy people in the world who have done it.

Did you know that only 0.13% of the population has ran a marathon?  Not bad company, if I do say so myself.

Anyway, let's start at the beginning shall we?

Jessica and I drove up to Logan, Utah together on Friday.  I was kinda freaking out the entire time.  I was doubting my training, doubting my abilities, and doubting my knee.  I could not believe we were actually less than 24-hours away from starting (and hopefully finishing) a goal we set out to achieve so long ago.  I gotta say...this race SNUCK UP ON ME.

We checked into our hotel and headed to the expo.  It was a small expo, but there were some booths that held our interests.  We got our bibs and headed out for a quick dinner at Costa Vida before going back to the hotel and trying to sleep.  I was so anxious, but eventually fell asleep after checking the weather for the umpteenth time.  It called for a mostly clear race with a rain storm ending at 7 am and clear skies for the remainder of the day.  The rest started at 7 am, so this was going to be perfect for me.

Expo Time!

Got my bib--feeling way too real!!

3:30 am came and the alarms went off.  I woke up with nervous butterflies, but just committed to the tasks at hand: get dressed, get fueled, and get ready to go.  I had laid out all my stuff the night before, so it was a pretty mindless morning.  I decided to check the weather once more.  In the short 6 hours we had slept, the weather had taken a turn for the worse.  Instead of clear skies, it now called for a 55% chance of rain at 10 am.  I wasn't too worried about it.  An hour of rain isn't really much to stress about, and the 55% chance wasn't that high.  I figured it would be a bit of a drizzle.

Spoiler alert: I was dead wrong.

Anyway, we loaded up our stuff after choosing to bring rain jackets "just in case."  Rather than waiting for the hotel shuttle, we opted to walk the 3 or 4 blocks in the dark to the finish line.  I have never seen so many buses lined up!  It was a sight to see!  After passing dozens upon dozens of buses, we made it to the loading line and hopped on the steamy bus.

I'd just like to state for the record that the bus ride from the finish line to the starting line of a marathon is about 40 minutes of pure torture.  PURE TORTURE.  Driving the course of the race on race day can really screw with your head.  It seemed SO LONG.  And the conversations on the bus were also super intimidating.  Not only are you super tired that early in the morning, but watching the road pass you by and realizing that this bus is going to drop you off at the top of a mountain pass and you have to RUN back to where you started from is horribly daunting.  I was having severe regrets on that bus, particularly when we were in the canyon and I kept thinking "okay...I know it is 14 miles from the start of the race to the mouth of the canyon...we HAVE to have gone 14 miles already" and then having the bus continue driving for another ten minutes.

Holy. fetch.

Anyway, we got to the starting line and it was raining.  I made a quick port-a-potty stop, and then headed to the heat tents.  The rain wasn't too dramatic, but it was enough to make you want to hide in the heat tents.  (Side note: ALL races should have heat tents--such a beautiful thing!!)  Jess and I stayed in the tents for a while, but then nature called (again!) and I headed up to make a final port-a-potty stop before the race began.  As can be expected, the lines were loooooong.  Once I got to the potty, there was less than 5 minutes until the race start time.  Thank goodness for chip timed races!  Anyway, while I was in the port-a-potty it started raining so hard that it sounded like it was hailing.  I was SO tempted to just stay in the port-a-potty forever and just not come out.  No race.  No rain.  Just me and the port-a-potty.  You know that you've got  the panic when you are willing to hang out in a port-a-potty all day just to avoid the race.

But alas, hiding was not meant to be.  I sucked it up and made my way down to the starting line.  I was SOAKED before I even got there.  All the runners were drenched and looking around at each other like "is this really happening?"  Yep.  It was so happening.  I lined up next to Jess, we said some last minute pep talk stuff, and then we got ready to run.  At this point I was so ready to run because I was starting to get really cold and wanted to generate some body heat!  So, I guess the rain was good because it made me want to start the race?

Soaking wet already! (And Jess isn't a ghost, I promise)

They started the race in waves.  Since I am not a super speedy runner, I was set in the back (quite happily). After about a two minute delay, it was our turn to cross the starting line and finally RUN.  Jess and I said our goodbyes and set off for a long journey.  I was feeling good, the rain had let up, and I just settled into a comfortable pace and tried to enjoy the scenery (without tripping like I did at the Timp Half!).

You probably didn't know, but my IT band pain had flared up on my last training run before the marathon.  I was really nervous about it, but I had taken good care of it and let it rest for a week.  I have enough experience with the dumb thing to realize that at some point it was definitely going to rear its ugly head, but I was hoping it would wait until the last half of the race.

Nope.

It showed up at mile 1.5.  Not encouraging.  I had 16 miles of downhill left to run on (which aggravates the issue), and then another 10 miles to run after that.  I knew I was in trouble.  I said a silent prayer and hoped that I had the mental strength to push through and finish when my physical strength decides to disappear.

This was a *bit* discouraging to see.  Logan, here I come!

Miles 2 - 5 were pretty uneventful.  I was drinking gatorade at every aid station and fueling (taking a Gu) every 3 miles.  I have had issues in the past on my long runs with my energy fizzling so I decided to up the fueling on race day.  Overall, I think it was good decision.  However, taking over 5 Gus in one day is disgusting.  Just an FYI.

Cups, anyone?

Gorgeous scenery!

Runners stretching for MILES!

I had settled into a rhythm and just absorbed the sights and sounds of the race.  I love watching the runners and seeing the new views when you round a corner.  It makes the time pass by more quickly.  I was worried about the dark clouds hanging out in front of me, but figured it couldn't get much worse than what we had been through at the starting line.

Heh.

Around mile 6, all hell broke loose.  Seriously.  Lightning was flashing and thunder was reverberating off the canyon walls (favorite sound ever?  YES).  It was a little unnerving to be so close to the lightning.  I was worried they would call the race.  Rain was coming down in sheets and in a matter of less than a minute, I was soaked from head to toe.  My so called rain jacket?  Not so much water proof as "semi-water resistant."  That's a nice way of saying I might as well have been wearing a sham-wow.  I was soaking up the water!  

Then it started to hail.  Slowly at first, and then it was coming down hard.  It was more than a little bit unreal.  I couldn't help but laugh.  All the runners around me had these looks of complete confusion, shock, and humor.  What else could you do but laugh at the situation and keep running?  I tried to take a video of the hail, but my cell phone did NOT do it justice.  Trust me when I say it was about 5 times worse in real life:

(Also, forgive the poor video quality.  I was a bit excited--I love me some bad weather.)

The hail stopped by mile 7, but the rain continued until about mile 11.  My jacket was so soaked that it was beginning to hinder my movement rather than help, so I took it off.  I had opted to wear a tank top because I'd rather be too cold than too warm, and so I was left to run in the cool temps with less than ideal gear.

By mile 11 my knee was in full out pain.  I was worried about being able to finish the race, but I was determined to push through it.  I decided to just focus on making it to the the next aid station.  They were spaced two miles apart (on all the odd numbered miles), so they became a way for me to focus on short term goals that add up to to long term success.  The aid stations were well managed, and the volunteers were STELLAR!  They were drenched just as badly as we were, and they weren't running to keep themselves warm.  They met each of us runners with smiles and cheers.  Total rockstars!

At mile 14, I finally escaped the canyon and was met by all the spectators.  The canyon was closed to spectators, so most of them were waiting at the mouth of the canyon to cheer their friends on.  One of my coworkers was there (with a cowbell!) and it was highly encouraging to see a smiling face who knew my name.  I took a quick bathroom break (stupid nervous race stomach!) and stopped for some photos.

I look happy.  That's cuz I was.

Luckily, the rain had calmed down by this point.  It had dropped down to a mere drizzle and there was hope that the storm might leave us alone.  There was a mean looking dark cloud to the south of us, but I was hopeful that I would be able to outrun it.  I'm rather ambitious, yeah?

My coworker wasn't the only spectator waiting for me at mile 14.  My wonderful WONDERFUL husband was there to ride with me the rest of the way!  He had brought his bike so he could keep my company on the remaining difficult miles.  I was SO glad to have him by my side.  I love this man more than I can say!

So happy to have him next to me!

Thumbs up at mile 15--glad to be out of the rain!

Miles 14-15 went by quickly now that I had some company.  I told Jason about the craziness of the hail, and he couldn't believe what we had ran through.  At one point he asked me how far I'd been, and when I looked at my Garmin watch it said something like 15.6.  He turned to me smiling and said, "At this very moment, you have ran farther than I ever have in my entire life."  He was so proud of me.  I couldn't help but add, "yeah...and I still have another freaking 11 miles to go!!"  That got a laugh out of him!

At mile 16 the dark cloud caught me.  Apparently I'm not a very fast runner.  Who knew?  Anyway, what we had experienced in the canyon was chump change to what this dark cloud brought to us.  You seriously could've hooked up a hose and sprayed it at me and I wouldn't have gotten wetter.  The hail was coming down so hard that it was beginning to hurt.  It was managing to bounce into my shoes.  I can't say I have ever had hail stones in my shoes while running.  Definitely a first for me.  Finally it became so bad that there was no choice but to seek shelter. Jason and I found a random house and hid under the awning for a bit.  Unfortunately for me, after waiting a whopping ten seconds I could feel my knee starting to tighten up and I knew I couldn't stay any longer.

I waved goodbye to Jason (he wasn't dumb enough to follow me out into that mess) and told him I'd see him in a little while.  The next couple of miles were absolutely insane.  Surreal.  I can't even describe how nuts it was to be running in those conditions.  And awesome.  Did I mention it was awesome?  I really do love bad weather...I kinda felt like I was dancing in the rain, but instead of dancing I was running.  It provided an EXCELLENT distraction to my pain, and kept me going.

Unfortunately, Jason was unable to get photos of me during the absolute craziest portion of the weather.  It was just not a good thing for cameras--WAY too wet.  He did get some a few minutes before it really went to town, and they look crazy enough.  Just know that when you see these photos, it got a LOT worse for all the runners a few minutes later.  :)

Determined to continue through the weather

It's a bit cold!

It was at this point that I also encountered an older woman with a sign pinned to her back that said something to the effect of "I'm running this marathon in honor of my son, born and died on this date in 1993.  Families are forever."  It's a good thing it was already raining.  I swear those were just rain drops on my cheeks...nothing else.

Miles 16-18 were a blur.  The rain was nuts, I was running through puddles that were inches deep, and my arms were sore from the hail pelting me.  At the aid station on mile 17, I ran into Hubster's parents.  They had bright smiles on their face and had made me a poster to cheer me on.  I was SO touched by their enthusiasm.  Seriously, they always make me feel like I am their own daughter.  I am truly blessed with awesome family.

Jason had caught back up to me at this point which was a good thing.  From mile 19 on, my knee was a complete joke.  The weather FINALLY let up at mile 20ish, but by then my knee was so painful to run on I was literally choking back tears.  Lots of screams in order to push through the pain and keep going.  Not gonna lie...At mile 21 I was seriously worried I wouldn't be able to finish.  My knee joints were locking up and I could feel the joints grinding on each other.  By this point I was tired and I just wanted to walk for a while, but every time I walked it hurt.  But switching from walking to running hurt even more (seriously...nearly pass out pain!).  However, after one or two minutes of terrible pain, it leveled out and I was able to continue running without as intense pain.  Too bad I was so tired that I couldn't stop myself from walking every now and then.  It was a terrible cycle!!

Jessica had caught up to me around mile 20, but a bathroom break stop for me (again!  body fail!) had her passing me.  I spent the rest of the race trying to catch up to her, but realized in the end that I just didn't have the power left in me to get it done.  I was so proud of her for having such a strong race!

At mile 24 the sun came out--the first time on the entire course!  With it, my spirits lifted and I felt a surge of energy.  I was able to keep running (except on the blasted hills).  The pain subsided to a manageable level, and I KNEW that I would finish.  Even better, I knew that I would finish before 5:30 which had been a goal I didn't think I would reach.

The girl next to me?  Her face sums up most people's thoughts on the weather...

The sun might be out, but I am still drenched!

Jason left me at mile 25 so that he could see me cross the finish line.  For the last mile, I hung back and talked to the 5:30 pacers for a while.  They said that this was the hardest race they have ever paced.  They were super nice, and way excited for me to be running my first marathon.  After a couple minutes of chit chat, I told them I was going to go on ahead and finish strong.  

I ran to the mile 26 marker and couldn't believe I was almost to the end.  Once you hit mile 26, the course makes a 90 degree left turn and you are suddenly running through the finish line.  I have to say--it was absolutely unreal to see that finish line.  So many different emotions ran over me--pain, pride, triumph, disbelief.  It was phenomenal.  I KNEW I would finish.  I ran towards that finish line with all the gusto I had left in me (admittedly, not much).  My family was screaming my name and I could see the finish line with my time ahead of me.  I was so determined to make it to that darn finish line that I didn't even see the photographer to my right.  Oops?

Joy!!

Dude on the right TOTALLY got ignored by me...

I crossed the finish line at 5:26:50.2.  The time was 12:34 pm (which is awesome).  At that moment, I accomplished something that was so unbelievably difficult to me that two years ago I didn't even think it could be done by me.  I watched a friend cross the Top of Utah Marathon line in 2009 and was blown away by the thought of runners that had been out there for so many hours.  I didn't think it would be possible for me.  And yet, two short years later here I am crossing the same exact finish line.  Absolutely surreal.

Jess was waiting for me with her finishers medal and a HUGE smile on her face.  She had crossed just two minutes before me.  How fun is that?

This is, by far, my favorite photo of the year.

I could NOT have done this marathon without her.  Even though we didn't run side by side, she was with me the whole way.  Her encouragement got me to the starting line, and kept me going at the end.  I cannot say how much I love this girl!  She is truly amazing!!

Also amazing?  Jason.  His support along the way was fantastic.  He kept my going when all I wanted to do was curl up in a ball and never walk again.  He kept me smiling, and made sure I was okay.  I am lucky to have him as my very own!  His family was also super awesome for supporting me--the flowers and blankets they had for me at the end were so appreciated!



Overall, I still can't believe I ran the darn thing.  It was crazy!!  26 miles is SO FAR!!!  But it made me realize that we really and truly can achieve whatever thing we set our minds to.  Bodies are seriously amazing.

Looking over the entire race, I can see only a few areas where I can improve for next time (IF there is a next time).  One, I lost nearly 13 minutes at the port-a-potties.  Darn my upset stomach!!  Two, I probably shouldn't run injured.  Yeah...that's a good idea.  Three, I should give myself some flex time in my training schedule to allow for injuries and unexpected rest weeks.  Lessons = learned!

Also, here's a quick look at my splits.  I can't help but post it...not because it is relevant but because it is the longest list of miles I've ever ran.  Who knows when else I'll be able to post something like this again?

Mile 15 = potty break.  Mile 20-21 = potty break.  Joy.  

..................................................................................................................................................................

One week later and I am still in a post-marathon daze.  I really can't believe I did it.  If I didn't have the photos and the marathon medal I don't think I would believe it!  My knee is still totally screwed up, but at least I know how to fix it.  I'm going to rest the dumb thing like crazy, and take ibuprofen like a totally druggie.  And of course stretching and foam rolling--always super important.

Next up for me is Ragnar Las Vegas in one month.  It's my last big race of the year, and I'm looking forward to tapering down my mileage.  I think I want to focus on smaller distances and work on improving my speed for now.  I just seem to get injured too much on the long distances!  :)

By the way, if you are still reading this post you deserve a medal of your own.  This recap is almost as long as the race itself!!

Timpanogos Half Marathon Race Recap!

This post has been a long time coming.  My apologies for not writing it sooner--I write my posts at work when I have spare time and this past week I've been training a new hire and there has been NO spare time.  Eesh!

First things first--this race was awesome and I had been looking forward to it for WEEKS.  Seriously.  I just knew it was going to be a good race for me.  Perhaps it was a good race for me because I had known it was going to be?  Who knows, but positive thinking does go quite a long way.  I was hoping to beat my previous half marathon time of 2:46 by about 20 minutes.  I knew I would be really happy with a 2:20 time.  A coworker of mine ran the Thanksgiving Point Half Marathon with me and got a personal best of just under 2:15.  He said that if I beat his time he would buy me a slurpee.  Not only did I want to beat that time, I also wanted that slurpee!!  And bragging rights!

The day started out quite early on Saturday morning when my alarm clock got me out of bed at 2:45 am in time for me to get dressed, eat some food, and be on the road by 3:30.  Never did I think I would live in a world where I would willingly pay $75 to wake up at that hour and run for 2+ hours and actually WANT to do it and even ENJOY it.  Times have certainly changed over the last year!  Anyway, I made it to the half marathon finish line at 4 am in time to meet up with some Utah runners whose blogs I read.   They were so nice and genuine and wonderful.  It was definitely a highlight for me to get the chance to meet them!

Julia is the sweetest person ever!

Super early!

It was great getting to hang out before the race with Candice, Julia, Alisha, and Rachelle (who I sadly don't have a photo with!).  I've read most of their blogs for a while now and it was kinda crazy to meet them in real life!

The race was scheduled to start at 5:40 am, so we all headed to the bag drop around 5:35 to shed our extra layers.  It was a bit chilly outside, but nothing too uncomfortable.  We lined up according to our pace groups, and prepared for the run to begin.

Ready to run!

5:40 quickly came and went.

And then 5:45...5:50...5:55...

What the heck?

Finally, at 6:00 am they counted us down and we were off!  The sun was fully up by this point and the beautiful canyon was completely visible.  The scenery was gorgeous!  I've driven this canyon during the fall when the colors are in peak and it cannot be beat!  It's phenomenal!  Because of all the extra rain and snow we've received this year, the trees were super green and the river was flowing strong.  I can't think of a better place to have a run!

The course has a very nice downhill pretty much the entire way.  Because of this, I was running faster than ever.  It felt amazing--my legs were strong, my lungs felt great, and I was so distracted by the scenery that I wasn't even noticing how quickly the miles were passing by.  Before I knew it, I was 4 miles in and it was time to have some GU.  I had some minor pain showing up in my achilles tendon on my right leg, but other than that I had no pain.  Even better, my knee pain was non-existent!  Goodbye, IT band problems!  You will not be missed!

Miles 4-6 blazed by.  I finally had gotten past the majority of runners that were going at a different pace from me and was now settled into a group of runners that were running at close the same speed.  At this point, the road gets even steeper and enters a series of corners.  The road is banked quite sharply so it was a bit uneven to run on.  I was running on the middle lines to try to keep my footing even, but apparently I'm not as graceful as I had hoped.

Okay, let's be honest.  I've NEVER been graceful.

What happened next will be a moment that I will remember for a long time.  And strangely enough, I'll remember it rather fondly.  You see, right around mile 6 I decided to become one with the pavement.  Not in a runner's high type of way, but rather a "oh-crap-the-ground-is-coming-towards-me-so-fast-this-is-gonna-hurt-bad" kind of way.  Yep.  I ate shiz.  I'm not sure exactly how it happened, but I do remember looking around at the mountains and trying to find Mount Timpanogos to see what she looked like in the morning sun. The next thing I knew, I was flying through the air headed toward the pavement at what felt like 50 mph.  When I hit the ground, I managed to hit my left hand, my left shoulder, my jaw and cheek, and my right knee.

Instantly, I was surrounded by concerned runners.  Several of them picked me up off the ground and were asking if I was okay.  I was touched by their concern!  I'm sure they lost some time checking to see if I needed helped, and I really appreciated their help.  I'm sure I looked a mess, but I had enough adrenaline in me to keep me running so I told them I was fine and started running again.

My hand hurt the worst.  I had hit on the palm of my hand and had lost a few layers of skin.  I had some gravel bits in the hand and it was stinging like crazy!  My knee also hurt pretty bad, but I was afraid to look at it because I knew that once I saw the damage it would hurt even worse.  The mind can play some pretty mean tricks!  I figured I had enough adrenaline in me to keep me out of pain until just before the finish line.  So, I just kept running.

And ya know what?  It still felt awesome to be running.  I don't think I lost any time at all due to my clumsiness.  I was so embarrassed by the fall that I think the entire encounter with the ground and runners probably took 5 seconds or less.  I move quick when I want to!

Miles 6-8 moved by and before I knew it I was out of the canyon.  I had been dreading leaving the canyon because I knew the course flattened out and the scenery would be not as stellar.  I also knew my paces wouldn't be as awesome because I was no longer running downhill!  It was, however, quite awesome to make it out of the canyon and see all the spectators cheering us on!  They were all very supportive and it was fun to hear their cheers.

Miles 8-10 I started to slow.  I'm not sure if it was because I was fueling differently that I normally do because I was running faster than I normally do, or if my fall was starting to get to me.  Either way, I suffered on the hills.  There was some walking, but I don't feel bad about it.  I was wise with my walking and made sure that I didn't sacrifice too much time.  We ran through a beautiful golf course and on a great trail that was shaded.  Luckily, the weather was PERFECT for the entire run so the shade was unnecessary.  It was overcast and not hot!  I couldn't have asked for better weather!  A highlight during this portion was passing a little girls dance team and seeing how excited they were to give all the runners high-fives.  It made me feel like a rock star!

Miles 10-12 were HARD.  I was tired.  I was sore.  I didn't have scenery to distract me, and I was starting to feel the pain in my body a bit more.  There was a minor hill at the top of mile 12 that I thought might kill me.  I remember being SO MAD because there was a photographer right at the top of the hill and I knew I couldn't walk and that I had smile for him.  And I didn't want to.  But I did.

And look how convincing my smile was!  I actually look like I'm having a good time!  Perhaps it was because I knew the hill was over and that I had nothing but downhill and flats left for me.  I was only 1.1 miles away from a great half marathon finish!

Miles 12-13 went by fast.  Knowing that I only had a few minutes left to run, I dug deep and picked up my pace.  I kept thinking of the slurpee that my coworker had bet me and knew that I could beat his time.  I don't even like slurpees all that much (don't get me wrong--they are super tasty, but I don't go out of my way to get them), but it was the idea that I could run well enough to be worthy of the slurpee.  A 2:15 half marathon time had seemed like a pipe dream at the beginning of the day, but now it was well within my grasp.

As I rounded the last corner and saw the finish line, I knew that I had run this race to the best of my abilities and could be proud of my performance.  I felt SO much better than I had at my last half, and knew that my training had paid off.  I crossed the finish line as the time clock said 2:07:45.  I knew I had earned my slurpee!  My official chip time?  2:05:57.  I did WAY better than I thought I was going to!  Never in my life did I think I would be only 6 minutes away from a sub 2 hour half marathon.  WOW!  I beat my previous half marathon time by 40 minutes!!

My mother-in-law met me at the end (she just missed me crossing the finish line!) and she helped me get some ice for my battle wounds.  I also met up with Candice, Julia, and Rachelle at the end.  We all had managed to achieve PRs on this race!  It was a good day to be running.  They all run sub-2 hour half marathons, and looked great doing it!

Finisher!

Love this girl!

All my race crap + ice in the photo = no good

Try again without the extra crap!

LOVE this medal!

Double-sided! Win!

Even my in-law's cat liked the medal!

Gotta love the battle wounds

My chin was nice and scuffed up.  It now looks like big zits. So awesome.

Overall, I LOVED this race.  I would run it again in a heart beat (but this time I would pay more attention to where I was running!).  The course was gorgeous and FAST.  It was well organized (minus the minor hiccup of the late start), the volunteers were awesome, and the medal was super cool.  The tech tees were also super cute.  I give it an A.

As for the wounds themselves...the hand is nearly healed up (and super itchy!), the shoulder and elbow are both fine, and the chin is healing great.  The knee is the only thing that still has issues.  It doesn't hurt when I run, but I think I damaged a nerve in there somewhere.  There is a spot on my knee that if you touch the right spot it sends a shot of pain so strong that I will be in tears within .2 seconds.  And that's with a touch as light as a feather.  It's kind of weird.  But, like I said, it doesn't hurt when I run so I'm not too worried about it.  I'm sure it will get better with time.

For those of you that are interested, here's a snapshot of my splits:

That's the fastest I have ever ran!  And the longest!  Double win!  Can't wait to do this race again someday!

Soooooooooo....about that.

Apparently I took a really really really long time off from blogging.  But don't you worry--I was busy writing posts; I just didn't post them.  Oops?  Most of them are about races that Jason and I have been running, and there is also an Australia post in there as well.

Anyway, check out them out here in all their very belated glory:

Ragnar Florida Keys Recap
Sweethearts 5k Recap
Thanksgiving Point Half Marathon Recap
Australia Trip
Ragnar Wasatch Back Recap
Legacy Midnight 10k Recap

And I'll try to do better with posting in the future! Yikes!

Legacy Midnight 10k - Race Recap!!

I bet you guys didn't even know I had a race this weekend...

Somehow it slipped my mind to mention it, but indeed, I had a 10k race this past weekend.  Since it is darn hot in Utah during the summer, we have a fair amount of midnight races to choose from.  Jessica picked this one out last year and I've been looking forward to it since then.  What's not to love?  Midnight runs = cooler temperatures, crazy costumes, and tons of glowing items.

How can you not get excited?

There were three different races going on on the same trail--a 5k, 10k, and a half marathon.  We had opted for the 10k which started at 11 pm.  Originally, we had planned on running the race together.  However, because I am not skilled enough to run at 180 bpm without music (like my physical therapist recommended to stop the IT band pain), I opted to just run the race at my own pace and blast my music the whole time.  Jessica opted to run with her sister for most of the race.

At 10:55, they had us line up at the starting line.  There was a guy on a megaphone shouting some last minute information that sounded REALLY important, but we certainly couldn't hear it.  Something to the effect of "RUNNERS--please be sure that you absolutely DO NOT asldjfiu asdf *mumble mumble mumble*.  I repeat - DO NOT asuoidufojlj." 

Yep.  That was not very good.

I think the jist of it was that we should stick to the right lane of the trail because the half marathoners were going to be passing us going the opposite direction and we wouldn't want to get creamed by them.  Good advice for the few that could hear it.  Luckily, I knew that the runners would be passing us so I stayed on the correct side the entire time (unless I was passing someone).

As we were standing around waiting for the gun to sound, I was checking out the sheer number of runners doing the 10k.  The Legacy Parkway trail is one of my favorite places to run, but it is not meant for hundreds of runners.  I'd been concerned that the start of the race would be a giant bottleneck, and my fears proved true as the gun start went off.  It was chaos.  It was hard not to trip over all the runners.  Some were trying to go way faster than me, others were trying to walk right off the bat, and it resulted in a whole lot of stopping and starting.  It was like that for the first mile because there really wasn't anywhere for the runners to go to allow them to spread out and find the appropriate pace.  

However, once I got settled into the pack and found a comfortable place to run I started having a lot of fun.  I was decked out in glow stuff (and because I'm 12 it made me super happy), and the temperature was a nice cool(ish) 73 degrees.  The moon was out, and I could just settle into the running.  I looked down to see what my pace was and realized that I couldn't see the time on my watch because it was so dark outside.  I opted to just run on feeling rather than relying on my Garmin for this race.  I paid attention to my body and tried to run at a speed that I knew I could maintain for the 6+ miles.  I was feeling good!

Before I knew it, a half marathoner came blasting past me as I reached the first water exchange.  He was going SO FAST!  You could barely see him in the dark.  Luckily he had a flashing baton thing.  Otherwise, I am sure that he would've taken out several runners.  I definitely don't think this was the safest race!  I saw a lot of "near-misses" during this run.  

I did have a small hiccup where I thought I had seen a sign signifying I was at mile 2, and then a half a mile later I saw another sign that said mile 2, so that was confusing.  Like I said--it was dark and hard to see!  When I reached the turnaround just after mile 3, I was feeling good.  I knew that I was having a good race (especially compared to my last 10k) and I was looking forward to seeing my time.  I was hoping for a 1:10 time or less.

At this point in the race, I was starting to pass some people that had started out too quickly.  This is the first race I've had where I actually got to pass more people than passed me!  I was super excited about that.  At my last 10k I finished 5 from the bottom.  I knew that there was absolutely no way that would happen to me this time.  The happiness that brought kept me going strong.  

With 1.5 miles left, we encountered the turnaround point for the 5k.  What a mess!!  There were hundreds of runners turning around RIGHT in the path of the 10k-ers and half marathoners.  It was a cluster, and kinda dangerous.  I went from having about 10 people within my area to suddenly having about 50 people.  It slowed everyone down.  I definitely think they should rethink this portion of the race next year.

Once again, I got situated within the pack at the correct pace and continued on for the last mile or so.  By this time, I was starting to feel tired.  I knew that I was going to have nothing left once I hit the finish line.  I could see the bright lights from the finish line, but knew I still had about half a mile to go.  I tried to pick up my pace, but it just wasn't happening.  

Finally, I could see the finish line and decided to give it my all.  Admittedly, there really wasn't much left.  But as I crossed that finish line and looked down at my Garmin and saw that I had finished a 10k in 1:02:55, I couldn't have been happier.  I couldn't believe how fast (for me!) I had ran those 6.2 miles.  I had shaved nearly 14 minutes off from my previous 10k time.  Now THAT is a cause for celebration!

Pre-Race Dancing

Love this girl!  She's my partner in (running) crime!

I think it was the fancy glowing shoes that made me run so fast...

My official time from the chip was 1:03:17.  I'm not sure where the extra 22 seconds came from, but I'm not too worried about it.  Either way, I had an awesome race!  I finished 15th in my age group (out of 41) which is WAY better than I did last time.  I finished 134 out of the total 780 racers, which puts me in the top 18% of racers.  For me, that was huge.  I'm normally at the back of the pack!

Overall, I loved the race.  It definitely had some technical issues that it needs to work through for next year, but it was fun enough that I can totally ignore those little hiccups.  The race had a great vibe, and I look forward to doing another midnight race sometime in my future.

Ragnar Wasatch Back

I was supposed to be runner 6, but due to my IT band flare-up my team captain switched me to runner 4.  It was a little less distance and not as much downhill (which tends to aggravate the knee).  Admittedly, the Wasatch Back race had snuck up me; I had known it was coming for months, but once I got back from Australia it suddenly dawned on me that it was GO TIME.  I wasn't even sure I could run!  I had taken 5 weeks off to rest my knee as per the doc's advice, and I was more than a little bit nervous to dive back into running.

My dear friend Jess helped out with that.  She met me down at my house and we went for a nice, easy starter run.  We ran/walked 3 miles to test out the waters and see how my leg would perform.  There was a little bit of tightness, but not enough to be concerned.  Overall it was a good run and it felt SO nice to be back outdoors and being active.  I missed running more than I had let myself believe.

I decided one run wasn't enough to confirm that I would be able to run Ragnar, so I opted to do one more small run with my sister in Idaho before committing to the race. I had less than a week before Ragnar and my team was anxiously waiting for an update on my leg's condition.  We were all hoping that I would be able to run the race as we had no other alternates!

The run with my sister was also nice and easy.  We opted to do a 2 mile run with a 1 mile walk.  The knee felt fine, and I even had some downhill sections in that run.  My pace was slow, but I was feeling confident that I would be able to run Ragnar with no issues and that my IT band had gotten enough rest to allow me to perform well.

However, my body decided that I needed a bit more of a challenge for my race, and a few days prior to the actual event I came down with a wicked cold.  I had the fever, the aches, the COUGH, the sore throat, the works...it was miserable!  I took a day off from work and tried to recover.  I started feeling better by Thursday just in time for the race to start on Friday.  I still had a cough, but the majority of the other symptoms had calmed down enough that I didn't think they would be an issue.

We were in Van #1 and had a start time of 6:40.  Jason was runner #1 and he actually got to start the race off with his cousin who was running on another team that had the same start time at us.  With around 14,000 runners in the race, this was a pretty rare chance!  When the clock hit 6:40, the runners were off and the race had begun for us!




I was SO nervous for my leg.  I had 5.1 miles which would be the farthest I had ran in 6 weeks.  It's crazy how quickly you lose the ability to run far when you have to rest because of injury.  Scary stuff!  I anxiously waited for the runner before me to make it to the exchange.

It was approaching 11 am and it was getting steadily warmer as I waited for the runner to show.  Something you should know about Becky--I do NOT do well in heat.  Seriously.  I'm a big wuss.  I knew that the temperature was going to be an issue for me on this run.


And the handoff!!  I decided to ease into the run nice and slow and not start off too quickly.  I knew that I should take it easy on the leg and let it warm up because the last Ragnar I had ran made me so sore at the end that I could barely walk, and I wasn't even injured that time!

When I looked around I realized that I was running near one of my most favorite places in the world.  There is a beautiful town in Utah called Paradise and Jason and I used to visit it when we were dating.  It is very picturesque and I was happy to be running near a place with so many good memories.  Well, I was happy until the heat kicked in.  Then I got tooooo warm.  My heart rate shot up and my energy level dropped.  There was a small creek that was running along the road next to me, and it took a lot of willpower not to just jump in and forget the race!  It was far too tempting!

Around mile 3 my knee started to hurt (due to the IT band).  I wasn't expecting the pain to show up so early, and I became extremely nervous for my next two legs.  I knew I needed strong legs to finish Ragnar, and I was hoping that with some good stretching and icing I could undo the damage I was doing to them on this first section.

Approximately 2 hours later at mile 3.3 (okay, so it just felt like 2 hours...), the heat started to really get to me.  I started walking (boo!) and was cursing the hills that seemed to never end.  My team was awesome and kept my spirits as elevated as possible through their cheering and support, but when the van was out of sight I had to dig deep to just finish the first leg.  I couldn't believe I was struggling so much on a 5-mile run when just a few weeks ago I had been running 13 miles!

My van stopped to give me some more water, and Jason told me that his cousin was only about 100 yards behind me and she had been that distance behind me the entire time I had been running.  We had talked before the race started about how fun it would be to run together, so I opted to stop and wait for her to catch up to me.  Not only did I want some company to my misery, I also wanted a nice rest stop!  I was so happy to see her, and she was happy to see me.  We were both having a hard time in the heat!

Having a running buddy made the run SO MUCH BETTER.  We were able to distract each other from our frustrations on the run, and when we couldn't help but feel the heat, we could complain together.  Somehow it made it okay.  :)  It was definitely a highlight for me that I was able to run with her.  We had the same pace and we were able to help each other finish strong.



When the exchange line was finally within our sights, we knew we were home free and nearly done with the pain.  I know I'm totally being dramatic, but in the moment I seriously thought I was going to pass out before reaching the finish line.  Like I said, I totally suck when running in hot weather.  I was SO HAPPY to cross the exchange line and pass off our super awesome baton (aka slap bracelet) to my next runner.

Except he wasn't there.

Talk about a defeated feeling!  I had pushed hard through that last stretch only to find out that my efforts were in vain because no one was there to pass off to.  Where was he?  I bet you can guess!  He had a date with the Honey Buckets...and that's not a term for a cute dance group.  Yay porta potties!  And I shall quote him: "It's an awful feeling to be hanging out in a port-a-potty and suddenly hear your name being called at the top of someone's lungs and know that you are super late to an important event."

No runner for me to hand off too...sad!

After all of our runners finished their first leg, we went to the major exchange to see our comrades in Van 2.  It was nice to know we were going to have a 5 or 6 hour break to get some food and relax a bit.  We even had time to take some team photos.

Yeah, I don't even know what to say about that photo...

If you are ever debating whether or not to run Wasatch Back, you definitely should stop debating and just sign up.  It's a beautiful race.  The relay experience is such a unique thing that you have to experience at least once in your life, and the scenery during this race is breath-taking.  So yeah...sign up for the nice views.

Nice scenery indeed.  :)

Anyway, back to the race.  Most of us got a nice short nap in at the second major exchange waiting for our Van 2 runners to finish up.  It was nice and refreshing.  However, by that point all downhill sections and stairs I encountered while walking around were causing me issues.  I couldn't walk down to our Van without hobbling a bit.  I knew that I could run through the pain on my second leg, but I knew that my third leg (with an 800 ft descent) was not going to happen for me without a miracle.  I did some icing and stretching while at the exchange, and prepared to run my second leg (a nice 4.2 miler).


Yeah...it's best to pretend that you don't know me when I'm making faces like that.  That kid behind me is totally in my van and he's doing a good job of pretending he isn't running with me.  By the way...here's a hint about me:  when I'm realllly nervous, I tend to look realllllly excited.

Guess how nervous I was?  Hee hee.

But, the good news is I was better prepared for my second run.  I busted out my tank top so that I could battle the remainder of the heat.  I had stretched, I was warmed up, and I was ready to run.  And thankfully, this leg was mostly flat.  I let myself get distracted by the beautiful mountain views (and random kids dressed in camouflage hiding out in the bushes scaring runners...so awesome), and settled in for a nice comfortable run.  It went MUCH better than the first.  My knee definitely was having issues, but not enough that I couldn't run through them.  Overall, this was a much nicer run for me.  I still had to walk a couple of sections (my lungs were killing me from all the coughing), but I had a faster pace than my first leg and I finished strong enough that I was even able to blast past a runner at the exchange line after one of her supporters said, "I just told her that you weren't fast enough to catch her.  Let's see if I'm wrong."

I'm not one to back down from a challenge if I can help it.



Wahoo!  Girl in Gray?  You've been PASSED!  And don't judge me by my face...I don't look it, but I was super stoked at my last minute victory.  It's the little things in life that make me happy.  Not to mention she had passed me earlier in the race and this was my way to erase that.  :)

That night we crashed at a park and slept outside under the stars.  It was beautiful, but so very very cold.  My lungs were screaming at me from all the running I'd put them through, and the cold air was making it much much worse.  By this point my knee pain had settled into a constant throbbing, and any time I turned in my sleep to lay on my side the pain in my leg would wake me up.  Needless to say, it wasn't the best night of sleep I've had in my life but that's part of Ragnar!  I was still having fun.

However, I knew that my knee was not going to be able to hack an 800 ft. descent.  It was time to find a solution that didn't involve me dropping out of the race or having someone run my leg for me.  I was lucky enough that one of the people in my van was hoping to run some downhill, and his leg happened to be (mostly) flat and approximately the same distance as my leg.  We agreed to switch and were both happy with the exchange.  It was about 30 degrees when we got ready to run, and he didn't have any running tights to keep warm and I did so it really ended up working out best for both of us.

Not gonna lie.  The last leg hurt and I was ready for it to be done.  I didn't want to hurt my knee anymore than I already had, because last time I ran hard on it I ended up having to take 6 weeks off from running and it nearly made me crazy.  So, I took it easy and tried to enjoy it.  Mostly, I just kept telling myself over and over again that I was almost to the finish and that I was almost done having to run.  Those were some happy thoughts.  :)

Apparently they were happy enough thoughts that I ended up running my last half mile faster than I'd ran the entire leg.  Nothing like a motivating finish line!  I crossed the line and celebrated having been able to run all three legs on limited training.  It was super fun, and I'm glad I did it.  It wasn't the perfect situation, but it was still a blast.

We met our whole team at the finish line of the race and ran together to cross the true finish line.  It was a very happy moment and we were so thankful to be done.  I was running with coworkers who had never ran a race before, and it was very exciting to see their pride at having accomplished such a feat.  

The company I work for is awesome for sponsoring 2 teams of runners.  My boss even ran on my team, and he had so much fun he's agreed to let our company have 3 teams next year!  My boss had never ran farther than 6 miles before, and the day of the race he found out that one of this legs was 10 miles!  But he ran it like a champ, never walked, crossed the exchange line, and promptly puked his guts up.  Hahaha.  Apparently he still thought it was fun enough that he'll be running it again next year.  Runners...we're all crazy!

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So...that's the recap.  It was hard, it was fun, and it was unforgettable.  The next day my cough was so bad that I took a trip to the doctor and found out that I had ran the race with bronchitis.  Not my smartest moment...but I'm still glad I did it.  And for those of you worrying about my knee, you'll be pleased to know that I went and saw a physical therapist and I am working with her to get back on the running track.  I am seeing her again this Thursday and I'm hoping she will give me the all clear to start running again.  After all, I do have a full marathon in 11 weeks.  It's really do or die at this point!  Keep your fingers crossed for me, k?