Hotel Running???

This past week, I have been in Kearns, UT, at a State Swimming Meet. The hotel said that it had an exercise facility. Well......it consisted of one treadmill, one elliptical, and one bicycle all crammed into a room that was by the laundry. So the room was extremely humid,hot, and stuffy. When I arrived in the room, someone was already on the treadmill, so I opted for the elliptical. It was kind of awkward, as the elliptical had me facing the treadmill guy. Luckily he was a nice guy and we did a bit of small talk which made the time and miles go by alot quicker. Managed to get 4 miles in.
Sure was glad that they had all of the dryers going at this time!!! NOT!

5 and 5

It's been very difficult to get back in the groove of things concerning my training schedule. I arrived home on Sunday afternoon after being in Oregon all last week, and here it is Wednesday, and I am still super tired! Yesterday and today I set my alarm with good intentions of getting up and running in the morning...............well, that didn't happen...too tired. I did manage to make it to the gym this morning after sleeping in, did 5 miles on the bike, and 5 miles on the treadmill. I just seem super exhausted. Traveling seems to have taken a tole on me.

I have 2 more weeks of traveling..........hope I can get back on track for my half marathon.

Running in the "Hood"

I am at Mt. Hood Community College in Oregon. The elevation here is about 351 feet. Ashlee says that swimming here is so much easier...she stated that she can breathe easier. Ashlee is swimming at "sectionals" here in Oregon. You had to have pretty fast times to even qualify to swim the events.

I ran 10 miles on Monday, then we traveled Monday and Tuesday, swimming on Wednesday. So today, Thursday, I decided that I better try to get in a few miles. I brought my running clothes with me to the aquatic center, and figured that I would just run around the campus somewhere. I asked the lady at the check-in desk about going down a certain street. She said it was really steep, and there was no sidewalks and traffic had a hard time seeing pedestrians in that area......so she suggested that I go over to the track. The last time I remember being on a track was in the 7th grade! Mmmmm.....if I tell you what year, you will laugh. Let's just say it's been a while.

There were a few others on the track this morning, about 8:45 am. The drum section from the college was also practicing. Running on the track felt really good. My feet and knees did not feel the "jolt" that they are used to. It was super cloudy. It felt like someone was spraying me with a spray bottle.....not really raining, more like it was misting.

My first mile turned out to be a 10.15 minute mile. Mmmmm.......running at this altitude is much easier too. I went an easy 4 miles today. Ran the first one, then walked and talked on the phone for a bit, then running again . There was this little path that looked like it would be a nice area to run on, had lots of trees, but looked pretty secluded.

Mommy safety first and I decided to stick with the track.

Humidity is NOT my friend!

So my goal today was 10 miles. As I started out this morning, wondered what I was doing? These were some of my morning thoughts.


Who are my Friends in the morning???

The WIND, when it is at my back.
The SPRINKLERS, for me to run through.
The CLOUDS, to block the sun.
The TREES, to give me shade.Q
MAVERIK, to replenish my water supply.
The DRINKING FOUNTAIN at Zollinger Park, to cool down in and replenish my water, yet again!
Friendly FACES of Providence in the morning, so that I could say "Good Morning" to someone!


NOT FRIENDS:
PEBBLES that find their way into my left shoe.
HUMIDITY...all I could think about was last years TOU Half Marathon and Cathy's husband passing out along the way. Lots of people got dehydrated during this race, not realizing that skipping an aid station was a NO-NO.
SUN, too much warmth is not a good thing.

My ROAD ID arrived a few days ago. Today it made its maiden voyage on my wrist as my goal was to run 10 miles today. As I stated earlier, it was such a humid morning, that many times I thought about cutting my route short. Thankfully I ran into Darlene this morning, and I told her my goal......somehow speaking it out loud makes me feel more accountable than just setting the goal in my head. Thanks Darlene for listening!

I quickly devised a plan at mile 1 (because of the humidity.) Do not skimp on water! I used it to dump on my head, neck, chest, and for drinking. Then I would refill @ Maverik, the park in Providence, refill again @ Maverik on my way back. This worked great! I was able to keep cool and hydrated at the same time. I was wishing though that I would have brought one of those little Hammer tablets to dissolve in the water to drink. Probably would have been kind of sticky though to dump on myself to keep cool.

My Goal............10 miles. Determination.........Stubborn-ness..............Sore Feet........... Finally............. Goal Accomplished!

The Mustard Seed?

I have said it before, but today, I guess I mean it! My left shoe seems to attract the only little pebbles on the road. They always want to come home with me. Well, no more. Today is the official day that I put the velcro on my shoes, so that I can use my Dirty Girl Gaiters! Not only did I attract the one you see in the photo, but his whole extended family came along, and they were all younger than him. What a nuisance it is to have to stop every so often to try to get these guys out of my shoe, without taking off my shoe! Went 4.35 miles today, an easy run. Started off thinking I would do some speed work, but only did a little bit of that.

Mornings are so peaceful. The problem is......actually getting out of bed to go outside and enjoy the stillness. That extra 15 or 20 minutes sleeping in never seems to pay off once the sun comes up. Again, I did not get out of the house until about 6:25 am, and the sun sure gets annoying at times. You'd think that I would learn by now..................oh, but how I enjoy sleeping in!

Met some friends at the gym yesterday. That was a nice break from road running. Oh, and the massage the other day...........so worth the money!!! Thanks Bobby at Valhallasas.



It's official now. Gaiters are in place, ready to use when I need them. Now for the big question.......Will I only use them on my left shoe?

Super Wind

This morning I decided to conquer the Nibley dip that takes you into Hyrum. This has been a goal of mine for sometime during the summer. No time like the present. I have done half the dip, but today....I will run the full dip into Hyrum, head towards the canyon, and take Hollow Road back to main street, then at Maverick, head back to my house. Little did I know that I would be fighting a North blowing wind as I was trying to run south...running into the wind....uphill! It was so windy that when I spit, my spit landed 5 feet behind me! Once I hit the light in Hyrum and turned towards the mountains, I was faced with a head on east wind!!! What the crap???? Good news though, on Hollow Road, the wind was my friend. It started to sprinkle rain.....could have used a little more. Nice double rainbow this morning.



Today I really wished I had a Garmin. I did not do "map my run" last night to see what the mileage was on the route I chose to run. I was hoping for 9.5 ....closer to 10 miles. It was only 8.5. Kind of disappointed as I wanted today to be my long run of the week. I wonder if it counts if I do 2 miles later today??? I'll have to think on that.

My calves and feet are pretty tight. I'm not quite sure what to do for the calf muscles. They do not cramp up, but they feel so flipping tight! On Hollow Road today, the toes on my right foot did get a small charlie horse. That was weird. I am going in for a body massage today, I'm sure that will help. Who doesn't appreciate a massage???




My route today included part of the TOU Half Course. From Hollow Road to the Nibley Maverick. Not too bad, just an incline from Hollow Road to the Highway, then the law of gravity set in. Thank you to the house on main street with their sprinklers going. I enjoyed running through them.


And of course, a morning run would not be complete without a pebble in my left shoe, now would it. Always the left.

"If you run, you are a runner. It doesn't matter how fast or how far. It doesn't matter if today is your first day or if you've been running for twenty years. There is no test to pass, no license to earn, no membership card to get. You just run."
--John Bingham

Doubts??

The only one who can tell you 'you can't ' is you. And you don't have to listen."
-Nike

Everhave just one of THOSE DAYS! Well, this morning's run turned out to be one of weird doubts. First off, I did not get out of the house until about 7 am, which was way too late. I should have went to the gym. It got too hot too fast, and there was not alot of shade on the 4.5 mile route I took. Lots of doubts kept creeping in my mind about the TOU Half Marathon coming up the end of August.

Tried to focus on my ipod music, but sometimes, that just seems like n-o-i-s-e.
Tried to focus on breathing, got too hot. My legs just didn't feel strong this morning. My foot felt ok. Got tired way way too early into my run. Walked alot of this 4.5 miles today. Was happy to finally see that someone had their sprinklers on so that I could run through them and cool off.

Wondering what running a half marathon would be like? Wondering what my water vs Gatorade ratio should be? What should I be eating a few days before? The night before? What about breakfast? Should I eat it on the bus as I am getting a ride to the start?How many GU's should I take? What about Sports Beans? Should I take my running belt with water in it? Or just rely on the specific marked aid stations? How many Motrin's should I have in my system? What clothes should I take to keep me warm at the start? Should I wear a jacket at the start of the race, and just drop it off on the side of the road? And the big one............What if I don't make it??? A friend of mine reminded me to trust my training.

It's funny how your mind can play tricks on what you already know that your body is capable of. I just ran 9.3 miles, Why is 4.5 so difficult???

Is running mind over matter???

One good note, I do have my Road ID coming. Should see it next week. Is that weird that I am excited to get it???

Freedom Run

Here I am with my "car pool" buddies. This race did not have a bus to take you to the start. Car pooling was highly encouraged, as there was about 600 participants. That would be alot of cars up our little Blacksmith Fork Canyon!

Did not sleep well last night, I guess I was just too excited to sleep. Not really scared, just excited and anxious. As for my eating last night......well, I need to work on that. Hopefully I will have enough energy for today. I was to meet at Cathy's house at 5:30 to catch a ride. To my surprise, Mindy showed up! She has had a hip muscle injury, and I didn't think that she would do this.




I have been having "heel" issues for about 2 months now. I think it is the start of plantar faciatis. I went to Stucky Chiropractic and he used a laser on my heel. Did this a couple of times, and it seemed to help, but then the burning sensation came back. I have been doing specific stretching, rolling it on a frozen water bottle, and using KT taping methods. Hope it holds up today!

For breakfast, I had a bite of a banana, but it was too mushy, so I had 2 pieces of peanut butter wheat toast and some OJ. I took this with me to eat on the way up.I also took a bottle of water with me and 2 packets of GU.

The starting line was a sort of crazy fun. I checked in, got my number and t-shirt. I ran into a few people that I knew that were running too. I thought that I would be more nervous than I was. I guess this was a good thing. As we were gathering on the road, the announcer was saying something.....no idea what it was? Took my first GU here.



I positioned myself about in the middle of the group. I was standing my Mindy when we started, then I just kind of got in my own little "groove" and went my own pace. This time I decided that I was actually going to look at the scenery as I ran. My first race was at Thanksgiving Point, and at the finish line, I was told of all the really cool sights that I missed.


The road was not closed during this event, so every now and then a car would pass by. There were 2 police guys on bicycles patrolling up and down, probably looking for injuries. There also was a motorcycle policeman that would go up and down the canyon.

Blacksmith Fork Canyon is quite pretty and peaceful if you just take the time to look around. The river has come down quite a bit. There were a few people that came out of their cabins or camping areas to cheer us on. That was nice to see and hear.

The weather couldn't have been nicer. A nice overcast morning, with a breeze at my back every now and then. In my mind I was saying a silent prayer to thank Him for the wonderful weather for my first race.

It was nice that this course was marked! At mile 4, there was an aid station. Here I took some water, and took my 2nd packet of GU. Then off I went. At mile 6, I double checked my watch, and I seemed to be going a little faster than my usual.....about a 10.5 minute mile. This was good news. Mile 7 and the "up climb" began. I made it to the first reflector marker, then I walked the rest of the way to the top of the hill. At the top, was the second aid station. I took both Gatorade and Water. Gatorade to drink, water to dump on my head and the back of my neck.


I had been keeping track of Claud, this runner who was carrying a flag. He was always within my eyesight. I figured if I could see him, I was making good time. Sometime after mile 7, I lost him. My timing is off, I am back at an 11 minute mile.



Coming down main street in Hyrum was quite exhilarating. Knowing that I was so close to accomplishing my goal. I wanted to come in under 2 hours with no injuries. I crossed the finish line at 1.43.36. I met my goal........yet that night all I could think of is "I should have pushed myself harder." I know that I could have pushed a little harder towards the finish, but at the time, I really didn't know what I was to expect. My legs were not burning, I was not out of breath, I had more to give. Next time.

Waiting for me at the finish line were my Number One Fans!!! Mom and Dad, and my little Ashlee!!! Dad had brought me a bouquet of balloons. I was so excited to see them! Ashlee was there too, taking pictures. Wonderful thing to have loved ones waiting for you, and knowing that they would be there meant alot to me. Thanks!!! Love YOU!



My running buddies! Cathy was our speed demon.........I was medium mommy............and Mindy was our determined injured amazing woman.

Our goal....................to do the best we could. Did we reach it......... YES WE DID!

Would we do it again????????????

See you next year!

Dirty Girl Run

Yesterday, Krista, Jacque and I participated in the Dirty Girl Run, a 4 mile muddy obstacle course. We had a BLAST!!! Nothing like "DESTINATION RUNNING!"

Friday night we ate dinner at Noodles, went shopping, and stayed at the Crystal Inn. Come Saturday morning, we ate breakfast at the hotel, and decided to walk to the Wheeler Farm, so we did not have to deal with parking. Jacque and I had picked up some wacky glasses and headbands. We were taking pictures that morning and it was so fun, we got the giggles, and just couldn't stop! I took my camera with me to the race, and put it in a plastic ziplock bag. When we arrived, we went straight to the check item area, and I was having second thoughts about taking my camera. Ultimately decided on a "NO." I found some friendly face to take our picture before our wave started. We were in wave 4. Good call on this! During the race, I lost me and Jacque's glasses that were in my pocket.

We made our way over to the starting area. They were having a costume contest, voting was by way of public opinion. There was this one lady dressed up as an EPT, positive of course cause she was pregnant; the Cotton Rockettes, who were tampons! Who would have thought to do this. I wish I had my camera at this time cause it was so funny. They were all in white, had "Cotton Rockettes" on their backs, and had these tall white cylinder looking hats with a white cotton braid! One of there group was a maxi pad, and another was the playtex tampon box; ladies in wedding dresses, and not dumpy looking ones, but kind of nice ones; lots of tu-tu's; teams with matching socks; a bumblebee team with "pollinating for a cure" written on their shirts; teams in cocktail dresses; ladies wearing flashy looking bra's over their t-shirts; lots of fun team names and outfits.

The course was pretty easy going. The first obstacle was hay bales, then tires and tire swings. After that we ran on a boardwalk and through a path that led to two walls. The first wall was short, easy over. The second wall was a bit more of a challenge. When we got there, there was a big back up of about 80 ladies in front of us waiting to hurdle or climb this wall. There were two willing guys there helping us poor damsels in distress, along with a step ladder. We chose to go around this along with some other ladies. The next obstacle was where we had to belly crawl in the mud under a net. They had bra's tied to the net too. After that we climbed a rope/net up one side, down the other and off we went into the great unknown...........a water path. The water was anywhere from ankle deep to thigh high deep. It was really cold water too, I think it was the river that had flooded the banks. When we came out of the water, we were clean! Then on to crawling through some big pipes and then hurdling some more pipes. This took us to mile 2, and the course just repeated itself, another lap to equal 4 miles.




Second time around Jacque received a "war wound." She scraped her knee up as she was crawling through the pipes. I got a "raspberry" on my knee through the tummy crawl. Oh, and Jacque also got a blister on her foot!

At the finish line we got to run through BUBBLES. This felt soooooo weird!!! We received a "kiss me dirty" towel at the finish, along with a variety of granola bars and either water or a Hammer drink.

Jacque took off her shoes to walk back to the hotel. I brought some flip flops but did not want to wear them unless I could rinse all the mud off my feet, so Krista and I just walked back in our muddy shoes. When we went to rinse off at the hotel, Jacque and I sat on this little coffee table cause we figured that would be the easiest place to clean. We took our socks off and "WOOO" they were F-I-L-T-H-Y.....needless to say, we threw them away. I was amazed at how much dirt I had in my shoes!!



Would I do this again?????? In a heartbeat!

Things I learned????? 1- Take a waterproof camera. 2- Try to get more people to join the team. 3- Come up with some super weird team name and costumes. 4- Definitely stay at the Crystal Inn, we did not have to deal with parking. 6- Take flip-flops to change into after the race to walk back to the hotel in.

Freedom Run, I will see you Monday!