Wednesday, February 29, 2012

Dogtown and othe Quirks

Dogtown Half Marathon

Well, we are up and getting ready for our event!
Our race didn't start until 8:30, so we had plenty of time for a good breakfast. We went to the Black Bear Diner. It was so nice to have a relaxing breakfast.




When we arrived at the starting line, I saw the buses taking the half marathoners to the start. I didn't realize how much I wanted to run this until I got there, and watched people get on the bus. Originally when JoAnna had asked me about it, I was pretty of wishy-washy about signing up for it. And now, a part of me really wanted to be on that bus! I know this sounds weird, but I was envious of the people getting on those school buses!

The weather was PERFECT!
 Nice and sunny, no wind

There were actually 3 races going on at the same time. A 5k, 9k, and the Half Marathon. The 5k and 9k started and finished at the same place. It was a loop course. The Half Marathon started around Coral Canyon and finished where the 5k and 9k finished. The 5k course was very family friendly. Flat course through a neighborhood and a park.

During the race I started talking with another couple that had brought their dog, and their little boy. Dog's were not allowed during the event, so I asked them how they snuck their dog in. Turns out I knew the husband. It was Cory! A friend of mine from my USU days!  That was pretty funny, in a weird, parallell universe kind of way.
When Jim and I crossed the finish line, there was my friend Mendy! I have known Mendy since high school, and have just recently re-connected with her. I ran with her group during the 2011 Halloween Half in Provo. She was waving, and cheering. Then after the race,  I ran into Jadine. Another Halloween Half running buddy.  It was really fun to see my running buddies.

Post race treats were awesome. Chocolate milk, oranges, bananas, grapes, and breads.  We waited around and watched the half marathon participants run in. (My jealousy started increasing at this point.) I tell Jim that I am going to walk back about a half a mile or so and wait for JoAnna and run in with her.  While I was waiting, here comes this lady I noticed was participating in the 9k event.  The half marathon runners are passing her, and she is still working on her 5 miles. Pure Determination! This is the lady that deserves the medal. (I am thinking) She was awesome, and I cheered her in.





JoAnna rocked Dogtown, coming in at 1.57!!  A new PR for her! I was so excited for her. Glad to be able to share just a little bit of that "Speedy Gonzolas" time with her.


We left the race area and looked for a place to eat lunch. I was craving mexican food. We found a place called Paula's Mexican Restaurant. YUCK. So not what I wanted. Very disappointing. Taco Time would have been better.

We decided to drive into Zions, and go for a short hike.  On our way, we found this shoe tree. What do you do with your old shoes? Yes, I made Jim stop so we, well, him, take a photo of it. It was on his side of the road, so he was the photographer.


We haven't been to Springdale or Zions for about 5 maybe 7 years. Last time we were here, I was in a leg brace, recovering from a broken tibia. Jim and the girls did alot of hiking, and I sat in a lawn chair at the beginning of the trail. I remember that we had just got a new digital camera, and Jim took lots and lots of photos. The last night of our trip, we were looking at the camera and realized that we never had a photo chip card in it!!!

When we were in Springdale years ago, Jim found this little coffee shop, The Mean Bean. I really wanted a tee shirt from this place. When Jim walked in, he said that the coffee shop was so liberal! Lots of government propaganda plastered everywhere. Needless to say, he walked out. We laugh and say "The Mean Bean will never see a Spindler dollar."  I was curious if The Mean Bean was still in business. Yep.  Guess our dollar didn't matter to them.
We continued on the road and stopped at the Zions Lodge, then headed up to the narrows. It was about 4:00 when we got there, and the sun was going behind the mountains. Kind of chilly. Jim's feet were not up to hiking, so I just went for a quickie. These are things I saw without my hubby.



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