Alicia Runs

Alicia Runs?

2012-01-08T14:50:00.000-07:00

This video is of me at the finish line of the Turkey Trot 5k I did on Thanksgiving Day '11 and the last time that I ran pain-free. *sigh*

Running injuries are part of the sport but a part that I've never really had to deal with before. I've been basically running without injury for 6 years. Well, I did have a small bout with IT band issues a couple years back but I easily recovered in a couple weeks. (Thank you, foam roller.)

On Thanksgiving Day, I ran a 5k and then went for a leisurely 6-7 mile walk with my family. About 4 miles into our walk, my heel started to ache. Not a lot, just felt like a bruise or something. I didn't figure it was a big deal. Fast forward 5 weeks later and it's still hurting. I've run 3 times since Thanksgiving, each run more painful then the one before. I finally saw a doctor and got the diagnosis I expected- Plantar Fasciitis. Nards.

So, Alicia Runs? Not so much right now. I'm hoping that seeing a chiropractor that specializes in sports injuries and ART (active release technique) will get me back out on the road. I'm optimistic. :)

Friends- don't take today's run for granted. Every day you get to run is a GREAT day! I'll join you again soon.

Team All Over the Pace- Ragnar Relay- Wasatch Back- 2011

2011-09-12T10:41:00.000-06:00

Just had our Ragnar Relay wrap-up party and I made this video to share with the team. Such fun memories!

Ragnar- Wasatch Back + unclaimed prizes!

2011-06-21T15:45:00.000-06:00

Life is finally starting to slow down a bit after Ragnar this past weekend. No time to sit at the computer, though, because my in-laws are visiting from South Carolina and I'm spending every waking moment either entertaining them or proving what a great person I am by baking bread and cookies, cleaning the house thoroughly, and anticipating their every need. Let me tell you- I'm exhausted! I really wish I were more of the perfect housewife type but it's too hard! Or I'm too lazy. Oh well. I've got a couple of hours to myself while they are at the dinosaur museum with Thai Guy and the boys so time for a quick update post!

1. Ragnar was a blast! Absolutely a different experience from last year but great nonetheless. I hope to have a full recap "relatively" soon. (Get it? Because my relatives are here. I crack myself up.) Here's a pic of my pal, Dianna, and I at the finish line. We were delirious and had pretty much no sleep at all for about 40 hours at this point. Want to know how tired I was? As I was driving our van in the middle of the night, I hit myself in the face, not once but TWICE with the window as I tried rolling it up. It's a special kind of sleep depravity that makes you forget to move your head out of the way when rolling the window up. Ragnar- a race for special people like me. ;)


We had some sweet polka dotted compression socks on, too. Got lots of compliments on our ensembles. :)

2. Just want to quickly tell the world what an amazing husband I have. The past two weekends, he has sacrificed BIG in order to support me at my races. First, running the aid station at the Utah Valley Marathon and then getting up in the middle of the night to come and volunteer at Ragnar.


Thai Guy and I after UVM and during his shift at Exchange 30 at Ragnar. (That hat is seriously too low, Alicia.)

He never hesitates to help out. I love that he always supports me and all my crazy goals. Also, I am super excited to announce that we will be running the next marathon TOGETHER! I thought that he never wanted to run another marathon after our first was less than ideal for him but he has told me to sign him up. We are going to kill the next one! We will be running the SoJo Marathon on Oct. 15th. Can't wait to get training!

3. My Virtual Race for Autism was a HUGE success and wanted to say "Thank you!" again to everyone who participated. I announced the raffle winners last week and have heard from most of you but I just wanted to mention that there are a couple of unclaimed prizes-

MaxsMom- please contact me with your address so that I can send you your RoadID gift cards AND
Christine and Giraffy- you guys won Runnerd stickers and I'd love to send them to you!

You can email me at aliciaruns @ hotmail.com with your addresses. Everybody else- I got your emails and will be sending your prizes out this week! Thanks again!

Hoping to post all the ridiculousness of Ragnar soon!

Utah Valley Marathon '11

2011-06-16T11:09:00.000-06:00

2:35 am
My alarm went of at the insane time of 2:35 am. I have seen 2:35 in the morning before but never on this side of it. Who wakes up at 2:35 for anything?! Well, I do. At least this day I did. All I can say is it's a good thing I had everything already laid out because I think I would have put my skirt on backwards if the bib hadn't been pinned on already. Obligatory race morning pic-


Oh, and don't expect a smile this early, either. I actually tried to smile in another pic and I just looked cracked. :)

3:20 am
I grabbed my usual prerace breakfast (waffle w. PB) and a z-bar to eat on the bus and I was out the door. I felt pretty ~~sleepy~~ relaxed so no real nerves to speak of. I was just focused on getting to the bus on time. I got to Provo in plenty of time and even snagged a great parking spot in a garage right next to where the finish was going to be. I was on the bus and on my way up the canyon by 4:00.

4:30 am
Made it to the start and jumped in line at the porta-potty. The lines were short but people seemed to be taking their time. Totally not what you want when you are the next in line. (ew!) Anyhow, I survived the porta-potty and then just walked around a bit, partly to look for people I knew and partly just to keep warm. It was pretty chilly so I was really glad that I had a blanket to snuggle up in until last call for bag drop. I ran into Sam (of Operation Jack/Train4Autism) while I was wondering around. He was pacing the 3:40 group that day. Easy-peasy for him, a real stretch of the imagination for me. He knew my goal was to get under 4:30 so he told me to go for even 10:00 splits which would get me a finish of 4:22. I told him I'd try and then left as he was getting surrounded by his 3:40 groupies.

6:00 am
Start time! I lined up at the back of the pack and was thrilled to spot Julia right before the gun went off. (She would end up playing a big role in my race that day.) I quickly introduced myself and said that we should run together since we had the same goal. She was just as cute and nice as I expected her to be and I spent the 1st mile chatting away with her and her friend, Jen, as the crowd of runners moved forward.

Miles 1-5 (10:29, 9:09, 9:12, 9:23, 9:28)
Just getting going. Some weaving and getting out of the way for that first mile. When my Garmin beeped and told me the first mile was only a 10:29 pace, though, I figured I had better speed up. I might have gone a little too fast the next couple of miles but I felt good so I went with it. I left Julia and Jen figuring I would see them again. These miles were through the small town of Wallsburg and the weather and scenery was beautiful! There were even some sweet residents that woke up early to enjoy watching and cheering the runners going by. This is a real event for their sleepy farming town.

Miles 6-10 (9:26, 9:18, 11:17, 10:17, 9:38)
Miles 6 and 7, we were still in Wallsburg but we were about to be kicked out onto the main canyon road. I stopped for a few seconds at a porta-potty line at mile 7 but quickly realized the line wasn't really moving and hopped back out onto the course. I might have stood there for about 30 seconds but it felt like forever as I watched the pace on my Garmin go up. I just couldn't stand it! (Wearing my Garmin for this race sure did help keep me motivated!) Julia must have passed by while I was in line because right before we came into the canyon, I saw her ahead of me and decided to catch up to her so that we could run the hill together. That first hill was a doozy so I'm so glad I caught her! We chatted like old friends and it took the focus off of the hill and onto the conversation. Loved that! Can I just say that for a downhill course there were a lot more hills than I expected! Those little blips on the elevation chart look harmless but there were some tough ones! Thankfully, we had the downhill to more than make up for it.

Julia and I after the race.

Miles 11-15 (9:34, 10:07, 11:01, 8:58, 8:56)
Around here somewhere I noticed that the average pace on my Garmin had been consistently a 9:44 pace. I felt really good about it because I didn't feel I was pushing too hard. We were going up and down hills and the average pace was sticking right around the same place. I knew I had it in me to finish under a 10:00 average pace even after those dreaded final miles. I hit the half-marathon mark at 2:10:18. (And finally stopped to use the bathroom!) I told Julia that maybe I'd catch back up to her and she ran ahead.

Miles 16-20 (10:05, 9:37, 9:29, 9:09, 9:57)
I was thankful to catch Julia right before the mile 16 hill which was another tough one. We really didn't say a word to each other on this hill but we powered up it like nobody's business. I know just having her running there next to me was keeping me going and I felt super strong. We totally owned it and were rewarded with some downhill miles. Whew! Miles 19 and 20, I was pushed along by the fact that my husband and all of my Train4Autism crew would be there at the mile #21 aid station. I even got teary-eyed as I thought about the time and effort they were putting into making this day a success, not only for me, but for our T4A chapter. I sucked it up because I realized that I can't cry and run at the same time. It totally messes up my breathing. ;)

Miles 21-25 (9:33, 10:34, 9:58, 10:55, 10:49)

Our T4A aid station crew (minus hubby, who's taking the pic). Can't even tell you how grateful I am for their hard work that day.

Mile 21, I finally see the T4A crew and my husband! That was a great moment for me. They were doing a fantastic job and cheered me on as a ran through. Just what I needed at that moment. The next 4 miles were slow but I remember thinking to myself that I could run 12 min/miles the rest of the way and still finish in under 4:30, so I was feeling pretty happy. I even thought that I'd meet my new goal of 4:22. Sweet! My hamstrings were getting pretty tight and I made 2 quick stops to stretch them out but other than that it was just running through the pain. Julia and I met back up around mile 24. She had a sweet friend from school with her that came to run her in. I relished the opportunity to run with someone with fresh legs. She was friendly and motivating and kept us on task. When she mentioned that we had 30 minutes to run less than 2 miles, I thought that I just might go under 4:20. What?! I hadn't even thought that was really possible!

Somewhere around Mile 21-ish. Julia and I were never far from each other. Check it. In this photo, we are even on the same stride! Haha. Love it! By the way, could I wear that hat any lower?!

Mile 26 and the last .37 (10:04, 3:14)
Somewhere in this last mile, Sam ran back out to find me and run me in. He said, "Do you wanna go under 4:20? Am I going to have to make you do this??" "Yes!" He told me to stick with him and he'd get me to the finish under 4:20. I ran as fast as my legs would take me and ran that last 1/2 mile or so at an 8:40 pace! I didn't know that I had it in me but I was really happy that Sam pulled it out of me. What a fantastic finish to an unforgettable race!

Sam and I after the race. I really owe him for my strong finish. Thanks, Sam!

Chip time 4:19:44

(a 34 second negative split!)

Gun time 4:19:51

Overall Place 925/1635

Age Group 106/174

An extra special "Thank You!" to Candice for sticking around to meet me at the finish. I LOVE this gal! She PRed in the half that day. Love our PR smiles!

Congrats to all those that ran that day! I read all the recaps and, while some had better days than others, we all finished and that deserves some MAJOR pats on the back! Can't wait for this race next year!

a Virtual Race for Autism 5k- Winners Announced!!!

2011-06-14T10:50:00.002-06:00

I am nearly finished with my race recap from Saturday's marathon but my pictures are on another computer (doh!) so it looks I won't be posting the full recap until Wednesday. Until then I am kicking my feet up in Park City on a mini vacation (ie. husband's work trip). I always love this trip because he gets to bring the whole family and I am especially loving it this year. Such a nice time to be within a few steps of the nearest hot tub, sauna, or steam room. It sure is helping my recovery! Three days post marathon and I'm feeling like I may try to run today. Maybe just a couple miles to shake everything out. I don't want to overdo it with Ragnar coming in 4 DAYS! (Wahoo!)

Here's a quick review of Saturday's race: I got up really early, ran pretty steady, a couple of hills but no big issues and a PR! Amazing how I turned all that into such a long post earlier.

I figured the least I could do while I'm hangin' here by the pool is post the winners from my virtual 5k. Thirty-eight of you participated and helped me get about $400 closer to my goal! Wow! Thank you guys so much! I can't even begin to tell you how much it means to me. I loved hearing about your personal connections to autism. I was also so touched by those who participated just as a chance to support me and my goals. Amazing! I have been so overwhelmed with emotion and have had a hard time really expressing what this experience has meant to me. I was nearly in tears as I spoke with Candice about it after the race on Saturday. I hope that each of you get the chance to train and raise money for a cause that is dear to you. Truly an incredible experience.

Ok. I've got my random number generator all set to go so let's start with a list of all the participants.

First through the finish line-

Rachelle @RunningforTrevor coming in at 20:54!

Congrats, Rachelle! I've got something fun coming your way for being our fastest 5k-er and you are absolutely still in the running for the raffle prizes!

Click HERE to see the rest of the crew! Good job guys! I heard from more than a few of you that running this virtual 5k helped put a little OOMPH in your workout. Feels SO good to leave it all out there on the pavement, right?! (Look for more virtual 5k pics in coming posts.)

Now for the prizes! I've really been looking forward to this!

The Winner of the Allied Medal Hanger is #2- Erin!

The 3 Winners that will each win a Bondi Band are #4, #11 and #36- Amy C., Melissa, and Blaine (your wife or daughter will love it!)

The Winner of a BIG box of Blueberry Crisp Clif Bars is #23- Anne Marie!

The 2 Winners of the the GU Electrolyte Tablets are #6 and #18- Christy and Rochelle!

The 2 Winners of the Nathan Trail Mix Hydration Packs are #10 and #3- Jennifer F. and Sarah @RunningIsALife!

The Winner of the Pink Series 10k entry is #9- Kim! (Kim- if you can't make it to this race, let me know and I'll get you another prize.) The 2 Winners of the Pink Series shirts are #34 and #7- Mom and Margaret!

The 2 Winners of a RazzyRoo Headband are #14 and #28- Candice and Ros!

The 6 winners that will each get a $15 gift certificate to RoadID are #32, #5, #19, #21, #16 and #37- Stephanie C., Brandy, Kara G., KayeLynne, Stacie, and MaxsMom.

Finally, the 6 winners of a Runnerd sticker are #26, #31, #8, #27, #13, and #25 - Haley, Maria, Julia, Emily G., Christine and Giraffy!

(You may notice a couple of missing prizes. Sadly, 2 companies that had offered prizes originally have ignored my subsequent emails. Really disappointing. BUT to make up for those missing prizes, I will be sending a surprise goodies to #33, #29 and #17 - Kelly, Sarah @RunningOnWords and Nancy! I am absolutely happy to do it!)

You guys rock for supporting me and this really special autism classroom! If you won a prize, please send me an email to aliciaruns @ hotmail.com. Include your name and address and the prize that you won and I will get it out to you ASAP!

Utah Valley Marathon race recap coming tomorrow!

*I really hope to make this an annual event so hopefully you guys will give me some feedback about things I can do better next year. Comments, suggestions??

Under 4:30?

2011-06-11T18:11:00.002-06:00

P'shaw! Try under 4:20!

The laptop is out of order (blogging from my phone is cool but not easy), so this is all for now. So much more to come + virtual race winners!

Last minute thoughts...

2011-06-10T10:28:00.001-06:00

Tomorrow is the day! June 11th. Marathon #4. Wow. For the amount of focus that I've been putting on this one date, it sure did sneak up on me! Ha!
I checked Utah Valley's website this morning. My official number is 5210. I like it!
After checking 4 stores, I was finally able to track down my Hammer Gel of choice- Montana Huckleberry. It's the only one I wanted even if it meant driving (okay, having the husband drive) a couple towns over to get it.
I'm super excited that my husband (and all of our awesome Train4Autism volunteers) are going to be at the aid station at mile #21 tomorrow. It will be so great to see them right when I need that extra boost to finish.
I totally forgot to mention that tomorrow's marathon actually qualifies me to be a Marathon Maniac. Cool, right? It will be really great to meet that personal goal but it seriously has been in the background of my BIG goal...
...which is to raise money for the amazing autism classroom my son attended a couple of years ago. I am right now $95 to my goal of $1500 and I couldn't be more thrilled! Thanks to everybody that donated. You rock!
The virtual 5k has been an amazing success. I have been super excited to see all of the race times coming in and reading all of the recaps. (I promise you, I've read them all! Keep 'em comin'!) You guys sure had fun with it. I'll be posting more pics and recaps and prizes (!) this weekend. (By the way, it's not too late to enter. You have until midnight tonight to get your times into me and, of course, I'm being super flexible here. Just join us! I'd love to have you. Click HERE to see how.)
I leave you with one of my personal favorite virtual 5k pics...


My Mom did the 3.1 on her treadmill, 2000 miles away from here in West Virginia, wore the bib #509 (for her 5 kids, and 9 grandchildren) and walked in support of her first grandchild, my son, who was diagnosed with autism in 2005. This is a woman who was just in the hospital for nearly a month! Wow! Thanks, Mom! Now go take a nap! Haha. XOXO

Good luck to everyone else racing this weekend! PR wishes to you all! ;)

a Virtual Race for Autism Update + Join the Fun!

2011-06-07T12:43:00.002-06:00

Uh. I'm running a marathon on Saturday! There has been so much stuff going on that I nearly forgot! Here's what I've been up to since my last post...

I watched Little Red graduate from PreK. That kid is such a goof!

I've been playing with my boys as much as possible.

I turned this mess...

...into this graduation cake for a super sweet high school graduate.

And this morning, I made this yummy oatmeal pancake and topped it with PB, dried cranberries, coconut, buckwheat groats, and a little syrup. Recipe from Kath Eats Real Food.

(Like my attempt at taking a pretty food picture?)


Oh, and I also went to pump class. And ran a mile afterwards since class ended a few minutes early.

That's not to mention all the craziness that goes into making sure Train4Autism's aid station at the Utah Valley Marathon is the best! And still doing last minute prep for Ragnar next weekend. And filling in our playground with pea gravel. And doing all the mom stuff like laundry, cooking, cleaning...you know the drill. I'm exhausted!

Enough about me, here's what you guys have been up to-

You've been running! And I've got pics to prove it! I am loving all these results coming in for my virtual 5k. Don't wait to join in! Click HERE to find out how to participate. You've got until Friday at midnight to get in your results to me. Good luck!!

Sarah @ RunningIsALife ran for 2 causes at once by running my virtual 5k as part of a local 5k. Great idea, Sarah! I loved reading her recap. Written just as a competitive runner thinks.

Julia @ PainPridePerseverance sent this treadmill shot after running a speedy 5k for autism. Julia is a psychologist in training and has worked with families affected by autism. She listed lots a great reasons to support my cause along with her race recap. Thanks, Julia!

This Garmin picture is courtesy of Rochelle @ BabesOnAMission. She pushed herself and ran faster with each mile. Congrats, Rochelle!

Maria @ TheSplendiferousLife ran the 5k with her buddy Alissa and her sweet Julia. I can tell from her recap that they really had fun with it. Maria's cute yellow button earrings I think say it all about this girl's fun personality.


Here's the list of participants I have so far. If you are not on this list and should be let me know! If you are not on this list and really want to be click HERE to find out how to participate and win some really cool prizes all in the name of charity! Gotta love it!!

The excitement builds.

2011-06-01T16:06:00.000-06:00

I celebrated National Running Day by running 4 miles uphill on my treadmill this morning. I was SUPER sweaty when I was done so you know I started the day a happy girl! I spent the rest of the morning and afternoon at my son's school Field Day and then running errands. When I finally arrived home, I felt ready for a nap until...I found 2 boxes on my front step!

The first one was unexpected. I had written Clif Bar to see if they would contribute to my virtual race but hadn't heard back so I was thrilled to see that they had sent a whole box of yummy Blueberry Crisp Clif Bars! Sweet!

The second box I had been waiting for. I knew Nathan Sports was sending something but I wasn't sure what. I saw this on the outside of the box and knew it was the one I had been waiting for.

I opened it to find-

Two Nathan Trail Mix hydration packs! Wow, oh, wow! I have one of these myself and I love it, so you guys are seriously getting lucky here. Amazing! You can see me with my Trail Mix pack on during my 2nd Ragnar leg last year up in my blog header. Oh, and here I am with my pack at the Salt Lake City Marathon.

Ok, I guess you really can't see it too well here but I promise you it carried everything I needed that day and more AND it stayed right in place down lower on my hips without jostling around. Great product! Whomever wins these will be tickled pink!

National Running Day is the perfect day to sign up for a race, so "race" over HERE to find out how to enter my Virtual Race for Autism 5k. Just take a look at what you could win just for participating!

an Allied Medal Display
one of 3 Bondi Bands
a box of Blueberry Crisp Clif Bars
one of 2 pieces of jewelry from Endure Shop
a running product from Get Fit Athletic Wear
one of 2 GU Brew Electrolyte Tablets
one of 2 Nathan Sports Trail Mix Hydration Packs
an entry in to the Pink Series 10k
one of 2 Pink Series shirts
one of 2 RazzyRoo Headbands
one of 6 RoadID $15 gift cards
or one of 6 Runnerd stickers

Click HERE to see the full descriptions and links for each prize.

That's 30 raffle prizes, y'all! And only $5 to participate that goes directly to an autism classroom that I've been feverishly trying to raise money for. So for $5, you get- a fun run (or walk), a chance to donate to an autism charity and a chance at some amazing prizes! What's not to love about that?! You have until June 10th so there is still plenty of time to get your run in. Go, go, GO!

*Bloggy buddies, friends, family and neighbors! Please post about this race on your blog, facebook page, or twitter! I could really use the help getting the word out. If you've already posted it- THANK YOU!! You've done your good deed for the week. ;)

A Virtual Race for Autism 5k- list of prizes!

2011-05-31T05:30:00.024-06:00

So, I thought I would make a list of the prizes that are available to those participating in my 1st ever Virtual Race for Autism 5k. Wanna know what you could win??

Allied Medal Displays- Joel from Allied Medal Displays has donated any one medal hanger. These are really great for hanging up all those race medals you've got in a box somewhere. Winner gets to choose from the online catalog. A great prize! Personally, I love the one that says ALWAYS EARNED, NEVER GIVEN. It's on my wishlist.
Bondi bands- Anyone who knows me knows that I love these wide bands. They are super cute and keep all of those annoying little wisps of hair away from your face. I wore my favorite at the SLC Marathon last month. Bondi bands has donated 3 of these fun headbands for me to give away.
Clif Bar and Co. contributed a box of yummy Blueberry Crisp Bars. Who doesn't love Clif bars?! So good!
Endure Shop has amazing jewelry and has generously offered a couple pieces to a couple of very lucky runners. Take a look at their shop. Beautiful stuff! I love the roadrunner necklace. So unique!
Get Fit Athletic Wear is a local running store that I love to shop at. They have all the newest and cutest styles in running wear and shoes. Robyn and Brian (the owners) are incredibly knowledgeable and super friendly. Absolutely a runner's favorite kind of store. They have agreed to donate but we are still working out the details. I will update as soon as I know more.
GU Energy- Yep, that GU, the one and only! They have graciously offered up a couple of tubes of their new GU Brew Electrolyte Tablets. Providing ultimate hydration. Oh, yeah!
NATHAN Sports- NATHAN sent me 2 Trail Mix Hydration Packs! I have the Trail Mix Hydration Pack myself and really love it. It has carried everything I've needed in many, many races. Check out my header to see me running with my pack on during last year's Wasatch Back Ragnar Relay. These are really great prizes! It really doesn't get much better for a runner.
The Pink Series races is donating an entry to their Pink Series 10k for me to give away. Their races are the best and these ladies are passionate about raising money for a good cause. I'm so lucky to have their support! They are also offering 2 Pink Series shirts for me to give away. The winners of these shirts will be able to pick their size. Great!
RazzyRoo Headbands- Cheryl at RazzyRoo Headbands sent me 2 super cute headbands to give away. The tag says, "...for the sassy, sporty gal." I love it! They are absolutely sassy and functional. You will love these bands.
RoadID- RoadID has donated (6) $15 gift certificates! I never leave home without my RoadID and I feel really strongly that EVERY runner should have one. Stay safe out there, guys!
Last but certainly not least, my buddy Candice from I Have Run, has donated 6 super cool and runnerd-y stickers from her Runnerd Store. You had better believe that I'm rocking one of these on the back window of my truck. :) Say it loud! I'm a Runnerd and I'm proud!

So, that's 1+3+1+2+2+2+2+3+2+6+6= 30 prizes! Oh my goodness! That's a lot of prizes!

Are you signed up yet? Want to know more? CLICK HERE and enter. You have until June 10th to run your 5k so plenty of time but with that being said- What are you waiting for?! ;)

A Virtual Race for Autism 5k update! Plus more prizes!

2011-05-30T20:16:00.000-06:00

I know, I know. Two posts on one day? What has gotten into me?! I can't help it, I saw this post today on Karien's blog and couldn't help getting excited! She ran my virtual race at the Rooifontein game farm in South Africa (international runner, y'all!), even seeing a herd of springbok antelope along her path. Cool, right?! Thanks, Karien, for participating and supporting my cause. You rock!


Karien holding up her bib. Love the socks!

I also got an email from Brandy this morning letting me know that she and her Pink Series race director team are graciously adding to our prize pot by offering up an entry to the PINK SERIES 10k in Logan on August 6th! Those of you who read my blog regularly will remember that I ran the Pink Series 5k last month and LOVED it! The all-female races that they put on are so fun and super catered to girls. I am over the moon about this contribution! Not only that but they are also offering 2 super cute Pink Series shirts. Thank you, Brandy and the Pink Series!!

And thanks to all those that have signed up so far! This is shaping up to be a truly fun and unique event and all because of all of you out there who are signing up and having fun with it. I'm so excited to see the race reports come pouring in!

Click the pic to learn how to enter!

What runners do on a long weekend

2011-05-30T13:49:00.005-06:00

Memorial Day weekend has proved to be a busy running weekend for me. And you know me, this is just the type of busy that I like to be.

I started the weekend with a 10 miler on Friday night, my last double digit run before Utah Valley Marathon. Let me just say- it did not start out well. Right before I headed out, I realized my Garmin was dead, so I stuck it on the charger and jumped on the treadmill while it charged. Every few minutes my boys would walk in the room and need something. I ended up doing 3.5 on the treadmill, with multiple interruptions from my boys, before I hopped off, strapped on the Garmin and headed out to finish up. Once outside, it ended up being a pretty good run. Nice. And. Quiet. With no kids asking me to fix the Wii remote. Or get them a drink. Or telling on their brother for saying butt. Apparently, even with Dad right downstairs, they'd rather talk to a breathless Mom. Go figure. I did another 6.5, out and back, before I felt sane enough to come back to the craziness at home. There's something symbolic about running away from it all and turning around to run home. ;)

Lehi 13th 5k
That run behind me, I set my sights on the neighborhood 5k the next morning. I was determined to have the boys run it so that we could do it as a family. Firstborn and Little Red weren't really all that excited when I woke them up early the next morning. I was trying my best to pump them up on the way to the park. "You guys are going to run a race with Mommy!" "You are awesome runners!" "I'm so excited for you!" "Are you excited?!" "Get excited!" Um, yeah, not really that excited, Mom. Oh well. I tried.

What I learned about how to race from my 9 yr old:

Start so fast that not even elite runners could possibly keep up.
100 yards later- walk, try to not throw up and complain about your knees and back hurting.
Repeat for another 3.05 miles.

I have NEVER seen so much wasted energy in a 5k. Holy Toledo! I was trying to teach him about pacing but he just told me that I wasn't letting him run. Then, every time we ran he would shake his head from side to side. (What are you doing, child?) I tried it, too, but it made me dizzy. And you can forget about running in a straight line! He was all over the place. Haha. Gonna have to work on that focus. After 3.1 miles of race ADD, we finished in 51:50. He was really proud of himself and got lots of high-fives at the finish line. I really hope he'll want to do another one. As a mommy runner, that was so fun for me! And I'm already having dreams of us finishing a marathon together someday. Well, without all the crazy head shaking.

Run for Remembrance 10k
This morning, I ran my 3rd 10k. Yep, I've run more races than you could shake a stick at, but only my 3rd 10k. Not sure why, but 10ks just aren't my favorite. (Anyone else?) Anyway, I got a facebook invite to a free 10k on Memorial Day so I thought "Why not? I've got a tempo run to do that day so might as well." Also, you can't beat a free race! It was super cold (in the 30s) and rainy when I arrived at the start line. I nearly turned right around and went home. I ran into a few friends, though, and soon the rain was letting up. My last-minute goal for this last-minute race was to run at an 8:30 pace. After 2 uphill miles, I thought that maybe that was a bit aggressive of a goal but we evened out and the rest of the race was flat or downhill besides one big hill through the cemetery at about mile 5. I finished in 51:34 on a slightly short course and averaged a pace of exactly 8:30! Nice!

At the start. See the umbrellas and cold weather wear. Icky weather! By the way, total fail on taking pics this weekend. Geesh! What kind of blogger am I?

Love that I PRed but do you want to know why I'm most excited about today's run? I HIT 100 MILES IN A MONTH FOR THE FIRST TIME EVER! I've officially run 103.7 miles in the month of May! Holla'!

What did you do this weekend??

A "Virtual" Race for Autism 5k Announced!

2011-05-26T05:00:00.032-06:00

So, as much as I love raising money for charity, I have to admit that I kind of ~~hate~~ strongly dislike the idea of just begging people for money. I am lucky enough to have some really fantastic supporters who have donated a total of $981.20 both through the Train4Autism site and in cash donations. (Yay!) But I am still about $500 short of my goal so I had an idea! What if I hosted a "virtual" 5k and collected all kinds of great prizes from all kinds of great companies to have an amazing raffle-like giveaway for all the participants?! Would that get people excited? Well, I sure hope so because I'm hosting my very first-

That's right! A "virtual" race! I love the concept. Here's what you need to know.

TO PARTICIPATE:

Go to my Train4Autism donation site HERE and donate $5 (or you can email me to send me cash or check donations. Face to face donations work well, too.) If you have already donated, just tell me so.
Come back here, tell me you donated and print out your very own bib for the race. (Totally optional, but fun. Bibs are at the bottom of this post.)
Run or walk 3.1 miles on your treadmill, outside, on a track, by yourself, with your friends, whilst dribbling a basketball, juggling or whatever way you want to do it. Just do it!
Tell me about it! Report back and let me what your finish time was. If you feel so inclined, send me a picture of you before/after your run, a pic or your Garmin or treadmill reading and/or just tell me how it went. I would love to hear! (Just as a warning- any pics may end up on my blog.) ;) Just let me know that you did it! You can report back here as a comment on this post or send me an email to aliciaruns @ hotmail.com.
Await the results! I will post everyone's 5k results on my blog on June 11th (my BIG race day!) and will also be raffling off fantastic prizes from these fine companies. You can see a full list of prizes HERE.

Amazing, right?? We're talking about Gu products, a Pink Series 10k entry, jewelry, an Allied Medal Display (what, what!), headbands, RoadID gift certificates and more! Very cool!

(I'm up to 30 prizes already! So, really your chances of winning something are great. All these companies are amazing, by the way. Wonderful people that deserve all the success they get in life. Truly, truly.)

Also, everyone who participates has an equal chance at winning so no worries about being the fastest Speedy McLeggy. Although, the fastest may get a little something from me personally plus major bragging rights.

So, get to it already! You can run/walk your 3.1 anytime between now and June 10th. (All finish times need to be in to me by June 10th at midnight.) Good luck! And thank you in advance for helping me meet my goal.

GET YOUR RACE BIB, just click and print! Be sure to give yourself your favorite number. :)

*Bloggy buddies can help me out by posting about this virtual race on your blog. I'd greatly appreciate it! :)

The Evolution of a Runner(d)

2011-05-23T12:17:00.001-06:00

This is a post from my family blog (before the running blog existed). Here's where I was as a runner 5 years ago, May 8th, 2006-

I did it!

I ran my very first 5k on Saturday! I was really nervous when we were on our way there. I knew that I could run 3 miles because I run 3 miles/3 times a week but I always run on the treadmill so I didn't know what to expect running on asphalt. Come to find out, it's really a lot of fun. In fact, I ran the 3.1 miles in under 3o minutes outside (29:21 to be exact). I think it usually takes me about 35 minutes at the pace I run on the treadmill. Anyway, it was a great day out for the 4 of us. I made Will push the jogging stroller with the boys in it. So, he had to run pushing 60 lbs. of boy and 30 lbs. of stroller! I really felt bad when we were going up that first hill. After the 1st couple of minutes it became clear that Will would be running slower than my regular pace so I ran on ahead. He was such a trooper. Even pushing nearly 100 lbs., he never stopped and finished the race soon after me. And he's still psyched to do another 5k next Saturday! I guess that's our new thing- running as a family. I couldn't think of a healthier way to spend a Saturday morning. And we also get a chance to donate money to different causes so it's good all around.

I love that I happened across this old post this morning. It is amazing to see how far I've come in 5 years. Five years later, I've run thousands of miles, including countless 5ks, a couple 10ks, a Ragnar, half a dozen half-marathons, and I'm about to run my 4th full marathon(!). If you had told me back on May 8th, 2006 that I would go on to run all this, I would have thought you were crazy! That first 5k was tough! I remember it clearly. It will always be my favorite race ever, though, because that was the day I built the confidence to be a runner. That day truly changed my life. It was when I finally let myself believe that I could do hard things, running or otherwise.

So, here I am. 33 yr old me telling 28 yr old me, "You did do it! You will do more than you ever thought possible. Keep it up! It just gets better and better." :)

What's your earliest race memory? When did you become a runner?

My most recent status update...

2011-05-20T15:08:00.000-06:00

I have been floored by the kindness of others. I don't even have the words. Incredible, amazing, wonderful, unreal. These words come to mind but I'm still not sure it captures the warm and fuzzies that I've been privy to lately.

I've got something super fun in the works, folks. Stay tuned!! If you like RoadID, GU, Allied Medal Hangers, Bondi Bands, Nathan Sports, RazzyRoo Headbands, Runnerds stickers (and more!), you are gonna wanna see what I've got up my sleeve! These fantastic companies are donating some awesome products for a truly unique event.

I can hardly wait!

Provo City Marathon race recap

2011-05-08T18:15:00.001-06:00

When I saw that my training schedule called for 18 miles this weekend and noticed that there was a marathon close by, what else was I supposed to do?? I would much rather run 26 miles in a race then 18 miles by myself. Any day. Races are fun! And motivating! You get to meet fun people and run and volunteers give you water and bananas and people cheer you on. That's not even mentioning the port-a-potties! Don't we all wish those were around when out on our long runs! SO much better than mapping out a course of your own and struggling through 18 lonely miles with every possible necessity strapped to your midsection like a roaming nomad, right? So, I coughed up the $65 to run the inaugural Provo City Marathon and showed up on race morning sans Garmin. I was mentally just there for a long training run. Calling this a "training run" absolutely takes all the pressure off, by the way. I was just out for a jog. No stress. That is the great thing about training runs.

We started the race up Provo Canyon at South Fork park. I loved being at this park because we used to have Sunday picnics up there when Firstborn was a baby. I don't think I'd been up there since we moved about 6 years ago so it was nice to reminisce. The first thing I noticed when arriving via school bus to the start was that there were not very many full marathoners. (I would find out later that there were only 137 of us.) The second thing I noticed- it was really cold! I knew it would be cold (it's always cold in the canyon in the mornings) so I came prepared with gloves, a warm headband and a blanket to keep myself warm until the last second. I soon noticed a older woman who was not as prepared as me and gave her my blanket. I just couldn't stand watching her shiver and shake. She and the two ladies she was standing with were shooting the breeze and waiting for the race to start. It was nice to chat with them for a few minutes. While still waiting for the race to start, I noticed a special needs adult who I'd met before. I met him (let's call him David) last year at the Utah Valley Marathon when I was manning the Train4Autism booth and have seen him since at Sonic, where he works. He is a natural runner and is super fast. Such a sweet guy. He said that he remembered meeting me before and told me that he was hoping to run the marathon in under 3 hrs. Wow! Talk about talent. Amazing! Every time I meet someone like David, I feel so blessed to get to show them a little kindness. My heart has always been drawn to the special needs community. There is so much joy and innocence among special needs children and adults. Needless to say, by the time the race started my heart was already full. I knew it would be a great day.

As the race started, I decided to take advantage of the first downhill mile and lean into it. I don't know how fast I went but I stayed in front of the 4:00 pacer for the first couple of miles. Even after the pace group passed, I still felt like I was running at a pretty good pace. Certainly faster than my marathon pace but I felt good so I went with it. The run on the canyon trail was beautiful! At about mile 7 (I think), we came out of the canyon and ran down University Ave., a pretty busy 4 lane road. This road brought us right to the finish line. Well, not quite. We got to see the finish line but we weren't even close to finishing. Yep! We ran by the finish line and watched the half-marathoners finishing as we started the second half of our run! Ha! Mentally, I just don't think it's good to see the finish line off in the distance when you are only halfway done. So not cool but I made the best of it and cheered the half-ers on as I ran the other direction.

Miles 13-20 were the worst. It was getting hot and there was no shade. I started to notice that I was covered in salt. My fingers were swollen. There was nothing to look at. I was totally on my own and at times I was just praying that I didn't miss a turnoff. From about mile 14 on, the closest racers were about a quarter mile in front of or behind me, with the very few exceptions when I passed a runner or was passed. This section of the race was mentally the toughest for me. Looking back, it may have been a good time to listen to some tunes but I didn't want to miss an opportunity to meet someone new or hear a random cheer. I like listening to music during training runs but not races and (I'm finding) especially not marathons. For me, listening to music during a marathon would take away from the true experience of it all, but I can definitely see the value of it when you hit a tough spot.

When I finally made it to mile 20, I was relieved to find that we would be running the next couples miles on the southern part of the Jordan River trail that I had never run on before. That was just the mental boost I needed. Around that time, I noticed the time was 10:54 am. We had started the race at 7:30 so I knew that if I could finish before noon, I'd be under 4:30. Could I do the last 6-ish miles in 1:06?? I didn't know if I could but I decided to try. Of course, without my Garmin, I had no idea how fast I was going. I decided to push it just a little harder and see how it felt. To my surprise, my legs were renewed and I ran (what felt like) under a ten minute pace for a couple of miles. Sadly, by the time I hit about mile 23 my legs were done. I was doing the finish line shuffle and probably running about an 11:30 pace. I was okay with it, though, because I knew I was getting a PR and that was exciting enough.

The finish- after a good sized bridge at about mile 25.5, I was finally going down the other side and on my way to the finish! I could see it in the distance (again!) and this time it was actually my turn to finish! As I ran to the finish line, I saw my boys running out to me and just felt elated! I was done!

Sorry for the poor video quality. My sweet husband forgot how to zoom the video so he just ran after us.

I love that Firstborn came out and grabbed my hand and ran beside me until he noticed Little Red taking off. It became a real race at that point! Haha! Well, until hubby reminded them to run with me. They are always making me laugh.

The announcer says, "Good job, Mom!"" Perfect Mother's Day moment.

Absolutely a race with highs and lows but always a high to finish another marathon! My final time- 4:38:19! A 12 minute PR so I certainly can't complain. So far, this has been the greatest Mother's Day weekend ever! A marathon and lots of relaxation and time with my boys. Can't get any better than that. :)

Happy Mother's Day to all the other mothers out there! Hope yours was as good as mine!

The PINK Series 5k- Race Recap

2011-04-26T16:07:00.000-06:00

As someone that has never done an all-female race, I really wasn't sure what to expect when I showed up at The PINK Series 5k on Saturday morning. What I did know was that there would be lots of pink and I was thrilled to break out the sassy pink compression socks. The evening before the race I went to pick up my packet and discovered an adorable headband, a sweet PINK Series top, a coupon for a free cupcake from a local bake shop and an oven mitt! What other race could you possibly get this much girly stuff than an all-female race? I was tickled to say the least. I'm so used to getting unisex tops that are really just men's tops that are ill-fitting at best and if I'm lucky, I get enough safety pins to put my bib on. See the difference between a race planned by women for women? Best swag EVER at this race.

So, I showed up Saturday morning wearing my new headband and excited for the race but very cold. Brrrr! Suddenly my running skirt didn't seem like such a great idea. I stood around for a few minutes waiting for the bus to take us to the start, then saw a cute aerobics instructor that I knew from the gym. We chatted a couple of minutes and then got on the bus. I got a text from my husband to wish me luck and told him I was feeling a little weird running this race alone. Most girls seemed to be there with their family and friends. It is definitely a fun race that you'd want to share with your girlfriends. That being said I soon met a cute 20-something runner from Salt Lake who had her fiance waiting for her at the finish. I loved hearing about her wedding plans and career. She instantly put me in the "happy" race day mood and as we made our way to the start line, I wished her luck. There was a short pre-race pep talk from a local celebrity, Angie Larsen, who was running her first 5k. As soon as she finished, we were off! The first 2 miles were downhill and I took advantage of it and ran 7:14 and 7:25 miles. (Sidenote: for the first .25 mile I had to keep pulling my skirt up in the back. I love that it doesn't bind around the waist but some binding is good. Sorry to any runner behind me who worried they may be watching my skirt find it's way to my ankles. Geesh! Finally, the skirt stayed up on it's own and I hoped for no more race issues. Only other issue was that my left Yurbud fell out twice. Wha? Yep, you heard right. The earbud that never falls out fell out twice. What the heck?)


I found myself in the background of another racer's photos so here's the only pic from that day.

Anyway, mile 3 evened us out and I slowed down quite a bit to an average 8:24 pace for that last mile. As I closed in on the finish line, I slowed a little more (crazy, I know!) to make sure I didn't throw up at the finish line. I love running hard but I was seriously a little worried that I took too much on those 1st couple of downhill miles. I ended up finishing 17th overall with a time of 24:17. Not a PR but not bad for the first 5k of the year and one week post-marathon. :) I checked out the results and realized that I would've placed in any other age group but my own. Dang those fast 30-34 yr olds!

At the finish, firemen dressed in full gear (!) gave each finisher a pink ribbon with a little pink pendant tied to it. (All the more reason to not hurl at the finish line!) We were then pointed in the direction of the post-race food and drinks. I grabbed a mini larabar and a 1/2 a banana because they were the first things I saw but I hear there were also cookies and other yummy surprises. Fantastic!

I stuck around for a moment, thanked Tanya (one of the race directors) for the great race and then headed home. All in all, such a fantastic race and I am really excited to run The PINK Series Half in October. These ladies really know how to put on a race! Leave it to women to remember that love is in the details!

I'm running the Utah Valley Marathon with Train4Autism!

2011-04-25T09:59:00.003-06:00

Love his face!

Hello, friends! Although it's not something I talk about all the time, a lot of you know that I have a 9 yr old son, Coleman, who has autism. He was diagnosed at the the age of 3 and, in the past 6 years, we have worked really hard to get him into the right therapies, into the right schools and keep him progressing. We have been HUGELY blessed along the way by amazing therapists and teachers who have loved him and seen his potential. As a parent, you spend so much time feeling scared and unsure of how to help your child and these teachers swoop in like angels to help. Our love for these teachers, and one in particular, has inspired me to try to do something in return.

I've decided to run the Utah Valley Marathon on June 11th, 2011 in an effort to raise money for a special autism classroom that Coleman attended at Hidden Hollow Elementary School in Saratoga Springs, UT. Coleman's teacher there, Mrs. Cameron, has an amazing love for the children she works for. She is brilliant and creative and Will and I both were touched personally by the passion she has for her job. What a blessing it is that the school district can provide a teacher like Mrs. Cameron to families like us. We were convinced that in order to get Coleman the help he needed that we may have to put him in an expensive private school (which we really couldn't afford) but were pleased to find a teacher like Mrs. Cameron who works her miracles at a nearby public school. She does have to work within the confines of a state-funded budget, though, and with budget cuts being made throughout the schools, I know she could use our help. She does an amazing job with what she has (and no doubt spends her own money, too, as so many teachers do) but we are hoping to be able to raise some money for her so that she may continue working miracles for the families that have the good fortune of crossing her path.

There are a few different ways that you can help-

1. Go to my Train4Autism web page and donate! You can click on General Team Donation or on my name to make your donation. Please know that every tiny bit counts! $1, $5, $20 or whatever you can give is going to a great cause!

2. If you cannot afford to give anything but have time to volunteer, please contact me! My Train4Autism chapter has been given the opportunity to be in charge of an aid station at the Utah Valley Marathon and we need volunteers to help pass out water to passing runners. We are excited for the exposure that this gives us. I know that volunteering your time for charity is it's own reward but, FYI, every volunteer will receive a free t-shirt, too!

3. If you are a runner or walker, join our team! The great thing about Train4Autism is that you can pick whatever race suits you. You don't have to run a marathon to make a difference. Train for and run the 5k that accompanies the Utah Valley Marathon! We'd love to have you on our team! Just go to our team page and click on Join Our Team. Once you've joined, email race director Gary at runutahvalley@gmail.com and tell him you are running with Train4Autism. He will send you a race discount code. Use that code when registering for the 5k HERE.

4. This one would be a HUGE help. Please share this post with anyone and everyone that you can think of whose lives have been touched by autism or who may be looking for a program like Train4Autism (runners, walkers, triathletes). I am really excited to watch this program grow and the more we can get the word out there, the better.

Please contact me if you have any questions or want to join up or help out. Thanks so much!!

See Alicia Run

2011-04-17T23:26:00.002-06:00

Here I am in the last mile of yesterday's marathon. I had just passed Temple Square and knew I was super close to the finish line even though I couldn't see it. I'm pretty sure those policemen weren't about to pull me over for speeding (ha!) but I was going as fast as I could. Months ago, I said I would dedicate my second marathon to me, to prove to myself that I could do it alone. Well here ya' go, Lish- PROOF!

I had every reason to sit this one out...

2011-04-17T11:38:00.001-06:00

...but I didn't! Yep, that marathon that I kept going back and forth about? I just ran it and PRed by 15 minutes! (If you remember my first marathon recap, you'll see that wasn't really that hard to do.) As we were driving home from our week at Disneyland Friday night, I still wasn't sure that I would run yesterday morning. After all, I was exhausted from walking around the parks everyday and still having some heart palps. I was worried I wouldn't be properly hydrated and my legs wouldn't be fresh. We got home at about 11 o'clock Friday night and I finally just decided to go for it. No more excuses, I just needed to do it and take it one mile at a time. Run, walk or crawl, I knew I could finish. Plus, I know myself well enough to know that I would regret not at least trying to run, even though I was under trained. I left the Garmin at home and headed to the race at 5 am yesterday morning.

The race started out well. I decided to run without music until I really needed it, which didn't happen until around mile 20. I just listened to the sounds of the race and took my time. I was running by feel and just focused on finishing instead of a specific time goal since I knew my training didn't support it. The legs felt pretty good until about mile 14 when they just started to ache a bit. My lungs were strong. No huffing and puffing. Mentally, I felt strong and knew I would be ready to gut it out when things got tough. I was really enjoying all the people cheering along the course. There was even a "Temptation Station" where a guy was handing out beers and shots of liquor. Another of his signs read, "Anyone can run sober." Haha! I got a good laugh out of that. I declined the alcohol, though. :)

Around mile 20, my legs really started to ache. I was walking through the aid stations and trying to stretch out my quads and IT band as well as I could but they were just HURTING! Oh well, I thought, sometimes you just have to run through the pain. And run I did. Well, if you could call it running. It was more of a shuffle at the end. The last 2 miles my left knee was in serious pain and I was getting discouraged but knew I was almost done. "Ow, ow, ow." "You knew this would hurt." "Just finish!" were my final miles mantras. It was all mind over body by then.

My goal was to finish and I did! I walked a little but never crawled so that's good. :) Marathon #2 is in the books! It was ugly but it counts!

My final time- 4:50:32

Pace- 11:05

Time to get in shape for Utah Valley Marathon, only 8 weeks 'til marathon #3! I will be ready for that one. Guaranteed.

A hint (or 10) from the universe?

2011-04-02T03:38:00.001-06:00

It is 2 am and I've just woken up from my fatigue induced coma (and a terrible nightmare) and after sitting here listening to all the creepy sounds my house makes in the middle of the night, I've realized that I'm really scared! But wait! I'm not talking about the "wanna-climb-in-my-momma's-bed" kind of scared (well, maybe just a little if I'm being completely honest) but more so it's an alarming "am-I-doing-the-right-thing" kind of scared. You see, when I signed up for the Salt Lake City Marathon back in January, it seemed like a brilliant idea. "This marathon will be for me," I thought, "This one will prove that I can go it alone. Feed the angry beast that is marathon training and do it all by myself." I was determined that it was gut-check time I was going to have to put-up or shut-up.Well, go time is t-minus 14 days now and it has been an eventful couple of months. Let me tell you a little bit about how my training has gone...

A. I switched over from half to full marathon training at the end of January just after the St. George Half. I was feeling a bit pudgy but overall running my pace and feeling strong. I was mentally ready for marathon training.

B. I was running my butt off the first couple of weeks and it felt great! I ran an 8 mile tempo run (my longest ever) and was flying high when...dun, dun, DUUUNNNN! (<---for dramatic effect) I GOT THE FLU! Yup, the very next morning after this fabulous tempo run. I couldn't believed it! It hit like a ton of bricks and I never saw it coming! After visiting the doctor twice, taking Tamiflu that didn't help and antibiotics that did, I had been sick for 2 weeks before I finally started to come out of it. I had never had the flu before so I was apparently paying for my good fortune in one lump sum. I have NEVER been so sick. Ever.

C. So, here I was at the end of February and I was finally starting to pull myself together. I was still fatigued and I knew I had lost considerable amounts of conditioning from being laid out for 2 weeks. And to add insult to injury (more like injury to illness) I had popped a rib while I was sick from coughing so dang much. Yep, I rarely ever get injured from running but coughing? It's got my number! Geesh! I was so frustrated at this point because I was finally able to start running again and I couldn't run without pain in my ribs that I feared wouldn't get better as long as I continued to run. Ya dig?

D. So what do I do? What any sane person would do. I found a running gait that worked! Yep. Normal people rest and recover. But not me! "Imma trainin' for a marathon!" So, I ran with my upper body as still and straight as I could get it, ran super slow (a glorified walk is more like it) and increased my foot fall ten fold so I was taking quick tiny baby steps. I'm pretty sure the people who saw me run this way wouldn't call it running. But to me, I was makin' it happen.

E. With the flu injury finally somewhat squared away and about 5 weeks left 'til marathon time, I devised a plan. Then I devised another plan that was realistic. I would run a semi-long run one weekend then a super long one the next and then taper and just cross my fingers that it was enough.

F. So, here I am 1 week post super long (but really only 18) miler and I've continued to recover. My speed is non-existent but I've been covering some good miles. I'm still feeling completely undertrained and have been planning to just run it undertrained. I know it would be a painful 26.2 but I would make it, I'm sure of that much. Well, until last night that is. You see, I started to feel some heart palpitations last night which means that I've been over doing it a little. They are not dangerous and I've dealt with them a lot but usually when they come I'm forced to slow down a little and let my body get back to some sort of homeostasis. Did I mention that they also bring along their friends, fatigue and muscle weakness. So not cool, heart palps.

So, here I am at the tail end if training, if you could even call it that, and I've dealt with illness, injury, and illness again. I have no way of picking up my packet since I'll be on vacation until the night before the marathon (no race morning pick up) and I'm feeling like the universe is trying to tell me something. Is it just me? Have the obstacles I've encountered made me a stronger runner? I'd say ABSOLUTELY! Does that mean that I'm ready to run a marathon? Not necessarily. Do I do it anyhow?? That's the million dollar question, I guess.

What would you do??

Posted via Blogaway

Blogging from bed.

2011-02-20T16:35:00.001-07:00

My first attempt at blogging using the Blogaway app on my phone. I've been bed bound with the flu all weekend so I guess now is as good a time as any to try it it out.

Just wanted to let you guys know that my sweet friend, Candice (from I Have Run) is giving away a free entry to the South Valley Half Marathon which is here in Utah at the end of August. So head on over there to enter her giveaway!

http://ihaverun.blogspot.com/2011/02/be-my-valentinecome-run-with-me.html

Good luck! I must get back to my warm tapioca pudding now. Happy running!

Posted via Blogaway

The Pink Half Giveaway Winner!

2011-02-17T09:48:00.000-07:00

Let me just quickly say that I was inspired by so many of your posts. I only wish I had a free entry for everyone!

I used random.org to randomly choose a winner for this giveaway and it chose comment #48 which belongs to...

TALULA!

Here's what she had to say about why she wants to run in this event-

"There is a strength found among women that we can share with others that makes us all the more powerful. My beautiful sister got me running two years ago and even though she lives hundreds of miles away she's going to join me on this my first half marathon done for my 40th birthday. My other sister will also come and show support. We're thrilled to have this weekend to be together and lift each other up and join with other great sisters and friends for a great cause."

So happy to be part of making that weekend even more special for you, Talula, and good luck with your training! Contact me at alicia_verburg (at) hotmail (dot) com to claim your prize!

Everyone else, get signed up! I know this race has limited spots so if you want to be sure you get one, the sooner you sign up the better. See you there!

Last chance to enter!

2011-02-16T00:18:00.000-07:00

Hey all! I'm really excited about the response I've gotten about the Pink Half. So many of you are really juiced about this race! And for good reason. It promises to create amazing memories for all of us running. And, of course, there is nothing better than getting to enjoy a race knowing that you are helping out a good cause, too. Just wanted to post quickly to let you know that I will be choosing a winner first thing Thursday morning so be sure to enter if you haven't already.

Also, FYI, the Pink Series is hosting The Pink 5k in Alpine on April 23rd. This race is a ladies only event (yay!) on a screaming downhill course. (Can you say PR?!) It's a perfect kickoff for your half marathon training AND if you are registered for the half marathon you get to run the 5k for only $15! Very cool. So much of the fun stuff that is offered at the Pink Half is making an appearance at the 5k- running with women, great race swag and handsome men in suits and pink ties greeting us at the finish. Love it! Also, just to make sure they covered all their bases, the race directors are having an Easter egg hunt and other Easter festivities immediately following the race. Will be a fun one for your kiddos to come and cheer you on and then get to play a little themselves. Can I just give a huge shout-out for women race directors?! Leave it to gals to delve into the details and think of everything. I am loving everything I know about both of these races! To register for the 5k, just follow this link to get to the registration page and you can sign up for the half, the 5k, or both races in one fell swoop.

I'll leave you with a pic of me in the pink compression socks I'll know I'll be sporting at one or both of these races.

Love my Ragnar Team!

Good luck, guys! See you back here Thursday!

A very "pink" GIVEAWAY!

2011-02-08T01:14:00.001-07:00

The house is completely quiet right now. I can seriously hear the tick-tock of the clock. Don't remember the last time I heard that. Ooo, the heater just kicked on. Fascinating what you can hear once the kids and hubby are all tucked in and asleep. Usually, the house is crammed full of the screams and laughter of little boys (which I have to admit, I kinda love) and ESPN turned up way too loud (in order to hear it over the screaming boys. Don't love that.) So, the quiet is rare. Very rare. If only I could bottle it up. Just know that right now I am blogging in a good place mentally. I'm. Having. A. Zen. Moment.

Enough of that, on to much busier things. Marathon training is well on it's way. I have long run #2 tomorrow (14 miles) and it looks as if I will be doing that one on the treadmill, too. Disappointing! Especially because the weather was so beautiful earlier today. It was actually semi-warm and the sun was shining. The clouds and snow rolled in so fast this afternoon! So, rather than break an ankle out in the snow, I'll be looking for a movie to help me forget that I'm running on the treadmill. Worked last week. Any recommendations?! I'm a sucker for romantic comedies. A total girl, I know. :)

Speaking of girly things, I have some VERY exciting news! Tanya from The Pink Series Half Marathon contacted me and offered to give one of my readers a FREE ENTRY (!) to run in their 2011 event this October in Park City, UT. I am *very* excited for this race and let me tell you why-

Utah's only All-Female half marathon race. (Think pink!) You know how fun it is to run with your gal pals. Imagine a race with the same appeal as your weekly sweaty gab-fests.
Park City! Absolutely one of the most breathtaking places in the world. A real destination race.
My friend Cami ran in the inaugural event last year and was one of the first to sign up when registration opened this year. Here's what she said when I asked her what made this race so special- "I loved the fact that it was small, all women, and we were all wearing pink! Plus, you are in one of the most beautiful venues to run in! :) The time of year makes it really nice too, the weather is cool and crisp, enough to keep you cool...but not freeze you. Also, the SWAG was awesome! They totally treat you like you want to be treated as a girl. The support was fantastic, not to mention the fact that we are racing for a cure for breast cancer. At the end, they had these super handsome men waiting for you at the finish line, all decked out in suits and pink ties... a nice way to end a race! :)"

Pretty sure she sums it up perfectly. The race directors pull out all the stops to make this an event to remember. And just in case you are not totally convinced that you want to run this race, check out this video from last year's event. Clincher.

So, want to know how to enter to win a FREE ENTRY into this fabulous race?! Of course you do! You can earn up to 4 entries by doing these simple things:

Tell me in a comment what you love about ladies only events. (This will be my first so I'm excited to read your comments.)
Become a follower of this blog and let me know in a separate comment that you follow.
"Like" The Pink Series on Facebook and leave me another comment letting me know that you did.
Post this giveaway on your facebook page or blog and tell me about it!

Good luck!!!

St. George Half Marathon. And stuff.

2011-02-02T19:47:00.000-07:00

I'm still running! And, can I just say that I am so thrilled that I can come here to talk about it from time to time because I'm pretty sure all my facebook friends are starting to roll their eyes every time I mention running. It goes something like this- Facebook says, "What's on your mind?" And I think, "Well, lots of thoughts are running through my head. Running thoughts. Thoughts are running. Hey, I ran today! Or yesterday. Or signed up for another race, etc.,etc., etc." And then I have no choice but to write about it, right?! I know I'm not the only one. By the way, I totally get how that could be annoying. :)

What have I been up to lately? List time!

I just signed up for marathon #2! Salt Lake City Marathon on April 16th. Just started training for it last week and so far, so good. I even ran 13 miles on the treadmill yesterday and somehow kept a good attitude about it. Oh yeah, I remember why, I watched The Notebook while I ran! I love that movie. Swoon city!
My local Train4Autism chapter is forming a team to run the Utah Valley Marathon, Half or 5k on June 11th. Thai Guy and I are running the full and we are hoping to recruit at least 20 others to run any of the 3 race distances as part of our team. If you are running or know anyone that may want to run this race (full, half or 5k), let me know! By just signing up with our team you can get $10 automatically donated to Train4Autism. Easy peasy! And, of course, there is plenty of opportunity to fund raise, too, if you'd like!
Last month, I ran the St. George Half Marathon in sunny St. George, UT and finished with a time of 1:57:21. Not a PR but a nice run in amazing weather. I hadn't planned on running this half but we were going to be in town for my husband's work conference anyhow, so why not?! Here's a bit of video from my finish. Lady in black. My boys may be little but they are LOUD! ;) Love my cheering section.

The next few months promise to be very busy but the kind of busy that I love! Happy 2011!

Halloween Half Pics

2010-11-05T23:18:00.000-06:00

Last Saturday's race in pictures.

Mile 6- halfway there! I'm really cookin'! (Or is it bakin'?)

Around mile 10. Love this Wall of Shame racing pic. Licking the gu off my lips. Ha!

Pretty sure I hadn't noticed the photographer yet.

Oh! Hey there, guy!

Approaching the finish.

Ahhh, done! That's a satisfied look if I've ever seen one.

Also, proof that I am a habitual finish line sprinter- notice the guy in black in the 2nd to last photo and see him again the last photo? I just can't help myself!

Some random Halloween Half factoids-

My apron says Cupcake Queen 2010 and I did indeed earn that title at a neighborhood Cupcake Wars last month. The cupcake that won me that apron? A white cupcake filled with a miniature pumpkin pie and topped with cinnamon cream cheese buttercream. Every bit as good as it sounds.
I gave high fives with my mixing spoon along the course to all the li'l spectating kiddos. Lots of high fives. No germs!
I wore my new Yurbuds for this race and I love them! They never moved. And the music was crystal clear.
I got a phone call from my neighbor at about mile 11 and, for a second, thought about answering. She had no idea I was racing and I think she would have been mortified if I had answered in the middle of a race. I do answer my phone while on training runs, though.
I haven't run since the race last Saturday because of how thrashed my quads have been. I tried on Tuesday but couldn't pick my feet up. I've never been this sore after a race (and that includes my full marathon last January.) No worries, though. I am finally recovered and headed out for a few easy miles tomorrow morning.

And just for fun, here's what I did this week-

I made a wedding cake!

Here's a pic after the florist added a few touches...

Little Red and Firstborn were kind enough to pose with the cake. Love the faces. Those two crack me up.

See?! My costume for the half was totally fitting. I am a baker!

Halloween Half Recap

2010-11-01T16:09:00.001-06:00

Last October, I had considered running the Halloween Half marathon while in marathon training. After mulling it over a bit, I decided against it because with a 2000 ft drop in elevation over the course of 13.1 miles, most of that being in the first 5 miles (see below), I was just too scared I'd injure myself. The marathon training was more important. However, I did get a chance to spectate the race and it looked like SO much fun. The costumes were hilarious. Everyone just looked like they were having fun. Because, well, they were!

This year I was determined to run it myself. I'm not in marathon training at the moment and, let's face it, I really needed something to help me work off all the candy I've been eating. I trained, I finally decided on a costume and I arrived at the buses on Saturday morning ready to go for it.

I'm a baker!

I rode the bus that morning next to a young mom named Wendy. We talked about our training, our goals for the race that day, our kids, our husbands, etc. We had plenty of time to chat while making our way up the Provo Canyon. After riding up with her, I was feeling a little better about being at the race on my own. I've gotten so used to racing alongside my husband that being alone at a race pushes me a little out of my comfort zone. Luckily, runners are the nicest people so there was always someone to talk to. After arriving at the start, I watched the costume contest (the Forrest Gump costume was awesome!), got in a last trip to the portapotty and chatted with a cute bee named Jana and also with Mike, a friendly guy with a Yoda backpack.

Finally, it was time to start! I lined up with the 1:55 pacer in hopes of beating my 1:55:29 from the Shamrock Half this past March. I heard the gun and we slowly made our way down to the starting line. There were 3000 people at this race so it was packed. After the first mile I realized that I was going to be going a bit faster than I expected. I passed up the 1:55 pace group and then quickly passed the 1:50 pace group. It looked like a good day for a PR!

Miles 1-5: 8:53, 7:45, 7:26, 7:31, 8:00

At about mile 5, I could feel a blister forming on my left foot. "Dang!" I was nervous it would slow me down. I've never had a blister during a race so I wasn't sure what to expect. I was just praying it wouldn't get too bad. Luckily, even though I felt it the whole way, it never got bad enough that I had to stop. Phew!

Miles 6-10: 8:55, 9:05, 9:15, 8:36, 8:46

After the first 5 miles, we turned onto the Provo River Parkway Trail, which was beautiful. There was a part of the trail that was coated with fall leaves. It immediately put a smile on my face. Out of the major downhill, my pace slowed considerably and at mile 8 (my slowest) I walked for a minute in order to get my jacket off from under my apron. That was tricky.

Miles 10-13.1: 9:10, 9:13, ? (forgot to stop the Garmin)

The last couple of miles I was tapped. I remember thinking to myself, "I am definitely leaving it all out on the course today. I hardly have anything left." That was at about mile 11. From that point on, it was all mental. I was definitely getting excited to see my husband and boys waiting for me at the finish line. Here's a little video of me in the final stretch.

I love how my face changes when I see my family. I obviously needed the boost.

FINAL TIME: 1:50:46.6

I did it! I PRed in a baker's cap, apron, and holding a mixing spoon for 13.1 miles! Haha! And not only did I PR but by almost 5 minutes. Awesome! I almost couldn't believe it when I finished. Of course, the course was supa fast. All that downhill surely helped my time but I'll take it. I covered the distance so it counts, right?!

Great race, great day, great fun! And happy to be done! Hope everyone's Halloween was as spooktacular as mine!

Ragnar Relay-Wasatch Back '10 Recap

2010-06-25T15:05:00.000-06:00

I am still on a high from last weekend's race! I've never experienced anything quite like it. Ever tried running while delirious from lack of sleep? While a van full of teammates sing songs to you over a bullhorn? Haha! And I can't stop smiling about the can-can dance my girls treated me to in the middle of my longest run. I wish I had more time to write about it but instead I'm going to leave you with this video I made from the pics and video I took along the way. Enjoy!

Remember me?!

2010-06-12T19:44:00.001-06:00

Wow! It's been awhile, eh? After my last half-marathon in March, I found myself floundering about without a training schedule and with no real motivation. I was still running but it was so hodge-podge and lackluster that it was unimpressive at best. It took me a couple of months to find my footing again and I am now finding myself in the midst of all kinds of fun personal running news. Since I heart lists, here's a list to bring you guys up to date.

1. I'm training for marathon #2! My husband and I are running the Top of Utah Marathon on Sept. 18th in Logan, UT. We tried to get in the St. George Marathon and didn't get picked out of the lottery to receive an entry so this marathon is actually our Plan B. All in all, I'm really getting excited for it because everyone I've talked to who has run it talks about how beautiful and fast it is. What could be better?! Today, we rounded out the 4th week of our 18 week FIRST training plan. So far, so good!

2. Last weekend, I PRed at a 5k! I got a free entry into a 5k from my favorite local running store. I was really excited about this one because I knew it had potential to get me a sub 24:00 time, which I really wanted to do. This was my attempt at a pre-race photo with my Blackberry.

I was in too much of a hurry to try again so this one will have to do. The short of it? I PRed by more than 2 minutes and finished in 23:23!! Overall- 30th out of 180, overall female- 9th out of 109 and age bracket (31-45)- 5th out of 47. Boy, it felt good! Well, that is after the initial "I think I'm going to hurl" in the finish line chute. Haha! It was possibly the first race I've run where I truly felt I left it all out on the course. A great feeling.
3. The Ragnar Relay- Wasatch Back is next weekend!! I have been stressing over this race because somehow I became the team captain even though I've never run it before. There is SO much logistically that goes into these relays it could make your head explode. I am really excited to get the team meetings, safety meetings, e-mails, phone calls, etc. all behind me and just enjoy the race and the company of all my teammates (which all happen to be my neighbors and great girlfriends.) Should be a blast!
4. Train4Autism has kept me very busy the past couple of days as I've been manning a booth at the Utah Valley Marathon expo and finish line. One of the race directors was kind enough to provide me space for free and I have thoroughly enjoyed talking to so many people that have been touched by autism. I received lots of positive feedback and encouragement and have even already gotten an email from some parents that want to be involved in our chapter. I feel so blessed to have found something that I can be so passionate about. Here's a pic of me and Sam Felsenfeld from Operation Jack. Go and visit his blog HERE to read about the amazing work he's doing to raise awareness for Train4Autism.

So, that's what I've been up to! Time to see what you guys have been doing! Hope everyone is having a great weekend!

Shamrock Half race recap- as "luck" would have it...

2010-03-21T17:25:00.000-06:00

...I accomplished 2 big goals in yesterday's half-marathon (my 3rd half to date)-

I beat my previous PR, which was 2:00:45, by more than 5 minutes! (On a much harder course, by the way.) AND
I came in under 2 hours!!! My final time- 1:55:29!

And to think I almost didn't run it at all! A little background info on me- I have something called Neurally Mediated Hypotension, which basically means that my blood pressure tanks from time to time. It's not life-threatening but it can definitely put me out of commission, sometimes for a couple weeks. The symptoms are really annoying- heart palpitations, fatigue, dizziness, lightheadedness, basically by blood moves through my body at a snail's pace. Yeah, it sucks.

So, how does this relate to yesterday's race? I had been having heart palps for the past few nights and was just hoping for them to go away before the race. I had a crappy run on Thursday and was feeling pretty off. I spent all day Friday making Firstborn's birthday cake and preparing for his party, not resting like I should have been before a race. No rest. At all. Not ideal but what are you gonna do, right? Anyhow, I went to bed at about 11:30-ish fully expecting to wake up and feel fine and go race. I woke up at 2:00 am feeling the palps. Nards! I went back to sleep and woke up again at 3:30. Still having palps. Ugh! I woke hubby up and told him he may have to run the half because I didn't think I'd be up to it. I was nearly in tears. I have never not showed up for a race. Heart-breaking. I said a little prayer and asked that I would have more surety of what to do once my alarm went off. I went back to sleep and woke up to my hubby getting up. I had about 3 hrs of really good sleep and the palps were gone! So, I told hubby he couldn't have my bib, I was going to race after all! (Sorry about the take-back, honey!) He was happy to let me run.

I got up, got ready and headed out the door feeling blessed that I was still getting to run. I had been a little nervous of running alone (I've done all of my long-distance races with Thai Guy) but I was just happy to be running! No jitters. No goals that I was stressing over. I felt good! Here's a pic Thai Guy took of me before I left. Rocking the shamrock socks and Bondi band. (By the way, I was the only racer to sport Shamrock wear. What's up with that?)

Not sure why I'm not looking at the camera.

I live only 5 minutes from the race start so I quickly drove over leaving myself only a few minutes of having to stand in the cold before the race started. It was really cold! I probably should have worn pants but then no one would see my awesome socks!

As I was standing waiting for the race to begin, I heard someone call my name and I knew it had to be Whitney, a bloggy friend that was running Shamrock, too. Let me tell you, Whitney is every bit as cool and friendly as she seems in her blog. It was great meeting her and I'll plug in a pic of us as soon as she posts it on her blog and I can steal it. (I didn't have my camera with me!) We chatted for just a minute before the race start, gave each other some last minute encouragement and then we were off!

Miles 1-5

8:40
9:19
9:04
9:07
8:59

I took off at the start of the race and quickly settled into a good pace. I was pretty much trying to keep up with Blue Jacket Lady. She seemed to be running a similar pace and was steady so she was my pacer, whether she knew it or not. There was also this little, bitty, gray-haired guy (about 5 feet tall) in a blue shirt running in front of me. I was amazed with his quick turnover. Those tiny legs moved fast! As this wasn't a very big race (98 runners), there wasn't a lot of passing or being passed and I was with Blue Jacket Lady and Tiny Guy the first 5 miles. A couple hills in there but nothing noteworthy.

Miles 6-10
8:39
8:24
8:57
8:49
8:34

Soon after the 5 mile marker, I passed Tiny Guy going up a slight hill. He stayed right with me, though. I could see his shadow. Blue Jacket Lady was still up ahead. There was a water stop at mile 6. She stopped and walked a minute. I had my drink with me so I ran on ahead. Hmmm, now what am I going to do? Well, not even another 1/2 mile later Tiny Guy passed me again and I figured I'd better try and keep up. :) It was about this time that I realized that I just might be able to beat 2 hrs in this race and maybe by a pretty good margin. That definitely put a little pep in my step! There was one steep hill at about mile 8 that was tough! Definitely the worst of all the hills. Just after that there was a gravel road for about half a mile. (Seriously! What is up with all the random gravel roads in my recent races?!) I had to watch my feet but I was still able to keep my pace under a 9 min/mile.

Miles 11-13.1

8:48

8:00

7:58 (.18)

The last 2.1 was all downhill or straightaways which made a negative split pretty much a guarantee. Don't you love downhills? My legs love downhills! Some people hate them and say it hurts their knees but I really love them. I lean into them and go as fast as I can. Felt so good! I have to admit, though, that the last 1/2 mile before the final push was pretty hard. I think I had mentally finished the race already so my body felt like it should be done. Make sense? Anyway, I came around the final bend and saw the race clock. It said 1:55:11 and I thought, "Holy crap! I'm going to finish in 1:55!!!" I kicked it in for the final push and finished in 1:55:29!!!

I was so thrilled and excited I could hardly contain myself! Sadly, there was no one waiting at the finish line for me (Thai Guy had to stay home to tend to a sick birthday boy) but Tiny Guy struck up a conversation with me and talked about how I pushed him. He was a really nice guy. His daughter was about my age. She was there supporting him. I told him it was my first sub 2hr finish and he said that it was a tough course to get a PR on. Thanks Tiny Guy, I think I'll call you Nice Guy now! Ha ha!

I watched the racers finish and cheered Whitney in. She did awesome, by the way. You'll have to check out her blog to find out just how well. I chatted with her and her husband for a few more minutes and then came home to get the house clean and ready for Firstborn's birthday party.

This is how I felt the rest of the day. So happy to have gotten to run in spite of my dumb body, thrilled to have gotten under 2 hrs and stoked to have another half-marathon under my belt. It was a great day!

Can't wait to read about all the other races from this weekend!

And the winner is...

2010-03-18T01:20:00.000-06:00

First, let me say "Thank you, everyone!" for supporting me in my new passion. You have all made a difference already just by helping me spread the word of Train 4 Autism. Sam from Operation Jack refers to his work as throwing out darts. You never know which ones will land. I'm pleased to know that you guys helped me to throw out lots and lots of darts into the blog world, on Facebook, on Twitter and however else you've helped. You all rock my shamrocks! Thanks so much!

Now onto the my very first giveaway winner...

74 entries. Random.org came up with #46 and that leads us to none other than

Marlene from Mission to a(nother) Marathon!

Congrats, Marlene! I believe you have my email address already so email me your address and I'll get your prize in the mail right away!

Remember-

"No one can whistle a symphony. It takes a whole orchestra to play it." ~H.E. Luccock

Thanks to you all for being my orchestra and playing this tune along with me! MWAH!

Back on Sunday with a Shamrock Half race recap!

Two Things Tuesday

2010-03-16T19:12:00.003-06:00

Two things sounds short and sweet, right?! Well, it is short and sweet because I feel like a madwoman this week with all the party planning, house cleaning, hair cutting, cake making and general stress around here. So, here's my leprechaun sized list for today.

I'm doing the Shamrock Half Marathon this Saturday. Yes, it's been just 2 weeks since my last half but this one is practically out my back door so how could I resist? I'm excited for another shot at breaking 2 hrs and this run also qualifies me for the Half Fanatics club coming in on the Neptune level, which is 2 half-marathons in a 16 day time frame or 3 half-marathons in 3 months. So cool! Can't wait to join the ranks!
Thank you SO SO SO much for all the support for my Train 4 Autism chapter and for Train 4 Autism and Operation Jack. It's amazing to already be meeting so many people with stories to share. I truly have such a feeling of solidarity with the work they are doing. Autism affects so many families and I feel blessed to be involved with doing some good on their behalf.

That being said, don't forget to enter MY FIRST GIVEAWAY for $25 to iTunes!! I'll be picking a winner on Thursday so you've got 1 more day to enter!

I leave you with a pic of my cute new socks (Target!) and Bondi Band that I got for the race this weekend. Forgive the webcam pic. Thai Guy took the camera with him to scouts to get some pics of Firstborn's first day in Cub Scouts. Can't believe my baby is old enough for scouts! By the way, when you guys wear funky socks for races, do you wear your running socks underneath them? I'm a little worried about the rotten cotton.

Hot! ;)

Big Announcement + My First Giveaway!!

2010-03-11T09:07:00.002-07:00

I told you before my trip that I had some big news to share. And now that I'm back and have sorted out some of the details, I thought I'd let you know what I'm so geeked out over.

Well... (drum roll please)

I am now the Utah County Chapter President for Train 4 Autism

with the 1st chapter to be formed in Utah!

Exciting, right?! Now you are probably wondering- why Train 4 Autism? I think I'll explain in a list, since you all know I love lists. ;)

I don't really talk about my kids much on this blog (other than the random comments about how precious and exhausting mommyhood can be). It's always just been a place to talk about running. A getaway of sorts. However, in order for you to understand my interest in autism awareness you should know that my oldest son, Coleman, was diagnosed with autism in 2005, when he was just 3 yrs old. It is something that affects my life everyday.
There is a LOT going on in the world of autism, from researchers looking for a cure for autism to dozens of different types of therapies to help children and adults living with autism cope in their daily lives. With Train 4 Autism, you get to help fund the cause that is most important to you, be it national autism awareness programs or a local school in need of therapeutic toys. (<----This totally sold me. You get to pick the charity that you feel most passionate about.)
Train 4 Autism is set up in such a way that- YOU choose the sport, YOU choose the race, and YOU choose the cause. There is no other program quite like it.
Basically, the work that is being done by Train 4 Autism spoke to my soul. As a runner. As a mother. I knew I had to be involved.

I first heard of Train 4 Autism on Redhead Morgan's blog where she talked about Operation Jack. Operation Jack is Sam Felsenfeld's journey to running 60 marathons in one year in order to raise awareness of Train 4 Autism's plight. Amazing! His own son, Jack, is his inspiration. This is from his website:

After watching his son struggle day after day with his condition, Sam decided he wanted to do something to make a difference in his honor. His plan is Operation Jack. If Operation Jack succeeds, Train 4 Autism will grow and countless people living with autism — along with their relatives and friends — will benefit for years to come.

How's that for taking action?! Sam has dedicated an entire year of his life in order to help Train 4 Autism grow. I am truly inspired by him and realize that if he can run 60 marathons in one year, I can certainly do my part by raising awareness in my own community.

Ok. This is where I tell you about my first giveaway! I've seen many people talking about the music on their iPods lately. Seems like we're always looking for new songs to help us through our workouts. Maybe it's spring fever. I don't know but I do know that you could all use-

$25 to iTunes!!!

That's right! With $25 you could completely overhaul your playlists! Ok, well maybe not completely, but $25 worth of music is enough to run over an hour and a half while listening to all new tunage! No more drudgery listening to the Rocky theme over and over and over. Ha ha! And if you don't have an iPod, I bet you know someone that does! What a great gift it would be! (Have I sold you on it enough yet?)

Here's how you gain entries into my giveaway:

Become a follower here on my blog. Leave a comment telling me you are a follower.
Post this giveaway on your blog, on Facebook, or tweet it on Twitter. Leave separate comments for each one. (3 possible entries)
Become a fan of Train 4 Autism-Utah County Chapter on Facebook HERE. Leave me a comment telling me you are a fan.
Become a fan of Operation Jack on Facebook HERE. Leave a comment.
Just SPREAD THE WORD! If you do anything to spread the word of Train 4 Autism or Operation Jack, let me know in separate comments for extra entries!

This giveaway is all about raising awareness. There are so many people out there just like me that may want to be involved with Train 4 Autism but they have never had the chance to hear of it. This is your chance to help out! Even if Train 4 Autism isn't something you are necessarily passionate about, you never know which of your Facebook friends might see it and want to be involved so make some noise, friends! Thank you guys SO much for your support. I love all the friends I've made through this blog and feel blessed to share in all your journeys.

I'll be choosing a winner for this giveaway, by random number generator, on March 18th- in one week! Good luck!

Red Rock 1/2 Marathon- Full Recap

2010-03-09T00:16:00.002-07:00

Thai Guy and I took the boys to Disneyland this past week and we decided to stop over in Vegas on the way home to Utah from SoCal to run in the Red Rock 1/2. Part of me wanted to do the full but I knew after a week at Disneyland, I'd be running on tired legs. This race was put on by Calico Racing, the same race company that hosted our marathon in January. I love their events even though they have a reputation for tough courses. I could tell by the course elevation map that this race would be a doozy but I love a challenge! Here's a look at the elevation profile-

Yes, you are seeing that right! 1000 ft. uphill in the first 9 miles, then a screaming 1000 ft. descent in the last 4. It was the toughest race I've ever run. Even tougher than my hilly marathon. That's serious!

We got into Vegas on Friday afternoon and settled into our fancy-schmancy room at the Red Rock Casino Hotel and Spa. This place was nicer than any hotel room we have ever stayed in. Not that we've stayed in that many fancy hotels but the bathroom had leather walls for goodness sakes! And a TV by the tub! I felt a bit like Elly May Clampett taking pictures of anything shiny. "Garsh, y'all!" This West Virginia hillbilly is definitely easily impressed but I really think anyone would've been impressed with this place. And we got a super discounted rate since this was the host hotel for this particular race.

Anywho, the boys and I enjoyed relaxing at the hotel room while Thai Guy and his Dad tracked down a couple of MMA gyms hoping to meet Randy Couture and Wanderlei Silva. He came back with a couple t-shirts but no luck meeting the fighters. Seemed happy enough just to check out their gyms, though. We took the boys to IHOP for some pancake carb-loading and got back to the hotel with just enough time to hit the slot machines with my mother-in-law before bed. She gave us both $20 and I'm happy to say that I got up $6 and quit! That's right. I quit as soon as I get up at all. I'm really not much of a gambler. That $26 paid for our food the next day! :) I'm also very proud to announce that I GOT CARDED! Hilarious! Totally made my night.

On to the race- race morning I was feeling just a little nervous about my lack of water and proper nutrition in the week leading up to the race. I brushed it off and decided to just do my best. No real time goals. I wanted to PR but knew it would be a lofty goal on this course.

At the start. Cold and excited.

Because there was no parking at the start, we made our way to the front of the hotel to catch a shuttle up to the race start. It was a bit cool but I knew the temp would be perfect once we started running. We didn't stand around too long before we were called over to the starting line and after a couple quick announcements, we were off!

Miles 1-5
10:15
9:25
10:43
9:29
10:07

The first mile was weird because we started on a paved road and turned off onto a dirt road, went out about 1/3 of a mile and turned around, came back and continued on the original paved road. Very strange and scary. I watched my feet the whole time while hopping around loose rocks. I'd be a terrible trail runner. I was sure that I was going to turn my ankle. Thank goodness I made it back without injuring myself. The next 4 miles were uneventful. Uphill. And you can tell which miles had the steeper hills from my pace. I never train hills and I was regretting it.

Miles 6-10
10:36
10:08
10:50
9:05
8:00

Miles 6-8 I was thinking, "Ugh, where do the hills end?!" The website had said 8 miles uphill and I specifically remember looking at my Garmin, still going uphill, at 8.5 miles. Good thing Thai Guy is so good at hills because the only thing keeping me going was the fact that I didn't want to get separated from him. He was truckin' up those hills and I was just trying to keep up with him. Then, finally, the downhills! I love running downhill. Aaahhhh! Felt so good. And fast!

Miles 11-13.1 (actually 13.2)
8:51
7:47
7:44
9:00

Mile 11 had a little uphill in the middle of it but not too bad. And the final two miles I just went for it! I ran as fast as my legs would go and leaned into the downhills. I ended up leaving Thai Guy those downhill miles because his knees aren't quite as forgiving as mine. Those last couple of miles made the whole race worth it to me. I felt great! I passed all kinds of people and I really made up for some of those really slow uphill miles which made me feel a bit better about my overall pace. I finished at 2:05:02 on the Garmin and 2:05:01, official chip time. Not even close to a PR but infinitely more satisfying than my PR half.

Thai Guy finished at 2:05:30, so he wasn't far behind. We got a quick bite to eat at the finish line and hopped back on the shuttle to get back to the hotel and relieve grandma and grandpa from their babysitting duties. I took this pic of the vista while we were waiting for the shuttle.

It was a beautiful run but I definitely didn't take enough time to appreciate the scenery. Most of the time, I was just trying not to die. Ha ha!

Firstborn took these pics of us with our medals after we got back to the hotel.

We are serious runners. Don't let this pic fool you.

And the medal. Cool, eh?

Oh, I almost forgot about the mini-meltdown. It was a strange thing for me. I was so excited to have finished the race strong and I was talking to the hubby about it right after the race as we were eating our post-race pancakes and I just got incredibly emotional. Not happy emotional, like sad because I spend so much time second guessing myself and beating myself up in my day to day life. I am generally a happy person but I do doubt myself on almost a daily basis. And that's really sad. I don't like that part of me. Anyway, in this moment, I felt sorry that I had wasted so much time being my own worst enemy. Something about being physically exhausted really brings emotions to the surface, you know? Finishing this tough race proved to me that I can do it! I proved to myself that I don't quit when things get tough. It's like I had forgotten that girl existed and this race helped me to remember her. It was a bitter-sweet moment. Looking back on it now, I'd say I was just really proud of what I had accomplished. Isn't that what racing is all about? Reminding us what we're made of?

Red Rock Canyon Half Stats- quick recap

2010-03-08T01:35:00.002-07:00

The numbers-

My official chip time- 2:05:01

Overall place- 168 out of 596 runners (Thai Guy was 175)

Age Group place- 27th out of 120

Climbed 1000 ft. in the first 9 miles.

Ran the last 2 miles at a well under 8:00 min/mile pace.

Some more interesting numbers-
5 people running in party hats.

1 guy running with 2 beers.

2/3 of the 1st mile on a dirt road with break-ankle loose rocks.

1 miniature meltdown after the finish.

0 sightings of the infamous Desert Tortoise.

More tomorrow!

Mickey Says Relax!

2010-02-26T01:33:00.000-07:00

And that's exactly what I plan to do as soon as we get going Saturday morning! Although, no relaxing yet and I'm quickly posting this at almost midnight Thursday night with one more day of packing, cleaning, entertaining, etc. before we leave. My in-laws have been visiting with us all week so I've had no time to be on the computer although I've been reading everyone's blog posts on my Crackberry. (Still haven't figured out how to post comments with that thing. It just won't let me!) Anyhow, you guys have been writing your little hearts out this week. I'm lovin' it!

Just wanted to quickly thank AJH, Heidi and Katye for some fun awards! Heidi sent me this fantastic Sunshine Award that gave me warm fuzzies all over. Thanks Heidi! Wish you were running Red Rock with me! :(

AJH nominated me for this Gorgeous Blogger Award. Too adorable for words. Love it! Thanks AJH! You rock as much as age groups! ;)

To accept the Gorgeous Blogger Award, I need to list 6 things about myself. So, here goes.

Seems all my favorite posts are the ones that include lists. LOVE the "random-things-about-me" posts! Probably because of all the weird things that people admit. Makes me feel normal.
It's so strange to be in my thirties. (I'm 32.) I don't really think about it too much but occasionally I get a glance of a new wrinkle or a gray hair (I've got one total...and it's in my eyebrow of all places!) and it kinda freaks me out. I guess I don't really have a grasp on it yet. Just hoping to age gracefully.
I just bought 4 shirts yesterday. Got them all home. Tried them on again. And took them all back to the store today. Not really sure why I bought them in the first place.
I am SO jealous of all of you who buy multiple pairs of running shoes! I really need a new pair and have been putting it off because I haven't wanted to spend the money. It just hurts my soul a little to cough up $100 for a pair of shoes. But I will. And soon.
I worked at Old Navy in Orlando one summer and I dressed up as the Old Navy dog for a celebrity all-star soccer game at Disney Wide World of Sports. Woof!
My mailbox is falling apart and needs new screws. Has for the past 4 years. One of these days...

So, there you go! Thanks again, AJH. That was fun!

And last but not least, Katye nominated me for the Honest Scrap Award. To accept, I must give you these scraps of honesty. 10 Bests.

1) Best Meal Ever: There's no way to chose. I've had lots of fab meals in my years. Although, I have eaten at the Melting Pot a couple of times and that place never disappoints. Fondue for two!

2) Best Sleep Ever: Any sleep I ever got when my boys were babies. Oh man, I don't miss the sleep deprivation.

3) Best Cup of Coffee: I don't drink coffee. Although, I sometimes wish they'd make a coffee scented candle because it smells SO good!

4) Best Romantic Moment: When Thai Guy proposed. He is not really the romantic type but he surprised me at work (Gold's Gym) and proposed in front of everyone. Such a sweet memory!

5) Best Childhood Memory Moment: Any family vacation. My parents took us to Disney World nearly every summer from the time I was a baby. Those were great times.

6) Best Moment of Your Life: Marrying Thai Guy. Best moment. Ever. Well, and the moments my boys were born. Now those are amazing moments! Meeting the little guys after carrying them for 9 months. Thrilling.

7) Best Moment of Revenge: Hmmm, nothing comes to mind. Just have never been big on revenge, I guess.

8) Best Thing That Someone Has Done for You: Loved me unconditionally.
9) Best Thing You Have Ever Done for Someone Else: Loved them unconditionally.

10) Best Life Changing Moment: I want to say finishing my first marathon but I really think that the best life changing moment was actually finishing my first 5k. It was that moment that gave me some faith in myself, in being able to achieve my goals. It was that moment that made me want to be a lifelong runner.

Thanks Katye! Love your energy girl! Wish I had just a smidgen of it. You are amazing! :)

I'll be MIA for the next week but I'll be back with a Red Rock Canyon recap soon! I also have some really exciting running related news that I can't wait to share!

Nite all! Better go put this young'un to bed. Ha ha! I'm such a nerd.

A new friend!

2010-02-20T23:35:00.000-07:00

When I joined Tall Mom's 1000+++ miles for 2010 club, I was thrilled to see a blogger that lived close by listed on the challenge spreadsheet. Candice only lives about 15 minutes away so I knew I'd have to set up a running "date" with her. (Totally reminds me of ESH's post about running partners HERE. Go read it. It's hilarious.) I decided fairly last minute to run a 10k with a local running club this morning (which I've never done before) and asked Candice if she wanted to run, too. After all, this gal was considering running with a gun, for goodness sakes! I told her there's safety in numbers and all she really needed was a running buddy. I was so thrilled when she said she'd be there. Yay! My first bloggy meet-up!

Funny thing- I had such a hard time going to sleep last night because I was anxious about meeting her. Would I recognize her? Would she like me? Would our paces be similar? Would she bring said gun anyhow? Ok, I wasn't really worried about the gun but I was nervous! Even with all the silly thoughts, I drifted off into a deep sleep and woke up bright and early this morning feeling ready to run.

Thai Guy had decided last minute that he wanted to come, too. My in-laws are in town and we really love having them around to watch the kiddos. (We've paid sitters WAY too many times to go on runs together.) Anyway, Thai Guy and I proceeded to the local running store to meet up with Candice and the other runners. She must have arrived right after we did because she walked in the store only a moment later and I knew her right away. (Phew!) Tall Mom calls her Runner Barbie and it's well-suited to her. She's slender, blonde and a total running babe. (I can say that, right?)

I was quickly struck by her friendly and sweet demeanor as we made some small talk while waiting for our run to begin. I introduced her to the hubby and was super impressed when she called him Thai Guy. She does read my blog! After a few minutes, we got our very confusing instructions (and maps) and headed on our way. The miles went by really quickly as we talked...and talked...and talked some more. I have to admit I did a lot of the talking. Not because she didn't want to mind you, but because I just was spouting things out like a crazy person. I was nervous! And I wanted her to like me. Anyhow, hopefully I was even the slightest bit charming and funny and not too, well, annoying. (There's a thin line, folks and I never know which side I'm on!) I had such a great time meeting her and really look forward to having a new buddy to run with. She's a peach! Here's a pic of us after the run. See? Such a Barbie! Thanks for the fun run, Candice!

After our morning run, Thai Guy and I stopped by the grocery store to get some chicken for his mom's famous Thai curry. While there, I snagged this yummy trail mix for breakfast. I love yogurt almonds!

So, all in all, great morning! I tried running a little more on the treadmill tonight but only cranked out a mile before I felt like collapsing. I'm just tired! I'll get back to it on Monday.

Just one more week 'til Disneyland!!! Two weeks 'til the Red Rock Half!

A lazy streak.

2010-02-18T20:24:00.000-07:00

"Ultimately, the best runners are the ones who are willing to work very hard but who have a little bit of a lazy streak in them."

Benji Durden, Coach

I love that this quote validated my very lazy decision to skip my tempo run last week. I had been feeling a bit guilty about it but no more. My laziness will make me the best runner I can be! Thanks Coach! Seriously though, I have definitely got a lazy streak in me lately! Seems that I'm proving that with every day and every run that goes by without a simple bleep on the bloggy world radar. Sheer laziness! Well, I have been crazy busy with life in general, too. You know the usual suspects- running the kids here to there, cleaning the house in preparation of a visit from the in-laws (they come tomorrow!) and trying to squeeze in my runs in the absence of any real downtime. Exhausting. So, here's a little of my training thus far this week-

Tuesday- long run- 12 miles- 9:28 pace

I dropped Little Red off at preschool and headed out to blaze new (to me) trails. My favorite local trail is closed due to the construction of a bridge (until Fall 2011 no less) so I'm looking for a new route for my long runs. I ran about 6 miles around some neighborhoods north of here and started to get some IT band pain (dang road camber!) so I decided to head home a finish up on the treadmill. Once I got home, I had done about 8.3 miles. I jumped on the treadmill and ran the final 3.7 and rewarded myself with some slow, PAINFUL stretches on the foam roller. Hurts so bad but gotta love the magic in that roller. I wouldn't be running without it!

All in all, a good run but not a good route. My IT band hated it. I need to keep looking...

Today's run- 3x1600 intervals- 8:27 pace

Let me preface this by saying I never run in the early mornings. Like never ever. Well, maybe 7 or 8 am once in a blue moon but never 5:30-6:30 in the morning. I'm just not a morning person. That's why it's worth noting that today I ran at 6:30...in the morning! Crazy. You see at about 6:20 I awoke from this terrible nightmare (and of course, I don't remember even a bit of it now) and did not want to go back to sleep so I decided to go ahead and try to get in as much as my run before having to get the boys out of bed and ready for school. I was dressed and on the treadmmill by 6:27. My training plan called for a 20 min warm-up with 4x1600s at an 8:17 pace. I knew I wouldn't have all that much time so I got in about a 5 min warm up and 3x1600s instead of 4. And then a 5 min cool down. So, a run that would've normally got me 7 or so miles ended up being 4.2. I'll take it!

The best part if having my run done before the boys got up? While Little Red was at preschool, I went shopping. For 3 blissful hours!!! Maybe early morning runs aren't such a bad thing after all.

My plans for this weekend include a 10k training "race" with the local running club + a couple extra warm up and cool down miles. I've never met with this running club so I'm looking forward to it!

My journey.

2010-02-06T02:26:00.001-07:00

Inspired by all the posts I've been reading about those bloggers out there who are on their own journeys to a healthy body, I thought I'd share my own journey.

From about age 10 on, I was a chubby kid, as proven in my recently shared photo from 1990 here. In high school, I thinned out a bit but was never really thin, just average. Here's me circa 1996. Pretty sure Sonic Youth would've revoked my fan club membership for this photo. So uncool, Alicia.

I had been on the tennis team in high school but was not really very athletic. It was fun but mostly just a social outlet for me. I really knew nothing about exercise until I went to college. Once in college, I joined a gym and quickly became a gym rat and started shaping up. This was great but I became too obsessed and quickly developed an unhealthy relationship with food. I just didn't get it. I was starving myself and ended up in the hospital twice because of what the diet pills I was taking did to my heart. Crazy. Again, so uncool, Alicia. Here's a pic of me at, oh, about 21. (Barbara Streisand and I were just kickin' it at the wax museum in Vegas.) Probably about 125 lbs. Totally appropriate weight but killing myself to stay there. I didn't know how or what to eat and I was spending sometimes 5 hours at the gym a day. Did I mention that I worked at Gold's Gym back then, too. That gym was my whole life in those days.

I soon met my sweet husband and we were married about a year later. I felt healthy and happy but I still hadn't gotten a grasp on appropriate nutrition. About 140 here on our wedding day (Aug. 2000.)

Right after we were married I started gaining weight. I got a full-time job, stopped exercising and soon (within 2 months of our wedding) had my drug-addicted baby sister living with us as we tried getting her help. I was super stressed and I ATE! Within a few months, I had gained about 15 lbs and was at about 155 lbs. Here I am at about 155. Firstborn was 2 here. He's now almost 8. So, about 6 years ago. I stayed at this weight (minus when I was pregnant) for about the first 5 years of our marriage. I wanted to lose weight and tried several times unsuccessfully. I just seemed to always end up back at 155.

After Little Red was born (in Aug. 2005), I was hoping that some of the weight I had gained while pregnant would just melt off but 3-4 months after he was born, I still weighed 180 lbs. Way too much for my 5'5" frame. I remember the day this picture (with my Mom) was taken. You wouldn't guess it but I had a girdle on under that sweater, trying to suck it all in. I felt so defeated.

I was SO unhappy. I was taking care of a newborn, suffering from postpartum depression and my oldest had just been diagnosed with autism, which brought along a whole new set of struggles. My life felt really out of control. And I was in a downward spiral. I had seen the doctor and he had given me a prescription for an anti-depressant. I wasn't sure about getting it filled so I talked to Thai Guy about it. He suggested that I exhaust all my other options before deciding to rely on a pill to make me happy. I have to admit, I was disappointed at first. I was looking for a quick fix but he was looking out for my best interest. I'm so thankful that he gave me that gentle push I needed to take control of my life again. I read Dr. Phil's Ultimate Weight Solution and began making small, healthy changes in my eating habits. We then bought a treadmill and I began run/walking while my baby napped everyday. Within 6 months, I lost 50 lbs and had run my first 5k. I was finally feeling like myself again. I was smaller than the day we got married! And that felt good! I began making time for me everyday and I was becoming the mommy and wife that I wanted to be. It was like a revelation! That was 4 years ago and I have been able to keep my weight between 127-135 lbs since. Right now, I'm at 132. This pic is from my half-marathon finish in Sept. (Also, 132 here.)

I always have a goal to eat better or tone up or lose a little here or there. My journey is not over. It continues everyday and I just feel so blessed that I've had the strength to make it to where I am now. I would have never believed it if you had told 25 year old Alicia that I would be a marathoner at 32. I'm so thankful for my body and that I have an opportunity to treat it the way it deserves to be treated. I am healthy and strong and couldn't be happier with the direction I've chosen for my life. Life is good!

Thank you, Tricia!

2010-02-03T12:12:00.001-07:00

I can't believe I won! Tricia from Endurance Isn't Only Physical has named me winner of this awesome Nathan hydration belt and I couldn't be more stoked about it.

If you haven't been over to Tricia's blog (who hasn't?), you definitely should! She is an amazing mom who has lost 122 pounds (!) and continues to support her new healthier lifestyle by eating well and running. She has a contagious positive attitude and seems to never let anything get the best of her. What a great example to me of perseverance and optimism. Thanks Tricia- for the belt and your shining example!

I leave you with a pic of my view of my 4 yr old from the treadmill this morning. He has a habit of getting in my bed in the middle of the night. (I have to admit, I kind of love it.) But I still had to run first thing so I hopped on the treadmill thinking he'd wake up pretty quickly. My treadmill is not quiet. In fact, lately, it's been quite loud. (In desperate need of a tune-up, I think.) Imagine my surprise when he slept through the first 5 miles! Somebody was tired!

Oh, and by the way, that is my Hello Kitty pillow. And, yes, I am a child trapped in a woman's body. What can I say?

I should really be in bed right now...

2010-02-03T00:46:00.000-07:00

...but it's been almost a whole week since I've posted anything on here. Since I always love reading lists in others blogs, here's a top five of my past week.

Back from "vacation" and feverishly planning the next, which is Disneyland at the end of February/beginning of March, with a stop in Vegas on the way back for the Red Rock Canyon Half.
Finally getting around to really planning out my race schedule for the next few months. You can see it in my sidebar. Four half-marathons and the Wasatch Back Ragnar Relay over the next 5 months. Probably some 5 and 10k races sprinkled in there for good measure (and PRs, hopefully.) I'm also planning on volunteering at the Lake Chase Relay in May just for fun. I've never actually volunteered at a race and it's definitely time for me to give back a little. I'm looking forward to it. :)
Had my yearly physical today. I'm in good shape overall but will be anxiously awaiting my cholesterol test results. I had my first high cholesterol reading when I was just 11! And ever since, it has bordered on high unless I'm paying extra careful attention to my food choices. I haven't been great lately but let's just hope I've been good enough. *crossing fingers*
Thai Guy has been feverishly training for his first amateur MMA fight. That means he's been hitting the gym twice a day most days and leaving me with little options when it comes to my runs. I've been squeezing them in but usually on the dying treadmill, while my 4 yr old hangs out in my room watching cartoons. I really need to get outside again, like, soon.
I've run 74.9 miles since Jan. 1st (and that's with a whole week off post-marathon!) I'm well on my way to 1000+ miles for 2010!

Can't wait to see what everyone else has been up to in the last week but first- I must sleep! Until tomorrow!

enjoy your stay.

2010-01-27T10:12:00.002-07:00

I'm on vacation! Well, not really vacation- more like the boys and I tagging along to Thai Guy's work conference in St. George. But we get to stay in a hotel! And I really *heart* hotels because I don't have to clean! No dishes, no vacuuming, no laundry. So, yes, this is a vacation- for me. Right now, Thai Guy is off listening to some boring keynote speaker and I'm lounging by the (indoor) pool with the laptop while the boys swim their little hearts out. Life is good. (I'll bet housekeeping is making my bed right now. Bless them!)

My absolute favorite thing about vacation?! Running, of course! There is nothing more fun to me than to find a new trail or a new route and to discover a town the way I like to- in my trusty running shoes! After a less than stellar Saturday (low BP issues, more on that later), I was determined to be rested and well so that I could get a couple good runs in while here. St. George is at least 10-20 degrees warmer than my hometown so I was looking forward to some warm-ish runs. Sunday night, after a little Googling, I found that there is a trail head just about 1.5 miles from the hotel so Monday morning I got up, got dressed and headed to the trail. I had 10 miles on tap but wasn't really sure how much trail I had to work with. I had to quickly decide whether to go left or right on the trail and after studying the trail map for a couple minutes, well, I realized that I couldn't really read the map so I went right. My first thought, "Isn't it supposed to be warm in St. George?!" I was freezing my fingers off! I had gloves on but still my fingers were so cold that they hurt. Like, really hurt. Like, maybe-I-should-turn-around-and-go-back kind of hurting. And the handheld I took with me was definitely not helping. But, against my better judgment (of course), I trekked on. I dumped out 2/3 of my drink out in order to save my fingers since just switching the bottle back and forth from hand to hand wasn't helping. And neither was holding the bottle strap by one finger. Oh, and holding the bottle in one hand while warming the other one in my pants pocket was becoming potentially dangerous. So, I dumped the drink. I had to. So much for staying hydrated on this run.

Soon after dumping my drink, my fingers started feeling happy and I came across this cute bridge about 2 miles into the trail. I stopped to take a quick pic and quickly continued on. Not even 1/2 a mile later I was starting to feel a little secluded. No one on the trail. And every ~~pile of rocks~~ cave I saw on the trail made me feel like a wolf was going to pop out at me and bite me. (Are there even wolves down here?) So, I made the executive decision to turn around and head back.

I got back to my car with only about 5 miles under my belt so I decided to try going the other way on the trail. "Hmmm, maybe I should've gone left?" After a quick drink from my water bottle in the car, I headed out in the other direction. Sadly, same story. This time I got a little over a mile in before feeling "spooked" and heading back to the car. So, my 10 mile run turned into 7.6 miles but I was okay with that. Beats getting eaten by a wild animal, I suppose. So, what did I learn about myself on that run? That I'm way too neurotic to be a true trail runner. I love trails but just the trails that are planked by neighborhoods and parks and civilization. You know, where people will hear my screams for help.

All things considered, though, I still had a great time enjoying the St. George scenery. The red rock is really beautiful in it's own right. And if all goes as planned, meaning I get chosen out of the lottery, I'll be running in this gorgeous scenery at the St. George Marathon in October. *fingers crossed*

Well, off to enjoy what I have left of my "vacation." I'll be home soon and making the rounds to everyone's blogs. I leave you with this question-

Are you a neurotic runner?

(Please don't tell me I'm the only one or I'll feel like a total nerd.)

Now that I'm a Mommy.

2010-01-21T17:56:00.001-07:00

I know it's not Mother's Day but being Mommy is like 90% of my life so...

a mommy inspired list.

Now that I'm a mommy:

1. I know the meaning of the word "ouch." (Delivered rugrat #1 with no epidural. Ouch, indeed. Makes me ashamed that I ever used the term before.)
2. I only decorate with items that can't be broken.
3. I have a new appreciation for abstract art and I display it all over my fridge.
4. Exercise and "me time" have to go hand in hand because I have no time for both.
5. I learned I can take a punch to the face. Who knew?
6. I had to buy a steam cleaner.
7. I will sometimes stay up way past my bedtime no matter how tired I am because it's quiet! Ahhh, I love those nights.
8. I went from thinking that I'm a kind, patient person to thinking, "I've really got work on being more kind and patient."
9. I can ignore crying, whining, etc. for hours on end. Doesn't phase me one bit.
10. I get it! I get why everyone says, "It's the toughest job you'll ever love." Wouldn't change a thing about my life or my boys. Just to hear those little voices call me Mommy. What a blessing!

Little Red, Firstborn and me last month on my birthday.

Love, love, LOVE these little guys!

(Even with all the pee on the toilet seat. The joy of boys.)

Also, today was my first speedwork day on the new plan and I loved every second of it. That's where I get my runner's high. Going faster than I think my legs will let me. So fun!

When do you get the runner's high? Or have you never felt it? I'm curious!

Back to it!

2010-01-19T15:38:00.002-07:00

Are there people out there that seriously take 3 weeks off from running after a marathon? I took one week off and by Day 3 I was dying to get back out on the road. I did wait a few more days, though, because of my poor aching neck. By Saturday, I was thrilled to get in a quick 3 miles before my pump class. The neck still hurt a bit but I think a run was exactly what I needed to loosen me up. Ahhh, just felt right!

However, after that one run without a training plan, I felt lost. After just ONE run. Over the past 5 months, I've followed 2 separate training plans and now it's like I'm paralyzed without one! I ran for 3 1/2 yrs before ever having any type of plan. Just ran when I felt like it. Ran hard when I wanted to. Scaled it back when I needed to. Was just happy to know I was burning calories. Well, apparently that part of me is gone. Now, I have to know that I'm building speed or mileage or my VO2 max (not that I really know what VO2 max is.) I just need to feel like I'm working towards something. Running for no reason makes me feel like I forgot something. You know that feeling when you leave the house some mornings- "I just feel like I'm forgetting something. I can't think what it is but it's going to drive me crazy until I figure it out." But still you leave and can't believe you are leaving without "it" even though you don't know what "it" is. That's how I feel running with no plan. Just not quite right. So, in order to calm my crazy side, I have signed up for my next race- Red Rock Canyon Half Marathon- and I have a new training plan. Yay for training plans!

It's on the fridge and ready to go! In fact, I've already done the first 2 workouts so I need to get "X"-ing all over this bad boy. *sigh* All is well. (Although, for some reason after uploading this I feel like maybe I should be doing the full. But the race is at the tail end of our Disneyland vacay. Not the sort of rest week you need before a full. I'm just aching to do another full!)

A couple things about the race and training plan:

Red Rock Canyon Marathon and Half-Marathon is put on by Calico Racing which is the same racing company that organized my first marathon. I can't tell you how much I loved the organization of that race. It was small but obviously put together by someone with a pure love of the sport. I will go back for Calico's races again and again. In fact, we already have plans to run in the Angel marathon again next year.
My training plan is from the Furman Institute of Running & Scientific Training (FIRST) and it's seems great. It's based on having just 3 runs a week- speed intervals, tempo and a long run. This is perfect for me as I love my rest days and I've been wanting to get in more weight-training on my off days. Can't wait to see how it goes!

And I leave you with a pic of today's cheat- Lindt Dark Chocolate with Chili! Surprisingly spicier than I thought it would be but SO good. Just what I needed today.

Have a happy week!!

It's Wayback Day!

2010-01-15T19:02:00.000-07:00

I've noticed over the past couple of days that a few of my friends have been changing their Facebook profile pics to younger pictures of themselves. It's one of those "Post your pic and change your status to...etc., etc." If you're on Facebook, you know the drill. They have been getting the expected, "You were so cute!" and "Love it! Such a doll!" kind of responses. I thought about posting mine but decided against it because my pics are, well, not so cute! But since I'm always up for getting laughed at, I thought I'd share with the bloggy world. Presenting Alicia- age 12, in all my chubby glory. Enjoy!!

Don't you love it?! It has all the makings of a perfect 1990 photo. The sideways pony, the feathered bangs, a Bart Simpson t-shirt (yes!), acid washed jeans and don't you just want to pinch those cheeks! Ha ha! It's all too good not to share. Hmm, interesting that I only have the proof. I can't imagine why my parents didn't order prints...

And for something a little running related- think you could finish a marathon after getting hit by a bullet at mile 10?! This guy did!

Post-marathon Pick-Me-Up!

2010-01-14T12:00:00.000-07:00

I'm on Day 5 of marathon recovery and while my legs have been feeling great since, oh, like Tuesday, my neck still has me feeling like I'm walking around with my shoulders attached to my ears. Thai Guy's new affectionate nickname for me- "Stiff Neck." When he gets home from work, "How's it going, Stiff Neck?" and "What's for dinner, Stiff Neck?" Romantic, huh? How about "Can I get you anything, sweetheart?" "Want me to rub out that...Stiff Neck?!" Well, to be perfectly honest, he has offered but what he does to my neck will surely injure it further so I settle for ibuprofen and a heating pad. Anyone else ever hurt their neck/shoulder during a long run? This is the 2nd time this has happened to me! What am I doing wrong? Oh, and the running joke around here (which I love) is that I hurt it because I had to keep looking over my shoulder to see where he was during the race. Ha ha ha! Probable, I guess.

On to the pick-me-up! TMB @ Racing with Babes awarded me this Beautiful Blogger Award and it has really made my day! (Thanks, doll!) In order to accept this prestigious award I must give you guys 7 random facts about me and then award 7 others. So, here goes:

I find it really funny that every time I mistype marathon (of which I do more often than not) it comes out marathong or marathin. Totally something Freudian going on there. Makes me laugh every time. Well, more like chuckle...in my head. You know.
My mind goes blank in the middle of sentences sometimes. I will just forget a word. Something simple like...flashlight. (Not that I talk about flashlights often.) It usually goes something like this- "I can't see. Can someone get me a, ummm, uhhh...." And I play some sort of impromptu charades to get my point across. It's ridiculous. It's frustrating! (But actually pretty funny, too.) Just hoping this doesn't mean I'm headed to early onset Alzheimer's or something.)
My name is pronounced- uh-lish-uh. Just figured you should know. Although, my Dad calls me "Leesh" with a think hillbilly accent. Which leads me to-
I grew up in the hills of West Virginia. No, I'm not a coal miner's daughter but I am a hillbilly's daughter and I love going home to visit every summer. Being with my family just resets me and makes me feel comfortable and happy.
I love to decorate cakes and I have a cake blog where I post pics of my cakes. Nothing else. Just pictures of cakes. If you'd like to see it, you may. Just click here.
I love watching food shows when I'm dieting. Somehow it calms my cravings. Right now I'm hooked on 101 Tastiest Places to Chowdown on the Travel Channel. Food porn. So good but oh so bad.
I got hit by a car when I was 5. Don't worry. I'm okay.

How do you like that for random?

Now, I officially award the Beautiful Blogger Award to:

Heidi @ One Step at a Time
Casey @ VivaRunVegas
Dorothy @ Mile Posts
Mel @ Tall Mom on the Run
Christy @ It Just Looks Like Slow Motion
Julia @ Chocolate Shoestrings
AND Anne @ Asthma and the Gift of Running

Can't wait to read your lists! Have a great day!

Running from an Angel '10- 1st Marathon Recap

2010-01-11T14:36:00.004-07:00

The other side! For weeks, months I sat here wondering what it will feel like to be on the other side of all the marathon training: all the fantasies of crossing the finish line, what it might feel like in the final 6 miles, the emotions I might feel as I gutted it out, and how happy I would be to finally say I'm a marathoner. And here I am on the other side and it feels...AMAZING!!! Our first marathon definitely had it's ups and downs (quite literally!) but Will and I have both come out on the other side feeling like we could take on anything.

Here's how it all went down:

Will, Dad, the boys and I traveled from Utah down to Boulder City, NV on Friday night, checked into our hotel room and headed out to IHOP for some pre-race pancakes, my carb-loading food of choice. (Love the Harvest Grain & Nut pancakes!) We then went back to the hotel and settled in. I set out our clothes and anything and everything we would need for the next morning's run.

I felt surprisingly calm, no pre-race jitters, no nervous tics, no defeating self-talk. That's weird. I always get nervous, even before short races. I figured that maybe the nerves would come the next morning. Fast forward to the next morning (after a terrible night's sleep on the brick-like mattresses at the hotel)- I woke up at about 4:30 am. I tried really hard to get back sleep but just couldn't get comfortable. I finally gave up at 5:30, even though the alarm was set for 6:00, and got up and got dressed. I was still surprisingly calm and stayed that way the rest of the day. I was a mess before my first half so I'm still not quite sure why I was so calm. I was just happy! I was excited to have the day finally here- the reward for all the hard work! I knew that this day was going to be great- no matter what!

We left the hotel at about 7:10 and headed over to the race start at Lake Mead N.R.A., which was about 5 minutes away. We were there fairly early (8 am start) so we (well, my dad) took a few pictures.

views of Lake Mead from starting area

my race shirt

Will and I with the boys with Lake Mead behind us.

The race photographer getting ready to snap our photo.

I can't wait to see the pics that were taken out on the course!

Friends from church who were running, too. Cami (first marathon), Will, me,

Jen (5th marathon) and Lisa (1st marathon.) So great to have them there.

Made the run that much more special. They all did AWESOME!

Lisa and I. Love this girl!

Coleman and Cooper waiting patiently for the race to start.

Calico Racing sign. There was a 50 mile ultra, marathon, half-marathon, 10k and 5k

that morning and Calico seemed to have it all running so smoothly.

The race director, Joyce, was amazing!

After snapping a few photos we all headed over to the start with just a few minutes before go time. The race director, Joyce, gave us a pre-race talk (all 68 of us running the marathon that morning) and was sweet enough to mention my grandmother and the fact that we were running our first marathon in honor of what would've been her 86th birthday. There was also a guy there who was running his 200th marathon! Crazy!

8:00 am- Go Time!

We all lined up at the small starting line chute and we were on our way as soon as the race director yelled go!

Starting the Garmin

Bye, Dad!

Miles 1-5

Mile 1- 9:30

Mile 2- 9:18

Mile 3- 9:46

Mile 4- 9:26

Mile 5- 9:32

We started out feeling fresh and happy to be finally meeting our goal of running a marathon. I couldn't wipe the smile off of my face! We were chatting with the people around us and the miles were going by smoothly and quickly. The weather was sunny and beautiful. Our pace was a little quicker than it would have normally been on a long run but we both felt we were taking it pretty easy so we stuck with it. It was somewhere in this first 5 miles that we ended up running along with a few other marathoners and forming our own "pace group." There was Eric (the triathlete from AZ), Ed (the marathon maniac from So. Cal.), Casey (a local marathoner working on getting her 3 marathons in 3 months to gain membership to the maniacs elite club), Mitch (another maniac who ran with us off and on) and another first-timer (I forgot his name!) They were such a fantastic group! We were all super chatty which helped the miles fly by. There were rolling hills in this part but nothing too hard. Which brings us to-

Miles 6-10

Mile 6- 10:10

Mile 7- 9:24

Mile 8- 9:42

Mile 9- 10:33

Mile 10- 10:54

Still hammering it out here. More rolling hills. There were really NO flat parts on this course. In fact, before we started the race, one of the other runners told Will, "You sure picked a hard one to be your first!" Yes we did!! You can see which miles had the uphills and which had the downhills by our mile splits. Anyway, I'm still all smiles at this point. I'll spare you the suspense and just let you know- I smiled through this entire marathon! (This little tidbit will seem quite impressive a little further down in this story.) I was having so much fun just living in the moment. Nothing could shake my positive attitude. Will seemed to be doing well, too, but he was uncharacteristically quiet. I chalked it up to being in the zone or just enjoying listening to everyone else. Our group was still all hanging in there together. We learned so much about each other and about running from the experienced marathoners in the group. Physically, I was feeling good. No aches or pains. My wind felt great and I was thinking, "I'm going to finish this marathon easily!"

Miles 11-15

Mile 11- 9:47

Mile 12- 10:40

Mile 13- 9:38 (2:08:17 at half-marathon point)

Mile 14- 10:19

Mile 15- 10:58

Mile 11 brought us down a fairly long hill where the road was pretty curved. My ankles were bothering me a little until we got to where the road was a little more even. We then preceded up a steep hill and back down the other side to get to the halfway turn around. We got there in just over 2 hours. We were on our way to the sub 4:30 time that we had set as our goal! And we were still feeling good! I was drinking at every station and had taken 2 gels. My energy was high as we turned to run that 13.1 miles back the other way. Mile 15 brought us to a steep hill (the same one that hurt my ankles on the way down) and this hill was brutal! One mile uphill! We managed to run up the hill with no stopping and were so relieved to get to the top!

Miles 16-20

Mile 16- 11:24

Mile 17- 11:29

Mile 18- 10:37

Mile 19- 12:48

Mile 20- 13:01

Something changed in Mile 16. Will started to slow down a little. He was breaking away from the pack. I knew something was wrong but he said he was fine and continued on. He didn't seem fine, though. Our group had pretty much dispersed at this point. All except for Ed (the marathon maniac from So.Cal.) He and I were running a little ahead of Will only to look behind us to see him struggling. He had put on his headphones for a little "pump up" music and despite his best efforts, took his first walk break between miles 18 and 19. His left quad was locking up on him and had been for the past couple of miles. He was trying to hide it and continue but it was really hurting at this point. There was an aid station right ahead so we stopped for a moment to meet back up with him. I was jogging just a little to keep my legs moving but Ed stayed back with Will. Before I knew it, I was at least a quarter mile ahead of them. I turned around to see Cami and Jen passing by Will and stopping to help rub out his thigh a little. I needed to hold back and stay with Will. I stopped and waited for him even though he was telling me to continue on. WHAT?! No way!! We were going to finish this marathon together, no matter what! He started to get emotional because he felt he had let me down because he wouldn't be able to run the whole way. He felt like he had failed me. I assured him that I was more concerned that we finish the marathon together over anything else. Still, he felt a little dejected and I could tell. I hated that he was so worried about me being disappointed. One thing he didn't know was that what he would accomplish over the next few miles would make me as proud as I've ever been of him.

Miles 18-20 were stop and go. We would walk a little, run a little. Ed continued to stay with us and coach us. (By the way, Ed was awesome! We seriously had our own personal coach out there! He was running his 35th marathon and was a wealth of knowledge. He talked to keep Will's mind off of the pain and continued to give him advice on how to push through. We loved Ed! What a blessing it was to meet him out there on the course.)

Here we are with Ed after the race.

Miles 21-26

Mile 21- 13:58

Mile 22- 13:43

Mile 23- 13:36

Mile 24- 14:13

Mile 25- 15:17

Mile 26- 14:33

This was gut-check time for Will. He was not going to let this marathon (or his body) beat him. With six miles left, now both of his quads are locking up and the left quad is starting to get worse and worse. What started at the bottom of his quad is working it's way up. He kept hoping that the walk breaks would loosen him up but no such luck. Running was excruciating for him but he still continued to push past his limits. I started to get emotional watching him. Every step he took inspired me. Amazing. He kept running, albeit slow, and was determined to finish. No matter how much his body screamed at him to stop.

The Finish

We had ascended the last small hill and were headed down the .2 to the finish line. Ed ran on ahead of us to allow us to finish together. (And, as I learned later, to make sure that our family and friends would be ready to meet us. My dad said Ed came across the finish line saying, "Who here is with a Alicia and Will? Here they come!" Again- love Ed! Who, by the way, headed right back out to do the course again. Maniac indeed!) Anyway, when we got close, I grabbed Will's hand and we finished together! I was so emotional and so proud of my husband (and me!) for what we had just gone through together. Truly a spectacular feeling to cross that finish line and to do it side-by-side. If a marathon is a great metaphor for life then it is truly fitting that I would be right by his side to the very end. Our official finish time- 5:05:48.

Here's some video of us at the finish line.

Post-race

Will was definitely in some pain as we finished. I got this still shot from the video. A picture can speak a thousand words, don't you think?

I was just grinning from ear-to-ear and happy to be done. Will needed some time before he could be happy about it all. :) After a drink, some electrolyte tablets, and some chili (the post-race food was yummy!) he started to feel a little better and within a half an hour he was planning his comeback. Another marathon? What?! I thought he said this would be his one and only. He said he just can't go out like that. So, we are already planning his comeback.

As for me, my legs ached for sure but I generally, felt good throughout the race. In fact, my only real pain is in my neck. I guess I just kept my shoulders too tight. My dad joked about how you never expect someone who has just run a marathon to joke about how much their neck hurts. Ha ha! I guess that's true!

Anyway, I'm hooked and ready to find another one to do this spring and perhaps in the fall, too. I loved the whole experience. Strike that, I hate that Will was hurting but I loved the marathon and everyone who was involved in it and all the ups and downs. It was exhilarating! What a great weekend we had!

Thank you Running from an Angel Marathon! You may have been tough but you just showed us what we're made of!!!

T-minus 2 days!!!

2010-01-06T23:38:00.000-07:00

So, I've been sitting here and making a list of all the things I need to pack up for our trip this weekend. I am so afraid that I'll forget something. Like, I'll wake up Saturday morning and realize I forgot a hair band or my shoes. (I read about this guy in Runner's World who forgot his shoes and ended up running an entire marathon in hikers. Ouch!) So, I'm making a list. A list definitely makes me feel more calm. "Ohmmm." <---That's me trying to relax. I think it's working.

I ran my last training run today on the indoor track at the local community center. It was just 30 min + some speed intervals so I figured running around .125 mile track wouldn't drive me too crazy. (That track is SO short!) Well, the track didn't bother me so much but the people...oh, the people!! The track is basically four lanes between a brick wall and guardrails- walkers in lanes 1 and 2, runners in lanes 3 and 4- at least that's what it says on the wall. I can't even tell you how many times I would be slowed down because of walkers four abreast (totally had to look that word up) seemingly walking shoulder to shoulder with no room to squeeze through. So annoying!! I tried to not-so-subtly clear my throat and they usually noticed me and let me through but, even so, I just couldn't get in a real good groove, you know? That would never happen out on the wide-open road. A track is just too limiting for my "every-run-is-freedom" type of attitude. Anyway, right now- indoor track = way too many people with new year's resolutions. Maybe I'll go back in a few weeks when things have died down a bit. Or just stay on the treadmill until the snow goes away... Sigh.

In happier news- I finally X'd out the last workout on my marathon training plan that has been on the fridge for the past 4 months!!! WahOo!

I went ahead an marked off tomorrow's rest day and 20 min easy workout for Friday (which I'm opting not to do.) Just glorious rest for the next 2 days. Ahhhhh!

Off to go pack and get some sleep!

Running from an Angel Marathon 2010- Pre-race Excitement!

2010-01-03T16:46:00.000-07:00

I'm stoked because (1) yesterday I got this in the mail--

It's the shirt that I designed and ordered from Zazzle.com to wear during the marathon next weekend.

(It says "My Grandmother, My Angel, My Inspiration" Then, in smaller print, "Happy Birthday, Maw Maw! This run's for you!" She would have been 86 on marathon day.)

It turned out even better than I thought it would! I definitely got teary-eyed as I tried it on and thought about how excited I am to be running this marathon in my grandmother's memory. Oh, how I miss her. I'm so thrilled that I was able to find a marathon that fell on her birthday. So perfect!

and

(2) I just heard from the race director, Joyce Forier, and she said that she would include us and our reason for running this marathon in the pre-race talk. Wow! Wow! Wow! I'm just blown away by Calico Racing and Joyce already! I really appreciate her help in making our first marathon experience truly memorable. I've read fantastic reviews of all of her events and feel safe in recommending any of the Calico races. Heck, if Bart says she's good then SHE'S GOOD!!

By the way, can I just say that I LOVE carb-loading and I'm already taking advantage of all the no-guilt eating. It's not too early, is it?!

Give me a beat!

2010-01-02T10:15:00.003-07:00

I love to listen to music when I run. I know that some think that it interferes with the purity of the sport but a good tune can really give me a boost when I need it. That being said, I don't always have headphones on while I run but probably over 50% of the time.

Anyway, I thought I'd share what I have on my mp3 player right now. It's an eclectic mix for sure- everything from pop to country to Aretha. Love it!

Click on "pop-out player" to scan through the songs or just go to the bottom of this page.

It's time for me to go lace up my Asics and get out on the road. Easy 6 miles today! Marathon 1 week from today!

Any tips on eating or anything else for this next week??

Fighting weight?

2010-01-01T19:46:00.000-07:00

Thai Guy (like the hubby's new bloggy name?) is running the marathon with me next Saturday but it's purely a bucket list thing for him. His first true love is MMA (mixed martial arts. Think Ultimate Fighting Championships- boxing, wrestling, jiu-jitsu, muay thai kickboxing, you name it!) He's been working out at a MMA gym for the past year and half. His original goal was just to get in shape but that has slowly turned into a desire to fight in his first amateur fight. Pretty much everyone thinks he's crazy because he's 36 and ~~anciently old for the sport~~ "no spring chicken" but I am excited for him! It's something he's really passionate about and I love to see him meet his goals. (Yes, I'm the perfect, loving wife.) Anyway, how could I not be supportive?! He is running this marathon with me even though he said it was something he would never do. In fact, I think his actual words were- "I don't even like to drive 26 miles! Why on earth would I run that far?!" That being said, I'm not really in love with the idea of watching him get punched in the face but it is kinda' manly and hot, don't ya' think?

Anyway, right after the marathon he is starting this Fighter's Diet, which is a program that was put together by one of the trainers at his gym. It's a 100-Day Challenge that starts with a 6 week cutting phase. I signed up to do it, too, but now I'm not so sure. According to the info I got today, the first 6 weeks you are limited to 7 foods:

Cage-free brown eggs with yolks
Baby organic spinach
Extra-virgin olive oil
Vegetable based salsa
Low fat cottage cheese
Canned chicken breast or canned albacore tuna
Roasted, grilled, or baked chicken breast

That's it. Also, I did the math and according to them, at my weight, I should be eating about 850/cal a day during that time (500 cal less than my BMR). Is that crazy?! That's crazy, right? Thai Guy is convinced that he needs to see this challenge through to be in ultimate fighting shape by April (by his first fight.) However, I'm not so sure that will be enough food for me to meet my running goals. I told him that I'll do it with him for a week but then I might need to find another nutritional plan. I don't doubt that I could lose some serious pounds this way but at what cost?

Anyway, have you ever tried a crazy diet like this? Did it affect your running?

New Year's Song and Dance

2009-12-31T20:11:00.000-07:00

It's that time of year again and I'm ready to set some new goals. I decided to take a look at the goals I set for myself last year at about this time and was surprised to see how few (ha!) I actually accomplished. Here are last year's goals:

Run a 5k in less than 24 minutes. Current PR is 25:47. (FAIL! But did manage to get a new PR of 25:27! I'll be trying this one again this year.)
Start running longer distances (5+ miles) at least once a week. (Check!)
Play in a local mixed doubles tennis tournament with Will. (FAIL! This one is the one I'm most afraid of! I'm just so scared to lose that I won't even try. I'm sure this has something to do with my terrible high school tennis team experience, or lack thereof. I'm still adding this one to this year's goals. I really need to get over it already.)
Learn how to swim, like really swim- backstroke, breaststroke, etc. (FAIL! I thought I might want to do a triathlon but I'm not even remotely interested anymore. I'll leave the swimming to the fish...and the old people at the gym.)
Save at least $500/month. (FAIL! Not even close. Ha!)
Lose 10 lbs (or more) and keep it off! (I lost it but didn't keep it off. This one's a wash.)
Refinish the 2 old dressers that are collecting dust in the garage. (Is it possible it's been over a year since I got those old dressers?! Geesh! Well, didn't refinish them but I did clean them up and they are being used so this one's a wash, too.)
Reorganize and redecorate the loft upstairs. (Um, fail.)
Spend more time working with Coleman on reading and helping Cooper with his speech. (Check! At least I have my priorities in line.)
Read more books. Not to the boys. I read plenty of those. I mean actual grown-up best-seller list books. Then maybe I won't feel like I'm getting dumber with each passing year. (Check! In fact, I've read 3 books in the last 3 weeks!)

So, that's like 3 out of 10. Not very good. Heck, half of these goals I forgot I had even set! I'm going to have to print out a copy of this year's goals and put them where I'll see them. Will says he doesn't set goals at the beginning of the year. He just sets goals throughout the year as things come up that he wants to work on. Not a bad idea. Then you never come back to a list like this and think, "What was I thinking?!" But me being me, I like to wax introspective at least once a year and come up with some things that seem goal-worthy. So, without further adieu-

My Goals for 2010

Running goals: first marathon (1/9/10!), 5k in less than 24 min, 10k in less than 50 min, and a half-marathon in less than 1hr55min. All will require some work but all are totally attainable.
Be at church on time at least 90% of the time. This one will be difficult since church starts at 9:00am this year and I made it to church on time, oh, about 5% of the time when church started at 1:00pm. Now's a great time to figure out a new Sunday morning regimen that will help us to be more prompt.
Read my scriptures everyday. My reading has been inconsistent and I need to make sure that I read, even if just a little, everyday.
Do something nice for someone everyday. Make cookies, write a letter, pay a compliment- be creative and be personal. Surprise people with a nice gesture. Love this one and I'm thinking I'll get the whole family involved.
Play in a mixed doubles tennis tournament with hubster. This year, I'm not letting this one beat me. There is a local tournament every year in June and this year I'll be the first to sign up!
Lastly, I wasn't even sure that I'd add this one this year, but I do need to lose a few pounds. To be totally honest, marathon training has led me down a path of, well, over-carbing and I'd like to be back to feeling like myself by spring. So, my last goal is to lose, hmm, let's say 10 pounds and get back to weight-training and feeling light and spry again.

I'm liking this year's list! Makes me happy to have some goals written out. Funny how last year I made absolutely no mention of running a marathon. It wasn't even on my radar back then. Just goes to show that sometimes we just have to go where life seems to be pushing us. I'm certainly all for adjusting my goals as I see fit throughout the year. Heck, by the time 6 months go by, I may need to adjust my goal to getting to church on time to 50%. (Nards! Giving up before I even start trying!)

Really looking forward to twenty-ten! Good luck to all you goal-setting fools and Happy New Year!!!

What I got for Christmas

2009-12-26T23:07:00.000-07:00

I must be a runner because it's apparently the first thing people think of when trying to come up with a gift idea. Yay for me! My dad bought me Under Armour ColdGear Liner Gloves and these Thorlo socks. I tried them out on my 10 mile run today and I love them both. The gloves kept my hands nice and warm and there is even fleece on the index finger and thumb. You'll never guess why! Okay, maybe you will but I didn't know that gloves had built-in nose wipes. Gross but necessary, I guess. Especially when the weather is SO cold. But just for the record- I did NOT use this feature but was completely fascinated by it. The socks were like little pillows for my feet. Part of me worried that socks that thick couldn't possibly be moisture-wicking even though they claimed to be but they did a great job keeping my feet warm, dry and happy!

My husband bought me 2 running books (The Runner's Rule Book and Running with Angels) and renewed my subscription to Runner's World. The Runner's Rule Book was one that I had asked for. It looked entertaining and it has proven to be just that. Funny, quirky and informative. And definitely a book that only a runner could appreciate. I'm already about halfway through that one. It's a super easy read. The 2nd book hubby found while poking around in a running store. It was written by a local woman who ran off over 100 lbs and it talks of her journey. I'm really excited to read it because I just love those kind of inspirational stories. It seems like every runner has a story to tell. The cover of this book is really cool, too. It shows a woman running by a lake and then, in the lake, you see her reflection plus the reflection of two children chasing behind her. The cover just moves me because part of the reason I started running (and continue to run) is for my kids- to be a good example and to live a long and happy life with them at the center of it. I know all the mothers and mothers-to-be can really relate to that sentiment. If a cover of a book can move me this much than I better have some tissues handy when I actually start reading it. Anyway, some thoughtful gifts from the hubster. (I've been kickin' around the idea of making up a blog name for him. Hmmm, I'll have to think about that one.)

So, happy running Christmas for me. Oh, and I ran about 5 miles on Christmas day and 10 miles today (the day after) so I'm feeling pretty good. 2 weeks to marathon!

Thank you, Dorothy!

2009-12-22T10:15:00.000-07:00

Just a quick post to thank Dorothy (of Mile Posts fame) for the fun swag she sent me from the "Why You Run Contest" giveaway. Look at all this fun stuff! I never win anything so this is super exciting for me. ;)
A Brooks bag, Brooks visor, a cute, peachy tank (that fits!), 2 accel gels, sports beans, a moving comfort toiletry case and even a pack of Brooks pens! Now even when I'm just writing out my grocery list I can feel like a runner. Love it!!

Sorry about the headless pic. I was just trying to keep the camera out of the picture and it ended up looking kinda creepy. Ha ha! Oh, and try and ignore the messy shelves behind me.

So thank you, thank you, thank you, Dorothy! You just made my day! If you haven't checked out her blog go look! I just love it. I'm telling you- this girl knows everything about running! And she's super fast so you know she knows what she's talking about. And she's a mom- so she's so easy to relate to.

Have a happy Tuesday!

The Pinnacle!

2009-12-21T19:02:00.000-07:00

This past Saturday was our 20 mile run- the longest run in our training schedule. It's funny to think back to 2 months ago when I was like "OMGosh, that 20 mile run is going to be a killer! I must be crazy!" But now that I've done it, I don't feel crazy- just crazy good!! What an accomplishment! This time last year, I hadn't even run a 10k nor did I really have a desire to run further than 3-5 miles. Just goes to show you how quickly things can change.

As for the run itself. I felt pretty good. My wind was good, my legs were strong, and I was in good spirits the whole run. The only issue that started to creep up was a bit of a pull in the arch of my right foot and a small pain in my left ankle but nothing that was begging me to walk. I told the hubster that I wanted to finish the run strong so our last mile was our fastest by 24 seconds. Now that felt good!

Here's the stats from the Garmin:

distance- 20 miles

time- 3:20:13

pace- 10:00 min/mile pace dead on

total ascent and descent- 1987 ft. (out and back course)

We've been purposely running a bit of a hilly course because our marathon will be hilly. We wanted to be prepared for everything. The true test to me on how a run goes it how you feel after you've stopped running and surprisingly, I felt less sore after this run than 14, 16, or 18. I even decided to skip the ice bath this time because I was cold enough as it was. (Did I mention this run was in below freezing temps?) The marathon should be warmer, probably in the high 40s, low 50s. That will feel like summer compared to how cold it's been here lately.

I've noticed that I'm beginning to develop some long run day habits. I always eat the same thing pre-run- a waffle with PB- and I'm getting kind of superstitious about my eating out on the run. I've got to have my GU Brew (blueberry pomegranate), this flavor has 2X the sodium which is important for me since I'm a very salty sweater. And I'm also partial to the Key Lime Accel Gel and the Strawberry Clif Shot Bloks because they are about all I can stomach when I'm digging deep in the later miles. I used to like the Raspberry Hammer Gel but for some reason they make me cringe now. Not sure what happened. I never take anything with caffeine, mostly because my cardiologist told me not to (low BP issues) and maybe 5% because I feel like it's a little bit like cheating. I want to know what my body can do without any "performance enhancers," you know? To each his own, though. I certainly don't judge. Anyway, I guess I better make sure that I pack up all my sure things and take them with me for the race. Guess my "superstitions" aren't really too out there. When I start talking to my shoes before a race and not washing my favorite shirt for months- then I've got problems! :)

Less than 3 weeks to the big day!!!

Happy Birthday to me!

2009-12-16T16:47:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was my birthday and since I don't really have any running stuff to talk about I thought I'd just post a link to my birthday blog! It was a great day!

4 Weeks to Marathon!

2009-12-10T18:21:00.000-07:00

Crazy long run last Saturday. We ran in sub-freezing temps with the wind in our face over half the time. Our original plan was to stay on the river trail the whole time but we ended up on the trail only 2/3 of the time because the wind was so strong. We were literally pushing through the strong winds and I couldn't help but think, "As if 18 miles isn't going to be hard enough! Geesh!" So, we went 6 miles out and 6 miles back (the wind at our backs was heavenly) and then went a 6 mile loop that circles our house. That was my brilliant idea. It wasn't until mile 15 that we figured that the last 3 miles were going to be incredibly windy. The river trail funnels wind in a terrible way but this was even worse! We probably would've been better off on the trail the whole way but by the end of this run we were just glad to be done. No coulda', shoulda', woulda'. We did 18 miles! It was ugly but it was done!

As much as I love running outside, I am beginning to have a new appreciation for the treadmill. You don't have to wear 4 layers of clothing. No running with water in hand or hydration belt flopping along with you. No chapped lips or frozen face. (I seriously couldn't feel my face after that run. I talked like I had just had dental surgery for the first 10 min. after I got home.) No checking my pace. A TV perched right up on the wall to keep my brain occupied. Sometimes a treadmill can be a girl's best friend! We do need to get ours fixed, though. I can run on it fine but it slips when I'm walking. Or if you're my husband, all 215 manly pounds of him, you slip every time you get on. It just can't handle him anymore. Poor, tired treadmill. You really need a tune-up.

Anyway, this week is an easy one. Just 3 runs. Yesterday, I ran 6 miles-moderate pace. Tomorrow, I'll do my tempo run and then a long (8-mile) run on Saturday. I've pretty much nixed my cross-training lately because of all the holiday stuff I'm trying to get caught up on. Why is it that shopping when you "have to" instead of when you "want to" just sucks all the fun out of it?!

The Human Race 5k

2009-11-27T01:55:00.000-07:00

"Run with an attitude of gratitude" is the quote that graces the t-shirt I received at this morning's run. I felt it was fitting that all the proceeds of this Thanksgiving Day race are going straight to the Utah Food Bank. I love knowing that my money is going towards a good cause. I definitely felt gratitude in my heart as my hubby and I lined up along with 3400 other runners at the starting line. I usually don't like large races but this one felt just right.

Will and I were lucky enough that our training schedule actually called for a short, tempo pace run this morning. A great excuse to get out and run a 5k! (It's funny how a 5k seems short to me now. Sure didn't feel that way 3-4 yrs ago.)

The weather was frigid but I knew I'd be okay once we started running. I never heard the gun shot to start the race so I just moved with the crowd to the starting line and then continued to weave in and out of traffic for a good mile and a half. (So many people!) My goals were to PR and get under 25 minutes. I did PR with a finish time of 25:27 (!) but I sadly didn't beat 25 minutes. My previous record was 25:47 so I can't be disappointed. In fact, I feel confident that I would've beat 25 minutes had I not spent so much time weaving through people the first mile. Just take a look at my splits from the Garmin-

Mile 1- 8:56
Mile 2- 7:52
Mile 3- 7:43

Mile 1 really held me back! No worries, though. I feel certain I'll get it next time.

Anyway, only 3 runs for me this week. I did 6 miles on Tuesday, 3 miles today and I have 8 miles on Saturday. Easy week of training before another long week next week. I'm actually loving the break. Those long runs are killer!

That's all for today. Happy Thanksgiving!

16 miles with my Sweetheart.

2009-11-23T00:17:00.000-07:00

Will and I have decided to do our longer runs together starting with the 16 miler this past Friday. We had to get a sitter to watch the boys. What? Seems like a waste of a perfectly good sitter, huh? Usually getting a sitter means we are headed to eat sushi and hit the town. Not this time! Will left work a little early so that we could get as much running in as we could before it got dark. We got on the road at about 3:20 pm. Can I just say that it is not easy to wait all day to go on a run this long! I was anxious before this run because of my bad experience on the 14 mile run 2 weeks ago. So, the whole day I was downing water, stretching, and tying and re-tying my shoes. I was doing everything I could to make all the stars align so it would be a perfect run day.

Miles 1-8 were pretty fun. We had a lot to talk about so that kept us distracted. Our pace was steady and the weather was cool and cloudy. Everything felt like it was falling into place. My legs felt fresh. A good start! Nothing spectacular happened. Oh, except for the fact that I peed outside for the first time since I was, like, 5. That was weird! We were absolutely the only people out on the trail but I still had a REALLY hard time scoping out the right spot to go. But from what I hear, I earned some major "real runner" cred from that little caper. Sweet!

At about mile 8, I remembered that I had my blackberry with me and I could play some tunes for the both of us to listen to while we ran. It felt like we had a boom box following us around. I think a bit of music was just what I needed. My pace was definitely faster the second half of the run. Ran a negative split by, like, 4 minutes. We ran the last 3 miles in pretty much complete darkness. Not fun! Although, that probably really helped my pace, too, because I just wanted to get home!

Final Stats:
16 miles
2:36:29
9:46 min/mile pace

Not bad! I am noticing that my longer runs are getting a bit slower but I'm really not worried about it. My only real goal is to finish this marathon without walking.

Oh, before I forget- after this run I took a quick dip in ice and then quickly got ready to go to a wedding reception (heels and all!) but Will was really not doing too well. He looked downright ill! By the time we got to the reception, he was spent. He ended up throwing up twice before we left there! Poor guy! He said he really struggled the last couple of miles of the run. We suspect it was a bit of dehydration and not enough food eaten earlier in the day. Needless to say, we left the reception after our brief appearance and went home to nurse him back to health. A couple Gatorades and some McNuggets and he was good as golden. Ha ha! I think he'll be better prepared before the next long run.

Only 7 more weeks 'til the marathon!

My RHR.

2009-11-19T13:31:00.000-07:00

Last night, I went to the local urgent care because I had been having some dull chest pains for a couple of days. Since I've had circulatory issues in the past (low BP problems and a heart murmur since birth), I decided to play it safe and go get things checked out. The good news is that I'm A-Okay. It's just pain in my chest wall, muscle pain not heart pain. But the even better news is- my resting heart rate is 57 beats per minute!! That means that I'm in such excellent cardiovascular shape that my heart pumps more blood per beat than a normal heart. Which, in turn, means it can pump just as much blood in 57 beats as a normal person does in 70-80 bpm. My heart is loving me for all this running!

My low resting heart rate puts me at "athlete" level on the RHR charts. Funny, how I never felt like an athlete until I saw that chart. Now, I feel like I've got medical proof! LoL!

Obsessed?!

2009-11-18T16:32:00.000-07:00

Coleman (my 7 yr. old)- "Mom, why are you and Dad so obsessed with running?"

I told him that we are training for a marathon and once it's over with we won't be as "obsessed." It's funny because I don't feel obsessed but now that I look at it from his perspective I can totally see why he'd say that. We do talk about our training schedules a lot because we are always trying to work around each others daily schedules to fit it all in. Coleman is a boy who loves routines so he definitely notices when things change, even if only slightly. And lately, he's noticed a bit more running. :)

First of all, Will is definitely not obsessed. My sweet husband is only doing this marathon to support me and check it off of his "bucket list." I asked him the other day if he likes running, even a little, and he said, "No." It's just a means to an end for him.

For me, it's so much more! Running makes me feel alive! I just feel such a sense of freedom. The more I push myself, the more I realize that I can push myself. Or even better, the more I realize that self-imposed limits are useless. It's just such a great way to draw out those feelings of self-confidence in all other areas in your life. Maybe it seems dramatic but I love knowing that when things get hard, I'll push through. And I get to feel that way every time I run.

The reason I started running in the first place was as a self-treatment for postpartum depression after my 2nd little boy was born. And it worked! Who knows where I would be if I hadn't put in the work back then when things got hard. That's not to say that would work for everyone. I feel some people really do need the help of medication but my husband pushed me to try anything and everything before turning to pills and I'm so glad he did. I fought him a little at the time but I soon realized that he really had my best interest in mind. And here I am healthy and happy all because I started running and taking care of my body. What a blessing!

So, obsessed- nah.

Addicted- um, maybe.

Happy- yes, yes, YES!

"Easy" long run...Ha! Not this week!

2009-11-11T18:09:00.000-07:00

Saturday, I officially had my Worst...Run...Ever!! I set out at about 10 am Saturday morning looking forward to my 14 miles of peace and quiet. I was uber-prepared with two gel packs, shot bloks, gu energy drink, chapstick, music and the Garmin. It was a little cool outside but made up for it by being sunny. Seemed like the perfect day for a leisurely run. It started out normal for a long run. About a 9:20 min/mile pace for the first couple of miles. I felt pretty good, maybe a little more tired than usual but not by a lot. About 5-6 miles into the run I knew that this run was not going to be easy to finish. My legs started to feel heavy and my feet were scraping the ground some. Uh-oh! I still had 9 miles left! My pace started to really slow down. I was running about a 10:30 pace for most of the second half of my run. I just kept thinking, "What the heck is wrong with me?!" I ran 12 miles 2 weeks ago easily clocking a 9:25 pace and here I am laboring to get my feet to keep up with a 10:30 pace. Crazy!

By the time I hit the 12 mile mark I thought I was toast. I really wanted to walk. I called my sweet husband to get some motivation to finish. He told me I was almost done and that I could surely do 2 more miles. I really wanted to believe him so I kept going even though my legs were screaming at me to stop. My legs seriously felt like lead by that point. I have never plodded through a run before but here I was, plodding away! Through sheer will, I finished my 14.5 miles (forgot the reset the Garmin so got to run a little more than I bargained for) and all but collapsed in my house.

"What the heck just happened?!" I've been running for 4 years and my legs have NEVER felt that way. Will ran me a nice, refreshing ice bath (brrr!) and I soaked, trying to work through my confusion. I seriously thought, "Maybe I can't run a marathon. Maybe my legs can only take so much." However, now that it's a few days later and I have a decent tempo run under my belt since then, I'm ready to test myself again. I need to prove to myself that it was just a fluke. An off day. A crazy, painful, defeating, demoralizing, off day. I think I was just too sleep-deprived from the kids being sick all last week. I probably just needed more rest. So, now I have an excuse to take a couple of naps as the next long run approaches. Works for me!

Week 7 and Week 8

2009-11-04T10:15:00.000-07:00

Really not much to say about week 7. It was a super easy week of training. Three days of running and the long run was only 6 miles (shorter than my 60 min. moderate run 2 days later.) That 6 miles was REALLY frigid, though. I think it was in the 20s when I went out for my run. My body just doesn't know what to do in cold weather! I start out with gloves and a beanie and a jacket over my running clothes. The jacket is always the first thing to go. I take it off and tie it around my waist usually about 1 or 2 miles into my run. Then my hands start to go numb, like get a little tingly so the gloves have to come off. However, a few minutes later my hands get cold and I have to put them back on. And so it goes for the rest of my run. Gloves on, gloves off. I just have such poor circulation that I can't just warm up and stay warmed up. It's a little annoying mostly because I end up holding my gloves in my hand because I have nowhere else to put them. I have to say that I much prefer running in the warmer months but it is nice to know that the weather won't stop me from getting my training in.

Right now, I'm in week 8 of training and this week is turning out to be really difficult. Not because of the training schedule but because of the swine flu infecting my house. Will and the boys all got sick with it this weekend and we are still waiting it out and hoping to get everyone better super quick. Will is back at work after 2 days on sick leave, Coleman is still coughing and on his 3rd day out of school and poor Cooper still has a fever. He's on his 4th day with a fever and cough and he just doesn't seem to be getting better. So, all this leaves me sleep-deprived and in no condition to run. I was able to get in my 40 minute run and form drills in Monday, but I missed yesterday's run and today's cross-training. Hoping I can pull it all together and still get my 14-miler in sometime this weekend. That is, if I don't get sick myself. Which would be a miracle in itself. Moms just don't have time to get sick...

In better news, I was able to recruit enough people for my Ragnar Relay team and we are now registered under the team name "All Over the Pace." Still lots of work to do between now and then to pull it all together but should be worth it in the end. Well, better get back to tending to the kids. I think they are watching, like, their 100th episode of Spongebob...

Week 6 and Ragnar Prep

2009-10-23T22:59:00.000-06:00

12 miles felt great! After last week's tired 10 miles, I was actually a little worried going into my Thursday morning long run. Last week, I hadn't eaten that morning (busy!) and had hardly eaten anything the night before so I was plodding a little more than usual but this week I was fueled up and felt great the entire 12 miles. Pretty sure I could have gone a few more. I also tried out the Clif Shot Bloks for the first time this week and I liked them! I had the strawberry kind and each little square basically tastes like a giant fruit snack. I tucked one into my jaw and slowly chewed on it while I ran. I'm just not really sure how often to eat them while I'm running. In that 12 miles, I had 4 of them and a bottle of Gatorade and I felt pretty good so I guess that was enough. When I have gels, I always have one after an hour and then another every 15-20 after that. Oh, and I tried Sports Beans last week and I have to pass on those. Way to hard to chew jelly beans and run. Just didn't work for me.

This week I am also in the midst of putting together a neighborhood team for the Ragnar Relay-Wasatch Back June 2010. It's a 188 mile race that you and your team run by each having 3 different legs of the course. It's challenging not only because of the mountain terrain but also because of the exhaustion of running through the night. It may sound terrible but most people who have run it loved it! (Just more proof that runners are indeed crazy.) So far we have 6 definite team members and, like, 4 maybes. We need 12 so hopefully our maybes all come through. I'll be recruiting pretty hard for the next few days because we'd like to register our team before the end of the month.

Let's see. What else? Oh, only 4 more long runs before the marathon! 14, 16, 18, and 20. The rest of my long-ish runs will be 6 or 8 miles, which will feel like nothing compared to the others. Anyway, when I thought of that today I couldn't help but see that light at the end of the tunnel for the first time. I am really about to realize this dream! Crazy! 77 more days!

Week 5

2009-10-18T02:31:00.000-06:00

After dropping Cooper off at preschool at 9 o'clock on Tuesday morning, I jumped on the treadmill just long enough to realize that something is wrong with my treadmill (oh no!) and I then hopped off as quickly as I got on, grabbed my Garmin and headed outside for my tempo run. I love to run outside so this was no problem. I've only been running on the treadmill a little more lately to stave off any more IT band issues. So far, it's working. The tempo run was challenging, by design, but fairly quick so I was able to squeeze it in and get a shower before having to be at Coleman's school to volunteer at 10. I definitely didn't properly warm up, cool down or stretch, though. That's how it goes some days.

On Thursday, Will had the day off, Cooper still had preschool and Coleman was invited to a friend's to play so Will and I decided to do our 10 mile run together. It was really nice to run with him but I realized during this run how obsessed I am with my Garmin. I am a true running gadget geek! You see, Will wore it on this run because I was wearing this cute, new pullover with longer sleeves and little thumb holes in the cuffs. It's designed to keep your hands warmer while you run. Anyway, the Garmin would look weird over my sleeve so I asked Will to wear it. But I realized really quickly how much I rely on that little piece of equipment. Every couple minutes, I was asking Will what our pace was or how many miles we had gone. I just had to know! After the first 3-4 miles, I calmed down and trusted him to keep us on pace and that he did! He even pushed us to beat our sought after pace by an average of 5 seconds/mile. Maybe running with a partner ain't so bad. :) Oh, and I also learned on this run that although these Sport Beans are really tasty it is NOT fun trying to chew and run and breathe all at the same time. I'm going back to Hammer Gels.

Today, I had 50 minutes to run at a moderate pace. I'm already noticing that my moderate pace keeps getting faster and faster each week. That makes me really excited because that just means I'm getting in better shape which is exactly what I want right now. Today's run pace was helped out by fellow trail runner. I don't know her name. I actually don't know her at all. I just saw a girl running up ahead of me, maybe about a half of a mile or so. And I thought, "I can catch up with her." So, I started running at a pretty good pace, pushing myself a little faster than normal to catch up to her. She was pretty fast so she stayed ahead of me for a while but about 23 minutes into my run a caught up to her and passed her just before I had to turn around and head back. Ahhh! Sweet victory! Am I the only one who competes with other runners to push myself?! Something tells me no. In fact, I've had other runners pass me and I'm sure they felt the same way. Bottom line- I ran today at a pace that was 22 seconds faster per mile than last week's moderate run. That's something!

So, another good week of training. Luckily, the IT band held up all week with not even a twinge. (Yay!) And I'm feeling ready to start another week!

I leave you with a pick of the new run cap I bought this week. Love it!

Week 4- How'd it go?

2009-10-11T11:14:00.000-06:00

Well, week 4 felt good! I didn't run last Saturday so made up for it on Tuesday, which was supposed to be a rest day. The book says if you miss a day just skip it but I have a really hard time doing that. I don't want to miss anything...so I ran a little more than I was supposed to this week but I axed my cross-training day so I think it all worked itself out.

Yesterday, I ran a 10k just for fun. I think I'll need to run one or two more races before the marathon just to keep up motivation and have a little bit of fun. This race was challenging! It was 6.2 miles alongside Mt.Timpanogos, lots of hills on a dirt trail with loose gravel. It's great fun to push myself so that part was perfect! But the race was so poorly organized that I don't see myself running it again. First of all, there was a 5k, 10k, and 10k relay. The relay teams were all confused about where they would trade off at. There was only one start time for both the 5k and 10k, even though we started 1/4 mile apart. We heard the gun go off over at the 5k start and the volunteer was like, "Oh...um, go!" "What?!" See what I mean? So confusing. And to top it off, there was absolutely no water along the course. Just seemed crazy to me. The awards were only 2 deep, in 4 categories- 1st and 2nd men over/under 40 and 1st and 2nd women over/under 40. When I told Will all about it, he was like, "It's probably just their first race." But this was their 3rd year! Poorly organized races definitely make you appreciate the ones that are well organized. All that being said, at least they gave out nice t-shirts. Ha ha! (Update 10/13/09: Come to find out I actually won this race in the under 40 female division! They finally posted the results today and there I was, in first place. I didn't know it though because they actually gave my prize to someone else. Oh man...)

Here's a pic of the elevation changes in that race. Hills galore!

And a pic of the view of Mount Timpanogos temple from the finish.

On to Week 5!

Spirit of the Marathon

2009-10-11T10:32:00.000-06:00

Just watched this movie and was moved to tears. I dare anybody to watch it and not want to run a marathon!

I really identified with the woman (Lori, I think) who was running her first and trained on her own. I, too, love to run by myself. I just love the alone time. Just being alone with my thoughts and sorting out things in my head. I've lost miles where I hardly knew that I was running. Running is definitely my chosen form of therapy. Not sure how sane I'd be without it! ;) That being said, I'm thrilled that Will is going to be by my side on race day. If running a marathon is a metaphor for life than it wouldn't be right to do it all alone.

Week 3- finished!!

2009-10-02T13:55:00.000-06:00

I ran the required 9 miles this morning and my 3rd week of training is now done! Feels SO good to mark a big X over the completed days of training on my training schedule. Each run gets me one step closer to 26.2 and even though I feel like it will be an eternity before it actually gets here, breaking it up into weeks makes it more manageable.

This 9 mile run was really my first attempt at running in cooler weather. It was in the 40s when I hopped on the trail and my fingers were frozen! (Note to self: wear gloves on next cold run.) I really thought I was going to have a hard time running outside in the cold because the last time I ran in the cold my teeth really hurt from all the cold air passing through. You see, I'm a total mouth breather. I've tried breathing through just my nose but I just can't! It makes me feel like I'm just a couple minutes away from passing out. Maybe it's a deviated septum? I don't know. I just know that I can't. Anyhow, surprisingly, no hurt teeth. No tight lungs. Everything went just fine. I am thrilled because the weather in January in NV should be pretty similar so I'm feeling confident that the temperature won't be an issue for me that day.

The rest of the week went well, too. I did miss my Monday run, though. It was just the worst day of my now subsiding cold virus. But no worries. I'm already feeling faster compared to week 1! I owe that completely to the interval training days. As much as I love the long, easy runs I think my heart is in the shorter, faster runs. I love to push myself faster and faster during those short bursts. That's when running really feels like running to me. I look forward to setting new 5k and 10k goals after the marathon is over.

Well, that's about it for this week. Pluggin' along. Oh, and I lost 2 lbs this week!. Yay! 8 more to go before race day!

Why?

2009-09-26T22:42:00.000-06:00

No matter who you are, when you decide to run a marathon, you have a reason. Whether it be to raise money for a charity or to mark a new chapter in your life or prove something to yourself or to lose a few pounds, everyone has a reason. My reason for training is sentimental. You see, my grandmother passed away this past May. When I went home for her funeral, I was distraught and sad. I missed her terribly. I decided that I wanted to do something, anything, to show just how much I loved her and just how much her life meant to me. I'm not a lyricist so I knew I wouldn't be writing a song and I'm not a poet so no sonnets were going to be written. I wouldn't be expressing myself creatively so what would I do? Well, what do I do? I run! Not well but I do it. And then I knew what I would do, what I had to do! Before I left West Virginia to return home to Utah, I said out loud, "I'm going to run a marathon in memory of Maw Maw sometime in the next year." I said it and wasn't even sure if I believed it. Pretty sure that no one I said it to believed it but I said it and that was a BIG first step.

I didn't think much of it for a couple of months until the opportunity to train for the half-marathon presented itself. "Could I?" I thought. "Would this be my first step towards the big one?" While training for the half, I searched and searched for the perfect full marathon. I wanted to find one that was on a Saturday (I don't run on Sundays) and was close by. I even prayed that I would know the right one when I found it. Imagine my surprise when I found a little marathon called Running From an Angel Marathon in Boulder City, NV and it was on my grandmother's birthday, of all days! I knew then that this marathon was the one. And I know that she will be the angel that will be running with me every step of the way. I look forward to honoring her in my own way that day and all those training days up to the day of the race. I'm running a marathon because my love for my grandmother is too big to express with words. She is my inspiration.

I'm running a marathon...

2009-09-19T23:13:00.000-06:00

...and I need somewhere to talk about it so I've started this blog! Today marks the end of my first week of training. It hasn't been too bad. I ran about 21 miles. My only hiccup has been a little pain in my knee at the end of my 6 mile run on Thursday. And when I say a little, I really mean a lot. Obviously caused by my IT band. I've dealt with it before. I finished my run out of pure stubbornness and a need to not let the horses and cows see me walking. When I came home, I rolled out the leg with my fancy $30 foam roller and iced it a couple times and now I'm back to running. I'll just have to be careful to roll it out daily and keep stretching and I'm sure I'll be fine.

I have to admit that I've been on the computer for the last 1.5 hours looking up every possible bit of info on the Running from an Angel Marathon. My deductions are: it will be hilly, could very possibly be windy and probably not the perfect marathon for a first. But that's okay to me because I love a challenge! And I really don't have an ego about how fast I can run it. I just want to finish and finish without walking. Too much to ask? I hope not. I figure if I do all the training required. I'll be just fine.

Also, looks like I'll have some company on the course. I've already managed to recruit my husband, 3 ladies from church and my sister-in-law's husband to run the marathon, too! Oh, and another guy from church says he'll come and run the half. I figure people just say to themselves, "If she can do it..." :) But whatever their reasoning, I'm just excited to have the extra support in training and on race day! Wonder if they'll support me in eating less chocolate while I'm training, too? I've run into a bit of a "I'm training for a marathon. I can eat whatever my heart desires." kind of flawed thinking. I may be the only person to ever gain 20 pounds while in training. *sigh*