Provo City Marathon race recap

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

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!

 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!!