Sweet!

I asked my friend to make a shirt for me to wear during marathon training and at races, to memorialize my Uncle's that have passed. All three of my Uncles have inspired me in different ways and I wanted that strength with me as I pushed myself harder than I ever have before.

And here it is :)


I looooOOOooovveee it :)

Hobble Creek Half Marathon race report part 2

This race starts at 7:30, which is way too late for August in Utah, but I guess the race directors have to do what they can to get everyone up to the start. It took a good 20 minutes to get up the canyon and buses started loading at 5:15 am. Cathleen (my friend that trained with me, this was her first half marathon, she rocks!) and I ran for about 1/2 mile or so for a warm up, it was pretty chilly up there. We stretched out and then chatted for a little while. We tried to get in the middle of the pack for the start, but it was pretty packed.

The "gun" goes off, it was a police siren sound, kind of weird but whatever. And we don't move, it took about a minute and 20 seconds to cross the line, dang it. Then it was so crowded that we couldn't get into a good groove until about 1.5 miles in :S. I started cramping almost immediately, in my abs, but toughed it out until the 3 mile aid station where I walked and drank water. I decided to start munching on sports beans to see if that would help, it really didn't :(. I was well hydrated and thought I ate well the days prior, so I don't know what was up.

After the mile 3 aid station I decided it was time to just push it as much as I could since this was supposed to be the best downhill part of the course. I passed many many runners through here, which was pretty motivating. My one complaint is the campfire smoke, it kind of just hangs out there in the canyon, but didn't last too long which was good.

I took a Gu at mile 7 or so with the Heed sports drink, man that stuff was gross! I forced myself to drink it because it was getting hot and I was still cramping! Luckily it calmed down just a bit so I could ignore it fairly well. There were quite a few hills through mile 10 or so, which was a surprise to me, no one said anything except for the hill around mile 10.5-11, though it is Utah I should have known ;).

At the mile 11.5 water station, the person in front of me stopped completely, so I had to do the same, I was never able to recover fully and my pace suffered :(. I had been following blue shorts girl for about 2 miles, her pace was pretty even, which was really helpful but I lost her here and had to settle for passing other people instead.

Now, before you all think I'm a big jerk, I was tired and had to pick any motivation that I could. I know people have different ailments and or philosophies when it comes to long distance running, so I don't fault her for what happened, I just used it as motivation. Ok, disclaimer done. There was a woman that was running with a friend and she kept peeing her pants, I passed them at mile 8.5 or so, not wanting to get splashed, it was that bad. But they caught me after the 11.5 aid station, I kept them close, as she went again! And at mile 13 I passed them one last time, I didn't want to be behind her in the photos, I know! I'm so mean.

I really wish I would have had someone to run with, I think I could have done even better, oh and the cramping didn't help either, I forgot to say that I had to stop and walk for about 20 seconds while I tried to stretch the cramp out, that was at mile 11 or so.

Overall I'm pretty pleased with my performance and I'm sure I'll give the race another chance, see if I can run more even splits. I usually remember a little more about the course than I do this time, I guess the fender bender knocked out some of my memory, hehe. Though this report is long enough, so I guess that's good that I don't remember.

Here are my splits, I lost my signal on my Garmin through the canyon, so my mile splits are off a bit.

Mile 1 - 10:25 very crowded at the start
Mile 2 - 10:10 still trying to get my groove
Mile 3 - 10:38 water stop and stretch the abs
Mile 4 - 9:42 nice downhill
Mile 5 - 9:56
Mile 6 - 9:42 found someone to pace with, but he drops back at the aid station :(
Mile 7 - 10:10 aid station and out onto the main road
Mile 8 - 10:11 mean hill
Mile 9 - 10:06
Mile 10 - 10:33 aid station
Mile 11 - 10:48 aid station and walk to stretch again
Mile 12 - 10:43 it's hot!
Mile 13 - 9:08 Garmin reads 12.92 miles, so this is a 9:56 pace

Per Garmin 2:12:16 :). Official results still aren't up yet, so I don't know the seconds, just 2:13:xx

I guess my thoughts that I can't hold a 9:xx mile for more than a mile are wrong, hehe.

Hobble Creek Half Marathon race report

I’m cheating, I’ll come back with a nice and juicy race report later, but for now I’m exhausted and lazy :P.

A goal 2 hrs 10 min. (in my dreams)
B goal 2 hrs 13 min. (only if it's as downhill as they claim)
C goal 2 hrs 15 min (this one is the one I thought I could do if I pushed hard)
D goal 2 hrs 20 min, the goal I wanted back in 2006 and missed by 2 minutes.

Gun time 2 hrs 13 min
Garmin 2 hrs 12 min 26 seconds, woohoo!! 9+ minute personal record for me, yippee!!

then I got rear-ended on my way home :(. I’m ok and it looks like it’s just my bumper, so we’ll see. I’m going to veg out on the couch for awhile and recooperate. I promise to return with more details later, thanks so much for all of your support!

Nervous!

Tomorrow is my half marathon, my goal pace race. I have had goal times before, but none that felt just a little too fast. I'm at a point in my running "career" that is kind of a turning point of sorts. My legs go faster than I think they can and my mind isn't sure I should push myself that hard. I want to pick a goal pace that will be a stretch for me, to see if I can get out of my rut. It's not fast by any means, I'll still be towards the back of the pack, but it's fast for me and that's what counts :).

So wish me luck and hopefully tomorrow I'll have a fantastic report for you!

No, I am not revealing my goal time :P.

The First Day of school

The kids started school today, yes I cried :).

Here is LittleMan, he goes a little early to get some reading help, so he was all alone. He seemed excited and not at all nervous, phew.


He was so excited that we got there early and he had time to play on the playground. I got several pictures and this one was my favorite. "Mom, can I drop down?" yes, buddy, you can do whatever you want. He is my shadow, so it will be interesting to see how he handles being gone all day.


M and L were too cool for more than one picture, so this is all I got :(.

M said he stayed up too late last night so he was tired, he was very subdued while waiting for his teacher, hopefully he relaxes a bit and enjoys himself.

L was nervous, she is in 6th grade (holy crap, how did that happen?) and most of the girls that were there waiting for school to start already know each other, so L had to stand alone. I hope she wins them over quickly and has tons of friends by days end.

I didn't cry until I came home to an empty house, I know I'll get over it soon :P, but I miss them.

Happy Birthday M :)

I can't believe my second born child is now 8! Time has flown so much faster than I ever could have imagined. I know I'm old enough to have kids this age, but 33 still feels too young (yeah, I had a birthday this month too, go me lol).

So this post is to M, my sweet, energetic, adventurous, smart, stubborn boy. I am so happy to be your mom, you challenge me every day, wanting to know everything, wanting hugs, help building your new lego castle, new music on your mp3 play or to show me a new trick you figured out on your bike. I am much happier with you around.

M got a new shirt a few weeks ago and it says pretty much that his way is the only way. He asked what it meant and I told him that it meant he thought he was in charge. So he proudly told Stu that he was now the boss, L said "dad is older than you, you can't be the boss" M said "I've been around since the Roman Empire" Made me very proud, hehehe.

I love you!

A few small changes

I decided that rather than posting about my training, I would add it to the side. I figured that this way, if you didn't want to be too bored with my endless rambles week after week, you didn't have to look ;).

I also changed the colors a bit, just wanted something brighter. If you hate it, let me know, I'm still not sure I like them either :).

And a picture, just because...

A self portrait of M.

Edit to add: I couldn't get the link color to change, lame, so I just got a new layout instead :). Hopefully this one works well.

Inaugural Pioneer Day 10k Race Report

Holy Cow that was hard!!

My last, and only, 10k before this was July 4th, 2005 so I wasn’t sure what to expect. I took almost a year off of running and just really started back in April of this year.

I can’t seem to find my PR but I know it was 1:06:xx and for those that don’t want to read my long and rambling report, I’ll just say that today’s time was 1:04:49, woohoo!!!

I lined up at the back of the pack because I knew I would be one of the last ones to finish and didn’t feel like having lots of people passing me right off the bat ;).

Mile 1: slight uphill grade the whole time! I passed a couple of runners while chanting to myself “don’t go out too fast, don’t go out too fast”. We got about halfway through the mile when I could see a pretty good sized hill. I asked the lady next to me “do you think that’s Goliath?” and she said “I wish it were, it is big, but I don’t think it is” bummer! We get up to the turn in the road right before the mile 1 marker and as we turn right there is a bag piper there playing, so cool! I look ahead and there is “Goliath” holy cow!

Mile 2: I run about halfway up the hill and have to stop, it was just too steep. My garmin is set to stop recording once I slow down to 18 minute miles (I have lots of stop lights and hate to be timed for standing still, hehe) so I’m not exactly sure how long it took me to go up it, I tried to keep my garmin going, but it was hard. According to the graph I got off my computer from the garming, it was a 50% grade hill and went up about 400 feet, ouch! Covered about 1/2 mile or maybe a little less.

Mile 3: I was chasing these two girls in front of me, their pace seemed to be just slightly faster than mine so I wanted to catch them at around mile 4. Luckily for me, at about 3.5 there is a long fairly steep downhill, I love me some downhill. So I let go and let gravity assist me in going faster, one of the girls didn’t seem to want to let me pass so she pushed harder on this downhill than she probably should have, bummer. I passed them both just before the 4 mile marker.

Mile 4: I set my sights on a man in a blue shirt quite a bit ahead of me, thinking that maybe I could reel him in on the next incline. Besides, it was really boring through this stretch and there was very little shade, I needed some distraction ;).

Mile 5: I’m getting really close to blue shirt man and am thinking I may be able to pass him, unfortunately I didn’t know the route well so I timed my push a little too late :(.

Mile 6: around the corner and up another slight incline, I can hear the finishing runners and the crowds cheering so I push a bit harder. Around the corner and done!

I knew it would be close to my PR, but since my garmin stopped on part of the uphill, I guessed it was 4 minutes off, which would have put me just over my PR. I saw the clock and almost burst into tears, I did it, I did it!! I walked away from everyone while I got myself under control, I end up sounding like I’m dying so I didn’t want to worry anyone, lol.

There were maybe 3 spectators along the course, but the volunteers were great and the course wasn’t too bad. I think next year they should start the race an hour earlier though, it was in the mid to upper 70’s when I finished, not so fun when there is no shade :P. I think I’ll run it again next year :).

You can't see me.

Our kitties aren't allowed to sleep on the couch, but Dax thinks the rule only applies to Snake. I took a short nap this afternoon and when I came out this is what she did.


Naughty kitty ;)

What do I look like after a 12 mile run?

Sorry for the blurry pic, my hubby was playing with the camera features.

Week 6, step back week.

I'm a third of the way through training, yay! Though I know you all are probably very tired of hearing about training, sorry about that. I'll try to post some photos of the weeds, err...I mean kids ;), they are growing way too fast!

Monday - 3 miles, I felt like a turtle today, just slogged through the miles grateful that there were only 3 planned.
Tuesday - 5 miles, I did a tempo run of sorts, one mile warm-up very very slow, contemplated making this a 3 miler and doing 5 the next day. After a mile I felt a bit better and sped up, then took the 3rd mile a bit slower to recuperate and planned on going fast again for the 4th mile but it ended up being into a headwind so I just went with what felt good, last mile I really pushed it, felt great!
Wednesday - 3 miles, slow again because of tight calves, but felt better than last weeks third day of running in a row, so hopefully this means the fitness is improving.
Thursday - rest day
Friday - unplanned rest day due to girl stuff ;)
Saturday - 7.8 miles, was supposed to do just 7 but that's ok. I ran this with a friend and it was lots of fun, too many stoplights though which got annoying so I'll look for a new route I think.

Total for the week = 18.8

Onward and upward!

Week 5 is complete

I was planning on running the local 4th of July 10k yesterday but decided to sleep in and relax instead, I was exhausted! But before you get too proud of me, read on ;)

Monday - planned rest, though I'm thinking of bumping up all my runs one day, so we'll see what happens next week.
Tuesday - 3 miles, it was really hard to get this one done, I hated every step of the run hence why I'm thinking of bumping up my runs one day, see if that helps somehow.
Wednesday - 4.5 ran with a friend, makes it much more enjoyable, my numbers may be off this was supposed to be a 5 miler. All I know is it had some giant hills, but it was fun.
Thursday - 10 ran this with the same friend, early and it was dark at first! It was a hard run but felt awesome to get 'er done. I took a nap later than morning and woke up feeling great, no soreness though a little niggling tiredness in the quads.
Friday - rest
Saturday - was supposed to run 3 but decided to see if I could run 8.7 to get 26.2 miles in for the week. I didn't get started until almost 8, not smart when it's already in the mid 70's. Got about 4.5 miles in and was overheating quickly, took a break and ate some Gu and drank tons of water. Went until about 6.5 miles in and I'm out of water and Gatorade and I have 2.2 miles to go when I started feeling a bit dizzy. Luckily I was smart enough to pack my cell phone so I called my wonderful Hunny and he came and got me.

Luckily for me, week 6 is a step back week, maybe I'll remember to get my runs in early this time :P.

Weekly total = 24.1 miles

and a note to self, go earlier in the morning or run up the canyon where there is shade and water fountains!

Week 4

I'm posting this early because this weekend I will be at a family reunion so I got my runs done early.

M - planned rest
T - 3, not a fun run, I was very glad it was over.
W - 4, marks the last run I'll do after 8 am, too dang hot!
Th- 9.1, ran this alone, boring but uneventful which is nice. Longest run since February 2007.
F - 3.4, supposed to be 3 but thought I could take a different route and ended up adding mileage, oops.

total for the week = 19.5 miles, woot. I'm tired and very happy to get some time off from running this weekend, though I know it wont be restful :P.

Next week I'm considering running a 10k just to see if there is any speed hiding in these legs (and I mean speed for me, still considered a penguin in the running world, lol).

Crazy kitty.

My husband's kitty, Dax, is 5 years old, but acts like a kitten still when new toys come out. I tried to get a photo of her holding the toy with her extra toes, but it didn't come out right :(.

And here she is enjoying her mousey prize :).


My kitty, Snake, rarely plays, she is 2 and feels way too old for that anymore. She just talks a lot and now that she is feeling better (she was pretty sick for about a week) she just wants to eat and sleep all the time.

I love having pets, though it's really hard when they get sick :S. I'm thinking chickens are my next pet, hehe.

Week 3

I almost didn't post this week because I ended up with 91% of my planned runs and though that is awesome, I was not totally pleased with myself. Then I talked to my friend that is also training for a marathon and she laughed at my thought of running this morning, just to get those 1.4 miles I missed :P. Yeah, I do get a bit stuck on the plan sometimes and forget that life will just happen, let it go and move in already ;).

Monday - planned rest day
Tuesday - unplanned rest day, sometimes being a girl throws ya for a loop once a month (or twice a month if you are unlucky like me :P).
Wednesday - 4.5 miles, pushed myself hard and it was awesome!
Thursday - 3 miles, ran slow to recover from Wednesday.
Friday - cross training in the form of crazily mowing the lawn and scrubbing down the house before my friends came over for game night.
Saturday - 6.1 miles, had to make up a mile, just couldn't live with myself if I didn't. Ran with my friend, had a blast :).

Total 13.6 miles

Week 4 is a big pick up week for me, 19 miles planned and I have to run my 9 miler alone (farthest I've run since March of 2007), we'll see how it goes :).

Week 2

Another week down, it was a hard one so of course now I'm worried about the real hard weeks coming :S.

Monday- rest day
Tuesday - 3 miles
Wednesday - 3 miles, ran it on the path by the canal. It was nice running on dirt and gravel.
Thursday - 3 miles, I was really tired after this run, very happy for the Friday rest day.
Friday - rest day
Saturday - 7 miles, went a bit faster than expected, woot. I also shopped with my Aunt and Cousin for 5, yes 5! hours and stood at the parade for 2 hours, needless to say, my feet and knees were mighty tired when I went to bed.

Total for the week 16 miles.

My yard progress.

First, I'll get the embarrassing shot out of the way. A shameless brag about my calves, I actually have muscles to show, woot!! This is L's artistic shot of my legs, she tried 3 times and this is the best of the bunch. Here is the front of my house, I put in those pavers myself, lots and lots of work! But I love them!
These sexagon hexagon (I'm such an idiot, I almost put sectagon too, lol) pavers were what we had for a path up to the front door, where the rectangle ones are now. They were spaced out so much, I had to leap from one to the next, not so great in a dress or in the snow. I always felt really bad for guests too, but hey they work great from the driveway. I'll be filling in that dirt with grass and taking out the sidewalk eventually.
Here is my backyard garden, still little but I have kept them alive for a week already, woohoo!!
And here is my side yard garden, I didn't have enough room here for all of the plants, that's why I have two gardens (not to mention the worry our neighbors across the street will help themselves as things ripen).
So my hours and hours of yardwork don't look like much yet, but it's a good start. I need to go find a before shot of the front yard, you'll be slightly more impressed :P. Hopefully my plants will get big and I'll show the progress :). I have *gulp* 14 tomato plants, 24 pepper plants, 3 cucumber plants, and 3 squash.

edited to fix my stupid mistake, thanks Lena :)

Week 1 done

So last week was the 1st week of my 18 week training plan. It ended up being a crazy week so I didn't complete all my runs, actually only half of them :S. But I did get lots of cardio and other workouts in, so it wasn't a complete waste.

Monday- planned day off from running, yoga is my cross training of choice.
Tuesday - 3 miles in 36 minutes, feeling really slow, I have never been fast but this is pretty slow for me, maybe the speed will come back someday.
Wednesday- didn't eat well on Tuesday, was exhausted so I took the day off. Ended up tearing out the carpet in the living room.
Thursday- another day of no running, but more furniture moving and carpet removing, good workout!
Friday - planned rest day, did housework instead.
Saturday - 6 miles, 1hr 7 min, 38 minutes for the 1st 3 miles (mostly gradual uphill, wears me out) and then the best news ever, 29 minutes for the 2nd 3 miles, my fastest 3 miler ever!! I'm quite excited about this! Maybe the speed is hiding in there.

Week total = 9 miles, was supposed to be 15, but I'm not too worried, it wont be a trend ;)

I'm going to make Wednesdays runs be my speed workouts, I'll try different things as the length gets longer.

On to week number 2!!

I haven't been running.

I took a couple extra days off of running, I seemed to have found something else to keep me busy instead....

Gross stains that keep coming back.

A good picture showing the before and after, on the left is the floor that was just covered by carpet and on the right is the floor I refinished last year.

The floor is in pretty good shape, I will refinish it though.

Just another view.

Yeah, I also did more work on the yard too, it's raining today so I wont be taking any pictures just yet. Patience, my child, patience.

Hobble Creek Half Marathon

If you are planning on running this race, you need to register ASAP! I spoke with two of the clerks at Runner's Corner and they said it will most likely fill up in the next day or two. I haven't run this race yet, but I've seen the course, spoken with many that have run it and know the people that organize the race, it's going to be a great one. And it fits perfectly in my training for St. George, so I gotta figure out how to convince my hubby that racing is fun and worth the $30 ;). Plus it's not until August 24th so you have time to train, hehe.

I decided that my Garmin's name is now George. George was the name I used for everything when I was younger, I had a cactus named George, a mole named George, and many other things. So George it is :).

I have been working really hard on my yard the last several days, I need to get a picture put up here soon so you all can be amazed at my skills. Either that or laugh at my lack of skills ;).