Dallin Said- Race Day Filings

Yesterday, I ran my first race since having surgery on my foot this past winter. It felt really good to be back in the saddle, so to speak.

Runner's high.

Running this race was kind of a last minute decision, but since I had been running with my friend Rachel as she trained anyway, I felt like this decision was meant to be. I easily found someone selling their race bib and they happened to actually be in my age division. It was a sign!

Finish line hugs.

I seriously re-thought this meant-to-be scenario when, 2 days before the race, I acquired the stomach bug my children had been passing around since school let out. Luckily, it was a fast and furious 24 hour kind of thing and even though, I was feeling a little pooped (pun-ny), I was able to make it to the bus and down the course finishing with an official time of  2:42:02. Our unofficial time is more around 2:31, due to my running buddy's call of nature and the race organizers lack of porta-pottys at mile #6. Seriously, the wait time for a turn during a race should not be almost 11 minutes!

But, we are happy with our unofficial time considering we only had a month and a half of training with little to no running up to that point. I proved that my foot is back on track and Rachel, who suffers with Chronic West Nile, showed that pesky little mosquito just who is boss.

Happy finishers.

My wonderful friend and neighbor, Carrilyne was running her first full marathon yesterday also, so of course, I had to stay and see her triumphantly across the finish line. With Richard having business in the Philippines, my munchkins were on their own until I got home around 10:30 in the morning.

Me with my marathon hero.

I walked through the front door, carried by the euphoria of a runner's high, expecting an excited chorus of greetings asking me about my race. Instead, I got this-

Dallin: "Clean it up."
Me: "What?"
Dallin: "The cat puked. Clean it up."

(A long, probably too long, stunned pause.)

Me: (in my best angry, but hurt voice) "I love that I come home from just running 13.1 miles and I don't even get a "Hi, Mom. How was your race?" I just get a demand- clean it up."

Dallin: "Soooorrrrry. I'll file that in my brain under things not to say if you ever run another race when the cat pukes."


Please, give me another race to run. It's far easier than dealing with a 9 year old.


*Thank you to Rachel and Kristen, who I shamelessly stole these pictures from off Facebook. Thanks for all of the great captures.

Serenade of Support

Sometime in January, our family sat down to set some goals for the year just like we always do. I didn't have to think very hard of what I wanted to work on and I only had two goals in mind. First, to do better with my personal scripture study and prayers (this is #1 every year *sigh*), and second, to run Ogden's Half Marathon beating my time from last year.

As hard as number one seems to be for me to perfect, getting ready for number two  has seemed like the most insurmountable of tasks this year. Thanks to schedules, weather, sickness, some right hip pain and a great big heaping dose of self doubt, training for Ogden has just seemed too big for me. But I've done it. I've put in my time.  But over the last few weeks, as I have completed my longer runs, I have come to an awful realization- I won't reach my goal of beating last year's time. It hasn't been enough. I just can't get my pace where it needs to be.

I know...I hear you, "Oh WAH!" And yes, I know that I am lucky to be able to at least run it even if I'm not as fast as I would like to be. But I think that the human spirit has this innate desire to improve, after all isn't that why we feel compelled to set goals and make resolutions in the first place? So not improving is somewhat of a blow to me. This doesn't mean I'm not going to try my darnedest and hope that the downhill nature of the course and the adrenaline rush that race day brings won't provide some sort of miracle, but I'm not counting on it.

I love to run and I love that I get to run this particular race with my brother and his wife, even though, they leave me eating their dust. I also love getting to the home stretch, physically and mentally exhausted, and hear someone yell my name followed by some sentiment of support. It is an incredibly amazing feeling and makes the finish line come that much faster. This brings me to blow #2-

This little band, my little band, of cheerleaders won't be there at the finish line to cheer me on this year. There are other things going on at home Saturday that are more important for them to attend, which means I will also lose my biggest cheerleader (he will hate that I'm calling him that). So I was wondering if you would do me a favor. Would YOU come cheer me on?








Ha! I almost had you there, didn't I? I mean, I wouldn't discourage you from coming, but it is in Ogden about an hour and a half away, it starts at 7:00 am which is really early for a Saturday morning, and I realize that all of that is a lot to ask. Plus, I'm sure most of you are involved with some of the things that are keeping my own personal cheerleaders from coming.

So can I ask you to do me another favor instead? Would you support me by choosing a song to put in my play list that I will run to? It can be whatever you want it to be- just leave the title and artist in the comments section. It can be that song that really inspires you, the one with the really great beat that helps you clean the house when you really don't want to, or just whatever you would run to if you were running a half marathon. You've never run a half marathon? Well here's your chance. For 3 to 5 minutes, or however long your song lasts, you will be my sole running buddy and supporter.

Please, don't worry; I like pretty much any music, unless it is twangy-wangy-tear-in-my-beer country. Last year, I had Frank Mills playing The Music Box Dancer in honor of my parents and AC/DC's Thunderstruck, for my three older brothers with a little bit of everything else sprinkled in between. Believe me you can't go wrong because I believe that most of the magic that music holds is in the memories and the people it is associated with.  So give me some awesome music to serenade me with support and let's go make us an incredible memory this weekend.

Remembering & Race Report

The weather last Saturday was beautiful. I really couldn't have asked for it to be any better.

In Ogden Canyon it framed the lake and the surrounding mountains with the feel of summer; yet the chill of the air and one glance at Snowbasin, with its runs still blanketed in snow and I was reminded that spring had only just made her debut. Still those subtle reminders couldn't keep me from recalling all the good times in summers past that I've spent in that same canyon. From night hiking & fishing at Causey, to waterskiing on Pineview Reservoir with the Young Men and Young Women, to sluffing school to lay out at Cemetery Point trying to bronze myself into looking like the Hawaiian Tropic model, only to end up looking like a lobster. They were good times. Really good times; all of them, but that day they were distracting me from the task at hand- creating another memorable time.

One that I hoped would be under 2 hours.

So with memories set aside, I got back to work on completing my first half marathon.

And never has 'work' been more awesome until I reached the point where the 5K portion of race starts and this happened...

I ran the 5K last year so I knew when I had arrived towards the last part of the course. I figured that I just got excited that there were only 3 miles left and.....  tripped. As I fell I tried to save my legs because I needed them to take me to the finish line, so I caught myself with my hands, then my elbow, then rolled to my left side, and landed on my hip.

My legs were unscathed, so I kept going.

The funniest part is that I didn't care that my elbow and knuckles were bleeding, that my hands were hashed, that my hip would have a bruise the size of a softball on it, or that I took a not-so-little roll on the pavement in front of about 75 people (okay, that one bothered me a little), what I cared about was that it all cost me seconds on the clock.

 Seconds to get off the ground.

Seconds to assess myself and my injuries.

Seconds to get back up to my pace.

And even more seconds when a half a mile later I almost did it again before  discovering my tripping culprit- my blasted untied shoelace.

That meant more seconds to finish untying and then retying the darn thing and more seconds to get up to pace again.

  Ugh!

 Luckily, I still made it to the finish line in less than 2 hours. My official finishing time ended up being 1:59:02.

I was thrilled!

I managed to make another memorable time...despite seconds lost.

Family Finishers

Natalie- 1:59:02, my SIL, Shaleece- 1:57:00, my brother, Dan- 1:51:08, my brother Nate, 2:12:55 

This was the first time running a half marathon for Dan, Nathan & me.  

My time on my running watch. Check out my distance in the right hand corner. I went over a half a mile more than the 13.15 miles of the course. I guess I need to learn to run and stay in a straight line. 

Things I don't want to forget:

*My mom was there to cheer us on and see us at the finish line.

*Richard had all 4 kids up, dressed, and there to meet me at the finish line.

*My brother Nate, who trained only about once a week and only got up to a maximum mileage of 7 miles on a treadmill came in only 13 almost 14 minutes behind me. He sucks, but I still love him 

*The man along the course with the sprinkler and the other spectators that blew bubbles for us to chase.

*The site of clothes flying off up into the air and off to the side of the road as everyone started to heat up and shed their long sleeves as we climbed the one and only hill.

* That I came into the finish line listening to "Wonderful" by Gary Go. Not exactly the heart pounding, adrenaline pumping music I had planned on, but I found it very fitting so it became just what I needed to carry me across.

*And most of all, the tributes to little Ethan Stacy, who lost his life by the hands of his stepfather and whose mother tried to cover it up by burying his body in a unmarked grave at Powder Mountain just north of our start line. On Saturday, I think we all ran for Ethan. I know a part of me did.

Weekend Plans

The little red line is where I will be tomorrow.

(Ogden's Half Marathon Route)

Please, wish me luck, say a little prayer for me, or just come to my funeral if I don't make it.

Either way, I'll see you on the other side.

The Comical Truth About Utah and its Weather

I love humor.

If you are quick with the wit, I will be your biggest fan. In fact, some of you may not know it, but this is one of Richard's most endearing qualities. Hence, I am his biggest fan, but I also find Jeff Foxworthy to be very chuckle-able. Of course, I love his redneck jokes, but his other material is also quite humorous and for the most part, clean too. I'm a little giddy when we are able to catch a re-run of his Blue Collar Comedy Tour on the Comedy Channel, because between Jeff and his cohorts, it is usually a good hour or so of pure amusement.

The thing that makes their material so comical is the element of truth behind it. It is this element of truth that we relate to because somewhere along the way we've met someone or had an experience that is the reality behind the satire.

I was reminded about this element of truth the other day as I ran  in the rain. I am a bad weather running wimp, so this was a first for me- but besides looking like a drowned rat when I got home it was  awesome! As I dodged and hurdled puddles I thought of the previous day's weather- I woke up to snow...I barbequed that evening under a almost cloudless blue sky...and went to bed that night with my window slightly cracked open which was quickly shut at some unearthly hour due to the wind that began to usher in the storm in which I was then running. Can you say crazy? Unpredictable? Perhaps, even hyperactive?  Such is the weather in Utah.

But that day I found it comical due to an e-mail my mom forwarded to me a few days earlier. It was titled "Foxworthy on Utah" and contained many jokes related to the haphazard weather we in Utah, love or loathe so much. Now I don't know if Foxworthy really came up with these, but I still got a chuckle and  I hope you do too.

If someone in a Home Depot store offers you assistance and they don't work there, you live in Utah.


If you've worn shorts and a parka at the same time, you live in Utah.


If you've had a lengthy telephone conversation with someone who dialed the wrong number, you live in Utah.


If 'vacation' means going anywhere south of Salt Lake City for the weekend, you live in Utah.


If you measure distance in hours, you live in Utah.


If you know several people who have hit a deer more than once, you live in Utah.


If you have switched from 'heat' to 'A/C' and back again in the same day, you live in Utah.


If you install security lights on your house and garage but leave both doors unlocked, you live in Utah.


If you can drive 75 mph through 2 feet of snow during a raging blizzard without flinching, you live in Utah.


If you design your kid's Halloween costume to fit over a snowsuit, you live in Utah.


If the speed limit on the highway is 75 mph -- you're going 80, and everyone is still passing you, you live in Utah.


If driving is better in the winter because the potholes are filled with snow, you live in Utah.


If you know all 4 seasons: almost winter, winter, still winter, and road construction, you live in Utah.


If you find 10 degrees 'a little chilly' you live in Utah.


If you actually understand these jokes and forward them to all your friends, you live in Utah.

I guess now in that last line you can add the words "or post in on your blog," but he truth remains the same I understood and laughed at every one. So yes, I am from Utah, born and bred....and Ill even admit, I'm proud of it.....wacky weather and all.

Spring

Its is now officially Spring in my book. I don't go by the calendar or what the wacky weather is doing, I consider it spring when I see these...

There they were today in a neighborhood I ran through; not many, but enough to make a decent bunch of spring cheer.
They made me think of one of my favorite poems, that at one point in my life, I had completely memorized. Since my feet felt like blocks of cement and my breathing was akin to the day that I tried to watch the end of Nicolas Spark's, "Nights in Rodanthe," while running on the treadmill (sobbing and running don't mix well), I tried to recite it in my head as a means of distraction. But as Wordsworth's words tumbled through my mind in incomplete phrases, I could only come up with the last stanza-

For oft when upon my couch I lie

In vacant or in pensive mood;

They flash upon that inward eye

Which is the bliss of solitude;

And then my heart with pleasure fills,

And dances with the daffodils.

And so I trudged on.

How could I not, with  sprightly heads that bobbed ever so slightly in the breeze, cheering me on in their own jocund way?
I had to;

 its finally Spring!

I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud

by William Wordsworth

I wandered lonely as a cloud

That floats on high o'er vales and hills,

When all at once I saw a crowd,

A host, of golden daffodils;

Beside the lake, beneath the trees,

Fluttering and dancing in the breeze.

Continuous as the stars that shine,

And twinkle on the milky way,

They stretched in never-ending line

Along the margin of a bay:

Ten thousand saw I at a glance,

Tossing their heads in sprightly dance.

The waves beside them danced; but they

Out-did the sparkling waves in glee:

A poet could not but be gay,

In such a jocund company:

I gazed - and gazed - but little thought

What wealth the show to me had brought:

For oft, when on my couch I lie

In vacant or in pensive mood,

They flash upon that inward eye

Which is the bliss of solitude;

And then my heart with pleasure fills,

And dances with the daffodils.

Sky Duster

You have to wonder what kind of day lays ahead when you have an appetizer consisting of 2 Advil, 1 Tylenol, and a diet Dr. Pepper before breakfast. Sleep was in short supply last night and I was paying for it this morning. But there was a bright spot in my sleep deprived head throbbing stupor...Yesterday.

Yesterday, was beautiful. Simply beautiful.

It was one of those days we are blessed with during the cold, dark winter that gives us hope that spring really is coming and that sun and warmth are not lost. A beacon of light in what seems like an endless night and I couldn't get enough.

So you will understand my disappointment when I woke this morning to cloudy gray skies and rain. I had planned to do a road run this morning, but decided against it, after I walked the boys to school and found the rain had frozen making the road and sidewalks like a skating rink.

As I headed home to face the hamster wheel instead of the open road, I found myself wishing I could somehow rid the skies of those ugly clouds and restore them to that beautiful azure blue of yesterday.

I was wishing for a sky duster.

This wish was a familiar one.

Growing up our family never went on vacation anywhere we couldn't stay with family or in a tent. The majority of the time we ended up in Oregon, staying with Uncle Albert and Aunt Annie. Their property complete with a garden full of raspberries, a large yard great for exploring, and a stream next to their home gave us plenty of entertainment, so we didn't know any different or really care. But all of those things were useless if it rained, which even in northeast Oregon it does...often...especially if we were on vacation.

This was the case one particular visit when I was 7. It rained and rained, so outdoor play was out of the question. Since I couldn't play, I took up cleaning. Annie had this great duster with a long wooden handle so you could reach ceiling corners and other high places. I think I had dusted every corner, pile, nook & cranny of Annie's home. And at Annie's that's saying something, she being a depression era survivor who saved everything... But still the rain seemed to never let up.

The duster

In the back bedroom, I laid on the old quilt topped bed complaining about the weather and with the duster in hand, mentioned to my mom how I wished I had a duster with a stick long enough to dust the clouds away.

A sky duster.

My mother, trying to provide a distraction and being the lover of poetry she is, helped me turn my wish into a poem.

So here is my 7 turned 33 year old's wish for today.

Sky Duster

I wish I had a duster with a stick to reach the sky,

I'd dust the grey out of the clouds as they went flying by.

I'd make them white and fluffy, like cotton candy too,

Then there wouldn't be rain clouds, to rain on me or you.

-Natalie Huff Parke & Jeanne Huff 1984

And you know, wishes about the weather don't always come true, but in spite of last night's lack of sleep, the pain in my head is gone, and even the hour on the hamster wheel felt great...So maybe today wasn't so cloudy after all.

Maybe, I'll leave the dusting for another day.

Benism- Hot Mama

Image by  www.goworkoutmom.com

Last week as I pretended to be a hamster and run on my hamster wheel, also known as a treadmill, Emma and Ben entertained themselves and me by playing restaurant. They took my breathless orders for pies, cakes, and cookies and then proceeded to make them- out of play dough.

Yum.

When I finished my run I headed up to the living room where there is more floor space to cool down and stretch. Ben followed me and with my back to him he asked, “Mommy, when are you going to eat all the yummy treats you ordered?

Bending at the waist and reaching down toward my toes I replied, “When I’m done stretching. I need to do it while my muscles are still warm.”

Still bent at the waist with Ben behind me, I suddenly felt two little hands plant themselves smack dab on my gluteus maximus!

Those little hands then moved to my hamstrings, quadriceps, and finally, rested from their journey on my bicep.

Through my stunned fog, I heard Ben’s little voice confirm to me, “Yep, mom. You’re right. Your muscles are hot.”



Considering that he agrees that I do indeed still have muscles, I guess he is forgiven for groping his mother!

Shoot me now

So I did it.

Now my heart is pounding, my mouth feels dry, and I feel like I might vomit.

I've been thinking about this since May and talking about it since August, and now that I've done it, I am wondering what I've done!

I just registered for my 1st half marathon.

Just writing it my stomach lurched.

It isn't until May in Ogden, so I have 7 months to add 6 miles onto my run. Easy, right? Except, that about 5 of those months are cold, some are snowy, and I move about as well as molasses in the cold. 

At least, I will be in good company.  My brother Dan and his wife Shaleece, will be running it; along with newcomer, Nathan, another brother of mine. I would love it if you would join us!

I'm not talking about setting any goals yet.  I'm just going to get through the winter and see how it goes. 

Okay maybe just one goal...get through the day without losing my lunch.

The one that started it all

Last Saturday, I ran in the race that started it all, my Ward's Annual 5K. If you don't know the back story, you can read it here. http://buzznbugsblog.blogspot.com/2009_05_01_archive.html

Now, I know that a ward 5K doesn't sound like a lot, but to me it was everything. And I'm sorry I don't even have an accurate time to report. Due to some confusion about the course, by the time we finished we had run 3.5 miles instead of the 3.1 we were supposed too. I think I was somewhere around 27:55. But really it doesn't matter anyway. What mattered that morning was that I was out there fulfilling a goal that I had set 6 months earlier. And I did it! I ran the entire course and came in 4th overall and 1st place out of the women! My other big accomplishment that day was that my leg didn't hurt at all during the race and was just briefly sore afterwards! Hallelujah!

When the 5K finished the kids ran a 1 mile Fun Run. I have been very impressed with how well my boys have done in past years and they didn't disappoint again this year. Dallin came in 1st place! Even beating out big brother, Ashton. He came in 2nd and did not take losing to his little brother very well. He and Richard had stayed up too late the night before and he was not at his peak performance level. He still reminds us of this fact. Benjamin came in somewhere near the end with his faithful running partner, Daddy. They were all rewarded with big boxes of candy and left with content smiles on their faces.

We all did.

A Family Affair

I have been really looking forward to Labor Day weekend. My oldest brother, Dan, lives in Pocatello and he and his wife, Shaleece, had invited us to come up there and join in the fun of the Pocatello Marathon weekend. So we packed the Uplander and headed for Poky. None of us attempted the marathon or even the ½, but we did have entries in the 10K, 1.5 miles, and the .2 mile.

This weekend was to be a first for all of us. It was my brother’s 1st race. It was Shaleece’s and my 1st 10K. I was finally going to get to run with my kids. And my nieces and nephew were participating in the races for the first time too.


It was a really fun race. Lots of support, aide stations, and freebies! It was also my hardest, from both the physical and mental aspect. I had experienced some IT band irritation last week. If you don’t know what IT band irritation is, it basically, means I could hardly walk after running. I wondered if I should even attempt to run the race or try selling my bib number. I was sick. I wanted to run this race so badly! I saw my Dr. who gave me specific stretches for the IT band and also suggested I see a chiropractor. Turns out I was out of alignment. So after 2 hrs of being snapped, crackled, and popped back into shape and given instructions how to roll myself on a $38 foam roller, I was declared fit to race!


The morning of the race I stretched and rolled myself before heading down to the pickup spot to ride the bus to the start line. I had butterflies in my stomach. It seemed like that bus ride took forever and went too far. I kept thinking “I hope they know we’re only doing the 10K and not the 1/2.” I was relieved when the bus made a loop and headed back towards town.



We arrived at the starting line with about 10 minutes to spare. 124 race participants, 2 porta-potties, and 10 minutes…. I decided I would just have to hold it. It is usually just nerves anyways. I was concerned about my leg more, so I spent the time stretching. I told Dan and Shaleece, that I was just going to take it easy and just try to finish in under an hour. I knew I could easily do that, but secretly I wanted to finish in less than 55 minutes.


The gun sounded and we were off.

Dan was like white lightning and I easily lost sight of him. Shaleece kept turning around to see if I was ok. I told her, “Just go. I’m taking it easy.”

It was easy and I felt great, until mile 2. That’s when I felt that familiar painful twinge on the outside of my knee. All worries about my bladder situation disappeared and I knew I had a different problem to worry about. On top of that, I needed to slow down even more. UGH! I kept trying to think about the positive things, like “At least, you made up the hill before it started.” But the negative kept pushing its way into my head. I was struggling….more mentally than physically. I grabbed my cell phone and called Richard. I was probably the only runner on the course talking on a cell phone while they were still running, but it was the only thing I could think of to do.

Richard answered and asked me why I was calling him when I was supposed to be running a race. I stated that I was running, but the twinge in my knee was back. That’s when I started to cry. I wasn’t in a lot of pain, I knew that, along with the stiffness, would come later.

I told him, “I was scared.” I was scared I wouldn’t be able to finish the race. I was scared I would always have this problem whenever I ran. I was afraid I would lose the newfound friend I had in running.

It felt good just to admit it.

I told him, “Just talk to me.” So he did.

I can’t really tell you what he said, it was just that calm, friendly, reassuring voice on the other end of the line that settled my nerves, calmed my fears.

So I kept running and at mile 3.5 the twinge stopped. I passed the wall and I could finally run the way the rest of my body wanted to. I called Richard again and told him not to worry. I was ok. He told me he was there and waiting for me. Eventually, I saw the finish line ahead and pushed it hard. And there he was right before the finish line. The man with the voice on the other end of the line, smiling and taking pictures, along with the 7 children he was put in charge of getting to the race bright and early. I crossed the line at 56:54.

I had made it.

I was victorious. WE were victorious. I couldn’t have done it without him. Not just that day, but everyday he stays with the kids while I train or race. I wish I could have given him even just an ounce of the satisfaction I was feeling. He deserved it too. I hope he knows just how much all he does means to me.

I hadn’t made my secret goal of finishing in less than 55 minutes, but I did better than I thought and even placed 3rd in my age group. Dan and Shaleece were the stars of the day each taking 1st place in their age division. Dan even placed 10th for the whole 10K, pretty good for his 1st race!

We then hurried the kids to their races. Dallin, Benjamin (along with Daddy), Aubrie, and Maysa, all ran the 0.2 and had a great time. Dallin even placed 4th and Maysa found her competitive spirit when other kids would try to pass her she wouldn’t have it and sped up. It was fun to see all their little personalities and how they reacted during and after the race.

Next, Ashton and my nephew, Hayden, ran in the 1.5 mile Fun-a-thon. They started and in no time, Hayden was loping across the finish line taking 1st for the race and boys division. I think he had a stride and a half against the rest of the racers. It pays to be tall with long legs… a feeling I’ll never know. Ashton followed about 3 minutes later taking 3rd in the boys division. He got slowed down by a wood chip that had stowed itself away in his shoe from the playground only to be jostled lose when he started to run. Poor guy had a sore toe, but kept on truckin!

I was so proud of all of us! And like I said, it was a really fun race. Plus, it's the only race that I know of, that when you pick up your race packet and duffle bag of goodies they also give you….a bag of Idaho potatoes! What else?

We Were Out There

This morning I started my run a lot later than usual. I couldn't get out of bed. It was Saturday, no kids to get to school, my day to sleep in. I almost didn't go. But I have a race coming up that I paid good money to run in, so I threw on my gear and headed out the door.

I walked to my starting place and as I waited for my running watch to acquire it's satellite signal, I questioned again if I really wanted to do this today. It was already hot, I had forgotten my gum, and I could feel the cottonmouth already setting in. My goal I was trying for wasn't coming as easy as I wanted and I didn't feel any closer to reaching it today. The GPS signal sounded from my watch, so I figured "what the heck" and I took off.

I passed my friend Margaret on my way to the trail and she asked how I was? "Sleepy" I replied. She responded back "But at least you're out on a Saturday." Yep, at least I was out there.

It didn't take long to be glad I had gone. It was comedy central on the trail this morning! There were the ladies pushing strollers whose mouths went 2 times faster than their legs. Or the guy dressed from head to toe in expensive Nike running gear- smoking a cigarette. And last, but certainly not least, the two young adults running with their healthy bottled water, KING SIZE TWIX BAR & TWINKIES! A little counterproductive, I think, but what do I know. Maybe that's the secret to great running!

I laughed.

Then Margaret's words popped in my head "at least they're out there." That's what mattered. We were all out there trying to do something good with the bodies we had been given.

Okay, so for some of us that was only partly true. But at least we were trying.

I don't know if it was this little thought that spurred me on through the heat and cottonmouth or the endorphins produced when I laughed, but I made my goal. I finally made it through 7 miles in 1hr. 2 min. & 28 seconds.

I was glad I was out there!

Me with Emma after running my last race the 4th of July "Freedom Run."

The Reason Why

So, if you have been a reader of my blog in the past, you probably noticed a decrease in the frequency of my blog posts since March. I figured I would let you in on the reason why.

It's because I have been doing a lot of this...

....No, not looking like a pregnant squirrel. It was cold, so I had 2 shirts on. Plus, it was 7am, & I was still puffy. At least that's my excuse. I've been RUNNING!!! YES, FOR FUN!!! WHY you say??? Let me explain.

After the holidays, I was the heaviest I have ever been. My "muffin top" was not appetizing or attractive. I was very down about myself and my appearance and decided I needed to take control and do something. Our ward has an annual 5K every year in September, that I have never participated in. I decided to change that this year. I decided I was gonna run that 3.1 miles if it killed me! So I had my goal & something to work towards.

But where to start. I couldn't run to save my life! I hated to run in high school. Honestly, I think it took me 16 minutes to do a mile in gym class and I haven't attempted to run since then. But in my neighborhood I am surrounded by runners and 2 of my sister-in-laws run, so I figured if they can do it, so can I.

Luckily, I ran across a schedule in my Family Circle magazine that was tailored to someone just starting by alternating walking and running. It worked well. I wasn't overwhelmed, and little by little, built up my minutes and miles, until I could run without having to walk.

My great neighbor and friend, Carrilyne, in all her wisdom, suggested that maybe I should run a race before September. I'm sure she knew I would need motivation to keep going and September was still a long ways away. She told me about the Utah Valley 5K and since it goes right past our neighborhood and it wasn't until June, so I still had plenty of time to get ready, I thought that maybe I could do it. I checked it out, talked to Richard, and my sister in-law Shaleece said she would come from Pocatello to run it with me.

I signed up. I was committed.

My sis-in-law,Shaleece, my heroine, stretching.

So I ran. On the treadmill when the weather was bad, which it was a lot of the time. Then finally outside on real pavement. Then the call came. Shaleece was going to run the Ogden 5K on May 16th and wondered if I wanted to give it a try. I still had not ran the whole 3.1 miles and the Ogden race was only 2 weeks away, but I figured what the heck and did it anyway!

I loved it! It was a great feeling! It was a wonderful running day!

We figured that if we could do it within 31-32 minutes that would be good. We did it in 30:21! And if we hadn't been stuck in the middle of the pack, I'm sure we would've shaved of those 21 seconds and then some.


Yeah! We did it!

I didn't think I really liked running until I ran that race. It was just something I endured to reach a goal. But that adrenaline rush of beating a time and running it the whole way, just spurred this little competitive part of me. Now I looked forward to getting the kids to school so I could go run. And I'm sure Ben's pre-school teacher got tired of seeing, & probably smelling, me in my running clothes, but I didn't care. I had a mission, and that mission was to run.


Now, I wish I could report a ton of weight loss, but I can't. I've only lost about 7-8 lbs since Christmas. But I can tell the difference in how things fit and how I feel. I can also run 4 miles (if I push it), where in the beginning I had trouble running for 1 minute. Plus, and maybe this is the best part, my "muffin top" has gone from "jumbo size" to just "regular" and that is good enough for me!