Corner Canyon Ultra Trail Race-My First 50K

This recap may just be all over the place.  I don't feel like I can even describe the emotions and feelings I've had about this whole experience but I will try to put it into words.  But just trust me that talking about it and experiencing it are two completely different things, as is with anything experienced in life.  You've got to experience it to understand it:  the joy, pain, excitement, nervousness, love of the outdoors, etc.   I will try to expound.

When I first found out about this race I learned there were two different lengths to run, a 25K and 50K.  I knew instantly I wanted to run in Corner Canyon again.  It's so far been my favorite trail running place.  So to be able to run another sponsored race here was a no-brainer.  I WAS IN.  Now the tough decision came as to which length to run.  I knew I could handle the 25K because I had run a 15 mile trail race here back in May with Josh and Julia.  That was a great experience then and so I was so excited to get another opportunity.  I also needed exactly 16 miles for my marathon training schedule and the 25K was going to fit that need perfectly.  But I wanted so badly to run the 50K but was so afraid to be out there in the mountains alone.  So after mulling it over for a couple weeks I just settled and signed up for the 25K.  I threw the idea out there on Facebook and asked if anyone wanted to join in on the adventure, thinking there would be no takers.  Josh already had a race he was doing that day and Julia was already moved to a different state, so I thought I would be running solo.  Well, out of the blue comes a comment from good old Mr. Cory Reese saying he was going to be running the 50K.  Now this was going to change everything.  I just had to work up the courage to beg, bribe, ask nicely if I could join him on the 50K.  I knew I wanted to be challenged and upgrading to the 50K would be the perfect solution.  I ever-so-nervously asked and he was so kind to agree to pace me.  I told him if he could at least get me 1/2 way up and down this mountain then I could probably manage to get myself back to the finish line and then he could run at whatever speed he wanted. Well, he was way too kind at even that suggestion and told me he would support me 100%.  Who does that?  I'll tell you.  Super kind, running idols and heroes, and that would be Cory Reese.

Race day came and I was up early at 4:15 am to take care of all the pre-race things a runner does.  The night before I had set everything out and had them in drop bags for Mark to bring to the aid stations he would be visiting at mile 19.6, mile 22.8, and mile 24.8.  Mark is so supportive and patient with me and my crazy running endeavors.  He will go to my races and hang out for any amount of time to see me run in.  Or he will sit at aid stations for hours on end waiting for me to get there.  He also doesn't mind the out of town trips because then we get a little vacation together.

Here is Mark after waiting about 2 hours at mile 19.6.

I really over-packed and actually ended up not needing a single thing.  I even unloaded a bunch of stuff that I was carrying and left it with him.  That just shows how great of a race this was.  It was so well supported and stocked at all the aid stations.  Without having run an ultra before I didn't know what to expect and I was just super impressed with the volunteers, the food, the drinks, the ice, who knew that ice could feel like manna from heaven? and the great enthusiasm that everyone had.   But, I'm jumping ahead a little bit.  

I got myself out the door a little before 5:00 am and got to the starting line to check in and get my packet.  Oh boy! Did I ever have pre-race jitters!!  I got my bib on and made a pit stop and then just walked around the parking lot trying to take nice, slow, steady breaths.  Cory was here and talking to other runners.  He seemed as cool and relaxed as an early morning Summer breeze. I didn't feel like I could visit the small crowd gathered and so I just continued to try to calm my nerves and relax by walking and walking.  A few minutes before time to start they had us gather to share information about the course and to talk about Johnny Runner.  He was the reason we were all here to run.  He has cancer and this race was put on by his trail running buddies to benefit his family.  There were some tears shed as he spoke to us but yet a strength in his voice that he was going to fight this and win! I sure hope he does! What an incredibly genuine, nice man.

A picture of me and Johnny Runner after the race was over.  He was such an inspiration to me to go after my dreams and don't give up! EVER!

The race started right on time at 6:00 am and we were off, with it still being a little bit dark, all 26 of us for the 50K.  There would be 60 people running the 25K which started an hour later.

Very early in the run a fun gal just a couple years younger than me named Misty, hung out and ran a few miles with us.  She was definitely a hard core ultra-marathoner with this race not being her first rodeo.  It's so fun to hear other people's stories of running and races they've done and future races planned.  At the first aid station, mile 3.6, called Orson Park, we checked in and told them our number (they wanted to keep track of everyone out here) then got some drinks and headed off again.  Misty didn't stop and that would be the last time we ran with her.  She was speedy. 

This was just some of the beautiful scenery we enjoyed along our journey.  It had rained the night before the race and so the morning air was cool and the trail seemed to be a little moist and less dusty.

We climbed a nice ascent and was well above the city and enjoyed some nice views of some hot air balloons and was still enjoying some cool canyon breezes.  At aid station #2, mile 8.7, called Ghost Falls, there was a nice spread of treats and drinks and we indulged.  I was feeling great and still felt like I was just floating on cloud 9.  I may have been running with a plastered smile on my face for the first 14 miles.  I just couldn't believe what an awesome experience this was and what a feeling of appreciation for the mountains and trees and trails I was feeling.

I think Cory was on a little runner's high as well.

At the third aid station, mile 11.9 there was another huge spread of goodies to enjoy.  And, I of course love goodies.  I wanted to make sure I was fueling my body properly with enough calories to keep me going with enough energy but without feeling too full.  This was challenging to find the right proportions as I would learn throughout the day. 

 Potato Hill at mile 11.9

It was also at this aid station where I saw an old neighbor friend of 19 years, Lester Muranaka, who lives in the Draper Hills area and was out walking his dogs this morning.  That was a pleasant surprise.

  

After the wonderful refreshments and the volunteers filling up my hydration vest for me we were off again. 

Cory was such a great companion runner.  Most of the time he let me be in the lead but really I just wanted to follow him and try to maintain his pace.  One time while running I pulled out my camera and snapped this photo without even looking back.  A little blurry but not too shabby for not even looking.

Everything was going good except for the heat was getting a little more intense.  I just kept staying as hydrated as I could without feeling sloshy in my tummy.  Cory reminded me to take my gu's.  Around mile 13 Cory pointed out a dragonfly.  Little did he know the significance of this.  Immediately I was reminded of my sweet Porter and I had a little crying moment while running.  That's a hard thing to do and maintain your breathing.  I tried to dry it up quickly.  It seems anytime I'm out running I will have a Porter moment and be drawn to thoughts of him and my precious memories of him.

At mile 14.3 is where things would change drastically!  I had studied this course up and down, in and out, and had written down the exact places where the elevation gains would be happening so I would know when to be ready for them.  I knew this next part of the course was going to be killer but I didn't realize how bad until trying to climb this beast of a mountain how bad it really was.  There is a person about 2/3 up this hill.  Can you see him?

Oh, there he is with my camera zoomed in.  This hill wouldn't have been quite so bad if the top of it would have been the end of climbing.  Oh no!  We had exactly 2.8 miles of intense climbing to accomplish this task. There was still more mountain to climb behind this hill.  Ugggghhhh..... My friend Annaleesa texted me somewhere in the middle of this to see how I was doing and all I could text back was "Can't breathe, climbing steep hill!"

 The heat was not fun and we had absolutely zero shade.  Good thing we had plenty of water though.

Cory kept track of the time it took for this section and we were averaging about a mile every half hour.  That's some pretty slow rough climbing if you ask me.  I knew Cory had more strength and energy to get up this hill and could have done it faster. He took the lead and threw down an imaginary rope for me to pretend like I was holding on to.   Sadly it didn't work.

We were admiring that cool, refreshing looking pool at the bottom of this hill we just climbed during a much needed rest moment.

You can see the trail by Cory's hat brim as where we started this climb.  Another friend of mine asked if there were any switchbacks in this section and sadly there weren't any.  Basically straight up!

Don't know how I'm managing a smile right now.  Maybe because I got a moment to rest?

This is another angle of the mountain we had climbed. It was taken later on as we were descending the mountain.  Seriously, why did we just climb this mountain to turn around and come back down?? I'm still baffled over that one.   Just follow the horizon from the right to the left and that was maybe a third of the climb. (not the carved out trail below)  Pictures really don't do it justice.  Just please go climb this mountain and feel the pain yourself.

OK, enough of my whining.  We would finally master this mountain and get to the top where an unmanned aid station, number 4 would be set up for us at mile 17.1 called Mack Hill.  This is where it felt like a gift from heaven had been dropped into our laps.  This was the most beautiful sight ever!  An ice chest filled with ice and we got to dive in to our hearts desire.  OK, well, we did have to save some for the people behind us.

We loaded up our water bags with ice and water from a couple of coolers that were there as well.  I grabbed a few handfuls and washed my hands and arms and put it on my neck.  Words can't describe the joy I was experiencing with just some simple ice cubes. 

Time to continue our journey.  Mark had been waiting a long time at aid station #5, mile 19.6.  I had no clue that mountain was going to take so long to get up and down.  But we were making our way there eventually. As we were getting there we saw this yellow caution tape.  There was actually tape all along the course and at the beginning of the race the directors had told us to NOT cross the tape or we would be disqualified from the race.  Shhhh........ I was being a rebel, don't tell on me. 

Well, at last I got to see my sweet hubby.  I gave him a big ole sweaty hug and squeezed him tight.  He knows he loved it.  We visited for just a little bit while I chowed down on some more treats.   I also got to meet some new Facebook friends from a group I belong to called Runners Anonymous.  Kevin Papa Kunz and his cute wife Elise Kunz, whom I've not met in person before dropped by with a gallon of cold chocolate milk for me.  It's so much fun to meet new running people.  They have organized a Wednesday morning run which I may be participating in pretty soon.  At this aid station we had an out and back section of only 3.2 miles and so Mark stayed here until I would come back.  At the furthest point was a box with stickers in it and we were required to put a sticker on our bib to prove we made it to this point.  You can believe that I may have put 4 of the largest stickers on my bib.  I needed extra smiles to keep me going.

  At mile 22  (almost)

As we were heading back to the aid station it was so incredibly hot and I was doing everything I could to get any hint of shade as we ran by the trees.  It probably wasn't doing any good.  I made a tiny mistake in this part of the trail by not keeping my water bag filled.  I had run out of water with about a quarter mile left to get back to the aid station.  Pretty sure I wouldn't make that mistake again.  I didn't realize I was so low before we headed off on the out and back.  Mark had brought me an ice cold Powerade that he had frozen and had in an ice chest.  It was like drinking a lemon-lime slushy.  I downed half the bottle and then took it with me on my run.  That was a great treat.  So after seeing Mark at mile 22.8, aid station stop #6 at Suncrest Deer Park, and filling up my water bag with ice and water and enjoying more snacks we were off again.  I would see Mark again at the last aid station, #7, at Potato Hill, just 2 miles later at mile 24.8.  It was all downhill to there and so he wouldn't have to wait long.

From here things start to get a little hazy.  I don't remember when I took this photo.  I do know it was sometime after the last aid station but I like the temple and it helped put things in perspective of how close we were. I knew that the finish line was a little over 5 miles away.  When we arrived at the last aid station, Mark was there and I was happy to see his cute face again.  I thanked him for supporting me and being there.  He was heading home now and I would finish my race and drive home on my own.  My water bag was plenty full.  I downed three cups of coke with tons of ice in them and was totally not in the mood for any food.  There were some salt tablets available there as well and so I took one of those.  Cory had also shared a couple of salt tabs throughout the day.  That's definitely something I need to get for myself for longer runs in the heat.  Well, this was it.  Time to face the final frontier!  We had the final stretch of about 5 1/2 miles left to go.  I felt pretty good for only a little while and when the next and final uphill stretch started at mile 25.7 I BONKED!  I couldn't run, and my walking had slowed way down.  I kept getting cramps and I would have to stop and let it pass and take slow deep breaths.  This little stretch of uphill lasted for 1.6 miles but as far as I was concerned it felt like 10 miles!  Cory suggested I ought to get some more calories in me.  He was even having some stomach issues and forced himself to eat a gu.  He told me to have the camera ready because this may be his first mid-race upchuck.  The heat was really taking a toll on our bodies and we were just ready to get this race done.  Eating a gu was the last thing I wanted to do but I realized that at the last aid station I had only drank 3 cups of coke and a salt tab.  I had forgotten to eat any food!  That is so not like me.  Mark even told me later that he noticed I didn't eat anything and wondered why? It must have been the heat.  So I forced one down and about 10-15 minutes later I felt a little better.  The last climb was over and it was time to start heading down hill. 

  

I love down hills.  I feel like sometimes I just can put it on cruise control and keep going all day.  Here we are crossing a little bridge about mile 30.  We were literally so close! I am just so tired and hot, and Cory is looking like an eager beaver ready for another 50 miles.  We got to the end and started running in, only to have them tell us we missed a turn and needed to come in another way.  I looked at Cory and thought "seriously? we have to go back?".  I didn't say it but I think he knew what I was thinking.  It was my fault though because I knew where that parking lot was and I headed straight there like a horse heading to water.  The yellow caution tape had been pulled away at the last intersection and we didn't see it.  Shoot!!  Well, we weren't going to come this far and not finish the correct way.  We headed back across the road and under the bridge and came in the right way to the finish line. It probably only added a little over a quarter mile to our distance.  But that's quite a bit when you are so ready to be done.

 I finished my first ultra marathon trail race 50K (31.10 miles) in 9:46:17 with the very awesome Cory Reese as my pacer and friend.

Now it was Cory's turn to be feeling pretty lousy.  He may or may not have thrown up.  He couldn't stomach any after race treats but I could.  I had some luscious watermelon wedges and then I ran through a sprinkler.  Actually, I didn't run through it, I stood in it for a good long while and let the salt and sweat wash off of me and to cool my body temperature down.  It was an awesome thing to have set up at the finish line of a race.

After visiting with a number of people hanging out at the finish line I thanked Cory for his help today.  I just kept wondering how I would have handled doing this all alone?  It would have been boring, lonely and even a little scary.  Even though we didn't do a ton of talking out there on the course it was just nice to know there was somebody there in case anything did happen.  For that I will be forever grateful. 

The race director handed me this hat at the end and said I won it.  Cool!  Too bad I didn't have it at the start of the race.  That would have been even cooler.  The medals are pretty sweet, a big heavy chunk of medal with Johnny Runner welded out of it. And a pink shirt.  It's the first pink shirt I've ever gotten from a race.  I like it a lot. 

This was a superb race and one I wouldn't mind doing again next year if only they take out the 2.8 mile climb up Widowmaker mountain! The volunteers were super friendly.  The trail was marked so perfectly.  There were pink and green ribbons everywhere.  I'm just glad I didn't have to go retrieve them all when it came time to clean up the course.  I think if a person were to get lost on this trail then they were probably snoozing while running.  The race directors even told us at the beginning that the trail was over marked, and he was right.   It was perfect.

I loved this whole day, even the ending when I bonked.  It helped me learn a valuable lesson about the importance of fueling even when your body doesn't want it.  I also learned that ultra runner's are just average everyday people who enjoy running and love being out there on the trails too.  I learned that leaning on others for support is a good and necessary thing and that this race couldn't be done all alone without aid stations, a supportive hubby and friends.   This whole experience just made me a happy person and I'm so thankful I got to experience every minute of it.  A HUGE THANK YOU again to Cory Reese for your willingness to get me through this.

Marathon Training Plan-Week 10 of 16

Week #10

Monday August 6th-Ran 5 Miles/Walked 2 Miles
 The training schedule starting this week and continuing through week 14 has me running the same miles on Monday for 5, Wednesday for 8, and Thursday for 5.  When I saw this I immediately thought this could get boring but then I realized that would only be the case if I don't change things up and run in different places.  So, that will be my challenge for these next five weeks. My weekend runs are covered with my addiction to running half marathons every Saturday.  I go to my race and then throw in the additional mileage needed for that week and that solves Saturday's long run for me.  It almost feels like I'm cheating by not doing these long runs all by myself on my own.  My hubby said "You're putting in the mileage and that's all that matters.  It doesn't matter where you're doing it or who with."  He's right and I really do enjoy the excitement and all the people at a race and so I will probably continue to keep signing up for them.
So for today's mileage I had recorded the Olympic Women's Marathon on Sunday morning at 4:00 am but of course I wouldn't be watching it that early.  I saved it to watch for today's run on the treadmill.  I did a 1 mile walking warm-up, then ran 5 miles and finished up with walking 1 mile to cool down.  As I watched those Olympic women run I was so astounded at their speed and actually tried to turn up the treadmill for just a few seconds to run at their pace.  NOPE!  NOT HAPPENING!  My body was getting ready to fly off that machine backwards after only about 3 seconds. I just can't even comprehend those incredible ladies doing that for 26.2 miles.  That's something I will get to do in heaven.

Tuesday August 7th-Rest Day-Walked 4 Miles with Laurie
I always enjoy this twalking time.

Wednesday August 8th-Ran 8 Trail Miles
I ran this morning with the Facebook group of friends called "The Single-Track Girls,"  I was very grateful to run in the hills and not be all alone.  There were only 3 of us but it was perfect.  As usual I ran at the back of the pack.  I'm happy bringing up the rear.  It may always be that way since I'm pretty much the oldest in the group and definitely the slowest.

I'm pretty stoked about my new hydration vest that my good friend Annaleesa hooked me up with last night.  I used it today for my first time and I'm absolutely sold on it!  It was so comfortable and lightweight.  Perfect for my longer runs.

Thursday August 9th-Ran 5 Miles
I'm rich! I found 3 dollars in the gutter on this run.  See?  Running really does pay off!
I decided not to do any speed work today to save my legs for Saturday's big 50K adventure.  I'm nervous and excited at the same time.

Friday August 10th-Walked 4 Miles
with Laurie and confessed to her that I was doing a 50K tomorrow.  I know I'm a crazy lady but I just don't want others to think I am too.

 

Saturday August 11th-My First Real, Signed-Up For, Ultra Race!! The Corner Canyon Ultra Trail Race-50K (31 miles).
This was an absolutely incredible and amazing experience.  I will be posting about this whole thing in another blog entry.


Sunday August 12th- Day of Rest! And much napping!

 Total Running Miles: 49

 Total Walking Miles: 10

Little Old Blue/Time for a New Car

Isn't she pretty? My dad built this little '47 Dodge truck quite a long time ago.  He has quite an amazing talent in restoring old vehicles and has done probably a half dozen or more cars in his lifetime.  The problem though is he doesn't have enough garage space to store them all.  My dad's problem then became a little blessing for us and we were the lucky recipients to have this cute little thing at our house for a few years.  Before the boys went on their missions he wanted his grandsons to get to enjoy driving this a little bit.  Besides, what fun is an old car if it just sits in a garage all the time.  I was a tad nervous about that idea but they promised they would be careful and they most certainly were.   

The white Ford Taurus you see in the garage is my regularly driven car and it has been on its last leg for a long time now.  I just continued to drive it and drive it till it was almost driven into the ground.  My husband was getting pretty insistent on getting me something different to drive while this car could still possibly be sold and because he wanted me to be a little more safe on the road. Plus the heater doesn't work and I was regularly seen driving with a blanket on my lap in the winter.

We had talked a lot about this truck and what to do with it.  The boys weren't driving it anymore and it was collecting dust in the garage and taking up one of our spaces.  This was a little frustrating in the Winter when we had to scrape snow off the car in the mornings.  We had a discussion with my mom and dad on what we should do.  They didn't have room to take it back.  We were ready for our garage back.  We had already tried covering it outside with a car cover and that turned out pretty unsuccessful.  We had cancelled the insurance on it long ago because nobody was driving it anymore and so it just sat here neglected. Mom and dad both said to go ahead and sell it.  This really was such a hard decision because this piece of art and hard work was created by my very talented dad and I felt like as long as we had this we would always have a little piece of him when he's not here anymore.  I was so torn.  After a lot of discussion we came to the decision to go ahead and sell it.  We put it on KSL.com and it didn't take long for a guy from Cedar City to come all the way up with a big trailer and buy it without even seeing it in person, only seeing the photos from KSL.com.  He was so thrilled and checked this truck over for two hours before finally pulling away with it. It was a sad day watching that cute little truck going down the road.  I'm happy that someone else will get to have some pleasure from it and I'm happy about a few fond memories we enjoyed with it as well.  We insisted that my parents keep the money because after all it really is theirs.  They were very kind and shared some of it with us and we were then able to put that towards getting us a more reliable family car. I guess/hope everybody is happy in the end?

Unbreakable: Western States 100, The Legacy Midnight Half Marathon and Stepping on Frogs

This was most definitely a crazy weekend! Yes, I have been a little bit of a half marathon maniac this Summer and have raced almost every Saturday. This Saturday would be no different, however it would be totally different. I know that probably doesn't make much sense.  Bear with me. 

One of the Facebook pages I currently like is the Salt Lake Running Company.  They were giving away free tickets to see the movie "Unbreakable: The Western States 100".  It was going to be in their community room at the store and there was going to be a Q&A session afterwards with one of the runner's Anton Krupicka.  I remembered learning about this movie when Cory posted about it last year and I had wanted to see it so bad then.  But, that never happened and I didn't make an effort to buy it or see if the library had it.  When I saw this opportunity to go watch it Friday night I jumped at the chance.

I couldn't find any takers for my second ticket so I went by myself.  I got cozy in my chair with some popcorn and water and tried to settle in for the movie.  In the back of my mind though this Midnight Half Marathon was looming over me.   I did enjoy the movie a lot and am so amazed how people get out there and run for such long distances.  It's something I want to do so bad someday.  You could say it's a bucket list item.  We'll see how much drive and determination I have with the training for the little races I'm doing now first.  After the movie I was cutting it too close for comfort with getting to the Legacy Midnight Half Marathon in time, and so I had to leave before I got to listen in on the Q&A session.  I was just grateful to finally get to see the movie.  I did get to see Anton in person but I didn't get the opportunity to visit with him.

My friend Josh had picked up my packet for me and would give it to me at the bus pick up.  Well, I wasn't going to make it to the bus pick up in time because of the movie so I drove to the starting line and found a nice well-lit place to park in front of a dealership and did a little bit of running before the race started.  I found Josh and got my bib on and my timing chip put on my shoe.  I also was happy to see my friend Monnica there.  She probably runs just as many races as I do, but she is definitely faster.  It is always fun to see familiar faces at races and visit for a little while to help with the pre-race jitters.

I decided to wear my headlamp because I had no idea how dark it was going to be out there.  The race directors (my cousin Cherri Coles and her husband Joe) put this race on each year under a full moon.  They do a fantastic job!  There was so much glow-in-the-dark bling on everybody i.e., flashing lights, bracelets, necklaces, etc.  Everybody was so decked out.  It was so cool to be able to see the colors along the trail all over everyone's bodies.  It helped light up the trail but actually the full moon did a good job of that too.

I have never run at night before so this was going to be a whole, new and unique experience for me.  We would start the race at 10:00 p.m. which is about the time I'm usually getting ready for bed, Yikes! I ran almost a mile before the race started because my marathon training called for 16 miles.  Josh was so kind and waited for me to run a little over 2 miles at the end to get my additional mileage and then he gave me a ride back to the starting line to get my car.  I told him he's my fourth son.  I think I'm going to adopt him someday if he needs two mommies.

Other than my body being a little confused about this whole night time running I had a great time.  I actually ran all 16 miles alone and decided to just not listen to any music.  That may have been a little mistake because I was definitely slower than usual, and I know my music helps motivate me.  But, I really just wanted to hear the sounds of other runners chatting as they passed me, or I them.  I also wanted to hear the night time sounds of nature and traffic and enjoy the occasional cool breezes.  I also wanted to just run and listen to what my body was telling me to do and I really wasn't worried about a goal time for this race.  I heard crickets chirping, frogs croaking and even a few birds singing. I thought the birds went to bed at night.  Maybe they were confused what we humans were doing?  As I was running by the croaking frogs I remembered as a little girl my daddy would say "Who stepped on a frog" meaning, "Who tooted?  There was a girl running next to me at that moment and I happily just shouted out, "I hope I don't step on a frog!"  It made me laugh out loud and she probably thought I was off my rocker!

I completed this race according to my watch in 2:38:38 and then enjoyed some oranges, bananas, and a piece of a PB Jelly sandwich.  I then headed back to find Josh only a few minutes behind me and told him I would see him after I finished my mileage.  When I was done I found my cousin and thanked her for a wonderful race and appreciated the opportunity to run in it.  She had cases and cases of  fruit left over and begged us to take oranges and bananas off her hands.  Josh got a case of oranges and I took a case of bananas.  We also got a couple loaves of bread and a nice water bottle each.  What other race can you say gives you all that?

Josh gave me a ride back to my car at the starting line 13 miles down the road and I headed on home. Yes, indeed that's what time it was as I was well down the road on the freeway.   WAAAAAYYYY past my bedtime.

Not sure how I'm managing to look so cheery at 2:30 in the morning.  Maybe because traffic was pretty much non-existent at this hour.  That fun little medal flashes at the push of a button.  Once I got home I headed straight to an ice bath and then a hot shower and then climbed into bed about 4:00 a.m. Ughh!  Fun race but this old body of mine may have to leave these late night races to the young uns!

Marathon Training Plan-Week 9 of 16

Week #9

Monday July 30th-Ran 6 Miles 

Last Saturday's Timpanogos Half Marathon PR made my calves as tight as an E string on a violin and I felt like they were going to snap at any moment. Fortunately, after a couple miles of a hiking/running combo it finally eased up and I was able to run a little better.  

  Today I was only scheduled for a 4 mile run but I ran the trails and had a hard time deciding when to turn around and go back to the car.  When I was a little girl I was always so curious about so many things.  Well, today that curiosity in me came out again and I just had to find out where a certain trail ended and so I just kept running to find the end of it.  Big woop-dee-do!  After running all the way across the mountain, it ended at a parking lot.  I know it has to go further on somewhere but I was running out of morning and had to get back.  That will just be a journey for another day.

Tuesday July 31th-Rest Day-Walked 4 Miles  
with my buddy Laurie.  I look forward to these days when I get to walk and talk. Did 100 crunches, 10 sit-ups, and 30 push-ups (women's)

Wednesday August 1st-Ran 7.50 Miles
Ran up and down State Street and in and out of parking lots. As I was heading back home I saw my hubby and son driving down the road on their way to work.  I let out a big holler and waved to them.  Good thing the car window was down or they wouldn't have heard me.  They smiled and waved back at me. 


Thursday August 2nd-Ran 4.50 Miles
Did the same speed work today as the last 3 weeks and was very happy to have accomplished it this week exactly 1 minute faster than last week.

Friday August 3rd-Walked 5 Miles and Mowed for 1 Mile
for a total of 6 Miles.
 

Saturday August 4th-Ran 16 Miles at the Midnight Legacy Half Marathon
Technically most of these miles were run on Friday because the race started at 10:00 pm.  It was a nighttime race, crazy huh?  but I'm recording it on Saturday because there's no way I'm going out to do a long run today after this late night experience.  Didn't get home till 3:00 and after an ice bath and shower and blow dried my hair (can't sleep with a wet head) I didn't get to bed until 4:00 am.  I just may be getting slightly too old for this late night activity.  A race re-cap will be coming soon.  

Sunday August 5th- Day of Rest! and napping will be happening too!!

 Total Running Miles:  34

 Total Walking Miles:  10

The Day a Bottle of Peaches Made Me Cry

As time goes by I have talked less and less about losing Porter on my blog. It's not because I don't think about him.  It's quite the opposite. In fact because of running I am able to think about him more freely while hitting the pavement.  Running allows me to be alone with my thoughts and memories of him and I find a lot of joy in that.  I know that where he is right now is a happy place and he wouldn't want me to be sorrowful for him, but occasionally something happens which triggers my emotions and I lose it.  Today was such a day.

I was trying to get some sort of dinnertime meal planned and was looking in the cupboard.  There is a bottle of canned peaches in there that has been there since Porter's birthday in September.  You see, we celebrate Porter's birthday and deathday even though he isn't physically here with us.  This bottle of peaches was given to us by my mom, Porter's grandma, on his birthday.  You can see it there on the left with a blue bow on top.  Anytime Porter was at their house, which was pretty often, mom would pull out all kinds of food and feed him till his heart was content.  He LOVED eating at grandma's house.  So in rummaging through the cupboard today I came upon this bottle of peaches and I remembered where it came from and who it was for.    

I don't ever want to open this bottle of peaches.  I just want to save them for Porter.  But that is nonsense thinking.  He won't be back to eat them.  Lately, I have been putting canned, cut up peaches in my morning oatmeal and so I will put this bottle in the fridge and start to use them.  Every bowl of oatmeal eaten with these will again remind me of my sweet boy and I will continue to try to be joyful for him and look forward to the day we will eat peaches together! I love you Porter♥

Timpanogos Half Marathon

I didn't think anything could top the race experience I had in June at the American Fork Half Marathon. That was a beautiful, fabulous race and everything was just perfect! I had even gotten a new PR and was so happy about the whole experience!  THEN...........along came this MORE than perfect race, the Timpanogos Half Marathon!!

I got to bed at a decent hour and got a pretty good night's sleep.  I was super careful about what I had eaten the day before and tried to not eat very much.  I drove myself to the bus pick-up because hubby had been to girl's camp the night before and was zonked out sound asleep.  In my marathon training schedule I needed 14 miles so I planned to run around for a mile at the starting line before the race started.  That plan worked out perfectly and I felt like it got my muscles warmed up and ready to go.  I was able to get potty stops taken care of and I was anxious to go.  The race started right on time and off we went.  The first 7 1/2 miles of this race were the exact same as the American Fork Half Marathon and so I knew what to expect and I just zoomed my fastest down that canyon.  My strategy this time was to just go, go, go!!

  I have been doing some downhill training already up to this point and felt like I just didn't want to hold back like I've read you should do in the beginning of a race.  I knew that the downhill portions are where I could really take advantage of gravity and just let myself go.  Once the course leveled out is where I knew I would slow down. Another strategy I used was that anytime somebody passed me I would speed up and try to maintain their pace for as long as I could and then I would ease off when I would get too winded.  Once the 7 1/2 miles were over with and we ran a little ways in a golf course then the trail turned and went a different way and this is where I didn't know what to expect.  IT WAS GORGEOUS! It was a neatly paved trail with so many trees and a lot of shade.  After we came out of that area we were in a very rural area with pastures and country roads.  The last aid station was fully stocked with gatorade, water and otter pops!! That was the perfect treat and at just the right time.  With about a mile left to go we ended up running right past the beautiful Mount Timpanogos temple and then on down the hill to the high school to the finish line. I had my garmin watch on and I knew I was going to be coming in around 2:10 but I was shocked and so surprised when I saw the clock read 2:07.  I poured on the speed and was grinning and so estactic with my time 2:07:51.  A NEW PR FOR ME!  

There was quite possibly a little bit of jumping up and down, squealing like a little girl, and a little bit of crying going on.

My friend Monnica and her husband Cory both had PR's as well!

Saying goodbye to my friend Julia who is moving away in a couple days. I will miss seeing her at all the local races and also running on the trails with her.