Top Of Utah Marathon Race Report

Last Saturday I finished my third marathon. With all the moving and other things that needed to be done this summer, I didn’t carve out the time for my Saturday morning long runs. I ended up with only two long runs. My half marathon in August was one of them. And I did a 20 miler a few weeks ago.

This was a little disappointing. For me, part of the excitement of running is the build-up. Going out each week and accomplishing your goal. Then, all those hard training hours finally culminate in the big race. There is a lot of anticipation and nervousness.

Without training, you don’t really get that. I have to admit, I was more excited to hang out with my friends Shelah and Deanna than I was to run the race.

The morning of the race was chilly. We had our handwarmers and mylar sleeping bags, and I actually felt pretty warm. The first 14 miles of the race was so beautiful. It was a nice downhill. Not too steep. My Garmin didn’t charge right, so it shut off at mile 5. That was okay since I didn’t want to go out too fast. It was kinda odd to have no idea what pace I was running, but liberating as well. I enjoyed the scenery and tried to gauge where I was at by how I felt. I tried to keep pace with some of the other runners around me.

One lady was so inspiring. I was running behind her for five minutes when I looked down and noticed she had an artificial leg with a metal foot. It was pretty awesome. She was running to raise money for child amputees. Another guy had a huge orange backpack on. I should have asked him what he was doing running a race with that monster on his back.

The first half flew by. I hardly remembered I was running. i think I finished the first 13 in about 2 hours. The course was beautiful. I was chatting with the amputee lady and the orange backpack guy, and all was well. We were all trying not to go out too fast and burn out. So a little diversion was good.

At mile 14, I got a great little boost seeing my friend Megan and her son holding a little sign with *MY* name on it. It put a big smile on my face and definitely made me tear up a little. There is just something about having that personal encouragement that means so much at that point. I remember in Chicago, people would tape their names onto their shirts so the crowd could cheer for them. It really helps!

I kept pace with these two until about the last few miles. After mile 15, the race started getting hard. We lost the downhill incline and had 11 left to go. My legs started to feel like lead. So I decided to take it one mile at a time and just run to the next water stop, then walk while I drank and ate my orange slices. After the race, I wasn’t as hungry or thirsty as usual. I think the oranges really helped. At the end of the Chicago Marathon I had eaten so much energy gel I wanted to puke. Real food was wonderful! I think every race ought to have oranges slices.

I started playing mindgames at about mile 18. They went like this, “My legs are numb. My legs are numb. I can’t feel anything.” My legs were actually very heavy and pretending they weren’t there did help. The last four miles, I was doing a run/walk.

It was so nice to cross that finish line. I was pleasantly surprised that I finished in 4:36. At some of the later water stops, I'd call out "what time is it?" just to get a rough idea of where I was at and I was thinking that I was closer to 4:40. So my average pace was 10:31/mile, about a minute slower per mile than my last marathon. But hey, for what I put into it, I'll take it.

When I pulled into our driveway, Miles greeted me with the same question he asks me every time I run a race, “Did you WIN?!” Then before I could even answer, he saw my medal and was so excited. He ran downstairs and put it with my other race medals. I found a frame last week and realized it would be a great place for my medals. Sunday I was so sore, I told Jared I didn’t know if I was ever going to do another marathon. Miles overheard me, and said I had to do at least one more so I could fill up my medals frame. LOL. There is space for one more. It will be a sad day when Miles finally learns that no, I did not win all those races.

Overall, I liked the race. I preferred St. George, but Top of Utah was fun and was a good alternative. It seemed to be well organized. The next one on the books is the Phoenix Rock and Roll Marathon in January. That ought to fill my case. After that, who knows.

Perfect Saturday

I enjoyed the perfect Saturday.

I went on a very long run in the morning through the hills. There was light rain--perfect for running. As I hobbled up that last stretch, what did my eyes behold? My husband mowing the lawn and I didn't even have to remind him. Ah, I am in love. Then I went inside the house, and there were my kids loading up the dishwasher. French toast with fresh peaches awaited me.

I was famished after my run and ate the food, then we headed out to Cafe Rio and enjoyed a really yummy salad and bought a 1/2 flat of raspberries--I did burn 2000 calories on my run, so I got to enjoy the food completely, and not worry about calorie consumption.

Next we drove to Midway, hung out with some of our family and watched the BYU game.
Watching the BYU game with any of Jared's family is pretty awesome. I don't have to know anything about football, and it is still super exciting because of all the cheering and screaming going on.

I think I am getting really excited for fall. Produce stands everywhere, the colors turning, football season, and long cool runs. Lovely!

Five best things about my new phase of motherhood

I was just reflecting on how my life has changed over the past year. In some ways, being a mom of older kids is a lot harder than I expected. There is more driving and schedule coordinating. The crying and whining has been replaced by sibling squabbles. But there are lots of perks to having the kids a bit older. Here are my top five.

1. No more diapers! I just realized that my little garbage can by the garage door has become obsolete. Too bad the skidmarks on the toilet seat are not much better than changing a poopy diaper.

2. A day at the waterpark is enjoyed by all, and skipping the nap is no problem. Daytrips without Jared is also a piece of cake. This is significant because in the past, I was the boring one. Jared did all the fun stuff with the kids, and I stayed home with the babies, or came but took care of the babies, or left early with the babies. Well it's my turn now. ; ) While he is at work, we can hit the dollar theater, park, or wherever.

3. In house babysitters! Thank goodness for Elise. She is great at keeping an eye on Simone when I have a couple of errands to run during the day. Yes, she is just under 10. But she is really, really mature, and does a better job than most of the babysitters we've hired. She's got a lot of money tucked away for that ipod she's saving up for.

4. Kids who are old enough to stay home when I make a grocery run. It was just a couple of years ago I felt like a walking freak show with all four kids at the store. Thankfully that number has been reduced by two and I am much less harried.

5. FAR less laundry and cleaning! Kids who clean their own rooms, do dishes, and clean out the car is such a novelty. In fact, one of Elise and Monet's jobs are to unload the dishwasher every morning. Heaven! I can tell them to "go clean the basement" and eventually, it gets done. We usually have our fair share of "(insert child's name here) isn't helping!" before we get to the finished product, but we're working on that part.