Wasatch Back Marathon Relay 2011

There is one thing I've learned in the last year and a half of racing, and it is that a bad night's sleep the night before a race does not necessarily affect performance.

Thank goodness.

After going to bed at about 1:30 AM and waking up at 4:45 AM, I was feeling very tired this morning. Sometimes I hate running.

Darcy picked me up at 5:15 AM and we headed to the race start at Soldier Hollow. Since this was the inaugural year of the marathon, it was very small. There were about 80 full marathoners and 45 or so relay teams. We all huddled together and swatted mosquitoes that were the size of bats while we waited for the race to begin at 6AM.
My stomach was hurting this morning and it made me nervous, but luckily it didn't bother me after I started running. I'm sure a lot of it was nerves. I didn't feel very prepared for this race because I haven't been working hills like I normally do. I knew what was in store for me and knew it would be a very tough race. I'm telling you, those full marathoners were BRAVE.
We stared on time and ran parallel to one of the most vibrant sunrises that I have ever seen. It reminded me so much of this one that I got to watch on my third leg at the Del Sol Ragnar. I wish so bad that I could have had my camera with me.
Mile 1: Felt awesome! I knew this would be my fastest mile because it was the only one with an elevation drop. Ran a 7:04 and lost 92 feet.

Mile 2: Still holding strong. I kept saying "Nice and Steady" the whole way. I knew I had to save some juice for the hills at the end. Ran a 7:33 with a 60 foot gain.

Mile 3: I walked so that I could drink some water at the water stop, but I was still feeling really well. Ran a 7:43 with 34 feet in gain.

Mile 4: My stomach started bothering me so I was trying hard to focus on other things. The sunrise. The 4 leading men in front of me. Ran a 7:59 with an 87 foot gain.

Mile 5: By the time I finished this I knew I had achieved my first goal- keeping a pace of 7:40 for the first five miles. Ran this mile in 7:55 with a 62 foot gain.

Mile 6: This is when the fun began! I quit looking at my watch because I didn't want it to wig me out mentally. I didn't have a pace goal for the hills- I just wanted to run without stopping. I was so glad I wore my New Balance Minimus shoes! I think it made a huge difference. I ran this with an 8:37 and 131 foot gain.

Mile 7: This was a dramatic difference in incline from the previous mile I had just run. I was passed by the only woman that passed me- a full marathoner- during this mile. I ran it with a 9:33 with a 259 foot gain.

Mile 8: Oh dear. Calves burning. Hamstrings burning. Quads burning. I just kept pumping my legs. Had to keep them moving. 11:47 mile with 383 feet in gain. Seriously.

Final .74: Kicked it into gear during the last .15 when it leveled out for a second. Finished strong and felt amazing! Ran this last little bit with a 10:53 and it had 317 feet in elevation gain.

Overall I had an average pace of 8:43/mile over the 8.74 miles, and I climbed 1,333 feet up a mountain!!!!!!!!! WITHOUT STOPPING!!!!!!!
I am so proud of myself. I wanted to do this so bad when I ran Guardsman during the Ragnar, and I was so happy that I could redeem myself during this race.

I handed off to Sara- who killed it during her leg. Sara handed off to Darcy, and Darcy finished strong! We ended up taking 1st in the Women Relay! There were only 2 other teams that had crossed the line before us. We ran the marathon in 3:52- which was incredible for such a difficult course. We were hoping to finish in under 4 hours, and we did it!


The winner of the marathon was a 17 year old guy- he ran the 26.2 in 3:34. Stellar.

This was such a great race. The crowds were small, but very encouraging. I talked to Mark, the race director, and he said that next year he was probably going to push it to September. The mountains would be stunning that time of year! I can't wait to do it again.

Wasatch Back Marathon- Relay Style- GOALS

The 13.1 mile workout with Darcy was awesome yesterday! I use that word a lot it seems like. Will someone send me a thesaurus? Anyway, I paced Darcy to a new 10K PR time and half marathon PR time. Not a bad way to start your day, eh? We ran the first 6.2 miles in 46:46 with a 7:32/mile average, and then we finished the 13.1 in 1:43 with a 7:56/mile pace. This was just a training run- it gets me stoked to see what we could do in a race!!! Obviously those Yasso's are helping us.

When we finished, however, my legs were not loving me. My IT Band felt more tight and sore than it has in a long time, and 3 days of running in a row did a number on my foot that has been sore. So what did I do? ICE BATH.

I turned the faucet on as cold as it could go and filled the bath up until it would completely cover my legs (quads included). Then, I dumped in my entire thing of ice from my ice machine in the freezer. After I cranked up the tunes to get my mind off the pain, I hopped in, and....

IT WASN'T AS BAD AS I THOUGHT IT WAS GOING TO BE!!!

I'm totally going to do this after all of my hard/long runs. It made a huge difference in my legs for the rest of the day, and today I'm not even sore. Bonus!

It's a good thing I'm not sore because I have a race tomorrow. The inaugural Wasatch Back Marathon is taking place right in my own back yard at 6AM tomorrow morning. The difficult course runs from Soldier Hollow in Midway, over to the Wasatch State Park, up Snake Creek, over Cascade Springs and back down to Soldier Hollow to the finish. I'm excited to do this in a relay because, frankly, running this on my own would make me want to jump off a cliff-
With elevation gain like this, it's not exactly a PR course :).

The course is sure to be stunning. With all of the water we've been having, the mountains are still so lush and green. These pictures are from the actual course and were taken only a couple of weeks ago (so as to tempt you with lovely views so that you'll run next year)-


I'm running the first leg- 8.8 miles. I will have a total elevation gain of 1109 feet. I do believe that I get to enjoy the first mile or so with a loss :). It's not until that last mile, when I'm beat for racing at near 10K pace for 8 miles, that I'm going to want to die.
Darcy is running the last leg, and I'm so excited to run with our middle runner. Her name is Sara Edwards and I first met her when I ran the Toughest 10K last year. She placed 1st in women overall, and has spanked me in every race that I've seen her in since then. I knew she ran the Utah Valley Marathon in June, so I busted out my super spy abilities and checked out her time on line.

3:26! She placed 6th in her age division at Utah Valley.

I am still feeling humbled that she asked me to be on her relay team for this marathon and I hope I don't let her down!

My Goals are-
1- To run the first 5 miles at under a 7:40/mile pace.
2- Run the last 2.8 miles up Snake Creek to Mill Flat WITHOUT STOPPING. I know I made this goal for Guardsman, and didn't do it, so now is my chance to redeem myself!

Your questions- ANSWERED!

I'm certain this is just what you've all been waiting for! I'll do my best not to bore you to tears.

Translations for non-runners? PR? BQ?
PR- Personal Record. For me, this is everything in running. The only person you are racing against is yourself.
BQ- Boston Qualify. I know I have been talking about this a lot since it is constantly on my mind as of late. To qualify for Boston at my age (27) you have to run the 26.2 miles in under 3 hours and 40 minutes. That is running an 8:23/mile average.

What is your ultimate running goal?
I have 2 ultimate goals... actually, I have 3. I want to be able to run a Boston Qualifying Marathon, I want to run a 10K in under a 7 minute pace, and I want to continue running well into my retirement years.

When was the moment you knew you were a runner?
I will never forget it. It was when I was injured for the first time. You can read about the post here. I was unable to run and I realized how much I missed it. I craved running. That's when I knew I was hooked for good. I wanted to be called "A Runner". This happened only 3 months after I had started running consistently.

Enormous cookies from Maverik: great junk food or the greatest junk food?
I've never even tried one!!!! Isn't that awful? I vow to get one in the next week or so (the next time I fill up my car) and I will give you the full report then. Right now I'm currently eating half a pan of butterscotch brownies, and I think those just might be the best dessert ever.

How long have you been running?
A year and a half, almost to the day! I began training for my first race ever (the Wasatch Back Ragnar Relay) at the end of January 2010. It has been a trip since then! I did, however, run in junior high. I was pretty quick, too! I used to run the 400 meter dash in just over one minute. What I wouldn't give to be able to do that now!

Favorite distance to run?
I love to run around 8 miles as a normal workout, but I think the half marathon is my favorite race distance. It's hard and beats you up, but you don't totally want to die. Plus it's a huge accomplishment! Not very many people can say they can run a half marathon.

Favorite type of run (tempo, hill, speedwork, LR)?
Right now I am lovin' on those Yasso 800's!!! I can feel my sprinter body coming back. :)

Have you always been so skinny or do you work hard to stay thin?
I have always been really skinny. It's a blessing and a curse. Lots of people (especially in junior high) used to assume I had an eating disorder- this has never been true. I was even confronted by a teacher at one point. A group of kids in high school used to call me "Skeletor". Nice. However, for the most part, I've always been really comfortable in my skin- especially now that I know I'm working hard and eating well and doing pretty much everything I should (minus the insane amounts of sugar on some days). I've been really blessed to have a naturally thin body. The ironic thing is that I actually weigh more now since I started exercising and running than I did before. I'm very lucky that I've never had to focus on weight or anything like that.

Can we hangout in real life? When you qualify for Boston can we go together? :)
You know it! I figure our plane seats will be next to each other, right? I've just got to qualify first :)

What is your favorite activity with your kids?

I love taking my kids to fun places- Lagoon, the park, to get a treat. Any of those things. We also have a lot of fun camping and just playing hide and seek or reading books at the house. My kids are so funny!

Do you consider yourself happy? Like 85% or more of your day makes you smile? If so, why? What is your secret?

I would say, yes. I'm a simple person and I try to find joy in lots of little things. I also have things that I look forward to- just like most people do- but I try not to focus too much on that. I feel as though I have been blessed with the ability to find joy and because of that I am able to avoid the depression that befalls so many. I can honestly say that it is a blessing- a gift that I have been given by my Father in Heaven.

Although the majority of the time I am happy, I still have my days- and sometimes weeks. Before I started running I had a hard time. I have found that I really need to have something that is MINE. It used to be theater, and then it was school, and for awhile I had a break (from about 9 months or so when Annie was first born and towards the end of my pregnancy). At this point in my life I struggled with depression more than I had in my entire life since early junior high. I can look back now and see that it was because I didn't have something that was just for me. At that point I was solely a wife and a mother. I also did cub scouts, but I didn't take time to do something that I really enjoyed. When I started running was when I was able to break out of it. If you think about it, I get to spend about an hour (sometimes up to 3 hours) 3-4 times a week just being MYSELF. I don't have to be responsible for anyone else at that time. It is such a blessing in my life!

I also have come to be very loving of myself. I often repeat to myself "I'm doing the best that I can!" in a positive way. I'm not always the best Mom, I make mistakes and spank my kids and raise my voice on those rare occasions, I don't always have a clean house or a good dinner on the table, and I don't always give my husband the attention that he needs, but I also know that I am honestly doing the best that I can at the time. I don't do these things because I'm being spiteful or vindictive, so there's no reason to give myself a hard time about it when I know that I am trying. After all, in motherhood especially, there is always tomorrow!!!

Now I have a question for all of you-
A friend just called me and asked me to fill in for someone on her Logan to Jackson Hole Epic Relay team. I want to do it soooooooo baaaaaaaad. However, this takes $$$ which would have to come out of my Boston fund, and I would have to give up one of the last weekends with my husband before school starts.

What should I do?

Perception

***Updates to the family blog- click [HERE], [HERE], and [HERE] for the individual posts.

I feel like I have a lot to say and nothing to say at the same time. Weird.

I'm going to answer all of the *millions* of questions in a post tomorrow. I suppose I should start commenting on all of the blogs that I read so that they know I am reading them, eh?

I ran an easy 4 mile recovery run in Island Park last Friday- the day after my 17 miler. I felt great! My foot was still sore from stubbing my toe a couple of weeks ago, so after this run I took 3 days off in a row. I could tell a difference when I ran this morning. I ran the 4 miles with a 7:59/mile pace.

I know I've said before how I love the Island Park and Yellowstone area. I just have a few pictures of our trip I wanted to share with y'all (thanks to Cely for teaching me how to spell that correctly!). If you've never been, GO! What are you waiting for?!




Today was Yasso's! This time we did 7 intervals, and it was awesome. I can tell I am getting faster because I'm able to run faster with the same effort as before. Wow. Way to state the obvious, Amy.

My splits were: 3:18, 3:16, 3:13, 3:21, 3:14, 3:23, 3:11.

Janae was talking on her blog the other day about how your perception of a "long run" changes with your training- this is so true. Today as I was running I was thinking about how my perception of being "fast" has changed.

When I first started running a year and a half ago, I thought a ten minute mile was awesome for me. Then it changed to being stoked if I could get an 8:59 or below. When I ran my first 5 miles at under an 8:00 pace I was completely SHOCKED. Now I look down at my watch and I am frequently having splits between the 6-7 minute pace mark, and occasionally I see a pace that starts with a 5 in there.

It makes me wonder where my true potential is.

It just goes to show that if you work at something hard enough, and long enough, then you will be utterly amazed at the results.

Help with... runs.

Thanks to the funny and talented Cory Reese for lumping me in the same category as Lance Armstrong and picking me to participate in:

Amylee! Blogger style of course.

Ask me anything-about life, love, religion, running, children, vacations I'd like to go on, food I wish I were eating right now- and I will answer it! I will be getting to your questions by next Wednesday- after I return from a much needed vacay to Yellowstone and Island Park!

I'm supposed to tag people, but I'm in too big of a hurry to find URL's. I would like to tag Tina @ Gotta Run Now and Cely @ Running off the Reeses to participate- should you feel so inclined.

I ran 17 miles this morning. SEVENTEEN! The word is long, and the run was long, but it was awesome! Oodles better than our 15 miler a couple of weeks ago. Our pace was good and we felt good too (no chafing, knee problems, or back problems). We ran the 17 miles in 2 hours and 30 minutes with an 8:49/mile pace. We ran a different route than usual and it was so nice to switch things up! However, I much prefer to end my runs on 4 miles of downhill rather than 4 miles of uphill.

The biggest problem of the run: I HAD TO TAKE 4 BATHROOM BREAKS. F.O.U.R. It was insanity! I can blame it on a couple days of a terrible diet, and hanging out at Lagoon all day yesterday.

The truth is, I fight bathroom issues on the majority of my runs. It gets really annoying. Any of you have this problem? Any advice? I've been pretty lucky on my races and have been able to make it through without problems, but I'm nervous about the marathon. What should I do?

I really wish I could have one of these that could magically fold up and be carried in my spibelt.

Plus- who has ever seen a port a potty this pretty? Or clean???

I'm doing my next couple of run in bear country. Here's hoping I don't get eaten or spray myself with pepper spray!