I carbed up

30 minutes after eating Italian Sausage Spaghetti (recipe courtesy of Devry) I went running and ended up much like Michael Scott mid-5K in this season's premier of The Office. It was pathetic! And painful.

Anyway, only a little over two months until the big day! I just started a campaign to raise money for the race in honor of my aunt who died of pancreatic cancer. Those who read my blog already know this. But if you want to support a cause of your own, a great help tool is firstgiving.com. They help you set up a donation website and provide a place for you to leave a personal message, along with widgets and other e-tools to help you spread the word. You'll have to check first to see if they are partnered with the organization you have in mind.

I'm looking forward to a seven-mile Saturday!

Death warmed over

is how I feel after running my 14 miles today and frankly this has me a little worried. Usually after my long runs I feel okay, like I could run longer if I needed to. But not today, by mile eight my legs were hurting and by mile 12 I just wanted the whole thing to be over. If today had been the real deal I would have still had 12.2 miles to go and I wouldn't have made it. I've never even considered the possibility that I wouldn't finish the race, now I have a tiny bit of doubt. On the positive side, I managed to run all 14 miles outside with no bodily injury. Of course it didn't hurt that there was not even a spec of snow or ice on the trail.

dear running, be my valentine

I just wanted to write and say: I love running! It's an amazing life discovery, really--one I never thought I'd be capable of (or interested in) making. But here I am, looking forward to running for hour. It's been nice to see my little town in slow motion, to notice just how many dogs are lurking behind people's fences, to find out where the paved trails lead. What's been really nice is that Dave's been off of work for these two weeks, which means that I don't have to wake up at the crack of dawn to go running. I'm going to miss that next week. Immensely. Hurry up, super-early sunrise! I need you!

bad for the bowels

A word of advice: Don't eat a bag of Cadbury Mini Eggs the day before you run (even if it is only six miles!) Bleck!

I'll admit, I ran on the treadmill today (I'd say it was because of the cold, but most of my compadres are in Utah, where it's really cold) and realized that my love affair with that machine is OVER! I can now honestly claim to be one of those people who prefer running in the great outdoors! Who'da thought??

On V-day, Dave and I went to Performance Footwear in Tucson and had our feet evaluated for the running shoe most suitable for us. It was very interesting. The sales guy crusting at us for not making the over-priced purchase was also interesting...sorry guy! But, hey, thanks for your help!

It's booked!

Hey, just so you know, we're staying at the Marriott in downtown Ogden. It's a block from the finish line, so we won't have to walk so far to our cars!

I'm pretty excited! Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to go run for 70 minutes.

a few thoughts

1) running eleven miles on Saturday was hard. My Relief Society president pulled up alongside of me at one point, reminding me of the meeting I was in the process of missing...oopsie!

2) running at night through dimly-lit parts of town is scary. So I won't be doing that again any time soon.

3) for those of you who missed the marathon movie, they are playing a rerun on Feb 21! So prepare to be inspired!

4) The Nike Plus website is fantastic for mapping out distances (go to My Runs, then Map It).

5) Thanks Brent and April for posting. You guys rule!

Luminous beings are we... not this crude matter!

I did it! I ran eight miles on Saturday. Ok, so I walked probably 3.5 miles of it, and I'm doing my workouts on the treadmill until the snow melts, but, hey.. I'm still ecstatic. Every Saturday I get a big confidence boost because I've never ran this much before in my life. I'm coming to know my limits and potential.

So I do my long workouts in the Cardio Cinema at Gold's- I know it's going to be a completely different story once I move my workouts outside- but in the meanwhile, I'm really banking on the distraction factor. If I can get into the movie than I can kind of forget that I'm doing a really challenging workout. The movie on Saturday was Star Wars.. The Empire Strikes Back. I was hitting my first wall, when that scene with Yoda and Luke in the swamp came on. I'm so nerdy, but I love that part. When he said, "Luminous beings are we... not this crude matter!" it helped me push through- Go Yoda!! I love that little green guy. Anyway, I need those little reminders and mantras to help me- I am SO out of shape since my pregnancy, and this is a great challenge- so I'm so excited to be apart of this little marathon gang- we'll keep each other going, won't we? Mark and Amber and I are planning on running the Teton Dam Marathon in June (Amber got started a little later, so she might find a later one) but we're all doing the training because of you wonderful runners!! Thanks for the inspiration.

I got this phrase in my fortune cookie the other night, "The time is right to achieve your dreams." When I got that I really felt like it was true... so I'm going to give that fortune to all of you tonight; the time is right- you luminous beings!!! Happy running-April

First outside run!

Friday was the first day warm enough (for me...the wimp) to actually run outside, and it was great. Up until now, I've been running on the treadmill at the gym or at BYU's indoor track. Let me express my gratitude now for portable music (and the occasional episode of This American Life) because otherwise I think I would have broken down on the treadmill out of boredom. But I digress.

I went out in the late afternoon, and the sun was casting shadows from the sparse clouds on the mountains. Mt. Timp looked as beautiful as I've ever seen it. It was a good omen for my run.

I headed down to the Provo River trail (it's less than a mile away from my house), and unlike Dana, was able to avoid falling, but granted, I didn't have to go through underpasses (which also creep me out). I don't know why I'm blogging about this, I guess I just want to share the joy of being able to run outside! I've been cramped in the gym, so it's nice to get out, you know?

This time I went down to Utah Lake State Park, and took part of the trail I'd never taken before. It runs north/south on the eastern shore of the lake and dead ends at a little creek that feeds in the lake. So, there's the lake on one side and nothing but pasture on the other. Acres and acres of snow-covered pasture with cows. No houses, no buildings, and you can see across the valley, see the Provo temple up by Rock Canyon, and the mountains, which were gorgeous. It was one of those moments where you take a deep breath, sigh, and tell God you're grateful to be alive, running, and soaking up all the beauty around you. You know what I mean?

The run got interesting because I decided not to retrace my path. Instead I cut across the pastures, which turned out to be tougher than I thought. Running in snow a foot deep is quite the challenge. I thought my feet would freeze, but they were fine. I saw all kinds of animal tracks, a recently deceased cow, I had to jump a creek and a couple of fences, and my thighs felt they were about to combust. But I made it!

"So what?" one might ask. I'm just spreading the joy of running, that's all.

I did it, sorta!?

I just completed my online registration for the marathon. I also started my 12 mile run outside. I say started not completed because at around 5.5 miles on the scenic Provo River Parkway I slipped and fell on a huge patch of ice. It was a stupid move on my part really and probably could have been avoided. The trail was on and off snowy/icy some parts were dry as can be and others had ice but with a decent covering of powder so there was some traction. The scary parts are when I would head under a bridge. These bridge underpass things are actually scary on many levels because they built the underpasses with these really high cement walls on either side of you so you can't see what you are running into and it's really dark, so needless to say I was also clutching my pepper spray as I approached each one. As I approached this one I could see there was not even a tiny patch of asphalt it was completely iced over so I slowed down. I should have stopped but I didn't and my feet slipped out from under me and I fell backwards flat onto my back. I picked myself and my shattered self dignity up and tried to keep going but it was very painful so I surrendered to my wimpier side and called Ryan to come and get me. I've showered, rested, taken a prescription Aleve and am feeling much better so now I want to finish my miles (in the safety of the gym). So this is my question should I just go run the 6.5 I have left to make it 12 or should I run the full 12 in the gym making my total mileage for today 17.5 miles or should I just call it good for today and run the 12 miles next week , in essence just switching up the weeks as next week we only have to run 6 miles according to the schedule? Well if anyone reads this in the next few hours let me know what you would do. If not I'll have to make the call on my own, I just don't want to surrender to my wimpier side twice in the same day.

Greetings!

Hey, kids. I'm honored to contribute to the marathon blog. 'Tis a great thing.

Not that I'm a veteran, but I've run the Ogden marathon twice, and I have to say it's one of the funnest (most fun?) races out there. (Disclaimer: The Ogden is the only marathon I've run, so I really have no basis for comparison.) It's a gorgeous course...all pretty flat with one "serious" hill , the volunteers are all great, there's plenty of aid stations, and it's good times.

One marathon a year is about all I can handle, though.

My advice for today is to never neglect your training. Race day may seem pretty distant, but seriously, if you want this to be a pleasant experience, you need to get ready for it NOW.

an invitation

So, my friend April has hopped on the marathon bandwagon! She's training for the Teton Dam Marathon in June. She's a first-timer and I thought it would be fun to hear about her training. Consorting/commiserating helps to keep us inspired, right?? So, we invite her to be a contributer on our blog!

We'd also like to invite Brent, a two-(or perhaps three?) time Ogden Marathon runner who can enlighten us with his experience.

More of my in-laws (Kev & Kate) were seriously contemplating joining in. They're invited, too!

Am I missing anyone? Even if--no--especially if you're a blog stalker and we don't know you: leave a comment with your email and you're invited too!

It's a marathon party!

fun for the whole family

We all went out this morning for a five-mile run through town. Good times! I ran the entire way and not only didn't feel like dying (my normal sentiments) at some point, but I felt great the whole way! I think this is a good sign...