Braveheart 5K - First Race of 2011

This morning was our first race of 2011. I didn't want to go. I woke up early to take care of my parents' dogs and came home and crawled back in bed. I was really really hoping that Tim would say "Let's skip the race and stay home in our warm bed." Nope...he got up and got ready and so I decided to get it together and head out.

The Braveheart 5k-10k is a local race here in Logan, sponsored by the USU ROTC and the funds raised go to a local "need". The "need" this year was for a woman in my parents ward named Molly. Her son Mason was born with a congenital heart defect and as you can imagine, the costs are staggering. He's doing well and has had his second surgery and will be "cured" after his third surgery. Anyways, we thought it was a GREAT cause, which is why we decided to run.

We picked up Kyra and headed up to the university to get registered. I was overwhelmed with the number of runners and walkers who showed up. I'm guessing (from bib numbers) that there were about 500 participants which was awesome! There was some confusion at the start due to the number of people, but at 9:15 the 5k participants (that's us!) headed out.

Tim planned on staying with Kyra, who is not a runner, and told me to go ahead and run, so off I went. I got stuck around these super annoying college girls who were just whiny, so I sped up a bit and got past them. I didn't feel like I was pushing too hard and I was feeling good so I just kept up my pace. I skipped the water stop and kept plodding along. I looked at my watch and was trying to gauge how far I had run and how much further I had to go, but I had no idea what my pace was.

When I left this morning, I mentally set a goal to finish in under 36 minutes. I haven't been running much at all, except for a few runs in the past couple of weeks, so I was thinking that 12 min/mile would be a good pace. Boy was I surprised when I finished in 32:07! I can't believe that I did 11 min/miles and I probably should have/could have gone faster!

Once I crossed the finish line, I headed back out to find Tim and Kyra. I found Tim easily. He was about 6 minutes behind me. He told me to go and find Kyra and that she was far back. I kept running and running and was thinking "yikes, where is she?!" when I finally found her. I guess she had about 1.25 or so miles to go. I got her jogging for 1 minute intervals and then we found Tim. We could see the finish line and Kyra wanted to walk. I told her to catch the woman in the blue jacket ahead of her and beat her. All of the sudden, Ky had this burst of speed and off she went. I think her finish time was around 48 minutes.

After the race, we grabbed some super concentrated Gatorade...yummy! I also grabbed a slice of Great Harvest cinnamon bread and then it was time to head home to get ready for dog school. I'm so glad that Tim got me up to go to the race. I forgot how much I love racing. It was also a surprise to see that I'm not as out of shape as I thought. Now, I just have to get into better shape.

Racing is definitely not a bad way to kick off the weekend!

P.S. We forgot the camera this morning, so no pictures. Oh well...I'm sure there will be more races to come.

Oh...What Did I Do in the Summertime?

Yep, it's November... I've been incredibly lazy about blogging. Perhaps lazy is the wrong word. Life has been INSANE! But INSANE in a good way. So, in a brief effort to catch up on my blogging, here's my list of summer events.

June 5
~ Ran the Providence 5K with my soon-to-be hubby in matching shirts and a veil and tie.
~ Was sealed to Tim for time and all eternity in the Logan Utah Temple
~ Had the best wedding luau ever in my parents front yard
June 6-10
~ Honeymoon in Park City, Utah
June 18-19
~ Ragnar Wasatch Back Relay - Ran from Logan, Utah back to Park City, Utah with 11 teammates. Had a blast. Hoping to do it again next year.
June 21
~ Tim brought home Kona the great dane. He's amazingly wonderful!
June 28
~ Lagoon with Tim and Rylan
July 3
~ Cache Valley Cruise-In with Tim and the kids
July 5
~ Lewiston 5K with Tim
July 10
~ Volunteered at the Cache Valley Super Sprint and watched Tim finish his second tri
July 22
~ Turned 32 and celebrated with movie night at my parents
July 26
~ Kona started puppy class. We've decided that he should be a visit sick and old people dog, so he's still in training and is doing wonderfully!
August 20-23
~ Zions National Park - Tim hiked the Narrows. I hiked alot of other trails.
August 28
~ Top of Utah 1/2 Marathon
September 10-11
~ Time Out for Women at USU with mom and Aunt LaDawn
September 18
~ TOU Marathon - Tim finished the last 5 miles for me.
September 25
~ Corn Maze with Tim, kids, Travis, John and Kate
October 2 ~ Trip to Rock Springs, Wyoming with Tim and his Dad. 13 hour day to buy a purple jeep (not for us).
October 9
~ Bought a black xterra.
October 16
~ Spent the day working on the black xterra.
October 20
~ Decided to sell the black xterra after discovering it's a complete and total lemon.
October 30
~ Had my first Trick-or-Treaters EVER!

It has definitely been a crazy busy few months, especially when you add in working full time at the nursery for a few weeks, family obligations, and whatever else life seems to throw at you. Tim's job has also been crazy busy so that has added into the fun. However, life is good and wonderful and fun. Oh and yes, I do recognize that September and October are not technically summer, but hey...at least the blog is caught up.

Mt. Pleasant 1/2 Marathon

I'm not sure what took me so long to get this race report written, but it's finally done. Of course, I forgot the cord to upload some of my pics, so I guess I'll roll with what I have.

Last fall, Julie and I were talking about racing and decided that we were going to do a spring race before I head to Utah. She picked the Mt. Pleasant 1/2 Marathon in Racine or Mt. Pleasant, Wisconsin. I booked a hotel room and then put the weekend thoughts away for awhile, since we had months before the actual race. Fastforward to April 1...

Julie and I have been walking together this winter. I've felt more like walking than running and I always enjoy Julie's company. Neither of us were really "training" but I wasn't worried at all about the race. I figured that it would be a fun 13.1 mile walk with a good friend. Julie got around to registering for the race and I got around to printing out directions and making plans and then it was race weekend.

Julie and I drove up to Mt. Pleasant, Wisconsin on a Friday afternoon. We sort of managed to miss the Chicago traffic (thank goodness) and used all of Julie's change to pay all of the blasted tolls. We had a discussion about these tolls and whether or not they actually truly do improve the roads in Illinois. We arrived at packet pickup and Julie promptly drove us off of a small cliff in the parking lot. I think we both thought that she had ripped the undercarriage out of her cute car. We grabbed our packets and then headed to the hotel. We checked in and Julie noticed a sign in the lobby that I was the guest of the day.

This was very amusing...especially after finding out that the hotel was doing renovations and we would get to hear them during our stay on the 3rd floor, where all of the renovations were occurring. I did get some cookies though and a couple of VIP bottles of water, so I guess being the guest of the day at the Fairfield Inn does have some perks.

Julie and I headed to downtown Racine, which is actually a pretty cute town. I would consider going there for a weekend vacation. We had dinner at Salute, which is a family owned Italian restaurant, and it was fantastic! I had a log of lasagna that was probably the best lasagna I've had in a restaurant since I was in Italy. My dad makes a really mean lasagna, but this one was a close second.

After dinner, it was back to the hotel to get ready for a good nights sleep. Thankfully, the contractors were gone and it was quiet. I actually slept pretty good and woke up all ready to walk a 1/2 marathon. The race didn't start until 8am and we were literally less than 5 minutes from the start, so Julie and I got to sleep in and have breakfast at the hotel. I ate a waffle with peanut butter and I even got to make a deposit in a real bathroom at the hotel before we headed to the start.

It was a perfect race day temperature-wise, but it was SUPER WINDY. Cool at the start (around 40 F) and warming up. Julie and I headed to the back of the pack and discovered there were other walkers. That was a pleasant surprise. I think someone said "GO" and we were off. We started off by walking up and down some rollers. I was a little surprised that there were hills, but no worries...it was the beginning of the race. Oh...I should probably mention that I accidentally lied to Julie about there being food on the course. I could have sworn that I read there would be food at the aid stations. There was not. Anyways, we cruised along at about 15-16 min/mile pace and there were people behind us. We made our first turn and caught a good tailwind. I was feeling great. I was dressed perfectly and the sun was out and I was enjoying the Wisconsin country side.

We made our next turn and hit the crosswind again, along with a very foul garbage/farm smell. It was disgusting... At this point, Julie was starting to get hungry. She's a very diligent good nutrition taker when she races, unlike me, so she was feeling the lack of calories. We made another turn and it was into the headwind and uphill. This part of the race sucked. It's hard to walk uphill in a headwind. I was kinda glad that I wasn't running. Julie was super hungry at this point so I asked one of the police officers if he had snacks in his car. He said "negative." We made a turn out of the wind which was helpful and by mile 11 I was tired and ready to be done. I was done with the wind.

At the finish line, the wind was blowing so hard it was impossible to see the sign. They were out of medals and did not take pictures of us. The food was also mostly gone. Not a great finish party, but Julie and I finished in 3:33 or so. It was a fun race, but I was definitely glad it was done. I did like the course, but really wasn't digging the wind.

After the race, we headed back to the hotel to listen to painters and hammering and get ready for an afternoon in Racine. We enjoyed a delicious cheeseburger at a pub in downtown Racine and then it was determined that naptime was necessary. Julie crashed, but I got sucked into "The Lost Code" by Dan Brown. I was starving the entire weekend...and noshed on my guest of the day cookies. We had dinner at Jose's Blue Sombrero where they serve meatball tacos, and polish sausage tacos...mmm mmm mmm. I actually had a great meal and would eat there again.

Sunday morning was Julie's birthday breakfast, along with a stop for kringles and cheese. I had a blast and am totally looking forward to our next race weekend. We haven't decided where we'll meet up, but it will definitely be a fun girls weekend out!

ISU Homecoming Town and Gown 5k Race Report

On Saturday morning, the alarm went off at 6am to rise and shine for a day of ISU Homecoming festivities. I felt like crap...sore throat, headache, runny nose, etc, but I decided that I would get up and head to the 5k, because hey, it's always a good time.

I checked the weather and was debating on what to wear and ended up in capris, a long sleeve drifit, and a red pullover. I also remembered to grab some gloves and ear warmer since my ears were hurting as well. I thought about running over to ISU, but decided I would just drive because I was pretty sure I wouldn't want to run or walk home. When I arrived, the lines were out the door. I got my number and headed into a super hot lecture hall to drop off my stuff. I ran into several people I know and was actually glad to be doing a local event because its been awhile since I've seen alot of people I know at races. Finally, it was time to head to the start.

On my way to the start, I bumped into my friend Chad's wife (I cannot remember her name and it's been bugging me since Saturday) and we talked a bit. I was planning on running with her, but when the gun went off, 600 or so people took off and away we went and I lost her.

Because I haven't been running much lately...like the last time I ran was a marathon and the time before that was a race in July...I really didn't have any expectations for the race, but I did want to finish around 33 minutes or at least under 35 minutes. I started running and was pleased to hear my time was 10:40 at the first mile. I was happy about that. I started to get hot and took off my gloves and ear warmer and then started on my second loop. Mile 2 was right at 21:40 so I knew I was probably going to finish under 33 minutes. I picked up the pace and ended up finishing around 32:20 or something like that. I was pleased, didn't feel any sicker than I had before the race, and was ready to go home.

I headed inside, grabbed a piece of bagel and a bottle of water, bumped into my students (Nice job Betsy and James!), grabbed my stuff and headed back to my car and then drove home. It was definitely a fun race and a much more pleasant experience than the St. George Marathon. I actually felt more motivated to run than I have in a REALLY long time.

St. George Marathon Race Report

Last Thursday afternoon, I flew to Las Vegas, met Tim there and then we drove to St. George for a weekend involving a marathon, General Conference, family, friends and In-n-Out cheeseburgers. The drive to St. George was uneventful, although we did stop in Mesquite for a water stop. I was mostly just SO happy to see Tim after a month apart.

Friday morning, we woke up to my dad making waffles with homemade peach syrup which was delicious! We headed to the expo, where I bought all sorts of stuff and even found my favorite sunglasses. I needed a replacement pair after my other pair got all scratched up during the branch to the lip incident at Zions. Tim bought me a very cute hat and my parents tried out all of the "healing" muscle balms. By the time we arrived at the car, my dad smelled like old people. We headed to see my friends, the Perkins, and then had lunch with my grandparents. Of course, my grandma had all sorts of questions for Tim. We stopped at the bike shop for some nutrition ($8 for 3 clif blocks) and then headed back to the condo. (THANKS LARRY AND NYLA FOR LETTING US STAY THERE!) My dad and Tim snagged a quick nap and my mom and I headed to Harmons for some steak, shrimp, chicken, and other meat for dinner.

My pre-race meal consisted of a baked potato, steak, shrimp, and grilled zuchini. My dad is such a fantastic cook! Oh, and my mom brought some homemade salsa which made the meat even better! After dinner, we dropped some chips and salsa off to my Illinois friends, Howard and Sherry Hill and Danny and Carolyn Trancoso. We talked with them for awhile and then headed to Nelson's Frozen Custard for the best ice cream ever. Can you tell that food is important to the Hansen's? Tim and I shared a tin roof sundae concrete and then it was time for the hot tub and bed.

The alarm went off at 4:20am, but I had been awake off and on since 2am. You know...the whole I hydrated for the race and then had to pee all night sort of deal. I planned on eating a bagel for breakfast, but apparently sundried tomato bagels do not even sound or smell sort of appetizing at 4:30am. I ended up eating a banana. My mom and I drove over to catch the bus to the start and bumped into all of our friends. We all got to enjoy a long bus ride to the start, which was a great help to all of the wonderful hydration.

It was FREEZING at the start of the race. My mom, Sherry and I got to shiver in the portapotty line for about 30 minutes. My mom drank some hot chocolate and was bumming clothes and foil blankets from people. After the long stand in line in the freezing cold wait for a portapotty with no toilet paper, my mom and I headed over to stand next to the campfires. I finally started to get warm and then it was time to jump into the start. We bumped into Howard, Danny, and Carolyn and chatted for a minute and then we were off.

I felt like crap from the beginning of the race. I knew that I hadn't eaten enough for breakfast and so I started eating my clif blocks from mile 1. My mom and I decided to do a 5:1 run/walk strategy which worked well for awhile. I should probably also mention that my mom has a broken toe and was running along just fine. I got rid of my throwaway shirt after about 3 miles and was a little chilly, but was tired of feeling hot. I hit the portapotty at mile 6 and was noticing that my stomach was not digging the gatorade...at all.

We hit the hill at Veyo and decided to do a 1:1 run/walk because that hill is HARD. It's 1 mile up a 5% grade. Killer... We got to the top and I noticed a seriously gross man. I think he pooped his pants because his shorts had all these brown streaks around them and he had brown splatters on his legs and socks. He was carrying a huge backpack (why?!) and talked to himself. Creepy... I said in my head that I needed to beat him...just because he was yucky.

After the hill, I started having some difficulty breathing. Nothing serious, but if I took a deep breath I started coughing. I couldn't believe we were only at mile 8 and I was ready to be done. I knew that my dad and Tim were waiting at mile 16 and that was all that kept me going. That and the fact that my mom was running too. I mean, geez, if she could run a marathon with a broken toe, I could run too. Did I mention that the last time I ran was July 24? Note to self: Never ever run a marathon without doing at least some training.

While my mom and I were suffering through the race, my dad and Tim were taking pictures of people they knew. Here are some of Howard and Danny. Sorry Danny, no idea why your picture is so overexposed.



We saw my dad and Tim at mile 16. I mostly just wanted to cry and be done. My legs were killing me. I had a bloody nose. My back was spasming and everytime I ate anything my stomach started cramping. It was oh so much fun! Note the look of joy on the man on the right side of the picture.

I think this may have been the only real smile I had during the race.



Here's how I was really feeling.



My mom and I talked with my dad and Tim for a minute or two and then headed off for the rest of the race. Mostly, I just wanted to stay there with them and ride in the car back to the finish, but I sort of forgot to. I also forgot to give them my ipod which was driving me nuts.

The last 10 miles of the race were SO hard for me mentally and physically. I was tired and thirsty and hungry. I didn't want to be running. My stomach was feeling awful. My legs were in pain and I couldn't wait to take my shoes off. There were a few times that I stopped to stretch my back and really just wanted to sit down and be done. My mom asked me if I would be ok if she left me and I said yep, I'm fine. At one point, we were running down a hill and noticed the shuttle van slowing down and asking people if they were done and wanted a ride. I turned to my mom and said, "That's the perfect visual lesson of temptation. Here, come get on the bus, we'll take you to the finish line, it will be so easy and fun. We have air conditioning. You won't have to hurt anymore." We both laughed a little and then continued on.

We made it down to the Diagonal and my mom left me. I was in tears and just wanted to be done. I knew I wasn't going to make the 6 hour cutoff and then I started seeing people with medals and realized they were very similar to last year's. I thought to myself, "Geez...why would I keep running. I already have a medal like that." And yet, I kept going. I passed a man sitting in a very comfy chair and asked him if I could trade places. He was snacking on something and he said, "Sure, I've got an extra chair right here." I kept going. I think the only reason I kept going was because I knew that Tim and everyone else would be at the finish line. I knew that if I stopped, they would worry and not be able to find me because of the course being shutdown. So, I kept going. I made it to mile 25 and wondered if I had anything left. Apparently, I did because I kept going. I was literally talking myself into running to different points. "If I can just make it to the yellow sign, I can stop and walk."

Tim was at the finish line taking pictures. Here are a few of them. He missed Sherry because she is so super fast!

This is the back of Carolyn finishing.

Here's Howard.

Here's Danny.

I finally made it to the road with the finish line. I could see the finish line. I wanted to run in, but wasn't sure if I could do it. I was plodding along and then I saw Sherry. She told me I looked good (yeah...right) and said that Tim was up ahead. Then I heard Howard and saw him and then I saw Tim. I'm not sure if I smiled or not. Mostly, I just wanted to be done.





When I crossed the finish line, I stopped, took off my shoes, threw them in a trash can, much to the amusement of the first aid people. I took off my socks and threw them away too. The lady handing out the medals said, "Where are your shoes?" I just looked at her and said, "in the garbage." I don't think she knew what to think. I was so hungry that I went to the Blue Bunny truck and got 3 ice cream sandwiches and then downed a yogurt in record time. There was no water to be found though. That was annoying.

After wandering around looking for water, I got out of the runner's area and found Tim. I handed him my ice creams and then we walked over to the gear check to grab my clothes. We were walking along and I just sat down. I was so tired of being on my feet and I just wanted a drink of water and I couldn't find anything.

We found Howard and Sherry and took a few more pictures.

Ice cream after a race is delicious! Although, I'm sure I have food in my teeth and on my face in this picture.

After the race, Tim and I headed back to the condo. We stopped and got some ice which felt so so good on my legs. He also bought me some yummy salty potato chips which were yummy too. I was so hungry after this race. I sat in an ice bath and then grabbed a quick shower and then ate yet again. My dad made some yummy grilled chicken sandwiches and we had chips and homemade salsa again. Then, we settled in for an afternoon of General Conference. I was seriously achy and couldn't walk too well, which Tim found highly amusing.

Yep, I look so attractive in my shorts and 3 layers of clothes and Tim's grey socks.

We spent the rest of the day gorging ourselves on cheeseburgers from In-n-Out and visiting with the Perkins and just relaxing. Sunday morning was a quick wake up and clean the condo (Yes, we did vacuum the stairs Larry!) and then my parents and Tim headed back to Logan, and I drove to Vegas to fly back to IL.

During the marathon, I was pretty sure that I would never ever do another marathon in my life. However, by Sunday I was back to making plans to do the Top of Utah marathon in Logan next September. Anyone want to join me? I think my mom and Tim are in!

Pioneer Day 5K Race Report

In Utah, July 24th is a state holiday. It's the day that the pioneers arrived in Utah in 1847 so there are lots of parades and fireworks and celebrations. Here in Logan, there was a 5K, so Tim and I, as well as his son and daughter decided to do the race. We met at Willow Park at 7am and got registered. Rylan did the 1 mile race and Tim, Kyra, and I did the 5K. Tim ran and Kyra and I walked the 5K. It was so fun to just relax and walk and enjoy some good conversation and good company!

This is the Race 5K Race Report

On July 18, my mom and I decided to do the Hyde Park, "This is the Race 5K" in honor of the local celebration for Pioneer Day. We woke up around 6am and then drove 10 minutes up the road and picked up our race t-shirts and numbers. I was doing a triathlon right after the race, so I planned on taking it easy and running with my mom. At the park, there was a man singing really twangy country music...he actually sounded good, especially if you like twangy country music.

This was a pretty low key race, so we all lined up at the start and the guy said "Go" and we were off. My mom has been struggling with starting off too fast, so I purposefully started off slow to keep her going slower. The first mile went fine and then we turned the corner and started heading uphill. It was a LONG (like a mile long) hill and my mom sure hates hills, but she definitely kept going. When we got to the top of the hill, the theme from "Rocky" was playing and that totally cracked me up. I stopped and waited for my mom and then we headed back towards the finish line. I wasn't running for time and I don't think my mom was running for time, so when we crossed the finish line, I didn't even glance at my watch.

My mom stuck around after the race for snacks and the prizes, but I had to head over to the aquatic center for my triathlon. The race was definitely fun and I will probably do it again next year.

Cache Valley Super Sprint Triathlon Race Report

Ok, I'm a little behind on my blog, but I do need get my race reports done, so here goes. Back on July 18, Tim and I completed the Cache Valley Super Sprint Triathlon. This was Tim's first triathlon so it was a pretty big day. I started off the day in Hyde Park doing the "This is the Race 5K" with my mom. I guess I need to do a separate race report for that race. Anyways, I met Tim at the Logan Aquatic Center and started setting up my transition area.

There was a new race director this year so there were some differences from last year, so transition was a bit different. I set up my area and then checked out Tim's area and he had everything good to go. The guy next to me in transition had a blue balloon tied to his spot, so it was totally easy to find my spot. After we got body marked, we did loaded up the sunscreen, especially since the temperature was supposed to be 100 for the day. Then, we just wandered around.

The race was a pool swim with each racer leaving 5 seconds after the previous racer. I got in line and was off for my swim. I actually felt great in the water and had a good swim time. I was actually out of the water before Tim got in the water. T1 was totally uneventful.

I headed out on the bike and my legs felt awful. My quads were cramping and I was just not feeling it...however, I had a big smile on my face. At the turnaround on the bike, I started feeling good so I decided to hammer. I started passing people and was having a great time. Of course, I forgot to start my bike computer, so I really didn't know how far I was from the finish. I did pass Tim and he looked like he was having a blast. I hammered and actually passed another rider right before transition. T2 was quick and also uneventful.

The run didn't go well. My legs were trashed and I was hot. Once I got to the shady part of the course I started to feel like I was in my groove. However, I noticed a woman (nonracer) with a significant limp and thought to myself "she's going to fall". I kept running and hit the turnaround and started to pick up the pace. Up ahead I noticed a commotion and yep, the woman with the limp fell down. I ran up to her along with 2 other women. She had hit her head and busted it open, and since it was a facial wound it was gushing. I sent a woman up to the aid station to have them call 911. The other girl and I helped her sit down. She called her daughter and I explained that she was going to need stitches. She started crying and said, "I don't have time for stitches, I want to go to the opera tonight." In my head, I said, "WHY?!!!?" Anyways, finally someone got there to help so I headed off to finish my run.

In my head I had sort of set a goal to finish under 1:30, but because of my first aid stop I didn't hit the goal. I did pass Tim and he was having a great run. My mom was at the finish line and I crossed and then grabbed my camera to get some pictures of Tim. He finished nice and strong and had a smile on his face, so I figured that he must have had a good time.



We talked to my mom for a few minutes and then headed over to transition to get our stuff together. I was starving and was definitely looking forward to feeding. Tim wasn't hungry at all...lucky guy. We loaded up our stuff and sat around and talked and then it was time to go home. However, I will say that this will not be the last race that Tim and I do together. He loved it and is already looking for another tri to do this season!

Ironman Boise 70.3 Race Report

I've sort of put off writing this race report because I've been trying to process what happened in Boise. I'm not sure if I've come to any sort of closure/conclusion but I figured I need to get down the details before I forget them, so here goes...

On Friday, June 12, my mom and I headed up to Boise. We arrived at packet pickup and I discovered that I was bib number 1000. Apparently, this is a lucky number or something because lots of people commented on it. I got all of my race stuff and then went shopping. I actually surprised myself because I only bought a couple of t-shirts and an Ironman key ring.

Next we headed over to Lucky Peak Reservoir to drop off my bike at T1. It was easy to get there and when we arrived, I pumped up my tires, checked out Oscar to make sure he was ready for Saturday afternoon. We walked down to the reservoir and I checked out the water temperature. It was cold but I wasn't too worried because I knew that I've swum in colder water.



Next, we headed back to the hotel and met up with a friend for some yummy Hawaiian food. I had some sushi, a maui burger and was drinking lots of water...except something didn't agree with me and I barfed up my dinner before I even left the restaurant. Oh well... Then we headed back to the hotel for some chill out time. Before I left, Tim told me that he and the kids were volunteering for the race and so they would be up on Saturday morning which was definitely exciting. I crashed pretty early and slept all night long. I actually slept in until 8am or so.

Breakfast was a waffle with peanut butter, a couple of pieces of sausage, some milk and some fruit. I figured that would work for me. My stomach was still feeling a bit yucky from the night before, but I thought the food would settle it. I headed back to the room and started getting ready for the day. We headed downtown to catch drop off my stuff at T2 and to catch the shuttle up to Lucky Peak. I did get a bit concerned when the race staff asked the bus driver to keep in touch so she wouldn't get lost...not sure what that meant but we arrived with no incidents other then seeing a huge elk grazing in a field with some cows.

I got body marked before heading into T1 and then went over to check out Oscar. This was a clean transition race so I had to keep everything in my bag which was a bit different. I got Oscar's tires pumped up and made sure he was in an easy gear and then started applying sunscreen and went to find Tim, his kids and my mom. Sherry called and I talked to her and Madison. They wished me good luck and definitely brought a smile to my face. I wasn't nervous and felt pretty zen about the whole experience and mostly just wanted to race to start.



I spent the next 2 hours just hanging out and waiting for the race to start. Tim and his kids were volunteering and my mom actually volunteered as well. I did get to see Craig Alexander and Chris Lieto and apparently, Sam McGlone and Linsey Corbin were there as well. It was pretty cool to think that I would be racing with some of the best triathletes in the world.





Finally, it was time for transition to close so I grabbed my wetsuit and headed up to the swim start. I started to get nervous because the wind was picking up and the water was starting to get a bit choppy. I saw the professional men and women start and then it was time to get into race mode.



As it got closer and closer for my wave to start, the wind picked up more and more and the water got choppier and choppier. I got my wetsuit on and goggles and was working on staying calm and just hoping that the I wouldn't freak out. Finally, it was our turn to get into the water and boy, was it COLD. I flooded my wetsuit so that I could start to get used to the temperature and that I could get that nice insulation going on. My feet and hands were freezing, and I started treading water and hoping that it would get warmer. I still felt relatively calm and was glad to finally be starting. The gun went off and we were off!





The swim was rough. The water was choppy. My mom and Tim said that the white caps started when my wave went out and there were people being pulled out of the water and that there were lots of people struggling. I felt fine in the water, just cold, and I was feeling pretty good at the first turn. I started sighting the next buoy and once I got there, a kayaker said, "The buoy is off course, follow the yellow buoys." I was mad...why is the buoy off course? I finally got on course and then headed to the next buoy, except the buoys were messed up. I was getting frustrated and it felt like I was in the water forever. Finally, I made the turn and could see the finish. I was cold...that's really all I was thinking about, but I started kicking harder and was mentally thinking about transition and the bike.



The run up to T1 went fine and T1 was fine as well. I pulled my shoes on and buckled my helmet and ran out to the mount line. I saw my support crew and gave them a smile but was feeling ready to get out on the bike course. I hopped on the bike, started pedaling and hit a speed bump and launched a water bottle. I thought about picking it up but decided to grab one at an aid station.

The bike course started off great. We headed downhill very quickly to get down from the dam and then the torture began. This was by far the hilliest ride that I've ever ever done. I thought I was prepared for the hills, but boy was I wrong. Then, it started raining...not just raining, but pouring. Anyone who knows me, knows that I absolutely despise being wet from rain so this was tough. It rained so much that my shoes were squishing tons of water out every time I pushed on the pedals. I saw at least 20 people on the side of the road with flats. I made sure and ate my luna moons and was drinking, but I wasn't thirsty. Around mile 23-24, I peed on the bike and this man rode past me and whispered I saw that. I was pretty wet and miserable and my nutrition was gooey and it was windy and the rain kept coming and coming. Around mile 38, I passed an aid station and realized I had a flat. I hopped off the bike and took off my back wheel and started the changing process, but within a couple of minutes, the bike support guy was there and I was back on the bike within 10 minutes or so. I was SO SO glad he stopped because I don't know if I had the tine to mess with my tire. Anyways, I got going again and there was a huge headwind and it was raining and my rear waterbottle cage fell off. I couldn't believe it. I had nowhere to put it so I left it on the side of the road. I knew I'd been on the bike for way too long and was feeling pretty discouraged. I was also FREEZING and SOAKING and decided that if it was still raining when I got to T2, I was going to be done for the day. The last 5 miles on the bike were in a downpour but were fast and I started feeling a bit better.



T2 was rough. I was just very very happy to not be on the bike. I ran down to my spot, opened my bag and pulled on my running shoes and visor. I was so glad to take off my squishy cycling shoes and my sunglasses that were just spotty from the rain. While I was on the bike, I started thinking about my new tshirts and decided that I had to do the run because I wanted to wear them. That was my motivation for heading out on the run. I also didn't want to disappoint my support crew who had been standing out in the rain and worrying about me while I was on that miserable awful bike ride.



The run went well. I decided to run 5 minutes and walk a minute because I knew that I could run for 5 minutes. I stopped to pee around mile 3 and was drinking hot chicken broth that was so warm and yummy. I also had a couple of cokes. The first loop was fine and I passed my support crew and told them I'd probably be another 1 1/2 hours because I was getting tired. I had some pretzels and more coke and stopped for another pee and bumped into a volunteer with sour cream and onion potato chips. I seriously almost hugged him because they were SO SO yummy! I slowed down a bit on the second loop but was able to keep my 5:1 interval going. My heels started getting blisters around mile 8 and my feet were wet. It also stopped running at some point which was nice but I was still pretty wet. I knew I was heading into the homestretch and tried picking up the pace but there was nothing left in my legs. I passed my mom about 2 blocks from the finish line. She ran along side and rang the cowbell. Tim and his kids were at the finish and were yelling. I was definitely smiling but I was super way way tired and just wanted to be done.



This was definitely the hardest race that I've ever done. I wanted to quit so many times and wasn't sure if I would make it through the bike course. Riding in the rain, soaking wet, into headwinds is just not my idea of a good time. My support crew was AWESOME and definitely kept me going. I'm not sure I would have finished if they hadn't been there. I gave everyone hugs after I crossed the finish line and got my medal. Then, I just wanted to lie down, but I had to go and pick up all of my crap, load up Oscar on the car and then head to the hotel. We all got back to the room and I finally showered and got warm and was shocked at the amount of road spooge I had all over me. I was FILTHY! I thought I would sleep good, but mostly my body just hurt and every time I moved, I woke up.

I have lots of lessons that I learned during this race, but I think I'll have to save those for another post. Here are my times...definitely disappointing, but I finished and I think that's a pretty cool thing.

SWIM 49:03
T1 2:57
BIKE 3:45:17
T2 2:44
RUN 2:48:22

Stansbury Park Olympic Triathlon

On Saturday morning, I woke up at 4:30am, got ready and headed over to pick up Tim to head down to Tooele, UT for the race. I had no expectations for the race and was mostly just looking forward to getting my first tri of the season done and under my belt. We arrived at the race site and headed over to packet pickup. I feel like I'm sort of becoming old hat at the whole race morning routine. I'd eaten my poptart in the car and was feeling pretty relaxed.

After I got my body marking done, I headed over to transition to start setting up my stuff. This was Tim's first experience at a triathlon, so he was taking it all in. The racks were sort of tiny and I didn't feel like I had much room. I set up my stuff and made sure that Oscar was in an easy gear and then we headed off to check out the lake. I wanted to get a feel for the ins and outs of the course and I also wanted to relax.

The lake looked totally murky and the swim course looked fine. There was a long run from the swim exit to the transition area, but no worries. Tim and I grabbed a spot on the hill and talked and relaxed for awhile. I was mentally planning my race and just chilling...not a bad way to spend the time before the race. My heart rate was low and I felt pretty relaxed.

When it was almost time for the pre-race meeting, I went back to transition, grabbed my wetsuit, swim cap, and goggles and then headed over to the meeting. The race director did a very nice job of describing the course and asked us not to pass on a certain section of the bike course (this becomes important later). After the meeting, I still had some time so I walked back over to where Tim was sitting and then my hands started shaking. We watched the men start, and then it was time to get in the lake. Tim said good luck and off I went.

I walked in the lake and was surprised that it wasn't as cold as I expected. I swam around a bit and noticed there was alot of grass and seaweed and junk. Plus, the water smelled like duck poop...oh boy. I peed in my wetsuit to warm things up and then we lined up for the deep water start. The race director said "go" and we were off.

I started swimming nice and easy and made sure that my breathing was good. I was mentally calming myself because I had grass on my face and stuck in my fingers and it was kinda freaking me out. I haven't swam in my full sleeve wetsuit since last June so I was getting used to that and my shoulders definitely felt tired. I had no problems with other swimmers bumping in to me and wasn't sure if it was because I was going too slow or what. I did try to swim in straight lines and noticed that most of the other swimmers were about 12 feet away from me and I wasn't sure if I was swimming long or what. Anyways, the first loop went fine and I actually sped up for the second loop. In my head, I was hoping to be out of the water before 30 min, so I was pleasantly surprised when I looked at my watch and the time was 27: something. I felt like I had a solid swim with no freaking out and that I was doing ok.

The run to the transition area was long and my heart rate was high, but once I got there, I got my wetsuit off with no problems, wiped off my feet, slipped on my bike shoes, helmet and sunglasses, grabbed Oscar and was off.

The bike course was a two loop course. I lost one of my water bottles before mile 2 and debated on whether to go back and get it. I decided I would just take the penalty. I felt like I was doing well on the bike and that I wasn't hammering too hard but that I was carrying my speed fairly well. I wasn't seeing any other women and was a little worried that I was WAY behind (I was) but decided to just get the bike done and get to the run. I did get stuck behind a man that was going just slower than me on the road that we weren't supposed to pass on and that was frustrating. I passed him on my way out to the second loop and then he passed me and then I hammered and pulled away from him. I didn't want to get stuck behind him on that road.

I kept hearing lots of sirens and was a little worried, but got really worried when I noticed lots of flashing lights ahead and cars stopped and stuff. I didn't know what had happened, but there were 3 cops, 2 fire trucks, an ambulance and some cars stopped. I had to weave through there and was really hoping that someone just crashed and didn't get hit by a car. I was almost back to transition so I upped my cadence and was definitely ready to be off the bike. (I've been dealing with some saddle sores so I was definitely uncomfortable during the second loop.) I was hoping to finish the bike around 1:30, so I was pleased with my time on the bike.

Tim was waiting for me at the bike transition and I waved and then ran over to my spot. Of course, someone had racked their bike in my place and moved my stuff around which was a little frustrating, but oh well. I racked Oscar, slipped of my cycling stuff, put on my running shoes (note to self...buy new yankz), grabbed my race belt and visor and was off.

The run course was also 2 loops and it was starting to get hot. I grabbed some water at the first aid station and then started trotting along, hoping to get my legs under me. I made it the first turn around, drank some Heed and water, and then headed back. I was starting to get a blister and some rubbing in my usual spot, but wasn't worried. I finished the first loop and knew that I was running at a pace that was working for me. The second loop actually went better. I started picking off some runners. I was working hard and feeling good, but was a little worried that I hadn't seen anyone else in my age group. I was hoping to finish my run in 1:06, so I was thrilled when I finished in 1:01.

Tim was waiting for me at the finish line. He got a big sweaty hug and I got some water. I was definitely thirsty and really wanted to blow my nose. I grabbed some chocolate milk, looked at the results and then we headed back to transition to gather up my stuff. I changed into some comfy clothes, whined about my sunburn, and enjoyed my chocolate milk. We loaded up the car and then headed to Best Burger and had the most delicious cheeseburger of my life. I was all wound up and Tim was cracking up because I was literally inhaling my food and chattering about the race and all of that.

I ended up coming in last in my age group and at the bottom of the Olympic racers which was a bit discouraging. I felt like I had a good race and that I was well-prepared and that I gave a good effort. Oh well...at least the first race is done and now I can enjoy the rest of the season and hope to see some more improvements!

Oh...Tim has decided that he's doing a triathlon in July...apparently my addiction is contagious!

Swim 28:07
T1 ?
Bike 1:25:58
T2 1:15
Run 1:01:45

Total 2:59:07

Pocatello Endurance Festival 1/2 Century Ride Race Report

Last Friday afternoon, my parents and I headed up to Pocatello, Idaho for our races. My dad and I were doing the 1/2 century ride and my mom was running the 1/2 marathon. We arrived at our hotel and just laid around for awhile. My dad had worked the night before so he was pretty tired. When the race check in opened, we headed over to the bike shop to pick up our race packets and then grabbed some dinner at a mexican restaurant. The salsa was fantastic and I ate some yummy fish tacos. We headed back to the hotel and I crashed at 9pm. Apparently, I was wiped out because I didn't move until 5:30am. I went back to sleep until 7am.

Around 8am, my parents and I headed out to grab some breakfast. I have never done a bike race before, so I wasn't really sure what to eat. I ended up eating a piece of bacon, 2 eggs, some hashbrowns, a piece of french toast, and some skim milk. It definitely tasted good. We headed back to the room and started loading up and headed out to the race. We arrived at the park, unloaded the bikes, and started putzing around. My mom was all hyped up to go, but my dad and I were pretty kicked back.

Before the races started, I laid on the grass and relaxed. I was feeling good and prepared for the race. The course had 4 loops and my dad and I had decided to take the first loop easy and then see how it went after that. We watched the kids races and then it was time for us to start. My dad said to line up at the front and I was totally nervous about that. I'm not a fast cyclist so I didn't want to get run over by anyone. When we lined up I noticed that there were not alot of road bikes and not alot of women and I wasn't sure how that would play out.

So, the race started and we were off. Of course, I forgot to put my bike in an easy gear and we made the turn out of the start up a hill so that was fun. My legs felt like crap and I kept thinking, oh great...it's going to be a long day. My dad was ahead of me and we started cruising along. The course had some good rollers and was alot of fun. We hit the turnaround and then got to ride back into the wind, so my dad and I drafted off of each other. I think I got the better deal because he's alot bigger than I am. We finished the first loop and headed out for the next loop.

I really struggled during the second loop. I'm not sure what was going on, but my legs were tired. I kept thinking that I wasn't even to the halfway point and felt like crap. I tried to catch my dad, but just couldn't get up close enough to draft so I was feeling a little discouraged. We made the turnaround and started riding into the wind again. My dad noticed that I'm a late shifter and a masher. I knew that I was a masher so that wasn't a surprise. He started helping me on my shifting and my legs started to feel better.

On the third loop, I was feeling pretty good. I passed my dad and started pulling him for awhile. We passed a woman and I was very excited because I told my dad at the beginning of the race that I wanted to beat her. We cruised along to the turnaround and then came upon another woman who I had never been close to. I passed her on the uphill and then took off. My dad couldn't even keep up with me. I really started pushing and decided that I was going to be the first woman to finish the half century.

On the fourth loop, I definitely hammered. Oscar was doing great. I saw my dad and he wasn't too far behind me so I thought he would catch me. The woman I passed on the hill wasn't too far behind me either, so I turned it up a notch. I flew through the last loop and even did alot of standup pedaling on the hills. I wanted to finish strong and I knew I could beat the other two women I was racing against. I crossed the finish line in 2:53:53 according to my watch and then headed off to set Oscar against a tree and to find my dad. He came in about 3 minutes later.

We hung out and started looking for my mom. I had passed her 4 times so I knew she would be coming. I walked over to the food table and was completely grossed out by the dried out Great Harvest Bread and the brown apples, so I just filled up my water bottle with some water and hung out in the grass. My mom crossed the bridge into the park and was really struggling. I ran with her the last 1/4 mile or so and talked to her. She was really struggling.

Anyways, I ended up winning the women's 1/2 century...out of three women. I averaged 17.2 mph. My average HR was 179 so I was definitely working hard. My dad came in second place out of the men. We had a blast and I am totally looking forward to another cycling event. Oh, my nutrition...I finished two bottles of Heed and 2 packs of Clif Blocks on the bike.

Indy Mini Marathon Race Report

On Friday afternoon, Katie, Carolyn, and I started our drive to Indianapolis with the help of Lola the GPS who always seems to have issues. We missed our exit and ended up sitting in major traffic and arrived at our hotel later than expected. Of course it was raining and so after we threw our stuff in the room and made a quick pit stop, we headed over to the expo. It was super busy and I got a little frustrated walking around...the whole crowd thing. We picked up our bibs and timing chips and then started shopping. We ended up with matching t-shirts and then wandered around and started making dinner plans.

Originally, we had planned on eating at the Old Spaghetti Factor, but we found out there was a 2 hour wait which meant we wouldn't get to eat until 9pm, which doesn't really work for me. The three of us were not interested in eating that late, so we went to Alcatraz Brewing Company and we actually got seated as soon as we walked in. Apparently, runners don't eat at brewing companies the night before a race. Dinner was fun, the food was tasty, and I even got called "honey." Oh, and of course the waiter had to say something about my water habit...yes, I'm still a camel who can put away lots and lots of water. I ate half of a cheeseburger, some fries, and some onion rings.

After dinner, we headed back to the hotel and started setting our stuff out for the race. I was tired, but knew it would be hard to sleep, so I was looking forward to a long night. Katie and Carolyn fell asleep first and then the tossing and turning started. Someday, I'll learn how to sleep in a hotel. I don't think Carolyn and Katie slept well either because the room was definitely quiet, but not the everyone is sleeping quiet.

Anyways, the alarm wen toff at 5:45am and we got up and started getting ready to go. I ate a poptart and drank a glass of water, my breakfast of champions. I wasn't sure how cool it would be outside, but I figured it would probably be a beautiful day for running. We left the hotel and started walking to the start. While we were heading to gear check, I stopped at the portapotties to make a deposit which made me so happy that I actually did the happy dance in the portapotty. That meant there would be no issues during the race! Yay! We made it to gear check and then started walking back to our corrals. I stopped at G, made a quick portapotty stop, and then started looking for people I knew. I bumped into another one of my students and then Sherry and Kim and then Howard, Tammy, and Karen who were all in the G corral.

Finally it was time for the race to start. We crossed the start line 5 minutes after the start. Howard made a quick stop at his woods and it was so humid that I had my long sleeved shirt off before mile 1. We passed the elephants, even got to see the baby elephant, and got to mile 1 and of course, I realized I started too fast. I started to slow down but I got to mile 2 in 9:40 which was WAY too fast. At some point I bumped back into Karen and we started running together.

We cruised along and then I stopped at a portapotty for a quick stop and headed into the speedway. I was feeling okay and then started noticing some achiness in my back between miles 7 and 8 so I stopped and walked for a few minutes. I wasn't sure if I was just being a sallie or what, but I really didn't want to have any long term back issues, so I decided to kind of see how I was feeling. Karen came by and I was surprised she was behind me so I started running with her. We headed out of the track and around mile 9, Karen mentioned that she was struggling. I told her we just had to run to Tipton. We got to mile 10 and I told her we only had a 5k left.

I was feeling really good at this point and felt like I could have picked up the pace (I guess I was just being a sallie), but Karen was really struggling. I really struggled in my head with the decision to leave Karen or to help her along. At one point, I actually kept running through a water stop and then decided to stop and wait for her. I talked her through the last mile and we crossed the finish line together. She gave me a big hug and said thanks and we made our way to the Team in Training tent.

We bumped into Howard, Sherry, and Tammy and started talking about the race. The weather was absolutely perfect. It was humid, but the sun didn't come out until mile 9 so it wasn't too hot. We talked for a little while and then they all headed back to the hotel and I sat down to wait for Katie and Carolyn. Eventually they showed up and we talked to Carolyn's parents before we headed back to the hotel for showers. We met Carolyn's family at Arni's Pizza and had an eventful lunch that included me dumping marinara sauce on Carolyn's cousin's phone (welcome to my life!) and good conversation.

We finally got on the road and were cruising along until we came to a complete stop for 45 minutes. We got to turn off the car while the fire department managed a burning car. That was a new and different experience. We got home around 7:30pm, which was alot later than I expected but it was a really fun weekend. Carolyn, Katie, and I have already made plans for our race next year. We're headed to Orlando in March for the Princess 1/2 Marathon. That should definitely be a great time!

Splits
Mile 1 10:28 (156bpm)
Mile 2 9:39 (167bpm)
Mile 3 10:24 (165bpm)
Mile 4 10:06 (165bpm)
Mile 5 10:43 (165 bpm)
Mile 6 11:24 (164bpm) - This is where I stopped to pee.
Mile 7 10:48 (165 bpm)
Mile 8 10:44 (164bpm)
Mile 9 12:21 (155bpm) - This is where I walked for 3:30.
Mile 10 11:31 (162bpm)
Mile 11 11:22 (160bpm)
Mile 12 11:36 (162bpm)
Mile 13 12:08 (162bpm)
Mile 0.1 57 (172bpm)

Disney Princess 1/2 Marathon Race Report

Back in October, I invited my friend Katie to run the inaugural Princess 1/2 Marathon at Walt Disney World over spring break. We rented a car, a condo, bought a flight and our park tickets and anxiously awaited for March 7 when we would leave cold Illinois for warm, sunny Florida.

We arrived Saturday at lunchtime and headed to the expo to pick up our race packets and do some shopping. Katie had never been to Walt Disney World, so when we drove through the park gates, she got that wonderful Disney feeling. At the expo, I found a Pearl Izumi shirt that I'll blog about later. We looked for some princess gear, but, as I would continue to remember, I'm really not a princess kind of girl.

On Sunday morning at 4:30am, I woke up drenched in sweat. I grabbed a quick shower because I'm pretty sure that your not supposed to be stinky before the race starts. I put on my race clothes, grabbed my poptarts, and we headed to Epcot for the race. Of course, we made our porta potty trip. I was hoping to get rid of a deposit before the race, but of course, no such luck. There were tons of "princesses" everywhere and some were not very nice or even pleasant. We headed over to the start and made one more porta potty stop. Some of the things that I heard were "Princesses don't pee on the side of the road" and "Princesses use kleenex to blow their noses." I, of course, rolled my eyes and thought to myself, "It's a good thing I'm a runner and not a princess." We made it to the start, the gun went off, and we crossed the start line with the Fairy Godmother from Cinderella telling us how wonderful we were.

Miles 1, 2, and 3 were not fun for me. I felt like I needed to poop when I ran, but every time I stopped at a porta potty, my body said, "nope, no pooping for you." I finally got rid of whatever was bugging at mile 3. It is not fun running when the defecator is in overdrive.

Oh, I should probably mention that I forgot my HR monitor, so I didn't have a way to monitor my pace. Coach Chris asked me to "race" the race and use it as a long hard training run, so I was mad at myself for forgetting the HR monitor. When I started running and felt not so great, I wondered how I could actually race, but at mile 3, I started feeling okay, so I decided to try and run a negative split. Anyways, back to the race.

After mile 3, I started to feel okay, but I didn't feel like pushing the pace too early. The course was almost exactly the same as the 1/2 marathon in January, so I was familiar with it and knew what was coming. I didn't run with my ipod and I was absolutely amazed at how quiet the course was. I was expecting these women (about 7000 of them) to be chatting but they were mostly silent. It was so weird. Around mile 4, I took my first gel and at mile 5, I took a couple of endurolytes and an anti-fatigue capsule. Mile 6 was through Magic Kingdom, so it was fun to check out the park and run through the castle. There weren't many characters out on the course, except for the princesses, which gave me a whole other topic to blog about.

After mile 6, I decided to start picking up the pace (I'll share my splits at the end) and I was feeling good until I got to mile 9. I started feeling alot of pain in my hips. This wasn't surprising because I haven't run that long in months. I stopped at a medical tent and grabbed a couple of Tylenol, which started kicking in around mile 10. I also took some gel and endurolytes and an anti-fatigue capsule at the water stop. At mile 10, I was still pushing the pace, but my legs started to cramp up. I was having cramps in my left glut and calf, and both quads. I felt not good, but I kept going and kept working hard. I knew there was only a 5K left and that I have a 1/2IM in June and I needed to be physically and mentally tough enough to work through the cramps. So, I did it and I'm very proud of myself for doing it!

The last mile was around and through Epcot. There was a good crowd and I was able to feed off that energy. I did see Mulan, my favorite Disney princess who is not really a princess, and that was cool. I felt good and was somehow managing the cramping. I crossed the finish line in 2:30:30, which was slow. While this wasn't a fast 1/2 for me, it was fun and I learned some stuff (like I always do) so it was a productive race. I learned that I can be mentally tough, and that sometimes my mind is stronger than my body. I learned that I am a runner and not a princess and that some women who act like princesses may not be very nice to be around. I thought it was very cool to see all of the men supporting the women during the race. I realized that I can do a 1/2 marathon with very tired, heavy legs, and still run a negative split. Oh, and I learned that I will definitely be doing this race again.

Splits
Mile 1 - 11:06
Mile 2 - 13:06
Mile 3 - 13:18
Mile 4 - 11:41
Mile 5 - 11:19
Mile 6 - 11:36
Mile 7 - 11:40
Mile 8 - 11:06
Mile 9 - 10:53
Mile 10 - 11:14
Mile 11 - 10:53
Mile 12 - 10:54
Mile 13 - 10:35
Mile .1 - 1:06 (the longest .1 miles of my life)

Chilly Chili Run Race Report

I have heard of the Chilly Chili Run, but finally decided to go ahead and do it this year to add one more race to my list. I think I also wanted to mentally know that I could run in the freezing cold. So, I had big plans to run, but was having second thoughts on Friday night. It was supposed to be COLD on Saturday. I decided to text Katie and see if she wanted to run and she did. She also invited a few others, so now I was committed.

On Saturday, I headed over to pick Katie up. We met Betsy, Mike and his fiancee Erica and the drove over to Green Gables. Now, I have to tell you that I only know how to get to Green Gables on my bike, but I wasn't completely sure how to drive there, so I pulled out the Lola the Garmin. After a few wrong turns, I yelled at Lola and put her back in the glove compartment. We arrived (I actually did know where I was going), got registered and waited for the start. I should mention that when I left my house it was a balmy -5 with the windchill. I was struggling with the decision of what to wear, but ended up in my Nike jacket which was toasty warm.

The race started at 1pm and we headed off. There were some guys running in their underwear! Really!?! Apparently, the sweatshirt that I bought for $20 is worth running in your underwear for. The race course was 4.37 miles, sunny, and actually the wind wasn't too bad. Mike headed out to the front. Katie and Betsy were just ahead of me. I had to pee before the race started, but the line was too long, so I got to run the entire race with that "gotta go" feeling.

At some point, I caught up with Katie and we ran the rest of the race together. We passed the water stop that was serving spam and beans (I threw up in my mouth a little), as well as beer and a random variety of other stuff. We also passed a porta potty, but I didn't want to freeze to seat or drop my pants so we kept going. The hills were glorious and I really think I need to run out there more often.

We crossed the finish line in 46:19, which I was okay with. Mike finished in 6th place and Betsy finished a few minutes ahead of us. Erica was the smart one who stayed in the bar until we got back. I changed my wet clothes and finally got to pee. (Women take forever in the bathroom!) We all talked about the race and ordered the famous Green Gables cheeseburgers. Mine was delicious. After the yummy lunch, we headed back home. I was freezing, so I grabbed a hot shower, put on my new red sweatshirt, and curled up under a blanket. I checked the temperature and it was a balmy 10 degrees with a 0 windchill. It took me about 3+ hours before I felt sort of warm.

I'm fairly certain that I've never run when its been so cold, so I'm kinda proud of myself for getting out there and getting a good run done. I'm also really glad that my students were out there racing. It's alot of fun for me to see them complete their races. They asked me to let them know when the next race is, so we'll definitely be running together again. Next time, I'll have to remember the camera.