Race Recap: Revel Marathon | Big Bear

On October 14th I ran my 2nd marathon. I said I would never run another marathon after the LA Marathon in 2016 because it was one of the hardest things I’d ever done. But, I don’t think anyone believed me. So, this summer while training with my son for his first half marathon, Cedar City Half Marathon, I caught the bug to run another marathon. Mostly, because I felt that my time was so slow, I had to beat it. I decided I’d sign up for a fast downhill marathon and I would be almost guaranteed to finish faster than LA! The good news, I did! I beat my time by almost a full hour! The bad news, marathons are still hard.

Look at all these goodies that came in my swag bag!!

Big Bear was my first Revel Race Series race and I gotta tell you, they put on a great event! I had volunteered at packet pickup last year for the Mount Charleston race here in Las Vegas and felt they did a great job with the expo here and I think the expo for Big Bear was also excellent. Everything went smoothly, the volunteers were friendly, and I loved their free photo booth and photo ops! When we got to our hotel room, I went through my bag and I was super impressed with the swag. I really liked that they provided a space blanket and even some gloves since the start line was going to be cold! They also had all kinds of other goodies and coupons!

I had listened to Coach Paul’s videos on their facebook page and those videos were awesome. Coach Paul is the online training coach for Revel Races and he gave a lot of really good and useful information about downhill running, what to expect from the course, nutrition, etc. I highly recommend checking out those videos!

On race morning the weather was perfect for running! Cool and overcast most of the way. The course was as expected, thanks again to Coach Paul’s video! At the expo, I grabbed a pace band and was really impressed that it wasn’t a generic bracelet, but rather the pace was calculated by the actual course. So, the sections towards the beginning of the race that were uphill and had rolling hills were accounted for and the downhill parts too. Now, this is the first time I had used one of these bracelets, so I honestly don’t know if that’s the norm or not, but like I said, I was impressed! I can also say that it was really helpful to me! Thanks to the hubs for insisting I check them out!

Most of the course was beautiful and although I was nervous about there being no spectators cheering us on from the sidelines, I don’t think it affected me too much. I had my curated playlist to help me along and the volunteers at the aid stations were all cheerful and friendly, so that helped too! The first 9 miles were pretty hilly (as expected) and not the fast downhill start I was used to from my training. I stuck to my pace band times and was pretty on track until I had to use the lovely port-a-potty so that was 3 minutes I lost. I tried to make them up and by mile 13 I was back on track. This was also when the course started to get “faster” and downhill! I don’t know if I pushed too hard trying to regain those 3 minutes or what but by mile 18, I started to lose my momentum. By mile 22 I was really struggling! I tried to pull it together and find some inner strength but there just wasn’t much there! I was grateful to my playlist for keeping me going, but it didn’t stop the tears from coming! What is it with me and crying during a marathon!?! Tell me I’m not alone! I managed to pull myself together and thanks to a few friendly runners who cheered me on and the spectators once I reached the finish line area, I finished strong. Or as strong as possible and I even managed to not cry again when I got my medal and saw Jason at the finish line! I came close, though!

One thing I didn’t like about the race was that once we got into the town, the drivers were not too careful of us runners! Although we kept to the right of the cones on the street, some cars still drove on the side that was for us and came super close! We mostly ended up running behind each other on the shoulder to not risk getting run over! No pun intended! I know the race directors can’t control the drivers, so I can’t fault the race itself for that. The town was not scenic either and this is is the end of the race so I could have really used some nice distractions, since I was beat!

All in all, I would recommend this race or any of the Revel Races to anyone looking for a downhill marathon or half marathon course. It’s not a huge race event, like the Rock n Roll events, but it’s not a small bare bones event either. Personally, I think it’s just the right size! You get great support on course, have a fun finish line festival area with music, beer, pizza, and donuts, FREE race photos, and even a video slideshow for you to share on social media!! I’m looking forward to adding another Revel Race to my calendar for 2019, but most likely it will be a half marathon 🙂

Rock N Roll San Diego Remix Challenge | Race Recap

During the first weekend of June I completed my first Rock N Roll Marathon Series Remix Challenge in San Diego! The Remix Challenge medal is earned when you complete two days of running during a Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon Series event. Any combination of distances qualifies for the Remix Challenge Medal. You need to complete one event on Saturday and one event on Sunday during the same Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon Series event weekend. I chose to run the 5K distance on Saturday and the half marathon distance on Sunday.

This is my first year as a member of the Rock ‘n’ Blog team and I am loving it so far! As part of the team I received a Global Tour Pass, which allows me to run any of their races worldwide (travel costs not included). My next tour stops will be Seattle, June 18th for the Half Marathon and Las Vegas on November 11-12 for another Remix (5K and Half Marathon).

We left a little later than we wanted to on Friday afternoon from Vegas, so we arrived for packet pickup with just under one hour before the expo closed. The good thing about cutting it so close was that there was no line to get my packets 🙂 I was given a specific wrist tag with my bibs and was explained that I was to wear it on Sunday’s race to pick up my Remix Challenge medal after the race (woohoo!). Afterwards we walked around the Gaslamp Quarter and grabbed some sushi for dinner before checking in to our room and crashing!

This was my first really big 5K event and it was a great experience. The atmosphere was relaxed and everyone was ready to have a good time. Although, I told myself I would take it slow, I couldn’t help but get carried away by all the excitement and I took off a little faster than I wanted to. But after the first mile or so I slowed myself down and started to enjoy the sights of Balboa Park. Jason was right there cheering me on at the finish line and then we made our way to the beer tent. As ya’ll know, I am much more of a wine girl myself, but after a race there’s nothing better than a cold beer. Trust me on that one!

The rest of the day was spent doing a little shopping and catching a movie, which is a rare treat for us to do without the kiddos. We then made our way to Ocean Beach for burgers and beers at Hodad’s and to catch a glimpse of the ocean! Do yourself a favor and check it out next time you’re in the San Diego area. It’s got a great vibe and the burgers are delicious!

The next day, was a little less relaxed, as thousands of half marathon and marathon runners made their way to the starting line. But, it was still a Rock N Roll event and the atmosphere was one of fun, if not a little more focused on the longer distances to be conquered that day. I know I was feeling nervous and excited too! The half marathon course was a blast and although my legs felt a little sluggish the first few miles, I found my groove and had a strong finish! The best part of the race was running through the Normal Heights neighborhood, where the neighbors were out supporting the runners with everything from jolly ranchers to alcohol. Loved the makeshift bars they set up serving beer, mimosas, and even shots of liquor! I chose to pass on the libations, but it was super entertaining to run by and see other brave runners take their shots! Another favorite was when we finally got the the nice downhill area along the park! Running downhill is my favorite, so a downhill finish was a great relief from an otherwise kinda hilly course.

As with all big races, the finish line area was crowded and busy. Jason was looking out for me so we met up soon after. We made our way to the festival area and to the Heavy Medal tent for my Remix Medal! And then of course, it was another race so another beer at the finish! It was also great to see some friends at the festival who had ran the relay race. We chatted a bit with them before we had to get going to check out of our room and make our way back to Vegas!

But, first we had to stop at our favorite Temecula winery, Wiens Family Cellars, for some wine tasting. We brought a few bottles home with us too and way may have also signed up for their wine club (again!)

If you’ve never ran the Remix Challenge, I definitely suggest you try it at least once. Not only do you leave the weekend with 3 awesome medals, it really makes it for a fun-filled running weekend. Plus, you get to doubly enjoy what the Rock N Roll Marathon races are all about: fun, community, bling, music, and just an all-around good time!

Even though it was a weekend with 2 back to back races, the hubs and I still got to spend a much needed weekend away without the kiddos. It was the perfect start to summer break and I think we may have to turn it into a yearly tradition, with or without a race 😉

Race-cation | Southern Califiornia Getaway

One of the best reasons to choose a race in a different city is the opportunity for a race-cation! You know, where you sign up for a race and plan a trip around it! Because I love to run and I love to travel even more, it’s no wonder most of my races are out of town. I love being able to combine two of my favorite things! Mostly, these are just weekend getaways like for the L.A. Marathon and sometimes they are full-on family vacations, like for Disney’s Wine and Dine Half Marathon in DisneyWorld. Either way, it’s always exciting to get away and run in a new place!

Last month I got to race the Ventura Beach Half Marathon and we made a nice little family trip out of it. The kids had already started school, so we let them play hooky and we left Friday morning. We headed straight to L.A.’s The Grove shopping center where Elysse had an appointment with a personal shopper at the American Girl store! You can read all about her amazing experience and my recommendations when visiting this store HERE. While Elysse and I shopped and had lunch at the American Girl Cafe, Jason and Diego spent their afternoon catching PokeMon Go at the nearby La Brea Tar Pits. They also grabbed a bite to eat and even did a little shopping too.

In case you didn’t know, Friday afternoon traffic through L.A. is insane. We thought because we were leaving a few hours before rush hour that we would be ok, but it was still really congested and it took us quite awhile to get from Los Angeles to Ventura. When we finally arrived at our hotel, I realized just how chilly the evenings are in Ventura and we were not prepared! Elysse still got in the pool before we headed to dinner. She’s crazy and maybe I’m a little crazier for letting her get in. But hey, it’s a vacation!

Saturday morning, was packet pickup and our family day at the beach. The first thing we did, was head to Old Navy to get some sweaters because the morning was cold and cloudy and I knew the evening would also be chilly. Then we headed to Trader Joe’s to grab food for our beach picnic lunch later. At this point, we’re all starving, so we had to find a place to eat a late breakfast on Main St. Finally, around noon, we made it to the beach. Packet pick up was right next to the pier and super quick to find and get my bib for the race the next day.

After all of this, it was finally time to relax at the beach for the day! The weather was cool but it did get pretty sunny once that morning fog rolled out. We spent the day lounging, making sand castles, and gathering shells. Diego had gotten a skate board while in L.A. so him and Jason practiced skating along the bike trail. It was seriously one of the most chill out days at the beach we’ve ever had. Even though it was too cold for actual swimming in the ocean, it was a blast! We were all so stuffed from our big breakfast, that we didn’t even have our lunch or snacks until we got in the car to leave.

As soon as we got back to our hotel, Elysse was ready to jump in the pool again! I don’t know how she has so much energy. But, because we didn’t swim in the ocean, we figured why not! So her and Jason stayed at the pool while Diego and went up to the room to get a head start on showers and get ready for dinner.

Sunday was race day and it was perfect! You can read all about my race recap HERE. Unfortunately, with school on Monday, we decided to head back home soon after the race was done. After my race, we headed back to the hotel to check-out and for me to get myself all cleaned up from the half marathon. After breakfast we decided to take the scenic route and find the Musical Road in Lancaster, CA. It was originally made for a Honda commercial. It’s a quarter mile bit of road that when driven on it, it is supposed to sound like William Tell Overature or better known as the theme from the classic Lone Ranger tv show. Was it worth taking the scenic route for this? Absolutely! There are only a few of these musical roads in the world and even though it wasn’t perfectly in tune, it was still a fun little side track.

Click the photo to see and hear our drive over the Musical Road!

We also got to see one of the largest wind farms in the world as we drove back to the interstate. We had no idea we’d be seeing that, but when we kept seeing so many rows of windmills, I quickly googled and found out it was the Alta Wind Project, also called the Mojave Wind Farm, the third largest onshore wind energy project in the world. Pretty neat bit of trivia 🙂

All and all, our family race-cation was a much needed break from the busy months we’d been having with packing and moving and the kids starting new schools. I highly recommend when looking for your next race, consider making it a race-cation! I’m sure the idea of traveling and getting away will be a nice motivator as you put in those training miles!

Half Marathon Training | Wild Land Fire Awareness Trail Half

Here I go again! Last week I registered for my 3rd half marathon and 1st trail half marathon, the Wild Land Fire Awareness Trail Half Marathon. I love that 100% proceeds go to the Wildland Firefighter Foundation. I really enjoy trail running, but have not ran more than a 12K trail race before, so I’m a little nervous about this one. I’ll be training hard for this half marathon and the Spartan Super simultaneously, since the Spartan race is April 18th. What’s made me even more nervous is my friend who runs ultra trail races said it was a tough one! Yikes!! What did I get myself into?!? Well, there is no turning back now. It’s time to train. The race is on May 30th, so I have just about 12 weeks to prepare to run 13.1 miles of trails through beautiful Red Rock Canyon Conservation Area.

I ran the Wild Land Fire Awareness 5K trail race last year and it wasn’t my best run. But I love running around Red Rock and I ran some of the half marathon trails last year they seemed way more fun than the 5K course, so I’m looking forward to running the entire course this year.

I plan on sharing updates on my training, as well as tips for keeping motivated while training for a half marathon, and some of my must-have training essentials.

Are you training for an upcoming race? Are you nervous? Excited? I’d love to hear about it!

Highlights From My 14 in 2014 Race Challenge

Last year I accepted the challenge of running 14 races in 2014 and I’ve been chronicling each race here on the blog. Feel free to go back and check them all out, HERE! I’ve gotta say, I’m really proud for achieving this goal, but I’m kinda glad it’s over. I really enjoy running races, but ensuring I had 14 throughout the year was tough at times. I was literally scheduling my life around races, not that I minded that too much (wink wink)! We got to travel a bit for races too, which I loved, except when Jason forgot to pack our bag with my race sneakers for the Bryce Canyon Half Marathon. Yea, that wasn’t too fun. Thankfully, it all worked and I ran the race in new shoes thank to my sister! We also traveled to Temecula, CA for what should have been my Spartan Trifecta weekend. I’d ran the Spartan Super in April here in Vegas and was all set to run the Spartan Beast & Sprint SoCal but the weather had other plans. There was a major heat wave and although I did finish the Beast with my girl, NinjaEve, the Sprint was canceled the following day. I really enjoyed running the Spartan Beast, even though it was a pretty brutal course, and I’m looking forward to going back and trying for my trifecta again next weekend! AROO!!!!

A few other favorite races were the Bubble Run 5K because I got to run it with my 5 year old daughter and that was just a blast! I also had fun running the Komen Race for the Cure 5K with my sister. Of course, I can’t forget Tough Mudder and facing my fear of heights. Different than Spartan in so many ways, Tough Mudder has a way of changing me for the better each time I run it. I can’t wait to see what Tough Mudder X3 has in store for me in 2015.

Running 14 races in 2014 ranging from fun 5Ks to a half marathon and physically grueling OCRs, taught me that I am capable of so much more I give myself credit for. We are all capable of so much more. Our bodies are strong and can get us through anything, it’s our minds we have to convince otherwise. I see that now. But, most importantly, this year has shown me how much support I have from my family and friends. I could not ask for better people in my life and I don’t know what I’ve done to deserve it. I just know I couldn’t get along without them. I couldn’t get along without friends willing to french braid my hair at 10pm so I don’t have frizzy hair for a race, for a sister who is willing to drive over 3 hours to watch the kiddos while we run a half marathon, for friends & parents who don’t complain when I ask them to watch my kiddos so I can run and train for races, for racing OCR peeps who run & encourage me even though I’m slower than they are! Thank you!

Yes, 2014 has shown me so much love and support. It’s made me appreciate those in my life so much and I hope to always be there for them like they are for me. I’m ready to take on 2015 running some fun and challenging races. I know I won’t ever be alone. This journey is not mine alone, it’s a journey I started for myself, but has become so much more than that. It is about finding inspiration where there was none before, it’s about motivating not just myself but those I love. No, I won’t be running 15 in 2015, but every race I run this year I will run with purpose. I will give it my best because it’s the least I can do for everyone who is helping me get to where I am going. Where that is exactly, I’m not sure, but wherever this journey takes me has got to be way better than where I was before. It’s already been a fun ride so far!

Where will 2015 take you?

Race 14 of 2014 | Changing of the Year 5K

I am such a procrastinator! I seriously waited until the last day of 2014 to complete my 14th race. Not only that, I didn’t even register for the race until the day before. Honestly, I’m not usually this bad at procrastinating. With the Spartan Sprint being postponed in Temecula in September, it throw off my schedule. My last race should have been Trails of Glory. So, I was stuck trying to figure out how and when to add a race to an already very busy end of the year schedule. I was going to settle for doing a virtual 5K, but I honestly don’t love “virtuals” so I held off. Finally, it was down to the wire and I had to find something. Like I said, Dec. 30th I finally signed up for the Changing of the Year 5K put on by Jus Running. It’s held at the historic Floyd Lamb Park in Las Vegas. It’s a nice park with lakes and pathways, so it made for a pretty location for sure.

I am not a cold weather runner. I live in Vegas and we have pretty mild winters, plus if it’s cold I run inside or change up my workout! I’m a bit of a chicken when it comes to the cold. So, I was pretty nervous about the weather for the race, since all week the forecast was for snow! Brrrrrrrr!! I ended up purchasing a pair of fleece lined leggings and a beanie to cover my ears. The rest of the stuff I already had and layered!

On race day, we did have some flurries in the morning by my house, but the temps rose to upper 30s and the wind calmed down by the time the race started at 4pm too! My family came with me to the race, they too were bundled up. I did feel kinda bad for them because I knew that once I got running, I’d warm up, but they were just going to be waiting for me at the finish line. They didn’t even complain about the cold. I love them so much for always supporting me. My children and husband are just too good to me! I also met a few runners before the race from my facebook running group, so that was super nice! It’s always great to actually meet people you interact with only on social media.

Here I am with Emily, from Our Knight Life blog and my little Elysse!

I am not a huge fan of 5Ks because it usually takes me about 2 miles to warm up and find my running groove. I’ve only ever done a few fun 5Ks with friends like the Color Run, Bubble Run, and some trail 5Ks. My time for the trail races was not so good and of course, we weren’t running for time on the fun ones! So, when the race started I wasn’t going for any PR, I just wanted to give it my best, push myself to take off faster than my usual pace, and see what happened. I forgot to take a whiz of my inhaler before the race started, so 3 minutes in or so, I pulled off to the side to take my puffs and move on. A little after mile 1, I saw the first person heading back to the finish and that’s when I realized how much I don’t like out & back courses. I can see all the faster runners coming back and it’s a little disheartening. It killed my spirit during the Wild Land Fire Awareness Trail 5K and I was starting to get that same feeling during this race, but I didn’t let it creep in. This was my race, not anyone else’s and I shook it off. I made it to the turn around and started to lose steam. The gap was getting wider between me and the small group I was behind. I’d also been having some calf pain all week and it was acting up. I slowed down a bit and even took a 10 second walking break before I took off running again. I knew I was close to the finish line and I really wanted to push myself to run faster. I saw my son at the sidelines and he started running alongside me. That was the best thing ever! And when I looked up a the timer and saw it was at 29 minutes, well that was just gravy! I ended with an official time of 00:29:24 with a pace of 09:28. I was 6th in my age group, 14th female, and 28th overall. Woohoo!! Not only did I finally get a sub 30, but my family was there with me cheering me on and supporting me. It’s such a great feeling to have your kiddos say they’re proud of you! I was so happy with how I ended my year of 14 races in 2014!

Trails of Glory 12K | Race 13 of 14

This past Saturday Jason and I ran the Trails of Glory race put on by Desert Dash. We also ran their Blood, Sweat, and Beers 10K trail race earlier this year and loved it. Trails of Glory was also a great time! We ran the 12K distance, but there were also 8K, half marathon, 30K, and full marathon distances. Vegas is a small town and it was a local race, so we saw lots of familiar friendly faces and even saw one of our neighbors there! For being a local race, there were lots of folks that came from all over the country and even Canada to run this race.

The race started at 8:30am and it was sunny and warm! We could not have asked for better weather mid-November! The trail was just as advertised, not too technical, no steep inclines, and lots of fun. The trail started with a bit of a decline, which was super nice and got me off to a fast start. Jason took off ahead of me soon after the start. He was never too far ahead, though. At the first mile we ran by the famous “Duck Tree”. Apparently it got it’s name because bikers would have to duck under it and yell “duck” to warn anyone coming behind them. Eventually, people started putting ducks on the joshua tree for decoration and voila, Duck Tree was born. I was having issues with my headphones and had to slow down or stop a few times to fix my music. I seriously need a new phone!!! Anyhow, at some point around mile 3 or so I passed Jason. At that point I started to get a little tired and the trail’s elevation started to go up nice and steadily. I slowed down some till I got to the aide station and then it was fast-going again and I had a strong finish. I looked down at my Garmin I noticed it read 6.90 miles, not quite the 7.45 miles a 12K should be*(more on that later!). I was sort of bummed, but didn’t make a big deal about it. I felt great and was able to take a few pictures of Jason coming through the finish line. He came in about 10 minutes behind me. He wasn’t too happy with his time, but he hadn’t been training for this race and was just happy to get out there and run a good trail. We hung around a bit, took a quick pic with our pal, Lisa (she’s awesome!) grabbed a banana and called it a day!

We live about 12 minutes from that trail, so we stopped by our house to shower and change before picking up the kiddos at my sister’s house. When we got there we were greeted with mimosas! I know, I say it all the time, but my sister really is the best! Of course, we were starving after the race so after picking up the kiddos and enjoying our celebratory mimosas, we went to our usual breakfast spot, Egg Works!!

*So, turns out some jerk (not anyone running the race) was seen removing some of the race flags and signs and most of us running the 12K missed a marker and turned too soon, cutting our race distance by half a mile or so. Why someone would do this, is beyond me!! Grrrrrr…..

I’ve got one more race to run before 2015 to reach my goal! Woohoo!! How are you doing with your fitness goals this year?

Virtual 10K and Spartan Trifecta Training Update

Just 17 more days until we head to Temecula, CA and I take on the Spartan Beast & Spartan Sprint! I’m still really nervous about, not only getting my butt kicked during the 12+ mile Beast course, but doing it again during the Sprint. I keep reminding myself that my hubby will running along with me during the Sprint and he’ll be a huge help for me over walls and such! Plus, after 12+ miles, the 5K Sprint shouldn’t be so bad right?

Either way, I have amped up my training and have been really focusing on endurance & upper body strength training. This past weekend, I put my training to the test. I ran the Moms Run This Town Summer Safari virtual 10K with some other amazing ladies Saturday morning. We started at 6am, knowing that it was going to be a pretty hot day. We met at a local park with a nice paved running trail. The run was great and totally non competitive. We ran together at a nice pace, chatting it up! I forgot how much I enjoy running with a group. I’m so used to running alone that it was definitely a nice change and I really need to remember do it more often. This was also race 11 of 14 for 2014!

After the 10K, I went over to an LVAC gym nearby for a nice stretch, shower, and snack before meeting up with 2 other amazing ladies from my facebook running group and we headed up to Mount Charleston for Camp Rhino‘s Elevation/Spartan training at 11am. This was an awesome 2 hour workout that really pushed me. It was tough and brutal at times, but so rewarding! Getting to the top of that ski slope after carrying up a sandbag and then pulling a tire up the slope felt unbelievable. Literally ever muscle in my body was being used. My legs and arms were burning and sweat was just dripping off of me. Once at the top of the slope, we could take the ski lift down or walk/run back down the very steep slope. Let’s just say, I conquered my fear of heights this day and got on that chair. I was scared and nervous, but the view and rest were totally worth it!

Once I got home, I had my Skoop recovery protein shake (review on that coming up tomorrow!). I stretched and took a nice warm epsom salts bath. Surprisingly, I didn’t feel too tired or sore. I figured it was the adrenaline still running through me, but when I woke up on Sunday morning, I really wasn’t as sore as I thought I would be and I made it to Sunday morning’s 90 minute Camp Rhino boot camp! I’m glad I survived this weekend! I figured it would be a good test on where I was physically and endurance wise. I think I did pretty good and even doubled up on boot camp classes on Monday! Putting my body through these tests is definitely helping build up my strength, but also my confidence. Whatever happens during my crazy Spartan weekend, I’ll know that I trained hard and gave it my best.

Bryce Canyon Half Marathon Recap | Race 10 of 14 for 2014

So, you all know how much I love my sister, right? It’s apparent. She rocks. She’s my bff, my biggest supports, she puts up with my craziness. I could go on and on, but for today’s blog post we’re going to talk about how she became my super hero/lifesaver! Here’s the story:

Jason and I, along with the kiddos, headed out to Bryce Canyon, UT early Friday morning. My sister & nephew would be coming later that afternoon. We took our time driving out there and stopped in St. George to have Chick-fil-a (YUMMM!!) We saw Dick’s Sporting Goods had a tent sale, so we walked around the tent full of running shoes for a bit but didn’t buy anything. So, off we went. We made it to Bryce Canyon around 2pm. When we pulled over to one of the lookout points and were ready to walk a short trail, I go to the back of the car to grab our shoes. You see, I packed the kids hiking shoes and my shoes in a separate bag and we just wore our flip flops for the trip. It’s way easier to travel with kids in flip flops than in shoes that need to be laced up. Well, alas, there was no bag. I asked Jason if he put the bag in front with the kids, but I knew the answer….the man forgot to pack our shoe bag. How was I going to run a half marathon in flip flops?!? I may have started to panic, but then I quickly thought to call my sister and see if they were near St. George. It was about 2 hrs away and the closest town with a sporting goods store. We had to drive a bit to get signal, but when I called and spoke to my nephew and he told me they were about to drive into St. George, I knew I’d be ok. Big sister to the rescue. Long story short, she found me some Saucony ProGrid Ride 5 sneakers on sale at Dick’s Sporting Goods store and grabbed some shoes for the kids at the Old Navy next door. I was pretty nervous the rest of the day, but glad that I would at least have sneakers to run in for the half marathon. When she arrived, I was so anxious to try on the shoes and even more relieved to see that they fit and were comfortable.

I had a rough time sleeping that night. I was still anxious about running in new shoes in a brand I’d never used before. What a way to break in your shoes, huh?!? 4am came way to quickly. I felt like I was in a fog getting ready and drank some bad in-room coffee maker coffee to help wake me up. I went through the motions, but just couldn’t get excited. I was more nervous and scared than anything. My super hero sister came to to our room to keep sleeping with our kiddos & we walked out of the room to catch the bus driving us up to the start line at 5am. I really lucked out when booking our hotel room because the pick up was right across the street from where we were staying and the half marathon ran right in front of the hotel too!

Thanks to Jason for taking these pics of the starting line and during the first part of his run! I still can't manage to get myself to take pics during a race! — Thanks to Jason for taking these pics of the starting line and during the first part of his run! I still can’t manage to get myself to take pics during a race!

It was still pitch black as the bus drove us to the start line and I couldn’t help but think how crazy we all were sitting in this cold bus way too early in the morning, to go run downhill for 13.1 miles! We managed to stay warm(ish) by standing next to one of the 4 or so bonfires that were set up at the start line. A few runners made small talk with us, I ate my Larabar, had my Island Boost, and just waited to start feeling better. Well, I can tell you that that didn’t happen until after mile 2. At this point, Jason was running way ahead of me, I had told him it was ok and he took off! After the first flat 2 miles, I found my groove and the road started to go downhill. The scenery was beautiful and was really enjoy the downhill speed. I was able to see Jason up ahead of me running with the 2:20 pacer but I didn’t try to catch up. I was already running way faster than normal and I didn’t want to push myself too much so early in the race. By mile 8 he started to slow down, so I ran a little sprint and caught up to him. We were running through the town so we slowed down to see my sister and the kiddos! They were out there with their cow bells making noise and cheering us on in their PJs! It was awesome to see them and it got me pumped up for the next 5 miles. At this point, the downhill incline wasn’t as steep and I knew I was slowing down, but I was keeping a nice pace and feeling really good too. Jason was also slowing down and I could tell that he was starting to struggle around mile 10 or so. By mile 12, I was ready for it to be over! I wanted to run faster, but Jason couldn’t go any faster than what he was already going so I stayed running by him. I knew I was going to PR at this point and I remembered how crucial it was for me to have my cousin with me for my first half marathon and I wanted to do the same for the hubs…even if he did forget to pack my sneakers in the car!!! When we spotted the finish line, we did a mini-sprint to the finish line together and it felt great! Our official time was 2:25:27:06! Jason finished his first half marathon, I PRed by 9 minutes and couldn’t be happier! The finish line had the regular post-race snacks of bagel pieces, orange slices, bananas, water, and chocolate milk. We stayed around the finish line area, walked around, stretched, enjoyed some free ice cream, and waited for my sister to pick us up.

All and all, the race was very well organized, we had no issues at all with packet pickup or at any point during the race. There were plenty of water stations along the road and port-a-potties at about every mile (Woohoo to not having to use them, though!) The scenery was lovely and the downhill course was just fantastic! And, although I wouldn’t recommend trying a new running shoe on race day, the Sauconys worked out just fine!

Be sure to come back tomorrow to read and see pictures from the rest of our trip and our family time hiking through the Bryce Canyon hoodoos!

I loved running with my Swings! !! They added that extra little “umph” I needed! I think I’ll be wearing them on my next race 🙂

Happy National Running Day | 10 Reasons Why I Run (and you should too!)

I’ve never been athletic. I’ve never enjoyed sports. I didn’t like exercising. I’ve been overweight for a long time. I wanted to be skinny but I didn’t want to work hard for it. Sweat?!!? UH, No Thank You!! And then, one day it clicked. Nothing was going to change, nothing was going to get better with my self esteem, my body image, my mind, until I got out there and did something about it. And so, I started running. Wait up, I didn’t start running, I started speed walking, then I moved up to an awkward trot. It was difficult to run. I felt heavy, my legs felt like they had lead weights on them, my asthmatic lungs felt like they were on fire. The air was thick. Running sucked. But soon it started to feel easier. Not easy, but easier. The more I ran, the easier it got, the less it sucked. The more I ran, the more I loved it. I started to miss it on days I didn’t run. What kind of freak have I become? I guess, I’m a running freak. Don’t get me wrong, running still isn’t easy. I don’t think it ever will be easy and I’m ok with that. Some days it’s hard to get out there and run, but I do it anyways. Here’s why:

I run because I love how I feel after I’m done.
I run because it makes me feel strong.
I run because it’s a great way to lose weight.
I run to clear my head.
I run because it’s good for my heart.
I run to reach my goals.
I run to tune out the world around me.
I run because I want to be a good example to my children.
I run in the hopes of inspiring others.
I run because I can!

BONUS: I run because I love the cute running shorts 😉

Why do you run? Are you running today for #nationalrunningday? You don’t have to be fast (I sure am not) You just have to want it. Get out there and give it your all. You may surprise yourself and end up loving it!