Salt Lake Half Marathon Race Recap

Yesterday I ran the Salt Lake City Half Marathon! I've been training for it since February and I couldn't wait for the date to finally be here. The last two weeks have been filled with bad weather and tapering so it had been 2 weeks since my last long run. I was feeling restless and nervous.

Our 5 a.m. Trax ride to the start

my nervous selfie (did I mention it was freezing??)

About 20 minutes to go time

My brother in law Robert also was running it so we were starting line buddies. The closer it got to 7 a.m. the more nervous I felt. I started getting a stomach ache and NO! I had to pee....too late to take care of that. I couldn't believe I was finally there. A few minutes before it started I got kind of emotional and started tearing up. I was so happy and grateful that my body was going to let me do this! All that hard work was the reason I was here and I was happy. The last half marathon I ran was in September 2013. Before I got pregnant and had a baby. I felt like this was my first half marathon because I was in a totally different body and I was curious how it was going to go.

The first few miles I didn't have headphones in or anything. I was just listening to all the chatter around me. With thousands and thousands of runners- the start of the race is always packed. I started off too fast but was enjoying myself and getting nice and warmed up. Miles 1-4 I just kept thinking "am I really going to be able to do this?" I wasn't in any pain and I actually felt really good, but 13.1 miles seemed really far away.

Miles 6-10 were pretty hard. There was a steady incline and a few steep hills. I slowed my pace and just kept pushing through. My body felt great and I wasn't in any kind of pain. I passed a lot of people who had to walk and I felt strong. Around mile 7 I was really hungry. My stomach was empty and growling so that was distracting. Luckily I had Carbo Pro in my water so I was getting all the calories I needed. So while I felt hungry, my body was acting like it was getting enough nutrients and I felt strong. It was probably around mile 8 that I finally said to myself "this is happening! I'm going to be able to do it!". There was a sign that said "That voice in your head telling you you can't do this is a LIAR" and that made me tear up too. I don't know what it is about running- but it makes me a cry baby.

At mile 10 I put some new music on and was feeling PUMPED! I had kept my pace steady enough that I felt like I could pick it up a little bit and finish those last 3 miles strong. This is where I was able to break out of the pack and go for it. I passed a lot of people at this point- many of them were walking- and that pumped me up even more. Around mile 11 I started crying a little bit because I was so happy. I felt great and I was almost there! A few tears streaming down my cheek and a smile on my face.

The very last mile was hard. My body REALLY wanted me to just stop. It even started slowing down and I had to physically stop myself from stopping (make sense?). It was crazy. But I figured it's going to take me longer to cross that finish line if I walk and I just wanted to be done. Bart was on the side of the road holding Mckenzie about a quarter mile away from the finish line. I was so happy to see them! I ran over and kissed my baby and ran on. Bart started running next to me with the stroller and was saying all these motivating things. I will be the first to admit that when I'm uncomfortable I have no filter. So I told him to "Just shut up and meet me at the finish line" *insert angel emoji here*

not flattering. dont care. I was so happy to see my fan club cheering me on!

I felt bad snapping at him but I was giving everything I had mentally and physically to cross that line. I don't care how in shape you are- if you push yourself those last few miles then they are going to be really hard miles to run!

I crossed the finish line and got my medal. Bart was there and I started crying and broke down in his arms. I sobbed for a hot minute and was so happy to finish! I really felt good. My last half marathon I almost passed out at the finish line because I was so depleted and hot. I didn't feel any of that this time around. I cried and laughed and smiled and was so proud of myself and happy to be done. It is an awesome feeling crossing that finish line knowing you just accomplished a goal you have spent several weeks and countless hours working toward! I felt strong and pretty dang awesome.

13.1 Miles and a Whole Lot More

The craziness has finally subsided! We moved into our beautiful new home and have most everything unpacked. I am back to producing just ONE show a day instead of TWO. The half marathon is OVER and school is in full swing.

I can finally breathe!

Bart and I have been internet-less the last 10 days since moving in and it's been interesting to say the least. I spent most of my evenings/afternoons on Campus (40 minutes away from home) and Bart has been going to work early to make his lesson plans. Who knew we needed internet so much?? Hopefully we will have it by the end of the week. 

On a side note, we LOVE our new house. It's so big and quiet compared to our past apartments. Our bedroom echos because the ceilings are so high. We have an empty second bedroom and not enough stuff to fill up the space, but I love it. I know it will fill up eventually. We haven't seen much of our neighbors which isn't a bad thing since we both hate most people. Someone parked in Bart's assigned spot and he through a little bitch fit...but other than that there have been no problems :)

I was finally able to figure out how to log video from home (without a MAC computer and without internet) and to be honest I was almost more excited about that discovery than I was about finishing my first half marathon (which we will get to soon). Now I can spend countless hours logging video from the comfort of my own couch instead of paying $23974 for parking at the University of Utah library (F-YOU for raising prices BTW). This semester is going to be long and time consuming and honestly I have been making it a priority over work, but I just have 3.5 more months left...forever...so that is what I keep telling myself. 

Week 1 of my new responsibilities was last week at work and I thought it went really well! I have a good groove down and everything seems to be working out.

Now for the exciting part of my weekend...I ran my first half marathon! My official time was 2:27:11! It was really fun..until about mile 11 and then I just wanted to crawl to the side of the road and die. It was fun to have Bart run with me. Since we were running a few minutes/per mile slower than his usual pace he was fully enjoying himself and was a great cheerleader..especially toward the end. I sprinted to the finish line even when my body was all out of juice. I almost passed out after the finish line but I'm just going to take that as I really did give 100% to that race! We made a few friends along the way and I achieved my goal of finishing without having to walk. 

6 am it's-dark-outside-keep-me-warm pic

matchy shoes. matchy bibs.

WE DID IT!! I'm so happy Bart was able to run with me!

After I finished..before I almost passed out.

All done :)



It's amazing what our bodies are capable of! It never ceases to amaze me. I am so proud of myself and really happy training is over :) Around mile 10 when we were feeling pretty good we started talking about training for a full marathon...we may or may not start training when football season ends...stay tuned! We have the Dirty Dash this weekend which is always a good time! Who doesn't like to get dirty every once in a while??

Runners Day

Today is National Runners Day where runners from around the world celebrate their passion and encourage others to give it a try. So why do I run?

I run because I LOVE to be outside

I run because the sun on my face just feels oh.so.good

I run because it gives me confidence

I run because it's better than sitting on the couch

I run because my body thanks me for it later

I run because I like to be able to say "I ran -insert miles here-"

I run because it makes me feel strong

I run because it gives me a chance to jam out to the latest tunes on Pandora

I run because it's a great way to spend time with Bart ( and apparently it has other benefits....)

I run because it makes me happy!

Why does Bart run?

"I run because that sit on the couch just doesn't feel right without it anymore. Happy Runners Day! "

                         

Slushy Hills

It's been more than 3 months since Bart and I have ran any races so we decided to do one this weekend. My cute friend Jess helped us find a fun downhill (yay) 5K. It was cold and snowy and I was slightly afraid for my life as I ran down a slushy hill, but the race ended ( as it always does) and it was fun.

 Bart keeps telling me I need to be more competitive and today a little bit of that edge came out. As I was running I heard these dog tags behind me and BAM a lady and her stupid little dog were gaining on me! There was no way in hell I was going to let that duo beat me so I picked up the pace and beat them.

So my bracket was doing okay...before all the games started. Now it's kind of a disaster. An Explorer beating Wildcats? In what world?

Haunted 5K

 We ran the "Haunted Half" ( and by half, we mean 5K) this morning. We got up nice and early because I thought the race was at 8:30 and we had to do our Halloween makeup...turns out the race didn't start until 9:30 so we had plenty of time to get ready! I had an amazing makeup artist on the show yesterday so it inspired me to try it out. It's not as great as the professionals out there, but it's a good place to start!

A bloody eye and spider web...SKILLS

 The race was a lot of fun. The weather was beautiful! There were gloves and long sleeved shirts included in the race packet, but we really didn't need the gloves at all. Bart ran with me for about 5 minutes and then sprinted off into Hard Core Runner Land while I kept my pace. Once I hit the mile 2 mark though I was feeling amazing! I honestly have never felt that good during a race before, it was awesome! I sprinted the rest of the way and was loving it.

We didn't have a lot of time to hang out after since we had to get to the Aggie game!! We love going to Logan and the games are so much fun. It's a different kind of fun than when we lost all the time, it's a nice change!

We are now enjoying our couch (as much as we can since our couch SUCKS SO BAD). It's been a long day, but totally worth it!

UofU Homecoming 5K

It's Homecoming Week at the University of Utah and since I'm a pretty crappy Ute, I figured I could show my support by running their Homecoming 5K. We got their nice and early and found parking next to the hard core tailgaters!

When I got my packet Bart realized how nice the race shirts were and all of a sudden wanted to join me! He said he would run next to me to support me and keep me company. Keep in mind he runs at least 2 minutes per mile faster than me so we have never ran together before. I'm usually flying solo on races, but it was nice to have him next to me. since it wasn't really an effort for him he was pretty funny and entertaining through the whole thing. Having him run next to me made the race go by really fast. 

The University of Utah's campus is in love with hills and this race captured that perfectly! It was probably the hardest 5K I've done because of the hills. I was really proud of myself at the finish line because I ran the whole thing, AND I wasn't last!

I think this is my favorite 5K  I have done so far (Thanks to Bart for running with me). 

We are doing Utah State's Homecoming 5K on the 29th and I'm sure that one is going to be a blast too!

Pre-race game face

Look at those inclines! That downhill portion was pretty awesome...but the last straight-up leg of the race was kicked my butt, but I didn't walk it so...go me!

And by Fun Run they mean...not so fun.

I'd say it's been a pretty successful summer...I have a few more races to get in before the end of the Summer. I wish I could say it was getting easier, but these races are all challenging. But that's the point right? Either way it's been a blast. Stay tuned for more.

Dirty Dash

The Dirty Dash was today...finally! We signed up for this race months ago and it's what got us training and running in the first place.

It was a lot harder than I thought it would be but in different ways. I was full prepared to run 5.5 miles no problem....except that's not all there was. It was pretty much uphill most of the way which was just bad news. We have been training on mostly flat ground so those hills kicked my butt. Luckily there were enough obstacles that we had to stop and wait to do so it wasn't straight running the whole time. We went over walls and waste deep muddy water. We also had to crawl through big tubes and go through even more mud puddles.

 I lost my pants about half a mile in...they were so heavy and falling off so I just took them off and wore my spandex the rest of the way.  I was feeling okay until we got to the swamp. It's this big stretch of deep muddy muddy ground that weighs your shoes down and makes your legs feel like jello. I was pretty much hating life at this point. From the swamp to the finish line it was the hardest part of the race. It was mainly up a steep hill and then you had to get through tires and monkey bars (which I skipped...don't judge me) and then up another steep hill until we got to a big water slide that took us down to the end of the race.

I was thinking that I was going to have to do this race all by myself since Bart and his friend are so much faster than I am. Luckily for me that wasn't the case. They would get ahead of me but I would catch up to them at every obstacle. It would not have been very much fun if I was doing it on my own so I'm glad it worked out. Finishing the race was the best part being covered in mud...that is until we had to go take a freezing cold shower. This water was straight up freshly melted snow. It was so cold. I had to rinse my hair off and I started crying because it hurt so bad.

Once we got home and took a hot-hot shower I felt much better. My legs got pretty banged up from climbing over all those walls and bales of hay and crawling on the ground but it's all good. Battle scars right? We eventually passed out for a few hours and even when we woke up we were stretching and then kinda just got stuck on the floor. My body is pretty much shot to hell but I guess that's the point right?

It was a lot of fun and very different than I expected. I am definitely up to doing it again next year but we are wanting to get a bigger group and go all together...we'll see what happens!