Find joy in the Journey

Ok Kelli, here it is:

 So I haven't been on for a long time.  Life had gotten really busy and I had to let some things go.  I have been running, but I haven't been posting my runs.

 This last weekend I ran the Painter's half marathon!  It was awesome!  I felt really good.  I ran with a really awesome friend who helped me stay focused on having a fun time and she helped me push myself.

I did like the course but I felt really bad for the fast runners who had to dodge all the people and even at some point they had to slow down because people are too dumb to figure out that the finishers are coming and so you need to GET OUT OF THE WAY!!!  

Mentally it was really hard to pass the finish line and loop around again.  If they could change that it would make the race 100% awesome!

At the start of the race I was having a really hard time getting into it mentally.  It took me 3 miles to get out of my funk.  We didn't have any cool watches to keep tack of our pace so I don't know 100%, but for the first 6 miles we were right around 9:30-9:40.  I am really happy with that.  Of course the last 3-4 miles I think I was around 10:30.  Not too happy about that!!  I am hoping for my next race I can keep it more consistent.

Overall I am every happy and had an awesome time!  

Ok...so not far at all!!  I was ready to do 5 today and my tummy did not want me to!!!  I had a very angry tummy!

I am hoping that tomorrow will be better.  I am planning on doing a class and so we will see if I can get a run in tomorrow.  I may skip the class to run.

My next race in going to be the Thanksgiving Point half marathon @ the end of April.  My goal is to shave a few minutes off my last race.

So to all you really awesome runners....I need some speed training help.  I have no idea how to do it and need advice!!!  Or even better, if anyone wants to run with me to show me how I am down with that as well.  I know that I at least need to up my amount of running in a week to way more!!!  My goal: by the end of this summer I want to run a 2 hr. half marathon!  Here's to kicking some butt!!! 

Did a 60 min abs, buns and thighs class, and yes it kick my butt!!  Love this class!  She really works ya hard and I need to work on my muscles in all those areas!

No run today but tomorrow. 

A really nice run today!  Did 4 on the TM and tried to really push my speed.  It felt really good and I am happy with my run.  I wish I would have stopped talking sooner so I could have gotten 1 more mile in, but I love to talk to fun people!

Had a good run this morning.  It must be a Monday things, but every monday I have an angry tummy!!  I must be from all the "good food" i eat over the weekend.

 Having some arch pain in my left foot.  Hoping it just has to do with my foot issues from an injury years ago.

Hoping to log more miles this week!! 

Had a nice run this morning.  I have some awesome friends who help get me to the gym in the early mornings.  We have been doing it for about a month now and it is getting easier to get up.  It helps me to have someone to answer to.

I need to do better at tracking my miles.  I think that would be a good motivator.

Planning on running the Thanksgiving Point half in April.  I am really excited for it!

Went out to Minnesota this past weekend to surprise my Dad for his 60th birthday.  While i was there I talked my Dad into running Grandma's Marathon in the summer of 2012 if all goes well this summer.  He was my inspiration to even start running.  He hasn't done it for many years so I hope he will really do it.

Big weekend for my fam.  My sweet Sarah is getting baptized on Saturday!!  I wish I could freeze all my kids at the ages they are all at right now.  I don't want them to grow up any more. 

Only 2 today!!

I am having real issues with my gut!  Can't get more than 2 miles and then have to bolt to the bathroom.  I have tried a few different foods and can't seem to find something that sits well with me.  Tomorrow I will try nothing and see if that makes a difference.

I need to pick up the miles here! 

Changed up my shoes and went back to my Asics Gel speedstar.

I bought them about a year ago and at the time was still having some soreness from my stress fracture when i ran in them so I stopped.

 Stared wearing them last week and am really enjoying them.  They really give my calves a good workout.

Had a great run out side!! 

4 on the TM....felt good but boy do I hate running indoors!!

Planned to run outside this morning.  Woke up and saw the now and wanted to climb back into bed!!  Thanks goodness for friends  to run with!

Once outside it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be.  I should of worn goggles though.  The snow was getting in my eyes!  It didn't matter which direction I was running oit was always in my face.

Wet feet and not fun to have!!

 It was an awesome run!  Felt really good, but my right ankle and calf are kind of tight.  Will have to do a lot of stretching today.  

5....felt good!

10 Baby!!

 Had a great run this morning! Ran with my friend who is training for her first 5k so my first 3 were pretty slow but I really liked it.  Ran 5 with her and then 5 by myself.  I felt really good the whole time!!

My left ankle and arch is hurting though.  I think it might be my shoes.  I haven't run in them much and I don't think my feet are use to no support, but I really like running in them because they are sooo light.  I'll give it a little longer and if things don't improve I'll have to go back to my other shoes.

Fell really good about my race at the end of the month!  Can't wait!! 

Ran the Thanksgiving Half Marathon on a very snowy cold morning.  

I woke up really early that morning and saw the snow and was very discouraged! I even thought about not running at all!

The one night we leave the car out and it snows!!  I went out and it looked one big marsh-mell

Ran the 10 Memorial Run in AF this morning and really enjoyed it!

Didn't sleep well the night before listening to all the rain and wondering if it was going to be raining in the morning.  Normally I wouldn't worry so much but I was bringing along my 3 older kids to run the mile run and didn't want them to be cold.  Luckily the rain stopped and the kids had a blast.

I really pushed myself on the run 1, because I wanted to see my kids run and 2,  I wanted to see my kids run :).

My first 2 miles were 9:00 and could really feel it. I was kind of tired buy couldn't get myself to slow down. My 3rd mile was 9:40 and then I hit some down hill and pushed myself.  I kept my miles between 9 and 10 min and felt good.  My last mile was 8:30  and as I was coming into the finish I was able to see my kids take off for their race.  That was really fun! I finished and got to see all my runners finish and that was the best!!

Ran my fastest race, but not sure I could pull off that pace for a whole half marathon!

My shins are really sore along with my ankles. I get the shins, but the ankles confuse me. They feel really tights.

Next race is the Hersey 5k and then the Timp Half Marathon. 

Boy oh boy!!  This was an early race!! 

My night before was far from what I had planned!!  Had a great pasta dinner with hubby and friends got my packet and headed home for and early bed.  Hubby went off to the movies so I thought go home put older kids to bed and go to bed.  WRONG!!  Came home to find a very sick girl.  My 10 yr. had a fever and sever stomach cramps.  I was up with her all night long.  I got maybe an hour of sleep. Oh well!

 My friend Shannon was running her first half and she was very excited! We got to the starting line and waited (glad I brought a blanket).

Before the race I told her that I would stay with her the whole time. She said that she would like that. I was a little sad I wouldn't be able to go for my 2 hr. but next time.  I'm glad I got to run it slow because I was dealing with some sore shins and didn't want to cause any more problems.

Loved this course!! I am planning on running the marathon next year!!  

Are first 2 miles were good, 9:30, 9:45....then we started to slow down.  It killed me to see the times on my watch, but I kept telling myself how much I would have loved to have someone run with me on my first half.  I'm glad I stuck with her.

By mile 9 my friends knee was really hurting her! We had to walk for a minute. When we hit mile 10 I got a little ahead of her and I turned around to wait for her and she told me to keep going so I pulled out all the stops and pushed hard.

It was hard to see the finish so early put it helped me push through because I know I was close!

 Had a lot of fun and can't wait for next year!!

Next race....Timp half July 30. I am planning on pulling out all the stops and going for 2 hrs. 

This is a PR for me and I can't believe I did it!!  I had a lot of health issues I had to deal with a thought I would run my slowest.  

A week before my race I came down with a bad cold and it just kept getting worse.  I decided to go to the doctors to see if there was anything he could do for me.  It ended up that I have Bronchitis, sinus infection and an ear infection.  I looked at him and said that I was suppose to run a have marathon on Saturday.  He is a runner and so he was really sympathetic to me.  He said if I felt that I really needed to run then I should plan on running slow and maybe even walking some of it.

I started the morning with the idea that I would get my slowest time, but I was ok with that, I just wanted to run.

We got to the top and got to see the Marathoner's come through.  I saw Kelli but didn't say hi, I didn't want to throw here off, it was really dark and she would have a hard time seeing who it was...Way to go Kelli!!

The race stared 30 minutes late which was kind of irritating.  They had the speakers facing away from everyone so we couldn't even hear them start the race and not only that all they did was say go! No gun, no nothing!  

For training I ran the race course a few times, so I knew what to expect and I knew that I could at least get through the canyon.

It was an awesome course! The aid statins were great and I loved the beauty of it.

I started the race and the whole time through the canyon I felt really good.  I stated to feel tired at about mile 10 and I didn't think I was going to make it.  Thankfully I hooked up with my friends that I was running with and they helped push me through the end.  

The only difficult thing was there was no mile marker for 12 or i missed it.  At that point my chest was killing me and I wanted to stop.  I needed to see that 12 so I could know I was almost done and I didn't.  I was thinking we were gong to have to run the track when we got to the High School and I was not going to make it.  I yelled out to some one on the side walk "where's mile 12"? she said it was 1/3 of a mile up, I lost all it.  To my surprise when I turned the corner and got up a little way it was the finish line.

I didn't think I was going to beat my last race time.  I knew that I if I could keep the pace runners, 2:05 and 2:10 between me I would be ok, but at mile 10 2:05 past me and she was running fast.  I thought for sure I would be over 2:10, so when I came to the end and saw 2:08 I was shocked, happy and grateful!!

Over all it was great and I can't wait until next year.

My next race is Hobble Creek. I'm still really sick so we shall see what happens.  

Not too impressed with this race this year!! They went cheap!  I would like to know how much money they made off this!

Buses sucked (they say it wasn't their fault), started late because of the buses and even if the race started on time it is still the latest race I have ever run, 7:15 is too late!

I had a pretty good race.  I really wasn't mentally prepared for it.  I didn't feel as excited as I normally do right before a race.  I didn't get in as much running before as i normally do either.  

I started and from the beginning I was not feeling it.  I was having a hard time with my breathing and i got a side ache right at the start, which I haven't suffered from in years.

I was finally able to pull it together by mile 4 and then I got into a pretty good rhythm. 

I was making really good time, I averaged about a 9:30 mile, but slowed down to about 10:30 mile at mile 10.  I kind of lost steam right about then.  I was so hot and my hands were so swollen that they hurt!  My hands always swell but not that bad.

I felt really good for most of the race.  It was almost like my body took over and my mind was along for the ride.

I tired a new carb drink in this race and I think that had a lot to do with me being able to feel that ability to keep going and to keep steady.

I need some new shoes!!!  My feet were sore and so were my toes.

Overall I enjoyed the race, I love the course and I have sentimental feeling for this race, it was my first half back in the day.   

No matter what happens in my races when all said and done I am always glad I ran and it makes me excited for the next one. 

Went out with some friends this morning for a run.  I was not feeling motivates at all!!  No one was!!  We decided to run some hills today.  We ran for about a mile and then ran up and down the "hill" twice.  We are planning on doing that every Wednesday and increasing how many times we run the "hill".  Once we feel good about that we will move on to "THE HILL".  It is a stretch or road that is a continuously steep hill.  I have run it a few times but want to do it faster.  I'm not sure but I think it is about 2miles long.  I need to start setting some goals that will help me see improvement.  I have gotten faster but want to get stronger.

 Over all it was a good morning. 

Ran the hills today!!  Felt good

A good run this morning.  I hate how dark it is in the morning though.

Ran a new course today with a friend who has started running.  She is a strong runner and helps me keep a fast pace.

We had a lot of good hills in the run.  I have a love hate relationship with hills.  They kick my butt but I feel so good after I hit the peak.  I also know they will help me be a stronger runner!! 

Did a run that I was not too sure about.  I ran 6 to my friends son's soccer game and then ran 6 back home.  I didn't think I would make it all the way home since I haven't ran a long run for a while.  I was totally prepared to call my hubby to come grab me at some point, but I made it all the way home and not only that I felt awesome!!

Ran a good run today! Thought about my cousin Toby the whole time I was running.  She ran the St. George Marathon.  I am so proud of her!!

 My run was good.  Felt good and strong.  The only problem that I have been struggling with are my dump shoes.  I bought some new shoes and it is hurting my little toe!!  It is also causing some problems in my shins.  On the inside they are really sore.  I think I might have shin splints and so I have been doing a lot of icing.  Hopefully I can find some better shoes and it will solve the problem.

WAY TO GO MARATHONER'S!!!!! 

Nice morning for a run.  I am not looking forward to the colder weather!

Ran in my old shoes and my toe fells a lot better!!  My shins are still a little sore but I know that will take time.

Getting ready to run the Halloween Half at the end of this month.  Has anyone ran it?  What is it like?  I am kind of worried about the first part of the run. 

Any advice on running down hill? 

A PR for me and I am really happy about that!!

I was really cold but not as bad as i thought it would be.  We were able to get someone to drop us off at the start so we didn't have to wait up there for 2 hours before the race started.

We were concerned about the race starting on time because of the mess they had the day before but was glad it started right on time!!

My friend and I Jennie started in the first round of runners.  We started out strong and fast.  I think our average pace for the first 4 miles was 8:00.  We were really happy about that but I was somewhat concerned about what kind of toll the fast, steep, downhill was going to take on us.

I got to run with Rachel and Kelli and they didn't even know it ha ha, lol!  I was running and saw a lady that looked like Kelli.  I said out loud to my friend, "I think that is Kelli", funny thing is my friend had no idea who I'm talking about.  Well then another girl turns and say, "yes it is", she was wearing a pink wig but it looked a lot like Rachel, so i yelled her name and she turned. I yelled back and said who I was and she said hi but of course she being faster than I ran on ahead.  It was sure fun to see them though.

Once out of the canyon I started to get a little tired to I eat some food and drank and felt better.

We kept a great pace of around 8:30-9:00 once out of the canyon.

We got frustrated though because we missed some of the mile makers so it messed up my watch and it made it hard mentally.

Mile 10 sucked with that loop in the rocks and I kind of lost motivation, but my friend Jennie kept me going and we REALLY wanted to make it in 2hrs.

I did not like the finish line at all.  We turned onto the little path and it felt like forever to get to the finish.  

When all said and done we got a PR and I am really happy, I just wish I felt stronger at the end.