Birthday Run!!!
I think as endurance athletes, we all dream about running our years in mileage. Well, I finally ponied up and did it this year! 33 miles for my 33rd birthday. I opened the run to any and all and I was lucky enough to have a wonderful Kelli join me for all of it!
There are a few highlights I will share, but mostly, this journey will be told in pictures...as any of you who are friends with me on FB already know :)
We started late (hello, it is me), but with good spirits despite the cold (L-R) Danielle, Melanie, Heidi, Me, Stephanie, Kelli. The first 3 girls are on the TTT team with me and are amazing bikers and dabble in running :) Steph is training for her first full at Ogden and has known me since we were 14 and I invited her to the stake dance, because my mom told me to be nice to the new girls in the ward. Kelli, well she is my running mama...she drug me into this crazy running world!
The first 3 miles are brutal, and the worst uphill of the whole route, but that led to some nice views and a good downhill portion to follow. Everyone stuck together at a good pace and we had some good stories told.
I stopped at the top of the hill and the highest elevation point on the route to take a picture. The worst was over...right? :)
You have to forgive the ugly pictures...I was taking them not being able to see and on my phone! But, had to have them.
The next few miles were beautiful downhill, and although I'd left a toilet on the side of the road for everyone to use, they passed it up and we stopped at Heidi's house for a quick pit stop.
At Mtn View Corridor, the TTT girls took off for Danielle's (they'd all carpooled to my house from there) and Kelli, Steph and I went ahead to the first 'aid station'. Another TTT girl was SO wonderfully nice that she offered to set up a table and put out cups and everything. She totally rocked it! I wanted like 50 people on my run to make it worth her while! She'd even missed all the TTT girls, because they'd just cut back :( I was grateful to Delani for being such a wonderful support!
Here are some pics she took of us!
Steph and me on the approach. Kelli had headed off to the bathroom first.
All 3 of us after enjoying some fuel :)
Finally taking off to finish it up....only 24 to go :)
So off we went around the lake. I really wanted to run some of the Urban Trail Loop and the weather had been good enough I figured the trail was passable, but the patches of snow we had to navigate just around the lake should've been a warning....who listens to warnings? We finished up the lake and the trail starts right by Steph's parents home and she was at her long run distance for the weekend, so she took off.
Bye Steph!
Kelli and I headed along the trail and I just have to say, anyone that has run this with me, knows my favorite part....you have to go through a fence, on a road that is overgrown with weeds for about 1/2 a mile and there is NO traffic or signs of life (other than wild animals!) anywhere and then you get to another fence and a gate. To go on you have to hike up and around the fence. But, at that end point is a sign, MY sign. I made Kelli stop and take a picture of me with it :)
Really?!? Not a through street? Hmmm...couldn't have guessed. So, the single track trail follows after the next fence hopping and it was a nightmare. A lot of navigating mud and yucky packed snow. We probably should've skipped it, but where is the adventure in that? :) Smooth called after Kelli and I had worked our way past gucky mud and didn't want to get stuck or get our shoes dirty :) and I was on such a high I answered and was talking as I was running....then, I fell. Kelli said it was graceful, but I don't think a six foot tall Amazon falling in mud and snow could ever be graceful! I banged my knee and hip, but my ring finger ached. I lay there laughing on the phone trying to talk to Smooth and Kelli just wanted to take my picture :) I was glad I had the phone! It was a good, epic fall at mile 12, that split is the slowest of the 34...and now you know why. I was glad nothing hurt too much to not carry on. So, with some bruised pride and a good story, we kept on going! Smooth was going to wait for us, but since I told her we were only 3 miles away she and Karen took off, thinking we'd be fast enough to catch them. Ooops. Maybe I should've done the math a little better and realized that mile 12 is 6 miles away from mile 18!!! But, more on that later.
We did a small section of the canal road when we got off the trail, but it just wasn't fun or really runable. So, we had to tackle temple hill instead. It wasn't too bad and we still got our bag stop in with a little side trip. At the top of the hill we called Smooth to tell her I was an idiot and we probably wouldn't be catching her, but relayed where the drop bags were. We had a good run together...over the phone :)
Temple Hill conquered and now trying to catch Smooth and Karen! I started getting a little tired, but by the time we made it to Maverick (where Smooth had taken off from) and we got a little fuel I was ready to conquer Mtn View Corridor and the H#LL that is the never ending rollers. Plus, Heidi Vawdry was on her way to meet us! New company, stories and fresh legs always help energize crappy miles.
I was dragging. It was hard. Rolling uphill, the 2nd hardest hill climbs of the route, COLD headwind and miles 18-24...I was dying. My only saving grace was Kelli pulling me up the hill! Then, I got a wonderful phone call from Becca. She was calling to tell me Happy Birthday and that she was thinking of me. Gave me the lift I needed to tackle the last couple hills. I knew when these hills were over it was ALL downhill. YAY! I planned a good downhill finish route :)
Heidi (I cut her face off...I'm a good photographer!), Me and Kelli at the top of the hill on Mtn View Corridor with the whole valley in the background! Yipee!!!
We fueled at the bag...oh, Coke only tastes good to me at times like this on long runs! It has to be flat, but oh it is good! :) Heidi headed back home and Kelli and I now had to catch Smooth and Karen. We'd knocked their lead down to about 3 miles....and we had gravity on our side now.
We ran down through Bluffdale via Redwood Rd to 15000S and then wound through the neighborhood to avoid the uphill to 3600W. I knew I wanted to take a picture at the marathon 'finish' line, so Kelli and I found a good sign! But, we should've used the "Dead End" on the next street. Our world had turned upside down when we realized there was no finish line, medal or crowd at 26.2!
If you have a good eye, you'll notice the cop in the background. Kelli had seen him drive by a couple times, but I was too delusional to notice. Well, just after taking and posting this pic, we hear sirens behind us! What the crap?!? I mean I know we just passed the "Road Closed" sign, but we can still run here...right? I had flashbacks to when I was pulled over on my bike. I didn't want to re-route at this point! I was hoping Kelli's affiliation with the police force through Scott would get us out of this one.
The officer greeted us by saying "You can't run away from me!" I replied "We're trying!" Then he pointed to Kelli and said "I'm here for her." Kelli then recognized him as a friend of her and Scott's. They had a good visit and he sent us on our way. The officer had even called Scott to make sure it was Kelli :) I'm glad I didn't get in trouble. I am a bit of a hooligan! He drove off, then Kelli said "THAT is a picture we should've gotten!" So, we made him pull over again and take a picture. I should've gotten the car in the background. Oh well, you get what you pay for as far as my photography skills are concerned.
Off we headed to the last bag drop and then a nice downhill grade to the finish. Smooth called shortly before this and was at the bag drop. I was afraid we weren't going to catch her :( We suggested she stop at Run Gr8 running store. We crossed our fingers, threw back some caffeine and headed off.
At the last bag stop, I saw the "No Dumping" sign and just couldn't help it. After 30 miles you get a little tipsy...what can I say? The caption I posted with this one? "No Dumping?!? After 29 miles you gotta be kidding me!"
We now had a straight shot down 12600S to the river to finish. A bathroom stop at Run Gr8 was on the docket, but that was it! Only problem? We were just past 29 and should've been at 30. Map My run made me a mile short. Crap. We did the next 1.5ish to Run Gr8 and I called my hubby to come pick us up! Only 2.5 to go. Smooth also called there and said that they were done, but were going to wait for us to get there. YAY!!!! I was bummed we never caught her, but too much stopping and 6 miles was just too much to recover. We did knock their lead to 2.5 miles though :) We almost got 'em! Almost.
Here is our pic from Run Gr8. Our West side local running store. I'm glad we finally have an option out here, so I like to support them when I can.
We ended up taking a little loop around IFA and the neighborhood behind there, but the downhill and sheer 'finish line' adrenaline kept ME going. Kelli is amazing and could've run another 20 I think :) The super downhill to the river was wonderful to get a pick-up on as the watch clicked to 33.00!!! By the time we got to the bridge where you can jump onto the trail that goes to the parking lot we were at 33.11...so Kelli convinced me not to walk it in, but go for 33.33. Yeah, we're overachievers :)
I have such wonderful friends! As we came down the trail I saw Smooth and Karen coming toward us and my wonderful friend Sara had promised me cupcakes at the finish line! Despite set backs (like forgetting her wallet) she still came through for me and met me there with YUMMY cup-cakes. She is a weights girl and has gone on an amazing journey to lose 80 pounds and just had some surgery to finalize her 2 year "I've kept it off" goal. I think she was a little disappointed when we didn't stop right where she was and said we had to keep running :) it was only .04 miles, but it was a little comical to have to pass her up all for the sake of a number on a garmin!
Kelli, Karen, Smooth, Amazon (oh wait, me...) Sarah.
After some yummy sugar in my gut and wonderful adrenaline from achieving an awesome goal, we said good-byes and Thank Yous to Smooth, Karen and Sarah. It was a wonderful day. I really couldn't have imagined anything better! Plus, I was no worse for the wear. Yes, I was tired and sore and stiff, but it was SO worth it and didn't feel much worse than a marathon. Good company makes all the difference!
When I took my shoes off I noticed I had a toe wound! YES! What would a long run be without a little blood. One toenail had just cut into the side of the other. Should've clipped 'em! :) The only other thing that was bad was my finger. It was fat and bruised and I was NOT getting my wedding ring to even twist, let alone come off. That darn finger has been the worst pain so far of it all!! But, if I had to hurt something in the fall, I'm glad it was just a finger. It wouldn't be so bad if it wasn't annoying that my ring was stuck on there and I couldn't get it off! So, I took a pic of my war wounds...gotta, right?
I showered and took crazy Kelli her donuts and chocolate milk (yes, the girl ran HOME. She needed 6 extra miles to get her birthday run in, so she ran to and from my house! We've decided we'll go to lunch on her birthday...runs are done!). I am SO stinkin' grateful for Kelli! There were times I wouldn't have made it without someone by my side, but she was there every step of the way! Thanks Kelli for putting up with my crazy and whining all day. I'd do it again in a heartbeat!! Then I went to dinner and ate so much my gut hurt as bad as my legs! Excellent.
The final piece of the night was my ward's barn dance. They had simply planned it that day and I love it! The Dansie family does a wonderful job and it is just SO much fun, I couldn't miss it. Plus, it was like a big birthday party for me :) So Craig and I dropped the kids off at home and went and danced the night away. Moving and not sitting really felt good, plus the company was as great as I'd anticipated. Best Ever!
My last pic is of Craig and me at the dance. He is what makes this all possible. He is my support and reason I get to be so crazy! Who else would put up with someone like me? I know you're thinking there is NO way you could! :) But, he does and does it well. I love this man and am very grateful for all he has given me. None of this would be possible without him. Thanks for making my birthday Epic, I love you.
TT: 4:59:14 AP: 8:53 splits: 9:41, 9:38, 9:54, 8:27, 8:07, 8:22, 8:15, 8:36, 8:42, 9:30, 9:28, 10:16, 9:36, 8:41, 8:51, 8:32, 8:52, 9:02, 9:04, 9:25, 8:54, 8:58, 9:01, 8:51, 8:48, 9:06, 9:24, 8:33, 8:44, 8:32, 8:43, 8:55, 8:55, 8:49 (last .33)
