I'm not crazy...I'm just bored!!

TM/Track miles with Amy...we both wanted to sleep. Then I climbed stairs up and down the one flight at the rec center for 30 minutes. Yes, people think I'm crazy, but I've got to get some practice in for my "race" Saturday.

Tuesday Ten with the Newtons. 8:03AP - not too shabby, but just enjoying the run. I was surprised at the pace. 5 miles under an 8MM and 4 of them under a 7:30, I guess I'll take it :)

Having a hard emotional day. I think all the wedding crap (thanks to my mom getting re-married for the 3rd time) is catching up to me. No gym, just sleeping and trying not to eat my weight in food to apease my brain. Crying and moral support from my sisters rounded out the day.

Met Amy for an early morning Wednesday. Didn't feel like doing speedwork at the gym thanks to my mental attitude. It was nice of Amy to save me from myself :) a solid progressive run despite the uphill finish 8:26 AP

I went to the gym afterward and did arms/core and then another 30 minutes of stair climbing.

Shaggy Mountain Loop. I didn't stop on the hills, but I didn't push the downhills like I normally do, so the pace wasn't spectacular, but it was just average. 1:11 total time 8:40AP with 7:24 and 7:14 finishing miles. Did I ever mention how much I like downhill?

Last day back to the gym for practice stairs. One full hour of climbing, yup, I remember how to do this! Bring on Saturday.

I'm putting this run on Friday, even though it was Fri/Saturday.

I slept in and watched Amy's kids so she could sleep in and run outside in the daylight! I attempted to clean and get the house ready for my nephew to stay over and get the family ready for the wedding (insert HUGE eye roll!). Things went just fine until about 1:30 when I was supposed to get Lauren from school. Everything just started taking about 10X longer than it should've! UGH. I just knew at that point I was going to be late to the wedding. I didn't disappoint. 3:30 arrival instead of 3:00 - yeah, I'm THAT person!

Anyway, we had a nice 90 second ceremony, signed the papers and ate dinner. We had the wedding at Aristos Greek restaurant and it is SO good! I'm grateful for my connections that made the wedding there possible...so I could eat there :) Only a small group there, Aaron Aysa (my nephew's gf), Bryan's daughter and her hubby, my kids and hubby bishop and his wife. Small intimate gathering. I didn't know she hadn't told anyone else about the wedding (outside of my sisters), until the next day when as she left for the cruise other family members starting inquiring about my mom "eloping to the bishops office" oh man...heaven help me. I really wish I wouldn't have had to sign that license saying I witnessed that wedding. If you're ever on a long run with me and want to hear some good stories ask about my mom and her wedding and Mr Magoo that she married...ugh. We'll need at least a good 10+ miles.

After the wedding I took my kiddos to Grandma and Grandpa Moody's house for them to stay the night while I had an escapade of my own! Craig was working "out of town" - just in SLC, but had to be onsite, so he was staying in a hotel which was a huge blessing...give me a minute to explain. After that I grabbed some Mtn Dew, Coke and Chocolate Dunford Donuts and headed out to Antelope Island.

I had the wonderful pleasure of pacing Scott Wesseman for miles 50-70 of his 100 mile race! I was SO excited for this opportunity and since it was my first pacing assignment in an ultra I just wanted to make sure I did it right. Showing up at the start/finish area in heels and a dress probably wasn't the right way to start out, but it got me a few good looks :) and the unofficial award for prettiest pacer! Other than having to recruit someone to unzip my dress for me before I attempted a clothes change in the back of the car, my change was seamless from Wedding to Pacer. After that I gathered all the stuff Scott had requested of me and waited for him to come in, I got to see lots of friends and visit with lots of people while I waited and it made the time quickly pass. Scott came in right on time! 9:15! I was impressed. This was a 50 mile PR for him and now he was ready to take it on again, I was in awe! He loved the Dew, but the donut was a pass (not surprised, he could eat it later). After a short stop we were off. Quickly after that we made another quick Ultra necessary stop, but it is all part of the game. I got to enjoy staring at the horizon and the stars. It was a perfect night! Not windy, not too cold, just perfection.

Then, we were off again. Scott had been hauling so well during the first 50 I was afraid I wouldn't be able to keep up, so when he power walked the first climbing hill I was relieved! But, then when it started to flatten out I started making excuses and reasons for him to run. He figured out my tricks pretty quickly, but we kept a good pace regardless. About 4 miles in we saw MattVH coming toward us. He was done with the Elephant Head loop and headed back into the start/finish area. Holy Crap that guy can run, and run and run! We were around 54, he was around 66!

Hopefully I kept the chatter up well enough to distract Scott from the task at hand and kept the right fuel coming at the aid stations. It is an art to pacing ultra runners!! I loved the trails, the company and just about everything. I really had NO complaints what so ever and was so incredibly impressed at how well and fast Scott was moving for just running 50 miles. I'd be sleeping back in the tent :) I tried to keep track of the hours to keep on top of his gu intakes and we made our goal on pee stops, so the hydration was good too. He ran nearly every step of the last miles from EH aid station to the finish. I seriously had the time of my life!

I did get a headache, but I think it was from watching the light on the trail and lack of sleep. A caffeine gu took care of it though and I was back in good shape. I didn't realize how late it was until I'd gotten him back to the tent, settled and off with his last pacer doing 30 miles with him. A girl that Rachelle was pacing came in after Scott and I watched the fine art of everyone buzzing around her, taking care of her and chatted with the few people left I knew. Then, I headed back to the car and when I started the car I realized it was 3:10!!! What the crap?!? I was going to crash at Craig's hotel and then do the stair climb at Wells Fargo at 6AM...in less than 3 hours and I still need to drive to SLC?!? Oh man...heaven help me.

I got to the hotel, clothes changed and in bed at 4:15AM. I set the alarm for 5:40 and drifted off to sleep SO grateful for Craig's hotel I could crash in and that I didn't have to sleep in the car or try to drive all the way home. Only problem was Craig started telling me about the ghosts that haunted Shilo Inn as I was falling asleep...thanks dear, thanks a lot....

(cont from Friday)

The alarm went off at 5:40. I got up and went to the bathroom and I could hardly focus my eyes and walk straight. The 6AM start for the stair climb seemed like Mt Everest. I wanted to do the full 6 hours to see if I could match/beat my record from last year. If I didn't go at 6:00 I'd be forfeiting top female and a push for any record I could match/break again. I was just too tired. 90 minutes of sleep just wasn't enough. I'm not that big of an ultra junkie yet. I need sleep.

So, after a HUGE back and forth conversation and a lot of rationalizing and contemplating in my head I set the alarm for 6:40 and went back to bed. Five hours of climbing would have to suffice.

I felt a lot better after that "extra" hour of sleep. I brushed my teeth, packed up my junk, said good-bye to Craig and headed over to Wells Fargo. It took me until about 7:20-7:30 to get all my stuff situated and to start climbing. The first trip up I got to floor 8 and wondered if I should've slept until 11:00 :) I was tired, exhausted and the volunteers were so perky and positive...and this was only my first ascent of the 24 floors. Time to settle in for the long haul.

Around 9AM I got tired and bored. We need a stair well with windows or something! Staring at the concrete white walls and grey never ending stairs is enough to drive one crazy!!! So, I took my phone out and started texting and catching up on FB. Your feet really get into a consistent patern climbing and turning (oh the left turns...endless left turns!), so I didn't have to pay attention to them. I'd put the phone away to drink and refuel on the elevator ride down to start over again. I did have one gu and my bottle of coke a swallow at a time to keep the caffeine flowing, but other than that I'd just grab a water or gatorade that they had out. I then discovered the rye bagels. They really just hit the spot! I couldn't eat the half in an elevator ride down, so I had them cut the half in 4 pieces and I'd grab one every other time up. It was perfect! Didn't upset my stomach and just enough to keep me going.

I did the same thing I did last year...just kept going. I don't go fast, but slow and steady wins the race, right? I climbed through awards ceremony and the raffle. I was kind of ticked off about that. Wondering if I had won something good, but not getting it because I was in the stair well :/ but, I was there to climb and not linger.

Around 11:30 a volunteer came up to me and handed me an envelope as top female climber. I told her "oh no. I started late. I'm not the top climber!" She responded "you're RAD, right?" "yes" "well, you currently are 2 ascents above the closest lady and she is done and has gone home." I was in shock! I didn't think for a minute I'd be top female again starting so late and being tired legs from the 20 the night before. So, that helped fuel me to get those last few climbs in!

They had posters in the stair well that told you the vertical equivalency of the number of ascents. Basically, when you reached the top of the empire state building, the Grand Canyon, Mount Hood, Mount Kilimanjaro etc. I'd passed the Grand Canyon which was around 8 (I think, I don't remember) and I had Mt Hood in my sights, it was 28.99 ascents. I could do that! Plus, if I got to 29 I'd have to round out to 30...so I started to push. With about 10 minutes left I knew it would be a good push to get UP the stairs and down the elevators and start my last ascent before they closed the stair well at noon, but I was determined! I went as fast as my legs would carry me and I ran from the top of the stairs to the elevator. I told all the volunteers I passed from the bottom to the top that I was going for ONE more! When I got to the entrance of the stair well they had deflated the arch, but I yelled "I'm coming, let me in!" as I ran toward them (the door is on the exterior of the building so you have to go out the lobby to the street then enter again). They said "we've got it for you!" and flattened the arch near the door so I could step over it and head up my last time. It was amazing. I'd made 30 in an hour and a half-ish less than last year.

I really think I could've contended to break my record this year had I gotten a full nights sleep and started on time, but I made that decision and had to live with it. I still got top female though :) Which means no one came near breaking my record. We need to get more female climbers willing to push through this 6 hour ordeal and challenge my record!

It was a great day and when I picked up the kids from grandparents and got home I crashed hard. I slept until around 7:30 which I was grateful for my 13 year old picking up the pieces for me all day! I treated the kids to Smashburger for dinner and then went back to bed...we were all tired and ornery, but I certainly felt accomplished!