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

Shaggy Mountain Memeorial Day Run. I thought it would be fun to get together with some running friends for a long group run on the holiday that we didn't have to pay for. Well, it grew bigger than I'd ever imagined! But, it was oh so good!

Kelli, Kimberly and Jerry helped me mark the course Sunday night. It only took a good 3 hours!

About 50 people showed up at my house to run 14, 10, 8 or 7 miles through Shaggy Mountain. I was excited to share my favorite run with so many awesome runners!!

We started up Moody hill and oh how people loved it :) I walked. Amy, Kelli Davy and I stayed together. Our legs were simply trashed from the half Saturday. That downhill killed our quads! We pushed through and enjoyed meeting up with some of the 10 milers Mom (Laura Western) and Jerry. He was still recovering from Ogden. Then we all just kind of stuck together and ran the course home. Johhny Ahn and a couple others had hooked in with us and I loved to see everyone's faces as they catch the first look at the last Mother Hill. We picked up a couple more there that had gotten a little lost.

We all hung out at my house in the backyard afterward and had some good food and fun memories building the pyramid out in Egypt :) What an incredible morning! Galen and Angie got a little lost, but our incredible Aid station worker Dulcie kept good track of them and I went and found them on my bike and brought them in. I got some personal time to chat with both of them and I really just had an incredible morning!! Couldn't have asked for anything better.

Until that afternoon...the cops showed up! Seriously. Someone from hi-country had yelled at some of the runners, but then they followed the flags back to my house and then called the police. Because technically we were trespassing, but...we were just running through and not trying to be a nuisance. meh anyway, they'd filed a case number against me, but the cop was very understanding and since I was cooperative and explained my position well they didn't press charges, but just gave us a warning. Now I get nervous every time I run in Shaggy Mountiain, but I'm currently working with the board to get official permission to run up there...with a small group :)

My legs are officially BEAT! 6.2 miles dragging around the hood. Ugh. Probably should've rested.

Much needed rest day. Just did a nice swim to give the legs a break.

I guess the swim did me good. Shaggy Mountain in 1:09...the fastest I've done it in a while. Slowest uphill mile was 9:40 which is really good!

TOZ relay coming up this weekend!

Top of Zion Relay. We left Friday morning and drove down. Kimberly, Lisa, Aaron and Stuart. We met Melissa down there and then Kimberly was the first to run. The team had been working hard and we were van 2 and so we had a good reputation to keep going. We'd won last year (I'd bowed out, but gotten a super fast replacement for me!) so we also had some people hunting for our heads!

My first legs was down Hell's Backbone. Wow. More uphill than expected, but the 14% grade downhill was incredible! I was hauling and keeping my AP under the expected 7:15. Until the last stinking half mile. Just after lower calf creek falls (which I remember going to with Craig's family when Lauren was a baby) and just as you cross the mile 6 marker you get uphill. After all the downhill it takes a toll on your legs and I wasn't ready for it, so I sucked it up BIG time. I now am ready to go back and take on that dumb hill and conquer it in style! Watch out you 250 ft of gain in 1/2 mile. I'm coming for you and you're not taking me down this time!!

6.5 miles - 7:31AP splits: 7:06, 7:08, 7:11, 6:57, 6:24, 7:39, 13:00 (last 1/2...a little walking?)

After everyone finished their legs we got subway and headed to the next exchange we slept our only really good sleep, but I tried to sleep in the car on the back seat and it wasn't comfortable or much sleeping :/ I would come to regret this!

Our next legs were in the dark. Kimberly again started us out and she used my garmin since hers was out of batteries. She did a great job and exceeded her expected AP. We were ahead of time!

My leg was a flat/uphill this time. I knew with my tired legs from the week before I wasn't going to kill anything here, but I just tried to push and stay steady. My legs were done and the dumb light from the airport that would spin around and flash me every 10 seconds would always scare the pee out of me in this pitch dark area! Then the shoulder was nearly non-existint and well, it just was crazy. I hung in and almost hit my 8:15 expected. The fact my headlamp ran out of batteries didn't help either. I was glad to have the night run done.

4.8 miles AP: 8:17 splits: 7:57, 8:24, 8:10, 8:31, 8:26 (last .8)

We hit our van exchange after missing a turn and going a couple miles out of our way and handed off so that we could get our last hour of sleep before our final legs.

We slept on a balcony and in the car. It was miserable. But, at least I wasn't cold and my legs went straight. A full 75 minutes of sleep is NOT enough! We took over from van 1 and started our quest to the finish.

My miles were nice downhill...until the end. Hmm, I've done this before. Stuart had really rocked his downhill legs and actually taken the lead back from the 1st place team (the fact they'd been held back 90 minutes was insignificant). So, I started out ahead of them! The guy that then in turn passed me was an excellent runner. I knew I wasn't keeping up with him. I told him we were doing this so that they could get another kill, because we figured they'd been lonely on the road waiting for a few kills. HA! Then we had the car with the flat tire blocking the road. My team gave me my water and sent me on my way. No one knowing if they'd even get to me before the exchange. Luckily they did!

I loved the dirt road downhill and despite a couple rough spots it was great trail! Then mile 6 hit. This time I knew what was coming. 500 ft of gain in just one mile. Take it easy RAD, you got this. Again, after the downhill your uphill muscles work differently! I swear they do! I did my best though and despite my pace again dropping well beyond my 7:30 perscribed (I okay'd it, but didn't see the hill at the end!). Oh well. I was simpl happy to be done with my legs. Now I just needed to drive home and get to a piano recital...Barely made it in time!

AP: 8:03 splits: 7:13, 7:24, 7:29, 7:19, 7:16, 7;34, 12:08

We had to leave to get home and couldn't stay for awards, but we ended up taking 2nd overall. A great team of old farts (39 yrs old is the average age for our team) competing against young college students? Yeah, I'll take it!