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Ogden Marathon

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Location:

UT,

Member Since:

Oct 14, 2008

Gender:

Female

Goal Type:

Age Division Winner

Running Accomplishments:

85 marathons, 5 times Utah Grand Slam finisher (division winner twice).

7 Bostons (2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2016).

Two 50Ks, one 50 miler (Pony Express).

A handful of AG wins in all distance races.

Marathon PR: 3:57:09 (Boston'08)

Half Marathon PR: 1:48:41 (Bryce Canyon '11)

10K PR: 47:50 (Spectrum 10K '09)

5K PR: 22:31 (Nestle 5K '08)
 

Short-Term Running Goals:

2017 Races:

June 10 - Utah Valley Marathon (5:13:43)

June 24 - Morgan Valley Marathon (5:49:01)

July 8 - Hobbler Half (2:19:37, 2nd AG)

July 24 - Temple to Temple 5K (27:43)

July 29 - Timp Half (2:08:01, 3rd AG)

Aug 26 - Mt. Nebo Marathon (5:16:16, 3rd AG)

Sep 16 - Huntsville Marathon (4:48:53)

Oct 7 - St. Geroge Marathon (4:57:11)

Nov 4 - Canyon City Marathon (5:30:07)

2018 Races:

Jan 13 - St. George Half (2:19:45, 3rd AG)

Mar 3 - The Woodlands Marathon (5:01:35)

Apr 6-7 - Ragnar So. California

June 1-2 - Ragnar Wasatch Back

June 9 - Utah Valley Marathon (5:19:22)

June 30 - Morgan Valley Half

Sep 1 - Pocatello Marathon (6:00:43)

Sep 15 - Huntsville Marathon (5:37:08)

Oct 6 - St. George Marathon (5:25:43)

Oct 20 - SoJo Marathon (5:29:23)

2019 Races:

June 1 - Utah Valley Marathon (5:44:24)

June 22 - Morgan Valley Marathon (6:15:13)

Aug 31 - Pocatello Marathon (5:38:47)

Sep 14 - Big Cottonwood Marathon (6:03:51)

Oct 5 - St. George Marathon (5:57:46)

Oct 12 - SoJo Marathon (5:55:45)

2020 Races:

Jan 18 - St. George Half (2:38:28)

Feb 15 - Sun Marathon (5:51:54)

May 5 - Conquer Covid-19 Virtual Marathon (5:49:07)

May 16 - Clear Creek Canyon Half Marathon (2:32:15)

May 25 - Utah Valley Virtual Marathon (5:33:110

June 9 - Independence Run Virtual Marathon (5:55:22)

 

Long-Term Running Goals:

Run happy and healthy all the days of my life. Be an example and inspiration to my family.

 

Personal:

I'm 64, retired RN, happily married, nana to 14 beautiful grandchildren, mother to 6 children (1 daughter, 5 sons) who are kind, hardworking, caring, wonderful people! Wish they live closer!!!  :)  :)  :)

Picked up running in 2005 at age 50, to stay healthy so I can take care of my husband who had endocarditis resulting in AVR and MVR in 2004, end stage renal failure in 2014, kidney transplant on Dec 30, 2015.  Six months after the kidney transplant, we discovered that he has a rare auto-immune disease that was probably triggered in 2004 with then the undiagnosed infective endocarditis.  The doctors had to make up a name for this rare disease, Monoclono Gammopathy with Renal Significance (MGRS).  It is not curable.  After desperately trying different chemotherapies, the doctor finally found one immuno-therapy, Daratumamab, that works to treat the MGRS.  It is a miracle!!! 

Grateful for the gift of life, blessings, dear friends and loved ones!!! Thankful for the ability to move, walk, jog, and yes run!!!!

 

Favorite Blogs:

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Miles:This week: 0.00 Month: 0.00 Year: 0.00
Saucony Guide ISO Wide Lifetime Miles: 311.91
Saucony Guide ISO Lifetime Miles: 313.31
Sacony Guide ISO (2) Lifetime Miles: 225.26
Altra Torin (sz 7) Lifetime Miles: 44.49
Saucony Guide 10 (2020) Lifetime Miles: 60.91
Race: Ogden Marathon (26.2 Miles) 05:30:00
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
26.200.000.000.0026.20

Went to bed at 9:30, woke up at 11:00, 1:00 and 2:00. I must've slept because I kept dreaming that I overslept the alarm and made my runner partner (a famous movie star) late for the marathon...very stressful and funny dream.

Anyhow, Karen, her sister Jill and Toby came to pick me up at 3:15 for our ride up to Ogden. I was groggy and sleepy but forced a piece of bread with sunflower seed butter that I got at Boston packet down in between fun chats with the girls. It had rained all night and still raining. Used the warm bathroom in the Summit hotel (formerly Marriott) and walked to the bus line. Saw Josse and her friends, John Vuyk. We got on one of the last buses and sat at the very back of the bus to avoid waiting too long up in the cold and wet and muddy filed. Ate a Greek yogurt (2 hrs before race) and had so much fun looking at Toby's pictures from Venice and Italy! Did I mention I love that girl?

We ran into Lowell and Susan right when we got off the bus. Susan went with us girls to line up at the farthest pops where we saw Matt and Wendy, Brian and Emily. We then spread our garbage bags on the ground to sit. Karen spotted Maynard and brought him over to our pad. Then it was time to make another trip to the pop before shedding our coats and warm up pants. What a muddy mess, in the haste of clothing bag drop, my inhaler must've fallen out of my capri's side pocket which I didn't discover until later when we ran into some nasty headwind and I started coughing.

Jill, Karen, Toby and I made our way up to the road to the start. We again ran into Lowell and Susan. It must be fate! :). What a lovely morning aside from the constant rain. I kept hoping that we will see a rainbow. Toby did a great job keeping track of me. I was having some wardrobe malfunction, the caprice kept slipping down my silky smooth holy garments and the weight of the cell phone in my back pocket kept dragging it down. I find myself pulling up my pants every 10 steps! :). I finally gave my cell phone to Lowell to carry in his rain jacket pocket. Somewhere around mile 4 I saw Eric and we dhatted away while my running friends disappeared into the distance yonder! O well, I didn't want to slow them down anyway. At the next aid station I lost Eric so I decided to see if can catch up to my friends.

At mile 6 Susan was standing in the pop line so I ran up to Lowell and we walked slowly and periodically turned to look for Susan. My caprice was still slipping down so I pinned it up with one safety pin and that did the trick.

I loved the low hanging clouds and the luscious green fields and mountains, the running horses, the volunteers at various stations who came out in pouring rain to support us. Many dressed up with themes such as Egyptians, Richard Simmons complete with cheering posters, island dancers, SO FUN!!! :). With their permissions I hugged and kissed (on the cheek) a young half-Asian girl, a Black young man with one leg, an elderly volunteer trying to offer me candy which I took a piece and sucked on (butterscotch). Whenever I see little children, I'd go over and give them five, trying not to get them wet as they were under the protection of their parents umbrella.

I did not look at my watch once, sometimes I had to ask the aid station people what mile we were at during the middle miles. This being my 7th Ogden, I do know where the hill is and that the dam is at mile 17 and then it's downhill canyon miles till the parkway. Susan was freezing cold bordering on hypothermia. Lowell was getting really tired and kept having to walk. It was quite a task to keep both of them going. I know Susan needs to run to stay warm and Lowell needs to walk to recover. So I would run with Susan then back to get Lowell. Susan refused to leave Lowell so she would walk when I went to get Lowell.

At mile 21 we saw a guy in kilt carrying a flag/banner. Lowell suggested that may be we can run towards him. I did thinking he would follow. I caught up to kilt guy, startied asking him all kinds of questions anout him and his mission that day. i even carried the flag for quarter of a mile or so. By the time we got onto the parkway I have lost Lowell and Susan. The first tunnel was semi flooded so we ran singled file on the right side. Half a mile later, I decided to run back up the canyon to get Lowell and Susan. All the runners thought I had already finished and now back to fetch my friends. Ai finally found them and I made them holler "choo choo" as we ran thru the tunnel.

With the slow pace, I found that we needed to use the bathroom quite often which suits Lowell just fine because then he could walk while us girls use the pop. We had to cross the road off fhe parkway to use the pop When I came out, I could not see Lowell and Susan anywhere. So I asked a bystander if he'd seen two yellow poncho runners. He said no but would keep an eye for them and let them know I will wait for them at the next aid station. I found a runner shivering and offered my cheapo poncho to him. He refused to take it from a girl. I ran back to find Lowell and Susan. When we passed this large freezing runner again, I told Lowell to give him his poncho (which we picked up earlier in the canyon when Lowell was wet and cold). I'd encourage walkers to jog with us, tell them that we're having a fun water fight with Heavenly Father...He won...but next time I see a rainbow...we'd know He still loves us! :)

Teena called and we chatted. Susan was worried about her family waiting in the rain at the finish. They don't have a cell phone. I had no idea that Lowell had called my hubby and told him I was cold and wet and lost my inhaler. Actually he probably said Susan and my hubby thought he said Susanna. Poor hubby was worried sick when in reality I was neither cold nor wet. Yes, my feet and arms are wet but otherwise I was quite warm and dry. When we got off the parkway, Susan and I ditched our poncho for the photographers! :)

Lowell picked up a straggler name Sam. She was walking a lot. So now I have three people to encourage. I would give them target to shoot for a particular hymn to sing when we reach the temple or the next traffic light. Only problem is while we did trio in the earlier miles now became solo (me) singing and annoying the heck out of the other runners. But I did get a lot of smiles out of the runners and bystanders.

When we got close to the barricade, I told our foursome that we have to run holding hands high and proud all the way to the finish! I won't let go of Sam's hand when she wanted to walk! After we crosssed I gave her a hug and did fist pumps. I went over to meet Susan's husband, Eric and their children Elizabeth (9) and Austin (6)...such cute kids. I looked at my watch for the first time and it was completely dead, no screen nothing!

Toby, Karen and Jill were there to hug me right when we crossed. They had waited forever for me in shivering cold. Such wonderful and loyal friends! I am forever grateful for their abiding love for me. I was in their "waiting" situation last year after pulling out of the race at mile 6.5 from a stress fracture and taken to the finish by hubby. I stood at the right side of the barricade until noon cheering everyone in, first ever DNF with no medal, just a painful broken foot and heart. Today, when they put the medal on me, I felt a sense of redemption, I kissed that medal...I finished what I came to do...I kept my promise to stay with my friends. It may be the slowest marathon time I've ever run,(I have no idea what my finish time is) but one of the most satisfying Ogden Marathon. Ogden holds many special memory for me even though I have not had "good" experience (mostly with cramping the last mile on Grant St.). It was here that I met Teena and her brother, at the time not knowing her name. I have run with many good and loyal friends such as the Waites, Maynard, RAD and my own son Eric.

There was no food left in the finisher corral, only bottles of water, small cans of coke, some orange and banana slices. Hubby came over to hug me and was totally surprised that I was dry. Karen said I was probably the only dry runner out there! "are you cold?". "nope, my body, my heart, my spirit was WARM!". How is it possible that all I had on was a flimsy cheapo poncho (the hood was not even on my head the whole time), a long sleeve Boston race shirt over a silky holy garment? While many runners had layers of clothes, Susan and Lowell had Northface hats with ear muffs, jackets, poncho, two to three layers of shirts/tops and long pants etc on and they were so cold that they made a beeline to the hotel for a warm shower. In a warm marathon, I would pour water all over me so I was usually wet but today under rainy condition, I was dry, incredible! :). Could it be the protection of the holy garments? I like to think so. I also feel that I ran with not just the warmth of friendships but the companionship of the Holy Ghost today! :)

Hubby took me to his favorite restaurant, Upchuckarama. I was starving so it was just fine! I have no soreness now hours later! I cannot post any picture or check on pace because my computer is somewhere in a box enroute to Australia. I am posting this on my iPad. Good night and sweet dreams!

Inspire 9 Miles: 26.20
Night Sleep Time: 0.00Nap Time: 0.00Total Sleep Time: 0.00Weight: 0.00
Comments
From Tom Slick on Sun, May 19, 2013 at 07:48:56 from 69.171.160.35

Congrats on a well run marathon and your 7th Ogden!!!!!

From Teena Marie on Sun, May 19, 2013 at 08:33:11 from 66.182.75.180

Congrats on another Ogden ... AND Charlie free!!!! WOOT WOOT!!! :)

I looked every where for you (when I wasn't stading in the POP line). Ry was a trooper and willing to wait, but when the 4:30 mark hit Ry and I decided we had somehow missed you. Little did we know you were still on the trail having a party!!! :) :) :) (Ry had been there since finishing the half and on verge of hypothermia. He didn't bring a race bag ... rookie ... so had no jacket or anything. He was simply in his race shirt and shorts sopping wet!!! CRAZY BOY!!!! It was definitely time for us to leave.)

Glad you had such a fantastic time!

(The one thing I don't like about the ipad ... that is pretty much all I use now ... is the inability to post pics. Missing all the awesome pics you usually have on your report!)

Luvs. :)

From timp on Sun, May 19, 2013 at 13:16:52 from 99.110.188.230

well done Smooth!

From Maynard on Sun, May 19, 2013 at 16:56:57 from 70.103.189.14

Glad to hear your delay wasn't due to an injury. Wished I could have waited a but longer to see you finish. Still, was able to visit with Karen, Toby, and Jill for a while at the finish. Runners are such cool people!

From Rhett on Mon, May 20, 2013 at 15:02:28 from 74.41.239.14

Great job Smooth. I loved the report.

From Toby on Thu, May 23, 2013 at 19:52:21 from 199.101.229.6

Saturday was such a fun day thanks to your cheerfulness! I loved sitting with you on the bus and chatting! It set the tone for the day! I was so sad that I lost you so early in the race :(. But double hooray for finding Lowell and Susan! I sure hope 3 years go by quickly and I can get as speedy as you!

From Nancy on Thu, May 23, 2013 at 21:12:17 from 76.23.21.118

It sure was nice of you to go slow and help everyone. I think it is funny that your husband calls it Upchuckarama because my husband does too.

From Smooth on Fri, May 24, 2013 at 21:59:51 from 71.35.212.74

Slick ~ thanks! My 7th Ogden but six completed. Last year I had a stress fracture and pulled out at mile 6+ for my first ever DNF and vowed to not have another one so this was a sweet redemption. Did you come out to cheer? I figure I wouldn't see you when we finished so late and it was so cold and rainy!

SSF ~ I'm so sorry we missed you and poor Ryan was freezing trying to wait for me/us. Tell him thank you for willing to wait. I really wasn't planning on such a slow finish time and had everyone worried about me! But it was worth it to spend perhaps my last marathon running with Lowell.

Tim and Rhett ~ thank you for your kind words and taking time to read my report.

Maynard ~ Jill and Karen told me you waited and waited for me too and had just left 5 min before we came in. And I am glad you ran with Tony on the canyon miles THANK YOU for being my friend. I loved that I got a big hug from you at the start! Ogden is NOT the same without seeing you and hanging out with you at the start. You are a legend and my Ogden hero! :).

Toby ~ the pleasure is all mine! I loved spending those per-race time with you and catching up on your Europe trip and family life! I wish I could've kept up with you. I am in awe of your running and dedication to the sport. Hope your ankle heals up quickly and NO MORE injury. Btw, Karen's heel is bugging her and she hasn't run a single step yet. May be you two should get together once you're back on the road again. :)

Nancy ~ we and our husbands must think alike! :) does your husband call buffet, barf-fe too?

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