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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: Top of Utah Marathon (26.2 Miles) 04:18:50, Place in age division: 9
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
26.360.000.000.0026.36

I always wake up before the alarm no matter what time it's set, and it was no different this morning.  Drank EmergenC, quickly got in the bathroom just as the alarm went off at 4 which awaken Marci.  Went to breakfast at 4:30.  Ate half an English muffin with strawberry jam, bowl of oatmeal with vanilla creamer, boiled egg white, 1/4 banana, cup of orange juice.  This is the most breakfast I've ever eaten before a marathon! Lowell assured us that it will make a difference.  I was still full from last night's pasta dinner (linguine with mushroom meat sauce, mixed green salad, dinner roll and two giant cookies).   Anyway, this just made for more potty stops! :)

Waited for Lowell and left at 5:10 (10 min behind schedule as planned).  We parked about 3 blocks northwest of the park/bus loading.  By the time we walked there, the bus line was super long and so was the bathroom line!  To my joy and delight, Rachelle walked up to say hello and we got to ride on the same bus together.  Giving Rachelle a hug was the best part of the morning! :)  We arrived at the start with 25 min to spare.  Unfortunately we chose the friendliest and SLOWEST p-o-p line, stood there for 20 min without moving a step!  Arrrghhh! When they announced the clothing bus leaving in 5 min. we quickly stripped and let Lowell take our bags, still waiting for the pop...dejavu of last year! 

We didn't see Lowell by the start arch so we went to look for him inside the tent which was way too warm.  I think temp at the start was low 40s, clear sky with a slight breeze.  It was SO exciting to watch Jake, Ben, Steve, Jonathan, Sasha, and Allie lining up at the front.  I just had to go over and shout "Go! Allie!!!" :)  The race didn't start on time.  The riffles went off and so did the elite runners!  :)  Lowell jumped in after the 3:30 group and I protested that we should wait for the 4:15 pace group...he never listens to me! :) 

Last year I ran TOU with one goal in mind which was to help Lowell get a BQ with 5 min cushion so that he could sign up that very afternoon.  My time last year was 4:01, 5 min faster than Pocatello two weeks prior.  With that as a guide, I thought perhaps I would be capable of a 4:19 this year, 5 min faster than Pocatello's 4:24 two weeks ago.  Since 4:19 is an odd time, I printed out a 4:15 pace band (Lowell's goal time) for general pace reference.  However, my arm warmers covered the watch and pace band for most of the canyon miles, silly me! :)  Above all, my main goal today is to run healthy and keep my heart rate below 170 to avoid a tachycardia episode, all the while paying attention to the right foot and left hip flexor which has been bugging me lately.  With SGM three weeks away, I do not want any injury.

Lowell and Marci went out too fast for my liking.  Within a quarter mile, the 3:55 pace group caught up.  It was fun to say hello and visit with my friend, Pron8r (Don who was the pacer).  Then MarcieN ran up to me and we visited for about half a mile.  I lost sight of Lowell and Marci by the second mile.  I told myself to be patient and focus on finding a smooth stride down the canyon.  The left hip flexor complained a bit so I went to my abs and that seemed to help! 

The Fall colors this year was not as spectacular as in years past perhaps due to a drier spring and summer; but I still soaked in the beauty of the canyon and thanked and joked with the few campers/spectators and volunteers along the way.  I leap froged with a girl from Ohio and a 50 state guy, Brian, from Iowa.  They asked if I was a 50 state marathoner and if I was Mormon.  It was fun to introduce a little history of our great Beehive State and about my Faith.  Brian wanted to know the best way to see the Great Salt Lake with only limited time since his flight was to depart at 5pm.  I told him how to get to Antelope Island!  I also leap froged with George Sunderland whom I secretly admired for his multi-marathoning talents.  :)

This is my first marathon without hubby there being my "race manager, picture taker, clothing drop-off-guy, cheer leader and chauffer".  It made me a little sad missing him terribly.  I found myself pretending that the guy wearing kahki shorts, blue polo and baseball cap appearing intermittently along the course was hubby and I'd smiled broadly every time I spotted him.  My heart acted up couple of times on incline/uphill, so I slowed down and tried to breath deeply through my diaphram.  I seemed to be not absorbing fluids well, as there was sloshing in my guts.  I hit the wall hard after I passed the mile 23 aid station and realized I hadn't taken any Gu for an hour.  So I gagged down one without water and hope that it was not too late.  The 4:15 pace leaders caught up to me,  turned out to be Laura and Steve who knows me and we visited a bit.  I felt bad that I couldn't keep pace with them, there seemed to be only couple of runners running with them at this point.  The hill on Main Street did not seem that bad.  Even though I ran slow I did not walk any uphill.  I psyched myself out by not looking/counting the traffic lights or city blocks and before I knew it, I rounded the last corner and saw the finish line.  I was very happy to see that I finished under 4:19, no cramping, no tachycardia! 

Lowell finished in 4:15:30 and was there to hand me my chocolate milk.  I was very happy for him meeting his goal, even though I missed running with him as he always made running so fun.   This was his 80th marathon and made extra special when his son, Jason and daughter Kelsey showed up at the finish.  After gathering our drop bags, we walked over to Burger King for lunch.  Jason drove me back to the hotel while Lowell went to the award ceremony.   I was very worried about driving home alone (first for me) so I took extra time to clean up and stretch a bit.   I also took couple of Tylenol and salt caps.  So glad I made it home safely.  Today's run broke my one year streak of even or neg splits runs; so I was a bit bummed and mad at myself for hitting the wall the last 4-5 miles.

Mile splits from Garmin was a bit off from the mile marker, so the slower splits reflected at the beginning of each even miles where I walked thru the aid stations: 

1.  9:15 (138) too fast but felt comfortable

2.  9:00 (153) way too fast

3.  9:00 (163) Oops

4.  9:26 (154)

5.  9:41 (154)

6.  9:48 (154)  how's that for consistent heart rate! :)

7.  9:43 (157)  This is the pace I should've been running all along, dang!

8.  9:52 (152)  Gu'd at mile 7 aid station

9.  9:35 (156) 

10.  9:56 (156) walked and drank

11.  9:30 (160)

12.  9:24 (164)

13.  9:10 (164) nice tailwind.  Ripped off the arm warmer and saw the time: 2:03:25.  Oops!!!  Ran too fast the 1st half and paid dearly later. 

14.  9:27 (168) Gu'd at mile 13 aid station

15.  9:17 (168) feeling energized from the great cheering crowd at mile 14 mouth of canyon.

16.  9:54 (168) high fived and thanked the boy scouts at the mile 15 aid station.

17.  9:23 (168)

18.  9:47 (168)

19.  9:55 (169)

20.  10:53 (171) heart palpitating on the incline so slowed down and controlled the breathing a bit.

21.  9:31 (166)

22.  10:10 (169)

23.  10:53 (167) fading

24.  11:06 (169) hit the wall hard, took a gu, watched the 4:15 pacers pull away :(

25.  10:51 (167) ran this mile with George alongside helped ease the pain and agony

26.  10:42 (169) very tired but did not walk

0.36  9:55 (174) mustered up last ounce of energy, relieved to be done, grateful for the gift of another marathon in the book. 

I think I ran with a smile most of the time!  :) :) :) :)


 


Inspire 7 (yellow) Miles: 26.36
Night Sleep Time: 0.00Nap Time: 0.00Total Sleep Time: 0.00Weight: 0.00
Comments
From DaleG on Mon, Sep 17, 2012 at 23:04:37 from 152.216.3.5

Go Smoothie!!! You never cease to amaze me and I love that you're always smiling in every picture. I don't know how you do it.

From Chad on Tue, Sep 18, 2012 at 09:04:14 from 168.177.153.60

Nice job! Your smile is contagious.

From Teena Marie on Tue, Sep 18, 2012 at 17:14:48 from 65.130.25.187

You did FANTASTIC!!!! No worries about the final 4-5 miles: your GI was probably just bracing itself for Burger King! Yikes!!! :) :) :)

You are INCREDIBLE. Your pics look awesome!

Love you!

From RAD on Tue, Sep 18, 2012 at 22:22:59 from 98.202.23.178

You run with a smile ALL the time! That is why we all love to run with you so much! I'm SO impressed that you again knocked off time from your marathon! I would be SO dead my legs would fall off or be broken. Smooth is back and strong. I'm glad your heart held out and you did right by backing off when you felt you needed to.

How are the little aches and pains now? Everything still holding up well? We just have SGM to go until we can take a little extra R&R!

From timp on Wed, Sep 19, 2012 at 11:17:33 from 99.110.188.230

Glad to see there were no episodes...well done Smooth!

From Kelli on Thu, Sep 20, 2012 at 06:51:52 from 67.172.235.55

Another marathon in the bank! AMAZING, Smooth. You have come back from your injury really well, two marathons in two weeks! You are such an incredible athlete---I hope you know that!

My favorite line: very tired but did not walk. THAT says it all for marathoners.

Great job and GREAT photos. You are such a happy runner (and person), it truly is contagious.

From Nancy on Fri, Sep 21, 2012 at 06:00:30 from 76.23.21.118

Great job. I loved your race report. I love your pictures too and you don't even look tired at the end.

From Rhett on Fri, Sep 21, 2012 at 10:54:53 from 170.215.58.122

Congrats on another great race all strung so closely together. That is very impressive. I'll be excited to see how well you do at SGM after you give your body a few weeks to finally recover.

I love how you are smiling in all your pictures! Oh the joy of running.

From The Quiet Pirate on Fri, Sep 21, 2012 at 11:39:49 from 152.26.230.60

Your photos look so good! How did you manage that many REALLY GOOD photos? I can never even manage one!

Glad you had a good run and made your goal with a few seconds to spare!

Dixie, watch out- cause here comes smooth.

From Smooth on Sat, Sep 22, 2012 at 17:15:11 from 65.130.14.36

THANK YOU everyone for your kind words and for reading my "report". TOU was a lot of fun. I appreciate so much your support and positive encouragement. I love you all so much! You are one of the reasons I keep doing this sport. I am so blessed and lucky to have met you, my dear dear wonderful friends! :)

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