I Can Do Hard Things

December 21, 2024

15% off for Fast Running Blog members at St. George Running Center!

Location:

American Fork,UT,

Member Since:

Nov 27, 2009

Gender:

Female

Goal Type:

Boston Qualifier

Running Accomplishments:

St George Marathon

2011 - 4:11:52

2017. -4:01:17

2021 - 4:03:05

Salt Lake City Full Marathon

2013 - 4:23:03

Ogden Marathon

2012 - 3:58:35

2013 - 4:17:20

2014 - 4:02:51

2017 - 3:55:22**

2023 - 3:57:09

Utah Valley Marathon

2019 - 4:05:37

Top of Utah Marathon

2014 - 4:09:27

Mt Charleston Marathon

2019 - 4:05:33

West Mountain Marathon

2015 - 4:42:34

St George Half Marathon

2012 - 1:55:00

2013 - 2:03:00

2014 - 1:46:00

2015 - 1:48:00

2022- 1:42:45**

Salt Lake City Half Marathon

2012 - 1:51:00

2014 - 1:44:01

Hobble Creek Half Marathon

2001 - 1:40:00**

2011 - 1:45:00

2012 - 1:43:00

2013 - 1:43:00

2022 - 1:48:53

Ogden Half Marathn

2024 - 1:48:58 - 3rd place in AG

American Fork Half Marathon

2013 - 1:48:24

2014- 1:53:23 (pacing Tim)

2017 - 1:47:54

2018 - 1:48:12

2019 - 1:47:50

Timp Half Marathon

2012 - 1:47:18

2022 - 1:49:40 (AF Cancer course)

Utah Valley Half Marathon

2011 - 1:55:00

Top of Utah Half Marathon

2010 - 1:48:20

The Haunted Half Provo

2018 - 1:51:28

Goblin Valley 50K

2014 - 5:58

Red Mountain 55K

2018 - 7:31:37

Antelope Island Fall Classic 50K

2017 - 6:14:23

Antelope Island 50 Mile

2015 - 10:10:00

Antelope Island 100 Mile

2018 - 26:53

**Personal Best

Short-Term Running Goals:

Long-Term Running Goals:

To qualify for Boston

Personal:

Married for 23 years. I have 18 year old triplets and a 15 year old. I love to sew, garden, and run!

Favorite Running Quotes:

1.

"Sooner or later the serious runner goes through a special, very personal experience that is unknown to most people.

Some call it euphoria. Others say it's a new kind of mystical experience that propels you into a elevated state of consciousness, a flash of joy.

A sense of floating as you run. This experience is unique to each of us, but when it happens, you break through a barrier that separates you from casual runners. Forever. And from that point on, there is no finish line. You run for your life. You begin to be addicted to what running gives you."

~Nike Poster

2. A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.

- Lao-Tzu

You’ve no doubt heard this. And you’ve probably recited it in your mind on a run or at the gym when you’re just beginning to get in shape. You have a goal in sight and this quote brings you back to the current moment.

But the problem is that many runners forget all of the steps between the first one and the goal. If your goal is to run under two hours for the half marathon then you need to be honest about all of the little steps to get to that goal.

…and what I’d rather see you do is to get the goal out of mind completely, but rather focus on the process, not the outcome. -Jay Johnson Process orientation, not outcome orientation.

You should have goals, but you should take it one step at a time. And you should be honest about the fact that you don’t know how many steps it will take to get there. ~ Vernon Gambetta

3. Human beings are made up of flesh, blood and a miracle fiber called COURAGE! ~ George Patton

4. Find the courage to be patient.

Favorite Blogs:

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Miles:	This week:	13.95	Month:	44.34	Year:	964.25
2014 - Minutes Lifetime Miles:						28605.00

Thu, May 17, 2012

Slow miles	Fast miles	Total Distance
0.00	0.00	0.00

My post today on our family blog:

Believe it or not, MARATHON #2 is 48 hours away. Just like the last marathon, the Barlow household is encompassing the"mom-is-going-crazy-marathon-madness". I wish I didn't care about this nonsense. But I do. I've spent 20 weeks preparing and in 2 short days it will ALL be over (until the next cycle starts....which is the beginning of June).

I still can't believe I'm doing another one. It didn't seem like that long ago that I was crawling through the last 7 miles of the St George Marathon. Miserable. Overheating. Lead-legs. Wishing someone would just shoot me and put me in an early grave. I remember "hitting the wall" and trying to explain to Tim at mile 21 that I just couldn't go another step. NOT ONE MORE.

But there is something about the spirit of the marathon. Something that makes you crave more. Yearn for it. Think about it constantly. Smell it (maybe that is just my shoes). Taste it. Envision the glory. But you can only get it after 26.2 miles.

So here I am again. #1 is a memory and #2 is a vision. I'm hoping I've learned a few more things this time around.

At the risk of sounding like a dork (hey....I did get an accounting degree), I've compiled a few statistics. (too all my "elite running friends"...don't laugh at my puny miles)

#1 (SGM) #2(OM)

Total miles run: 533.01 649.83

(20 wk cycle)

Slow miles: 533.01 546.09

Fast Miles: 0.00 103.74

Average M/Week: 26.65 32.49

Average Daily (5d): 5.33 6.50

Tune Up Races: 3 4

10K: 1 1

HM: 2 3

Calculating: TOO MANY TO KEEP TRACK OF

Numerous pairs of running shoes

Immodium AD taken before runs/races

Runs starting before 4:30am

GU's taken

Snot rockets shot

Emotional breakdowns

Hours wearing compression socks

iTunes songs downloaded

#2 picture review

Finishing a 15 miler.

Starting line of the Salt Lake Half Marathon

Track workouts

*MY* hill...I will someday conquer it

Carnage from having ART done.

$300 sitting by my front door

There you have it. The numbers can't lie. I'm not sure how the miles will play out on Saturday morning. But I can promise they will take me on a journey.

I CAN DO HARD THINGS

Weight: 0.00

Comments

From Bec on Fri, May 18, 2012 at 08:19:52 from 68.206.133.141

You inspire me Toby. I love your entry about marathons and the pictures too! What in the world is the ART massage technique? Did you do that to yourself or did someone else do it?

Where is that big hill? When I come back for the summer, will you run up it with me? It actually looks rather familiar. Is it Mary Polly's hill? The one by the high school? I can't put my thumb on it.

Oh good luck! I wish you the best tomorrow and I wish I could be there to cheer for you! Good, good luck!

From Toby on Fri, May 18, 2012 at 10:49:54 from 199.101.229.6

Bec - ART is Active Release Technique. It is like massage therapy while moving the leg. The guy just used his thumbs. It really hurts, but I always feel better after.

That is Mary Pulley hill. We are becoming friends that hill and I. It is right by the temple.

I'll keep you posted on the race (nice and slow :) ).

From Bec on Fri, May 18, 2012 at 13:50:00 from 68.206.133.141

I knew that was the hill. Oh, how I miss Utah some days. It would be nice to have a hill around here to train on. Then again, I would probably try to avoid it.

ART technique sounds like Graston technique. Last week my massage therapist told me that us humans thrive on pain, we get an endorphin "high" from the pain. When you run tomorrow, think about that... We like pain.

I was watching an interview with Fred Lebow (distance marathon champ back in the day). His father would beat him when he was a boy. He learned to relax during the beatings, let his mind go somewhere else. Then he said how he used the same mental relaxation during the marathon and training. How terrible is that? Anyway, if you can just zone out the pain, you can do it! You have earned your runner's high. :)

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