I Can Do Hard Things

Ogden Marathon

Previous WeekRecent EntriesHomeJoin Fast Running Blog Community!PredictorHealthy RecipesToby's RacesFind BlogsMileage BoardTop Ten Excuses for Missing a RunTop Ten Training MistakesDiscussion ForumRace Reports Send A Private MessageMonth ViewYear View
Graph View
Next Week
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
2009201020112012201320142015201620172018201920202021202220232024
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

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:

Click to donate
to Ukraine's Armed Forces
Miles:This week: 22.33 Month: 127.28 Year: 374.00
2014 - Minutes Lifetime Miles: 28605.00
Slow milesFast milesTotal Distance
2.5026.3728.87
Weight: 0.00
Slow milesFast milesTotal Distance
0.000.000.00

7 miles on the stair mill - about 60 minutes. Halfway through, I did a few 2-3 minute pick ups.

Amy worked on my lower legs today. Still tendinitisy.

Weight: 0.00
Add Comment
Slow milesFast milesTotal Distance
0.000.000.00

7 days no running and I still have a very achy ankle.  The soonest I can get into my sports med doctor is Friday.  We'll see what he says.

25 minutes on the bike

3x

10 x side to side lunges

6 x one arm push ups

20 x skull crushers

15 x supermans

LLL

B6 

Quick stretch 

Weight: 0.00
Comments(2)
Slow milesFast milesTotal Distance
2.500.002.50

I went on a 3.5 mile walk with my neighbor pushing Peachy in the stroller. I did a few lunges at the park. It sure was beautiful out today!

I decided to do a short run to see how the ankle felt. 2.5 miles on the TM. It felt okay during the run, but I'm more concerned how it will feel in the morning.

Long stretching and foam rolling. I'm going to Target to buy a big box fan to put on a ladder in front of my home TM. I'm not a fan of the heat!

Weight: 0.00
Add Comment
Slow milesFast milesTotal Distance
0.000.000.00

Designated rest day

Weight: 0.00
Add Comment
Slow milesFast milesTotal Distance
0.000.000.00

Designated rest day.

I went to see Dr Rich this morning.  First thing out of his mouth, "What did you do to yourself now?"  Ha!  They took some x-rays.  There was fuzziness all around my ankle and up my tibia.  Unless I have an MRI done, they won't know for sure what the fuzziness is.

 He said to run tomorrow.  He gave me some super Advil that they give the BYU football players.  I can only take it for a few days or it will eat a hole in my stomach.  Then he gave me some anti-imflammitory cream.

 He said not to run for 2 weeks after the race.  If it doesn't start to feel better, get the MRI. 

I drove up to Ogden to get all the ladies race packets and met Jeff Galloway.

This is how I am feeling about running injuries right now:

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hVfB8Nlsduo

 

It may be a long morning tomorrow.  Be kind Ogden...be kind! 

Weight: 0.00
Comments(2)
Race: Ogden Marathon (26.37 Miles) 04:17:20
Slow milesFast milesTotal Distance
0.0026.3726.37

4:17:20 (as per Garmin)

AP: 9:45

My love for the Ogden Marathon grows every year I run the race.  So when my ankle continued to ache and ache this week, I wasn't sure if I would be able to run.  I went to my favorite sports medicine doctor and he gave me clearance to run with VERY strict instructions to take two weeks off after the race!

After my appointment, I immediately headed up to Ogden to get our race packets.  While I was at the expo I met the legendary Jeff Galloway.  Awesome! 

 photo IMG_1866_zpsd8c0f3bd.jpg 

 

This is the earliest I've ever gotten up for a run/race.  Yikes....that is early! 

  photo IMG_1868_zps4521ade7.jpg

 

 photo IMG_1867_zps86c6b8f7.jpg 

I drove to my good friend Karen's house to carpool up with Jill (Karen's sister), Smooth, Karen.  As we drove up to the start, the weather forecast manifested itself.  Rain, rain, more rain AND a headwind.  We tried to catch the last bus so we wouldn't have to wait in the rain and mud. But we still had a good hour to contemplate the upcoming 26.2 miles! 

 photo IMG_1870_zpsc39bf5ab.jpg

 The start line staging area is so majestically beautiful.  We all wore rain ponchos or garbage bags to try and stay dry from the pouring rain!

 

My main goal for the race was to stick with Smooth and run a 4:30/4:45.  I knew with my lack of training and various injuries, I wasn't going to be making any personal records! 

 photo IMG_1871_zps29213998.jpg

MILES 1, 2, 3 (9:48, 9:50, 9:50) (water stop 3) Finally, it was time for the start gun to go off.  I started with the group (Karen, Jill, Smooth, Lowell and Susan), but we quickly started to trickle away from each other.  Karen and Jill took off.

 

MILES 4, 5, 6 (9:22, 9:30, 9:58) (water stop 5)  I lost Smooth/Lowell and Susan at the water stop, but was able to find Paul and Tiffany!  What a blessing to find friends!  It made the miles go by SO MUCH FASTER!  We talked about gardening and traveling.  I was so engrossed in our conversation that I forgot to take my GU at mile 6.  

 

MILES 7, 8, 9 (9:36, 9:32, 10:09) (water stop 7)  Took GU at mile 8.  Still hanging with Paul and Tiffany.  We were having such a wonderful chat and taking in all the beautiful surroundings.  Last year, we ran by a field of stampeding horses and luckily, they were there again!  Majestic!  

 

MILES 10, 11, 12 (9:53, 10:12, 9:54) (water stop 11)  Though I was feeling great mentally (compliments of friends and good conversation), I felt like I hadn't found my physical mojo.  I felt like I was really making an effort to keep the pace (slow as it was).  I started thinking this could me a long few hours.  We had a short walk break.

 

MILES 13, 14, 15 (10:37, 10:34, 10:00) (water stop 13, 14, 15) We stopped at the POPS at mile 13.  It was a nice reprieve from the rain for a few minutes.  BUT, I lost Paul and Tiffany.  I waited for a minute or two and then took off.  The only hill in the race is at mile 14.  Last year's feelings from conquering the hill and having a race turnaround came flooding back.  I knew I wasn't in last year's "super-star race shape" and I wasn't sure how to process my mental state. I heard a volunteer say to another runner, "Just gut it out".  It became my new motto.  This stretch is my favorite part of the course.  I finally turned on my Ipod.

 

MILE 16, 17, 18 ( 9:34, 9:41, 9:25) (water stop 17 and 18)  I felt my physical mojo coming alive, but I still had a long way to go.  I knew my mojo could quickly leave as fast as it came.  My favorite songs on my Ipod came on and I tried to just "ride the wind".  I happened to run into Maynard (Smooth's friend).  I said, "Hello.  I don't really know you but I'm glad to see you.  If you are a friend of Smooth's, then you are a friend of mine". We hardly talked, but I was grateful for his company.  I saw Jill and Karen at the mile 17 POP.  I was so surprised to see them.  I thought they would be miles ahead of me.  So seeing them gave me the mental boost that I wasn't totally bombing this race.    GU at 18.

MILES 19, 20, 21 (9:12, 9:36, 9:05) (water stop 20) I really was feeling wonderful and was just trying to keep the momentum going.  Maynard had a great pace going and I was hanging on.  My body was starting to get tired.  My quads, hips and feet were starting to ache.  I wasn't sure if I was going to blow up, but I still had about an hour left of running. 60 minutes is a long time to suffer.  We started to see spectators and it gave me a mental boost.  I was starting to miss my family and kept thinking about them during the next few miles.

MILES 22, 23, 24 ( 9:35, 9:21, 9:58) (water stops 22, 23, 24)  I had not looked at my watch the entire race.  I had no idea how slow/fast I was going.  When we got to mile 22, I asked Maynard (who wasn't wearing a watch) if he wanted to know the time.  He said no, so I didn't look.  In a way, it was liberating to just run by feel and not time.  Around mile 23, I couldn't keep up with Maynard any longer and let him go.  I still felt strong, but knew I still had 30ish minutes to go and couldn't keep the pace that long.  "Just gut it out".

MILES 25, 26.2 ( 9:55, 9:48, 3:14) (water stop 25)  After I had walked through the water stop at mile 25, I had a bit of a mental breakdown.  I started to cry (which no one probably noticed since it was still raining and my face was already wet).  My body was done.  I wasn't sure if I could make it one more mile.  I knew I just had to put one foot in front of the other.  Literally.  I was beyond wet.  My clothes were heavy with 4 hours of rain.  My feet were squishy in my shoes.  My body had been up since 2:15am.   "Just gut it out". Those last 1.2 miles was a pure mind over matter moment.  One foot in front of the other.  Left...right...left...right.

Crossing a marathon finish line is such a surreal experience.  My body started to go into shock.  My legs started to cramp up and I wasn't sure if I could even walk to the car.  The Coke I drank was starting to make me sick to my stomach.   I started to shake uncontrollably.  While we were waiting for Smooth to finish, I sat on the curb with chattering teeth.  A sweet medic came up to me and asked if I wanted a space blanket. It was like manna from heaven.  Karen's husband gave me another blanket to help me warm up.  

One of my favorite parts of the finish line experience was watching other runner's reaction as they "crossed the line".  Friends holding hands, emotional runners bursting into tears as they conquered their own mental demons,  giving loved ones hugs, family members cheering with delight, children holding signs for Mom and giving 5's, and some falling to the ground with exhaustion.  I just got teary eyed watching their own stories unfold.  I understood  every one of their emotions.

 

 

 

 photo IMG_1877_zpsed3147eb.jpg

 (Smooth, Lowell and Susan crossing the line)

 photo IMG_1880_zps49c5ddd3.jpg (Jill, Karen, Smooth and Me)

I didn't have an epic run today.  I wasn't even close to a personal best.  But I ran 4 hours and 17 minutes in the rain and conquered a few of my own mental demons.  Running with friends is much more enjoyable than running alone.  And I learned the real meaning of "Just gut it out". 

Weight: 0.00
Comments(7)
Slow milesFast milesTotal Distance
2.5026.3728.87
Weight: 0.00
Debt Reduction Calculator
Featured Announcements
Lone Faithfuls
(need a comment):
Recent Comments: