what I've been up to {this was originally written a long, long time ago...}

::okay, this was written like a year ago, but 
I just found it as a draft...  so here it is.  enjoy!::

I've got a race report in the works, but realized I needed a small update to get to where we are now.

last october I did the haunted half marathon with natalie and tori.  it was a beautiful run down emigration canyon then over to memory grove.  my legs were pretty tight if I remember correctly.  but my fun little fairy running companions kept me going.  note:  sometimes it's hard to run in fairy wings.  they might snag your hair, safety cones, and passersby.  wear them upside down if you are having troubles.  seriously.

a blurry cell phone pic, en route {courtesy of tori}

on new years eve I did the beat the new year 5K put on by the salt lake track club.  and yes, I did beat the new year!  they start the run at 11:30pm and you get a plaque if you finish by midnight.  what a way to ring in the new year!  it was cold, it was dark, and I was running it by myself, but I couldn't think of a better way to start this year off.  since the race is held just down the street from me every year, I just might have to make it a tradition.  next time when I leave my sleeping family at home in their warm beds, I'll have to bring a friend to the race with me.  no one wants to suffer alone.  

then I was sick off and on for the winter and didn't do much.  

in february I realized I had lost about two months of my training for the half ironman and that I needed to get on it.  so I started plugging away as best I could.  

I kind of found a routine with spin classes, swimming at the rec center, farming my kids out to friends so I could get longer runs in, and also spinning on the trainer in the manshed if need be.  

you can find the whole story of my half ironman journey here.  ::edited to add, that would be the link to my super awesome race report that I never wrote.  seriously, I wrote one sentence and then abandoned it completely.  hence, no actual link.  sorry!::

after the boston marathon bombing I was a little shaken up.  it hit close to home and I was feeling a bit heavy in my heart.  I went out and ran 10 miles dedicated to those who would never run again.  I even wore the sparkly skirt to add a little whimsy and hopefully bring a smile to someone's face.  

that next week the salt lake running company held a fundraiser 5K fun run.  all money donated went directly to those affected by the bombing.  

I ran into some friends at the runners for boston run and they happened to be in need of a few more runners for their ragnar team {aka the wasatch back relay} and I was happy to oblige!  yay!!  

and I am going to do the daybreak triathlon to see how far I've come over the last year.  I did it 10 weeks postpartum, just hoping to finish, and now look at what I've already been able to accomplish.  I hope to kill it.  

my race calendar is shaping up to look something like this:

may:  st george ironman 70.3 (CHECK!!)

june:  daybreak sprint triathlon | wasatch back ragnar

august:  deer creek open water marathon swim - 5K (MAYBE!!)

november:  lake havasu city half ironman  (again, another maybe--but more like a probable YES!)

::the STG70.3 and the WBR ragnar were the only races on this list that I actually did.  just so you know. ::

haunted half. . . 2012!

okay, so as promised...  the haunted half race report!  it's only a year and a half late.  and I don't really remember much about it.  other than it was awesome.

and that it can be slightly difficult to run in fairy wings.  (sometimes it helps if you turn them upside down.)  and that a sparkly skirt makes you feel pretty.

* * *

so I pretty much had a baby 7 months prior, and prior to that I was still in the trenches of drop foot recovery (and still am, technically, but whatever.), so running this half marathon was kind of a big deal to me.  I hadn't done anything this big in so long, that the distance seemed daunting.  but I was determined to get 'er done.

so I trained.  and had chronic tightness.  (but I'm not sure that's anything new in my life.  as per the whole rest of this blog.)  but I did it.

the course goes down emigration canyon, which is quite fun in autumn.  (and any time of year.)  it was a cool, crisp day.  perfect running weather.  it was mostly downhill, with some uphills thrown in for good measure.  (research park, near the university of utah had a hill that kicked my butt.  wasn't expecting that!)  the race ends through memory grove, which is always fun.

I was trying to look up my time, but apparently the 2012 results just don't exist anymore.  I think it was just over 2 hours.  but yeah.  fun race.  I did it!  my first longer distance race post babies!  whoot!