what it takes

the four key areas I will need to focus on to get to boston:

• diet
• weight training
• rehabilitation/recovery
• safe/smart training plan
  

the rundown

2009|the marathon of life!

2008|Valley of Fire Marathon|Valley of Fire State Park, NV

2008|Fargo Marathon|Fargo, ND

2007|Famous Idaho Potato Marathon|Boise, ID

2006|the marathon of love!

2005|St George Marathon|St George, UT

2005|Salt Lake City Marathon|Salt Lake City, UT

2004|St George Marathon|St George, UT

2004|Salt Lake City Marathon|Salt Lake City, UT

2003|Lake Tahoe Marathon|Lake Tahoe, CA

2002|Mayor's Midnight Sun Marathon|Anchorage, AK

another saturday run!

I woke up at 6:30am, just in time for the big event, laced up and headed out the door. for about the first ten minutes the temperature was actually pretty nice. but after that it just started feeling hot and muggy. I cannot wait for the day that autumn crisp is in the air.

I felt tight in my right hamstring. the outside of my right foot hurt as well. I'm a super thin sock kinda girl, and maybe these socks are too thick. or my shoes shrunk. I mean, I do follow the standard half to full size bigger running shoe paradigm. I love a lot of room, especially in the toe box. but today they just seemed to fit snug. it was bizarre. I did stretch and ice when I got home; hopefully I can finally get my hamstring under control.

I'm proud of myself, though. I've hit the streets for the past three saturdays. and now that I'm practically unemployed and don't have to be to work in the seven o'clock hour I'll be able to start going weekday mornings. hurrah!

4 miles; baby pug tree run: west and east

guts 'n glory

I woke up early on saturday morning to go running. something I haven't done in a long time. well, except for last week. I ran the sugarhouse loop 2.25 times. it was the dash for donations five k. we were team guts 'n glory*.

I made eliza warm up with me a little before the race started. I didn't want to be completely cold going into it. we ran back and forth in a parking lot a few times and then stretched for about a minute. I don't know if you could say I was warmed up, but it was good enough.

I didn't have a real solid plan going into the race. I figured I'd take it pretty easy since I'm slightly out of shape and not to mention the fact I was up until almost one o'clock in the morning the night before, eating junk food right up until the moment I laid my head on my pillow, and my legs are always so tight. but after that gun went off I knew I had to at least give it my best shot. I mean, it was only three point one miles. I can endure almost anything for three point one miles. so I tried to run it at a good pace. I definitely wasn't used to hills, but I tried my best to power through them.

I came in around twenty-five minutes. which isn't a super amazing five k time (though it might be around my fastest five k time--I don't run very many five k's) so I was a little surprised to see that I had come in second place in my age division. I was 52 overall, out of around 700'ish participants. I was excited. it is quite rare that I place in the top three in my age division (the lava to downata triathlon I took first place, the rail trail half marathon I took second place).

it was a fun race; we even stayed for the raffle! eliza was the first ticket called and won a gift card to jamba juice. fun!


3.1 miles; the dash for donations five k; sugarhouse park; 25 minutes and something seconds


*the roster:
becca, team captian and tissue donor recipient. oh, and walker extraordinaire!
eliza, runner
paul, runner
anna, runner
my mom, walker and baby stroller pusher
my dad, walker
peter (the baby), rider
nuno, rider
(me, eliza, paul, my dad, peter and nuno were the guts. my mom was the 'n. and becca was the glory. go team guts 'n glory!)

maybe it's time

a couple of weeks ago my favorite mag came in the mail (along with my favorite catalog. it was a definite good mail day!) and as I was flipping through it I started to get a little sad inside. I hadn't been running in months. a dark cold weight sunk to the bottom of my heart, was I not a runner anymore? I paused there in that place for a moment and then quickly brushed the thought aside. as soon as the way-too-hot-for-doing-anything-especially-running summer temps started to cool off, I'd be back on the road. besides, after running a marathon in may, can't a girl take a break for a while?

I woke up this morning sometime around four o'clock. I could feel my left IT band acting up. my legs were restless. I knew I needed to run. Somewhere around five o'clock I woke up again with the same feeling in my legs. I got up and looked outside; it was too dark to go running. so I went back to sleep. around 6:45am I woke up again, dragged myself out of bed (by this time my legs had calmed down and it would've been so easy to let myself sleep in), put my running clothes on, kissed my sleepy husband goodbye and was out the door.

I decided to run the usual loop around liberty park and back. it felt good to be out there in the cool morning air. by the time I got to the park I was warmed up and ready to go. I started the loop a little too fast and regretted it later on. though I did stick it out and even added another loop (this time the longer dirt path around the perimeter of the park) to increase the distance. by the time I was done with both the loops it was getting hotter and I knew it was time to go.

it felt good to be out there again. I am a runner.

~4 miles; liberty park
a training run for the upcoming big race.

idaho

I forgot to mention that pete and I went on a ride, a real ride, when we were on vacation in idaho. it was about sixteen miles of lovely country side and picturesque farm goodness. we rode from lava over to caribou county. the temp was perfect. it was fabulous ride.

look for that ride (or will it be the run route? we're still not sure) in the future lava monster triathlon, hoping to make its debut to the public in july of '09.

resolutions

last week peter and I discussed our health and nutrition goals over a basket of fries and some shakes. we made a resolve to exercise at least one day the following week. (it's so easy to slack off in the summer when you're held hostage by sunlight and heat) here was my week:

monday: joint swimteam with peter. hurrah! it felt good to be back in the pool, as it always does. we only lasted a half an hour, though. I was too hungry. and you can practically taste that crappy air out there. no good.

tuesday: yoga.

wednesday: I rode my bike to work.

thursday: yoga. I was the only person who showed up for the class, so I had my own private lesson.

friday: hiked up to timpanogas cave. with kids. exhausting!

peter went swimming on monday, rode his bike to work on most days, and had a two hour ride on saturday.

good job both of us!

beginner's luck

...Each day I take to the roads as a beginner, a child, a poet. Seeking the innocence of the beginner, the wonder of the child and the vision of the poet. Hoping for new appreciation of the landscape, a new perspective of my inner world, some new insights on life, a new response to existence and myself.

There are times, more often than the good times, when I fail. I never do pierce the shield. I return with a shopping list of things to do tomorrow. The miraculous has gone unseen. The message has gone unheard. I have had one of those loveless days on a lovely day for love.

Still, there is always the chance I'll have beginner's luck. And this run, this hour, this day may begin in delight and end in wisdom.

Dr George Sheehan, Running and Being: The Total Experience

the pocket schedule

ever since camp started I feel like I've totally abandoned my exercise routine. I was going to be so good this summer, too. I had it all mapped out (come and look at the schedule on my fridge, or for your convenience I have the updated pocket version just waiting to be laminated for your easy perusal). It went something like this:

monday:
AM swimteam (fairmont)
PM ride

tuesday:
AM run
(ride to the train and take it up... or just ride to work)
PM yoga

wednesday:
AM ride (to work)
PM swimteam (steiner)

thursday:
AM run
(ride to the train and take it up... or just ride to work)
PM yoga

friday:
AM ride (to work)

saturday:
AM ride or run

sunday:
rest

well, I've been doing my yoga diligently (I did pay for it, after all), but not so much the other things. I am a slacker! I've ridden my bike to work probably all of one time in the last few weeks. I haven't been running (well, except for the mud run, of course. more details and a race report to come). swimteam? haven't done that in over a month!

today after work I went over to steiner to have my own swimteam. I felt I needed to get back in the pool and see if I still had it in me before joining the real team again. it felt good to be back in the water (mostly because it was one-hundred degrees outside) even though my body was having a hard time remembering just what it was it was supposed to be doing. I didn't last too long. that's why I go to masters swimteam--it forces me to do an actual, effective workout. I also didn't reapply the sunscreen, so I didn't want to do too much skin damage. a short little thirty minute pool workout was good enough.

so stay tuned to see if the schedule is put into effect any time soon. . .

saturday AM run

pete and I went running on saturday morning before my staff training. the plan in my head was to do six miles. we only did three. pete just wasn't fealin' it. and to be honest, I didn't really mind. we have the mud run in a couple weeks, and it's all right to ease up to that mileage. yeah. but I am proud of marta and dan, who busted out a six mile training run yesterday. way to go!

in other news, I just read that my sis-in-law, stie, just got into the st george marathon. way to go! it definitely got me all excited; I want to run another marathon right now! whoot! but not st george. (I've done that two times already!) maybe the valley of fire? I've been thinking of doing that one for the past three years or so. maybe it's time I actually did it. but that means I would have to train through the summer. . . yikes.

another lazy week. . . sort of.

I haven't gotten back into a full blown regimen yet. though it's not like I've been completely sitting on my butt or anything.

early saturday morning pete and I went on a hike with katie and bj. we did grandeur peak up millcreek canyon. it was a lot of fun. bj couldn't get over the fact that I was out hiking a week after my marathon. I couldn't get over the fact that his very pregnant wife was out hiking with only six weeks to go! she is very hardcore like that, though. it was a fun hike.

tuesday I had yoga. I never realized just how inflexible every muscle in my body was until this class. it makes me really sore. I'm hoping eventually I'll release and my muscles will begin to lengthen. I look forward to that day.

wednesday I rode my bike all the way to work for the first time ever. I was so proud of myself. it takes a little less than 25 minutes. I think it's actually quicker than riding over to trax and waiting for the train. it is uphill the whole way, but I can power through it. maybe by the end of the summer it won't even be that bad!

thursday I biked to work again. hurrah! I also had yoga. again, I am very tight and inflexible. I realize I have to be very patient with the yoga, though. it took me my whole life to get me to the state I'm in now, it will take a while to remedy that. I'm just amazed at how strong you have to be to do yoga. it seems like you think of yoga as being this totally easy (if you're flexible), relaxing thing. you have to be so strong to hold some of those poses! I admire the yogi's.

friday I rode my bike to work, walked up and down three flights of stairs several times (it was moving day for club u--camp starts next week! whoot!!) carrying heavy boxes (okay, so I didn't have to do this as much as everyone else because I had to go back up to the office to sort out counselor groups), and tonight we're going to hike to the living room (aka the furniture, aka the couches) up behind red butte. it should be good times!

and tomorrow maybe I could get a run in before going to the ropes course for staff training? we'll see.

the post-marathon week

the week after the no-post-race-soreness miracle run has been good. pretty much I've just been taking it easy.

monday: pete and I did a very short run to stretch out the legs. it was probably only one mile. it felt kinda good to get back out there. and it was perfect running weather. cool, grey and overcast with the threat of more rain in the air. perfect.

tuesday: yoga.

wednesday: just took it easy.

thursday: yoga.

friday: ran my errands on my bike. I rode up to steiner(which isn't that bad if you go up 17th south to 15th east and then over to guardsmen) to drop off some flyers, and then over to fairmont to drop off some more flyers. it was kinda fun!

I'm thinking riding my bike to work in the summer won't be too terribly bad. it took about twenty minutes to get up to steiner, and it's not far to campus after that. now I just need to get a bike lock...

the race: a visual account

potatoes!

marathon number seven/state number four: the famous potato marathon in boise, idaho.

we drove up friday afternoon. we got to boise with plenty of time to pick up my race packet which included my race bib and timing chip(I was thrilled to see the prison style ankle bracelet of a timing chip--that thing was huge!), cheesy idaho potato pin, and various coupons and brochures for random things. you gotta love the race packet. we had a carbo-loading extravaganza at macaroni grill, I ordered the twice baked lasagna with meat balls. perfect blend of carbs and protein. afterwards we headed up to nampa to stay with my aunt and uncle.

we woke up early saturday morning to drop me off at the start line. the race started up at lucky peak state park, where we hopped on the green belt and ran our hearts out!

it was hard at first to adhere to this run/walk thing I had set my mind on. the first few miles I didn't really walk that much at all. then every eight minutes or so I'd walk for either a minute or a minute and a half. I was fairly diligent with that until the later miles.

my legs didn't feel tight at all for the first six or eight miles. it was like a dream! even in training they'd feel tight from mile one most of the time. I was still feeling pretty good through mile 13, then on through mile 20 or so. after mile 21 (and the short loop around the riverside elementary parking lot--they weren't kidding! you should've seen this thing! it was a few cones set out in a very small semi-circle that you just had to run around. it was barely past the entrance to the parking lot. it made me laugh.) I had a complete breakdown. imagine the whole lower half of your body cramping up. then imagine trying to run (or even walk!) like that. it was miserable. my legs were done. finished. dead.

I pushed past those remaining miles. I ended up doing a lot more walking after that. seriously, it hurt to run but it also hurt to walk. I couldn't decide which was the lesser of the two evils. the interesting thing was, though, I never once had the thought "why in the crap am I doing this? I'm never doing this again!" (I usually have that thought at least once during that last 10K) I knew I would finish eventually, and that it hurt, but it wasn't really that bad.

I did eventually finish. {thank you peter, for pushing me along.} and once I stopped running my legs completely seized up on me! they were so tight! I did go sit in the boise river for some 'ice bath' fun. I lasted about one minute. it was really cold.

I was also very pleasantly surprised with how pretty boise, idaho is. at least on the marathon route. the green belt along the river is beautiful. it reminds me of the jordan river parkway trail, but so much better! (I wasn't worried about finding any dead bodies or being attacked by a homeless person) it runs for a very long time too--I think someone said at least 25 miles.

and I had the best support crew out there. pete on the bike (and running along side me the last few miles) and my mom and dad with the flip-chart signs. all the other runners were jealous. if there had been an award for best spectators/cheerleaders these three would have gotten it, hands down. so many people appreciated it so much--mom, you were popular at this event!

I would definitely recommend this marathon. if you're not expecting a big race (thousands of people) and you're okay with running alone for half of it (after the half and the full marathon split, it's basically just you out there for miles.) and you don't mind really watered down gatorade, then I think you'd love this. it's a beautiful course with friendly volunteers. if I wasn't on the run for the fifty states, maybe I'd even consider doing it again one year.

my time was around 4:44. definitely not even close to my best time, but I'm okay with that. I didn't expect to PR or anything, just finish. and I did finish. plus there were potatoes at the end. so I'm happy.

ps: I'm not even all that sore! it's a potato miracle!!!

pre marathon friday roadtrip

we are hittin' the roads this morning in search of good times and potatoes. boise idaho here we come!

---
I think I laid low on tuesday, maybe had a waxing extravaganza. . .

wednesday peter and I had an early AM run before work. it was really nice outside. I started ranting about the inequality and unfairness of bcdc. he thought I was crazy.

thursday I just rode my bike to work. (I had to since I couldn't ride it today, national ride your bike to work day.)

friday is yet another rest day. maybe I'll walk the trail alongside the river tonight for a little bit to loosen up the legs. I'm excited to see the route. from the mile-by-mile online directions, it sounds like we could all get easily lost tomorrow! (my favorite part is when we take a small loop in the riverside elementary parking lot before heading back out onto the street at mile 21. are they just hurting for mileage or what?!)
---

ps I'm sorry, rachael, we didn't realize malad isn't on the way to boise. we might have to cancel lunch in efforts to get to boise in a reasonable time. we have to pick up my race packet, check out the course, carbo-load, and then get to nampa before it's super late. I hope you understand. and I hope you don't read this before I call you! [we plan on rescheduling. super fun road trip to malad idaho!]

monday night swimteam

last year the big kid pool always felt so daunting. this year the transition has been so smooth. I just felt ready for it. it's really not that bad at all. especially since there's fewer flip turns.

(missed the warm up completely--whoops)
4 50's (I caught the last two), kick/pull drill
4 50's eyes out of water first 25, swim the rest
3 100's (I don't remember our intervals for the rest of the workout)
3 200's
2 300's
cool down

I had the veggie burrito from beto's today for lunch. if you know this burrito, you know it's bigger than your face. and of course I ate it all because it's too good to stop eating once you've started. it's a total fat bomb of pure goodness. I was a little worried it would affect my swimming.

when the work out started I didn't want to lead the lane. everyone else insisted, so I said yes... but that I might go pretty slow and we could re-evaluate later. it turns out the veggie burrito from beto's just might give you super human strength! I was kickin' trash tonight! it felt so good. I was swimming fast and not feeling tired. it was amazing.

mike, the monday coach gave our lane a little tip: as soon as your hand enters the water on your stroke, start the pull immediately to fully take advantage of it. it really worked; I felt so much faster.

seriously, everyone should swim.

the last long run

I love the last long run before the marathon for the simple fact that it's so short. six miles. that's nothin'! you get it done and you still have your whole day ahead of you!

the run was pretty nice. I got out pretty early because it was supposed to get pretty hot (and it did) on saturday. I did the baby pug tree run--I only had to go in three directions! I went south, west, then east. I didn't do the run/walk thing. I figured since I wasn't going that far it wouldn't kill me to just run the whole thing. my legs felt ok. hopefully they hold up this weekend.

it's kind of exciting, I feel like I haven't run a marathon in so long. this will be quite the adventure!

6 miles; baby pug tree run

run. bike. swim.

monday:
the usual quick monday evening run with my cutest husband. once around the park and then back. somewhere around three miles. it was funny because when we got home we were stretching on the grass in front of our apartment... the old lady that lives below us, mary, came out in all her blue sweatshirt glory to tell us to be careful where we sit because that's where all the dogs go potty! eek! don't worry, though. we didn't sit in anything.

tuesday:
I just rode my bike to work. it is national bike month, after all. okay, so I actually only rode it to trax, but I did ride all the way home! I took a new route. from the U I went over on Gaurdsmen and then to 1500 east all the way to 1700 south and down. it's a lot less scary than riding 800 south all the way down. so it worked out perfectly.

wednesday:
AM masters swimteam! oh my gosh, I woke up a little after 5:30 this morning to go swim. I could barely believe it myself. but I'm not going to be able to swim this evening, so I felt I just had to do it. it wasn't even that bad! except I don't think my body is used to sucking in that much pool water so early in the morning. during the summer I'm going to try and hit up the 6am swimteam at fairmont on mondays (I'm still going to do the wednesday evening workout at steiner--I love the coach and my lane buddies.) so this was some good practice at waking up so early. I can do it; there's nothin' to it!

the first long run/walk

I've been a little worried about my legs lately. they just never seem to loosen up. I'm having chronic problems with my right hamstring. the thought of running 26.2 miles is starting to scare me, especially after my longest long run of only 16 miles.

I decided a while ago that the best way to preserve my legs--and not kill myself completely--throughout the whole run was going to try the run/walk method. I'll be running eight minutes and then walking two. in the long run, I'll probably be able to finish quicker than if I were to just run this time around. we'll see if it works.

yesterday I tried it out for the first time. I was very diligent. I ran for eight. I walked for two. I ran for eight. I walked for two. my legs aren't sore at all today.

sure, it might take a little longer. but like I said, in the long run it will all pay off. I don't want to be caught at mile 18, with so many miles still to go, with nothing left in my legs. I don't want to have to walk the last ten miles because my muscles have cramped up so much I'm left limping along a deserted course.

we'll see how this all plays out on race day. I'm just practicing a little self preservation for now.

12 miles; baby pug tree run

these days

saturday|4.21.07
the salt lake city half marathon. it was a good run. I woke up super early, caught a train up to the start line with my friend lisa (and her friend lisa), and ran 13.1 miles. I started out slow and got into my groove. it was a fun surprise to see peter on his bike near our house--we live right on the half marathon route it turns out--he stayed with me pretty much the rest of the race. it was also fun because I was able to take a little pit stop at my house to go pee and change into my new running shoes. I'm pretty sure people thought I was either cheating or giving up when I took the little detour. I love living on the route. I totally pushed through the last 5k. it's fun passing people. I had enough in me at the end to sprint to the finish. I did it in two hours. not too bad for not even running at all the week before. my quads hurt the next day, I couldn't figure out why. I don't think I stretched very well after the race. it was a fun day, though. I'm super proud of the rest of my team: grandpa and dan d. -- bike tour; mom, dad, rachael, robert, michael, meghan, mary, v-lo, marta d. and the sole sisters -- 5K. you guys rock!

monday|4.23.07
run. I went up 1700 south to 1500 east and down to 2100 south and back. it was a good run. the downhill was slightly hard on the quads, but not bad.

wednesday|4.25.07
swimteam. I really like the pool. swimming is such a great workout. everyone should do it.

thursday|4.26.07
run.

saturday|4.28.07
long run. it was a tough 16 miles. not quite the twenty I had originally planned (or the 18 I was maybe going to do) but I'll take it. under the circumstances it was probably best. two weeks prior I didn't run at all, and last week I only ran 13.1; it's best not to increase the mileage too drastically. it was a hard run, though, and I don't think my legs would've let me do anymore anyway. they are just SO tight. my hamstring hates me. I need some yoga in my life and I need it now!

monday|4.30.07
ride! peter and I rode the frontage road out by saltaire. just a tip: don't ride there in the evening (or anytime of day?) because all you'll get is a face full of bugs. it was disgusting. but I guess that's what you get when you ride right next to a marshy body of water. it was fun being out on the bike, though.

tuesday|5.1.07
run. I just did the liberty park loop. nothing too exciting. I did run on the dirt trail (not the woodchip trail; I don't like to run on that because it feels too soft.) which adds in a little more length and it's not on concrete--always a plus.

wednesday|5.2.07
swimteam. the big kid pool opened. it's always a little daunting to stare out at the water after swimming the entire winter in the little indoor pool. fifty meters compared to 25 yards is a BIG difference. when I got in the pool the water felt so dense my arms couldn't push through. I think it was just because they were already a little tired and sore. at the end of the workout I felt like we should still be swimming for at least fifteen more minutes, so I guess the big pool hadn't beaten me like I always fear. it's just all in the mind.

thursday|5.3.07
run. I went up 6th east through the park and turned around and came back. it was probably only two miles.
yoga. pete and I got a yoga kit from costco today. it came in a little box with a handle. it felt like a little yoga suitcase. it came with a mat (though I already have a rad pink one that I got for my wedding), a dvd, and a book with poses. I did some of the dvd before the office came on. can I just say how inflexible I am? at least now I can start doing my homework before my real yoga class begins on may 17th. hurrah!