Monday:
I took a rest day on Sunday because I was exhausted. I thought I would feel slow and tired today. When Norm asked if we could run 11 minute miles I said sure because I thought 11 minute miles might be all I could muster. But I actually felt great. My legs didn’t feel sore or tired. I sped up to what felt easy and Norm trailed behind. I stopped to let him catch up and said, “I guess I feel better than I thought.” I let him know I was headed to the visitor’s center and continued on with him following behind. We headed home on a path that involves a steep and rocky downhill trail. I decided to test myself and flew down as fast as possible. I was surprised at how fast my pace was. When Norm caught up I said, “I guess I’m not the slowest person going downhill any more.” I use to step aside to let people pass me on a downhill. I did have to say my downhill mantra out loud a few time (mantra: don’t think!), but I am really happy with my progress.
I’m running Squaw Peak 50 miler in Utah this weekend so I want to give my legs a bit of a break this week. It’s a challenge to balance using these races as training runs, but still wanting to perform well. I also probably need to make plans for where I am staying and what I am doing. Jubilee is going with me and she wants to camp. I might give in because all this travel and racing is breaking my bank. But it sure is a lot of fun!
Tuesday:
I woke up in the middle of the night with some serious stomach issues. When my alarm went off at 5am I was exhausted. Not normal, I am waking up tired, but heavy body, eyes won't stay open exhausted. And my stomach was still not feeling so good. I turned my alarm to 6:30am and went back to sleep. I knew this meant I wouldn’t get a run done because I go back to teaching at the community college, but I needed to sleep.
Luckily my stomach made through the 2 classes, but when I got home I was not feeling so good again. And I was exhausted. I wanted to nap, but have so much work to do. I have to be ready to leave again on Thursday afternoon. I also think the weekend is catching up with me.
Wednesday:
Uneventful – 6 miles easy.
Thursday:
Ran 6 miles easy with Norm and then got a quick weight session in before rushing to get out the door and get to work. I should have packed on Wednesday night, but I didn't and that left me running around like a crazy person to get everything in a bag to leave for my trip with Jubilee. Watching Trail Talk I was in a panic as it ended knowing I needed to hurry up.
I was NOT ready when Jubilee texted “Ready?” from the front of my house. The kids helped me carry my things to her car as I muttered to myself “I think I am forgetting something.” When we stopped for a gas a few miles from my house I realized I had left my pack. “It’s okay, “ I said, I have my handheld.” But I think Jubilee knew I would rather have my pack so back to my house we went. I ran in and got my pack, but as soon as we drove away I realized I left my pillow too. Crap! But I wasn’t going to say anything. I would just deal with it.
The plan was to head up the I-17 to Flagstaff and then to Lake Powell to camp for the night. We would drive to Provo the next day and find a hotel so we could relax the night before the race. But the plan changed. There was a brush fire on the I-17 and the map was telling us there would be a 2 hour wait. 2 hours sitting on the I-17 is no way to start a trip. Oddly we had been discussing how HaShem makes everything happen the way it should. We flipped a coin and it told us to go to Vegas.
Siri took us on a route to Vegas that neither of us had ever taken before. As we passed the signs for Lake Mead National Recreation area we decided to give it a try. A quick U-turn and we turned into the park. Neither of us had any idea how large the park was. We stopped at the marina for a drink. It was beautiful watching the boats come in for the evening. Well…not the part where the drunk kid crashed the boat into the dock, but the rest of it was amazing.
I took a rest day on Sunday because I was exhausted. I thought I would feel slow and tired today. When Norm asked if we could run 11 minute miles I said sure because I thought 11 minute miles might be all I could muster. But I actually felt great. My legs didn’t feel sore or tired. I sped up to what felt easy and Norm trailed behind. I stopped to let him catch up and said, “I guess I feel better than I thought.” I let him know I was headed to the visitor’s center and continued on with him following behind. We headed home on a path that involves a steep and rocky downhill trail. I decided to test myself and flew down as fast as possible. I was surprised at how fast my pace was. When Norm caught up I said, “I guess I’m not the slowest person going downhill any more.” I use to step aside to let people pass me on a downhill. I did have to say my downhill mantra out loud a few time (mantra: don’t think!), but I am really happy with my progress.
I’m running Squaw Peak 50 miler in Utah this weekend so I want to give my legs a bit of a break this week. It’s a challenge to balance using these races as training runs, but still wanting to perform well. I also probably need to make plans for where I am staying and what I am doing. Jubilee is going with me and she wants to camp. I might give in because all this travel and racing is breaking my bank. But it sure is a lot of fun!
Tuesday:
I woke up in the middle of the night with some serious stomach issues. When my alarm went off at 5am I was exhausted. Not normal, I am waking up tired, but heavy body, eyes won't stay open exhausted. And my stomach was still not feeling so good. I turned my alarm to 6:30am and went back to sleep. I knew this meant I wouldn’t get a run done because I go back to teaching at the community college, but I needed to sleep.
Luckily my stomach made through the 2 classes, but when I got home I was not feeling so good again. And I was exhausted. I wanted to nap, but have so much work to do. I have to be ready to leave again on Thursday afternoon. I also think the weekend is catching up with me.
Wednesday:
Uneventful – 6 miles easy.
Thursday:
Ran 6 miles easy with Norm and then got a quick weight session in before rushing to get out the door and get to work. I should have packed on Wednesday night, but I didn't and that left me running around like a crazy person to get everything in a bag to leave for my trip with Jubilee. Watching Trail Talk I was in a panic as it ended knowing I needed to hurry up.
I was NOT ready when Jubilee texted “Ready?” from the front of my house. The kids helped me carry my things to her car as I muttered to myself “I think I am forgetting something.” When we stopped for a gas a few miles from my house I realized I had left my pack. “It’s okay, “ I said, I have my handheld.” But I think Jubilee knew I would rather have my pack so back to my house we went. I ran in and got my pack, but as soon as we drove away I realized I left my pillow too. Crap! But I wasn’t going to say anything. I would just deal with it.
The plan was to head up the I-17 to Flagstaff and then to Lake Powell to camp for the night. We would drive to Provo the next day and find a hotel so we could relax the night before the race. But the plan changed. There was a brush fire on the I-17 and the map was telling us there would be a 2 hour wait. 2 hours sitting on the I-17 is no way to start a trip. Oddly we had been discussing how HaShem makes everything happen the way it should. We flipped a coin and it told us to go to Vegas.
Siri took us on a route to Vegas that neither of us had ever taken before. As we passed the signs for Lake Mead National Recreation area we decided to give it a try. A quick U-turn and we turned into the park. Neither of us had any idea how large the park was. We stopped at the marina for a drink. It was beautiful watching the boats come in for the evening. Well…not the part where the drunk kid crashed the boat into the dock, but the rest of it was amazing.
Walking to the restaurant at the Marina.
One of the best places to sit and enjoy a drink.
We found a place to car camp. In the dark it was hard to see the road and where exactly we were going. When we almost got stuck in deep sand and rock we decided to just pick a spot and be done. There was a bit of traffic during the night, which was surprising. We had one incident where a truck seemed to be oddly close to us for too long, but they eventually moved away. In the morning we woke to the most amazing view.
I kinda want to wake up to this every day.
We packed up the sleeping bags and moved our things into the backseat. We headed out to Henderson to find cold medicine for Jubilee and a Starbucks for coffee. A quick 10 minute drive from our camp site we were in the city and able to purchase the things we needed before heading to Provo. We went through St. George. Just lovely, would love to get back there some time. As we were nearing Zion National Park Jubilee came up with a plan. It would only take us a couple hours out of our way to visit the park. Sounded good to me. We drove through Virgin, UT, which of course required a lot of jokes. As we came close to Zion we passed a place with a bright sign that said burritos and tacos. We made note to come back to this place for lunch.
The line to enter Zion was crazy! There was no parking in the park, but we were just doing a quick drive thru tour. Jubilee took me up the main road through the tunnel and then we found a parking spot on the side of the road so we could walk to the look out point for pictures. The view was beautiful! Just amazing to look out at the mountains and the formation of the rocks. As we headed back some people would ask if it was worth it. Jubilee and I laughed about this later. What should we say? “No, it's not the great. Google the images”. Oh people, come on!
The line to enter Zion was crazy! There was no parking in the park, but we were just doing a quick drive thru tour. Jubilee took me up the main road through the tunnel and then we found a parking spot on the side of the road so we could walk to the look out point for pictures. The view was beautiful! Just amazing to look out at the mountains and the formation of the rocks. As we headed back some people would ask if it was worth it. Jubilee and I laughed about this later. What should we say? “No, it's not the great. Google the images”. Oh people, come on!
Crazy buildings in Virgin, UT
This line was insane!
Jubilee is king of all she surveys!
So crazy beautiful!
We left the park and headed back to the restaurant. I was curious about all of the hotels that we passed. What do all the people staying in those hotels do? Spend a few hours in the park and just hang at the hotel the rest of the time? I really am curious. Jubilee says we must come back to hike the narrows, so that is on the list. (The ever growing list of hikes and runs that we must do!) We found the restaurant and stopped to eat. Park House Café Zion in Springvale, UT is so amazing that I would go back just to eat there. The place itself is ridiculously cute! The staff was so friendly and up beat. And the food, OMG! These people are wasted in Springvale, UT. If you go to Zion National Park, go to Park House Café Zion!
Cutest fairy house ever at Park House Cafe Zion
Back on the road to Provo. The driving is so much fun because every time we pass a sign I Google what it is and read the information. We see a sign for Great Basin National Park. A park neither if us has ever heard of. We learned it is Nevada’s largest park, but receives very few visitors. What? We start planning how we will able to visit this place. If I finish the race by a certain time we could head here and spend some time before heading home on Sunday. The more we drive and talk about this place, the more we want to see it.
In the town of Beaver, everything says I Love Beaver. Uhm... Utah, come on with this!
We arrive in Provo just as packet pick up is starting. We ask about a room at the hotel. All they have left is a suite. As we are discussing it, and the price, the lady is trying to tell me all the benefits of this room. I want to say, lady I am going to sleep and leave. Having a full kitchen is not really a need I have this trip. I decided that I am too lazy to try to find another hotel and pay for the room. Lovely room, very large with a kitchen and fireplace, but definitely more than we needed. We got our things settled in the room and headed for the mandatory meeting. There was a free spaghetti dinner, but a big plate of gluten is not a good idea for a gluten free person the night before the race. The meeting was about half an hour late starting which was leaving me stressing about the rest of my evening. I still needed to find food and eat and get to bed for an early alarm clock. We figured if we left the hotel at 4am that would give us enough time, but that would mean a 3am alarm.
Then everything changed. I had read that there would be red bull served on the course because it is better for you than coke, but I was unsure if this meant there would not be coke or there would also be red bull as an option. It sounded like no coke, but that just didn't seem like it could be true. Especially since this announcement came a few days before the race. At the meeting, the RD stated that Red Bull is better for you than coke and that is what they would be serving. I was seriously in a panic. I turned to Jubilee, “So there won't be any coke?” “That’s what it sounds like,” she answered. “I am not running this, “ I said. “Yes you are,” she answered. Jubilee started looking at the course and trying to figure out where she could get coke to me on the course while I was texting Hayley in a panic. The thing is, I don't think coke or red bull is good for you. In every day life I wouldn't drink either one, but I use coke for calories on race day. Race day seems like a poor time to try something else. (And to be honest the thought of drinking Red Bull makes me want to puke.) Crewing wasn’t really an option because Jubilee wouldn't be able to get to me until mile 25 of the race. We talked about drop bags with coke in them, but I haven't eaten and now I have to go to Wal-Mart and buy coke and bags for drop bags and get all of that ready. My stress level was through the roof. In the end I decided to eat dinner and then figure it out. We got tacos from 180 Tacos. It was amazing! At this point we were leaning towards and epic adventure and not racing.
Jubilee had been sick with a cold and over night it seemed to get worse. She was coughing so much. I would have been worried, except I was loving my hotel bed so much I found it easy to fall back asleep. Is there anything better than a comfy hotel bed?
Whatever decisions we were trying to make were decided for us when we got up on Saturday. There was an issue with one of kids and I needed to get home. We packed up and headed out. While the drive home wasn’t quite as much fun, it wasn’t a total bust. We found out about the Old Spanish Trail and started texting Hayley about putting together a plan to run/hike the whole route. I found a place called Best Friends Animal Sanctuary and will be headed there to adopt some dogs and maybe a goat or two after the summer. We also made a quick stop at Paria, UT. We could see a prominent peak, but the map was giving us no information. We passed a marker and decided to make a u-turn to check it out. It was Paria!!! This was funny because when we started planning the trip I told Jubilee we should stay in Paria because it was the halfway point and a ghost town. But Paria is actually really cool! There is a movie set used for movies and the TV show Gunsmoke. Pass that and you will see the ghost town of Paria. One day we will come back and check this out. I did also get to see Lake Powell as we drove by it. That lake looks like it could use more water ASAP!
Then everything changed. I had read that there would be red bull served on the course because it is better for you than coke, but I was unsure if this meant there would not be coke or there would also be red bull as an option. It sounded like no coke, but that just didn't seem like it could be true. Especially since this announcement came a few days before the race. At the meeting, the RD stated that Red Bull is better for you than coke and that is what they would be serving. I was seriously in a panic. I turned to Jubilee, “So there won't be any coke?” “That’s what it sounds like,” she answered. “I am not running this, “ I said. “Yes you are,” she answered. Jubilee started looking at the course and trying to figure out where she could get coke to me on the course while I was texting Hayley in a panic. The thing is, I don't think coke or red bull is good for you. In every day life I wouldn't drink either one, but I use coke for calories on race day. Race day seems like a poor time to try something else. (And to be honest the thought of drinking Red Bull makes me want to puke.) Crewing wasn’t really an option because Jubilee wouldn't be able to get to me until mile 25 of the race. We talked about drop bags with coke in them, but I haven't eaten and now I have to go to Wal-Mart and buy coke and bags for drop bags and get all of that ready. My stress level was through the roof. In the end I decided to eat dinner and then figure it out. We got tacos from 180 Tacos. It was amazing! At this point we were leaning towards and epic adventure and not racing.
Jubilee had been sick with a cold and over night it seemed to get worse. She was coughing so much. I would have been worried, except I was loving my hotel bed so much I found it easy to fall back asleep. Is there anything better than a comfy hotel bed?
Whatever decisions we were trying to make were decided for us when we got up on Saturday. There was an issue with one of kids and I needed to get home. We packed up and headed out. While the drive home wasn’t quite as much fun, it wasn’t a total bust. We found out about the Old Spanish Trail and started texting Hayley about putting together a plan to run/hike the whole route. I found a place called Best Friends Animal Sanctuary and will be headed there to adopt some dogs and maybe a goat or two after the summer. We also made a quick stop at Paria, UT. We could see a prominent peak, but the map was giving us no information. We passed a marker and decided to make a u-turn to check it out. It was Paria!!! This was funny because when we started planning the trip I told Jubilee we should stay in Paria because it was the halfway point and a ghost town. But Paria is actually really cool! There is a movie set used for movies and the TV show Gunsmoke. Pass that and you will see the ghost town of Paria. One day we will come back and check this out. I did also get to see Lake Powell as we drove by it. That lake looks like it could use more water ASAP!
400 miles of epic adventureness!
Sunday:
Norm and I headed out for a run. I wanted to at least get 10 miles done, but at this point I was so behind on mileage it wasn’t going to matter what I ran. Norm started having vertigo problems so we ended having to walk the last 3 or so miles home. It was suppose to be a back down week, but 28 miles was a not exactly what I had in mind when I scheduled a back down week. But I have a family and sometimes their needs take priority. I am pretty selfish about the running, I have to be selfish to be able to run as well as I want to, but there also come times when being a wife or mom has to take priority. A 28 mile week wasn’t ideal, but it was what had to happen this week.
I was very excited to get my Oiselle Flyte shorts in the mail. I had also ordered a bathing suit. A little risky because it was on sale and I wouldn't be able to return it. Hayley had advised me on sizing. Oh my! This suit is pretty tiny and that comes from a person who runs in short shorts and a sports bra. I am a 44 year old woman. I have no business in this suit, but it’s the only one I have at this point. But Flyte shorts are still my favorite!
Norm and I headed out for a run. I wanted to at least get 10 miles done, but at this point I was so behind on mileage it wasn’t going to matter what I ran. Norm started having vertigo problems so we ended having to walk the last 3 or so miles home. It was suppose to be a back down week, but 28 miles was a not exactly what I had in mind when I scheduled a back down week. But I have a family and sometimes their needs take priority. I am pretty selfish about the running, I have to be selfish to be able to run as well as I want to, but there also come times when being a wife or mom has to take priority. A 28 mile week wasn’t ideal, but it was what had to happen this week.
I was very excited to get my Oiselle Flyte shorts in the mail. I had also ordered a bathing suit. A little risky because it was on sale and I wouldn't be able to return it. Hayley had advised me on sizing. Oh my! This suit is pretty tiny and that comes from a person who runs in short shorts and a sports bra. I am a 44 year old woman. I have no business in this suit, but it’s the only one I have at this point. But Flyte shorts are still my favorite!
