Category Archives: running

and it begins…

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On top of my new role as nanny, my current situation volunteering for Sowers of Hope, a new job selling ads online, two online classes I have to complete before July 1st, I also found out on Friday that Christy and I got in to the St. George Marathon. While I would have been super sad not to get in, I am now remembering how time consuming training is. I have a fun relay coming up in June (that and a family reunion will be the only time I spend in Utah this summer) that I have not been training for like I should have been, but something about 26.2 miles in October has given me new motivation. Too bad the heat of Arizona summer kills said motivation every time I walk out the door to run.

I think I’ve got a long road ahead of me. And in case you didn’t already think me completely insane, Christy and I will also be running the Las Vegas Marathon in December. I’d hate to waste all of that training (you can see my other upcoming races on the sidebar) on just one marathon…so I thought the week before finals would be a great time to run another one. Thankfully my most excellent and favorite (and only…ha ha ha) brother-in-law will be purchasing a jogging stroller soon (maybe today), so I will be able to do my runs in the morning when Babykins first wakes up.

Ah, the life of the a single thirty-year-old who, apparently, thinks she really can do everything. If you’ll just keep visiting the blog, I’m sure a mental and/or emotional and/or physical breakdown is just around the corner and the posts about it are sure to be entertaining. Let the good times roll!

rex lee run

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This morning, Bre, Hannah, and I all met up to run a 5k in P-town. It was Hannah’s first 5k and she did so great!!! I really must admit that I love being with people for their “first” race (be it ever, or the particular distance, just any new experience in running). I’m not sure why that is. Maybe it’s because I so appreciate my coworker, Dianne, for introducing me to running and being with me for my first race. Maybe it’s that I think that I am a good person to start with because I’ve been running for a while and I’m still pretty slow, so I imagine people feel pretty comfortable running with me. Maybe it’s because I love being there to see the look of accomplishment on a face after finishing (it’s kind of an exhausted look, but you can see the good feelings coming forth from within). It’s probably a little of everything. In any case, it was so fun to run with Bre again and be part of Hannah’s first race experience. And I loved that her cute husband, Lincoln, her mom, and her youngest daughter were all there to see her finish. You could tell Lincoln was so proud of her. I loved it!

As far as my personal experience with the race, I must say it was quite different than last week. I left the Nike+/iPod at home and decided to just run. I can’t stand not having it on my training runs, but with people all around me, there was plenty to look at and enjoy. I really was more in tune with my body (and just how out of running shape it is…yes, I realize I ran a half marathon last weekend, but that doesn’t mean I’m in shape, I promise). I paced myself based completely on how I felt, rather than what my screen was saying, so there was no pressure to run faster coming from my iPod. It was just about me and my body and my running. I didn’t even think about my time, I just knew I wanted to keep running. I was quite pleased with myself; I ran all but about 50 meters (I got this wicked pain in my hip and had to stretch it out for a bit) and was able to really push it to the finish.

Such a great way to start a Saturday!

*Side note – we had about four people offer to take our picture when we were attempting our self-portrait. They all thought we were a little strange when we turned them down, but it wouldn’t be an SP if someone took it for us.

the end

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If you are visiting from Runners’ Lounge, just check out the training segment (video number three). This is a quick (and funny) what not to do when training for your distance races. If you are preparing for your first long race and want a little knowledge about what it’s like (if you are slow and under trained), you can check out my other videos on this post and this post.

For the rest of you, just a warning before watching. All of these are kind of offensive. I sing in two of them (and it’s awful, out of breath, out of tune singing) and swear in one, and there’s a crazy old guy dancing in another. If you don’t want to watch them, that’s okay. They give even me nightmares. Although, the “training” video is pretty funny.

My personal favorite…the training segment. (Not for young ears…don’t tell my dad). My other favorite thing is the lame-o behind us at the end, hoping for 10 seconds of fame. Where? I don’t know. It’s not like my blog is going to make her famous. I have never understood people like that.

This is just some nut dancing at the end of the race. It’s kind of long and, at first, you can’t see him. But I still wanted to share.

Here we all are, the morning after; exhausted from both the race and our crazy hike after it (yes…we thought hiking to Delicate Arch would be a good idea).

Anne’s parents are my favorite. Seriously. They were fabulous for the marathon (the full in St. George) and it was so fun to drive up to Anne’s house and see this sign in the window! Thank you! Thank you!

And with that, I end my half-marathon posts (I still have some Moab stuff). I hope you have enjoyed the video journey of an under trained runner. If this has not convinced you to train before attempting distance races, I’m not sure what would. Although, hopefully, you can tell that I was enjoying myself.

the race begins

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First, for a basic run down of the weekend, feel free to visit Jen’s blog to read her post. She’s included a few things that I will probably not post about, since she already did, but that are funny and note worthy (at least to me).

And now, on to more videos.

First, the start was not the white thing you see easily…that was just a banner where the DJ was. Second, can you hear what’s playing in the background? More importantly, can you name that song? I love the music they play at races.

So, a little race education. In races, they put the slower people at the back. Generally, there is some sort of chip timing (in the bigger races) so it doesn’t really matter because your time starts when you cross the starting mats, but this way, you don’t feel lame when a gazillion people fly past you. And, you really must know I love you, my readers, because this video is kind of gross (not content, but the angle of my face), but I still felt like sharing. Um…how much are you loving my headband over my hat? A lot, right?

This is the beginning of the race…and me singing a little Dixie Chicks. I sing a lot when I run distance races. A LOT. Anne could have vouched for me, but now you will have digital video proof (there’s more to come). Don’t you love technology? I know I do. Also notice the wardrobe. Still with the headband, still with a long sleeve shirt.

So, in case you were wondering, there are several schools of thought on how to run a marathon (or half) and my favorite one is the one that includes walking breaks. Not to mention the fact that the one video I did shoot while actually running makes me a little sea sick every time I watch it. Can anyone name the Eiffel 65 song?

Yes…there’s more, but I have to get to bed. Stay tuned for tomorrow’s final video journal (and some awesome training tips).

take it and run thursday – gear, gadgets, and equipment

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I have done a lot of writing about running. It is what consumed the better part of my summer and fall last year. So, with a post about gear, gadgets, and equipment, I decided to search my archives, and what did I find? This post, which is surprisingly appropriate, given the fact that it’s about running 13.1 miles, which is what I’ll be doing Saturday morning in Moab, UT, with three of my favorite runners; Anne, Christy, and Jen (who I’ll meet IRL tomorrow when I pick her up at the airport…I’m so excited!!!).

There’s also this post which has a picture of some of my favorite items, and yours truly after a nine mile run in June (oh how I miss the summer).

And just because I think music is necessary “equipment”, here’s a post with lots of downloadable goodness.

For more exciting info on other runners’ favorite gear, gadgets, and equipment, visit Take It and Run Thursday over at the Runners’ Lounge blog. Great stuff!