Therapy Sessions

I have been MIA in the blog world.  There for awhile I was MIA in the running world too.  I had some big changes in my life that were causing me  a lot of stress.  I was moving to another town and not able to find a place to go in the time frame I had.  I was also sad to leave my friends who I grew to love and were always there for me, and I was sad to leave a town I loved living in as well and being so close to my 92 year old grandma.  So, I would set out on a run and get all sentimental and start crying on my run! (I know, pathetic, but I know you have a route that you run that is your favorite go-to route) But soon I was crying not only on my run, but pretty much at the drop of a hat.  I knew everything was going to work out just fine and that my life would go on, and so on the outside I was calm, cool, and collected.  However, on the inside, I was a jumble of nerves who couldn't sleep.  Feeling like a zombie, running was the last thing I could think of doing.  I kept telling myself if I could just go for a run I could think much clearer and it would settle my nerves.  But the exhaustion would win and another day would go by without me running.

After finally getting moved  I knew I needed to start running again.  I kept thinking about the title of this blog and how running, in the past, had cleared my head and made life a little bit easier to handle. I was  finally able to sleep so the exhaustion was gone but now I needed someone to nudge me just a little.  So, I texted a friend and asked her if she wanted to run.  Our first run was a hill run! YIKES! I hadn't run a hill in, hmmm, yea not really trained on many hills! But I did it! And I felt great.

At first I just wanted to run.  I didn't want any expectations of training for anything or running at a certain pace I was out there to feel better.  It worked too.  It was fun to be out running with someone and hashing out our day-to-day problems, AND running up some pretty big hills!

Works for me! :) 

I'm ready to be pushed, and I sort of need some goals to work toward to keep me going.  So I gathered my posse and I'm signing up for the Ogden, Utah Half marathon.  I sent out the invite to some friends and family because I need the support, and it also holds me accountable.  If someone else is running because I talked them into it, you can bet I'll be training. If any of you reading want to run with me, or around me, or even if front of me (I'm ok with that) sign up, and hurry it fills up fast (last year only took 5 days) Registration starts Nov. 10 at 6am Mountain time. It's not until May 19, 2012, but it gives me (and you! :) plenty of time.  

Win some, loose some

I have been playing on a Co-Ed softball team this summer and I was trying not to get injured before the Ragnar.  So I took every precaution I could.  I stretched and tried not to start off too fast while running the bases. Well, I still stretched, but I may have gotten a little relaxed after the Ragnar because I injured my hamstrings.  I don't hit the ball far enough so I have to race to 1st base, and I think it's the running fast from a stopped position. That's my guess anyway.  I've had a great time playing ball, but my hamstrings are not liking me right now.

I talked my brother in law into running a 5k with me this last weekend.  His excitement for the race spurred me on even though I wasn't running very much or very well because of my hamstrings. I had all 4 kids in tow and arranged a place to stay the night, and as I was driving there my brother in law cancelled.  What? The nerve! I was a little bummed.  Knowing my hamstrings were hurting I thought about not running, but I really wanted to go and feel the excitement that is present at races.  I also talked to my dad's wife and she was running the 10k at a pace I thought I could keep up.  So I signed myself up for the 10k.

The week before the race I took it easy and stretched to get those silly hamstrings to loosen up.  We even did yoga the night before to help it out some more.  I would love to say it helped, but sadly, no I felt the same.  I would like to say I was even smarter and decided to run the 5k, but no I'm not that smart.  It was a painful 6 miles where my legs cramped the whole time.  I don't think I would have stuck it out with out my running partner with me.  I thought I came in dead last, but I got the race results and I was 2nd to last! :)

We sat around to hear the race results and to hopefully win some of the fabulous prizes awarded.  They were giving away 3 bikes, iPods, camelback fuel packs, shoes, tons of prizes.  My daughter saw that all three iPods given away went to three kids her age!  She said geez I should run so I can win some awesome prizes.  Right then the light bulb went off in my head and I said Monday morning we will start Boot Camp and train to run a race.

Monday morning came and off we went.  I calculated that three times around the block was 0.9 of a mile so they each had to do three laps.  At first, my oldest son was dragging his feet.  My husband challenged him to a race and off they went.  They loved showing us how strong they were.  They started doing pull ups in the trees and my oldest son started doing sit ups and went on to do 200 sit ups and 50 push ups!  We are off to a good start.

I may have done terrible at the race, but I think I may have won at getting my family more active.  I'm hoping we can keep each other motivated.

Ragnar Van 1 Highlights

I know you have all been on pins and needles waiting to hear about the Ragnar Race!! So here goes...

I was in Van 1 we started the race at Utah state University's track.  My first run was 6.7 miles, or 7,  give or take 3 tenths of a mile! I was so excited and nervous to get running I forgot the sunscreen! Ouch! I felt pretty good about my first run.  I wasn't expecting any hills and thought, by the description, it would gradually climb.  It climbed all at once.  I looked ahead and saw a lady I was trying to keep in my sights and she was walking the hill so I decided I would do the same.  Turns out it was a good idea because I was able to run the last two miles and felt good.


My next run was at night.  We all had to wear reflective vests, a head lamp, and butt lights.  I really don't like running in the dark, my imagination gets to me.  It didn't help that some guy made a googling sound as I ran by, and now that I think about it there were no street lights either! But a fun 3 mile run anyway.  After our van ran this section I was tired and couldn't keep my eyes open.  I fell asleep in the car and stayed there until the sun came up the next day.  Well, I think my arm was in some crazy position so the blood ran out of it and that is what actually woke me up! Oh, ya and the dream I had about not wanting to run my third leg! I must have been tired.   Then I got out of the van and went to cheer on my sister as she came in.  It was good to see her at 6am finish with a good 10 miler!!

My last run I didn't fair as well.  At one of the major exchanges, I think Snow Basin, they had a PT' van.  So I went and told them my problem and she rolled out my IT Band.  Felt good.  She, the PT, told me at another major exchange she would also be there and just come and get the foam roller.  So I did and I rolled my IT Band just before my last leg.  I felt pretty good and thought I was ready to run my last race! Mentally I was excited.  This was it!  I was done and I did it! Except when I started running those silly IT bands felt like they were bruised which made it really hard to run.  I did make it to the end, obviously, but no records were broken on this leg! I made it and then I soaked my feet off of a bridge in some very cold water.  Felt nice.

The Ragnar Wasatch Back was a great relay race to be in.  The scenery was beautiful, the course challenging, and the team I was on was THE BEST!  Great people who always cheered me, and others on.  They were all laid back and didn't expect more than what you could do.  The team you are on really makes a difference with this type of race.  Not one of us said we wouldn't do it again.  I think we all said next time...  My next time I will be a stronger, faster runner (I think that is my vow at every race!).   It was encouraging to me to see the strength and determination of the athletes I was running with.  One runner, in van 2, wouldn't let someone take his place during his last leg even though he was in a lot of pain because he wanted to finish his leg.  The 12 leg on our team was someone who had the hardest course.  His legs were long and had hills (and when I say hills it's more like mountain passes) galore!  He was always positive and finished strong.  Thanks team, "A Bad Case of the Runs!"  I had a great time.

Maybe if we all chant loud enough we can get my sister to tell us ALL the details of Van 2?  Let's hear it! Van 2, Van 2, Van 2!

Me & my teammates before the race. 

Our logo on the van. I like the dirt sticking to it!

All of us running to the finish line.

I love this picture. We were posing for a team picture but were handed our badges of honor and our medals. The badges are decals for your car you only get when crossing the finish line. 

 And yes, I earned it. It's on my car! 

Team photo at the end of the race.  We look pretty good even if some of us didn't get a shower! 

Ragnar Ready!

This Friday my team, "A Bad Case of the Runs" will be racing across the Wasatch Mountains from Logan, Utah to Park City, Utah!  We each will run 3 times.  We start at 11am on Friday and hope to be done by 6:30pm on Saturday. That is if we can all keep our paces as outlined by the Ragnar Staff. Yea right!  I am leg 2, 14, and 26.  Which means I will run around 12pm, 10pm, and 9:30 am Saturday.  My sister is leg 9, 21, 33.  She will run at 6:40 pm, 4:18 am Saturday (which happens to be a no support leg) and at 2:49pm, Saturday. Her last leg starts at an elevation of 5763 ft and climbs for 3.2 miles to 7233 ft! Climbing 1400 ft.! Whew! I'm glad it's her and not me!  The runner after her will climb 1600ft in 4 miles! 

I am excited to be participating in this race and be among the masses.  There are 1100 teams of 12 people, and 20 teams of 6, which means OVER 13,000 runners! Wow, that's about as many people that live in a small town! 

I  love all the camaraderie that comes with being part of a team.   It will be a crazy couple of days, but I think I'm ready.  I have been anticipating this race since last summer and never thought it would actually get here.  I feel good about my training. My body feels stronger and my running is improving.  I'm hoping the excitement will help get me through the tired muscles and lack of sleep.  

Wish us luck!  

Hard things

I have this running issue. I won't go into details because, well, it's the internet and there is such thing as TMI! I will say that if I run an hour or more my tummy gets real upset with me. There were other related problems that led me to seek the advise of a Dr. After visiting with him he decided that he knew what would fix it. So the procedure was done and my symptoms were still there. I returned to the same Dr. and he was baffled. He was certain he had fixed the problem and said, "why don't you choose another form of exercise?" I smiled politely and proceeded to tell him how I thought the problem should be handled. He wished me good luck and said to come back and see him if it didn't work. What I failed to tell the Dr. was that running wasn't just my form of exercise, it was so much more.

I recently read this post and as I was reading remembered a post my sister wrote. I often wonder if I have the running "gift". In fact, I asked my sister why it seems so easy for some people, and others work so hard. Is it genetics, hard work and determination, no fear? It may be a combination of all of that. When I was a kid I thought I was runner, and knew I could out race half the girls in my neighborhood. In fact, one day I raced my best friend across her back yard. When I reached the other end of the yard I couldn't stop and put my hand through her wooden fence. And yes, I did win that race. In Jr. High, my track coach told me she found my talent in running too late. I was a runner who kept getting faster (probably why I ran through the fence!). I didn't know what to do with that so I stopped running.

I think had I not had these experiences as a child and read these posts I may have taken that Dr.'s advise and quit. But he has no idea how hard I have actually worked, and how much time I've spent working up to 3 miles, 8 miles, and finally 13.1! Both of these blog posts gave me the voice I was searching for. Running is hard! In the first post she challenged readers to finish this sentence, "Running is hard, but I stick with it because..." I thought about why I stick with running and this is what I came up with. "Running is hard, but I stick with it because I CAN DO HARD THINGS!" It's my motto now. I 'm taping it to my mirror and my treadmill, and when my run seems hard I say in my head, "I can do this because I can do hard things!" It may seem cheezy to you, but it has worked for me.

My BIL texted me the other day and said he just ran 3 miles and he didn't know if it was fast or not, but he did it. I thought what would MY coach say to me? So I told him I've learned the hard way that running is an individual sport so if that's your time celebrate it. Running 3 miles it great! He said if he could catch his breath he would!! So for now on I'm going to take my own advise and celebrate each mile I run no matter how fast because running is HARD!

Just a side note from your coach. I know I posted this in the comments but I don't know that our readers always read others comments. I learned something from Sister Dalton, the general Young women's president of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter day Saint, she is also a runner and she has even done Boston. Her motto use to be I can do hard things but she changed it to, With the Lord I can do all things! This is my motto and so as your coach I think you should think about changing yours just bit.
Corrine!

Mad Recap

The M.A.D. Race was well, a little mad!  Glad I ran the 10K because the Half Marathoners actually ran 15 miles! There was a little confusion as to where to turn.  This was the first year for this race so they have a few bugs to iron out.  However, everyone who ran seemed in good spirits which made for a good day.

The night before the race I was a little nervous.  Even though I was just treating it as a training run I was still worried. I was worried my hips and back would start hurting, and my legs seemed to be tight, and I was running by myself.  I was talking with my dad via text that night and his last words were, "start slow and finish."  Ok. I can do that.

I got there early because it wasn't clear where my race started and, well because I am a nervous nellie.  One of my first races I did the start time was listed differently on the web site I looked at and it actually started a half hour earlier than what I had read.   Luckily, my friend and I decided to show up a half hour early the day of the race,  but it wasn't early enough. We were yelling at our husbands to let us out of the car so we could run with the rest of the group, and her husband said no that would be cheating you have to start at the starting line! So I get a little nervous.  It was good I did get there early because I had to park a half mile from the starting line. I figured it was a good warm up.  As much as I stretched I still felt tight and it was worrying me.

The race began and we all started out.  I love the excitement in the air just before the race and during the first few minutes of the race.  I started out slow and ran very cautiously.  I felt really good throughout the race and tried to keep a level head and not get discouraged by anything.  There was a lady that kept running ahead of me and then stopping to walk and then I would pass her.  So I told her if we just kept playing leap frog the rest of the way we could keep each other going.  After that we ran together and pushed each other to the end of the race.  My little sprint to the finish felt really good and I believe I could have run a little harder, but hey, it was just another training run I will have to sign up for a "real" race in the future!

This was a good first race of the season.  I needed the boost of confidence that I could run 6 miles and live to tell about it.  I think I needed to go by myself and do a run alone and get myself through it.  It was also good to be among other runners and I think for the first time I didn't compare myself to other runners. I had a good time and I'm excited to sign up for more races.  

Until the next race... Keep running!

Let's get Ready to Run!

This Saturday kicks off my first race for the summer.  I'm running a 10k in the M.A.D. running series.  It's a benefit run for Olive Osmond Perpetual Hearing Fund.  I don't think Donny will be there but some of his siblings will be there to put on a benefit concert Friday night.  Moses and Kaylee Kinikini from this season's Biggest Looser will be running, (not sure which race)  but they may take the place of Donny!

I'm not treating this race as a race that I hope to take first place in or get an amazing time.  I am really thinking of it as another run with a number attached to my shirt (or pants if your my dad) and a bunch of other people, with numbers on their shirts will be running it with me! It will be like one big running club! My big focus right now is the Ragnar Relay in June and hoping that I can feed off the excitement at the race.

I'm so excited about my new workout gear! I needed some new summer clothes (some of my favorites from last summer are too big! Yea for me!) and I found some bermuda shorts I love, love, LOVE! They are the Brooks Glyceren Bermuda II.  I am not a short, shorts kind of gal and I don't like things too tight so these are perfect for me. Not to tight and gives me the coverage I need.  The world is NOT ready to see too much of my thighs!


I'm excited to get out there and run and cheer on some of my friends who are also running this Saturday! Go get 'em Ladies!