Top of Utah recap

At the beginning of the year, I set a goal to run a marathon in under 4 hours.  When I was getting ready to run the Ogden marathon in May, I knew I wasn't quite there yet, but I was determined to do my best.  As it turned out, my best was pretty darn good, but not good enough.  My time was 4:07.  So, I told myself I would train hard all summer and try again at the Top of Utah in September.

I looked up training programs online and got to work.  The summer started off pretty well.  I was getting up at 5:00 a.m. to run on the treadmill before the kids woke up, and I was pretty diligent for the first month.  Then about the time the end of June hit, it got hot outside and we started doing some camping.  It wasn't long before I started having motivation problems.  I still ran, but not like I had promised myself.  As the weeks passed by, I knew I needed to get myself back into gear.  Finally when Adam got back to school, I started running several times a week with the jogging stroller, and I felt like I was going to pull it off.

The morning of the marathon, I was a bundle of nerves.  We got up at 4:00 a.m., got ready, and headed out the door.  After parking and catching a bus, we were on our way to the starting line.  When we arrived, there were two very large white tents set up with propane heaters inside for warmth.  After standing in line for the porta potties, we headed to the tents to keep warm.  It wasn't long before it was time to take off our sweats and leave them in drop bags to pick up at the finish line.  Then, at 7:00 a.m., the gun went off and the race began.

The first half of the race was pretty much all downhill, and I kept up an amazing pace.  The first mile flew by, and I tore off my long sleeved shirt at the first mile marker and dropped it in a clothing box.  When I reached the first aid station at mile 3, I didn't even slow down.  I was carrying my own water and didn't need to stop, so I passed right through stations at miles 5,7, and 9 also.  When I hit the station at mile 11, I slowed down long enough to take a few gulps of Gatorade, then took off again.  I hit the half way mark at 1 hour and 51 minutes (a new best), and I still felt great.  By the time we exited the canyon and the course flattened out, though, I could feel my body slowing down.  I looked at my watch for the first time at mile 15.  My average pace was 8:30, but I knew I couldn't keep it up much longer.  Right about then, the 3:45 pace runner passed me.  I was disappointed to see him.  At the same time, I was happy that I had kept that pace for so long.  When I ran the Ogden marathon, the 3:45 pace runner passed me at mile 8.  So, I knew I was ahead of where I was before and still had a great shot at meeting my goal.

Well, my pace continued to slow down, and it seemed to take forever to run between aid stations.  I wouldn't allow myself to walk between them, but whenever I hit one I allowed myself to walk while I took a drink and ate fruit.  I apparently walked a little too much, because the 3:55 pacer came up behind me with a few miles to go.  I silently cursed him.  I was exhausted, but I pressed on.  As I got closer to the finish line, I looked at my watch and suddenly realized I had only 2 minutes to make it to the finish line.  I started to panic, but then rounded the final turn and it was right in front of me.  I made it with 54 seconds to spare.  Final time:  3 hours, 59 minutes, and 6 seconds.  Average pace: just over a 9-minute mile.

I achieved my goal, and I'm thrilled.  Of course, I was secretly hoping to beat it by more than just 54 seconds, but at least I beat it.  Not bad for a girl that couldn't even run a mile in junior high without nearly passing out or throwing up or both.

So here I am, three days post-marathon.  I'll give my legs another day or two, then it's time to start gearing up for the 50k I'll be running in 3 1/2 weeks.  :)

Let's see what this body can do!

Six weeks. 

Three marathons. 

I may be officially crazy, but if I can pull this off, it will be an incredible ending to a great year. I don't have any doubts, but let's face it, that is 83 and a half miles of racing, plus training during the week. It sounds intimidating, but i think it will help that i will have a different focus for each race.

Race #1: speed. 

The Top of Utah Marathon is this weekend. It is my best shot at getting a sub-4 hour marathon. So, I'm going to run my little heart out and see if I can make it happen. 

Race #2: endurance. 

The Antelope Island 50k is on October 19. It will be my first ultra marathon.  Since I have never been farther than 26.2 miles, I'm not going to push myself to be fast. I just want to finish. 

Race #3: enjoyment. 

The New York City marathon is November 3. It is the biggest marathon in the world. Since I will be accompanying a disabled athlete, I don't think speed will be an issue. And since it is only 26.2 miles, endurance shouldn't be a factor. So for this race, I'm just going to focus on motivating my disabled athlete and enjoying the experience and the opportunity to be there. 

Having said that, the next six weeks will likely test my toughness - physically and mentally. Since I'm unwilling to give up any of them, however, it's time to see what this body can do!

My trip to PetSmart

I'm a good Mom. At least I try to be, which is why I took Adam to the pet store this morning to get a little doggie outfit for Sprocket's birthday. Yes, that's right folks. Sprocket will be turning 6 soon, and since he is part of the family, we will be celebrating his special day once again. 

As we headed into PetSmart, the kids were drawn to the little pet Halloween costumes in display in the main aisle. I think Adam secretly wanted the little Buzz Lightyear costume, but as I looked at the price tag, I knew we wouldn't be getting it. I wasn't about to pay $25 for a little doggie costume. That is almost more than I would pay for a child's costume! So we put the costume back on the display and headed to the pet "apparel" aisle. 

It wasn't long before I found some little doggie t-shirts that Adam was thrilled with. He picked one out and we headed to the checkout. After ringing up my $7.49 purchase, the clerk asks me if I had a PetSmart card and if not would I like one. I told him as politely as I could that I didn't have any pets and wouldn't be making purchases on a regular basis, so no thank you. What i was really thinking was "uhhhh...I'm not a pet person." I quickly explained my need to buy my child's stuffed puppy a present. He said I was a good mom and wished me a good day. 

This got me thinking about pets. My poor kids have been asking for one, and I've been dragging my feet. Pets are noisy, smelly, and make messes. So why have them? I guess some people want them for companionship or as part of their home security system, but personally I think chickens would be a little more useful. At least chickens lay eggs. Cats and dogs lay poop. 

Conversations with my kiddos

I have three kids.  All of them have different personalities, and all of them are at different stages in their development.  Consequently, my conversations with each of them are all different.

My conversations with Tyler are short.  I do most of the talking, and he gives one or two word answers when required.  A typical conversation with him sounds something like this...

Me:  Good morning little buddy.  Are you ready for breakfast?
Tyler:  Yeah!  CRUNCH!!!
Me:  OK.  Let's go downstairs.  (I pick him up and carry him downstairs.  After setting him down, he points at the TV.)
Tyler:  Toons.
Me:  OK.  I'll turn on cartoons.  What would you like to watch?
Tyler:  Buppies!
Me:  Bubble Guppies is not on right now.  You can watch Dora or Team Umizoomi.
Tyler:  DORA!!!

My conversations with Adam are at the other end of the scale.  He does most of the talking, but he requires me to be an active participant by providing one or two word answers when called upon.  A typical conversation with him goes like this...

Adam:  Mom?......  Hey Mom!.........MOMMMMMM!!! (he will continue until I answer him)
Me:  Yes Adam?
Adam:  Can I play with Cameron tonight?
Me:  We'll see.
Adam:  Last time we played the Wii together and we almost killed the big monster.  We made it to the purple castle and Cameron died, and I tried to kill the monster by myself but I died too.  (He then goes on to describe in great detail the events of the game.  After several minutes, he brings me back into the conversation.)
Adam:  Mom?.....MOM!!!!  Hey, MOMMMMMMM!!!
Me:  What?
Adam:  So, can you text Cameron's Mom to see if we can play tonight?

Even though Adam does most of the talking, our conversations can be somewhat exhausting.

Miss Sadie is on the extreme end of the scale.  Most of the time, she does not require my participation at all... only my presence.  She just talks.  I get worn out trying to follow her train of thought, so I admit that I don't always pay close attention to what she's saying.  As a result, I can't really recap a typical conversation with her.

My kids love to talk, but our house is about to get a whole lot quieter.  The summer is coming to an end, and Adam and Sadie will be starting school soon.  After a bit of break during the day, I'll be ready to hear everything they have to tell me about school.  :)

The 1, 2, 3 countdown

One week until Adam starts soccer practice.
Two weeks until Adam goes back to school.
Three weeks until Sadie starts school.
I'm calling this my 1, 2, 3 countdown.

It's hard to believe Adam will be in first grade this year.  Having him at school all day will sure be different, but I'm ready.  I hope he is too.  Sometimes I worry I've babied him too much and not given him the opportunities he needs to grow.  For instance:

Adam is the only kid in his swimming class who won't get his face wet. 
All the other kids his age in the neighborhood ride bikes without training wheels. 
He is the only kid his age I know of that insists on wearing winter gloves when eating popsicles so his hands won't get cold. 

Have I gone wrong somewhere?  In my effort to be a good mother and shield him from the world, have I been coddling him too much?  The evidence says yes.  I hope I haven't done any permanent damage.  :)

In other news, we bought Sadie her first bike helmet a few days ago, and she is super excited.  Here she is riding around the neighborhood.

8 more weeks

I'm sure my faithful readers have noticed that I haven't blogged in awhile. I haven't dropped off the face of the earth, I've just been overwhelmed with life. I have been consumed with tantrums, fighting, keeping the kids busy, and training for my next marathon (which is just under 8 weeks away).

Since I don't want to dwell on the tantrums and fighting, I'll focus my blog today on marathon training. This next marathon is an important one for me. I hope to reach a major milestone: running a marathon in under 4 hours. 

So why is this such a big deal? Well, an article I read recently put it pretty well. The author had done some research on what percentage of runners can complete a sub-4 marathon. The answer: between 20-25 percent. So in other words, if you can run a marathon in under 4 hours, you are in the top tier of runners nationwide. This is a pretty big deal, especially for someone like me who did not grow up being very athletic.

I told myself that I would train hard this summer to achieve this milestone, but between the heat and dealing with tantrums, I have had a hard time motivating myself to get up and run before the kids wake up. I guess you could say I have been in a bit of a depression. However, I have been running faster than ever lately, so I know I at least have a shot. 

Getting this close to a milestone has given me an opportunity to reflect on where to go from here. Do I challenge myself to go faster or farther? If I decide my next goal is speed, the next milestone would be to continue to qualify for the Boston Marathon. I would need to run a 3:40 to qualify. If I want to go for distance, that means joining the world of ultra marathons.  No, I'm not talking about one of those crazy 100 mile races...yet. I would start with a 50k to see how my body responds. I have actually looked into this, and there is a 50k on Antelope Island in October. I guess first things first, I need to work on that sub-4 marathon. 

A sign of what's to come

Sadie is officially registered for preschool in the fall, and she is beyond excited.  The place I will be sending her invited her to come and spend a day to check it out.  So, on Tuesday after I dropped Adam off at Kindergarten, I took Sadie to preschool (backpack and all).  Then, I headed home with Tyler.

The house was soooooo quiet without Sadie's constant chatter.  So, I turned on some music, and got to work.  I couldn't believe how much I was able to accomplish.  Maybe this is a sign of things to come.  I weeded the entire garden and raspberry patch, I washed all the dishes in the sink, I folded a batch of laundry, and I ironed three shirts.  I felt I was starting to come down with a cold, so then I turned on PBS and let Tyler watch Clifford the Big Red Dog while I closed my eyes.

When I picked up Sadie at 3:00, she was very excited to tell me all about her "first day of school".  She can hardly wait to go back.  Now every day she asks if it is "fall" yet.  I hope this won't be a long summer!