Halloween Half Marathon

The race was tough, and started an hour late, but also so so so fun! AND I got a PR of 1:50:34 and apparently that was good enough to earn me second place in my division! I'm pretty pumped!


I'm Nicole Richie as an inmate. My neighbor was Paris Hilton as an inmate. :)


My favorite costume was Bill Gates. The dude was hilarious! There was a girl in a full-on wedding dress! The first place costume went to some guy dressed up as superwoman, breasts and all. :) Pretty funny stuff!

I'm In!

Hey Jen,

I've signed up for the halloween half! Do you have a costume yet??? What to wear, what to wear???

Can't wait to see ya!

Top of Utah Marathon

Two weekends ago I ran the TOU Marathon. I loved it. It's a really good course. But mostly I loved it because I had a good reason for running it. My older brother has enlisted in the army and leaves to basic training in a couple of weeks. His wife and him decided to run this marathon as a final "big event" before he leaves. Naturally, I said I was in. I ran the race with my sister in law as it was her first marathon. She did GREAT! We felt great the whole time and finished with a time of 4 hours 28 minutes. My shirt said, "Good Luck Jeff" on the front with an American flag, and "Go Army Band" on the back. I loved all the people who asked me about my shirt and was super proud to tell them it was my brother who was had just enlisted. This could be my favorite marathon so far. :)





My army brother.

Lift Your Sole Giveaway

There is an awesome give away on Tall Mom on the Run's Blog again! It is a gift certificate to buy some SWEET running jewelry from Lift Your Soul. Check it out HERE!

Boo!

I just registered for the Provo Halloween Half Marathon. I cannot wait. The course looks dreamy, it will be cool (hooray!), and you get to wear a costume while you run. What could be better? Anyone else in?

I need costume ideas! If you think of any, let me know!

wasatch women's love your body 10k.

i ran a fun little 10k this morning, and despite the fact that i had a stomach flu, i finished. It was fun, and i should do more of these. I've been working my butt off to get my body back after having 2 kids, and I just weighed myself. I'm pre-marriage weight!!!

dope.

Psssst....

I got some new running shoes (okay, 2 pair) on Nike's website, same as my last pair which cost me over a hundred bucks, for a whopping $40. Wanna know how? I went to the clearance section and used the code NKESTYLE for an extra 20% off. Plus, if you're a first time customer or use a different email address, you get free shipping. Also scored some more of my beloved running capris and a nifty visor. Better hurry if you want sweet shoes and cute capris too, because I don't know how long the code will work.

Don't you just love getting new gear? I'm pretty sure it makes me run better, and look better doing it. Happy running/shopping!

(and my provo half report is below!)

I Did It

I registered for the Top of Utah Marathon. Something about forking over sixty dollars makes it more official. Here I come Logan!

Provo River Half Race Report

Things I loved:

The girl who passed me at mile 3 with a prothestic leg. I was quite content and honored to be one of her "kills." You go girl!

The cool mountain breeze that stayed with me the entire 13.1

The man with a beard past his chest, John Lennon glasses and knee socks

Seeing a friend from jr. high/high school at the starting line

Chatting with a sweet friend from KUTV moments before the race started

Spotting our sweet husbands at mile 10, ready with high-fives, a quick "you guys rock! Love you!" and of course, some pictures as we darted past

A great, and I mean GREAT, playlist I put together the night before

The little girl along the route who gave me a high-five and a big smile

The burst of energy I got at mile 11 and knew I would finish strong.

Running past Bridal Veil Falls. Anyone else think of Savannah Smiles every time they see it? I also think of a poor college student I did a story on who died there, but I digress.

Our cute running outfits we carefully selected (or Kristi did)

Sweet, sweet Vicki (Kristi's mom) who greeted us with hugs the night before, gave up her bed so we wouldn't have to drive as far, and woke up at 4am to make us eggs. We love you!

The awesome family and friends who cheered us on at the finishline. Thank you so much for your love and support!

Cute little Lili who said "Way to go!" at the finishline

Sweet husbands who cheered us on, took pictures, and told us repeatedly how amazing we are.

A new half PR. yay!

Things I did NOT love:

confusing race information

waiting in the fa-reezing cold at the starting line for an hour

not enough port-a-potties, resulting in Kris and I waiting in a line for 8, yes, I repeat, 8 minutes at the halfway point before finally giving up and squatting in some bushes

a race shirt in the wrong size and that read 2010?



Definitely planning on next year! Looooved it! (pictures coming as soon as I become un-lazy and upload them)

I met a hero...

During my last long run before this Saturday's Provo River Half Marathon. He wasn't wearing a cape, mask, or a big S on his chest, but believe me, this guy is a superhero if I've ever met one.

Kristi and I were just wrapping up our 8 at Sugarhouse Park when we stopped for a moment to chat, drink, breathe, and sigh when I noticed a man wearing a Wasatch Back running shirt. I was wearing mine, so I said "hey! Nice shirt, man!" He smiled, and he and his running partner walked over and we all started talking-- I asked him about race, and what team he was on. He said Team Tumor, and that's when the light went off.

Last year during WB, I ran alongside a team with a logo that, warning, is a little R rated. They proudly wore shirts that read F*@K Cancer. Their team leader, Dov, had an agressive type of cancer and was undergoing chemo and treatment during the race. I repeat, the dude was hooked up to an iv drip and a pic line while running one of the roughest races in the country. And he was the RAGNAR runner. (that is the toughest leg of said rough race). Well, it would appear he has since recruited other cancer patients and they ran it again. As in, more than one member of their team was undergoing chemo and treatment and RUNNING in the heat, rain, dirt, uphill, downhill, over rocks, and through cities, towns, and over mountains. I remember watching their team in awe both years and thinking, wow, F*@K Cancer indeed. And now this man, Dov, was standing in front of me, training for yet another race.

Dov still has cancer. In fact, he told us he was preparing to have several more tumors removed in the coming weeks. I asked him why he did it and he simply said "well, this is my way of telling cancer to F-off and fighting back. I am in control of my life. Not cancer."

And here I am, complaining at times about little aches and pains, bad runs, life stress when homeboy is undergoing a battle for his life and RUNNING right against it. His running partner said "yeah, whenever I'm like 'my knee hurts' Dov says 'I have cancer' and I have to say 'ok, I'm shutting up now."

Can you say inspiration? So, as I prepare this week for my first race with my best friend, I'm thinking of Dov and his bravery, strength, and endurance. What a stud.

You can read more about Dov here.