Ultramax Tri

For the second year in a row, Dave completed the Innsbrook Quartermax Triathlon.  The whole triathlon thing was a new idea Dave had last year, which makes the whole family a bunch of rookies among the triathlete crowd.  But Dave finished about five minutes faster than last year (and made it out of the lake alive!), so it was a successful year.  Good job Dave!

Last year it was more than 90 degrees out and we melted.  But with two children in tow, it's a little tricky to be fully prepared.  Thankfully our good friends picked up all of the slack and were more prepared this time.  I'm talking, bringing a tent to play in and escape the sun kind of prepared.  Thanks Dortons!

Ogden Half

The main purpose of my trip to Utah earlier this month was to run the Ogden half marathon.  Both of my sisters have completed this race along with my mom.  It was now my turn.

Race day weather could not have been more perfect.  And the scenery is unmatched; amazing!  We ran along Pineview Reservoir (we call it a 'dam') and down Ogden Canyon.  That canyon is amazing.  It is narrow and full of twists and turns.  The road hugs the river all the way through and you can hear the power of the water bounce off the sides rocky canyon walls.  The waterfall at the mouth of canyon is the last hurrah as you enter the valley.  It's incredible; and it made me miss home very much.

I ran in to lots of friends at the beginning of the race and along the way (thanks for letting me tag along Kenj and Ash).  It was fun to see familiar faces.

And let's not forget Nancy.  My mom is a rockstar.  She beat her goal by four minutes.  This is her 4th half marathon.  And she wears a message she believes in.  Go mom!  I am so proud of you!

In the end, I finished 16 minutes faster than my first race and was pleased with my overall time.  Maybe next time, assuming I don't have to make THREE bathroom stops, I'll beat the two-hour mark.

MIA

been at home for about a week now. 
looking out the window at the beautiful mountains while the rain pours and the sun shines.
loving every minute of it.
not spending those minutes blogging.
don't be crushed.
will return mid-week.

race follow-up. 
norma lickings and drinking fountains.
dinosaurs and horses.

should be great.
hasta...

Running (wo)Man

One of my favorite things about running is when a song comes up on the iPod that makes me want to break out and dance whilst running.  Sometimes a song stops me dead in my tracks and, in my excitement, I have to make a quick decision as to whether I'll keep going or (very likely) humiliate myself on busy streets.  Regardless, it always makes me smile and then laugh a bit at the visual image of me dancing on the road in my spandex and neon shoes.

Speaking of running, I'm headed to UT this weekend to run a race with my momma.  A half-marathon, in fact.  Pretty impressive, right?  No, not for me, but for my mom, Ms. Fitness.  I'm proud of her.

I'm excited about this race.  Since we Waterfalls tend to run solo, I hope my playlist is excellent and keeps me jazzed along the course.  I'm looking forward to running through BEAUTIFUL Ogden canyon.  I'm looking forward to the cliche "runner's high," which really does happen.  I'm hoping I don't run behind this guy (that half-naked one you see):

When I ran in Chicago, for some reason I always noticed this guy around.  His shirtlessness was a little awkward perhaps, but that wasn't the problem.  I was running.  Which means I was sweating.  Which means I was wet.  But I kept sensing water or something similar hitting me (arms, legs, face!).  It wasn't raining.  I wasn't passing through puddles.  No, no.  It was the shirtless man!  His sweat!  Pelting me!  For miles!  It seemed as soon as I got away from him, there he was again.  I hope I don't experience a repeat situation.

Ice Cream and iPods

D had a campout this weekend with the Scouts, so W and I were on our own.  Friday night we went out for some Mexican food (our favorite), stopped by the running store, checked out the fish, birds and cats at the pet store, then made a stop for some ice cream before heading home.  Any one who knows me knows I will never pass up ice cream.  Never.  Had it not been raining, we would've enjoyed ourselves outside.  Instead, we opted for the drive-thru, then pulled into a parking spot, I climbed in the back seat, and we shared a cone.  This was W's first real ice cream cone.  Poor kid, he had to wait a whole year for this, but he thoroughly enjoyed the cone.  And he laughed every time I stuck my tongue out to lick some ice cream.  He thinks tongues are hilarious, so he was more than excited to stick his out for some ice cream goodness.  He was a natural.  

Another first this weekend:  W's first real baby sitter.  We're lucky enough to have Papa and SheShe close by who are always up for watching W (many, many thanks), but I needed to go for a long run Saturday morning and D was still gone.  I really needed to get this out of the way first thing, so I called up one of my girls from church to offer her an easy way to make some cash.  She obliged and we were set.

Six forty-five came awfully early, but Ms. Babysitter showed up ready to watch the beloved W.  Being a novice, I didn't realize until shortly before her arrival that we don't have a house phone -- a critical component for a babysitter in case of an emergency.  D and I only use cell phones these days.  However, my cell phone is also my iPod -- a critical component of my running regimen.  Gah!  I opted for caution and left my phone at home (though she'd have to call 9-1-1 or her mom because I was obviously unavailable at that point).

Fortunately I found my ancient original iPod D gave to me pre-nuptials.  This green thing had lots of miles on it during its four year use, but it has been sitting dormant since iPhone arrived.  I was concerned she wasn't going to work.  Nonetheless, I charged her up long enough to last a few hours while I ran, and lo and behold, she turned on and blared music like a champ.  She didn't disappoint.  I was pleased.

Sadly, this pleasure was short-lived.  You see, around mile three she just couldn't take it anymore.  She gave up.  I looked at the screen to find some foreign/computer language, which eventually turned black.  I was sad at the loss of iPod, but the outlook for the next nine miles appeared even more bleak.  What's a girl to do who's left with the wanderings of her mind for 90 more minutes?!  My music helps me keep motivated, keep pace, and keep focused on something other than my sweaty face and achy legs.  Aside from possible slowness, the impending boredom was frightening.  But I was committed.  This run was important to me.  I mean, I was putting down cash so I could go for a run!  

I wrapped my headphones around the now deceased iPod, at which point I opted for a conversation with myself.  Ninety more minutes of thinking, questioning, wondering, enjoying.  Ninety more minutes to myself.  I was still able to keep motivated.  The time flew by.  I focused on what was happening around me.  It was glorious.  And I didn't disappoint; it was my fastest 12 miles yet!  A first for me.

Upon returning home, I found a happy baby, a happy sitter, and an unused iPhone.  I was happy, too.

Running in the Dark

I tried something new.  Last night was the first meeting of the "Social Sunset Run" something-or-other offered by a local running store.  Basically a group of about 30 people got together to go on a run.  However, there was no sunset viewing; it was actually pitch black outside.  But the brisk weather was perfect, so we donned our blinking lights, headlamps, reflective clothing and set out.
Now, I didn't know a single person in this group.  Aside from making superficial judgments based on how short a man's shorts are, how teeny a woman's legs are that run on her teeny dainty feet, or how "tough" one appears to look as he/she waits (like he/she has something better to do) for the group to leave, I wasn't familiar with how fast or how slow these people might run.  What kind of pace are we running here?  Would I do the three or five mile run?  I hope I don't trip.  What if I have to go to the bathroom?  Would I be that girl that runs by herself the whole time?  These are the kinds of things that went through my head.  But, like many things I do, I just show up and figure it out as I go.
About a mile into the run, I had found a group of three other women who ran at a comfortable pace.  We didn't talk much at first, just ran.  But by the end, I was glad I wasn't alone (A) and (B) that I'd found some cool people to run with in the dark.  And thankfully, I didn't trip either.
I didn't join the group for the post-run pizza and beer (shucks).  But I am excited for the run next week.  Maybe I'll meet some new friends.  Maybe I'll run faster.  Maybe I'll even wear short shorts.
I like trying new things.