Blacksmith Fork Canyon Freedom 15k

Finally a minute to post about my 4th of July run...

Let me just say, this run was FUN! Although the "mostly" downhill part was laughable, the run was super enjoyable because of the rolling hills, the gorgeous scenery, and the sheer vastness of it. There were over 600 runners, which made this BY FAR the largest race I have ever run in. Usually I end up by myself for extended periods of time, but in this race, there was always someone (actually quite a few people) near me, which helped keep me motivated. 

I wish I could have taken pictures while I was running because the canyon is just breathtaking. If there isn't already something like this in existence, an app needs to be created that helps you take a picture while you're bouncing up and down. If there are any takers out there, just make sure you give me a free download for providing the idea. ;)

Also, I think the 15k distance is one of the most enjoyable for several reasons. It is long enough to allow you to get into a nice groove, which is hard in a 5k and even sometimes in a 15k. However, it is not so long that your body is screaming to get to the finish line. The farthest I have run is a half marathon but because of its completely flat course, my joints were absolutely killing me at the end. 

So I don't know if I'm going to be able to push myself to half marathon distance by the end of this month, but I'm going to try. :)

My doofus face as I near the finish line...

Finally...

So, after a few weeks here in Logan, I feel like I have finally landed. I have met people, found a job for the summer at least, and registered for my first local race!

I am teaching 7 yoga classes a week: four at Gold's Gym and three at private yoga studios. It's been an adjustment to teach so many, especially on Mondays when I have three in one day. But it is super fun. I also may start teaching a couple cycling classes at Gold's soon.

My first local race is in a few days. It is the Blacksmith Fork Freedom 15k. Yea... 9.3 miles already. I hope I can do it. The adjustment for running has not been as bad as I had anticipated. I am back up to the 7 miles I was doing in Alabama, although it is a bit slower. Since the course is said to be (mostly) downhill, I am optimistic that I will make it through. I'll post results soon!

Moving Sucks!

     Wow! It has been a looooong time since I posted and I had promised I would post updates about my running streak. Well, let me just say that moving is a lot of work, especially when you're moving across the country. I have been so busy that I could barely think, let alone post those non-existent thoughts. But I did run! Okay, so since we stayed in fleabag hotels on the way from Alabama to Utah, I had to run in place for a "mile" instead of actually running. Neither place had fitness rooms and they were in sketchy parts of town so I felt more safe in the room with my hubby. But I did do it. And now that we are here and semi-settled into our home, I have been actually running around the area and it is absolutely beautiful. I cannot even describe the mountains and the canyon. It's just breathtaking. I may never leave.
     So in order to try to stay true to my goal to run as many races as possible to spread awareness of body image and eating disorders, I have been looking for races around the area. I will post more information as soon as I decide on some.
     So here's to the joy of running because you can!!!

We're Going Streaking!!!

     I am totally in love with this campaign and I am ALL IN!!! I have to admit that running EVERY day can be daunting because... it hurts me body, things come up, and, let's face it, sometimes I just don't friggin feel like it. But I WILL do this, even if I do just run one mile some days. Who knows? After doing that one mile, I might feel like doing a few more, and then a few more after that. Fact: The hardest part is walking out the door.

     So, in order to keep myself on track with this, I'm going to post my mileage every day, starting Monday. Now, this means making time to run even on the days that I am traveling for our move to Utah in a week, but I'm still going to give it a go. I can't succeed without the possibility of failing. Let's see how this goes! And why don't you do it with me? :)

Iron Girl Redemption

     Iron Girl did make it up to all of us disappointed women who did not get to compete this weekend. We got an email that we could choose to have a discounted entry into next year's race or choose to receive complimentary entry into another Iron Girl event for this year. Since my husband and I are moving to Utah in two weeks, I decided to try for the one in Denver, Colorado in August, so I will continue to keep my cycling and swimming training up for that. 
     However, right now I am focusing solely on running, trying to increase my distance. I ran 7 miles yesterday, which is the farthest I have run in over 2 years when I did a half-marathon. I felt really proud of myself for that, but then today I ran 3 miles and was planning to focus on speed. Well, speed was not happening. I ended up with a 9:40 mile at the end! That is more and half a minute per mile slower than I usually run a 5k. What's up with that? Am I slowing down because I'm adding distance? Were my legs tired from yesterday's run? I don't know, but whatever it is, I don't like it. I am going to start adding some speed work to my training soon. Hopefully, that will help. 
     So, anyway, I don't have a race on the horizon simply because I don't know how my running endurance is going to change with the altitude when we move to Utah, but as soon as I feel comfortable, I will be signing up for races there. For now, I'm just going to focus on training, packing, and spending time with my family before the big move.

I read this after my run yesterday and it made me happy because there is truly so much joy in running, even if I do get bogged down with the numbers sometimes. Thought it needed to be shared...

Huuuuge disappointment!

     I won't become a triathlete this weekend... Due to inclement weather, Iron Girl cancelled the race. I am disappointed beyond words. I trained physically and mentally for months for this one day and now I am not going to get a chance to do it. I understand safety comes first, but it doesn't make me feel any better.
     Now I can't even use my car magnet. :p

     I guess I'll just have to put all of my energy into my next races, most of which are yet to be determined due to the coming move. However, I can reveal one for certain... The Las Vegas Marathon in November!!! Here's to staying on track!

Race night!

     Well, it's finally race night and I am FREAKING OUT! Every scenario of things that could go wrong is playing in my head, I am confused and overwhelmed by all of the crap you have to know, and, as I said before, I am so undertrained. But on to logistics and away from emotions...
     The day started as we drove up to the Iron Girl arch to welcome us after our three hour drive. We got our packets with our numbers and swim cap (my wave gets red) and then got our shirt and swag bag. Yay! The expo was kind of cool, lots of over priced clothing and such. I just got a car magnet, tie dye with swim, bike, run logo. Then we had to go set up our bikes at transition. After putting our number in the bike we had to rack it according to our bib number. Being number 728, I had to set up in the back. :( After that we just hung out at the area, ate, and tried to figure out the course. Fail!
     So now I'm laying in the bed trying to force myself to stop thinking about all the bad things and how badly I could suck and just chill and go to bed. I'll post in the morning! :)

Pre-Race Jitters

     Well, tomorrow is travel day for Iron Girl and I am suuuuuper nervous!!! I feel undertrained, but I guess everyone feels that way before a big race. I have done a lot of race, but never on this large a scale and never anything but running. So this is gonna be a huge adventure! 
     Even packing for it is a little nerve-wracking because there is so much to think about. In a foot race, you basically just have to make sure you have good shoes. When you add all the stuff you need for the swim and bike... well, there are a lot of things you can forget that would be detrimental. Also, like an idiot, I burned my hand cooking supper tonight so that should be pretty interesting if it blisters. 
     Anyway, I will keep you posted on my nervousness and excitement tomorrow and on race day. Wish me luck!! :D

Final Brick

     The brick training I did this weekend was interesting to say the least. Let's just say I feel like I swam 19 and 1/4 miles instead of the quarter mile that I actually swam...
     The swim itself went much better than I expected since I have not really been training much for the swim aside from strength training. I did the quarter mile in just under 10 minutes, which makes me feel much better about that leg of the triathlon.
     The bike leg was much more interesting... and grueling. Not only were the hills killer (in preparation for the killer hills of the actual course) but about half way in came a torrential downpour. I could barely see a thing and it was stinging my face, but at least it gave me some water to drink since I'm scared to take my hands off the handlebars. Plus, I felt like a total Iron Girl badass! :p
     So now we are at race week and I am completely nervous and feel massively undertrained, but I'm going to do it for all the many, many people in this world who feel that they are not good enough, that they are not perfect enough for the standards that society imposes upon them. For all the people out there who struggle with body image and eating disorder, remember that you are beautiful and fit is better than skinny!!! 

The Ride

     Whoa! I can finally sit down for a minute! This past week has been crazy with all of our moving plans. We are moving to Utah in three weeks so we are trying to get rid of just about everything. Between the yard sale and packing stuff up, I have had little time for anything else. However, with the Iron Girl triathlon only 10 days away (yikes!), I figured I should post an update. 
     Although I haven't been able to train as much as I would like, I can be proud of the progress I showed yesterday. I rode 20 miles with my mother-in-law around their house, which is SUPER hilly. Having been told that the course in Atlanta has some crazy hills, I figured I needed to train for that. I never ride hills so this was an adventure for me. I had to granny gear most of the time but I made it without having to get off and walk, which was my major concern because I HATE trying to get in and out of those clip-in pedals. 
     Anyway, after killing my quads on those hills for 20 miles, I decided I would go ahead and try to do the three mile run afterward. First, my legs were jello; next, they were lead; then, they just wanted to quit. We were trying to run those same crazy hills we rode, which SUCKED! And yet, for the first time after cycling, I made it the whole 5k. I was proud of myself because this is what I did...

The last mile I just sucked it up and went all out. Since the run isn't supposed to be near that difficult, I feel much better about that. 
     So, with 10 days left I know that I can at least do two thirds of the triathlon. I'm not very worried about the swim, but we will see how I do on Saturday when we plan to do at least the swim and then the bike. It will be my first swim in my wetsuit, so it should be interesting. I am also going to attempt to keep my vow and do the 5k race that I had planned that morning. I'll keep you posted... and remember... fit is better than skinny!!! 

     So here's the deal... I want to spread awareness about the ever-growing issue of body image and eating disorders. In order to do that, I plan to use something I love and something that is so important to the cause--being active! My motto is "Fit is better than skinny!" Thus, my plan is to do as many active events (running, cycling, swimming, triathlon)as I can throughout the year in the name of Mended Mirrors and its cause. I will post training, travel, and event info, along with information pertaining to the cause. Eventually, I plan to coordinate my own event to support awareness of body image and eating disorders. Help me out by spreading the word, commenting, and so on. 
     Information about Mended Mirrors itself and past and future events are on separate pages. Check them out.
     Although I have posted a couple of previous events that I have done recently. Today is my first event post--the Whirlwind of Color 5k in Jacksonville supporting the victims of Alabama's tornados. It was a blast!!! I've never done a run like this before and it was great to just run a race for fun without worrying about time and awards. The color just added to the fantastic atmosphere of the run. People were dressed in tutus and wigs; it was just great! I ran it (as I do most of my races) with my mother-in-law. She is normally faster than me but we decided to stick together today and that made it even more special. 
     However, now it's time to really hammer down on my triathlon training for the Iron Girl in Atlanta in 3 weeks. YIKES! I swam the quarter of a mile in a lake today after the run... COLD! But I made it. I'll keep you posted!