The Mother's Day Mile - May 9, 2010

Yesterday I ran a local race - The Mother's Day Mile. I wasn't sure what to expect from my legs after the half I ran on Saturday, but I figured I'd just give it the old college try. A friend of mine picked me up and we headed in to town for the afternoon.

This is a really cool event - they have a huge silent auction and it's a benefit for an organization that helps women and children who are in violent domestic situations. They also have a sister-organization site in Eldoret Kenya for women who are HIV+. The women in Kenya create jewelry to sell to support their treatment and housing. The jewelry they make in Kenya are the awards for the race.

Another point worth noting is that the race is a "zero waste" event". That's pretty ambitious for an event that has hundreds of runners!

I did have some time goals in mind, however, I wasn't too committed to them because my legs were feeling pretty spent from the half I raced on Saturday. My PR is 6:47 on the course and last year I ran 7:27 - so I was shooting for something in the middle and hoping for an AG award.

So - I did a light warm up and a little stretching and was ready for the 1:30 start time. This year the race was chip timed, which was great, however it was still a mess at the start line. I broke out of the pack and tried to stick with my friend Karah. I knew she would be a great pace bunny - she's quick, and would make me work. I figured if I could keep her in my sights I'd be okay.

The course starts directly up a hill, ouch. I passed a lot of other women on the way up but my lungs were on fire! After a quick left turn there's a nice little downhill stretch on a residential street. I just continued to push and was able to catch a couple of other gals who started too fast.

After we cut through a parking lot to the turn around I started counting the number of women ahead of me. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. I was really close to number 5 so I thought I'd see what was left in the tank and sure enough I caught number 5. For the last 1/8 mile I was pretty much in no man's land. Karah was a sizeable distance ahead of me and the previous number 5 was a ways behind me.

Two quick turns and I was in to the parking lot to cross the finish line. That's when I saw the time clock. Didn't beat my PR on that course but I did much better than last year. 7:03 which ended up being quick enough for 3rd place in my AG and 5th OA. The woman who won my AG (who is also my age) ran in 5:38! Crazy fast!

The Awards Podium - felt a little goofy. :)

Karah and I modeling our race hardware.
She finished 2nd in AG and 4th OA - 6:59.
I finished 3rd in AG and 5th OA - 7:05.

Grand Valley Half Marathon - May 8, 2010

This was not my first choice of Spring half-marathons. Originally I planned on running the Colfax Half Marathon which is next weekend (5/16), however, due to the time and expenses related to travel I decided to stay close to home for a half.

Since I live in the middle of no where, my options were pretty limited. The Grand Valley Series had it's inaugural season last year so I figured they had a lot of kinks worked out and all would be good. The Little Grand Canyon Marathon I ran last September was organized by the same race group and I thoroughly enjoyed that experience so I figured, why not? The only downsides to this race were...it was a week earlier in my training than I had planned for and "the hills".

During the week leading up to the half I took it pretty easy -
Sunday: Long Run - 6 miles @ 9:18
Monday: Easy Run - 2 @ 9:18
Tuesday: Easy Run - 1.6 mile @ 9:18
Wednesday: Speedwork - 1/2 mile @ 9:18, 5 x 3 minutes @ 7:17, 1 minute jogs, 1/2 mile @ 9:18
Thursday: Easy Run - 1.56 mile @ 9:18
Friday: Easy Run - 1 mile @ 9:18

I hit the hay early on Friday night in preparation for the 4 am alarm. Oy. Quick breakfast and coffee before I hit the road. I was excited to use the map feature on my iPhone to help me find my way. :) I made it to Palisade in record time - not much traffic that early in the morning. After picking up my bib and cotton t-shirt (argh) I hunkered down in my car trying to stay warm and avoid the reality of the wind.

I met up with my friend Jen, who was also running the 1/2, around 6:35 - right after the marathoners took off. The start of the 1/2 was at 7:00. I met up with another group of friends from work, some of who were running the 10K and others the 5K. Time kept ticking and before I knew it - it was time to toe the line.

Miles 1-4
We headed out of town towards the bridge crossing for two miles into a stiff wind. I wasn't terribly cold, just annoyed about the wind. After crossing the bridge over the Colorado we headed West - with the wind - thank goodness! It was beautiful running past all of the peach orchards and vineyards that produce the delicious fruits that the area is known for. The course was relatively flat for this section, but I knew that would all change when we made the turn to head up towards the mesa. The legs were feeling really good at this point, breathing was easy, shoulders were loose - I just kept wondering which mile my body was going to revolt and crash and burn. Epic start usually spells a finishing disaster for me.

8:12, 8:14, 8:11, 8:08

Miles 5-8
We were pretty protected from the wind for this stretch but that didn't make it any easier. "The Hill" was the beast to battle in this stretch. I knew it would climb over 200 feet in mile 4 and I just didn't want to have to walk. Daunting is an understatement. Good news is I didn't walk but it was pretty much an ugly shuffle. Anyway...after I got to the top there was a nice reprieve to the turn around at 6.5.

As I approached the turn around I began to count the women who were ahead of me. I had a feeling that I was either in 3rd or 4th and my feeling was confirmed. I was 3rd female at this point. This was pretty motivating to me at this point. I knew I wouldn't hit the time goal but an OA finish would be pretty sweet. I've never done that in a half. I just kept pressing ahead trying to hold steady.

What the course takes away - the course gives back - yeah downhill!!! Jen warned me that we had some company approaching so I tried to pick it up as much as I could. I didn't kick it soon enough because Pink Nike Girl passed me. Argh. I didn't want to let that 3rd place position go! And...remember that wind that was at my back earlier in the course - yup, headwind on the way back. Boo!

9:29, 7:58, 8:19, 8:45

Miles 9-12
This is where the race really began. Pink Nike Girl was a little ahead of me - I could still catch her so I just kept pressing - in to the wind. And at mile 9 - miracle of miracles I passed her! She kept pressing me and I started to worry that she was playing the game too. At that point I decided I couldn't let her determine the outcome. So after we turned back across the bridge I gave it all I had left. The distance between me and Pink Nike Girl kept growing - thank goodness! That was a tough battle - not with her, but with myself. It took a lot for me to not give up - it's really hard to convince myself that I'm capable of finish a race strong when I'm in the thick of it.

7:33, 8:39, 8:37, 8:17

Mile 13.1
All guts here - my legs were completely frazzled and so was my brain. As we approached the finish line I couldn't believe I actually had a nice little kick left but it felt great to put it all out there!

8:00, 7:00 (.12)

Garmin Time: 1:49:14 - 13.12
Official Time: 1:49:36 - 13.1

Here's the course profile...

I am so tickled about this race that I can't be disappointed about not hitting 1:45:00. I was about a minute off of my PR from Canyonlands over two years ago on a much more forgiving course. I am certain that without the wind and hills I would've had a new PR today. Right now I'm tempted to make another attempt at a PR in the next couple of weeks, however, I haven't totally convinced myself that this is a good idea. We'll see!


Happy Running!

32 Reasons to Celebrate!!!

The calendar tells me that I am now another year older. Older, schm-older, I say! I had a great year being 32 and I'm looking forward to an even better year as I am 33.

1. Running the Little Grand Canyon Marathon and running past petroglyphs!
2. Being able to teach Kindergarten! Why didn't anyone tell me how much fun this was?!
3. Spending Thanksgiving with my mom.
4. Seeing the Cubs play at Wrigley Field!
5. Taking Roan for a walk on the extremely convenient trails in our neighborhood.
6. Traveling to Austin TX for the GOTR Summit - how lucky am I?!
7. Running The Canyonlands 1/2 Marathon and hearing the drums resonate through the canyon!
8. Surviving and returning from my first trip to Las Vegas.
9. Encouraging Bret to run his first 1/2 marathon on Colfax!
10. Snowshoeing in the beautiful Colorado powder!
11. Running the Las Vegas Marathon - 4:04:44
12. Enjoying the fruits (and veggies) of our labor from the garden.
13. Running with great friends.
14. Having an amazing class that is full of energy!
15. Celebrating my mom's 65 birthday with her in Ohio!
16. Racing in my first MTBike Race - I came in last place, but at least I finished!
17. Visiting the farmer's market in the summer for amazing fresh food!
18. Working with great people at my school.
19. Having my BFF from grade school come to visit me in CO!
20. Seeing friends from college.
21. Running Canyonlands 1/2 Marathon - 1:54:30
22. Catching fish on the CO River with Bret!
23. Rafting the CO on every rainy day this summer. :)
24. Vacationing in Puerto Vallarta.
25. Hiking in Crested Butte and camping under the stars.
26. Snowshoeing to the top of A-Basin with Bret!
27. Being the Rifle Rec. League Volleyball Champs!
28. Running The Other Half on a beautiful day in Moab.
29. Buying a treadmill!
30. Continuing my work with GOTR of Western Colorado - I am truly blessed!
31. Making it almost all the way to the top of Electric Pass.
32. Dipping my toes in to the freezing water of Cathedral Lake after a long hike.

Girls on the Run Summit - Austin, Texas

The experience from the Girls on the Run Summit has weighed on my mind heavily since I returned on Wednesday evening – almost to the point of distraction. I have been extremely anxious to find time to sort out the ideas and thoughts I came home with. I’m sure that I am no where near completing the process of analyzing all that was presented to me but I can’t allow the inspiration and love I felt during my time in Austin to dissipate!

As I prepared to attend the Summit I felt so blessed and lucky to have the opportunity, but it wasn’t until I was there – in the thick of it – that I really started to understand the depth of this opportunity. I felt humbled by the strength and passion of the women who are part of GOTR. I was truly in the presence of greatness and feel that I need to take that feeling and pay it forward.

The Logistics
To start off I’d love to give the logistics of the trip and the conference because they definitely augmented the experience.

I went to Austin with five wonderful women who are a part of our local council in Western Colorado. We were on a plane bound for Austin by way of Dallas early on Sunday morning. We touched down in Austin on time even though we flirted with a possible side trip to Abilene to refuel. We were dealing with heavy fog in the Dallas area and made several stomach churning loops in a holding pattern.

During my time in Austin, I was able to see a sizeable area of downtown. I made a pilgrimage to UT, Mellow Johnny’s Bike Shop, and the original Whole Foods! We also took a walking tour of 6th Street and had the authentic Austin experience of live music – I think my favorite locale was Maggie Mae’s where they had ‘live band karoke’! Austin is a wonderful town for runners – that’s for certain!

The Takeaways
My time at this conference left me feeling rejuvenated, inspired, and full of passion! I am itching to do more for my Girls and my community! It also forced me delve into myself. In some ways that sounds really narcissistic, but it’s not meant that way. I think we really need to know ourselves – who we are and what we stand for, in order to be ready to give of ourselves fully.

I really started thinking about my own experience of “being a girl”. I think I’ve just realized how lucky I was growing up and how much thanks I truly owe to my mom. I was never told, “No, you can’t do X because you’re a girl.” Any activity I was interested in was fully and completely supported by my mom. I NEVER felt like my gender determined what I could do with my life!

It also never occurred to me that many girls and women did and do go through life feeling that they couldn’t attempt something meaningful to them due to their gender! Hello, wake up call!!! Take the rose colored glasses off! I feel like such a doofus for not realizing this sooner!!!

So this realization is helping me to determine what I NEED to do – the GOOD WORK that needs to be done!!

I started thinking about what the ‘good work’ would look like when I got home…and I believe there are three facets of impact I need to persue. These are the questions and queries I need to keep in mind so I can live and love BIG!

What does it look like on a personal level?
I need to define what drives me.
I need to explore and share my gifts.
I need to cultivate and grow my confidence on the inside.
I need to surround myself with women who are also confident on the inside.

I feel like I get bogged down in the mundane minutiae of life and that stops me from truly enjoying my experiences! I must keep the big picture in mind and enjoy the moment!

What does it look like for the girls?
I need to model first and teach second.
I need to be willing to be seen in order to be understood.
You gotta’ walk the walk if you’re gonna’ talk the talk!

What does it look like for my community?
It really does take a village. We are all responsible for our children. I heard this quote at the conference and it really struck a chord.

You can’t build a future for your youth but you can build youth for our future. - FDR

This is what I want! This is what is right!

Thank You’s
Not that I think anyone really reads this blog, but I have to put this positive energy out there in to the universe…so, here goes.

Molly –
Thank you for your inspiration, your passion, and your enthusiasm! I had to pinch myself every time I was in your presence – seriously! The gift you have shared with the countless girls who have participate in GOTR is amazing! You are a changing force in the world!

Jenny –
After hearing you speak, my initial reaction was “YES!”. You ‘get it’ and 'give it'! The power of running is truly amazing – it provides the opportunity for personal discovery and the cultivation of one’s true potential. Not just in a physical sense, but, more importantly, spiritually and mentally! You are such a steward for our sport – and for women!

Jill –
Thank you for believing in me and giving me the opportunity to be a part of something powerful. I am so thankful you took a chance on Garfield County and I am so excited to explore and seize the opportunities we have.

Melanie –
Thank you for ALL of your support and encouragement getting GarCo up and running - literally! You are a amazing woman – I have learned so much from you – you are always ‘grace under fire’!

I have found my passion – I will continue to explore and define how to do what is right for me, my ‘family’ (the Girls and women of the world), and my community. I want to share the fire and passion with any and all who will listen! Molly – I think you’ve created a monster!!! ☺

A Week Late and $7.00 Short - The Las Vegas Marathon Race Report

The primary reason I decided to run this race was so I could shake the 4 hour marathon monkey off of my back. When I ran The Little Grand Canyon Marathon back in September I knew I could get closer to 4 hours than I did if I had a little help from Mother Nature - by way of weather and terrain.

I cut back my training a bit through October to focus on the half-marathon I ran in Moab and to give myself a little break. Through the last part of October and November I ramped up my training to 45-53 miles per week to prepare for this marathon.

In addition to the increased mileage I added in some weekly speed work and a tempo-ish run every other week. My training looked something like this...

Sunday: Long Run (ranging from 14-21 miles)
Monday: Recovery Run (usually 1/4 to 1/3 the distance of my Long Run)
Tuesday: Cross Training
Wednesday: Medium Long Run (half the distance of my Long Run) OR Medium Long Run with 6-8 miles at Goal Marathon Pace - I alternated these weekly.
Thursday: Easy Run (4-6 miles)
Friday: Yasso's 800's (built from 4 to 8 with 1 mile warm up and cool down)
Saturday: Rest Day

The speedwork and tempo runs definitely gave me confidence going into this attempt - but I wasn't sure if it would be enough.

On to the race....

Bret and I headed for Vegas on Friday afternoon and after a long and boring drive through Utah we were in awe at the sea of lights that is Vegas!

Our plan for Saturday was to visit the expo at Mandalay Bay to pick up our race packets and then see the sights on The Strip. Our hotel was about a 1 mile walk to Mandalay Bay which wasn't too terrible but it was awfully blustery.

The expo was really crowded so we didn't spend too much time there. I did check out the pacing booth and found out that Matt Manning would be the pacer for the 4 hour group. I recognized his name as a RWOL forumite who recently completed a double-triple marathon streak. I know I was in good hands for this attempt.

When we left the expo we headed toward the casinos on The Strip. I'm not a big fan of giving my money away but it was fun to see all of the casinos and the opulence that is Las Vegas. Everything is bigger and better - apparently!

I think we over did the walking on Saturday. I was wearing my old trail shoes to walk around in which was a bad call. I kept having shooting pain in my left hip which has given me all sorts of trouble over the past year or so. I have recently been seeing a chiropractor to get everything all put together - and it's been helping, but after all of the pain I was seriously having my doubts about Sunday!

Fast forward to 3:30 a.m. on Sunday morning. The weather report was not promising and not what I expected for Las Vegas at this time of year. Temps were supposed to be in the 30's at the start and nearing 40 by the end and overcast.

Bret is not a big fan of early mornings - much less when it involves running. :) We caught the shuttle from the hotel to Mandalay Bay at 5:00. After we arrived we hung out in a huge lobby area waiting to head towards the start. During this time I was trying to push the doubts of being able to run 9:00/mile out of my head. I decided on my mantra for the times when the going got tough - "forward; finish". The training was there - I needed to trust it.

I found the 4:00 hour pace group heading out towards the start line but I didn't see Matt - oh no! He found us in the corral and it was a matter of waiting for the start.

The spectacle at the start line was unlike any other I've experienced - show girls, Bengal tigers, and fireworks! There's nothing like Vegas style for a race! We were staged in Coral 7 and were about 15 minutes behind the gun.

The first mile lead us south on the strip and then north again near the "Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas" sign. As we neared the 1 mile marker there was a lot of "traffic" - apparently the coral start wasn't working as effectively as it should have. The marker was short by about .1 miles according to my Garmin, but none the less my split was 9:22. Crap I already had time to make up!

Miles 2-7 were pretty spectacular - being able to run on The Strip was so cool! It was a great way to see all of the casinos, lights, and craziness of Las Vegas. Crowd support wasn't great, but hey, I don't have that on my runs either. :) Around mile 7 I thought I was warming up (finally) and decided to throw my mittens to the side of the road - big mistake! After the slow start (I was passing race-walkers - how did they get ahead of me in the corals?) our pace group had some time to make up. I'm not sure if these faster miles made a difference later in the race, but it did help to get out some nervous energy.

Mile 2 - 9:25
Mile 3 - 8:37
Mile 4 - 8:47
Mile 5 - 8:25
Mile 6 - 8:45
Mile 7 - 9:04

We settled into a nice pace after the turnaround and the traffic started to spread out. Around mile 10 the marathoners split off from the 1/2 marathoners and headed West of the strip. I have no clue where I was running to but I just kept going.

Mile 8 - 9:10
Mile 9 - 9:03
Mile 10 - 9:03
Mile 11 - 9:02
Mile 12 - 8:58
Mile 13 - 9:12

At the 1/2 I knew I had about 3 minutes "in the bank" - so I was figuring if I could keep my pace between 9:10 and 9:13 for the rest of the race I would be okay. Apparently that's easier said than done.

Between miles 14 and 17 I was getting really uncomfortable because of the cold. My legs were feeling great - but my hands were bothering me. They were getting red and puffy. My concern was how to warm them up. I decided I needed to ditch my water bottle and find a pair of gloves. I figured since I threw my gloves away chances were pretty good that someone else did too. So I kept scanning the ground for a pair of discarded gloves. I guess my attention was too focused on getting warm and this is where I fell behind the pace group. Crap!

Mile 14 - 9:04
Mile 15 - 8:58
Mile 16 - 9:31

Mile 17 was really good to me! I found a pair of gloves but I just couldn't catch up to that pace group. I knew my chances of 4 hours were slipping away but I wanted to keep giving it a fair chance. I threw the water bottle at mile 18 and just focused on going "forward" and getting to the "finish".

Mile 17 - 9:25
Mile 18 - 9:33
Mile 19 - 9:39

While I was heading towards the last turn around I was able to see the sub-3 - 3:30 runners heading towards the finish - so inspiring to see them looking so comfortable at such a fast pace!

When I crossed the 20-mile chip mat I knew I wasn't going to hit the sub-4 goal. Based on my splits for the previous 3 miles there was no way I could make up that kind of time. My legs still felt great, but not that great! I started with some negative self-talk, and self pity and I don't think it was a coincidence that mile 20 was my slowest mile.

Mile 20 - 10:10

I decided that the last 10K would get everything I had left to give. Since I threw my water bottle I had to stop at the aid station for water and Cytomax and decided to walk through them but to keep going forward!

I was definitely surprised by how good I was still feeling for the last 6 miles. I was able to pass many people during this stretch which was giving me some confidence.

Mile 21 - 9:42
Mile 22 - 9:57
Mile 23 - 9:22
Mile 24 - 9:22

As I spotted the pyramid at the Luxor I knew the end was in sight. The course meandered over a couple of over passes and I almost laughed out loud - knowing that these were the "hills" on the course.

Mile 25 - 9:53
Mile 26 - 9:36
Mile .41 - 3:36

Garmin Time 4:04:43
Chip Time 4:04:44

I guess I could make lots of excuses for the reason I got so close to 4 hours but not quite. But I can't change anything in the past so I am okay with the results. I had a great time on the course - I felt great throughout the race - and I know that I'll shake that monkey next time. I learned a lot about how to train for this distance this time around so I'll be ready to try again. Not sure when that will be, but it will happen.

Oh - and Bret had a great day on the half-marathon course too! He finished in 2:15:xx - which was amazing considering this is what he looked like 15 minutes before the start...


















He looked a lot better after the race...


















I love that he has a winter hat and coat on with a palm tree in the background!!!























Bret enjoying his crawfish at Hot n' Juicy!!! Great post-race refreshment!!!

This One's for Kodiak...

I am so ditzy when it comes to updating this blog. So I never realized that I didn't put up a race report for The Other Half Marathon that I ran about a month ago.

So - here it is.

I was excited about running this race, as it's the only one that I haven't run in Moab. It starts up at the end of the canyon at the sight of the Old Dewey Bridge (that's no longer there). This section of the canyon is quite a bit hillier than the end that's closer to town - so I wasn't so sure how this race would pan out.

My training partner/teaching partner and I had a little "strategy session" a few days before the race. She definitely wanted to finish in under 2:00:00 and closer to 1:55:00. I didn't really have a goal in mind - but that sounded good to me. So we accounted for the flat beginning, the hills in the middle, and the grind to the end. We figured we needed to run 8:45 average splits in order to hit the 1:55:xx goal. We were planning on going out around 8:30 for the first 6 - 7 miles and slowing down on the hills to 9:30 (at the slowest).

The best part about this race experience is that a lot of my local friends were running it and for many of them it was their first 1/2 marathon. I remember being in their shoes about two years ago and was so excited for them!

We headed down to Moab on Saturday afternoon and drove the course on the way in. We stopped at Dewey Bridge to take some pictures. It was a gorgeous day - upper 70's and sunny! As we drove the course we were all enamoured by the magestic red rock spires and formations. So unreal! We also noticed the hills -- yeah - they were nothing to ignore, but nothing too unmanageable.

After picking up our packets we checked in to the hotel and met up with a couple of other friends who were in town to do the race. We all had a date with our friend Miguel at the Baja Grill for some serious Mexican food! Portabello enchiladas? Yes please! We also filled up the tanks at the diner with some after dinner ice cream!

Race day morning I hiked over to Starbucks for some pre-race fuel - coffee!!! I enjoyed a cup of Pike's Place while I downed my oatmeal. The weather was supposed to get pretty toasty towards noon so I made some last minute wardrobe adjustments and headed out to catch the bus.

The busses deposit the runners at the top of the canyon. It was a mad dash to claim a spot near one of the bon fires they light to keep everyone warm before start time.

As it got closer to race time I took my drop bag and my TP's bag to the truck. As I tossed it over the edge of the truck I thought I heard someone calling my name. It turns out that my TP left her Garmin in the bag - that I had just thrown into the truck. Oops! It was really up to me to get this pacing gig right! Yikes!

There aren't any formal pace groups at the Moab races but there are signs for different pace groups - so my TP and I made a guess at where we should be and hoped we were in the right spot.

The scenery was so incredible! I feel so blessed to live in this part of the country!! The first six miles just rolled by - totally uneventful.

Mile 1 - 8:42 (a little bit of weaving and bobbing)
Mile 2 - 8:24
Mile 3 - 8:25
Mile 4 - 8:37 (yeah - we needed to slow it down)
Mile 5 - 8:41 (not that slow!)
Mile 6 - 8:33

The hills started around mile 6.5 and continued until around mile 11. At mile 11 or so I told my TP that if she wanted to beat her 1:55:xx goal she could just cruise and if she fell back I'd hold steady for the 1:55:xx finish. She took off - looking great! I just kept on keeping on.

Mile 7 - 8:37
Mile 8 - 9:38
Mile 9 - 8:46 (ah - a little down hill!)
Mile 10 - 9:08
Mile 11 - 8:47
Mile 12 - 8:49
Mile 13 - 8:19

The finish was at Sorrel River Ranch which is such an idyllic river side resort. Once I rounded the last corner to cross the bridge and put the pedal to the metal - passed a few people - and crossed the finish line. So much fun!

Mile .1 - 7:12

Overall time was 1:54:30 - 8:44/mile.

The best part was seeing all of my friends cross the line looking so strong and happy! I really can't wait to do this race again - perfect day, perfect course, perfect weather, perfect friends, AND perfect execution of the pacing plan - can't ask for anything more!!!

I'll probably add some pictures later on.

On The Road Again...

Racing season is in full swing but I feel like I'm missing out on a lot of it since my marathon was so early in the "fall" and I'm focusing on another marathon in early December. I have to constantly remind myself that the local 5K's every weekend are not my focus. Frustrating. I have been planning on running The Other Half in Moab for about the past year and that's what's on the radar this weekend! I'm so excited to do this race, a little apprehensive, but excited!

A whole bunch of gals who I work with and have kids at my school are all doing this race. For many of them it will be their first 1/2 marathon and I cannot wait to share their experience with them! We'll be heading down to Moab on Saturday morning and the race is on Sunday morning (weird - this is the first Sunday race I've ever done in Utah!).

I'll be running the course with my good friend and training partner. We've decided our goal is 1:55:xx but since the course gets pretty hill between miles 7-11 it'll be an experiment. We've talked about our pacing plan and realized that we'll probably run positive splits because of the hills. Not crazy about that idea but we'll see how it works out!!