Running the Sahara

Spirit of the Marathon

This movie was suggest for me to watch by my friend and fellow Marathon Maniac Angie. Since I was trying to ramp up my running "spirit" to believe I could run 3 marathons in 7 days I decided to watch this.

The movie web site says: "Are you familiar with our movie? The film is a must see for anyone thinking about running a marathon and anyone who has run one or more. It's also a must see for anyone wondering why thousands of people spend many months training for such an event. It celebrates the history and heroes of the sport and examines the personalities and training methods of the participants.

It is the first film to capture the story, drama and ultimate essence of the legendary 26.2 mile running event. Filmed globally in North America, Europe, Africa and Asia, the movie brings together a diverse cast of amateur athletes and marathon luminaries.

As six unique stories unfold, each runner prepares for and ultimately faces the challenge of the Chicago Marathon. More than a sports movie, Spirit of the Marathon is an inspirational journey of perseverance and personal triumph; a spectacle that will be embraced by runners and non-runners alike."

What an interesting, fun movie, and very motivational. I enjoyed the approach of showing the preparation of the different runners. What is so cool is that the marathon is a race for everyone, not just the elite runners. The accomplishment can be felt by anyone who has the desire to train for one. And yes, you will never be quite the same once you have run one.

Movie web site: http://www.marathonmovie.com/film.html

Ogden Half Marathon

This is a great half. It first starts out with

Goldilocks

The bike ride has finally arrived. Too bad I didn't condition myself for it. I did give my bike the once over, pumped up the tires, cleaned it off. Wish me luck.

I love to dress up for events. Even though I do love biking, dressing up makes it a little extra fun. And since it was the day before mother's day which is a special one where I love to wear pink and think of my family and friends, some breast cancer survivors, some who fought bravely and lost the battle. I wore my pink goldilocks braids for the ride, my safety vest, Goldilocks jersey, hot pink compression socks and pink gloves

 

Marsha rides the Goldilocks

This year I rode the race with Liz and her cousin from Riverton. We met before the race in the parking lot and walked our bikes up to the starting area. Liza and ?? were fun to ride with, they were both stronger riders than me. They waited for me a lot once we got off the downhill portion of the course. Right by house at the Artic Circle Liz got a flat tire and we called Jan to help us. He came right over and in the meantime the Papa Bear's also showed up. We should have changed the tire, not just pumped it up as it later went flat again. When we came to the last of the ride Liz went on ahead so she could get done and get out of the heat.

This is my third year in a row to participate in this ride. Although Dani did a great organizational job as always, I probably won't be back to ride again. Riding around Herriman, South Jordan and Riverton is just not scenic. And with her 10am start time for the 40 mile route, getting to the final lunch stop at 2pm because I am a slow rider is just so not fun. It got hot, there was lots of construction, and the end of the ride is uphill. Since I was out of biking shape it was just too much for me.

Liz Gotter rides the Goldilocks.

I usually only write about positive things here in my blog, but I also write about things I learn too, so I am going to write about this because it has impacted my life, in a good way because of some great Marathon Maniac friends. My former friend Cyndie Nell thought it appropriate when she saw me alone on my bike to roll down her window and yell out her car window and call me a "dumb bitch" as I neared the finish line. We had about a year of fun times together, but at that moment it seemed like she was 41 years old going on 13 and no good history. It was very sad. In her mind I schemed against her in several different incidents and didn't put any where near as much into the friendship as she did and this is what it came down to for her. It hurt my feelings and so hopefully that made her feel better. This picture of her below, with her daughter beside her makes me sad because she did this to me with her daughter Tess in the car.

And what good came out of this incident? Well, Operation Dolores Umbridge that's what!

Provo Half Marathon

"Thou Shalt Run"

Start the running season off right by testing your grit at this year’s Provo City Half Marathon! This downhill course is perfect for the rookie or the seasoned veteran, so be a part of this year’s race and earn yourself a blazing fast PR! The race start at South Fork Park up Provo Canyon and finishes in downtown Provo, at the intersection of Center Street & University Ave. Live music, great food, entertainment and activities for the whole family await you at the finish line. As the original downtown Provo race, we are ready to prove once again that Provo knows how to have a good time!

Jan & Marsha out for some Saturday fun.

We are calling on all kids to come be a part of the Provo City Marathon this year by participating in the Kids Marathon! We hope to encourage healthy lifestyles by creating a challenging but fun event for children in School Grades K – 6. Here is how it works: Register your child for the Provo City Kids Marathon. Download the Kids Running Log and keep track of each mile your child runs by signing the log. In order to earn a finisher’s medal, each child will need to run a total of 25 miles before May 5th and on race morning he or she will run the final 1.2 miles with all the other children registered for the Kids Marathon.




Stats for the half marathon race, Jan and I and friends:

1500

Marsha

Monson

Riverton

UT

56

F 55-59

F

3:23:45

3:25:35

15:33/M

1092

690

6

1501

Jan

Monson

Riverton

UT

57

M 55-59

M

3:23:45

3:25:35

15:33/M

1093

403

17

1307

Liz

Gotter

Orem

UT

32

F 30-34

F

2:33:21

2:35:10

11:42/M

985

615

151

1079 Christy Flowers Ogden UT 65 F 65-69 F 2:22:23 2:23:30 10:52/M 887 535 2

Marathon:

188

John

Wollenzien

Orem,

UT

34

M 30-34

M

3:52:12

3:52:13

8:52/M

81

58

14

256

Jonathan

Crampton

Pl Grove

UT

50

M 50-54

M

4:06:22

4:06:30

9:24/M

105

72

4

Jason Gotter                 Christy Flowers

John Wollenzein - GO John!!!

Jonathan Crampton - Utah Pacers