Outside the Ice Half Marathon

Marsha, Teota, Angie and Liz.

Half marathon number 14 for me, and for Liz number 20. Way to go Liz. Teota is racking them up too and headed for double digits. She and Angie have a lot of 26.2 on their calendars instead of 13.1.

Today was a well run race, a bit of a late start but not too bad. The timing system was working excellent and it was nice to hear our names and laps called out towards the end of the race. Fewer people at this race then at the New Year's Revolution Run.

This will probably be my last 13.1 on this track. Running on the cement just kills the legs. I thought it was just me, but I talked to others who had the same problem. I hope I remember that when the next race comes around.

Ran mostly with Liz, Teota, and Marcie also joined us for a few laps.

My time was 3:04:00

Tinkerbell Half Marathon

The medal is even more beautiful in person.

What a fun trip and race this was. I was able to go with Cyndie and her friend Sue. The drive down was very comfortable and the weather good. We were very fortunate with the mild winter weather. We stayed at a hotel right near Disneyland, which made going shopping in Downtown Disney, visit Disneyland, going to the expo and the race itself very convenient.

I bought a 3-day park hopper pass for Disneyland and California Adventure. I love to pin trade and so I was prepared with many pins I purchased on ebay to trade. Walking around both the parks for 3 days probably wasn't the best strategy for resting before running a half marathon, but I sure had fun doing it anyway.

Cyndie and Sue took a beach day and they also went to see "WICKED" the same evening.

On the carpet when entering the expo.

The expo for Tinkerbell was a lot of fun and very well organized. Lots and lots of vendors, I bought several running things for me and some gifts for Jan. At the expo I met Jeff Galloway for the first time. His run/walk method taught to me by Cyndie has made my running a very fun part of my life.

Jeff Galloway and me.

Race day is always exciting to see how a costume comes together and whether we will have any wardrobe malfunctions. The "wings" were quite the challenge but I still enjoyed wearing them. Here are all three of us race ready.

Cyndie very cute in her pink.

Me as Tinkerbell.

Sue wearing her colorful shoes.

   

The race went very well. A few wardrobe problems while running in the costume for the first time, but overall not too bad. I will make some changes for next year, I was a bit warm with the double shirt on. I struggled a bit during this race and Cyndie and Sue were gracious and we all stayed together.

Bib 5121 I finished this race in 3:06:12. The winner in my age group 55-59 was from West Jordan, she finished in 1:50:12. Yeah, people my age can run faster.

I am hoping to do this race again next year so that I can get this medal for running in Florida and California in the same year.

 

Rock N Roll Arizona

I have been looking forward to running a Rock 'n' Roll event ever since I heard about them. Having live music along the course sounded fun. I started talking about it early, and it ended up being a family affair which made it even more special.

To start off the adventure Cyndie and I drove to Arizona together. Because of the mild winter temperatures we were experiencing we were able to take what I call the scenic route, going though the beautiful mountain town of Flagstaff. When we arrived in Surprise Cyndie dropped me off at Alicia's house and she drove on to see her parents who were vacationing in AZ.

I got some rest time in after the long drive before Alicia and the grand-kids arrived home that evening. It was fun spending time with Violet, Marley and Zeke. That evening we went for some Chinese take-out for dinner. I loaded up my container with lots of delicious food.

Violet gave up her bed for me to sleep in, she had it all nice and cozy with a cute tent around it. She was sweet and slept on the couch.

The next day was packet pickup day. Parking in downtown Phoenix is not real fun. And we were on a limited time budget because Alicia had to be at work. Even though our time at the expo was short I had a good time. While we were there Neal showed up to pick up his and Aspen's packets.

After the expo Violet and I dropped off and then we went to lunch and shopping together for the afternoon. Our first stop was Subway, where we got a sandwich. I found out that her favorite sub sandwich is the meatball one. After lunch we headed to the mall for some shoe shopping. We had a good time together.

Before leaving the shopping center we bought 3 smoothies and headed to pick up Alicia from work.

Fast forward and soon it is time for me to spend a little time with Neal and more grand-kids! How cool is that. We loaded up Alicia's family and drove to Gilbert AZ to Neal's apartment. I was sure enjoying the nice Arizona winter temperature. We needed groceries to feed this big group so Grandma Monson watched the grandchildren while Neal and Alicia went shopping and to do some errands. That was a lot of kids for me in a small area.....I had to get out my patience-o-meter but they all did great. It was fun to see them play together.

We had some nice sandwiches, chips, and cookies for lunch. And for dinner that evening we made some spaghetti and french bread. Gotta get those carb's in for race day. Our bonus of the evening was having Mark and Brittiany arrive from Florida to run with us. All my kids running a half marathon with me. I would have never guessed years ago that we would ever do something like this together. Especially since none of us were runners.

Ready to run 13.1

So here are the stats for this family half marathon:

First Half Marathon, 13.1 miles: Neal, Aspen, Mark & Brittiany

Second Half Marathon: Alicia

13th Half Marathon: Me at 56 years old

So the recap, this was going to be a special day for me. First, running with all my kids. Second, running with my granddaughter Aspen. Third, all of us running to support Alicia. And finally, running with 3 generations. How very amazing is that. Yes, it was one of those moments for me.....

Race day dawns early, and this one was no exception. We had a bit  of a drive to get to the start line and we were concerned about parking and also finding Alicia before the race. Everything turned out great, we had plenty of time to get to the race start area and find our corral. We stowed some gear at the UPS truck drop (very cool). We went towards the back because we knew we'd be slow. We didn't realize we'd put ourselves back with the walkers. Oh well, it gave us lots of people to pass.

One of the fun things I like about races is dressing up to run in them. Not sure where that comes from but something about running needs to be fun, right? So I'd put a lot of planning into what I was going to wear to this Rock 'n' Roll run. I decided to go with a 50's diner look with a puffy skirt, white shirt and matching scarf around my neck. I bought a costume at Costume Craze and then modified it to run in. It worked great, no wardrobe malfunctions.

Running the half together went slow and pretty steady. We had a few extra walk breaks but not very many. Alicia was having some issues with her new seizure medication, getting it to be regulated during exercise. Since the hardware in her ankle is now out things are better, but her foot was still falling asleep. Brittiany was recovering from a broken foot. Aspen was bouncing around and having fun and got a side ache, but she worked through that. We were blessed with overcast weather, so no sun beating down on us.  

Finally the moment we've all been running for, the finish line!!! Here we are all running across it together, glad to finally be done.

Coming across the finish line together.

Here we are with our medals.

Aspen & Grandma Monson

What We Believe We Can Achieve

What we believe we can achieve. There are always thoughts of doubt, pessimism, and worries battling for control over our minds. When we defeat these doubts, when we believe in a positive outcome, the results will always be good.

Look Within and Live Happily Ever After

New Year's Half Marathon

What a way to start the New Year right >>> run half marathon number 11. This half was put on by a fellow Marathon Maniac, Jonathon Crampton.

My time was 3:14:58. Not a PR, but it wasn't about that today. Plus, they don't happen that often for me.

New Year's Revolution Run

Utah Marathon Maniacs
Liz, Sue, Angie, Cyndie, Teota, Marsha and Teresa.

For the last run of the year the Utah Marathon Maniacs came out to run the New Year's Revolution Run at the Utah Olympic Oval. Circling on a concrete track was not an ideal situation, but we had fun. We were able to visit with each other and since we all run different speeds we were able to see each other several times during the race. Another nice thing the aid station and restrooms were available every .442 miles which doesn't happen in many races.

Playing dress up, one of the perks of running.

Jan & Marsha ready for a new year.

Stats for the race:
Marsha  55 laps for a half marathon (47.75 laps)
Jan  26 laps

Christmas Eve Run

What better way to start out Christmas than having a morning run on Christmas Eve. The Utah Marathon Maniacs met at the Fashion Place Mall for an out and back run to Murray Park. After running behind the mall we took Fashion Blvd and started running toward the park. We'd been given verbal directions to the park and the faster runners soon disappeared into the sunrise.

It was a pretty cold morning, 20 degrees, and so I was wearing my new face mask to keep from getting a frozen face. It was nice to be out running with maniac friends. I was in the slower pace group and we didn't circle around all of Murry Park to save us some time. It was a nice, safe run.

When we returned to the mall it was picture time! After that many of us went into the Corner Bakery for a warm breakfast. Here come all the calories I just burned off. Oh well, what are the holidays for.

Festive Christmas Light Run

What a fun evening this was, running with the Utah Marathon Maniacs to look at Christmas lights. The run started and ended at Teresa and Bob's home. Everyone ran at their own pace, Bob stayed back with the slower group so that we could stay on the right route. The best lights were around Teresa's neighborhood. It was pretty cool out, but the thoughts of hot chili after kept us running.

After we got back I had to change my shirt, I was soaked after running in my bike jacket and Christmas hat. My hair looked like I took a shower. I just can't run without the heat escaping out my head.

The food looked and tasted delicious. Teresa had her home and the tables decorated really beautiful. The turkey chili was delicious, so was the salad and bread. Well it was all good.

Stats for the run: 4.46 miles, 58:55 minutes.

California International Marathon - A PR!!!!!

California State Capital

Getting ready for this exciting marathon has been quite a busy week for me. Whenever I am getting ready to go out of town there is always a lot to do. I've been make lists and trying not to forget anything. This trip was a fun one with two purposes, visit Nancy and run my 3rd marathon ever.

My destination, Sacramento, CA. Since Nancy lives in Elk Grove I will be staying with her. This will be the first time in years I have stayed there since mom's house is sold just a couple of weeks ago. Liz, who is also running, is staying with her sister in Folsom.

The marathon I am running is the CIM or California International Marathon. This 26.2 race has been run on the same course for 29 years. 

Day one, Thursday December 1st I arrived at the newly built Terminal B at the Sacramento International Airport. Not knowing that it had a new terminal I was quite shocked that I had to get on a people mover, looked like a fast train. I had to take a long escalator down from the third floor to the first. My plane, which took off late from Salt Lake because of high winds arrived 20 minutes early because of a tail wind. It took Nancy a few minutes to arrive at the airport, but she soon picked me up. It was a new experience for her because everything looked different and she had to pay close attention to the new signs to find me.

After she picked me up we went to lunch at the Subway in Elk Grove by her house. After lunch one place I like to go in Elk Grove is Pet Club. It is a discount store that sells the two treats I feed my dogs at the best price. After that stop we went to her local running store to look around. Then it was on to Kohl's for some shopping time together. We really had a good time just being together. I bought quite a few things for Sunday wear. It was really nice. Soon it was evening and we went to dinner and then to the grocery store. Finally, home to Nancy's where I was greeted by Aiden & Gizmo.

Now this is what a call enough porta potties.

Day two, Friday December 2nd. Nancy and I spent time with the dogs in the morning and then she drove me out to Folsom to look at the rolling hills in the marathon course. We went to the start line, easy to spot because there was the longest row of porta potties I've ever seen. Since I was concerned about the size of the rolling hills it was nice to see that they weren't steep. We only went a few miles, but it made me feel better to see the terrain. This was so helpful and I was able to finalize my running plan. I decided to do 2:1 right off, not the 3:1 I had planned previously. As previously planned we went to Apple Hill about 30 miles away which is a community where they grow apples. There are a few farms still open for the holiday season and we had a nice lunch and did a little shopping.

Lunch in Apple Hill, Marsha & Nancy.

Soon it was time to drive into Sacramento, go to the expo and pick up my race number and shirt. My number, issued by entrants last name, was 4917. This was a large race. At the expo there are lots of running booths with all the latest running gear. I love shopping at these.

Loved the decorations at packet pickup.

Liz and Marsha, ready to run the CIM.

I met Liz at the expo. This is her 8th marathon this year, her 13th since she started running. She is an inspiration to me. She ran one 16 days ago also. I ended up buying a small running belt called a Spi-belt. It is a small belt to put a few things in like a car key, cell phone, etc. It is pretty stretchy. Nancy & I went out for a nice pasta dinner at Strings after the expo. The carb loading has begun for me.

Day three, Saturday December 3. Today Nancy and I are going to her Sheltie club Christmas party, which is a luncheon at The Old Spaghetti Factory. I missed my Sheltie party in Utah. I had a nice time visiting with the folks, especially Nancy's friends Gayle Ann and Terry who both work with Nancy in the No-Cal Sheltie Rescue, a group who find homes for rescued Shelties. After the lunch there was a steal the gift exchange, always an exciting time. Doggie stuff. It was fun. When it was over Nancy and her two friends find a cozy corner and have a private Christmas gift exchange.

That afternoon we got back to Nancy's house and packed to go to a Courtyard Marriott in Sacramento. This was one of the 5am pickup locations for the marathon. We went out for a nice fish dinner together and then we checked into the hotel. Nancy watched as I laid out all my clothes and stuff for the race in the morning. Put my race number on my belt and my sign (made for me by Liz) on the back of my shirt. My goal to qualify to be a Marathon Maniac was one day away!!! It is quite a production to get me ready for race in the early morning. Went to bed about 9:30pm. Alarm is set for 4:15am.

Liz gave me this sign to pin on my back.

Day four, Sunday. Wake up before alarm. Turn on a small light to let my sister sleep. And start the getting ready process. I like everything to be just right. Once I've got every lotion, cute running clothes and techno gear on I am ready to eat breakfast. 1 shake, 2 cold poached eggs and a piece of bread. Then I head for the bus outside the hotel. I get in for the long ride to the start line.

Before the race, Liz and me.

When we arrive in Folsom the buses parked and waited in a line of about 5 across blocking the road. There were a lot of them. They stay so that runners can stay warm and have a place to sit until the race starts at 7am. I had to make 2 restroom trips. That's just the way it is race morning. Soon Liz arrived and it was time to line up for the start. I threw my sweat bag on the truck and we lined up.

Liz you maniac.

GO!!!! And we are off and running. My second marathon in 16 days. It was quite cool out so I kept my jacket, which I bought at a thrift store so when I warm up I will toss it to the side of the road. It will go back to a thrift store. Recycling.

Picked up my pace for this one.

Most of the course is small rolling hills. Runners call them "rollers." With the lower altitude for me they didn't seem to effect me much at all because I have trained the hills around my home at the 4200 elevation. Breathing here is a piece of cake. And they closed down the entire road for this race so there is no car exhaust to breathe. Wow. So nice and much safer. Feeling strong, I ran a few miles with Liz and then it was time to think about running my own race. My unspoken goal was 5 hours 30 minutes. When the pacer with the 5:25 sign ran by I decided to try to stay by them. I told Liz I wanted that time, she said you're strong, go for it!

It was hard keeping in the group when I run 2 min, walk 1 min. So I would run faster, get ahead, then the group would pass by me when I was walking. I did this for miles. Then it was time for my bathroom break. I got in and out quickly but I never could catch back up to that pace group. On my own I kept my time goal in site, it gave me a boost when I saw the 5:25 sign bobbing up and down ahead. I ran the race as hard as I could, loving that my sister was part of my race today and she made a couple of cheering stops along the way. I was making great time, feeling good.
Many things make a great run. The course, the aid stations, the runners, the people cheering, the weather, no waiting at a porta potty ... it was all so perfect.

Towards the end of the race I was getting a bit tired and noticed my miles weren't run as fast as I thought I was going. Mile 23 13:01.3 & Mile 24 13:26.2  I got to doing some mental math and realized that I needed to pick up my pace. So I did. Then I saw I was still a little behind and so at about 2 miles out I decided to just run in. No walk breaks. I was so close to my goal, and running in would help me to stay close to it. Mile 25 12:30.4 and Mile 26 11:59.5. Finish line here I come! 

With my sister Nancy there to witness my finish I ran in at 5:33.15 !!! A personal record for me. I had run 2 marathons in 16 days and was now a Marathon Maniac. It feels good when I accomplish something hard. 

Mesquite Tri States Marathon - A PR!!!!!

This is marathon number one in my streak of two marathons in 16 days to become a MARATHON MANIAC!!! This is a quest that started out with a 3 race scenario in 90 days, but later when I realized that the last two were only 16 days apart, and this would qualify me, I dumped the first one, sized it down to a half and decided two would work for me.

Teota, Liz, Me and Cyndie.

I love girl trips and this one was bound to be fun with Cyndie, Liz, Teota and I. Teota drove us in her nice BMW, that car has all the bells and whistles. We left on Friday morning and stopped for a sandwich on our way to Nevada. The weather was nice for us and we had a nice safe trip.
Once we arrived in Mesquite we had some time before packet pickup to check into our hotel and get settled in. The packet pickup went quick and after that we went to dinner at a restaurant in the casino. Then Teota dropped us off at our hotel a short distance away and we were headed for bed.
Races are always fun, but this one will be especially fun because two of my friends, Cyndie Nell and Teota Dangle will become Marathon Maniacs today. That special day is another 2 weeks off for me.

The amount of potties for the amount of runners did not match up. 

Hangin' before the race.

Yeah, running in the middle of nowhere!

Cyndie wearing her sign. 

Entering our second state as the race officially started in Utah.

Saw someone do the snake hop dance, only when we
got up to this point in the road it was a tarantula.

Mile countdown was backwards,
17 is Jan's favorite number.

Teota wearing her sign.

Scenery along the way.

Yes, long and lonely out there.

Some parts were very pretty.

Taking a picture of myself.

Wall near the end of the 26.2 miles.

Cyndie did her marathon maniac streak of 3 marathons in 78 days by running the Pocatello Marathon, the SoJo Marathon and finally the Mesquite Marathon. She is now maniac #4557.
It is critical to know your number when you are a maniac. Everyone's number is way cool.
Then Teota went for her streak of 3 marathons in 63 days. She ran the Top of Utah Marathon, the Marine Corps Marathon and then Mesquite. Her number is #4560.

Teota crosses the finish line "I'm a maniac, maniac..."

Teota shows off the medal.

26.2 finisher, one down, one to go in 2 weeks.

Cyndie on approach to the finish line.
She's a maniac for sure.

Cyndie finishes, get her a chair this girl
has had a rough run.

After getting lost because the race directors picked
up all the signs, Liz makes it to the finish line.
It is her fault we all want to be maniacs.

I would not do this race again, lots of hills and the race directors are unfriendly. Luckily they got the best and friendliest volunteers. Those people treated us good. 

Race stats:

26.2 miles  5:50:17

My Garmin dumped all my stats, I was very disappointed in that. Since the software update I now have to push the "reset" button to save workouts.