Top of Utah 1/2 Marathon, Man Vs. Mud 5K, and Peach Days 10K

To say that life has been crazy lately would be an understatement. And until I get to a catch up post, here's a catch up race post! Each race really deserves it's own but since I've been such a slacker they're gonna get lumped all together. Which is fitting because that's how my life feels right now.

The Top of Utah Half: this really is such a great course. It's the sweet part of the marathon between miles 7 and 20 and is so beautiful. It's the canyon that I spent most of my dating dates with my husband so I love to reminisce as we run down it. I can pick out certain fishing spots and a certain place where we fogged up his windows one night. And I've run it the last 3 years so I knew that no matter what shape I was in that I was going to have to run it again.

It's a perfect end of summer event. I felt so good for most of the race. The last couple of miles were tough but only because I was having some shoe issues. I've really been lucky (code word for blessed) because I was offered a chance to try some Invisible Shoe huarache style sandals. I will be doing a full review on them later but the bottom line is that I LOVE them. However, I found during a test run in the 4mm thin style that I could feel the knot after about 8 miles. I wound up having to wear these ones during the half and the last 6 miles felt like I was stepping on a rock with every step. Not comfy. I'm not sure yet if I'll just get used to it or if the 6mm ones are going to have to be my choice for over a certain mileage. Time will tell.

Tough or not, I finished in 2:04 and was pleased. Not a PR but it was a good day none the less.

The next weekend me and 5 of my friends battled the Man Vs. Mud 5K. It had 27 obstacles and I really didn't think we'd be doing much running at all. I was surprised that it really did have some good stretches in between challenges.

The Hot Mudders!

There were 4 HUGE slip and slides with the last one ending in a giant mud puddle.

My favorite challenges were the very long mud trough, the mud pit at the end, and the army crawl through the mud. Our team was the Hot Mudders and we all had such a great time. It was my most favorite run to date. I don't mind getting dirty normally but this was extreme and it was a blast!

I've never been so dirty or had so much fun in all my life.

I stood in the shower with my clothes on and then proceeded to strip. I didn't ever think the water would be clear again or that I'd get the mud out of my nose, ears, and hair. What a blast!

The next weekend was Peach Days. They have one of the oldest races (started in 1974) in Utah and also one of the toughest. This was the first race I ever ran. But I have become very picky when it comes to running it. If the weather is bad I just won't do it. A couple of people have died doing this race. This year it was nice, so the night before I decided to run it.

Fresh peaches at the finish.

I had been having a crappy running week. I tripped on the Wednesday before while running around the block barefoot with my son. I had my glasses on and misjudged the distance while stepping up a curb. I tweaked my ankle and limped a little but thought everything was fine. After the 10K I realized that it was not completely back to normal yet and that maybe I shouldn't have run on it. However, I did manage a 6 minute PR from the last time I ran it 3 years ago and finished with a time of 55:26. Some said the timer was off by a minute but I'm not sure so I'll just go with what they gave me. It was still a pretty great day! And I promise that I'm going to get caught up with all of you!