The day after Christmas

Have you ever noticed that there's a post race let down? No matter if you're coming off the high from a PR or grieving over a tanked race. It's like the day after Christmas. All the preparations are done. It's taken months. Plans and lists are followed religiously. You've done your best, dotted the i's and crossed the t's. Then in just a few hours time, it's over. And while you're left with an awesome medal around your neck (or a living room full of wrapping paper, empty boxes, and bows) you can't help but feel a little sadness that it's over. You know there's next time, but it's over for now. And while when you're young you have the spoils of Christmas to play with the days after, as an adult I might look kind of silly wearing my medal to the grocery store a week later. (That's not to say you can't wear it around the house with doing dishes and such.) And as added insult, there's not supposed to be any running for a week. So the thing that makes you happy and gets rid of the blues is forbidden. What's a girl to do?

Well for me I think that this time is the best for reflection. It's when the highlights seem to shine through. It's when I make plans to fix the things that didn't go well. But mostly I've been hit with this great sense of gratitude. I've become even more grateful for friendship over the last couple of days. My relationship with Heather, my other good friends, my family, and the bloggers whom I've never met, yet share and support me. Today as I reflect, I'm not focussing on possible mistakes or sadness. I'm just reveling in the feelings of friendship. It's a pretty great thing. And it makes me want to be a better friend. Thanks again to all you out there that inspire me and make me want to try again.

Salt Lake Marathon 2010

Another marathon, another learning experience. I'm still not sure what I learned yet. It could just be that marathons are hard and painful. No matter how good the training is, no matter how prepared I feel, it's still going to be hard. It IS 26.2 miles. It's pushing my body to the very limits. And just because I've done it before doesn't mean it's going to be a breeze.

Gotta have a porta potty shot!

Getting ready to start!

The half marathoners (about 4600) and the marathoners (about 1100) start together and then split apart a few miles down the road.

The day started out well enough. In fact the first 17 miles felt really good. Our pace was good and I felt like I could keep it up the whole time. I was loving the rolling hills, beautiful parks and neighborhoods and just the general feeling of race day. It was good! I didn't put on my music right away. I just listened to others runners talking along the way and got in the groove.

Once I started the music however, it carried me. Especially on the closed freeway when the song "Highway to Hell" appropriately came on. I did the salt and really couldn't believe how well my calves were doing. But my hips were aching. And if there's one rule during a marathon it would be that whatever is hurting a little at the half will be hurting 20 times worse at mile 20.

It really started to come apart around mile 18. I did some mental concentration exercises and that worked for a while, but my body took over. That was especially disappointing. I held on until about mile 19 or 20 and then threw up. The last 6 miles were the longest of my life. Those electrical shocks that run through your calves warning you of immense cramping started to show up. And then the cramping started. I did more salt and they went away by the next mile. But my hips continued to get worse. Every step was pure torture. I wanted to quit. I wanted to sit down and cry. I could see my time goal flying out the window. I was holding back my loyal running partner. And really, that was worse than the time thing. She pushed me when I didn't want to be pushed. I was grateful. We finished. There were tears. I'm o.k. though. I will have new rules for Heather to run her own race next time.

My brother and his wife surprised me by being at the finish line. He's leaving in a month for Alabama to finish out his military training and become a helicopter pilot. He's one of those things I thought about during the hard miles. So to see him there brought tears to my eyes. And then there was my sweet family. My husband that was worried and my kids, mom and sister that were proud. Heather's mom really got the water works going when she hugged me and gave me words of encouragement. As she talked about friendship and loyalty the tears just flowed. What a sweet woman. Our time was 5:02. Exactly the same time as the last time I ran this marathon. 32 minutes slower than my time goal, 14 minutes from my best time and 32 minutes faster than my worst.

The only thing that keeps me thinking about the "next time" is that sooner or later I'm going to have a really good experience. When I do, it will make all these ones that fall short of expectations seem worthwhile. I have to keep believing in that or putting myself through this doesn't seem to make much sense.

Taper Madness

I've forgotten how a good taper makes you go a little crazy. The past couple of weeks have been good. We had a really good 13 miler and then the last 5 miles of speed work. Then on Saturday we had a 10 miler. It was really a struggle. Isn't that just how it would be? Since then all of my confidence has seemed to slowly be fading away. And NOT running hasn't really helped. I had a nice 3 miler with some strides toward the end yesterday that was really good, but in my mind I kept thinking that it was only 3 miles. Nothing like 26. I have one more 3 miler before the marathon on Saturday. I know I need to wrap my head around positive thoughts. I'm just having a hard time today. The weather reports aren't helping either. Last Saturday it was predicted that it would be 56 degrees on the marathon day. That sounded just perfect to me. It meant I could still wear my vest with all the pockets and not be too hot. It would also be the temperature we've been training in. And it's my favorite temperature. Yesterday I checked the weather. It was up to 62 degrees. And this morning it's at 72 degrees. 10 degrees overnight. By the time the actual day gets here it will probably be 92. It seems like every single time I run a marathon in the spring, it just happens to be the hottest day of the year so far. And if you know me, I don't like the heat. I know I sound like a negative Nellie right now. I know I need to change my thinking. But past bad experiences at marathons are creeping in. I've been telling myself that this one was going to be different but now I'm not so sure.

So here's my plan for not freaking out:

*Spend 10 minutes each day focussing on positive thoughts. Some ideas to focus on; the great 20 miler we had, how it feels to feel good while having a good pace, the speed work, and the progression of endurance from beginning to end.

*Visualize the day of the marathon being a good run. I'm going to enjoy myself and feel good while running. It will be a good experience.

*I will not check the weather again until the night before and only then to see what I should wear. I will not freak out about warm weather.

*Focus on the things I am grateful for; a great training companion, the blogging community, the ability to run, not being injured, a supportive husband and family, the beauties of nature that I get to see while running, and the life lessons I learn from running.

Well, here we go again!

Monster Month - Done!

I've been dreading and worrying about this month ever since I typed up our marathon training schedule into a calendar. Monster marathon month. On paper it looked intimidating. Especially the 10 x 800M Yasso's that we were scheduled to do after the 20 miler. They were tough, but I did it. Actually, doing it wasn't as bad as I thought it was going to be. I need to remember to just take things one day at a time. You'd have thought running would have taught me that lesson by now. Anyway, this is what monster month looked like for me:

132 total miles.

of that 36 were speed work miles,

64 were long run miles,

8 miles ended up being a tempo run to make sure I wasn't injured,

and the rest would be recovery miles or junk miles.

I went to 3 spinning classes, did my kick boxing video 4 times, lifted weights 5 times, and lost 0 pounds. On the up side, I only woke up during the middle of the night hungry once and that was after the 20 mile run.

I doubt I will have another month like this the rest of this year. But I guess you never know.

The good news is that I'm feeling good. Really, really good. I'm more excited for the marathon than nervous. And that may be a first. I guess in a little more than 2 weeks I'll find out!

I did a no no.

I knew what I was doing was wrong, yet still did it. Have you ever been in a situation like that before? I will admit that this was a far cry from being the first time I've done this and suffered the consequences so I should know better by now, but still...

Last Thursday after I did upper body weights I went for a small 2 mile run, just to loosen everything up. It's hard to just go 2 miles when you feel good and when you get used to running more. So I decided to just add on a half a mile. Just a little .5. Well during that last .5 my IT band decided to flare up. Not just tightening, but that horrid injury mode pain. I tried stretching it, icing it but it really hurt. All day.

Friday I woke up to it feeling good. So I went to my spinning class. No pain at all. I still iced it as a precaution and stretched it really good. But by the evening the pain was coming back. I iced it some more. All the while the real debate was going on in my mind about the next day. We were going to do 18 miles. What to do? What to do?

Quite simply I need running in my life right now. Not only do I physically need it, but it is providing some much need stress relief and time to think. It is a NEED. There are so many things that are out of my control and I'm doing my best to just sit back and realize that everything will work out and I need to quit stressing. But running is what I need right now to help me do just that.

So I woke up Saturday morning and my knee hurt. I got ready and went back and forth in my mind as to whether I should go or not. I really wanted to go. I didn't want to make Heather do the run by herself and more than that, I just really wanted to go. I was excited about the route and the weather. So I decided that I'd go and if the pain got worse, I'd be a good girl and call my husband to come and get me.

18.5 miles later and I was still good. The pain never got any worse and by the end, it was actually feeling a little bit better. I was SO happy! The rest of Saturday was spent icing and stretching and icing some more. It never got any worse.

Now this left me with even more of a question of what to do this week. Should I rest it and ice it and go in and have it worked on? Should I just keep trying it out and stop if it gets bad? The thought of being injured and not being able to run makes me cry. I don't want to make it worse, but I also don't want to stop if I don't need to.

Monday I did my kickboxing video with no pain. I still iced it as a precaution. Then came a scheduled 8 miler on Tuesday. I made me promise myself that I would take it easy and get off the treadmill if it hurt at all. I'm very pleased to say that I made it the whole 8 miles and have never been so happy to go that far on the treadmill. Towards the end I had a big smile on my face and felt great. I iced again as a precaution and rolled it. Even rolling it wasn't too painful.

Today I did upper body weights again and ran 2 miles. Only 2 miles, I didn't want to push my luck. And iced again.

So at this moment, I'm chalking this up to a miracle. I'm being looked after. I think I have an angel on my side right now. I think God knows I need running. With only 4 1/2 weeks until the marathon and only one more really long run, I think I may make it. I'm going to keep praying and having faith that I'll make it to that day strong and ready to run and then stay healthy so that I can start training for the Wasatch Back Ragnar Relay in June.

As for my speed workout tomorrow... I think I'll make it an easier tempo run instead and see how I do. It's still 8 miles so I'll be sure to warm up for at least 2 miles. Then a hilly 10 miler on Saturday shouldn't be too bad. Keep me in your prayers and maybe this miracle will stick!

Quotes and Quotables and Mantras

8 1/2 miles of speedwork simply can not be done without music. I've never even attempted it before. That would be craziness. But sometimes we're forced into doing things we didn't think we could do. Halfway through my nine Yasso's my i pod died. Panic set in and I jumped off during the recovery to try and find one of my children's. I wasn't even concerned about what kind of music was on there, I just needed music. After a few minutes of futile searching, I jumped back on and the reality set in that I was going to have to do this without music. I only had 4 left. My mind started doing the math; 2 miles left plus 1 mile recovery plus 1 mile cool down = 4 miles on the treadmill without tunes. It was almost unbearable to even think about. I plugged through the first one o.k. with a song in my mind that worked pretty well. I discovered that I even have to breath while I'm singing in my mind. Weird. The second one wasn't too bad, I switched songs on the music player in my mind and made it through. The third and fourth (really the eighth and ninth repeat) however were kind of torturous. It may have been that my quads were almost screaming at this point and I was getting tired, but I really think it was the music thing. So I switched gears and went to my mantras. I've only said them out loud once to my husband and felt pretty silly. But they work and they got me through the last part of my workout. This is what I repeat in my mind in a slow and calculated way, "soft, relaxed, smooth, fast, strong." I try to picture myself being that kind of a runner. One who's got a soft step, who's limbs are relaxed, that smooth runner who looks like it's no effort at all, of course a fast runner, and one who is strong and will finish that way. Think it's hard to remember? Well, here's how my brain works: every other word starts with "s" and I can remember relaxed and fast. So today was good practice for when I'm really gonna need it. I try to visualize the last part of a marathon with me repeating those words and having them make me into that runner. It's amazing that when I say those words I feel myself relax even when I'm running fast and everything feels better. I tend to tense everything up when I have to go fast and I know that's not good. I've been practicing this for a while but it's always been underneath the beat of music. Today was good practice without any other distractions.

I also read on this blog a great post about not procrastinating those things which we think are hard to do. For me it's eating good. I'm always saying that I'll start tomorrow and her mantra is I'll quit tomorrow. That's my new plan. I can have that cookie tomorrow.

Here's another good one that talks about how habits are so much better than willpower. That's what I really need to do to permanently change my weight. I need a new lifestyle.

What are the things you do to get you through? What's your mantra?

A couple more 16 milers

A couple of weeks go by and so did a couple more 16 milers. Last weeks was supposed to be a 14 miler but we were both feeling so good after the first one and it was such a good route that we decided to just do 3 of them in a row. Last Saturday was absolutely perfect. Everything just seemed to work well and I was really feeling good. My piraformis has been bugging me a little but rolling it out and stretching has really helped it this week. I also rolled my IT bands for fun (ha!) and found that they were quite tender even though I haven't had any knee pain yet, so I've been rolling them a bit too before I get to that point.

Beautiful weather! It was almost too hot for the vest but it has so many good pockets that I needed it. And it warmed up and then cooled down so I was glad I had it. I kept taking my gloves off and then putting them back on. Today was a completely different story though. It was snowing and pretty cold.

But it is simply beautiful no matter the weather. I love running out away from the city and seeing all sorts of beauty. We saw some sandhill cranes take off in front of us last week and today we saw some gorgeous ducks circling around. I love running in the country!

I had issues with my camelbak again this week and need to get a new o-ring for the front seal. I took my husband's backpack kind again and it didn't work very well this time. I did a pretty hard upper body workout yesterday and knew I'd be sore, but the backpack just made it unbearable. I took it off less than 1/2 mile from home and felt like I'd lost a gagillion pounds. I can't do that again.

I also did 8 Yasso's this week. Eight miles of speedwork really takes it out of you! That was a challenge. Next week is 9. Yikes. What's worse is that I would rather do those than mile repeats. I hate those. I guess that's why they're so good for me.

One last thing... I've been really grateful all week for my legs. Even though they're bigger than I want them to be, I'm lucky to have them. I had forgotten about this until we were running last week and needed a distraction during a brutal 7 block uphill section coming back home. We were passing an intersection where I had been in a wreck about 15 years previous. As I began to tell her the details to distract us from the pain, I realized how lucky I really am. It was a really bad accident that totaled the car and yet none of us were seriously injured. It took the jaws of life to get me out and I got some good stitches on my head and glass dug out of my arms and face and legs, but other than that was o.k. When we went to look at the car afterwards, we couldn't see where my legs could have been. It was completely crushed. I didn't run back then, but I never could have started if I would have lost my legs. I have been pondering all this week how blessed I have been and how lucky I should feel to simply HAVE legs. No more fretting about how fat they are or how they're always injured. I just need to be grateful. And I am.

16 miler and "doing the salt"

Despite a rocky start to our 16 miler on Saturday... it turned out to be a really good run. You know, one of those runs that boosts your confidence a little and makes you believe you can actually do this stuff.

It all started with me pulling out my camelbak that goes around my waist. I'm sick of doing loops and so we were heading pretty far away from home. So that meant either stashing gatorade or packing it along. Anyway... I pulled out the camelbak and was getting ready to dump my gatorade in it and noticed some mold growing in the tube. Yuck. Get the bleach out. Clean it. Fill it up. Put it on. Run around the house like a mad woman making the last minute bathroom stop and getting my gloves and hat all the while checking out the window for Heather. This is about the point where my littlest one asks me why I'm dripping on the floor. My seal is not working. I take it off trying to figure out what's wrong and backtrack myself mopping as I go throughout the house. Frustration is setting in as now I don't know what I'm doing for hydration. I get a phone call about this time from Heather saying that she's running behind because she found mold in her camelbak. I guess it's been quite a while since we've used them. I grabbed my husband's camelbak that goes on your back and tried to transfer the gatorade unsuccessfully. Guess that meant we were stopping at 7-11 on our way out of town.

Once we finally got going we had to stop to fill up my backpack and take a final potty break at 7-11. We kept the pace nice and even and the miles just started passing by.

I am really grateful for a running partner. It means I'm not nervous being out in the middle of no where. It means conversation that ranges in topic from standing on the bathtub to get a better view of our legs, how often we shave our legs, the funny things our kids said or did during the week, movies we've seen or want to see, Adam and Eve, Abraham and Moses (we're reading the same really interesting books on the topic) and anything else that might come up in 16 miles. The only time conversation is lacking is when there are hills and I can't talk.

Speaking of hills and what they do to me... I have been struggling with some calf issues for about 8 months. There are periods where they are really bad and I have to get them worked on and then there are others where they just feel tight all the time. Then there are those occasions where I cramp during a marathon or long run. None of it is really pleasant, but I think I may have found something that works for me. While during some research (googling) I came across this article. It talks about an appropriate salt intake for runners who cramp. While I don't like to admit it, I am a sweaty, sweat sweatso. I am always dripping with sweat and quite often have a dry salty deposit left on my face and arms. I am just a salty sweater. So for the last couple of months I have been "doing the salt" before and midway during my runs. Saturday I forgot to take it until about mile 10 and began feeling the cramps coming back on. As soon as I took the salt, almost instantly, the cramping went away and I was good to finish. You know how they say that you crave what your body needs? Well I have always craved salty things more than sweets. Maybe I just need more salt. And just so that you're not worried about me, I have very low blood pressure and am trying to eat better all around so I don't believe this endangers my health. And I don't think it's for everyone. But it makes sense to me and seems to be helping.

On another side note, I drank a chocolate Ensure part way through the run and it didn't bother my stomach at all. I took about 4 swigs about 8 miles in and then 2 or 3 swigs every couple of miles until it was gone. And I must admit that chocolate milk tastes so much better than those gels.

Have you ever tried anything different on your longs runs? Do share!

What's up?

I fell off the wagon. After 6 weeks of eating pretty darn good, I crashed. Valentine's weekend was not good for me. My husband made peanut butter cookies with a Hershey's kiss on top and I bet I ate 6 of them. Not in one sitting but just one at a time spread throughout the day. They were so good. Needless to say, I went to bed with my stomach hurting Saturday night. I didn't even eat half of my dessert at our Valentine's dinner and still felt miserable. You'd think I would learn, but no. I went to bed Sunday with my stomach cursing me again. And the worst part was I felt defeated and that hurt almost as much as my stomach. I'm back on the good eating train again and yesterday was a success. I guess it was a learning experience. I've never felt so miserable. Why, oh why did I do that?

On to the good news: We ran a hilly 10 miler on Saturday and it felt good. We even pushed the last 1/2 mile and that's where I'm usually running low on push. We have a 16 miler planned for this Saturday. I hope it goes as well. My speed workouts each week are really pushing me. And I am seeing some progress in that stinkin kickboxing video. I'm able to do a little more and last a little bit longer. I still can't do the whole video without stopping. But someday I might be able to. I mixed my workouts around last week and think I've found a good combination that allows my body to heal and not be so sore for those critical runs. Here's the line up:

Monday: kickmax video 75 minutes includes punching and kicking combos, plyometrics, and leg conditioning

Tuesday: easy run 3-5 miles

Wednesday: Jillian video 50 minutes easy run 2-3 miles

Thursday: speed workout either Yasso 800's or mile repeats starting at 3 for Yasso's and working up to 10 and miles start at 2 and work up to 4 repeats.

Friday: spinning class 60 minutes

Saturday: long run 10-20 miles

Sunday: REST!

I'm going to try combining Wed and Thurs this week because of a scheduling conflict. I hope that works out.

Oh, and we've got a team put together for the Wasatch Back Ragnar Relay this year! My favorite race of all time. Our team name: Lips, Hips, and Asphalt. We're working on getting our leg assignments and then I'll develop a training plan for that! Yeah for Ragnar! I can't wait!

Miscellaneous

*My treadmill is back up and running. I haven't actually tried it yet, but plan to tomorrow. Running on a different treadmill for the past 3 weeks has made me realize how old and non smooth my 10 year old treadmill is in comparison. Still, running at home means I can run in yesterday's make up, un brushed teeth, and grubby shorts. And I don't have to find a babysitter.

*I got some weighted gloves to use in my kickmax video and it really helps wear my arms out. That's a good thing, I think.

*I ran 14 miles on Saturday. That's the longest since October's marathon. It felt good. Now if I can just psych myself up to using gels again. What are your thoughts on a nutritional drink midway through a long run? Like Ensure or Slim Fast? Anyone ever tried that?

*I finished my 30 day challenge of no sugar losing 2 pounds. Was it worth it? Well, since I've been such a junk food junkie for the last 3 months, it did cure my cravings. It took 3 weeks to do it though. I no longer feel like I NEED something good to eat right after lunch. I am allowing myself one treat a week. I am now doing a 30 chip challenge with has always been a bigger problem for me than sweets. I just love chips. I have (or used to have) a chip cabinet that is off limits to everyone else. Permission has to be granted to eat some of MY chips. Saying it out loud makes it seem worse than in my head. I am on day 6 and it's been hard. Very hard. Cucumbers are not a good substitute.

Speaking of eating... I have always had the mental attitude that because I run I should be able to eat anything I want. Many times (o.k. every single day for as long as I can remember) after the kids are in bed, I eat something good and watch a little T.V. It's my reward for surviving another day. However, as my age is creeping up there, I'm seeing that I can't continue to do this for the rest of my life. It's time for some mental changes. The one I'm currently trying to follow is that I've created a need in my body by exercising. I need to fill that need with good foods that will help my body recover and become stronger. I tell myself this over and over when I want those foods that I know don't serve any other purpose than tasting good. The only problem is that good tasting foods equals happiness to me. I will not suffer for the rest of my life by depriving myself of good tasting things. I just need to learn a little moderation and kick these cravings once and for all so I don't feel like I need to eat 5 cookies instead of just one. Or eat just a handful of chips instead of 6 or 7. I'm doing a bit better every day and that's all I can do. I know that just like running, success happens little steps at a time.

My tready's dead.

My treadmill finally bit the dust. I actually am surprised it has made it this long. 10 long years. It's been a good treadmill. And because I have a very handy husband, the replacement part is on its way. However, in the meantime, I'm having to get creative when I actually need a treadmill.

It wouldn't be so tough if 1. I didn't have a youngster with me all day long and...

2. there wasn't a mountain lion prowling our neighborhood late at night and early in the morning. Yep, I live at the base of a mountain. 3 houses and I'm there. I have known for years that there have been mountain lions up there, but this year he's been spotted down and around the neighborhood a lot. He's been spotted at 9:00 at night 2 doors away from us and at 6:30 in the morning a couple of houses over. He's also left tracks in the snow all around us. Besides me peeling myself off my pillow early in the morning, this is just another reason why running early early seems a little crazy to me. Of course, I'm already paranoid about running alone in the dark so that doesn't help. Problem # 1 then comes into play because we do not have a gym that has daycare and I feel extremely guilty asking someone to watch him while I go for a run. So, I've had to do my speed work at the gym at 4:30 in the afternoon in between dance car pools for my girls. I hate showering and getting ready more than once a day. As much as I detest that treadmill, I will be so glad when it's fixed and I can get back to my normal routine.

On another note: I started a new weight video this last week hoping that it would help me get more out of my weight work outs. If I watched the Biggest Loser more than once I would have known better than to choose a Jillian DVD. It is pure torture. Every single second. My 12 miler on Saturday didn't go very well because I was so sore from trying to do it 3 times last week. I have decided that I either need to quit doing weights on Friday so that I'm not sore for those long runs or suck it up and just keep doing it and get used to it so that I'm not sore. I'm still undecided. And right now might be a bad time to do it because I just finished doing it once again. Torture.

I might be a dog killer and I know what it feels like to be a mob snitch

I hesitate to say "dog murderer" because I'm not sure if the dog died or not, but if he did it was probably my fault. I was almost to the last mile of my very snowy 10 miler today when this big pile of fur came running up from behind me barking and just about nipping at my heels. I'm usually a little more aware of what's going on around me and I can hear those attack dogs coming for a mile away. I've gotten pretty good at yelling in a very mean voice, "NO! GO HOME!" This approach has worked very well and even the most menacing dog will end up running home. I almost feel a little bad because it must mean that I sound really mean. And I really am a nice person. My kids may say that I got my mean practice from whipping them into shape, but they exaggerate. Anyway..... this big pile of fur came tearing after me at full speed ready to eat my shoes. I may have been a tiny bit distracted with some new music turned up a little too loud. In any case I swear I could feel his hot little breath melting some of the snow on the back of my legs when I turned around to see a big mean mouth filled with teeth, barking at me. I yelled my instinctive response to GO HOME! He turned around with lightening speed to run home...across Main Street...and under the back tire of a car. As it yelped and limped the rest of the way home and its owner was calling to it and probably cursing me, I felt horrible. I know there are leash laws and it wasn't really my fault, but I did scare it right into traffic although that was not the intended place. I can only hope he spreads the news about this mean runner out and about and all the other dogs will stay away from me.

On another note: I think I burned a fair amount of extra calories today because of the cement shoes that I was sporting. My Yak Trax's worked great today on the icy snowy roads. However, as the snow began to pile up on the roads, they also piled up on my shoes. I kept having to shuffle and scrape them off so that I didn't have 3 inches of packed snow on the bottom of my feet. Cement shoes are not a fashion accessory I planned on while running.

Crazy little thing called running

It was a warm (30's!) early morning as the sun began to make its appearance against the horizon. The pinks and purple hues indicated that it was gonna be one of those amazing days. All was quiet. Not even the birds were singing but it made it all the more peaceful and serene. All I could hear were the rhythmic sounds of my feet hitting the ground and my breathing. Exhaling on the left, inhaling on the right. No music ringing in my ears this morning. Just the sounds of my own body making music with the beat of the earth as it awakens for the excitement of a new day. Is there really a better way to start the day off?

Even though was snowing (and snowing hard) and I was just about soaked from head to toe, I could almost imagine being on a beach somewhere. Except for the slight temperature change, it is similar in a lot of ways. Running in a couple of inches of freshly fallen wet snow is like running on sand; there's resistance. You can't get lazy or you'll end up tripping over your feet. Sure, there are places that are more packed down and easier to run on, just like at the beach- closer to the water, but where's the fun in that? It's soft and forces you to concentrate on your form. I also love the footprints. You get to make them in the sand and snow. I love to be the first one to make the footprints but I also love seeing others prints. It's fun to realize that I'm not the only one out in the weather. There are other crazies out there. It's part of that running community camaraderie. Even though we don't see each other, there are evidences that we were there.

I love the ocean. There is just something about it that calls to me. I haven't been there for a couple of years and it's beckoning to me. When we last left the ocean, I watched it in the rearview mirror until I couldn't see it anymore. Sappy as it was, there were tears. But this morning as I was finishing my run, I thought about the beach and visualized that water crashing on the shores. I could almost smell that salty, fishy air and hear those waves. And yet, with that wet lovely snow falling on my face in the morning dawn, I was grateful to be where I was at that moment. And I would have missed it all if it wasn't for that crazy little thing called running.

I'm loving this cold weather running stuff

If I drank alcohol, I'd be raising a very big glass to celebrate the last year! But I guess my glass of diet coke will have to do! It's been an amazing year and I can't believe it's really over. Here's a few of the highlights of last year:

*the Wasatch Back- definitely the funnest race I've ever done. I was also blessed to share that experience in close quarters with 5 other women that I admire and love!

*the Top of Utah 1/2 Marathon- a new PR of 2:00! A great memory shared with Heather and a couple of pairs of wild knee high socks!

*training for the marathon down and up canyons, on country roads, trading stories all along the way with Heather.

*the St. George Marathon- an unpredictable disappointment that will be one of those stepping stones to a great marathon in the future.

*the Turkey trot with my sweet little Abby.

*the Santa Run with Heather and Jodi.

* 962 miles this year! Not bad for running 3 times a week and the first couple of months were pretty pathetic!

*Da ta da da.......I am still running! I have NEVER made it through a year without having to take serious time (months and months) off for an injury or being pregnant or having a new baby. Running in the winter is a whole new experience for me, one I am loving! No starting from scratch again!

*AND if that wasn't enough... I had a birthday and advanced in my age category! Yeah! Now I'm the youngest one in my age group instead of the oldest. I need any little reason to be excited about being older! I'm just one step closer to being able to qualify for Boston! Only 30 more years to go!

As for running in the winter... it has seemed more like January than December. We had record breaking cold temperatures that made it less than comfortable to go outside. However, the treadmill is only good for a certain number of miles (anything less than 6 seems to be my limit) and so out into the cold I went. I've quickly discovered that my outfits need to be layered according to how cold it is. But I'd much rather run in the cold than the heat! I even have 2 different pairs of mittens depending on the temperature. I ran 9 miles in 9 degree weather a couple of weeks ago and by around mile 6 I started to get really cold. I was planning on a longer run but when I discovered that I couldn't talk properly because my face was numb and my fingers were beyond cold, I cut it short and headed home. I got the second pair of mittens that same day. I've been really spoiled with some new running clothing; under armor, a couple of vests, a jacket, and new shoes. I also got some YakTraxs for running on the snow and ice. I've only used them twice, but both times I was so glad I had them on. Now my only question is what to do about my cold nose? Maybe if I knitted I'd come up with something. Maybe a Rudolf looking nose thingy. All I know is that my nose is the only part of me that complains the whole time. So all you cold weather runners out there, what's the solution?

I've been able to keep up my long runs on the weekends. They vary between 9 miles and 13 miles. Though I don't think I've made any gains over the last couple of months, but I don't feel like I've lost anything either. I've been going to a spinning class every Friday and either lifting or doing my video twice a week as well. It's been good for me to have a little cross training mixed in there. Hopefully it will help me stay healthy this year as well.

Oh, and lastly... the snow and cold weather do make for some great sunrises. And I love seeing everything covered in fresh snow. It's simply beautiful. And for your enjoyment... we had some crazy, wet, cold fog a couple of weeks ago that turned our hair and eyelashes into crystalized works of art. Pretty cool, huh!

These are a few of my favorite things...

The last couple of months are my favorite months in which to run. And fall never seems to last long enough. And I'm usually injured from overtraining during the summer or just a little burned out on running to really enjoy it. This year has been different. I have managed to stay uninjured, at least not to the point where I end up having to take a couple of months off and start all over again. And even though it's been pretty cold, I've enjoyed running in it. I'm usually a pretty big wimp and just run on the treadmill when it gets cold. But this year I have loved getting out and breathing in that crisp air. Now don't get me wrong... when the wind is blowing, I'm inside. I'm still a little wimpy.

One of my favorite things about running in the fall is all the leaves on the ground. I don't know about you, but I love crunching through piles of leaves and kicking them up. This doesn't make for good strides, but it makes for a lot of fun. This is a terrible picture, it was done with my phone, but it shows the long street that I'd run down just covered in leaves, waiting for me to crunch.

Saturday I set out for a ten miler. It was snowing lightly during my whole run and was so much fun. I ended up making it 13 although my poor body kind of paid for it the rest of the day. I guess some sort of fuel besides a couple of drinks of water would have helped. Whenever I get the chance to run in the snow, it seems like the world kind of slows down. My footsteps even seem softer, lighter and the world seems quiet. Plus when snowflakes get stuck on my eyelashes and cheeks, I can't help but smile.

My hair was frozen into icicles by the time I got home. I really think my hair would have broken right off if I had tried to bend it. That hot shower melted them and never felt so good!