Summer Running

In June, my friend Janae asked me to help coach at a running retreat she was holding in Park City.  We spent two nights at a beautiful house in Deer Valley.  We enjoyed some breathtaking views on trail runs and enjoyed a couple days of speakers with tons of information.  It was a lot of fun to meet runners from all over with varying experience levels in running.  It was fun to make some new friends and spend a couple days with some old friends.  The highlight of the lectures was having Jared Ward who qualified to run in the Olympic marathon this year come talk to us.  He was a very down to earth guy and it was fun to chat with him about our experiences at the Olympic Trials even though his was vastly different than mine. The last morning of the retreat we all participated in the Park City Trail Series 5k.  I don't feel like I'm a great trail racer and my friend Angie and I decided to take the race easy and just run it for fun.  We did that the first mile and watched a lot of women race ahead of us.  Cynthia was way ahead of everyone. We hit the first mile pretty slow, around 7 minutes and started catching the runners that had gone out too fast.  Then the competitive side of me kicked in when I realized there were a lot of the runners ahead of me I could catch.  I picked it up a bit and caught most of them still running at a pretty comfortable pace.  Janae, Alyssa and Cynthia were still ahead so I finally kicked it into race mode for the last mile and was able to catch everyone but Cynthia right before the finish.  It was a fun race having the girls from the retreat pretty much sweep the awards.

I hadn't been doing a lot of racing in the summer.  I felt burnt out after what I felt like were failed attempts at the Olympic Trials and the Ogden Marathon. My uncle convinced Andrew to run Farmington Days with his family and I decided that I could use a fun easy race for a change so I signed the whole family up.  Jason ran the 10k and Andrew, Jared, Kaitlyn and I ran the 5k.  My aunt was nice enough to keep an eye on Skyler while we all ran.  When we were all lining up for the race Kaitlyn decided she had to go to the bathroom right now. We ran off to find one and I really thought we might miss the start.  Maybe this is one reason I don't usually race with the kids... We made it back just in time.  There weren't any women up close enough to race against.  Jason was just ahead of me until the 10k course separated from the 5k.  Then I started passing up a lot of the men.  Andrew was up close to the lead and it was so fun watching his race from behind.  The last half mile I watched him catching the guy in front of him who he out kicked for the win.  I didn't push too much out of my comfort zone with no women there to race.  It was Andrew's first road race win and a lot of fun to get a win with him.

By late July I was ready to try to race hard again.  I always like to run the Deseret News 10k but this year I decided to try to run the half marathon instead.  The Deseret News races are always competitive with good prize money so I figured I probably wouldn't win but my goal was to run a good time.  I wanted a 1:17 and thought maybe if my race went perfect a 1:16.  I met my friend Jasmine Sessions when we caught the bus and was glad to have someone to run with.  At the starting line I was surprised to see there weren't very many competitive women.  It looked like it would be between Jasmine and me.  I knew Jasmine was running really well and I could never count her out.  However, I knew I'd beaten her before and I started to be hopeful I could win this race.  The beginning of the race was down Emigration Canyon. The race was going almost the way I wanted with most of our mile splits around 5:50.  One of the men we were running with asked what we were aiming for.  At the same time I replied 1:17 and Jasmine said 1:18.  I really started to think I had a good chance to win.  I had actually been hoping for splits closer to 5:45 down the canyon.  I noticed Jasmine kept getting half a step behind me.  I wondered if I picked up the pace just a bit she would drop back and I would take the lead for good.  Near the bottom of the canyon I decided to risk it.  We hit a steep downhill section and I took off.  It seemed to be working.  Jasmine started to fall behind.  I was aiming for 5:45 but instead hit that mile in 5:35.  Looking back it was a mistake but I wanted to win this race and I decided to take the gamble.  After two miles in the 5:30s we turned onto Foothill Blvd.  My legs started to tire after those blazing fast miles.  I had the lead but Jasmine hadn't disappeared.  She was still close and it worried me.  I worked the downhill section by the football stadium but I couldn't shake her.  We hit the uphill stretch on 13th East and she was starting to catch me.  By the time we made the turn onto South Temple she was right on my shoulder again.  I stayed with her until the 10 mile marker but my legs had taken such a beating from the fast downhill they just wouldn't go anymore.  I watched her slowly pull away, ironically the same place I watched Melody pull away in the 10 last year.  I remembered last year though and kept pushing as hard as I could so no one would catch me from behind.  It was a struggle to get through those last few miles but I fought hard for my goal time.  I finished in 1:17:25, right on my goal pace and my second fastest half marathon ever.  Jasmine finished in 1:16:33, well ahead of me and a huge PR for her.  She killed those last three miles.  I was disappointed to miss the win again but happy for Jasmine to have such a perfect race.  My average pace was 5:55 which was only a few seconds slower than the pace I ran last year in the 10k.  In retrospect I might have been able to take a few more seconds off my time if I hadn't been so aggressive in the middle of the race and saved more for the end.  I don't think I would have beaten Jasmine though. I think I still would have been a low 1:17.  I was happy to meet my goal time and still make the podium and walk away with $500 cash.  I'd still love to win that race someday so I'll keep working.

Photos from the Deseret News. Caption on that bottom picture should say, "Are you really taking my picture right now?"

Spring 2016

Here are a few random pictures from all of the spring activities.

My mother-in-law celebrated her 60th birthday this spring.  She hasn't wanted to celebrate her birthday with a big party the last few years since it reminds her of when Vance passed away.  We figured we needed to do something to celebrate the milestone birthday though so we threw a surprise birthday party at our house after the kid's piano recital.  Everyone came and set up while we were at the recital.  We actually pulled it off and completely surprised her! This cake Tiffany's mom made for her was perfect!

Andrew on the  podium at the region meet!

Andrew had another successful track season.  Here he is pictured at the region track meet.  He placed 6th in the 3200.  He ran a 4:41 1600 at the BYU invitational and 10:00 in the 3200 in St. George.

Andrew at accolade with Teal Christensen

Andrew had a great time at prom and accolade!  His dates were beautiful!  We had fun hosting his prom group for dinner at our house.

Skyler had his preschool graduation at the end of the year in Miss Erica's class.  He loved Miss Erica but he hated being in front of everyone at the program!  He sat in his chair and stubbornly refused to participate!  He wanted nothing to do with singing songs, saying his part or even wearing the graduation cap.  You can tell he didn't mind the treats though.

I helped coach the youth track club again and Kaitlyn enjoyed running.  She's gotten to be quite competitive and you can really see in this picture how hard she is trying.  She made it to district in a couple events and her relay team even made it to state!

This was just too cute of these three cousins.  We were at the Noble family reunion on Memorial Day.  The food had all been cleaned up and it was about time to go. This watermelon had been brought by someone but no one had cut  it up. Skyler was determined to get some to eat even though we kept telling him no one had a knife.  Well, you can see these cousins found a way to open it and enjoy it!

Jason spoiled me one evening with dinner at La Calille.  It was my first time there and I loved it!  It was like stepping inside a French Chateau.  It was a beautiful spring evening.  The food was amazing and the atmosphere was incredible.  We loved wandering around the beautiful grounds.  This has been one of our busiest years ever and it seems like there is never time to spend together anymore so this evening was wonderful.

Birthdays!

Well, all four of my children have had a birthday while I've taken this long of a break from blogging.  Here's a quick update on a couple of them.

Kaitlyn turned 10 in May.  She had a field trip to the migratory bird refuge that I was able to go to with her.  It was fun to spend the day with her.

Here's a look at Kaitlyn at 10:

Things she likes.  American Girls Dolls, playing with friends, soccer, basketball, winning, scoring goals/baskets, running 5ks, dancing, school, singing, teasing, ice cream, talking, watching TV, reading books, and activity days.

Things she doesn't like: homework, practicing the piano, cleaning her room, getting her hair brushed, when she doesn't get a perfect score at school (yes she's a perfectionist), being teased by her brothers, and going to bed.

Things I love about Kaitlyn:  her happy personality, her smile, how helpful she is (she loves to help me in the kitchen), she still loves to hug me and talk to me, how friendly she is, and how fun it is to have a girl to do things with!

Skyler celebrated his 4th birthday in June.  It kills me to watch my baby growing up so fast.  He's still every one's favorite at home and can cheer anyone up!  He spent the spring digging up my vegetable and flower gardens with his tractors so Jason decided to build him a sandbox instead.  Skyler had a great time helping him build it even though he didn't know what he was doing.  He loved the finished project as well!  We went to the Dinosaur Park for his birthday.  He wasn't so sure about the dinosaurs at first until we convinced him none of them were real.

Here's a look at Skyler at 4:

Things he likes: trucks (he can name every kind of truck/tractor and is frequently correcting me as we drive around town), trains, books, play dough, playing in the dirt, swinging, playing with his brothers and sisters and his friend Ivan, singing the ABC's, going to preschool (once he's there, he still likes to cling to me when it's time to drop him off), and running (especially away from me).

Things he doesn't like: attention from people he doesn't know, being in front of a crowd, getting woken up from a nap, "scary" movies, and being alone (he went through a stage earlier this year where he refused to sleep alone in his room.  He would always sleep in the bunk bed in Jared's room so we finally just moved him in with Jared.)

Things I love about Skyler:  his laugh, his smile, he's the center of attention at our house and knows it, and having him home with me all day.  Sometimes I think about all the things I will be able to accomplish when he is in school all day but I just can't look forward to it.  I love having him home with me all day and think I will be terribly lonely without him!  I sure wish I could find a way to keep him from growing up!

The Year of Our Dreams

This has been such an amazing year for our family.  Last night at my 20 year high school reunion during a mingling activity we were asked which out of the last 20 years we would choose to relive.  Jason and I looked at each other and unanimously said, "this year."  We have had such incredible experiences and although it has had it's share of challenges as well, we have been tremendously blessed.  Along with all the amazing things that have happened I have had no time to keep up on this blog and as the year comes to a close I'm sad that this amazing time  hasn't been documented.  So the next few posts will probably be out of order as I sort through photos and try to record some of the experiences we have had.

In June we had our week in Jackson.  Jason ended up having to go to Chicago for a review course for his internal medicine boards he has to take this year instead.  For the weekend I took the kids with me and Nancy, Darrell and Melissa met us up there.  For Darrell's Father's Day gift we took him white water rafting on the Snake River.  Nancy volunteered to take Skyler to a movie while the rest of us ran the river.  We had a blast!  The day was somewhat cool and the water was still freezing cold that time of year.  We braved it without wet suits and although we were pretty cold and soaking wet by the end no one seemed to mind too much. Kaitlyn was brave enough to bull ride the raft over one of the last rapids. Andrew had to impress everyone in the boat by doing a front flip off the front into the river.  Jared was really nervous about going and conveniently found a spot right in the middle of the boat and probably came away the driest.  He had fun though and said he would do it again!  Darrell and Melissa had to go home for work and the next couple days Nancy and I took the kids to the Grand Tetons.  We went to Jenny Lake and took the boat shuttle across the lake. It was under construction and a mess. The trails we wanted to hike were closed.  In the end, Kaitlyn, Nancy, Skyler and I sat on the boat dock while Andrew and Jared hiked to the overlook. Andrew and I also enjoyed mountain biking and running on the trails up Cache Creek.

On Tuesday, Jason met me in Soda Springs and took the boys home.  Kaitlyn and Nancy stayed in Jackson and Jana, Brooklyn, Morgan, Melanie (with baby Nico) and Brittany came up for a few days girl's getaway.  Nancy had spent the week doing what everyone else wanted so I asked what something was she would like to do.  She picked getting some old fashioned photos taken. Some weren't too excited about that idea but it was a lot of fun and here are the results.

We enjoyed hanging out in downtown Jackson, the wildlife art museum, shopping, and eating ice cream.  Some of us drove up to Colter Bay and enjoyed a fabulous sunset and unfortunately got eaten by mosquitoes!  Mostly we just had a great time together and the cousins loved the pool!

Is This Really Happening Again?!!

In February after the Olympic Trials I was frustrated and felt like I needed to run another marathon and get it right.  I was tempted to give the Ogden Marathon another shot even though it was only three months away.  Maybe I could get the win I was after last year and if conditions were better, run a great time banking on the fitness level I had built up all winter.  Yet at the same time I was tired from all the intense training and knew that my body needed some time to recover from the ordeal it had been put through not only battling the heat in LA but the intense training period all winter.  With the help of my coach, we decided it would be best to stick with the half marathon for Ogden and give myself a much needed mental and physical break from the long marathon training.  I took a month easy and then set my sights on getting ready for a fast half marathon in May.  I was happy with the fitness I had been able to maintain and yet enjoyed the break from the really long marathon training runs and high weekly mileage.

The two weeks leading up to Ogden were just rough.  Along with some serious concerns that are too personal to share here, I was just in the middle of a bad luck streak.  You know the type of week where your car gets hit, you lose your keys, you can't seem to get anything accomplished that you are trying to, you lose track of time and miss your daughter's program at school...  It just went on and on leaving me thinking what else could possibly happen now?  It was just the feeling of being kicked when you are already down.  Sometimes life just hits you hard and this was one of those times.  On top of all this it is May which means every afternoon and evening my calendar is filled with half a dozen activities and I am constantly running here and there trying to get it all done and not feeling very successful.  I was feeling emotionally and physically exhausted!  I was lacking the excitement that I usually feel leading up to a race.  I felt it could end one of two ways; either I was not mentally ready and this would be a rough race or I had a ton of pent up frustrations to burn off and I could finally channel all this somewhere productive.

I tried to get my head in the game with visualizing the perfect race.  I knew this was going to be an extremely competitive year for the half marathon with several runners that could challenge me.  Everyone seemed to think Sariah Long was the favorite with good reason.  She's an extremely talented runner and in excellent shape right now.  I knew I would need a perfect race to have a chance at beating her but I also knew she was aiming for a 1:17 and so was I.  I felt like I was capable of running that time on that course in the shape I am in as long as conditions cooperated.  At least the weather forecast was looking perfect: windy on Friday, and rainy on Sunday but Saturday was supposed to be cool and partly cloudy.  Finally a good day for running the Ogden Marathon.  At least that's what the forecast was saying all week until Friday.  Then suddenly they were saying there was a storm sticking around they hadn't expected.  Light rain was now expected for Saturday morning, especially in the mountains.  Not good news since we start up in Eden and run down Ogden Canyon.  Light rain wouldn't be bad though. I have had some successful races in light rain and it is better than heat.  I tried to stay positive, knowing I was already a bit weak on the mental side.

Saturday morning the alarm went off at 4 am.  I felt exhausted with not nearly enough sleep in the two weeks leading up to the race.  Jason, Andrew, and I boarded the bus (it was already starting to rain downtown) and headed to Eden.  I was sleepy on the bus and wished I could fall asleep up the winding canyon but knew I would wake up motion sick if I did.  It was raining fairly hard in Eden but I had come prepared with plenty of waterproof layers to keep warm before the start.  When it was time to warm up I actually felt hot in all my layers.  I felt tired on my warm up and hoped I would feel better once the race started.  I noticed the wind would be at our back most of the way around the lake and opted to leave my long sleeve shirt in my bag since I was feeling quite warm with the wind at my back and just wear arm warmers and gloves. (Mistake #1)  I was just finishing my warmup when they announced six minutes until race start.  I still had to change my shoes, drop my clothing bag and fight my way through all of the runners up to the starting line so I forgot to grab my visor out of my bag to keep the rain off my face. (Mistake #2)  As soon as we were started I felt my right shoe was a little loose.  In my rush to get my gear on I hadn't laced up my shoe tight enough which led to a blister later in the race. (Mistake #3)  The first couple miles of the race went about as I expected.  The rain was coming down steadily but we turned south shortly into the first mile and the wind was at our backs.  Sariah went ahead but I expected her to go out faster than me.  I was sticking to my race plan this year after the lesson I learned last year.  I wanted to hold back on the hills the first four miles and pick up the pace once I got to the canyon and hopefully catch her there.  I was aiming for 5:55 average pace but I planned on keeping my miles over six minutes around Pineview figuring I could run 5:45s once we dropped into the canyon.  Jasmine Sessions and Katie Thompson stuck with me as we headed up the biggest hill a half mile into the race.  Jasmine got a few feet ahead of me at the top of the hill but stayed right there the next couple miles.  I wasn't concerned.  I'd wait to make up the distance in the canyon.  I couldn't believe how wet the road was and now with all my sweats off I was starting to realize it was colder than I thought.  As we wound around Pineview it brought back all the bad memories of last year.  The conditions were so similar and I thought of the hypothermia starting to set in and Cynthia starting to pull away from me and realizing that I was losing what I wanted so badly.  I was trying to stay positive but the conditions were bring so many negative thoughts into my mind.  

The last mile before the dam the wind suddenly shifted.  Instead of being at our backs it was coming straight up and out of the canyon.  Suddenly Jasmine and the men she was running with were getting farther ahead.  I told myself not to panic.  I was almost to the canyon.  Sariah still wasn't even too far ahead.  I was off pace a little but I could still pick up the pace in the canyon and move up.  I had at least saved some energy for the canyon and was ready to start working hard.  I set my sights on Jasmine's group and started reeling them in.  Within a mile I had caught them.  I thought I might just pass Jasmine but when I caught up she picked up her pace and stayed with me.  I was glad to have someone to run down the canyon with.  We kept commenting to each other about how this was just as bad as last year and we so glad we were only running the half marathon this year instead of the full.  The canyon was completely flooded with water.  Every step was a slosh in a puddle.  My feet were heavy.  My hands and legs were cold.  We were running into a head wind the entire way down the canyon which made the rain pelt us in the face.  I was discouraged to keep seeing my mile splits over six minute miles.  I wanted to pick up the pace but I just couldn't get my legs to move any faster.  My thoughts became more negative as the race progressed.  "I can't believe I'm doing this again.  I can't believe this is as bad as last year.  I hate this.  There is nothing fun about this at all.  I just want this to be over.  All I want to do is get home."  Jasmine and I kept each other going down the canyon.  Finally towards the bottom we hit a steep drop off and were finally able to run that mile in 5:53.  The next one was the mouth of the canyon and we were greeted by extremely strong wind gusts coming up the canyon.  The wind blows so hard out of that canyon every morning and I was looking forward to the wind blowing us towards the finish but instead it was fighting us hard.  This is the point where I mentally lost this race.  I simply didn't care anymore.  I was miserable.  Sariah was gone and there was no catching her.  My cold legs that didn't want to move in the canyon were hurting now.  I could feel I was on the verge of hypothermia setting in again.  I really can't remember the last time I just gave up in a race but I did at that point.  Jasmine started to pull away and I could have gone with her but I didn't.  I didn't care enough to fight the pain in my legs.  I just let her go and chose to slow down a bit and hope that would ease the pain. I couldn't win the race and there was no prize money at stake.  The top three in the half marathon only get gift certificates and they all get the same thing so why fight for 2nd when I felt so terrible? (Mistake #4)

I should have remembered there were some fast runners behind me and it wasn't smart to slow down but I wasn't really thinking clearly.  Mile 12 was pathetically slow (6:30) and when I hit the mile marker Katie was suddenly right on my shoulder.  I was surprised but it was just what I needed to get my head back in the race.  I knew I had given up and it was about to cost me third place.  I kicked it into another gear and realized I was actually gaining some ground on Jasmine as well.  I'd let her get too far ahead though.  I didn't have enough ground left to catch her.  The race was for third now and it was everything I could do to hold Katie off that last stretch down Grant.  I obviously had a lot more left than I wanted to admit because my last mile was under six minutes.  Only the second mile of the whole race I ran on pace.  I finished in 1:20:23 in third place, not a fantastic time and well off the 1:17 I was aiming for but not a terrible time considering the conditions.  Shortly after I finished Andrew came across 1:21:26.  He ran a terrific race!  I told him to take it easy the first five miles and save it for the canyon.  He ran the canyon just like I was hoping to, hitting 5:45 pace and passing a ton of runners.  I joked with him that I better enjoy it because it just might be the last race I beat him in...ever!  Jason came in a few minutes later.  He had done the race more as a workout since he's still coming back from an injury.  I didn't stick around any longer to see anything else.  I skipped the food and headed straight for my bag of clothes and car to get home and shower.  I was so cold I was shaking and my teeth were chattering.  The only thing that saved me from ending up in the med tent with hypothermia again is the fact that I was only out there half as long this year.  I was so glad that I had decided to stick with the half marathon this year.  I only had a tiny bit of regret when Jason called to tell me the winner of the full marathon had finished in 2:55.

I have been fortunate to win a lot of races the last couple years against some talented runners but it's frustrating and discouraging that I can't come up with a win in my home town race.  (I did win the 5k one year but I don't think that really counts since no one pays much attention to the 5k.)  Sariah ran a fantastic race in terrible conditions and I was happy for her.  She set a new course record but the ironic thing is that the top four women runners all broke the course record.  If I had run that time any other year besides this year I would have gotten the win and the course record.  And my time in last year's marathon would have won the marathon easily this year and most other years.  There are only a few women that have ever broken 2:50 on that course.  As I was commiserating with a friend he joked, "I always pick to wrong line a the grocery store too."  It did at least put a smile on my face.  It just feels like everything is against me to win this race.  The last three years I have run the half or full it has been a torrential downpour.  Ironically the rain cleared up Saturday by about 10 in the morning.  It was like someone had just dumped a bucket over the Ogden Marathon during the race and then it was done.  As much as I would like to try to conquer this course I'll most likely be sitting this one out the next couple years. I'm sure it can't rain every single year but I feel like this race has become so mentally and emotionally draining on me.  I'm also hoping that the next two years I'll be at the state track meet instead cheering on my son.  He just missed qualifying this year so I'm excited for his chance next year.  Maybe by the time he has graduated from high school I'll be ready to give this course another try although I may be too old by then to get the win I want.

Meanwhile, this is a good time to reevaluate and set some new goals. This was a bit of a wake up call to all the little things I could do better.  Being better about what I eat, getting my core strengthening done, the sleep I need and my mileage where it should be. The good thing about the half marathon is that it doesn't require nearly as much recovery.  I'll give it a try again early this summer and hopefully be able to walk away feeling like I ran the race I was capable of.  I've opted out of a fall marathon because of some exciting news Jason received.  He has been invited by the USOC to be a physician for Team USA at the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro!  I'm looking forward to the trip of a lifetime with my family in Brazil in August and just enjoying this amazing experience rather than focusing on my training.  Once we return I'm planning on jumping back into training again for the California International Marathon in December.  I'm just keeping my fingers crossed for some good weather.

The Happiest Place on Earth

A year and a half ago when I qualified for the Olympic Trials the Chicago Marathon gave me a generous cash bonus.  Since I knew I would be headed to California for the trials I decided I would spend my prize money on a trip to Disneyland.  My family puts up with so much with all of my marathon training.  The older kids help watch the younger ones a lot when I need to get a run in.  They don't complain that dinner is often late or the laundry hasn't been folded.  My kids are my biggest fans.  They deserved this. The ironic thing is that my parents have lived in Southern California for almost 20 years.  We would visit a couple times a year but never go to Disneyland.  It was usually a holiday weekend when we were visiting and I never wanted to spend that kind of money to stand in line all day.  A year ago my parents sold their house and moved to Utah so I realized we wouldn't be visiting California nearly as often.  My kids were sad because their friends were always taking trips to Disneyland and we rarely did.  Skyler wasn't even born the last time we went.  Unfortunately the Olympic Trials fell on Valentine's and President's Day weekend, the one week in February everyone tells you not to go to Disneyland.  It would be busy but we decided to brave the crowds and go anyway.

First we spent Sunday going to church and visiting my brother in Long Beach.  On Monday we spent the day at the beach.  Unfortunately my brother and his girlfriend were so sick they weren't able to go with us.  My parents were still in town though and we spent an amazing summer (wait this is still winter) afternoon at Huntington Beach!  The beach was packed with people on the holiday with such unusually warm weather.  It was very comfortable to sit on the beach in swim suits and play in the water as opposed to the usual trips in the winter bundled up in jackets.  I was surprised how homesick it made me to go back to Huntington Beach and realize my parents didn't live there anymore.  I know that is silly since they were sitting right next to me but it sure seemed like we should just drive up the street to their house after playing at the beach instead of to the hotel.  Even though I only lived in California a couple summers in college, my parents house felt like home to me and we have so many great memories there.  Still, we enjoyed a beautiful beach day and stayed until sunset!

My plan was to wait until we were on our way to Anaheim to tell the kids we were going to Disneyland.  I thought it would be fun to surprise them.  I also wanted them to feel like the point of the trip to Califiornia was the Olympic Trials instead of wanting to get the race over with so they could go to Disneyland.  They kind of figured it out on their own over the weekend anyway.  We got to our hotel in Anaheim late Monday night then had to drag everyone out of bed to get to Disneyland early.  I was hoping it wasn't a bad sign that we were starting out two days at Disneyland tired!  My biggest complaint the last few times we have gone to Disneyland is that the kids got bored waiting in line and started to fight.  This year they were so good and although the park was crowded, it wasn't quite as bad as I anticipated and the kids were patient when we did have to wait.  We spent the first day in Disneyland and the second day in California Adventure.  Tuesday was one of the hottest days yet.  We enjoyed escaping to the indoor rides in the heat of the day.  There were a lot of rides Skyler wasn't tall enough for but he absolutely loved Casey Jr's Circus Train!  (It was almost worth the 50 minute wait: the longest one the whole trip!)  He was wiped out and asleep in the stroller by evening.  The older boys (Jason included) all loved all the new Star Wars features that had been added since we were there.  I wasn't sure it was really worth the wait to see Chewbaca but at least it was air conditioned!

We were finally back to the hotel and eating some pizza at 11:00 at night and then up early again the next morning for day 2.  This was vacation?  I thought I was supposed to be recovering from the marathon?  I think Skyler enjoyed California Adventure even more.  Kaitlyn and Andrew loved the roller coasters and since the park was smaller we were able to take Skyler to Bugs Life instead of spending our time just waiting for the older kids to get off the rides.  But the highlight for Skyler was definitely Cars Land, especially his favorite, Tow Mater!

The morning started out hot like the previous days but by lunch time some cloud cover had come in.  We knew there was a storm coming and were hoping it would wait until the park closed but by mid afternoon it was cooling off and the rain was starting.  We were still waiting for our fast passes for Radiator Springs Racers and hoping all the rides wouldn't shut down from the rain.  The ride was shut down for a while and we wandered around Cars Land.  Skyler was delighted to just run up and down the streets.  The ride finally opened up but since everyone was waiting for it we had an hour wait to get on.  Skyler was just barely too short and sad not to get a chance to ride.  We were able to take advantage of some fast passes though and ride a few times with shorter waits.  It was really starting to rain hard and getting cold.  We had brought along some jackets but with the rain we were starting to get really cold.  Most of the people had left the park though.  And with the anticipation of heading home the next day and vacation being over we just toughed it out and fit in as many rides as we could.  Everytime someone said they were cold and wanted to go there was another ride someone loved that had no wait and so we went again. We finally made it back to the hotel late completely soaked and exhausted!  We all got home feeling like we needed a vacation to recover but it was back to catching up with school and work that had been put off while we were gone.  But it was so worth it!

Olympic Marathon Trials

In October 2014 when I qualified for the Olympic Trials in Chicago, 16 months seemed like forever. February finally rolled around and I felt like I was on an emotional roller coaster.  Some moments I felt like I was a kid on Christmas Eve and sometimes I found myself breaking down in tears at the realization that my dreams were really coming true.   And then there were those times the dreaded butterflies in my stomach came around.  With the countless hours and effort of preparation I had put in I really wanted to have a good race.  All the waiting and all the training focused on this one race and it was finally here! I know a lot of people think of the Olympic Trials simply as a step to get to the Olympics but for me I had no expectation of making the team and this was my Olympic experience.  I felt privileged to be competing in this kind of an event.  Winter is a tough time to stay in good shape but I had diligently put in the training every day with great results.  My coach and I were in agreement; I was in the best shape I have ever been in.  I was ready to have the race of my life and run with the best marathoners in the country.  My Brooks team had sent out new uniforms and shoes.  My family was packed and ready to go for the experience of a lifetime.  We were headed to LA.  The only problem... the weather forecast.  Record high temperatures in LA with a 10:22 start time planned for the women's race.  All I could do was trust in my training and pray for the best.

I had so many awesome friends and family that were supporting me and wishing me well.  Thoughtful gifts and cards literally brought tears to my eyes.  The day we were leaving I woke up and walked outside to see these signs that my friends had made and surprised me with all over my yard.

We chose to drive to LA instead of fly since I wanted to take the kids and let them experience the Olympic Trials and because I really hate to fly and avoid it when I can.  We drove half way on Wednesday afternoon and pulled into downtown Los Angeles Thursday afternoon.

Here I am, all checked in with my signature on the sign!  This was so real now!

We stayed at a condo about a mile from the start/finish area because there was more space for all the kids rather than staying at the athlete hotel.  It was a bit crazy trying to figure out where it was and how to get checked in but we were finally all settled.  That night Jason and I attended a dinner for all the athletes at the California Science Center.  It was a fun setting at the home of the Space Shuttle Endeavor.  We were greeted at the entrance by Brazilian samba dancers and walked the red carpet into the museum.  The space shuttle was amazing and the excitement in the air was tangible.

The highlight of the night was meeting Meb Keflezighi, Olympic silver medalist and winner of the Boston and New York Marathons.  He was great and we joked about not getting in each other's way when he lapped me on Saturday and his hopes of making the team to Rio.

I planned on a relaxing day Friday but it ended up being filled with preparation for the race.  In the morning we drove to USC to run that part of the course.  It was already hot at 9:00 in the morning and I was starting to realize what I was going to have to deal with the next day in the heat.  I watched other runners running the course and started to feel a little intimidated looking at how good all these athletes were.  USC's campus was gorgeous and the sunshine felt good after a long cold winter at home.  And the Coliseum with the Olympic Rings made the perfect backdrop for everything!  Last shake out run and I was ready to go!

That afternoon was the uniform check and the technical meeting.  It was so amazing to be sitting in the same room and bumping into all my running heroes in the hall.  Finally after what felt like a lot of sitting around we got what we had been waiting for all day.  Our bibs!  Then it was back to the condo to get some dinner, prepare my gear and attempt to get some rest with all the butterflies in my stomach!

Race morning arrived!  I actually had a great night's sleep (rare for me with pre-race nerves) and got up early to eat a good breakfast.  With a later start time I was taking advantage of being able to get in more calories before the race.  We chose to walk to the start line rather than dealing with the hassle of parking.  The temperature felt nice in the shade but it was already feeling warm in the sunshine.  We took a few more pictures at the start area and I was able to find my parents and brother who had come for the race before heading to the athlete area.  The start and finish area was exciting with banners and flags everywhere.  The streets were crowded with fans waiting for the race to start.  It was such a fun atmosphere!

I found my Brooks teammate, Taylor Ward, who is also being coached by Paul Pilkington.  Unfortunately she lives in Alabama so we don't get to train together.  It was nice to have someone to chat with to pass the time until we could warm up.  It was finally time to get started.  I felt great on the warm up!  My legs felt fantastic after the taper!  We changed shoes and went back out on the street to do some strides.  Just then the horn went off for the men's race at 10:06 (timed for the national TV broadcast on NBC.)  I watched them fly out of the start area then after a couple more quick strides headed over to the holding area.  Our start time was 10:22 and they only had a couple minutes to move us all out to the start after the men completed their first two mile loop.  A few final instructions were given, the favorites were announced.  The men came racing past at the end of their first lap and I was standing on the starting line with 202 of the best women marathoners in the country.  I started to tear up again as the horn went off and we made the turn onto the two mile lap to the cheering of all the crowds.  I didn't have too long to get emotional though.  I needed to get my head in the race!

The first lap was 2.2 miles and we headed north for a lap through downtown Los Angeles.  There were a lot of turns in this part course, including a U turn which made it difficult with a big pack.  My plan with the heat was to go out conservative and save something for the end.  I hated to do it knowing I was in PR shape and it might cost me a PR, but I knew I would have to take the heat into account.  I settled in with a pack towards the back that felt comfortable.  It was still early enough that we had shade from the buildings downtown and I felt great!  I hit my first mile in 6:22, a little slow but to account for the pack of runners at the start and the only significant uphill in the course during the first mile I thought it was perfect.  My plan was to average 6:15 for the first half.  We hit the U-turn and were greeted with a head wind.  It wasn't strong enough to notice until we were running straight into it.  I had a good pack to draft off of though and decided to use it on the stretch down to USC.    The next mile was 6:12, a little faster than I wanted but since we went down the hill we had just climbed I still felt like I was right where I wanted to be and feeling fantastic.

At 2.2 miles we crossed the finish line and started the 6 mile loop to the south towards USC that we would have to complete four times.  The six mile loop consisted of a long out and back section on Figueroa St. almost two miles each direction with a loop at USC at the south end and a U turn at the north end before the loop through Gilbert Plaza to the finish line.  It was fun running past all the crowds and my family and mile three ended up being my fastest one, 6:08.  I knew I needed to put on the brakes and save some energy.  I wasn't panicked about being too fast, I was still feeling good and just used it as a sign to back off.  We were leaving downtown and with fewer tall buildings we were in direct sunlight.  It was getting hot.  Mile four was 6:18, perfect.  I started to wonder if I needed to back off the pack I was running with.  It was starting to take a little more effort than I wanted to put in at this point but mile five was a 6:19.  This pack wasn't too fast for me and I made the decision to stay with the pack to help with the wind.  The south end of the loop ran through USC's campus.  It was a gorgeous section of the course and the only part I didn't mind running four times.  People were cheering and taking pictures and the band was even out playing for us.  And the last landmark to pass by was the Coliseum before heading back out on Figueroa.

Thanks Brian Nicholson for the picture!

Back on Figueroa the wind was at our backs but we also had a gradual uphill to finish the lap.  There was a little shade from some of the buildings at the far side of the road but it disappeared in the later laps of the race as we approached noon.  Heading back up Figueroa is when I started to feel like I would be in trouble.  The pack ahead of me started pulling away slightly.  Since the wind was at my back I let them go to conserve energy.  My lap paces had slipped into the 6:20s.  I was worried because it was feeling like I was putting too much effort to run this pace and there was so much running left.  It just kept getting hotter.  I drank every bit from my water bottles trying to stay on top of hydration.  Maybe it was just the slight uphill and I could get my splits back where I needed them on the downhill.  But then I got to the U-turn and remembered the wind I was dealing with the other direction.  I passed the finish line again, not encouraged that I would have to pass it three more times before I was done.  I picked up the pace a little and was able to catch up to the pack I had let go for a wind break.  Mile 9 was a 6:13, right back where I wanted to be but it was my last one on pace.  I slipped right back into the 6:20s after that and realized there was no way I could keep pushing myself under this and make it through 26 miles in these conditions.  

When I was approaching the Coliseum on my second lap I heard the vehicles approaching from behind that were leading the men's race.  While, I knew I would get lapped with the head start the men had, I hadn't anticipated it quite this early.  It was exciting to watch Meb, Galen Rupp, and a runner I didn't recognize race past with Jared Ward close on their heels.  I felt a bit of a surge of energy with the excitement of the race going on for the Olympic team but it didn't last long.  Soon we were back on Figueroa with the relentless sun beating down.  I came through the halfway point at 1:23.  A PR wasn't going to happen but I thought a 2:46 would be a decent time in these conditions.   But I don't know who I was kidding thinking I could run the second half as fast as I had run the first.  I felt done and I had 13 miles left to run in this heat.  The lap course was starting to get mentally tough.  I was approaching the end of my second lap and the thought that I would have to complete that long loop two more times was daunting.  I was starting to catch some of the runners that were struggling but I was slowing down as well.  My splits had slipped into the 6:30s.  I had done my training runs at a faster pace than this with much less effort.  I caught up to Taylor who was having a tough race.  We ran a bit together and I tried to encourage her to keep going.  Little did she know I was talking as much to myself as I was to her.  Each time I approached the water bottle tables there were more water bottles on the tables.  I wasn't passing that many runners.  It could only mean one thing.  Runners were dropping out: a lot of them.  At this point I felt like I went into survival mode.  I just had to finish.  I couldn't go home and face my family and friends that had supported me without finishing and I knew I wouldn't be able to live with myself if I gave up.  Somehow I had to get myself to the finish line and I knew it would be some of the hardest miles I had ever run.

Thanks Andrew for the pictures!  Cool effects with the color on this one!

At mile 16 I was approaching USC again.  I couldn't wait for the only stretch of shade left on the course.  I looked at my watch hoping maybe I had picked it up a little but it was a 6:45.  It was the last split I looked at.  It wasn't helping to watch my pace.  I just couldn't make my legs move any faster.  A lot of the men farther back in the race were lapping me now.  It was another mental blow to look at them and realize they were just a few miles from the finish and I would have to do another entire lap after this.  I broke the race into small pieces and tackled them one at a time.  I would tell myself just get to the water bottles.  Just make it to the wet towels, a relief that didn't last long enough.  Then just make it to the U-turn and past the finish.  Finally I was on my last lap.  It felt so long and so hot but at least with everything I passed I could tell myself it was the last time!  By now the temperature was in the low 80s.  I didn't need to look at my watch to know I was continuing to slow down.  This had turned into a fight just to make it to the finish.  I continued to watch runners drop out and I was surprised to still even be passing a few.  Usually when I die at the end of a race like this I started getting passed like crazy.  A few runners did pass me but not many.  Everyone else was struggling as much as me.  I remember getting to USC, only 3 miles left to go, and having the thought pass through my head, "Am I in last place?"  But I looked behind me to see a long string of runners as far as I could see doing exactly what I was doing, struggling just to keep going.  The scorching sun beat down relentlessly as I made my way out of the relief of the trees on campus and onto the 8th and final stretch down Figueroa.  I was starting to get cramping in my calves and I worried that if I cramped any more I would have to stop.  The Staples Center was up ahead but seemed so far.  It was a grueling last two miles but eventually I was making the final U-turn and headed into Gilbert Plaza to cross the finish line for the last time.   They were awarding the top three women finishers as I crossed.  The attention was all on them instead of on me as I struggled to make my way across but it didn't matter.  A volunteer grabbed me to keep me from collapsing.  I could finally stop running.  The tears came as soon as I was across.  I cried because I made it.  I cried because it was over.  I cried because it was the hardest race I have ever run.  And I cried as a huge wave of disappointment washed over me.  This wasn't the way this experience was supposed to end.  I was better than this and this wasn't what I spent all winter training for.  I thought of the runs I did through blizzards, on Christmas, miles and miles alone out in West Haven in 20 degrees, mile repeats on the indoor track, and how strong I had felt through it all.  At that moment I didn't feel strong at all.  I felt beat, not by myself and not by the other runners, just beat by the heat.  But I finished and they hung the finisher's medal around my neck.  I'll never wear an Olympic medal but to me this was just as good.

Taylor finished just behind me.  I gave her a hug and was so glad she had finished as well.  I made my way through the finish chute, downed a couple bottles of water and poweraid, gratefully grabbed a bag of ice and put it on my neck to try to cool off.  Then I found the only small open spot of grass I could and laid down.  There was no shade.  The only hope of cooling off was the bag of ice on top of me but at least I didn't have to move.  I'm really not sure how long I stayed there.  I finally realized my family was probably looking for me and I should at least go grab my bag and phone.  So I retrieved my gear and sure enough had a few panicked texts from Jason asking if I was okay.  I was surprised to see they were already tearing down the finish area.  There were a few stragglers coming in but that was it.  I found my way to my family and a hug from my kids made me feel a lot better.  And a hug from my mom, you're never too old for that.  My family puts up with so much during my training.  The older kids are great helpers and pick up a lot of the slack when I'm gone helping with their younger siblings.  This has truly been a team effort to get me where I am and I couldn't do it without their support!  You should have seen the looks on some of the athletes faces when I told them I had four kids and that the oldest is 16.  It was so great to have my family here cheering me on.  They moved down the street away from the crowds so I could see them and it really kept me going at the end of the race when it was so tough.

 I loved having my parents and my "little" brother there cheering me on!

 And a huge thank you to my sponsors.  Brooks has been a great team to be a part of and their sponsorship is a huge help.  Also a shout out for USA Track and Field Utah for the generous travel stipend.  It's so great to have organizations like these supporting me in chasing my dreams.

This journey I have taken over the last six years since I started running competitively again has been incredible.  I owe so much of my success to my Coach Paul Pilkington.  I was reflecting this weekend on how far I've come.  When I started working with him I was a 3:11 marathon runner that was happy to win an age group prize.  He found in me a lot of potential that I had given up on decades ago when I was struggling in college.  I also found a great group of training partners when I started working with Paul.  Some of my best friends are those that I put countless miles in with.  They are the ones who motivate me to get out of bed when it's cold and I'd rather turn off the alram.  They get me through the hard workouts and long runs.  It has truly been a team effort to get me here.

And most of all I owe so much to Jason for his never ending support.  He works just as hard as I do in his running and has struggled with injuries and illness that have kept him from achieving what he wants. It would be easy for him to be jealous of what I have accomplished but he has been my best friend and support the whole time.  I wouldn't be who I am without him!

At first I was embarrassed at my time, 2:55:35.  How could I be part of such a prestigious competition and perform so poorly?  But as I looked at the results I realized that I was far from being alone.  A few statistics from the day: Out of 202 women who started the race only 149 finished.  That's a whopping 25% DNF for the women and for the men it was worse. 1/3 of the men dropped out.  Just that figure alone makes me awfully glad I just made it to the finish line.  Only 23 women ran under 2:43, the qualifying mark when most of us qualified for the trials.  On the men's side only 14 ran under the 2:18 qualifying mark.  I finished 104th, right in the middle.  Before the trials I felt a good race for me would put me in the top 100 although I thought it would take 2:40 or faster to do that.  My seed was 107 and considering all the half marathon qualifiers were seeded at the end (many of whom could run faster than me) I finished higher than expected.  There were a few exceptions that ran outstanding races but I think the majority of the athletes went home feeling just like I did.  They were capable of so much better.  I ran with the best of the best and even they struggled.  I can't help but feel most of the blame falls on USATF and NBC for running us in the heat of the day.  While no one can predict record high temperatures months in advance it would have been a completely different race if we had started at 6:00 or 7:00 like most marathons do.  The 10:22 start time to accommodate a live TV broadcast was a foolish decision which I'm assuming was made for monetary benefit and it hurt the athletes tremendously. I hope that in the future USATF will take the athletes needs into more serious consideration.

A couple days after the race one of my kids asked if I would try to go to the trials again in 2020.  That depends a lot on what USATF sets as the qualifying mark and how I'm running in a year and a half or so when the qualifying period opens.  Right now I feel like I would love another chance at doing this the right way but I'll be pushing 40 by the time qualifying opens again.  This may have been my only chance but I'm so grateful I had this experience.  I have memories I will treasure for a lifetime!