Race #4: April - Pink Series 10K

The Pink Series was a race that caught my attention from the signs posted along the road I drive down every day.  I looked it up and it wasn't too expensive ($35), so I registered.  Then I recruited a friend to run with.  Races are always better with others.

This might have been the race that I felt I had prepared for completely.  I trained.  I wasn't nervous.  I knew I could finish with a good time.  It's when we're over confident that something goes wrong, right?  Well, it did.  I got up the morning of April 18th and my stomach was just churning.  And not from jitters.

For those that don't know, I have Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS).  I function just fine most days that I eat healthy foods.  I didn't think that I ate anything too terrible the day before my race, but my body was screaming that it didn't agree.  I spent at least a half hour on my personal throne before heading out.  My stomach was feeling a bit better.

I was told to park at the Pleasant Grove High School.  Here is where we caught a bus to the starting line.  In our pre-race email it said that the buses would be leaving between 7-7:45am.  So, I was there early.  I prefer to catch the first set of buses.  However, what it really meant was that the buses would all be leaving at the same time and that was 7:45.  We spent a lot of time waiting.  Good thing we had a bus to wait in because it was a wee bit chilly.

Around 7:30 my stomach started to churn again.  And I don't have a bathroom or port-a-potty anywhere close.  And those of you who have IBS know that when it comes, there is NO stopping it.  So, I'm sitting there in the school bus trying to keep my breathing at a steady speed and think about ANYTHING else.  Finally, the bus starts to move.

We get to the start and I hop out of the bus as fast as I can to get to the bathrooms before the crowd.  I make it.  I've visited The John a couple of times now, and I'm thinking that I'll be good to go for the rest of the race.

Here we are waiting to be told where to find the start line.

Walking to the start.

This was a low key race.  We all walked to the start and a guy with a mega phone yelled "go!"  We ran along the Murdock Canal Trail.  I really love this run.  It's beautiful and today was no different.  Until we got a couple of miles in and my stomach shifted again.

We had just passed the the bathrooms.  They were at least a half mile back and turning around is just not an option for me in a race.  And I needed to go.  NOW.  I was so convinced that I was going to shit myself, that I had to slow to a walk.  A gait that I'm sure appeared from behind as though I had a stick up my butt.  My running buddy was nice enough to stay with me the whole way.  We walked just over a mile before we hit another bathroom along the trail.  I saw it and ran.  Made it.

When I came back out, I was feeling good.  But I knew that it wasn't over.  So, we booked it to the finish.  As Pleasant Grove High School came into view, I could feel the rumblings below.  I was not stopping this time.  I ran faster.  Right through the finish and directly to the bathroom.  I almost missed getting my finisher medal.

 If I remember correctly, we finished in 1 hr and 15 minutes.   Not too shabby for needing to waddle with my butt cheeks squeezed together for over a mile and a ten minute potty break.  I'm feeling good about it.

At the finish line.  (post honey bucket)

I would absolutely participate in this race again.  Hopefully without my stomach issues.  I received plenty of emails before the race about race day info and packet pick up.  The organizers of the race seemed to be on top of everything.  After the race there were snacks and water. 

The medal is really pretty.  It has a charm that can be removed and placed on a chain to wear.  I like races where I get medals.  It's great to be given something for an accomplishment, and to remind me that I can.

If you get the chance to run this race, take it.  It's truly a beautiful run.

Race #3: March - Outclimb Cancer Challenge

On March 7, I participated in the Outclimb Cancer Challenge.  This challenge is organized completely by volunteers to benefit the Huntsman Cancer Foundation.  It's a 24-story climb up the Wells Fargo building in downtown Salt Lake City.  Participants can climb once or they can try to break the record for most climbs or fastest climb.  This is done by people of EVERY age and physical condition.

The challenge begins at 6 am and participants have until Noon to complete their climbs. This is also run in waves.   Participants are assigned a start time according to how many climbs they are going to attempt and how many people in their group.

I was running this challenge alone.  Weird how everyone thought I was crazy to want to run a stairs race, right?!  One week into my training and I was beginning to think they were on to something.  I love stairs, but they are a beast to do for a long period of time.  My goal for this challenge was 5 climbs or 120 floors.

I got to the Wells Fargo building around 8am.  My start time was 9am.  They had check-in and packet pick up that morning.  There was not a big line, so I didn't have any unnecessary waiting around.  They also had a place for me to check a bag with all of my belongings. 

I was super nervous about this.  I had trained, but didn't know what to expect. 

It begins.

There were many people climbing.  One elderly gentleman held the banister and pulled himself up each stair as he climbed the huge building.  He climbed more than once.  Some were climbing extremely fast.  Others were going to distance.  There was a woman who looked quite tired on my first elevator ride down to the bottom of the stairs, so I asked her how many climbs she had done so far.  She was on climb 22!!  When I left at the end of the day, we were again on the same elevator down to the bottom floor.  She was on climb 40. . . and still going. 

There were volunteers in the stair wells to make sure we were safe.  Some of them had water and others were dressed up dancing to music and cheering us all on.

Every time I made it back to the clock at the bottom of the stairs, it read 10 minutes past the last time I was there.  So, between elevator rides and walking back to the stairs from the elevator, I figure it took me right around 7-8 minutes each climb.  I took this picture when I finished my 6 climbs!!

There was this comparison of climbs to popular climbs other people do throughout the world.  It was fun to think I climbed higher than the Freedom Tower in New York City.

As soon as I was finished with my climbs, I was given a medal and could join the after party.  At the party, there was food and drinks for everyone, massage therapists for a small fee, and prizes given away for costumes, fastest climb, most climbs, and a drawing.  It was a lot of fun.

This would be really fun to do with a team of people.  There were small teams of just a couple of people and HUGE teams of more than 40 people.  All seemed to have a great time.  If you get a chance to join in on the Outclimb Cancer Challenge, take it.  Money goes to a great cause and I'm sure you'll love it.

Race #2: February - Chasing Cupid 5K

This Valentines Day became race day for me this year.  The Chasing Cupid 5K. We had the opportunity to chase Cupid through Gardner Village in Midvale, Utah.  5Ks are short and sweet and on days as cold as this one, the race doesn't last as long, so I don't have to spend too long shivering.

We received a Chasing Cupid 5K t-shirt with registration.  I love getting shirts.

Here I am freezing my butt off before the race began.

 Dressing up in costume is completely encouraged for this race.  I always love the idea of dressing up, but rarely come up with a good idea for a costume.  And if I do, it's too late to implement it.  But I did decide to wear a tutu and puffy thing on my head.  There were prizes given for the top 3 costumes. 

 Striking a pose.

During the race all the Cupids could run around "shooting" people with stickers.  If you were given a sticker then you could claim a prize after the race.  A fun idea.

In case I didn't mention earlier, it was FREEZING!! So cold that I couldn't feel my legs until after I finished.  But these crazy Cupids didn't seem to mind at all.   I finished this race in 29 minutes and 50 seconds.  Yay, I kept in under 30 minutes!!

After the race there was HOT soup, water, and cookie dough.  The soup was SOOOO good.  We were also given finisher medals.

I love small races.  And by small, I mean not very many people participating.  There was no fighting for parking, you could hear all the announcements before the race began, and you get to see most of the costumes.  I would definitely do this race again next year.

Race #1: January - Bigfoot Snowshoe 10K

 The first race of the year.  The Bigfoot Snowshoe 10K.  What was I thinking?!!  I'm just not sure.   I had just come off of the holidays, where I feel like I ate my weight in treats with NO exercise.  I had been sick for a whole week.  So, my training was limited to 2 weeks.  And I hadn't put on my snowshoes yet this winter.  (No snow will do that.) What saved me was having a friend to do this with.  She was my lifesaver.

When we started the race, I was feeling pretty good.  But trudging through the snow is hard work.  By the end of mile 1, I was feeling the burn. 

 There was a great distraction from my burning lungs, and that was the beauty of the morning.  The day was a perfect one. 

 This is us running down the hill.  Since there was little snow this year and it was so warm, it was more like slipping and sliding down the hill.

 Finishing Strong.

 Bigfoot waiting to greet us at the end of the course.

I did it.  I finished my first snowshoe 10k in 2 hours and 7 minutes.  The beauty was worth the time and struggle of the mountain.  The only thing I was a little disappointed in was the lack of medal at the end.  I LOVE my medals.  They're fun reminders of what I've accomplished.  There weren't any medals for the 10K participants.  Hopefully that changes in future years.

Eat Clean Struggles.

Taking a 4 month sabbatical from Eating Clean was not a smart idea.  It's extremely hard to get  back to it.  I want to have healthy eating habits.  I want my family to have good eating habits.  This isn't even about getting "skinny" anymore.  I've moved past that.  Getting skinny used to be a good motivator for me, but not now.   I don't want to, I just want to be healthy.  Working through the brainwashing that our media has taught is tough business.  I thought being healthy was going to be a good enough motivator, but I haven't been able to convince my subconscious.   And it's so easy to grab a cookie or cracker, or to pick up a $5 pizza on the way home.  But I know those things aren't good for my stomach.

I don't feel good when I eat them.  I bloat.  I spend the rest of the day passing gas.  My clothes don't feel as though they fit.  And I spend a significant amount of time on my personal throne.  Nothing good comes from indulging. . . maybe that one moment of blissful flavor.  But it's still just one moment.  That moment is just NOT worth it.  Because of my IBS, one moment ruins the rest of my day. My situation gives a whole new meaning to "A moment on the lips, forever on the hips."  My hips spend forever one the toilet.  UGHHHHH!

I need a good way to remind myself to steer clear of the junk.  Anything that has worked well for you?

Dear Body,

This year I set out to Eat Clean and help you become healthier inside.  I made it 8 months.  I ate Clean, felt wonderful, exercised 4-6 times a week, lost 45 pounds, and 3 dress sizes.  It was feeling like a great accomplishment.  Then I lost sight of my real goal. . . To Be HEALTHY!!  Not just to lose weight and size.  I fell off the bandwagon. I started eating too many treats, missing too many workouts, and justifying it all by how great I was feeling and looking.  Only to kill all my hard work in just a few weeks.

So, here I am again.  15 pounds heavier than I was in July.  You now telling me that it doesn't feel good.  You feel lethargic and yucky inside.  You have been nagging me to keep going. To keep my eye on the real goal.

I want to be healthy and create a healthy lifestyle that makes me feel good, keeps you working properly, and that has become a good HABIT.  Apparently 8 months was NOT long enough for me to establish Eating Clean as a habit.  Which brings me to this next year.  . .

12 months of Eating Clean  

The new goal.  It will be done.

I'm truly sorry for all the pain and sickness I have caused this year.  Next year will be another story.

Love,

Phannie

Rivalry Relay 2014

September 6th was the day for the Rivalry Relay.  The day that Utah and BYU fans go head to head in a race from Ute territory to Cougar territory.  Okay, so it's not as intense as that sounds, but it IS a blast. 

This was my first year running it and I don't want to miss another year.  I had 3 legs to run and I don't think I ran over 9 miles total. A perfect amount for one day.  I dressed in Utah colors and ran for the enjoyment of being with other runners.  There were speedy teams and slower teams, but it didn't matter how long the race took you.  ALL seemed to love what they were doing.  And everyone supported each other. 

 My last leg.

Tired, but still smiling.

I can't wait for next year.