Race #9: August - Rivalry Relay

I was so excited for the Rivalry Relay.  This was my second year running it and I got to do it with some great girls.  The Rivalry Relay starts up at Rice-Eccles Stadium and runs down to Provo.  The scenery is beautiful, but still hot at the end of August.  I ran leg 3 for the team.

That morning I got up, had some of the girls meet at my house and then we headed out to pick up the rest on our way up to the start line.  We met the second three girls up in Salt Lake.  I think it was off 123000 South.  We all got into my car and realized that one of the girls had forgotten her shoes.  It was a really good thing that she lived close.  We all headed to her house, got her shoes, and drove back towards the freeway.  We were almost to the on-ramp when someone in the back seat yelled, "They're towing our cars!!"  At first I was thinking, "No, they're not.  We're in it."  But then my sleepy brain caught up to what she was saying and I made the turn into the parking lot.  We got there just in time.  Now we needed to find a new place to park the cars.  So, we headed to 114000 South to the Wal-Mart there.  Good thing Wal-Mart lets people park overnight.  Saved our bacon. 

Finally, we were off to our race.  We made it on time.  Got through the safety lesson and check-in.  And were feeling good about our day ahead.

The Start:

Our team up early and excited.

And we're off.  Headlamps and reflector vests, very important.

My first leg was beautiful.  I did need to change my shorts shortly after heading out because they were falling off as I ran (don't wear anything too big while running), but it was remedied quickly and I got to enjoy the run.  The sun was just coming up.  The world was waking and I was feeling great.  I ran quickly and comfortably.  It got me psyched for Suncrest.

My second leg was up Suncrest.  This stretch is 3.3 miles UP HILL.  And basically it's straight up.  I thought that I had trained well for it, but by the end of mile 1, I was definitely questioning my training.  I ended up power walking most of the way.  I hit this leg in the middle of the day in the middle of 90 degree heat.  So hot.  So hard.  Kicked my Ass!  But I finished it.  I finished in 54 minutes and 58 seconds.  I made it before the cut off and I'm glad that I did it.

Each person who runs the Suncrest leg gets a medal at the top. 

My last leg I was done.  I walked so much of it.  I'm not sure if I didn't eat enough, or if I was really dehydrated, or just dead tired, but my body just refused to work the way I wanted it to.  Apparently I had trained for one maybe two runs in a day, but not three.  The over training in my year of races hit me hard in this leg.  I have since learned and will not do that again.

This is our team running to the finish line together. 

We did it.  Finished a whole day soaking in the sun while doing something we love.  Our team came in 43rd.  We finished in 11 hours 19 minutes and 38 seconds.  So proud of us.

My medals proudly hung in my car for the rest of the evening.  

A closer look at the Rivalry Relay medal for this year.  I love this race.  It beats me down and builds me up at the same time.  Everyone needs to know they can do hard things, but still be reminded that there are legs that kill no matter how hard we train.  I'm going to continue to do this race every year I can get a team together. 

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.

Fat People Anonymous

Hi. My name is Phannie.

I'm a recovering fat person.

And by recovering I mean, still fat, but working to get "healthier."

As you know, I have been running for the last 4 weeks. And I've been loving it. It's an addiction that I am welcoming back into my life. Well, let me get to the point. I was running last night at my local recreation center when I started to feel a burning in my thighs. Now, normally this is a desirable feeling as a runner trying to thin out in that area, but not last night. The burning got more intense as my run went on.

So, I slow down and only run 2.75 miles instead of 3 miles. Not that big of deal, right? I get off the treadmill and start to check my thighs. Only to find it was what I call, the "fat burn." (The Fat Burn is when a fat persons thighs are rubbing together to create a burning sensation that results in raw, painful thighs.) Yes, I have officially rubbed holes into the thighs of my nice running pants. Sad, sad day. I love those pants. And I'm still in pain.

Still Fat. But still going running tomorrow.