Grinnell Games Half Marathon Race Recap

This race was my first official half marathon! I had decided a while back that I wanted to complete at least one official half marathon before my first full marathon in September. I had looked for one, but couldn't find one that worked with my schedule. My friend Jordan mentioned one that she wanted to sign up for. I looked into it, and we decided to sign up together!

I knew that it would be the weekend after the Dam to Dam 20K, but I thought that I would be fine. I was in for a reality check! But we'll get to that soon enough!

The plan was for me to drive to Jordan's house the night before, carpool with her to Grinnell, carpool back to her house, then drive home. As the race got closer, Charles thought it would be a better idea if he came along. I was thrilled when he suggested it! He hasn't seen me run or race at all! We had some planning to do to find people to watch our girls, but everything fell into place and he would be able to go with me!

We left Friday evening after we put the girls down for bed. The first few minutes of the ride were quiet and awkward. We haven't been alone like that... well... in a long, long time! We have never spent a night away from our girls together. We laughed about the awkwardness and general nervousness of leaving our girls overnight, but soon found plenty to talk about and catch up on!

It was wonderful for us both!

We arrived at Jordan and Tyler's house and chatted for about an hour or so before heading to bed. Jordan and I knew we wouldn't sleep very well, so we wanted to get as many hours as we could before we had to leave early in the morning.

RACE DAY! Morning came too soon! I was up and getting ready before Charles, but he never takes too long to get ready. I worked out some of my pre-race nerves by saying some prayers! We headed out at 6:15 a.m.! The drive was gorgeous! The sun was up, there was a nice mist/fog over the hills and corn fields! It was a sight! We had to take a detour so we were on the road longer than we had planned. I ate a banana about 45 minutes before the start of the race.

We showed up at registration/packet pick-up with 20 minutes to go before the race start. YIKES! Tyler and Charles left to go get some breakfast, so Jordan and I had to leave our packets at registration. We took out our race bibs, pinned them on, and dropped off our packets. We needed to use the porta-potties. The line was crazy! A ton of people and only three toilets! We started getting anxious as the minutes were getting lower and lower to the start. We finally got in and out with 5 minutes before the start! Talk about pre-race nerves! We had a few minutes to chat lightly. I was sad that we weren't able to get a photo before the start! We saw Tyler and Charles and told them to grab our packets. Since I don't have a SPIbelt or anything to hold my racing fuel, I had to hold my Cliff Shot Bloks.

Then it was go time!

So you can see the route Jordan and I ran.

Mile 1 - 8:39 There were 109 runners with us this time! It was a huge difference from the Dam to Dam! Jordan and I talked about not starting too fast, but we felt good at this pace. We merged with the 5K runners, so things were tight for a little bit, but we separated right after the first water station. There were so many spectators along the sides cheering us on with COWBELLS! My watched chirped the first mile before we hit the "MILE 1" sign, so I knew we'd be off at the finish line.

Mile 2 - 8:48 I mentioned to Jordan that if she lost me, to go on ahead and try for her sub-2 hour goal! I knew I wasn't going to be able to keep up at this pace! Half way through this mile, there was the sign for "MILE 8". We knew that we had a large loop that we were doing twice. This was the start of two large hills that were back to back. I told Jordan that these hills would hurt the next time we visited them!

Mile 3 - 9:14 I kept up with Jordan as best as I could. I settled into a place right behind her for most of this mile, but she lost me for good about half way through. I told myself to stay below 10:00 miles and try hard to get a good time. I could feel myself slowing down, but I still felt alright by this point. I decided to eat one Cliff shot blok. I read earlier this week about runners needing to fuel about 30 minutes into a race in order to keep their energy. The shot block went down easy and I pressed on.

Mile 4 - 9:22 I could see Jordan ahead of me. She was with a group of girls and doing so well. I paced with a lady in pink. I felt really good at this pace, but again, I could feel myself slowing down. I decided to get a drink at the water station, and it helped.

Mile 5 - 9:24 I felt really good after my drink. I noticed a porta-potty outside of the college here. I felt like I needed to use it, but kept going. There were a lot of spectators on this stretch and they did awesome about cheering! Especially the little kids! I kept looking down at my Garmin because I could feel myself getting slower, still. It was frustrating.

Mile 6 - 9:42 Creeping up on that 10:00 minute mile time was frustrating for me. I ate another shot blok, but it wasn't sitting well with me this time. The package was now small enough to fit into the hidden pocket on my running skirt, so I quickly put it there and felt better about not having to carry anything while I was running. I was crazy proud of myself for sticking it out so far, but feeling my legs getting heavier and heavier was mentally hard. I kept saying, "The Dam to Dam was so much easier! Why is this so darn hard?" And that was just the thing! I had a really good race last week! It was hard on my body! I was super sore for about four days afterwards! And it was starting to catch up with me! I was getting more optimistic at this point because I knew I was close to the half-way point and Charles was there!

Mile 7 - 9:46 Getting closer to Charles kept me pushing hard to keep my miles under 10:00. I came up on central park and knew he'd be there. As I came down the main stretch that would serve as the finish later, I heard someone shouting like crazy for me. It was a woman. She was wearing a green shirt and a purple headband. I couldn't quite see who she was, but she knew me, and that helped me so much! I shouted back and waved! I went over a mental list in my mind and couldn't remember if I had other friends who had signed up to run or who lived in Grinnell. Then I saw Charles. I tried so hard not to cry. I wanted to look strong for him. I could hear him cheering for me and it lifted me up! I pushed on and kept my pace.

Half way!

Mile 8 - 10:22 This is where things took a turn for the worse. My legs started feeling tight. My body was so tired. I felt extremely dehydrated and tired. I got another drink from the water station. I thought about walking, but kept going. I looked down at my Garmin and kissed my goal of keeping my miles under 10:00 goodbye. I started getting mad... I started hating the runners who were passing me... I was not in a good place. I knew the two large hills were coming up and I decided to start praying for strength to get through them. I needed it. I could feel some blisters on my feet forming. I decided to not look at my watch again.

Mile 9 - 11:22 (1 minute walk) I made it up both hills. I made it up them while thinking some not-nice words. I hated running. I kept asking myself why I even started running again. I started doubting I would ever finish the race... I doubted that I would EVER run a marathon. I hated how heavy my legs were. I hated how tired I felt. I decided to walk when I reached the water station. I grabbed a cup, chugged it, and walked for about a minute. I thought about eating another shot blok, but decided against it. Then started running again. Okay, it was more of a jog/shuffle. I told myself that I wouldn't walk again until the next water station.

Mile 10 - 11:39 (1 minute walk) I didn't make it that long. I needed to walk. Not so much because of my body needing it... it was purely a mental break. I started crying. It was a dry-cry because I felt no tears. I kept thinking about how much I wanted to finish, how much I wanted to see Charles again... I kept thinking of how good Jordan was doing. I couldn't see her at all at this point, so I knew she was getting closer to the end. I knew the end was getting closer for me, too, but it was hard at the time to realize that. After my walk break, I told myself that all that was left was a 5K. I could run the entire thing! I wanted to! So I set out with that as my goal. Finish the last of this half marathon without stopping.

Mile 11 - 12:26 (2 minute walk) Nope. I hit the water station and started walking again. This time was longer than the others. I started cheering on the people who were passing me. Saying, "Good job!" and "Keep it up!" I had a hard time wanting to start running again. I decided that I was NEVER going to do back-to-back race weekends EVER again. Never ever. NEVER EVER. A lady wearing a neon yellow tank passed me and encouraged me to keep pushing because I was so close to the finish!  Something happened in my brain because I started running again. I started praying out loud, "Lord, lift me up, carry me through, and don't let me die!" I said this over and over, OUT LOUD! People who were passing me gave me an encouraging chuckle and some even said, "Amen!"

Mile 12 - 11:32 Then I started singing. Yep. You read that right. SINGING. Out loud. It was to the tune to Wham's song "Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go". It went something like this:

Lift me up, and help me go-go,

Don't leave me laying dead on the side of the road-road

Lift me up, and help me go-go, 

I don't want to run this but I'm trying real hard,

Lift me up, and help me go-go,

Cause I'm not planning on quitting today!

I started singing that over and over again! It made sense in my head! I know it's not exactly a match to the tune on the song, but it helped me to not walk during this mile! I also started allowing myself to run slower at this point. I started to accept that I was going to run my miles slower. And that was okay! I embraced my "training pace" and had a much better mental run. I saw Jordan getting ready to finish and started cheering her on from where I was running! I didn't look at my watch, but I kept praying that she would finish well! I jogged through the water station and got a drink. I knew I was almost done!

Mile 13 - 13:03 (2:30 minute walk) A lady said to me, "ONE MILE LEFT!" I stared her right in the eye, and started walking. I had lost the place that I was in my mind. It was gone. All the positive vibes and songs in my head were gone. I walked for a minute, then started running again. Then walked again. The tidal wave of things going through my mind weren't very nice. A lot of people passed me at this point. I just wanted to quit. I didn't want to go on. I was done. Mentally. I told myself that I would run at the next driveway. When the driveway came, I kept walking. I couldn't get my feet to move. I crossed a busy street and came up on the central park area again. I started running again. I knew I was almost done. I could see the big blue finish line and I wanted to get there so badly. One more person passed me and I had had enough. No one else was going to pass me. I started running faster.

The last 0.25 - 2:12, a pace of 9:17 As I came into the busy block, there were so many cheers of support from the runners and spectators. It helped a lot! There was a couple blowing huge bubbles for the runners to run through, but I wanted to stay in the middle of the road, so I just waved. As I turned down the road, I felt a combination of pure exhaustion and pure joy. I started running hard. I had nothing left, but I didn't care. I saw Charles, Tyler, and Jordan cheering me on.

Exhausted but pushing hard!

I need a better racing bra... Hooray for saggy boobs after breastfeeding three children!

Face of determination or exhaustion? Both?
Also, I LOOOOOOVE this picture of me!

I waited until I hit the final block before the finish line and I threw my arms up and celebrated my first half marathon finish.

I crossed that glorious finish line and wanted to fall over.

The time in the photo and my "official" chip time are off... not sure why.

The man who took my chip timer was very nice and walked with me for a minute before I found Charles. I stopped my Garmin and noticed that it had my distance at 13.25 miles! I got my finisher's medal. The first thing I wanted to do with it was throw it to the ground and stomp on it... but I had no energy left. I decided it would be best if Charles grabbed it and put it on my neck. I hear some other runners complaining about the course going a little long, I wanted to chime in, but I didn't want to argue anymore. I wanted a nap. I finished my very first half marathon! I am an official half marathoner!

Half Marathon #1

Official Chip Time 02:17:34

average pace 10:22

Overall #89 out of 109

I saw Jordan and asked her how she finished. She said she was SO close to getting her sub-2 hour goal! She finished in 02:05:30! I'm SO proud of her! Charles got a picture of her finishing strong!

She's a STRONG runner!

I had to walk around for the first 15 minutes after I finished. My legs were so tight. It hurt to walk, but I knew I needed to stay moving. I was starving and thirsty. I was a bit crabby right afterwards, too. I snapped at Charles a few times, then apologized right afterwards. He was so great about opening my water bottle, peeling my orange and banana, and just being there to talk to me and walk with me. I was so, so happy that he was there! I kept telling him that I didn't think I would be able to do a full marathon and how much I hated running. He calmed me down and reminded me about how I felt last week when I ran the Dam to Dam. He said that I will run my full marathon on fresh legs! I didn't want to talk about it anymore because I knew he was right and I wasn't going to argue with him!

I looked around for the woman who yelled at me when I hit the half way point. I couldn't spot her, but I knew that whoever it was would say something on Facebook to me!

Jordan and I decided to get some photos of us with our racing bling on!

We still had some smiles left in us!

Distant Running/Training Buddies

I wish my camera didn't suck because I LOVE this photo of us! I'm sad that it was so dark. I did my best on enhancing it and making it brighter. I kinda like the vintage look, though!

We have a friend, Nadyne, who made us some signs to cheer us on with. She was going to be there with us, but things didn't work out and she wasn't able to come. But she posted a photo on Facebook saying, "Good luck to some of the most inspiring runners I know! Wish I was there watching you finish!"

How awesome is that?! She should mail that sign to me so I can put it up in my bedroom near my medal rack!

Since Jordan and I were so rushed before the race, I didn't get a chance to look inside my swag bag! I was pumped to see my tech shirt and goodies! There were coupons, a fun clapper, a Frisbee, a sports drink, and more! I was not disappointed!

We decided to go ahead and head home. I was so tired. We talked about how Jordan felt during her run, how I felt, and how proud we were that we finished the thing! When we got back to Jordan's house, I went inside to use the bathroom and change my running shoes into my flip-flops. As soon as I got them off, I counted FIVE blisters on my toes! BLAH! I'm sure it was because my feet were so heavy and I was so tired that my shoes were pounding into the pavement and I got so many blisters as a result.

I really need bigger running shoes. It's my next investment before my full marathon in September! Another thing that I am excited to buy are the 13.1 shubeez shoe tags for Jordan and I! I already have a marathon one that I wear for motivation (which confuses other racers, but makes sense to me!) and a Boston Strong ribbon shubeez. I am also excited to get a 13.1 sticker for my car!

When we got home, I uploaded the data from my Garmin. I was nervous about it because I stopped looking at it around mile 8. I felt like my miles were 13 to 14 minutes long. But they weren't, aside from mile 13, of course. And that felt good! I felt better about it. I also jumped onto Facebook and found out who the lady was that was cheering for me! It was my friend Susan! We went to UNI together and were in the Marching Band's Colorguard! She ran the 5K that morning and was cheering on a friend who was also running her first half marathon!

Me, Jenna, Susan, and Abby

Susan has started her own weight loss journey and has done an amazing job so far! It was awesome to have another supporter on the side lines!

I can't even begin to describe how hard it was to write this race recap. This was a hard run for me. I seriously considered quitting running for good. I thought to myself, "There's no way you're EVER going to qualify for Boston OR run a full marathon!" I hate remembering all the negative things that went on inside my head. It was pretty vicious stuff for a few miles. I kept calling on God to strengthen me and carry me through. It helped, but those negative thoughts kept creeping back in and taking over. It really helped to have Jordan running with me. I know that she was ahead of me, but knowing that someone who inspires me would be cheering me on helped tremendously. Maybe someday we'll be trained enough to run a sub-2 hour half marathon together!

But I came out of it a stronger runner. Both mentally and physically. I will always look back at my first half marathon and be proud that I didn't quit. That I kept going even though my body and mind were against me. I read a post by Colene Lord yesterday that had me in tears. It was like she was speaking directly to me. She said:

"Our times, our pace, our distance, our training DOES NOT define us.

What defines us is working hard when your body wants to quit and moving forward anyway.

What defines us is finding the strength to keep going when your mind is telling you otherwise.

What defines us is accepting a challenge and giving it your all in that moment.

What defines us is being sensitive to the fact that your worst could be someone else’s best on a particular day and not putting down what they are capable of because you are disappointed in your own performance.

What defines us is celebrating our own accomplishments and celebrating the accomplishments of others, NO MATTER WHAT.

What defines me today is knowing that I did my best and being 100% happy with my accomplishment – because the happier I am with it, the less I give a rip how anyone else feels about it."

I WILL RUN A FULL MARATHON.
I WILL RUN ANOTHER HALF MARATHON.
I WILL REST MORE BETWEEN RACE WEEKENDS.
I AM A RUNNER.
I AM STRONG.

DAM to DAM 2013 Race Recap

I set my sights and goals on running the Dam to Dam a year ago. I have a friend, Willy, who lost weight, trained, and ran the 20K last year with an impressive time! Seeing him do all of those things gave me hope that I could, too! And this past weekend, I did!

I thought that I would be super nervous for this run! But as it turns out, I wasn't! I thought that I would be a ball of nerves, on the edge, and freaking out. But I kept my cool! I got a little nervous in the hotel and right before the bus ride to the dam, but that was it!

Friday afternoon, Charles took me to Jen's house to wait for Shelly. We carpooled with her for the ride up. We talked about how we got into running, our goals, and more. It was nice to hear about her experiences at other races and know what to expect going into the Dam to Dam.

We got to packet pick-up around 7:00 p.m. I picked up my packet first, then picked up Desiree's. The racing bibs were awesome! It had my name on the front with the distance I was registered for. It had my timing chip attached to the back of it. This was the first year that this event used this method. I was also told to go get my event shirt. I was very  happy with the tech shirt I was given! It's neon pink with the DAMtoDAM log on it! I also got a pair of Brooks running socks! Call me crazy, but I love me some good running socks!

On the way to the hotel, we passed HuHot and I mentioned that I had never eaten there before. Jen said that we HAD TO GO there for supper! I was a little nervous because I've been told to not have any new food the day before a race, but I really didn't want to pass it up! We dropped our bags off in the hotel room, picked up Jen's husband, and headed to HuHot for supper!

It. Was. Amazing! A totally new experience for me! I stuck to foods that I know I can handle and didn't go too crazy with my food! I totally got my carb load on! Delicious food! I kept telling Jen that I was going to have my husband come up the next day so that I could enjoy the food all over again! It was that good!

We got back to the hotel room, watched some YouTube videos, and went to bed. The alarm was set for 4:00 a.m. I was worried that I wouldn't get enough sleep, but I ended up sleeping fantastically! I only woke up twice to check the clock, then fell right back to sleep! When the alarm went off at 4, I got right up and got ready! I started getting a little nervous then, but I think I was more worried about the food I had the night before. I was hoping that it wouldn't go right through me. I felt fine, but I still worried. Jen was worried that it would storm before we finished the race, but I had a feeling that we'd be fine!

Desiree called Jen and told her that she was outside the hotel and ready to take us to the bus loading place. We got everything packed and headed out to the car. We got on a bus pretty quickly and started the trip towards the dam! It was the first time since High School that I was on a bus! I sure didn't miss it! Desiree and I sat next to each other and talked about our plans for the run and where we wanted to meet up afterwards.

I kept thinking, "This drive is so long! That means that it's going to be forever to run back!" I kept my mind off of that thought and enjoyed looking at all of the gorgeous houses along the route. We were dropped off at the dam and waited until we found Shelly to head towards the port-a-potties. It was chilly, but bearable. We had to leave our gear bags near the bus drop-off before we were able to head towards the dam. When Shelly found us, we decided to drop off the bag and head to the potties.

I saw a lot of friends on the way there! Joe, Willy, Karen, Cassie, Emily, and Sara! I talked to some of them, wished them "good luck", then headed towards the short line to the potties. I was blessed that the HuHot food was nice on my system! I don't have any before-race horror stories to tell! Once everyone had gone, we headed to the start on the dam!

We got a photo of our group with the finish line in the background! It's the "big" building between me and Jen in the photo below!

Des, Shelly, me, and Jen

I kept thanking God that the weather was so gorgeous! There was hardly any wind, the sun was shining, and it was just perfect for running! After we snapped the photo, we headed towards the pace signs. I told the ladies that I wanted to keep my miles under 10:00 so that I could finish in under 2 hours. I realized then that I was going to be on my own! I hugged each of my friends and went to stand between the 9:00 and 10:00. I said a silent prayer that I would find someone to run with. I really enjoyed training with Des, but I hated the thought of not having anyone to talk to. I don't listen to music when I run.

My prayers were answered! I met a lady named Nikki! I made a comment on her shorts! Sounds funny, but they were black and yellow. I said, "Those look like Hawkeye shorts!" She turned and said, "Oh! They are!" Then showed me the Hawkeye logo on the other leg of her shorts! We started talking a bit about our pace, if we'd ran the race before, where we're from, etc.

Then it was go time! It took us about 5 minutes to get to the start line, I started my Garmin, jogged a bit to warm up, and kept a nice pace with my new friend!

Mile 1 - 9:25 It felt good to see all the people! It was wall-to-wall packed! (Photo here) It was nice to have Nikki there to keep me on pace. We did a lot of weaving in and out of people. I made a few comments on how gorgeous the scenery was around us! The breeze was perfect and there were a ton of people on bikes cheering us on! My Garmin chirped "Mile 1" about 0.04 before I actually crossed the DAM's "MILE 1" sign.

Mile 2 - 9:09 Getting kind of fast! It was hard to go any slower because the crowd was pushing us along. It was a "stay with the pack or get eaten alive" kind of deal! Nikki and I managed to weave in and out with plenty of time to talk in between weaves. She told me that we needed to slow down a bit because we were going too fast! We saw the first water station and she mentioned wanted to get some water, but she wanted to wait until the next one.

Mile 3 - 9:21 That's better for pace! We weren't weaving as much now. We were finally able to get comfortable with our pace and talk. We talked about how we met our husband's, how many kids we have, and more! It was awesome to have her there to talk to for the next few miles!

Mile 4 - 9:35
Mile 5 - 9:41 Nikki got a drink at the water station and mentioned that if I lose her, to keep going and pushing to reach my goal of finishing under 2 hours. She kept with me for a little bit more, then I lost her. I said another prayer that I would be able to be fine without someone to talk to. I was blessed because there were some awesome water stations, fan signs, and hilarious runners!

Mile 6 - 9:17 The first hill came in this mile! It was right near the end of the mile. I was hoping that there wouldn't be any people walking in my way along the hill. I had to do some weaving, but managed to make it to the top without slowing down! It was cool to cross over I-80! There were a ton of cars, trucks, and semi's that blasted their horns! I ate my packet of SportBeans.

Mile 7 - 9:19 I realized here that I was getting closer to downtown as I reached the 10K point! Half way! I got excited, but the hills were still coming! As I was heading up a hill, there was a man on the side of the road (photo here) ringing two cowbells like crazy! I shouted, "MORE COWBELL!" Then a runner behind me shouted, "YEAH! MORE COWBELL!" Then the guy with the cowbell shouted, "I GOT A FEVER!"

And all I had in my head was the image of Will Ferrell with his cowbell:

Then the runner guy behind me started yelling, "MORE HILLS! JUST KIDDING! LESS HILLS!" It was great to get my mind off of the run and focus on laughing!

Mile 8 - 9:17 Finally in residential Des Moines! There was a lot of runner support along the route here! It helped! There were some hilarious signs! "Worst. Parade. Ever!", "Good job random runner!", "Don't walk now! There are people watching!", "You think you're TIRED?! My arms are KILLING ME!", and more! There was a yard that was totally decked out with breast cancer awareness stuff! It was awesome!

Mile 9 - 9:05 There was a man sitting in his yard with his garden hose turned on and spraying a mist into the street. I ran through it! Sweet relief! It was HOT! I was sweating like crazy and it was awesome to run through the cool water! I want to take to thank the woman handing out sponges soaked with water during this mile, as well! I didn't grab one, but there were so many people thanking her!

Mile 10 - 9:20 I prepared myself for the hill that was during mile 10. It looked scary, but it wasn't too bad! I started realizing here that I was getting very tired. I thought of my friends behind me and it kept me going. I wanted to finish and be able to cheer them on as they finished. I said a few prayers during this mile that my body would remain strong and bring me to the finish line!

Mile 11 - 9:16 I can see the building near the finish! It's much bigger than it was when we first started! It was a wonderful sight! The route took us past some bars and restaurants and smelling the food was almost torture! My stomach started gurgling! In a good way! I really wanted some french toast!

Mile 12 - 8:55 I kicked it into a higher gear here! I was battling the negative thoughts in my mind saying, "It's okay if you don't get under 2 hours! Go ahead and walk!" Then, something happened! I turned into a mad woman! I started weaving in and out of people along the trail. It was super narrow right before the final bridge to cross. I ended up having to run in the dried mud to get around people. I kept shouting, "EXCUSE ME!" I'm sure some people thought I was rude, but I just wanted to get the thing DONE! I crossed the bridge and knew I had a little over a mile left and started going faster!

The last 0.54 - 4:15 (7:51 pace) As soon as I came onto Grand Avenue, I knew it was the home stretch! I gave it my all! I'm sure I looked crazy to the people who were watching! I'm interested to see the photos of me finishing! I'm sure I look insane, but I wanted to finish! I had to pee! I was weaving in and out of people all over again! I started passing people and getting a lot of support from the spectators! "Go pink! Way to finish!" "Get it girl!" "Great job pink!" I figured by then that I was "pink" because of my tank top! Although I'm sure my face was somewhere between pink and red! As soon as I saw the "400 METERS" sign, I started going even faster! Then I saw the "200 METERS" sign. I started to cry. I looked forward towards the glorious "FINISH" line and threw my hands into the air as I crossed the finish line! The clock said "2:00:56". I thought, wait a second? I know I finished in under two hours! Then I remembered the 5 minute walk/jog to the start line.

I stopped my Garmin and it told me that I had finished with a time of 1:55:55! I DID IT! I finished in under two hours! I was overwhelmed with tears. I was trying to catch my breath. I started walking wobbling back and forth. I kept my head up and noticed the medals that were being handed out. I got my medal, put it around my neck, then started sobbing like a fool. I thought I was going to pee my pants, but that went away pretty quickly.

I got a Powerade Zero, got my photo taken, stretched in the grass, then headed to the finish line to watch my friends cross the finish line.

I was only able to watch Desiree cross the finish line. I started shouting at her like a crazy person and crying at the same time! I was so happy that I got to watch my training buddy cross the finish line! I walked back to the photo place to have a photo taken with her! We got some after-race fuel which consisted of bananas, oranges, apples, and chocolate milk. Then we found Jen and Shelly and snapped a photo of the four of us with our medals!

Jen, Shelly, me, and Des

I was ready for a nap by then! I was excited to go home and show my medal to Charles and the girls! I was also excited to upload the data from my Garmin and see what my official chip time was! The results were posted an hour and a half later than they told us, but that was alright by me! The anticipation about killed me, but I was very pleased once I found my name!

My splits from my Garmin:

My Garmin had me going a little more than a 20K, but I still finished under two hours and I am so, so pleased with that!

Overall, I am so, so happy I did this! I kept saying afterwards, "I can't believe we just did that!" I looked up at the big building and realized that the finish line was past that building! Holy crap! We finished it! The race was amazing! The weather was just perfect! The rain clouds started rolling in after I crossed the finish line, but it didn't start raining until after the event was over!

I realized when I got home that one year ago, I was 51 pounds heavier and completely out of shape. And in a year's time, I was able to lose that weight slowly, keep it off, and be race-ready! I trusted my training and enjoyed my first official DAM to DAM!

I will be back every year to run it! I am looking forward to next year's race already! But first, I am running my first half marathon THIS WEEKEND! Yep! 13.1 miles a week after a 20K!

I'm crazy!

But you already knew that!

Happy 3rd Birthday Rosalie

I did the same thing I did last year. I put out some photos of all the things my girls love. Dora, the Little Mermaid, Tinkerbell, Belle, Rapunzel, etc. I told Rosalie to pick what she wanted to use for her party theme. She picked Rapunzel!

I started party planning and doing some major research into Rapunzel! I looked on other blogs for ideas and even searched for the patterns on Rapunzel's dress, lanterns, flags, and more! Then I set out to make Rosalie's birthday invite!

I spent two weeks making the decorations! I found a cute idea on Pinterest and decided to tackle it on my own! (Idea here!) I don't have a special cutting machine, so I had to cut out each of the sun stars BY HAND, with a Xacto knife! I cut out 80 stars! Then glued them one-by-one onto purple paper! Hung them from fishing wire, then hung them in the living room about a week before her party!

The flags were very heavy and the decorations kept falling down. I ended up needing to tape them between every third flag! I don't have a picture of the finished look, but you'll be able to see them in the birthday photos below!

Everything else after that was a breeze! I found a few more ideas and decided on a cake design for Rapunzel's dress cake! I followed the general idea from Corner House and came up with this finished look for the cake:

I still hadn't put her hair down, but I wanted a picture before the centerpiece was finished!

I used marshmallow fondant for the dress and decorated on it with edible food markers! I looked up the dress design online and did the best I could to copy it! There were some flaws, but Rosalie didn't care! She was IN LOVE with her cake!

As soon as the cake was finished, I started in making the Magic Golden Flower cupcakes! I used the same Wilton mold that I used for Caitlin's Tinker Bell cake, only I used the flower molds! 

I used the orange food writer to mark the inner design from the mold!

While I was working, Rosalie put on her Rapunzel dress and started watching Tangled! She was very comfortable doing so!

Caitlin and Vivian were watching, too!

After I finished the cupcakes, I put them in the cupcake tower and got the dessert table ready! I put Rapunzel's hair down and placed the cake in a frying pan! This is how it looked!

Everyone LOVED it, too! I got a lot of compliments and laughs about it! Here are some up-close photos of the finished cake and cupcakes!

I set out the rest of the table decorations and food for the party!

I cut the flags on the banner a little differently from the ones in our living room!
Rosalie is on the right showing her cousin the food!

We served grilled hot dogs, chips, a veggie platter (celery, carrots, and ranch dip), a fruit platter (strawberries, cantaloupe, and pineapple), Cherry Limeade kool-aid, and birthday cake!

Silk flower basket I bought at a fundraiser! Fischer Price's Rapunzel toy with the brush that came with the Rapunzel doll used in the cake! All set on top of a sheet of gold scrapbooking paper!

I even made a Flynn Rider WANTED poster pinata! (Pinterest idea here!) I used a cereal box, printed the wanted poster from Google, and glued the frills on myself! I filled it with candy and hung it above the dessert table for decoration!

I snapped a quick photo of the birthday girl with her birthday cake!

We had a wonderful turnout for the party! The food was GONE by the end and we weren't able to smash the pinata with a frying pan, but I let the girls have the candy from the inside! I saved the pinata because I'm sure I'll be throwing another Rapunzel party someday! Here are some more photos from Rosalie's big day!

Rosalie digging into the fruit platter!

Singing "HAPPY BIRTHDAY" to Rosalie!

Princess lunchbox filled with goodies!

Princess velvet coloring board!

Rosalie's BIG GIRL panties! Princess panties for potty training!

French Fry shirt from Mommy and Daddy!

Princess Plate Set from Mommy and Daddy!

Princess toys from Grandma and Grandpa!

Rapunzel place mat!

I still can't believe that my girl is THREE! Where has the time gone? I am so thankful for each and everyday I get with my sweet Rosalie! She's still a Ninja! She has changed so much in the last year! I am overwhelmed with emotion when I think about it! I am so excited to see how she changes and grows this next year! 

I love you, Rosalie Cadence!

8 months pregnant with Rosalie!

Welcome to the world, Rosalie!
Don't mind my face! Natural birth hurts A LOT!

Rosalie on her FIRST birthday!

Rosalie on her SECOND birthday!

Rosalie on her THIRD birthday!

I am interested to see what party she'll want for her fourth birthday next year! Whatever it is, I'm going to go all out! Every birthday is worth a HUGE celebration in my book!

YMCA's Spring 5K Race Recap

I signed up for the YMCA's Spring 5K early in the year! It gave me plenty of time to prep and train! But the week before the run, I started getting very nervous! I kept going over things in my head like:

"What if there are so many people and I can't weave in and out of people smoothly?"

"What if there is no one there and I'm the only one?"

"What if there are a TON of teenagers who sign up and make me feel incredibly slow?"

"What if I completely flop and finish last?"
"What if I do very well and finish first?"

I had SO many questions that kept going through my head all week! It was ridiculous! As soon as I went to bed each night and my head hit my pillow, the questions would start all over again!

I have a friend, Erin, who goes to Zumba with me. We've gotten progressively closer over the past year. There are a few songs in Zumba where we'd both yell or repeat the words, look at each other, and start laughing. Mainly because it would be just us who were shouting and having a blast! It grew into a friendship that I did not expect! I am grateful for it! I asked Erin if she was going to be running the 5K. She said that she hadn't signed up yet and was scared to run it because she hadn't hardly trained this year. 

I told her to sign up! She kept telling me she didn't want to pay the full price to run it. I told her to sign up anyway! 

My neighbor Malissa signed up to run the 5K. She's been on a weight-loss journey and has been getting into running! The night before the run, we got to talk about our excitement, nervousness, goals, etc.. It was nice because I knew I wasn't the only one who was crazy nervous! We talked about what we ate for the week, how we tried to keep our meals consistent, and not do anything that wouldn't normally do! 

I've done a few fun 5K's like the Color run and the Glow run, and I've done some virtual 5K's, but I've NEVER done a timed 5K with prizes awarded! I was insanely nervous! So I prayed the night before the run that I would be able to sleep and get the rest I would need to do well during the race!

I woke up at 5 even though I set my alarm for 5:30. I made six different trips to the bathroom before I left for the race. I ate a banana about an hour before the race, as well. When I got to the Y at 7:30, I was the first one to pick up my packet. I got the chance to talk to some people who were nervous about running, but glad that all the "good runners" were running the Market to Market! Which made me feel better about my chances to place well! There were 39 people running/walking the race.

That's when I looked over and saw Erin! I about shouted for joy! I told her that I KNEW she'd sign up! She told me she finally signed up the day before! A little last minute, but I was glad to have a friend to run with! We decided to walk around the parking lot to warm up. The wind was AWFUL. AWFUL. We talked about pacing and our strategy to finish under 29 minutes. I told her to stay with me as long as she could because I had my Garmin on and it would help us to pace! We knew that we'd be heading straight into the wind for the first mile AND there were hills. We did not want to start off too fast!

We went back inside for one last trip to the restroom. Then it was go time!

We lined up. Erin and I in the front! Yikes! The start was off and we settled into a steady pace and clocked our first mile in 9:11! We were in third and fourth place at the time. I knew that we had some pretty tough hills coming up, we reached the turn around point and I talked Erin through the largest hill of the run. We encouraged other runners as we passed by them. It helped me to talk through the hills with Erin there! We finally made it through all of the hills and reached mile two with a split of 8:43. We were in second and third place. That's when Erin said, "You go on ahead if I'm slowing you down!" I laughed and said, "You're not!" But I lost her shortly afterwards.

When I came up on the turn to go around the college, the wind caught me by surprise, but I pushed through it. I looked at my Garmin and I was running with a pace of 7:50. I kept thinking, "I'm going to crap out soon and end this thing terribly! I've never gone this fast! But hey, I'm in SECOND PLACE RIGHT NOW! I think I can catch the girl in front of me! Here I go!" I looked behind me and knew I was good for second place if I didn't trip or have a heart attack! I hit mile three with a split of 7:30! 

I came up on the final stretch of the run and I could see the girl in front of me, but I knew I couldn't catch her! (Keep in mind that she in a sophomore in high school and I'm 25 and a mother of three!) I came down the finish and looked at the clock for the first time. It said 00:25:32, and I thought, "SERIOUSLY?!"

Yep! Seriously! I put my arms up and crossed the finish line about fell over with excitement! I also forgot to shut my Garmin off right away! But it was pretty accurate for my time! I finished that bad boy with an official time of 25:38! I plowed through my "goal time" by four minutes! Holy buckets! I felt amazing! I felt strong during the race!

I looked over and saw Erin coming down the finish and started cheering her on! She ended up getting fourth place with a time of 26:46! SO PROUD OF HER! She did that with hardly any training! I said to her, "Imagine if you HAD trained for this! Sheesh! You would have WON the thing!"

My friend Malissa finished in 31:14. Not quite what she was going for, but she got a Personal Record! I was (and am) SO proud of her! I am sad that we didn't get a photo together... 

Erin and I stayed and cheered on every single finisher before we went back inside the Y to eat a banana and get some water. But first, her husband snapped a photo!

Photo by J. J.

Once inside, we talked for a little bit before the drawings for some free stuff. My friend Malissa was the first person drawn out of the names! Erin and I even got some free stuff! A Dilly bar from Dairy Queen and a free dollar menu item from McDonald's! WOO HOO!

Then came time for the awards! I had NO idea that they were handing out trophies for the top people who placed in each age category! I got called for FIRST PLACE in the 20-29 age division and Erin got called for SECOND! WOO HOO!

Photo by J. J.

Photo by J. J.

I had to think of how to tell my husband how I did once I got home! He was going to try to be at the finish to cheer me on, but our youngest daughter over-slept and he wasn't able to make it out. And that was okay! It made bringing home the trophy that much better! 

I walked into the kitchen and saw all of my girls first! Then Charles turned around and I pulled the trophy out from under my jacket! I told him how I finished and he gave me a HUGE hug! And kept telling me how proud of me he was! It seriously meant the world to me! 

I wanted to get a photo of my girls with me and the trophy, so we headed outside for some quick photos!

Three of the four reasons why I run!
Charles, being the fourth reason!

A proud moment for me!

This is my loot! I got a shirt with my packet during pick-up. My racing bib. My free food vouchers (WOO HOO for the Dilly Bar! SCORE!). And my TROPHY! 

I have never won ANYTHING when it comes to running! Not even in High School! The closest I ever came was third place at a small track meet where there were only six runners in the 3,000 m run! So this trophy is kind of a HUGE deal for me! It proves to me that I CAN do it! I can finish first in my age class! I can finish second overall. I can do it.

I honestly never thought I could. I doubted myself. I kept thinking after the 5K that if the people who were running the Market to Market were running the 5K, I wouldn't have placed at all. And I wouldn't have! I looked at last years results and I would've placed 16th overall! 

But who cares?

Because on May 11th, 2013, I got first in my age group! I trained hard, ran hard, and earned that trophy! I am proud of myself! I am proud of my friends who finished! 

I am so, so happy! 

I am confident that with more training in speed work, I can get an even better time for my next 5K!

But first, the Dam to Dam 20K is 19 days away! Yikes! Back to training tomorrow!

Sunday Run? Not Me.

I have debated on whether or not to even write about this topic, but I am getting tired of explaining myself over and over again. I love my faith, but I hate debating it with people. Especially my family. So let me preface this by saying, I am not going to debate this with anyone. I am, however, willing to answer questions. Please do not ask me questions out of hate or spite. I am happy with my choices. So here it goes.

Firstly, for those who don't know, I am a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I am a Mormon. I am the only one on "my side" of my family. My husband and most of his family are members.

Secondly, I do not run on Sunday.

It is a religious choice. I say "choice" because even though God gave us the commandment in Exodus 20:8, "Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy,", He also gave us agency. Agency allows us to choose. I choose to follow the commandments of God. With agency comes accountability. Which basically means that I am free to make my own choices, whether good or bad, but I am NOT free to choose the consequences.

It. Is. Difficult.

Especially when almost every single race or marathon I want to run in is held on a Sunday. It is hard to find big races that are held on a Saturday. At least, ones that are close to where I live. All the big marathons that I want to participate in (Chicago Marathon, IMT Des Monies Marathon, the Quad Cities Marathon, Disneyland, etc.) are held on a Sunday.

Even though I am proud of my friends who sign up for those events, it is so hard for me to not be jealous. I want to run with them. I want those memories, too.

I struggle with it.

But when I decided back in 2007 to commit my life to living the gospel as best as I can, I never thought that keeping the Sabbath day holy would be such a challenge. (I was baptized in August of 2005, but fell away shortly after.) Since becoming a runner again, it has become a challenge.

Our church has a small booklet called "For the Strength of Youth". I love it! It's not only for the youth in the church, it is for all members of the church. In the section about Sabbath Day Observance, it says, "Sunday is not a day for shopping, recreation, or athletic events."

There it is. I want to tell you that it sucks... but I get why we need our days of FULL rest. Not just physical rest, but rest from all the other day-to-day worries. Buying groceries, buying gas, trying to fit a workout or run in, etc. It is nice to just spend a day with my family, focusing on the Lord.

I am not saying that it is easy. But I KNOW that it will be worth it. When I look at my life, there are many earthly things I want to accomplish, but there are also so many spiritual things I want to accomplish. I have found a balance between both things.

I am training to run the Dam to Dam in June. I am following a half marathon running guide from Hal Higdon. The thing I like about his running guides is that I can change up the days I run, as long as I make sure to get all of my miles in each week. I think that all of his guides have runners running a long run each Sunday. I knew from the start that that wouldn't be possible for me. I just changed the days on the schedule around and my long runs are now on Saturday's.

And with a little detective work, I have found many races held on Saturday's here in my state! I have signed up for a few 5K's, a 20K, and a marathon so far! I am going to be signing up for a half marathon in the next few weeks! It will be ran the week after the Dam to Dam!

I don't think it sounds silly for me to say that I have been blessed for not running on Sunday's. I have lost count of the many blessings that God has blessed me with in my life. I always feel wonderful on Monday knowing that I rested on Sunday. I feel refreshed and ready to take on the week ahead of me.

I also want to say that I do not look down on people who work out, run, shop, and what-not on Sunday. We all have choices. I know not everyone is a Mormon. I know that everyone is different. We all have different beliefs. I love all of my family and friends, each and every single person, just the way they are! I'm not asking anyone to stop running on Sunday, I am just explaining why I do not.

Running is a gift! And I thank God for my ability to run! It is a privilege  I thank Him for my body and that everything works as it should! I am thankful that I haven't been seriously injured. I am thankful each and every time I go out on and return home from a run.

I hope to set a righteous example for my children so that they know the importance of keeping the Lord's commandments.

My Virtual Run for Boston

Ever since high school, I have had this dream to run the Boston marathon. I'm not sure who gave me the idea, but I remember wanting to run THE Boston Marathon. I don't even think that I knew exactly how many miles were in a marathon! All I knew is that I wanted to run it.

Yesterday, a friend asked me if I was sure that I wanted to run it after the awful events that took place. My answer was simple.

YES!

When I woke up this morning, my Facebook feed was full of posts from running blogs about wearing a race shirt in honor of the victims in Boston. I put on my Color Run t-shirt. There was also an event for a virtual run called Runners United to Remember. I joined the event and knew that I would be running my scheduled four miles for the victims of the Boston Marathon bombings.

I ran the four miles today in silence.

I prayed the entire time for the victims and their familes, for the FBI and police officers investigating the bombings, and for all the runners who were affected by this.

My heart is still saddened by all of this, but I know one thing for sure:

It won't stop me from reaching my goal of running the Boston Marathon someday.

I will get there.

After my run, I noticed that my "elbow pits" were especially sweaty today... so I had my husband take a quick picture! I always sweat from my elbow pits when I run! I guess I never realized how bad!