2 Weeks To Mesquite Marathon

Monday, November 1st 2010: No running. I pushed myself in October and I don't think I really gave myself a chance to recover from the Top of Utah Marathon and the St. George Marathon. My legs haven't lost that feeling that they just met a meat tenderizer. So I decided to make this a lazy recovery week. I suspect it will be hard to stop being lazy next week.

Tuesday, November 2nd 2010: 5 miles @ 9:58 minutes per mile pace. I ran up and down the biggest hills in the neighborhood. The Widowmaker hill was just....ouch.

Wednesday, November 3rd 2010: Rest.

Thursday, November 4th 2010: 6 miles @ high school track. We had a good group of friends come for a mild speed workout. We didn't overdo it with races coming up on the weekend. On an 800 I ran hard and finished in 3:18. My friend Tom ran too but had a grumpy child in a baby stroller so he pushed the stroller around the track. And guess what.....he creamed me. CREAMED me. I ran as hard as I could, and Tom floated by like a care-free gazelle pushing a baby stroller. (Apparently gazelles do push baby strollers.) If Tom is a gazelle, I am more like a, well, a caterpillar. If I hadn't known better, I'd have thought this was Tom:


Friday, November 5th 2010: I have fallen off the wagon over the last few weeks. Pumpkin pie. Coconut cream pie. Halloween candy. Soda. Hostess. Maverik cookies. Running may be hazardous to my health. My brain constantly says "You ran this morning (or yesterday). Go ahead and have that pack of donuts." This day was no exception.

Saturday, November 6th 2010: Butch Cassidy 10k - 51 minutes. (8:12 minutes per mile pace)

I ran this race last year and loved it. The changing autumn leaves and scenery are incredible. I also hoped to beat last year's time of 56 minutes. I started running with my friend Will who hasn't run a race in nearly a decade. (He did awesome!)

I got some looks from runners who seemed to think I was NUTS when I pulled out a camera to take pictures. But on a course like this, I couldn't help it.


I felt it was worth sacrificing some of my finishing time to take some pictures. We crossed this bridge in Rockville heading to Grafton:


I felt like if I was going to be an advocate for the run/walk method, I needed to practice what I preach. I was happy that I was able to keep a fast pace (for my caterpillar abilities) even with frequent walk breaks. Actually, I really don't think I could have run this fast without the walk breaks. I value that little break to regroup and recharge.

I ended up finishing in 51 minutes, and beat last year's time by five minutes. I was pleased with my average 8 minutes 12 seconds per mile because I knew I pushed as hard as I could. I was tired but had lots of fun. Shelly, Darin, and Will who rode to Springdale with me each earned a medal for placing in their age division! Spending time with friends is one of the things I love about running.


"I ran and ran every day, and I acquired a sense of determination, this sense of spirit that I would never, never give up, no matter what else happened."
~ Wilma Rudolph, US Track Star