Yesterday's 16 Mile Run

Yesterday was our 16 mile run!  We met at Vernon Worthen Park this time, so that we wouldn't have to start up the Veyo hill to begin our run!  Right as we are getting ready to leave the park, I realize that I left my iPod at home!  I was SO MAD at myself for doing that.  I had no time to go and get it so, this 16 miler was going to be VERY STRANGE without music in my ears! 

The drive up was interesting/funny, well at the least the first little bit.  We start out going and I ran a stop sign and missed a turn, all within about a minute!  I was hoping it wasn't an indication of how the rest of the morning would go, ha ha!  Then, as we're driving up the highway, I keep seeing red and blue flashing lights.  We all thought it was a cop!  However, the lights would stop and then a few minutes later it happened again!  My stomach was up in my throat!  Then, I realized that Connor and Rylie's lunch boxes were in the very back, and they had lights that go off if you shake the lunch box!  So, no cop, just lunch boxes.

We started our run and it was pitch dark!  It was so weird running without music.  I was nervous about hearing coyote's or other weird noises.  The first 1/2 mile went fine, running well but, all of a sudden my shins went into a tight, extreme, horrid pain!!!!  It was AWFUL!  I had to stop running and try to stretch my leg out.  No luck.  So for another 2 miles I tried to walk it off.  It was HORRIBLE!  I cried and cried and didn't know what to do.  I couldn't stop because how was I going to get home?  Turning around, and going back to my car was NOT an option for me.  So, I just walked as fast as I could stand.  So, I had to do that for almost 3 miles, before the pain finally subsided and I could begin jogging again.  The first few miles of leg pain really put me on the slow track.  I like to at least get 5 miles in each hour.  The first hour I was BARELY able to get 4 miles in.  I had A LOT of distance to make up, if I wanted to stay on track.  I did my best and I did well the 2nd hour of my run.  I actually got 5.12 miles in on the 2nd hour.  So, I was at 9.12 miles at this point and was feeling good.  We had had a water/gatorade drop at mile 4 and mile 8.  Unfortunately, when I got to the 8 mile drop, my water was nowhere to be found, and my handheld water bottle was empty.  Well, around mile 10, there's an area of the road where there's a big space on the side of the road to park cars, or whatever.  Here comes Joel, the man who manages where we live, and he has a cookie sheet full of cut-up fruit.  There were peaches, oranges, apples, bananas, and even watermelon!  For some reason he keeps calling me Lauren, ha ha!  Anyway, he says, "Hello Lauren!  I'm so proud of you!  You're doing it!  Come stop and have some fruit!"  I took advantage of that and had THE BEST peach!  Then, he says, "Do you need some water?  I have an extra bottle!"  He was heaven sent!  So, I filled up my water bottle, drank the extra, and was on my way.  I felt refueled and excited!  So, down the road I continued.  Mile 11.5 came and I started to really feel the impact of NOT having any music in my ear.  I was bored and the thoughts of how hard this was, how much further I had to go, etc. started flooding my mind and I started slowing a bit.  My foot had had a blister, previous to the run, and at this point I'm pretty sure is when it popped.  It was BURNING and hurt a lot.  So, on I kept going.  

On our usual long runs, we end at the church that's just past the intersection of Snow Canyon Pkwy/Bluff St. (Hwy 18).  However, because of ending at the park, we ran past that church.  Last week my group did the run to the park but, I was out of town and didn't do the run.  So, for me, it was mentally hard to see all the other runners stopping at the church and being done with their run.  For me, I still had almost 3 miles to go.  That bummed me out.  After mile 14 I really felt done.  I was in tears and had had it!

This run was nearly a 4 hour run!  Sheesh, that sounds crazy saying that!!!!  However, it didn't defeat me and I'm still ready to keep moving forward and to keep pushing!  This run was fun in a lot of ways too!  There was a lot of runners out on the highway, and such a great man of them!  I'd say 99% of them would say hello, shout encouraging words, even ask where I was from, how far I was going, and were just so friendly!  I even met up with a group who were going the pace I was and that was a lot of fun!  I met a mother-daughter pair running and they were SO GREAT!!!!

I feel like I'm getting a handle on my re-fueling process during my runs!  I've been really working on doing better and drinking and hydrating better.  The last 5 or 6 long runs I've noticed I haven't been having the stomach issues I usually get between mile 6-9!  I still am getting hungry around mile 10 so, I am going to try taking little packets of peanut butter to try and fill that hunger.

Cheryl did an AWESOME thing for me, well, all of us!  Amber had to be back home asap for things they had planned for that day.  So, she couldn't wait around for me to finish my run.  I also felt bad having to have Jocelyn waiting around, especially since she had a babysitter with her girls.  So, I talked to Cheryl and Cheryl agreed to meeting up with me, after I finished my run, and taking me back up the highway to pick up my car.  That way the other girls weren't waiting on me and it took a lot of pressure off me.

Nancy did an awesome thing for me too!  Mike is out of town and I was EXHAUSTED and hurting so, she let Connor and Rylie go over to her house and play with Preston so that I could get a much-needed nap in while Corie was taking a nap!  I have THE BEST of friends!!!!!

8 weeks exactly, from yesterday, is the St. George Marathon.  I'm still nervous and scared to death but, at the same time, I'm SO EXCITED and just feeling like I just want to do it!  The training is tough sometimes and really wears me out but, I know it is really helping and definitely preparing me for the marathon.  I'm looking forward to next week, when we'll only have run 12 miles.  I laugh that I say ONLY 12 miles!  I never, ever thought, that in a million years, that I'd be thinking 12 miles was a break for me.

I'm EXTREMELY sore and stiff from yesterday's run!  Oh I hurt!  I have to waddle/limp my way around and that gets SO EXHAUSTING!  I can only imagine what I'll be like the day of and after the marathon, ha ha!  It's amazing to me to think I did a 1/2 marathon a month ago, and that since then, I've gone 3 miles past that.  And, I physically felt SO MUCH better after the 16 miles, than I did the 1/2 marathon.  That's encouraging!

The Eve of the 16 Mile Run!

I've decided I really need to be better about posting my thoughts, breakthroughs, downs, etc. on here.  After all, this IS for me and to look back on my journey.  I want to remember as much as I can.

Tomorrow morning, I will be running 16 miles with Jocelyn and Amber B.  I've never run a 16 mile run yet, so I'm anxious to see how it will go.  I've been gone the last 3 weeks so, I've missed running on the marathon route (Hwy. 18).  I'm feeling positive and ready to do this!  We will be doing something different, for me anyway.  Instead of ending at the church, right after Snow Canyon Parkway & Hwy 18/Bluff St., we will be ending at Vernon Worthen Park.  We are doing this so that we don't start on Veyo Hill!  That would be TOUGH!  I'm excited about this change because I have yet to run the last 3 miles that will be in the marathon.  So, this way I can familiarize myself with the route more.

It's 9:15pm and I'm heading to bed now.  I have the some butterflies and anxiety that I get EVERY Friday night, before the long run.  I don't think that will every go away.  I just to carry myself and tell myself that it's no big deal but, really, I'm shaking all over, nervous, anxious, and ready to do it!

A Much-Needed Good Run to Help Fuel My Mind!

On July 29th, I did a 10-miler long run!  I had to go through 4 cities to complete the run!  This included Paradise, Hyrum, Mt. Sterling, and then finished up in Wellsville.  It's crazy to me out much further the miles seem, when I ran in Cache Valley.  It was actually kind of discouraging and sad, as my Dad would drop me off each time and I would see him drive off.  One time I caught myself thinking, "Wait!  Come back!  Take me with you!"  That, of course, was my 15 mile run, when I ran through Nibley (included a BEAST of a hill), Hyrum (freezing and stinky winds from the canyon), Mt. Sterling, and Wellsville.  Anyway, back to my 10 miler, the first 2 miles were NOT pretty!  One thing I've noticed about Cache Valley is that there is no or little room on the side of the white line.  If there is any gravel, it is not level at all!  And it seems like the people of Cache Valley are either not used to runners or are not courteous to runners!  So, the first 2 miles (starting in Paradise) I found myself either running in the bushes or trying to not get ran over.  Once I rounded the corner from Paradise into Hyrum, past Mtn. Crest High School, things got SO MUCH BETTER!  I came to love the run from Mtn. Crest to Wellsville!  It was beautiful, wide enough room to run, and not much traffic so, I wasn't worried for my life.  I loved running through Hyrum, because the road that I ran on went right past my Grandma's house.  So, each time I ran by, I would stop and have a short but great visit with her and Carl!  I looked forward to this and it was nice to have a place to fill up with water and make a potty stop too!  The run around Hyrum Dam is a little tough because it has a nice hill coming up out of it but, still beautiful!  Mt. Sterling was another one of my favorite places to run!  It was BEAUTIFUL and also very peaceful!  I also loved running past and seeing all the horses!  Wellsville wasn't my favorite spot to run!  I guess because it's usually the end of my run, I'm sore and exhausted, and there's this one dang hill that kicks my butt every time!  However, the last day I ran in Cache Valley, I ran that hill and conquered it!  I felt good after this particular 10 mile run!  I felt happy, motivated, and encouraged!  Chalk another happy run up!

Side By Side!

Another Milestone Reached!

Yesterday I ran and completed the Bryce Canyon 1/2 Marathon (13.1 miles).  This was really such a fun weekend!  We left Friday, the 12th, in the early afternoon.  We (myself, Amber Sheffield, Amber & Brian Blair, Jocelyn & Casey Sackett) arrived around 4:30ish and checked into our hotel room.  We stayed at Ruby's Inn, a very cute and beautiful place in Bryce Canyon city.  We were only a 5 minute walk from the starting line of the race.  After we were all checked in, we headed down to Cannonville, which is where the finish line was.  We checked in for the race and got our BIB numbers and packets.  For a while, after that, we hung out in the park and just talked and goofed around!  Pretty soon Hal Hiatt showed up, along with Amber's son Gavin, and his friend.  We ate their spaghetti dinner and just relaxed.  We have a fun group!  I loved hanging out with them!  It came time to head back to our hotel to get ready to go to bed.  As soon as we got to the hotel room, it started to sink in that we were racing in the morning.  WE got our things set out and then goofed around a whole bunch before it really was time to go to bed.  Brian Blair gave me a beautiful blessing before going to bed as well!  My sleep that night didn't go very well.  I was anxious, nervous, trying to not accidentally snuggle with Amber, and just rest.  Then, this dang cat was standing by our window, being so obnoxious!  So, pretty soon my 4:30am alarm went off and it was time to wake up!  We were up and getting ready, the excitement and tension was building!  Brian Blair was HILARIOUS and just wound up.  I think he helped me to stay relaxed and calm!  We all met up in the lobby of the hotel. This included Cathy, who originally trained Amber Blair.  She was running with me because our pace was very similar. Cheryl Poulter even drove to Bryce Canyon to support me and she was amazing and came to the lobby too.  She walked with me to the start line too.  So, we all got lined up and just waited and waited.  Pretty soon, off we went.  The first mile was tough.  It was a long, gradual hill and I had a really hard time breathing.  So, we walked about a quarter or so of it.  Then, as soon as we got to the top, Cathy and I started to run and run we did!  I even hit a pace of 6:16/mile on that run down!  The coolest thing happened on the run down.  For the race, they have one lane of the highway open to escort cars up and down the highway.  Around mile 3 or 4, a group of cars was passing us and all of a sudden I saw my brother, Matt, poke his head out of the window and yelled my name!!!!  I knew he would be at the finish line but, didn't expect to see him on the highway!  That totally excited me and I even cried a little.  Then, 2 cars later, I see my friend Cheryl Poulter!!!!  I also knew she'd be at the end but, didn't expect to see her along the way either.  That totally fueled me for a while.  I really felt great the first 7 or 8 miles of the race.  Then, things started to change.  I started really struggling on my breathing and got super sick to my stomach.  I started to feel like I was shutting down and had to walk way more than I wanted to.  Cathy stuck with me though and didn't give up on me.  She kept encouraging me and pushing me that I was ok!  So we kept going, running and walking off and on.  Then, we still had about 1.5 miles left to go and didn't have much time to do it in, before the race was closed off.  I started to get panicky and got really discouraged.  I wasn't sure I'd be able to finish in time.  I had originally planned to finish in 2:30 but, that goal was long gone.  We were close to a mile away and I spotted Amber Blair!  I was so relieved because I knew if ANYONE could help us to finish, that she could!  Cathy was hurting also and was not doing too well.  Then, right behind Amber I notice a guy that looked familiar and sure enough, it was my brother Matt!!!!  He had heard the ambulance had gone to pick up a girl and was concerned it was me, since I didn't cross the line when I said I would.  So, he found me!  So, Amber stuck with Cathy and Matt stuck with me.  I tell you, as soon as I saw Matt, I broke down and started sobbing.  I was grateful to see him!!!!!  So, off we went to finish the race.  About 1/2 a mile away, we came across another good friend, Dustin Tollefson.  So, with Matt on one side of me and Dustin on the other side, we made the run to the finish.  I had them pushing and encouraging me.  I even held arm on arm with them for a few seconds and then I ran as fast as I could possibly go to finish the face!!!!!!

It was so great to cross the finish line, and I know that I DID IT!!!  It also meant THE WORLD to me to have so many people cheering me on in the end!  I'm surrounded by the most supportive and encouraging people!  I couldn't have done it without any of them being there to either train me, encourage me, or support me!  Everyone that has been part of this journey has helped me in some way!  I was on cloud 9 and was SO HAPPY TO HAVE A MEDAL!  I will cherish this medal forever!

About 20 minutes after I finished, my body started to shut down. I hurt everywhere and I was EXTREMELY sick to my stomach!  I just wanted to be in my bed and curled up in a ball.  I just cried and cried.  I really had to sit down and try and  just breathe.  The Amber's, Brian, and Jocelyn and her hubby headed back to the hotel while Cheryl stayed with me.  Once I was able to kind of compose myself, I went to Cheryl's car and just broke out into a full on bawl!  I was SO EMOTIONAL!  I was happy I finished, happy about the race but, at the same time, I was disappointed in my finish time and also SO VERY sick!!!!!  I wanted to be enjoying my finish but, instead felt HORRIBLE!!!!  Cheryl was so great at just listening and helping me to calm down.

After getting back to the hotel, we all showered, cleaned up, and headed out to get lunch.  I could barely eat much of anything, because I was so sick.  I was glad to get home and try and just relax and breathe!

I plan and am making a goal of doing the Bryce Canyon 1/2 Marathon again next year!  It was a great, beautiful race, and I know I can improve and do better!  I know what to expect now and will get a better handle on my fueling AND on my mind!  I can do hard things!

Update

I put this collage together, to show the change. The first picture, on the top left, is from the end of November 2012.  The bottom, far right 2 pictures are from May 23, 2013.  I can't see a big difference but, the girls in my workout group said that they can.  So, I'll listen to them!

So, my current weight loss total is 44 lbs.  I weigh 265.9 and when I began this journey, I weighed 309.9.  I have lost a totally of 19 3/4 inches all over since the beginning as well.  My clothes are no longer and tight and I even took 2 bags of clothes to the D.I., because it's part of my commitment and change to stay healthy.  I think that if I leave them in my closet, that they will just be staring at me, giving me the opportunity to fit back into them.  I DO NOT want to do that!

We are beginning training for the St. George marathon.  I'm scared TO DEATH of what's to come and how I'll get through it!  I'm so scared of not being able to make it through the finish line before they cut me out and I"m out of the race.  I was officially put into the race, after some drama.  Originally I was told I was not chosen to be in it this year.  I had a meltdown, to put it nicely.  Washington County residents are automatically supposed to get in.  So, I wasn't expecting a denial letter.  I cried and cried and cried some more.  However, after divine intervention, or whatever you want to call it, I was reinstated back into the race.  I"m SO GRATEFUL!  As a good friend, Dustin, put it: "Maybe this was Heavenly Father's way of letting you make sure this was something you really wanted."  I want this SOOOO bad!  I realized how much I've put into this.  My whole heart and soul!  I'm far from being ready but, I'm closer than I was almost 6 months ago (It will be 6 months on May 29, 2013)!

I'm running the Midnight 5k race tomorrow.  It will be a lot of fun!  It's at 11pm at night and we wear glow sticks and just have a good ole' time!  I'm running it with my sister-in-law, Shannon.

The above picture is from when I ran the Breathe Easy 5k/10k.  I won an entry into this, which I was VERY EXCITED about!!!!  I had signed up for the 10k race.  However, about 2 miles into it my legs cramped up SOOOOO MUCH.  The committee of the race suggested I finish in the 5k race, rather than the 10k, because I was so far behind.  It was VERY DISAPPOINTING to me and made me cry.  I was not happy with myself.  However, on the very bright side, I placed 1st in my age division (30-39) and 6th place overall!  So, it was fun as heck to win a medal!  I even PR'd my time at 31:?? minutes!

We have begun marathon training now.  We're especially working towards running the Bryce Canyon 1/2 Marathon.  I'm excited for this race and have heard many positive and exciting things about it!  Don't get me wrong, I am nervous and scared but, in good ways for sure!!!!

My Dream

"Why do friends attack your dream? Because 

when you chase your dream it reminds them 

they are not chasing theirs. Forgive them & 

move on."

______________________________________

A friend shared the above quote with me. I really struggle with those I am either close to or associated with not showing support to my desire to run a marathon. Sure, they say good job and way to go but, then they question why I do it the way I do, or why push so hard. My least favorite comment so far is, "You know could just speed walk the whole thing and still finish in time?" One of the people that said that knew I really was concerned and was saying it to comfort me. The other one, I really question why they would say it. The point is, I'm doing the marathon, I'm excited about it, and am excited about the challenge this gives me!!!!!