City Creek Canyon Training Run 12.13.14

 A few of us went decided to run up City Creek Canyon today.  There were supposed to be more, but with Christmas party obligations and the forecast calling for rain, we had a few people opt out.  Heather and I had planned on running this together, but invited our running family for those who wanted in.  We planned on going 14 miles today.

So we met at the NE parking lots next to the Capitol building before heading up.  We had Robert, Karrie, Julie, Robin, Heather, and I.

 It started off overcast as we headed to the mouth of the canyon, but started drizzling as soon as we got on Bonnieville Drive.  We didn't let the rain stop us though!  We battled rain and then sleet!

 And then the sleet turned into snow! 

 But up we went!  We weren't letting the elements keep us from getting our 14 miles in!  The wind didn't help and made things even colder!  Our gloves were soaked and freezing our hands!  But we kept trudging forward!  The gradual uphill was brutal for Heather and I!  Our legs felt so heavy because of our run up to the Living Room on Thursday!

We got to the loop of the trail where the road ended, and kept going on the trail!  It was so beautiful!  And the snow was really thick on the trail.

We had so much fun exploring!  We went a little further than this bridge to make 7 miles, and then turned back around to head back to our cars.  The wind whipped our faces on the way back down.  It felt like a blizzard!  My lips felt like they were going to fall off!

Our legs felt so heavy on the way back.  My feet were hurting from the cold.  Down the canyon definitely felt better than up!   The hurt was a different kind of pain though.  We were so glad to get down to the mouth of the canyon and only have that final mile to run.  The cars were a pleasant sight to see!  Robert was right in saying "Strange how something can be so miserable and yet so fun! :)"  It's so true!  I would have never made it that 14 miles through the elements on my own! And for some reason, the cold didn't feel so cold while I was running with my Run Aways family!  I love this group!  

The Living Room Training Run 12.11.14

Thursdays are my middle of the day trainings with Heather on the Bonnieville Shoreline Trail (BST) near the University of Utah.  I always see people running on this trail while I'm working, as the windows to our lab face the side of the mountain with the trail.  I used to get jealous watching all of those people running while I was stuck at work, but like I've said I started taking my lunch to the trails on Thursdays.

Heather and I have been running up the Dry Creek Trail and increasing in distance each time, but today I thought we could change it up a little bit and run up to The Living Room.  It's not very long of a trail, but it's pretty steep!  I've only hiked it a couple of times, but never run it.  I always saw people running up and down that trail, so I figured we'd give it a go.

We started from the Jewish Community Center (JCC) and then headed towards the Natural History Museum.  I thought the trail we were on connected to the trail to the Living Room, but I was wrong.  So we detoured...and struck a yoga pose while we were at it!

We had to make our way down the trail, back down and around Red Butte Gardens, then over to the Living Room trail head.  But of course with it being all brown and dead, I missed the turn.  So we ran over to This Is The Place, and turned around.  Then the craziness began!  Up to the Living Room we went!  And boy was it intense!

This picture of Heather pretty much summed up how our legs felt up the trail!  Whew!  Our hammies and quads were burning!  But we kept smiles on our faces and pushed through the burn!

 

We finally got to the Living Room, where they have "rock furniture."  We took a break and enjoyed the view before heading back down.

We headed back down and over to the JCC.  It felt nice to stretch out and sit after that steep climb!  Here's what our elevation gain/loss looked like!  6.01 miles

Bluffdale Pre-Christmas Running Clinic and Yellow Fork Canyon Training Run 12.06.14

Have I mentioned that I LOVE MY RUNNING GROUP?!?!?!?  Because I DO!  This running family of mine has pushed me beyond my mental walls and has challenged me to be a better runner and triathlete!  They've even gotten me out on the craziest element days to do runs, when I would normally wuss out and sit at home on the couch!

Today we met at Bluffdale City Park for the Pre-Christmas Running Clinic, hosted by Robert.  It was a cold, windy morning.  There was a 1 mile loop for us to run and choose our distance.  And then eat and socialize with one another!  I got to meet more of our Run Aways family.  Heather, Alberto, and I ran about 2 -3 miles and then chatted with everyone. And took our jumping pictures of course!  :)

Our jumping pictures are a signature for our group, and this particular series we took made us all laugh so hard we almost peed our pants (especially with Susette accidentally kicking Cory in the leg)!

Janet, Heather, Me, Alberto: some of the crazies doing the Polar Plunge in January

Janet and me.

Robert, Heather, Me, Alberto

After mingling, eating, and laughing, Heather, Alberto, and I headed up to Yellow Fork Canyon for a little bit of a tougher run.  We encountered mud, snow, and ice along the way to the top.

 

We made it to the top!  Yay!  

More snow, ice, and mud on the way back down!

 

Heather and I kind of ran near the brush because of all the ice, and we kept getting burrs and stickers all over our pants!  She attracted what seemed like a tumbleweed after a particular patch of brush.  Then she slipped and we started our laughing and giggles all over again!  Her leg ended up looking like a cow pie!  

Although the ice made it a little more difficult, it was a fun trip around that trail!  Can't wait til next time!  

Capitol Building to Ensign Peak Park 12.03.14

Heather decided to humor me and come out on a run with me by the Capitol building here in Salt Lake.  We were going to do a short run, but it was nothing short of easy!  We started by the parking lot bordering the North East side of the building, overlooking Memory Grove.  We ran around the south and then west side of the Capitol before heading back east and north on State Street up to Ensign Peak.  All I can say is WHOAAAAAAA NELLY!

I rode that hill before, and it was intense then!  But running?  Whew!  I've recently started to (dare I say it?) LOVE it!  Even the burn of running uphill! 

As you can see from the pictures, it was pretty steep!  We made it all the way up to the Ensign Peak Park entrance and then headed back down for 4.1 miles!  And of course we had to stop and do our yoga challenge pics before we headed home! 

Our legs were screaming, but it was such a great run! 

Emigration Canyon Downhill Training + IRunUtah 5k 11.28.14

Our fearless leader of the Run Aways, Joshua, organized a 10 mile run two days after the Thankful 13 half marathon.  For some odd reason, and I'm claiming insanity here, I RSVP'ed to run 10 miles down Emigration Canyon.  To top if all off, IRunUtah put on a charity 5K around Liberty Park, which I somehow talked Heather into doing all that with me!

 The sky was in flames with the sunrise kissing the clouds! And the wind was howling.

Borrowed from my friend, Robert

 

from my apartment

We met near the tennis courts at Liberty Park at 7:30am.

Everyone split up into their mileage groups: 6, 8, and 10 miles.  Heather and I headed up to the summit of Emigration Canyon with the 10 mile group.

The wind showed us no justice up there, nor did the cold!  We didn't waste too much time before heading down to Liberty Park.  Jonathan, Monte, Robert, Louise, London and Barb took off!  Heather and I lagged behind, just taking our time and enjoying the course.

Besides, running downhill hurts!!!!! Surprisingly, since running those trails recently, these downhills weren't too bad at all!

Once we got around the "zag" part of the mountain, the wind died down a bit.  We were grateful for that.  But once we hit mile 6 it picked up again... and it was fierce!  We walked a bit through the wind because it made it really difficult to breathe.  And our knees and feet needed a bit of a break from the crown in the road we had to run through (my left foot is a tad tender). 

It was so nice to see the mouth of the canyon.  Once we hit that point, we knew we only had about 3-4 miles left to go.  We ran down 800 South down to Liberty Park.  The steep downhill at 1100 East was a bit painful, but we did a little gallop to take the weight off our feet.  We filled up with water at the Artesian well on 500 S and then headed into Liberty Park.

As we got there, we registered for the IRunUtah charity 5k.  We got to finally meet our fellow Run Aways family member, Carl, there too!

Carl, Heather, and me

The loops around Liberty Park were a bit painful after having already run 11 miles down the canyon, but we finished!  The miles were very, very slow, but we got them done ... and earned a fun medal for it too!  So we ended up logging in 14.11 miles today, when we only planned on doing 13.1!  Insane, I tell ya!  But so fun, and totally worth it!  Thanks for running with me today, Heather!

Race Recap: Thankful 13 Half Marathon, Thanksgiving 11.27.14

I ran the Thankful 13 half marathon this morning!  And I got to run it with some great friends!

Sonja, Joshua, and I with the Runtastic Events Staff!

Last year, I ran the 5k, so I really wanted to run the half this year.  I ended up signing up back in October.  I was little apprehensive at first because it was so cold last year.  But I've been trying to build my mental toughness and run throughout the winter.  Since I've been running in older weather than I'd like to, the Thankful 13 was no biggie!

Sonja was kind enough to pick me up this morning, on her way down to Lehi.  It was fun getting to chat with her and Joshua before the race.  We got to the starting line and our Run Aways family slowly started trickling in.  I met a new friend, Marifi, as we were waiting for everyone to arrive as well.  She's so sweet!

Some of my Run Aways family

 Members of the National Guard were there to present colors and start off our race!  It was very touching!

National Guard starting off our race

Janet and I at the starting line

My plan was to run with Marifi, but we lost track of one another as she ran to the bathroom and as we gathered in the corral.  As the gun went off, I filed in and went on my way.  I was hoping I'd catch up to Marifi at some point, but I never found her.  I was keeping up with the 2:40 pacer for awhile, but I got distracted.  Along the trail I saw some beautiful horses and a donkey.  Of course I stopped for a picture.  And the horse came right up to the fence and let me pet it! 

By that time, the pacer moved further and further away from me.  I ran into Marisa, who flew by!  Man, is she fast!  And such a trooper!  Her knee was bugging her, but she was cruising right along!  So, I chose one lady who was ahead of me going strong to keep pace with.  I later found out her name - Maria.  We played a passing game for awhile.

The course was mainly flat with some rolling hills and some AMAZING scenery.  My mother-in-law's favorite mountain is featured in the background.

Around mile 8, I ran into Denise.  We walked along for a little while and then she ran ahead.  The cold air was aggravating my asthma and the muscles near my shin were getting tight.  At this point, the 2:40 pacer was nowhere in sight, but according to my watch, I was on pace for a 2:40 finish.  Around mile 9, a girl asked if she could use my phone to call her husband.  Her name was Megan.  She was in a lot of pain at that point.  So, since my muscles were a bit tighter than I liked, and she was in a lot of pain, I decided to give up my hopes of PR'ing and walk with her instead.  We chatted and shared racing experiences.  She was another new friend I made today.  We walked until the last downhill before the finish line.  And we just made the 3:00 hour cutoff time - in time to see the kids lined up for their fun run!  Helping Megan cross that finish line meant more to me than getting my PR today.  It was a reflection of the real reason we were celebrating today - Thanksgiving. 

I finally caught up with Marifi at the finish line!  And we took pictures together (I'm bummed I didn't get a picture with Megan)!

Marifi and I

With one of the National Guard handing out medals

Then I caught up with my Run Aways family once again...

And we waited for Elsha and Joshua to finish.

Run Aways with the Elshanator

Elsha - the Elshanator

We also caught up with Megan and David from the Runtastic Events staff and snapped a picture with them!  They're so awesome and put on such amazing races!

The Thankful 13 was one in which there was so much to be grateful for!  I got to meet more of my Run Aways family and run the race with them.  I made two new friends!  I was grateful to have our brave members of the National Guard to bless us with their presence at the race.  I'm grateful for the beautiful weather and the gorgeous scenery.  I'm grateful for the horse that let me pet it!  I'm grateful for the pumpkin pie and pumpkin bundt cake after the race.  I'm grateful that I was able to help one of my friends cross the finish line.  And I'm grateful that I got to spend time with family and friends today!

Thanks Runtastic Events for taking time out of your holiday to put on this fabulous race!  See you at the Frigid 5k in January!