TIMP (Timpanogos) Half Marathon 08.01.15 #Run4Dith

This past Saturday, I ran the Timpanogos half marathon in American Fork Canyon.  Many in my running family decided to dedicate our runs (or whatever activity we were participating in that day) to our friend, Meridith, who was recently diagnosed with an aggressive form of breast cancer.  We even planned a big movement to #Run4Dith!


It was a very early morning start for many of us, especially those traveling from the northern counties in Utah.  I was up at 2am.  Ugh.  Joshua picked me up at 3:15am, and we headed down to American Fork High School, where we picked up our packets and got on the shuttles that brought us up the canyon.

After picking up my bib, I got in line with Joshua and Camille.  I sat by a lady on the bus, and we chatted about how we got into running and why we still run today.  It's really neat hearing others' stories about how running has changed their lives.  This particular lady started around the same time I first got into running/triathlon - 2007.

At the drop off point in the canyon, I realized what a big mistake I had made leaving my windbreaker in Joshua's car.  It was freezing (it was a lot warmer down in the valley).  Camille came to our rescue with all the warm gear!  Thanks, Camille!  They had a mass group doing yoga to warm up.  We found more of our running family.  Of course we gave Meridith hugs and took lots of pre-race pictures... by the way... we all decided to get decked out in pink for Meridith... and all those who have survived and/or are fighting breast cancer.

Joshua revealed how he was supporting Meridith in her journey... with a pink sports bra!She loved it!  We all loved it... we couldn't stop laughing!  Joshua is such a great guy!  He's always looking for ways to support and uplift others... and he's gone through his own struggles of weight loss, which has inspired so many others, including myself!


After all our pictures, we heard the national anthem, and then got ready to get our race started.  People got their last minute potty stops in and then got lined up at the starting line.  The moon was gorgeous above the mountains.  I found Marisa.  The gun went off, and we all headed down the canyon.

What a beautiful morning!  It was nice and crisp... and now, since we were moving, it wasn't cold anymore.  I had no expectations for my time and performance today, as I had been fighting a cold since last week.  I decided to just enjoy my time and the beauty of a new course.  I will admit that I hate looking at the course beforehand, because I don't want to psych myself out.

About 2 miles into the race, I realized that I had to stop for a bathroom break.  Not ideal, but I decided to just go ahead and go now, while it was still early in the race.

It took a lot longer than I had hoped it would take, but that's okay.  I kept going.  Instead of getting extremely hot, like I was expecting, we were blessed with a gentle breeze as we ran.  I loved the beauty of the mountains.  And I was brought tranquility with the flowing river that ran beside the road.  I was in heaven!

This course was a bit steeper than Emigration Canyon felt, so by the time I got out of the canyon, my legs felt pretty tight and achy.  I decided I'd walk a bit to let them rest for awhile.  I ran into an older lady, who was killing me with her power walk!  She was my inspiration.  We ran on a paved trail and through some neighborhoods for the last half of the race.  Around miles 10 and 11, I was sure that I was lost.  There were cones, but nobody around.  I figured I'd walk here too, just in case I was going the wrong way.  But I kept pressing on and finally ran into some walkers!  Yay!  My instincts were right!  Around mile 11.5 I reached the last aid station.  I really dug deep and told myself I needed to give it all I had, and just finish!  I thought about some happy moments in my life, and I thought about Meridith in her journey.  And that gave me the strength I needed to get myself moving again.

I found as I was running, that I was passing people that had passed me around mile 8.  That little break I took to walk really did me some good, I think! And maybe the salted watermelon Gu too!  I even caught up with a power walker, who at the end, would not let me come in after him!  He pushed me to finish before him!  What an awesome guy!  I'm not sure if it was just me, but I felt like the race was a tad longer than 13.1.  But it didn't matter!  When I finished, I was greeted by my good friend, Shelley!  Shelley's amazing!  She's part of my running family, as well as my yogi friend!  She was all decked out in pink too, but came to cheer on the sidelines for our friend Meridith!  And... I got to meet Jenny, too!  A fellow Instagram Yogi Hostess who I follow, and who I am in absolute awe of!  She's pretty amazing as well! And I have been wanting to meet her for quite some time now!  It was so fun to see a sea of pink there to support Meridith!

When you bring a bunch of yogis together, you can't expect them not to get together for a few poses!  So that's what we did... we posed together with Meridith... to support her before her next big marathon... cancer treatment.  She is such a warrior, and we love her so much!  We wish her all the best and a speedy recovery!