Snowbird Trail Challenge (Short Course 7.5 miles) July 23, 2016

Back in June, I signed up to participate in a research study.  I really did it so I could get my VO2 max testing done, but I also got Watts testing done in the process, unbeknownst to me.  Part of the study required us to take part in a trail race at Snowbird.

Today was the day of the race.  The temperature up at Snowbird (Little Cottonwood Canyon) was pretty chill this morning.  We started up near the Peruvian Pass.  I met up with my friends and teammates, as usual.  It's always fun chatting and goofing off before the gun goes off.

As you can tell, I caught up with some friends/teammates I haven't seen in quite some time.  My friend, John, and I noticed that he, his son, and myself had sequential bib numbers on, so we were dorks and had to take a picture!  Some of these friends also participated in the same research study.

The race started a little late.  It was still cool when we went off.  It started off on a downhill, and then about 0.7 miles into the run, we started the vertical climbing.  It was hard for me to breathe, probably due to multiple factors, so my uphill climb was pretty slow.  But, because I was moving like  a snail I(and of course because I'm on a gorgeous trail and not competing for podium) stopped to take pictures along the way! I finally was able to somewhat relax my breathing after about 2 miles (which is usually what it takes for my body to warm up and get into a rhythm).

I was pretty much the caboose on the short course, but then people started to come behind me.  It made me nervous that maybe we had to do two loops!  I then ran into a few runners, including fellow Run4Fun friends (Robin and Tehra) who said they got a little off course.  I at least didn't feel too alone at that point, and I knew I wasn't lost (whew)!

We got up to one of the upper trails before we had to had back down.

Finally there was a reprieve!  Thank goodness for the downhill!  I say... the uphill makes the downhill totally worth it!  I even pulled a "Joshua" and captured a video (probably not the smartest idea, but it was fun) on the downhill.

When we got back to the single track trails, there was a little over 1.5 miles left.  I was so grateful!  My speed picked up a little, and I'm glad I didn't eat it on the downs (I came close a couple of times on the single tracks).

The last 0.7 was back up the downhill we came down!  It was a little like a cruel joke, but those finishing around the same time powered our way back up the hill.  There was one guy who passed me on the uphill, who was a little slower on the downhills (he had never run downhill before).  He had sprained his ankle about a half mile back, and was killing it on the uphill!  He was training for his first Spartan Race!  I don't know your name, guy, but kudos to you, man!  You rock!

There was a girl a little ahead of me, who just felt like she didn't have anything left in her to push/run up to the finish.  I gave her a little encouragement, and told her that we could run together at the bottom of the last little uphill before the finish.  We did it together, and we finished together!  And that's what it's all about!  I probably will never make the podium, but I love being able to give people that last little bit of hope and push to the end... it's those moments that have meant the most to me in races where I wanted to give up, so it's my way of giving back. 


I did lose my dinosaur, Xena, on my way down, so I went back up a little ways to look for her (that's where the last short course runner said she saw it, when I asked if she had seen a green dino).  I wasn't able to find her (which made my heart sad, but I'm hoping she was found and she's able to go on new adventures elsewhere)! 

I headed back to the finish line area, and waited for my friend, Heather, who was still out on the half marathon course.  She came in not too much longer after I had gotten back... and she placed third in her category!  Congrats Heather!

What a fun race!  I definitely miss hitting the trails!  Thanks Wasatch Trail Series!  I'm definitely going to do be doing that one again!

The Utah Half: Toughman Half Ironman (Relay) July 16, 2016

I don't know why, but I've been having such a hard time getting my race reports written up soon after the race.  I'm going to go ahead and blame it on the heat... and maybe my lack of sleep.  But alas, I'm getting around to the Utah Half Toughman (half ironman relay) that I participated in, as a relay team, with my friends and teammates, Michelle and Mary, last Saturday.  We signed up as the SLTC Bee Babes (which was the name we had at St. George 70.3, but with our teammate Chanda on the bike). 

Friday night, I stayed over at my best friends' (John & Jessica) apartment down in Sandy.  That way, I didn't have to get up at 4 am to head down to Utah Lake.  Instead, I was able to sleep in until about 530am (I attempted to get up at 5am, but my body just didn't want to) and then head down to the race site.  The local half ironman triathlon, put on by the local race company RaceTri, took place at Utah Lake in Provo, Utah.

I met up with my team at the lake.  It was looking overcast that morning, and I was hoping it would stay that way, but it didn't.  It was bright and sunny, like expected.  Mary was already there, and she had set up in transition.  Michelle and I just needed to orient ourselves with that location, as we were to meet Mary there: Michelle, after the "swim" and me: after Mary's bike.

The swim ended up getting cancelled due to the gross, toxic "algae bloom" that contaminated the water.  So, RaceTri substituted the swim for a 1.2 mile run with an optional "Slip n Slide" for those who still wanted to get wet.

The race started about 7:45am, a little later than we were supposed to start, but we had to get instructions for the changes in the race (and the awesome inspirational speech Aaron usually gives prior to the race start)!

Michelle was our swim leg, so she went off first.  She then tagged off to Mary, who went off for the 56 mile bike.  While the bikers were off, the runners sat around and napped, warmed up, chatted, and got nutrition ready. 

Mary really booked it!  Before I knew it, it was time to head out for the run.

The run consisted of two loops around the Provo/Jordan River Trail.  As I went off, it was already hot.  I felt good for the first loop, but I noticed there was a pain in my foot that felt like it radiated up to my right hip.  I loved seeing my teammates out there, as well all the amazing triathletes!  I really do believe that being out there with these athletes fuels my inspiration to do better!  Marianne and Bill caught up to me and invited me to run/walk with them.  I kept up with them for awhile, until I felt cramps in my calves starting to bubble.  I knew if I didn't slow down, that I'd be done.  So they ran ahead, and I went my own pace again.  It kinda stunk that I wasn't able to stay with them, as Marianne just made the time pass!  She really provided some fun entertainment!

At the end of the first loop, I got to see Mary!  It was so fun seeing her there!  I was doing pretty good and on pace to finish around 2:30ish.  And then... the pain in my leg got worse.  It just shot up my leg!  I had to really slow down.  I tried to keep my mind occupied so I wouldn't think about it, but the heat really started to beat down in the areas that weren't covered by trees.  There were also little pockets of heat that would punch you in the face!  So I chatted with other triathletes along the way.  It helped when I was really hurting.  Before I knew it, I was finally rounding the corner into the parking lot back at the lake!  When I hit the grass to the finish line, I saw Mary and Michelle!  They helped run me in!  It was so fun crossing the line together!  Thanks for letting me be part of this awesome relay team, gals!  Love you both! 

I then hung around and waited for my friend and teammate, Jennie, who was on our other SLTC female relay team.  She had twisted her ankle on the second loop of the half marathon, and she pushed through (on top of other mental negativity she was facing - witnessing people cheating, etc).  She is such a trooper, and I'm so honored to call her my friend!  Congrats Jennie!

Props to my running buddy, Xena, for finishing her second half marathon today! :)

Echo Triathlon July 9, 2016

Well... today was a race day that I hadn't expected.


Triathlon is such a tricky sport.  I guess you could say that about any sport, but it's especially tricky when you're dealing with three separate disciplines.  Swim, bike, run.  For most, the swim is the most difficult part.  And that's what I really struggled with today.

I signed up for the Echo Triathlon Olympic Distance race awhile back, to help me get training for Tempe 70.3.  I knew I'd be ready for it, but after getting sick after Daybreak Tri last month, my training suffered a bit, and my sleep has been suffering as of late with all the schedule changes and other activities we had going on. I knew that even if I wasn't totally physically prepared, I could usually rely on my mental grit to get me through any obstacle. Just not today.



I got to the reservoir yesterday to help volunteer and then camp overnight.  The weather was nice, but later in the evening, the sun started to beat down on us while we were helping at packet pickup.

Race Registration Crew.

I got dinner with Valery around 8pm.  There were maybe two restaurants still open by that time.  I was parched.  When I got back to camp, it was getting dark, and somewhat cool.  We triathletes got in bed around 10:30pm.  Unfortunately for me, the family who was camping at the same site in which I got set up, decided to come back and start S'mores before bed.  Not to mention, they had their music playing.  I tried to get to sleep, but I don't think I really got restful sleep until they went to bed (somewhere around midnight).  Then my body woke up at 1:30am, with some really loud guys, and then again at 4:15am.  I was able to get about 45 more minutes of sleep before my 5:00am alarm.

I then got my gear packed up and headed over to transition, making a pit stop at the Port-O-Potties.  I got my transition area together afterward and realized, on a few occasions, that I had forgotten one thing or another.  I made the short hike back to my campsite a few times before getting everything together.  And then it was time to get on the wetsuit and head to the water. 

Mary and I.  Love this girl!

The race started about 20 minutes late, so I got in the water to try and warm up.  The water temperature felt great, but it was super choppy!  I'm now used to distance, murkiness, and cold, but being the still weak swimmer that I am, choppy water is not my friend.  I started to have my doubts, and my anxiety set in.  I tried to laugh it off and keep a positive attitude, but once I got in and started my wave, it didn't get any better.  I could feel the wind on the water, which made it difficult for me to breathe, and I couldn't catch my breath.  I had to stop multiple times, and I caught and swallowed water with the waves.  On the stretch back to the buoy toward the second loop, you couldn't see anything with the bright sun.  I attempted to make the second loop.  I've done it before, and I'm usually stubborn and have too much pride to let this kind of thing stand in my way.  But, an asthma attack ensued and I started wheezing.  Should I attempt to finish anyway?  Should I call it quits here?  Thank goodness for Isley (the lifeguard kayaker, also pictured in my registration crew above) for allowing me to hang out with him for awhile.  I was just so exhausted that the far buoy just felt daunting, especially with my breathing not calming down.  I finally made the decision to call it quits, and Isley pulled me back to shore.

I felt sick and dizzy when I got to the shore.  Coach Heather was there, and told me to go on the bike anyway.  Dan, the RD, told me to do the same (after turning in my chip).  But when I got to transition, I just felt off.  I wanted to go for the ride anyway, and just finish with the DNF, but it took me quite some time to feel oriented enough to get on my bike.  When I did, I decided to just ride the sprint course.  My legs were heavy with the false flat course (which Utah is known for).  Even with that short 12 mile ride, it was just such a weird feeling.  My body was present, but I didn't feel like I was present.  And with that, I decided to forego the run when I got back to transition (not to mention the headache I felt starting behind my eyes).  Instead, I headed back to the finish line area and met up with my team. 

I chatted with my teammate, Andrew, who is also the Chiropractor for our team (and who helps out with post race massages after the races).  I told him that I didn't finish and pulled myself out of the swim.  "Today just wasn't the day," I told him.  And we discussed how sometimes it's better to do so than to try and power through it.  Endurance athletes are known for their mental toughness and the grit to power through.  Sometimes though, doing so just isn't worth it, especially when there are bigger races at stake.  And it takes courage to realize that.  Sometimes powering through and getting injured sets you back from the goal you really want to achieve.  As much as I wanted to finish, I was okay with my decision. 

So now I stand with two DNF's where I physically did not finish my race... my first triathlon - Escape from Fort Delaware Triathlon and today's race (I've had one other, but it was only because the timing mats were already pulled, but I physically finished the race). 

But there are always lessons to be learned in any given experience.  What we do with those experiences are up to us.  Just  because I DNF'ed doesn't mean I'm giving up.  There was a time where I would have beat myself up and felt so much shame because of that stamp next to my name and would have wanted to give up (remember that, Brook?), but not anymore.  I've learned, since running my first triathlon 9 years ago, that these types of situations can help strengthen one mentally.  Failure can lead to success in the future, if you want it bad enough.  A DNF won't ever stop me from trying.  It's all about picking yourself back up and showing up again.  Remember... DLF>DNF>DNS.

Thank you, Marie, for putting a smile on my face today, and sharing your stories with me!  I'm so inspired by you!  ;)

And thank you Valery, for being so uplifting and encouraging!  I'm so glad we're friends!