Running. And Not Running. And Running Again.

Well, for those of you I haven't told yet, I have officially dropped out of the Rim Rock Marathon. I could give you all my reasons, but they really don't change anything, and as Vizzini would say,

“I do not accept excuses. I'm just going to have to find myself a new giant, that's all.”

So yeah, I'm looking for a new giant. Or wait, maybe I"m the giant.   Ok I have no idea.

I'm back to running, though, and getting excited for a few things on my horizon, though they will probably involve distances that do not require me pledging every spare minute plus my firstborn child in order to participate.   If I could find somewhere that would take my second born child though......
Just kidding, Hannah.  You know I'd never trade you off for a race entry fee. Probably.

Anyway,
I have complete admiration for this guy! A 2:10 marathon just blows my mind. For this guy, I'll even tolerate David Letterman!!

Treading on Sacred Ground - Literally

 In the next couple of weeks, The Brain and I get to go to Wyoming - to Martin's Cove.  We're participating in a training thing for leaders who have groups coming in the next year - and we are so excited to go with our ward!

For those who don't know, or don't remember ;)   - - Martin's Cove, WY is the place where the Martin Handcart Company found themselves in November, on their way across the plains as part of the Mormon pioneer movement. By the time they found this cove, they were basically  - well, walking dead.  Many of them survived until rescue teams came, but many many did not.

Anyway, there's currently a monument there, and there are trails everywhere.  Many youth groups come there every summer to push handcarts for miles through the trails, to give the kids an idea of the hardships people were willing to endure when they truly believed in something.

It's a very special place, in general, and the Cove itself was deemed by President Hinckley to be sacred ground.

Here's my dilemma:

I have to run while I'm there.  Is it disrespectful to run these historic trails?    I don't think I'd actually run in the Cove, but it's about 3 miles to get to it from our campsite, and coincidentally- I need 6 miles that day.  So, it's perfect, right?

I just don't know.

I will tell you that I had a truly spiritual experience running along the Trail of Hope and the Mississippi River in Nauvoo, and given the chance, I would do that again. Having said that,  I wouldn't run in either Temple Square or the Sacred Grove.

 I'm having trouble deciding what to plan on.

Any thoughts?

Ok. I'm In.

I've procrastinated the decision long enough that I don't have all the training time I want. Sooo....it won't be my prettiest marathon ever, but I think I can finish it.



I would like it noted, however, that I feel sorry for anyone who tries to mess with me like this at mile 19.

Running My Mouth, Among Other Things

I love my running partner. Kami and I have been running together for about 5 years now, which I figure puts her somewhere near the required time frame for sainthood. We run together lots in the spring/summer/fall, and less in the winter when there's snow on the ground. In fact, today is the first time we've gotten together since before Christmas.

What you have to know about Kami (and I'm sure you've already deduced) is that she's a much better person than I am.

She collects food at work for canned food drives. She uses aluminum water bottles, for crying out loud. She knows all my children and what they're up to, and actually asks about them, even though she's only met them once or twice during our 5 years.... probably because I talk about them ad-nauseum when I run. See one of the major advantages of a running partner is the free therapy sessions. You can just TALK and Talk and talk!! Oh baby, we can always find something to talk about.

Her work,
my bakery,
her in-laws,
my family,
her vacations,
my family,
her new fantastic exercise plan,
my family.

Yeah, my life is a plethora of scintillating topics. Shut up.

Anyway, there are two things we rarely talk about. religion and politics. She knows how I feel about both, and I have NO idea how she feels about either. Usually I say a thing or two, and she stays totally quiet, which I take to mean that she'd rather push a garbage truck uphill at this point in the run then discuss these taboo topics with someone as opinionated as I am.

So about halfway in to our 4 mile run this morning, I sort of forgot myself and started in on the stimulus package. You know, how we could really use a stimulus plan that would actually stimulate the economy? And then I remembered who I was talking to. Because she got really quiet all of a sudden.

And in a sort of surprising turn of events, she started talking about it, and reminded me that there are a lot of people in the country who have actual hope that this thing can work, and who really need to hang on to that hope, because their lives are going downhill fast.

Wow. And a short - very short- political conversation ensued. It was interesting.

I will say though, that as soon as I remembered who I was talking to, I immediately changed the topic. Because, you know, I can hash political garbage with anybody. But finding a truly amazing running partner is a once in a lifetime deal, and after 5 years I do NOT want her to change her mind about running with me. And frankly I'd rather talk about the Biggest Loser anyway.

(That girl probably goes home every day and resolves that THIS TIME she's really gonna find someone else to run with. Sadly for her, there aren't a whole lot of women willing to freeze their heinies off in the pre-dawn winter hours, so I think I'm relatively safe. For now.)

But after I got home and thought about it a bit, I decided that since she is really a much better person than I am, maybe it wouldn't kill me to rethink my position a little bit. What's done is done, right? And because the alternative is so horrible, what would it cost me to hope the dang thing actually works?

O, Beautiful For Spacious Skies

Sometimes I really like running.

Sometimes, it's a chore, but there are times when I love it. When I'm out of my usual area, I always love it, because it's such an intimate way to connect with the place I'm staying. When you're out at 6 am, Niagara Falls is a completely different place. Watching the sunrise over a beach in Hawaii (with sweat running down my face) is awesome in the truest sense of the word. And how could I not list the morning sun on the cliffs of Bryce Canyon in Southern Utah as one of my all time favorite runs?

But today may have taken the cake.



Today I got out this morning in beautiful Yuma, AZ. I ran several miles down an irrigation canal, with mature amber wheat in fields as far as the eye could see on one side of the canal. On the other side, the corn the farmers were starting was already taller than me, and not even sprouting any ears yet.



And as I was admiring the beauty, and the bounty, and the symbolism of it all, three military jets flew over my head in perfect formation. And I have never in my life been prouder or more grateful to be an American.

Walking the Line

There's a woman who sometimes trains on the same trails I use. I've watched her running in the mornings and totally admired her more than once. Because she has A Body.

She's tiny, but she is built. Very muscular and athletic, and the way she runs is truly beautiful. She's always friendly as she runs by me, yelling "Hello! What are you training for?"

I don't think she's ever heard my answer, because by the time I snap out of my trance to realize she's talking to me, she's already gone. Mercifully she probably has never heard me say, " I, uh, sudfknsdajkgh;i jhfioumdcfnj hjdaghg8w." Good answer. Brilliant.

About 2 weeks ago I saw her in an interview on TV. They were talking to her as the front runner to actually win the Denver Marathon. I said Win The Marathon.

So naturally, I've been watching for her on my morning runs. This morning? Success.

My running partner, Kami and I were out gingerly testing our bodies after our respective marathons over the last couple of weeks, when we looked up and saw Alexa (learned her name from the interview) coming toward us.

So I yelled - "ALEXA! How did the marathon go?!" At which point she turned around and began to run in the same direction we were going. She wanted to talk. Wow! right?

Let me just say, that professional runners and amateur runners do NOT run the same pace.

I'm sure she slowed way down for us. I'm also sure we sped way up for her. I'm very very sure of that last thing.

She ran with us the better part of 3 miles, during which she never stopped talking. Which was probably a good thing, because Kami and I were both sucking wind and couldn't have actually, you know, carried on a conversation.

We (and I use the term loosely) covered topics like how Kami and I could both use some help with our running form. She showed us a different way to run. Which is a lot harder.

We (see above) also talked about that extra weight that Kami and I were obviously trying to lose, and what we should do about it. I was listening intently, but seriously, if Kami lost 5 pounds, she would blow away in the wind. But Alexa kept saying "both of you".

"Both of us" also shouldn't wear so many clothes to run (it was 38 degrees!) and "both of us" needed to start a weightlifting program so we wouldn't hunch our shoulders.

Oh yes, and "both of us" needed to use more energy - you know - just explode. The lack of energy thing? That's all in "both of our" heads.

By the time we got back to our cars - well, Kami and my cars - Alexa was just going to run home, "both of us" had about Enough Of Alexa.

There's a fine line between friendly adviser and annoying know-it-all. I'm pretty sure we were darn close to it today.