Utah Valley Marathon

On Friday, I went to the Marathon expo with Eerika and Saku. Obviously, it was not the ideal situation, but we picked up my bib, figured out what I should do the next morning and walked around for few minutes to sample smoothies and protein bars. 

Barb was sweet to make a delicious lasagna on Friday night so I could get my share of carbs. I tried to go to bed around 9 pm, but I think it was closer to 10 pm before I finally fell asleep. I happened to have a little boy next to me who didn't think that going to sleep was a priority.

The alarm went off at 3:20 am. While it was way early, I didn't really have a hard time getting up. I got dressed, ate two pieces of toast and one scrambled egg and snapped few pictures of this historic morning.

I bought these sweats from D.I just for the purpose of leaving them at the starting line, and then they were donated back to D.I. I think it was six bucks well spent. 

I don't think I have ever been in such a good mood at 3 am. 

Troy drove me to the bus stop and I saw few hundred people lined up. Because the starting line was up in the canyon, all of the runners got bussed to the starting line. Troy gave me a quick kiss and a good luck wishes and I was off on my own. I think I waited around 30 minutes to get seated in the bus. It was a beautiful night and the temperature wasn't bad.

I happened to sit next to a very talkative guy from NY, who had done about 40 marathons, which made the ride go by quickly. While I am not a fan of small talk and I would have been just fine listening to my iPhone, but it was relaxing to talk to someone. 

He asked what my goals were and I told him that I had several different level goals.

1. To finish the marathon. (I expected to do this, unless something absolutely crazy happened)

2. To run under 4 hours. (This was the major goal)

3. To run under 3:50 (This was my reach goal)

4. Qualify for Boston at sub 3:35. (This really wasn't a realistic goal, because I didn't train at paces that would allow me to run this fast; however, since it is my ultimate goal, I figured it would be a goal.

We got out of the buses around 5:25 and I headed to the port-a-potty line. It was close to 5:50 by the time, I finally used the potty and went to check in my bag.

I was not nervous. It was a weird feeling to be so calm. I waited until minute or two before 06 am and took off my D.I sweats (bought just for the purpose of being thrown away at the starting line) and threw them on the ground and I was ready to start.

The cannon went off and we started slowly moving towards the starting line. It took me about minute and a half to get to the starting line. Since the race was chip timed, I didn't care how long it would take me to get to the starting line.

We started in a little town called Wallsburg, Utah and the scenery was beautiful. The first seven miles were a slight downhill and people were running fast.   I had to tell myself to slow down for the first three miles and I think I did a good job pacing myself. I am glad that I didnt try to run with a pace group as it seemed that the pacer weren't running very intelligently.

As we were running down the road, I thought to myself "i am so lucky to be doing this". At one point, few horses galloped next to me as I ran.

Once we got to the Provo Canyon, we had to climb some good hills between mile 8-10. And we battled a strong headwind.  When we got to around mile 11, I got mentally tired and worried about the fact that we weren't even half way through and I was feeling tired. I wasn't feeling exhausted or too tired, but the feeling of tiredness after running up the hills into the wind had definitely taken some juice out of me.

I hit the half way point at 1:54:18, which means that I ran faster than my half marathon time four years ago. Also means that Anna still holds our family half marathon record. There was a moment in my head when I thought "if I was doing the half marathon, I would be done already". But since I wasn't doing the half, I just kept running.:)

Somewhere between the half way point and mile 16, Starla and Troy drove up and cheered for me. It was awesome. Simple "hyva Eevi" yelled by my hubby was so nice. They stopped twice to take pictures and passed me twice so I got some love twice. There weren't many spectators since we ran in the canyon; however, the volunteers at the stations were great and I was used to running by myself so the lack of crowd support wasn't an issue.

Starla snapped this picture-it makes it look like I'm running so fast and leading:) 

 Once I hit mile 18, I thought to myself "I have never run this far or this fast for this long" and it was a great mental booster.

Around mile 20, I saw a girl whose blog I follow. She has an amazing story of losing weight (85 lbs) and becoming a fast marathoner. She had injured her hip and was walking. I thought to myself "at least, I will finish" and again, this gave me a mental boost. Also around mile 20, we exited the canyon and the winds were behind us.

The course was downhill and flat for the last 7 miles or so. However, after all the wind and climbing those hills, it didn't seem like it.

I never hit "the wall" or felt like I cannot keep going. However, I mentally kept waiting to hit the wall and I think that slowed me down. As I would pass mile 21, 22 and 23, I was worried that if I kept my pace or ran faster, I would just crash at mile 25 and not have a strong finish.  So my pace was slightly slower for the last three miles.

The whole crew was cheering for me at mile 23 and again at 25sh. Eerika was not happy and I could hear her cry as I approached them:)

You can tell that we are about 23 miles into the race My legs  are dragging a bit. But at least, I wasn't walking.

Once I hit the line up for the finish line, I picked up the speed and passed two guys. You know me and my competitive nature, plus you don't just jog to the finish line, you better try to run.

Last few seconds of the race!

Troy and Starla met me at the finish line. I grabbed two chocolate milks and a popsicle before I went to meet up with them. I quickly gave the finisher medal to Troy since it was too heavy to carry around. Once I stopped running, my feet were hurting.

So happy to be done. Surprisingly I didnt cry. Maybe I didnt push myself hard enough;)

According to my garmin, I averaged 8:46 per mile, but my chip time was little slower at 8:49 per mile. I   wish I would have run one second faster so I could have said that I finished in 3:50, but I am very happy with the race.  I felt that my training prepared me well and I was strong. Troy said that I looked tired but strong in the end, which made me happy.

Place	Bib	First	Last	Gender	Age	City	State	1/2 Split	Gun Time	Chip Time
501	7759	EEVI	AURA	F	27	VAIL	AZ	1:54:18	3:52:19	3:51:00

Overall it was an awesome experience. 

I finished 501 out of 2059.

I was 19th out of 149 in my age group. 

I accomplished my goal of running under 4 hours.

I feel that running a Boston Marathon qualifying time is very realistic goal. 

I didn't have to stop to use the port-a-potties or squad behind a bush (I saw so many runners do this).

I never walked-except to drink my water and powerade as I felt that it saved me more time and kept me well hydrated.

I felt happy most of the race.
No blisters, no cramps and no chafing. 

Things that could have gone better

I didnt expect as many hills-fortunately, I had trained with hills so I was okay.

The winds slowed people down-I heard a rumor that people's times were as much as 10 minutes slower than the previous year due to the heavy winds

I had to stop to tie my shoe. 

My audiobook was boring-but it also allowed me to enjoy the race as I wasn't too distracted by the book. 

Honestly, I cannot wait to run another one. 

So awesome

Makayla: Saku, how do you write your name?

Saku: S-A-K-U. Saku

Yeah, I had no idea that he knew that. 

Starla: Eerika, tell Boomer (a dog) "I'm the boss"

Eerika: makes noises and points her finger at the dog

Saku: walks slowly towards the dog and says I am the manager.

Starla and I start laughing hysterically. How does this kid even know the word manager, let alone use it so "correctly" and hilariously. 

As told my Auntie Starla:

Troy (dad) shoots nerf gun at Saku (3 year olds) and Eerika's (16 months) feet. Kids laugh. 
Eevi (mom): Troy remember- we don't shoot people- only walls.
Troy: It's just their feet. I'm keeping them happy. 
Eevi rolls eyes. 
**2 minutes later Saku shoots Eerika square in the forehead from 2 feet away. 
Without missing a beat Saku points at Troy and says, "You taught me to do that!"
**Troy's jaw drops. Speechless. Eevi and I laughing hysterically. 

Miss E at 17 months

This girl is the most adorable and maddening little creature. She has a mind of her own, though I guess every parent would say that about their child. I am thinking that her cry gets louder as she gets older. 

She loves me. Oh she loves me so much. However, she has really started to get cuddly with Troy and isi sure loves it.

She also loves shoes. She loves putting on my shoes or her shoes or finding shoes for Saku. 

She loves baths and sitting in the hot tub. 

She continues to get comments about her beautiful blue eyes. And her hair continues to be undone on most days. 

She still takes two naps on most days. It is awesome!

Blurry picture of the cute cousins. They are only four weeks apart. 

Eerika loved Makayla as long as Makayla didn't try to tell her what to do:)

Eerika is not a fan of strangers. However, once she warms up to you; she will play with you and loves the attention you give her, right Auntie Starla?!

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Eerika's first word is "no". It is the most adorable thing to hear. She says it with so much attitude. Saku did not use the word "no" until he was way beyond two years. I know I will get tired of it, but as of now, I almost bait her to say it.  She also says something that mimics the word "mine" as she grabs toys  or fights over something with Saku. Again, Saku didn't use the word "mine" for a long time. I guess it just shows how first and second child learn completely different things. 

While time outs don't work with her, she hates to be by herself. So when I tell her to stop crying or she will have to go to the other room, she actually listens and stops. Obviously not each time, but more often than not. 

She is on the go. She has just learned to jump with two feet. And she puts so much energy into it. She loves to run around at stores, but usually follows me well.  She will also try to do a summersault and loves to run in circles. 

She will offer you the sweetest kisses, play hide and seek with you and share her food with you gladly.

Miss Eerika-I am glad you are mine!

Running

Today I checked out the marathon route. I cannot believe I am running my race in less than 36 hours. Honestly, it felt like a long drive in a car, which makes me little nervous to be running it. But the scenery is beautiful and it is going to be awesome-painful, but awesome. 

Yesterday I was running away from the police officer. OK, I didn't run away but I did get pulled over for the first time in my life. I was going 80 on 65 mph zone. I thought it was 75 mph zone. The officer was fabulously nice and let me get away with a warning. His comments was "you are a marathon runner, but you drive like a sprinter."

This afternoon I enjoyed a cool 3 mile run. The Utah weather has been a nice change from the heat of Tucson. 

I run because it makes me happy. I run because it challenges me. I run because it makes me feel strong. I run because it makes my legs look awesome. I run because it makes me feel grateful for my body instead of criticizing it.  I run because it allows me to have "my time".  I run because I can.

Happy National Running Day!

Marathon Cheer

Darling Haley-3 years!

Once again, I was touched by a friend's thoughtfulness. As we attended darling Haley's 3rd birthday party, Camille gave a "good luck" package for my marathon.  I was so touched and might have gotten teary eyed as I read her note. I am so blessed. I am so blessed that I have friends with whom I get to celebrate their babies being born and see them grow. I am so blessed that I have incredible friends who truly are interested in my life and support me so well. 

These will taste so good on the marathon day.

A Race, but the Race

I ran my first 5K on Saturday. It was a fun walk/run in downtown Tucson. However, I must say that because I am very competitive, I don't know if I will ever do a walk/run again. I am not being snobby or discriminating against people who don't run. I just want to actually run the whole race that I came for. 

Since I hadn't done a race likes this before, I didn't realize that if I wanted to run a good race, I should have gotten to the starting line way early. By the time I got myself there, I was in the back in the huge herd of walkers/runners.  

Once the race started, it took me about 90 seconds to advance 50 yards and then it took me about another 2 minutes to run .2 miles at 10 minute mile pace. Why? Because there were about 1000 people who were walking in front of me. I am over exaggerating. There were about 2000 people walking/running this race and many of those people were walking or slowly jogging

Finally after 0.25 miles into the race, I had enough room to actually run. After that, I really enjoyed the race and ran a good race, while not a great race. I averaged 8:03, 7:45 and 7:38 for my miles.  I had a great finish and felt good after the race. I was part of the Rincon Research company team and wore their navy cotton t-shirt. It got very hot very quickly. Next time, I will skip the cotton t-shirt for something little cooler. 

We enjoyed free snacks from Sunflower Market and bought some Hawaiian shaved ice and went to see the Muppets for free at an outdoor theater. The event itself was great and we enjoyed a fun night out as a family. 

Incidents with kids (because they just happen everywhere)

Eerika fell down with her chair as she being monkey on it and screamed bloody murder-and you know, my children can really cry bloody murder.

As I was changing Eerika's diaper on the grass, I look over and I see Saku peeing on the cement steps at the lawn area. Awesome! No one said anything so I'm hoping they were focused enough on the movie. 

Now I have four days until THE race. I am so excited and nervous about it. 

26.2 miles, I am ready for you!

So good and so messy

Our Memorial Day was little bit of a disappointment this year. It's not that we spend too much time planning Memorial Day, but any day that Troy has off usually has some expectations for a fun day. 

So we tried to redeem ourselves and change our bad moods by having a picnic by the train tracks in Rita Ranch. We got some sandwiches and ice cream sandwiches. Because of the heat, we had to eat the ice cream sandwiches first:)

Eerika is just like me. She loves anything sweet. It can be hot or cold, she will go for it!

Saku is not the biggest fan of ice cream because it is cold. So he spent most of his time picking the chocolate off and leaving most of the ice cream untouched and melting.

The kids were sticky, and our moods were considerably more cheerful as we headed home. 

Rain Boots in Sunshine

Eerika is ready for the monsoon season. We found these sweet rubber boots for her and she loves them. She let out a little "ahhh" when I showed them to her for the first time. 

She even got to wear them out yesterday as we went out to a play date.

Burn out and Excitement

I have been training for my marathon for 13 weeks. As I do not run on Sundays and I ran six days a week on most weeks, this means that I have run 72 out the last 91 days.  Since the official training cycle started on the first week of March, I have run 430 miles. 

I have loved the training. It has been amazing to notice the changes in my body and the strength, speed and endurance that I have gained throughout the weeks. There have been work outs that have left me completely exhausted. On one occasion, I mentally broke down as a combination of heat, being unprepared and trying to run fast 13 miles got to me. But after few hours, I forget about it and I just have this amazing feeling of satisfaction of doing something hard.

While I have been a runner for years, it would be sporadic. The summer months would come, school would get really crazy, working nights and having a baby or something else would interrupt my regular running patterns. 

I have never run this much in my life. 

Yet this week, I did not want to run. Or I should say that I didn't want to train. I was mentally exhausted to think of the 40 miles that I would be running. I didn't want to try to hit the 8:30 paces while climbing the hills of my neighborhood. 

But I did it. I was grumpy before I would leave for my runs and then I would be happy when I got back. 

Hello New Mizuno Wave Elixir 7. 

Feeling fabulous after a 13 miler! 

These pink babies have carried me through 600+ miles. 

This grumpy feeling reminds of me of being pregnant at 38+ weeks.  I know I only had few weeks to go before the baby came, but each morning, when I woke up and I was still pregnant, I would get grumpy. I would get over it pretty quickly on most days, but I was mentally burned out of pregnancy.

Good thing I am not carrying this weight around me for 26.2 miles!

I think some of the training compares to pregnancy and having a baby. You put so much energy into training or growing a baby. Your body changes. You need more sleep. You need to eat more. You need the support of so many people and many people share in your excitement.  Then there is the actual labor can be described as difficult, life altering and so worth it. While I have not done my marathon yet,  I have a feeling that I will be feeling some of those very same emotions of relief, huge accomplishment and gratitude  as I cross the finish line.

One week to go!