Park City Marathon! #13 Was Not Unlucky!

I will admit, I almost decided to drop the Park City Marathon. It sells out every year and since it's local, I wanted to make sure I had a spot in case I wanted to run it, so I registered. I was leery, with my recent knee tweak and the Hood to Coast relay the following weekend, I thought it might be best just to bag it. Then Teresa (who had just finished the Leading Ladies the Sunday before and who was also running Hood to Coast) had a great idea! She suggested that we do the early start with the walkers and just go super easy, in fact, let's shoot for a Personal Worst (PW) to ensure we take it easy!. Heck we have already paid for it! So we did!

We started a 5:00am with about 30 other people, including the AMAZING Marathon Maniacs/50 State Club phenoms Yolanda Holder and Larry Macon, who were both also running another marathon at midnight that night! CRAZY!!

It was pitch black when we started and the only way we could find our way was with our headlamps. It was kind of like a treasure hunt trying to find the blue arrows which marked the course. We really had no choice to go really slow or walk. It surprised us how fast the group thinned out. Most of the "walkers" did not walk from the start. A few folks got lost early, but found their way back, including Larry. He found us as he doubled back from a wrong turn. We followed a few other runners who had done the course before and made it to the "secret tunnel" at mile 4 just as the sun was coming up.

Larry, Teresa and I ran, walked and talked together for the first 14 miles. We were having a blast!

Larry Macon and I at Mile 8!

Teresa and Larry at Mile 8.

After mile 14, we said goodbye to Larry and Teresa and I went on. There were some killer hills, so we took it super easy going up. At this point I could feel my right hamstring and calf getting super tight, but once we hit a downhill section, it loosened up as we ran down.

This was a really challenging course, but we were loving it! We were going slower than we had ever run before, but enjoying every minute of it! The last 6 miles were tough on Teresa. It was super hot out by this time and the heat was making her nauseous. So we just continued to stick to the plan. We were going to run a PW if it killed us!! Hee Hee!

Cute lady at the "Bikini" water stop!

The last 3 miles we saw a young 22 year-old man walking and feeling pretty rough. It was his first marathon and he had hit the wall. We told him what our plan was and that he should stick with us for a while. He did and was so grateful for helping him get through the last miles. The last 1/2 mile he thanked us and kicked it in strong!

The finisher's medals were made of glass, handmade by a local artist.

Teresa and I saw the finish line and finished strong! We got our medals and headed towards the cold, wet washcloths they were handing out! Teresa was still feeling a little sick from the heat and went strait away to find a shady place to sit. After a short rest in the shade, we made our way to grass where we sat and waited for Bob B. and Franz to finish.

 Teresa and I at the Finish!

Bob B. & Franz relaxing after the race.

I am so glad I didn't drop this race! Yes, we accomplished our goal of running a PW, we ran 5:52:34. The slowest marathon to date, BUT, I had no knee pain and I feel great! I felt like I just did a long slow training run. I am totally recovered today an am ready to tackle Hood to Coast! Bring it on!!

How Have I Missed The Porter Rockwell/Draper Canal Trail? My New Favorite Place to Run in Draper!

I have lived in Draper for two years and little did I know there is a great running trail less than 2 miles from my house! I had heard of the Porter Rockwell Trail, but thought it was further away. Looking for a different place for our group to run, I asked a few of our Draper-ites about it. When I found out it was so close, I was shocked that I had never run there before. Right away I got on Google maps and mapped out a 6 mile loop!

After a week of no running due to my sore knee, last Friday, I decided to take my bike out for a spin. I wanted to see how my sore knee held up and I also wanted to ride the loop to make sure it was OK for the group to run on Saturday. It was great! I had an awesome 10.6 mile ride and my knee felt great.

The next day, I met the group and ran the 6 mile loop with no problem! YAY!! I decided to still take it somewhat easy this week, just to make sure everything is OK and avoid aggravating anything.

On Sunday, I told David about the trial and he and I took Toby and Zoe (our dogs) for a 3 mile walk on the trail. He really liked it too!

Yesterday, David and I took the bikes out and rode to the trail again for a nice 10 mile ride.

I think I may just head over there tonight for a run!

A Knee Injury Will Not Be Tolerated!!

So, on Saturday morning I headed out the door for a quick 9 miles with my running club. They were tackling their longest miles to date, 18 miles, but I had to be in Pocatello, Idaho at 12:00pm for a family reunion and since I ran a marathon last week, I let myself off the hook for the 18.

We started a 5:30am, so the weather was perfect! After a great run I jumped in my car and headed home. After a quick shower and a trip through McDonald's drive through for large Diet Coke and an Egg McMuffin, I was on my way.

I made it to Pocatello just in time to visit and have lunch. Then it happened. Sitting at a picnic table, my cousin Nikki called to me and I turned around. YEEOUCH! My left knee just tweaked! There wasn't a snap or pop, just pain. When I stood up, I could feel it in the front of my knee. NOOOOOOOOO!

Before I drove back to Draper, I stopped off at my aunt May's house and wrapped my knee in an ice pack for the drive home. I am hoping that I just strained it. I can put weight on it and go up and downstairs with no problem, but I can still feel it.

My plan is to continue icing every few hours and eat Advil like candy. I have 5 marathons booked through October and A KNEE INJURY WILL NOT BE TOLERATED!!!

Pray for me!