#31- The Sand Hollow Marathon

The first time I heard about this race was at the St. George Marathon expo last year. I saw this really nice medal on the table, and being person that loves the bling I walked over. While talking to the Race Director, I found out that the race was in Hurricane, UT (on the outskirts of St. George) at the end of March. This excited me as the earliest marathon in Utah was in April. It gave me one more somewhat local (5 hour drive) option for early in the year. So, even after looking at the daunting elevation chart, which includes a killer hill called El Diablo, I signed up for the March 31st race.

My fellow Utah Maniacs Teresa, Teota, Marsha, Sue and Jonathan also decided to take on El Diablo. Teresa, Teota, Marsha and I drove to St. George on Friday afternoon. We went to the packet pick up and got our bibs, t-shirts, etc., then headed to the JB's for dinner since it was right across the street from our hotel.

We checked into our hotel and had adjoining rooms, which was fun as each of us laid out our "flat" selves. We talked, got our stuff together, then hit the hay. One of the good (and later the bad) things about this race is that since the race started a 7:30am and we were staying a little over a half mile from the start/finish, we got to sleep in a little more than most races. Once we were up and dressed we all headed to the Start.

Maniacs at the Start!

Trying to keep a little warm at the start.

At 7:30am the race started. We all decided to take this race a little easy as poor Teresa had broken her thumb a few days before and was running with a cast on. We thought this would be a nice training run.

As we continued, Teota and I got to chatting and pulled away from Teresa and Marsha. We met up with a few other runners who started asking us about the Marathon Maniacs. Teresa caught back up with us and we enthusiastically told them the Maniac criteria and found out they qualified! I hope they went home and joined!

Teresa, Teota ans I with our new future Maniac friends, Byron and Polli!

There were a few people dressed in costume which I thought was funny for such a small race, but it was awesome!

Ghost Busters and the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man!

Teresa, Teota and I with the Ghost Busters!

There were two super heroes! Uh oh! Looks like Endorphin Dude has some competition!

The course was an out and back so it was fun to see a few more Maniacs on the course!

Katrina from Las Vegas

Sue and Teota

Marsha

As the race went on, the day got hotter and once we hit the half, it was already feeling a little too toasty and we still had to go up El Diablo. Luckily the aid stations were well stocked. The 13.1 mile aid station even had steak and eggs!

Running behind the ambulance. Good thing we didn't need to get in!

The views on the course were beautiful!

We were all feeling quite good, then we hit El Diablo and the sign at the bottom of the hill summed it up perfectly.

The three of us had a plan to conquer this hill. The hill climbed for about three miles, with the steepest section lasting one mile. On that section we would run one minute and walk one minute. First interval, done. Second interval started and we revised the plan. Run 30 seconds, walk 30 seconds. Second interval, done. Third interval started and we revised the plan. Run 30 seconds, walk one minute. Third interval, done. At that point we looked behind us and about 1/4 mile up the hill, we abandoned the plan and walked the rest!

Having fun on El Diablo!

Looking back down the hill!

Once we got to the top we had another fun sign waiting for us.

This was a great sight!

Teresa's hand was really starting to hurt at this point with the heat, but she was a true Maniac and kept on going! We slowed the rest of the race and finished with a personal worst time, but we all had fun anyway! I have always respected any runner that gets out and runs 26.2 miles, but if you think for one second the slower runners are just sauntering around the course with no effort, think again. It felt a lot harder to be on the course in the heat for close to six hours! I want to run faster just so I never have to do that again! It was freaking hard! The back of the packers are the real heroes in my opinion!

Heading back to the finish!

While it did take us longer than we expected, we finished!

This race while the course was tough and the temps were hot, was great! The RD, the volunteers and the whole organization was amazing! There was medical personnel driving up and down the course as well as people driving between the aid stations with water as it got hotter. They even added an extra  aid station which was great. Plus, look at this bling!

Two days ago the RD sent out a very heartfelt and sweet email thanking everyone for running and offering all runners their race photos for FREE! I love it when RD's care about the runners more than lining their pockets. Looking for a March marathon? Give this race a try!

The Shamrock Half Marathon! Happy St. Patrick's Day!!

Being sick for 2 weeks put a real damper om my training, so I was glad to have a fun half marathon on St. Patrick's Day to get me back in the swing of things before my next marathon at the end of this month.

The Shamrock Half Marathon was a small race (about 280 registered) organized by Fleet Feet Sports in American Fork, UT. The race started at 8:00am and was only a 20 minute drive from my house, so I got to sleep in a little. Since it was St. Patrick's Day, I pulled out all the stops for a fun and festive outfit and was glad to see my fellow Maniac/Fanatic Marsha had the same enthusiasm for the holiday!

Marsha and I ready to run!

There were a few more other fun costumes out there too!

At the Start!

The course was rumored to be pretty tough and with the threat of rain, this could have been pretty rough, but we all had a great time. The course was hilly, but nowhere near as tough as we thought. The rain held  off too. The weather was perfect for running, in fact I even felt a little warm. The only annoying part was the head wind that kicked up around mile 8.

I was really happy to meet a girl named Diana around mile 6. We started chatting and ended up running the rest of the race together which was great! We finished in 2:19 which was good for me, given the hills, the wind and not run more than 6 miles in the past 3 weeks. I felt good after so now I can get my training back on track!

Since Marsha was the only Maniac/Fanatic, I really wanted to wait and cheer her in.

Marsha coming into the finish!

Marsha and I at the Finish!

This was a well organized and fun race. For the price, the swag was great. A fun Brooks long-sleeved tech shirt and a nice medal.

I highly recommend this race! After the race my husband and I celebrated St. Patrick's Day in the way I like best: EATING!

Corned Beef and Cabbage!! Just like my mom used to make it!

#30- The Lost Dutchman Marathon! Arizona, Check!

I LOVED this race!!

While standing in line to meet Kara Goucher at the Las Vegas R&R Marathon, I ran into fellow Marathon Maniac Don Pemberton. Needing Arizona in my 50 State Quest and really wanting to avoid the high cost of doing another Competitor event, I asked Don (an AZ native) what his favorite Arizona marathon was. He answered without delay, the Lost Dutchman Marathon. The timing and cost of this event was perfect, so I signed up.

The race was right outside Mesa, so I asked my cousin and her husband if they could put me up for the weekend and they graciously said yes. THANK YOU Christie and Danny!

Going to the Expo!



I want to see these guys!

Now THIS is my kind of Expo!

I flew into Phoenix Saturday morning and went straight to the expo in Apache Junction (which was only 8 miles from my cousin's house- score!) As I walked into the expo, I was greeted with a table of cookies! I was in love with this race already! I picked up my bib and awesome race shirt and looked around the expo for a bit. I ran into a few other Maniacs and we chatted a few minutes and then I went over to my cousin's house where I relaxed, had dinner and just had a nice time with my sweet family. After dinner we went home and I hit the sack. My alarm would be going off at 3:00am and I wanted to make sure I was somewhat rested.

Maniacs at the Expo

The alarm went off and I got dressed and was out the door at 4:00am. The first bus left for the start at 4:30am and since I didn't know the area, I wanted to give myself plenty of time to get lost in the dark and still have time to catch a bus. Luckily, the rodeo grounds where the buses were departing  was pretty easy to find, so I caught the 2nd bus to the start.

Once we got to Gold Canyon, I got off the bus and headed for one of the many mats around campfires which were burning brightly (that was the perk of getting the early bus- I got my choice of campfires). Another fellow Maniac, Ron Rodriguez was on the bus with me, so we set up the one of many Maniac camps. Soon we had many Maniacs around the campfire!

I love the little things like the little mats they laid out by the campfires for us to sit on. I also liked the snacks and hot chocolate! It all kept me nice and toasty!

 Don from Arizona and I

Nancy and Mary from Florida

Mary, Nancy, Me and Sue. Utah and Florida together again!

Sue from Utah and Ron from Arizona

Before we knew it, it was time to head to the start line, BUT not before we get our Maniac group pic!

Waiting to start.

While waiting at the start, I ran into a few more Maniacs!

Annette and Arland from Arkansas (with Mary in the back)!

The Arizona Sunrise was awesome!

Before you knew it we were off!

We started off on this really nice packed dirt trail. It felt really good running on it for the first 6 miles!

Jonathan and Rob from Arkansas puts new meaning to father/son bonding. They both earned 10 Marathon Maniac stars after completing this race! CONGRATULATIONS!

The course was pretty hilly and I was feeling tired fairly early in the race. I expected this race would hurt a little more after taking January off. At mile 13 I got a little help refueling with Krispy Kreme donuts and bananas! Yum!

The volunteers were AWESOME!

I LOVED the spectators too!

I stayed pretty steady and felt pretty good for the amount of hills there were. At around mile 18 or 19 I met Andrea, another Marathon Maniac. She was new into the club running her 5th marathon. Having someone to talk to those last few miles can take your mind off the pain for a little while and make the remaining miles go by faster. We were both happy for that!

My new friend Andrea!

At about mile 22, we met Laurie. She was not a Maniac, but was friends with Ron Rodriguez! The three of us ran together the rest of the race and those last miles flew by.

At mile 24, we break through "the wall". I wanted to kick it down!

Once we got to mile 25 we knew we were in the clear to make our goal of finishing under 5 hours. We took one last hill and rounded the corner into the finish chute! 4:57:25. Not a PR, but I will take it!

Andrea, Laurie and I right after we crossed the finish line!



After we finished I made my way to the donkey! I NEEDED a photo with the donkey!

I LOVE it! I am a gold digger! I need that gold for more races!

My other prospector friend!

Me with two speedy Maniacs! Yay Sue!

Me, done and ready to head home!

This race was so much fun. It was really organized, the scenery was breathtaking, the cost was low, the swag was good and the weather was perfect. I would highly suggest the Lost Dutchman Marathon for anyone seeking an Arizona race!

When the Galloway Door Closed, the Team Challenge Door Opened!

When I moved to Salt Lake City in 2008, little did I know that I would become a marathon runner. Living and dancing in New York City for 20 years, I was an active person. When I got to Utah, I feared I would end up 30lbs overweight in a few months. I wanted to try something different so I went back to running after a 25 year break (I ran from the 4th grade through High School, then never again).

My twin sister, Angel started running marathons in the late 90's and had 12 marathons under her belt before I ever did one, so she was the perfect person to ask about training when I started running again. "Find a Jeff Galloway group in your area!" she said. So I did.

In April 2009, I ran my first marathon. In 2010, I was the co-director of the Jeff Galloway Training Program in Salt Lake City. Running this program for the past two years has been one of the most rewarding experiences of my life. Being there and watching people break through barriers they themselves never thought was possible, was inspiring. Every runner in our group inspired me to do better and dig deeper.

Without our awesome group leaders, I would not have made it through this season. THANK YOU!! While I loved this job, it was time consuming and a lot of work to take on. I really needed a break from being "in charge", so in December, I resigned as Program Director to focus on my own running and get my family back on track. I can't thank Jeff Galloway enough for the opportunity to be a part of such a great organization.

Now, to take a break and work on getting that Utah Grand Slam! Then...

About 3 weeks ago,  I was contacted by Jenn Atkin, Endurance Manager for Team Challenge (SLC), a half marathon training program to benefit the Crohn's & Colitis Foundation of America. My sister is the Endurance Manager for the Georgia chapter and she gave her my name. She asked me if I was interested in coming on board as a coach! The team will begin training for the Napa to Sanoma Half Marathon in late March and needed one more coach. I was hesitant as I really wanted a break, but working for a charity has different rewards. I would still be able to help new runners meet their goals of not just finishing a half marathon, but finding a cure for debilitating digestive diseases that over 1.4 Americans suffer with every day. When all the information was in front of me and my husband was cool with it (as there was less of a time commitment) I couldn't say no! So as of February 7th, I am the new coach for Team Challenge, Salt Lake City (and I can still get that Utah Grand Slam)! I look forward to working with the other coach too. His name is Scott Browning and he has quite the impressive resume!

I believe things happen for a reason. I think this will be a great experience!

If you would like more information on joining Team Challenge in your area, go to their website: http://www.ccteamchallenge.org/

The 2012 New Year's Half Marathon

Last year while trying to figure out when and where to take our Utah Marathon Maniacs annual photo, fellow Maniac Jonathan Crampton offered to host a run at his house on New Year's Day where which we could shoot the photo. Within a couple of weeks the run turned into a half marathon complete with bibs, medals and a nice post race spread of hot chili, yogurt, french bread, etc. What a great way to start the new year! Only issue? It was 5 degrees and the roads were covered in ice on January 1, 2011!

With the success of last year's race, Jonathan decided to host the New Year's Half Marathon again this year, only this year the temps were in the 30's with only a light dusting of snow on the ground. It was a literal heat wave compared to last year!

This year there were quite a few more runners. Even though this is only a half marathon, all us Utah Maniacs wear our Maniac gear in order to get our annual photo.

Just a few of the Utah Maniacs at the start. A few others opted for the early start, hence missing the photo.

The course was really tough with the first 3 miles going uphill, but once we got through that it was nice and flat. The course was marked, but with snow on the ground, the small snowman markers were hard to see, so we missed a few and got lost a couple of times. Luckily, I had my smart phone with Google Maps and Teresa Baker (aka my GPS) to get us back on the right track. Other than that, it was a great run!

We got back to Jonathan's house where we stuffed our cold faces with hot chili and he gave out awards to the top finishers. I loved the awards! Electric blankets, crock-pots and blenders!

The 1 800 Contacts girls at the finish!



The medals this year were excellent! One of the cutest I've seen. A cute little snowman, perfect for the day!

This is a really fun race that I hope will continue to be a annual tradition. If I had one suggestion for next year, it would be to make the course a simple out and back for us directionally challenged folks! Other than that, it was a great time!