The Marathon

This week over at Runner's Lounge they are talking about the marathon.

"The marathon is an obsession. It has to be."~ Mark Bloom

There's something about 26.2 miles that totally intrigues me. I have done it 11 times and I am still in awe with the experience, from the excitement of signing up to the feeling of accomplishment and relief as I cross the finish line. I love the energy that is in the air pre-race, talking with other runners, the anticipation I feel as I embark on the adventure, which is always the same, but yet a bit different each time. I love pushing myself to the limit and realizing I can accomplish anything. 

"Completing a marathon is a feeling that you can't buy. You have to earn it. The experience is what you make of it. The camaraderie is awesome."~Dan Morihiko

If you have read my blog for any length of time, you know that St. George is my favorite marathon. This year my plan was to run at least 12 marathons. Although our move will put a slight glitch in that goal, I am still planning to run 5 or 6.

The 40 by 40 is still in the works! Anyone know a good sponsor? ( : 

Foto Friday

It is Photo Friday with Nike Mom.

I am counting the days until the big move!  This is a picture of the taro fields in the Hanalei Valley, very close to where we will be living. 

  
This is Anini Beach, walking distance from our house. The original name of the beach was Wanini...the W fell off the sign and it never got replaced, thus the name change. (:  

Have a great weekend.

I had...

a fabulous 12 mile run this morning. I went by myself and it was MUCH needed alone time. As I was running I realized I haven't really been alone for nearly 2 weeks, I always have a little one in tow and it was nice to just hear the sound of my feet hit the pavement this morning. I ran on an old country road by where we live. Farm land. Who doesn't like the smell of wet hay, horses and wood burning in a fireplace? It felt great to be out in the fresh air...by myself! 

I also ate well today. It is amazing how good you feel when you make wise food choices. Hey, thanks for all of your encouraging comments! It is nice to know I have people on the sidelines cheering me on. Have a great weekend everyone!

A Clean Slate

I have been really struggling the past few week with motivation. I started this new year determined to get my life together...you know eat better, loose weight, workout everyday,give up this or that. I started with so much enthusiasm and determination. But somehow I have gotten off track, already. I have only run once this past week. I have all the excuses, my treadmill broke last week, I am moving in two weeks, so I have been packing like a mad woman, both my kids had cavities that had to be fixed this week, the list goes on.

Yesterday I spent a few minutes thinking about how good I will feel if I actually stick with my goals, if I really lost that 10 pounds. There is a huge part of me that wants to be happier and healthier this year. So what is getting in my way??

Is it fear or sabotage? OR is it just being more comfortable with my own laziness? Most people just slip back into their old habits, I haven't even done that. My old habits were good, I seem to be creating all new ones. I have been asking myself  "How badly do you want this? or is it just some silly fantasy that would be nice if I didn't have to work too hard at it?

I decided if I really want things to change I need to put all my effort into it and start with a clean slate:

* Reconfirm to myself what I want.

* Make sure my goals are realistic.

* Write down my goals for the year.

* Spend a few minutes every morning reading my goals and imagine what it will be like to achieve them.

* Make a plan to attain my goals.

* Take small steps each day to achieve my goals.

I think if  I keep a positive attitude and remember Frayed Laces' motto~DDYA, I can do anything I put my mind to.

Olympians and a Forcast of Sunny Skies

I ran 10 miles this morning with some girl friends at the Utah Olympic Oval. There is a nice indoor track and of course the ice skating ring. After the 2nd lap I looked over at the people stretching and there was none other than Apollo Anton Ohno.

 

Of course I was a little star struck, having never been in the same area as a gold medalist. The USA team was there doing their workout. It was fun to see them in action! They are all so graceful and FAST on that ice! I would love to be able to skate like that, it looks so fun. Being able to watch them made running in circles a lot more interesting!

I have been out of the blogging world for what seems like forever. I have been busy packing up our house, we are moving in 3 weeks~ to the "Garden Isle" ~ Kauai. I can't tell you how excited I am to leave the snow behind. I am a real wimp when it comes to running in the cold and snow/ice. I am really looking forward to the sunny skies and 77 deg. weather! And of course that ocean breeze. Does it get any better than that? Needless to say, I have been scrambling with Dr. appointments for the kids and their new schools...tying up loose ends here..you all know what I am talking about. The only down side to this move is my 40 by 40 goal will not happen. I will only be running 4 marathons this year, (hopefully).  2 on the Big Island, 1 on Maui, and 1 on Kauai. I am not super disappointed, after all we will be in paradise...sunny skies, the beach, palm trees swaying in the breeze...am I making you jealous? 

 Aloha!

Happy New Year

I have been trying to sit down and post for over a week now, life has been a bit crazy around here...2008 was a great year for me! I had planned to run one marathon, St. George, and ended up running 6! 

I ran SLC in April, and was so disappointed with that race that I decided to treat it as a training run for Ogden in May.

Then I thought I should just run three more and I would have 10 marathons completed by the end of the year...In July I ran Deseret News, September it was Top of Utah, and October it was St. George, which I ran in a garbage bag, and got a PR of 4:15. ( :

It was a busy year with training and racing. After St. George, I got the post race blues and needed something new to work toward. My new goal became: Run my 40th marathon by my 40th birthday, giving me 32 months to run 30 marathons. I ran Las Vegas the beginning of December. 

2009 holds a lot for me. I need to run at least 12 marathons and here is my schedule (tentative, of course) for the new year:

*January 25~Carlsbad Marathon

*February

*March 29~Moab Marathon???

*April 18~Salt Lake City Marathon

    26~Big Sur Marathon

*May 16~Ogden Marathon

*June 13~Utah Valley Marathon

*July 12~Missoula Marathon

          24~Deseret News Marathon

*August 22~Park City Marathon

*September 12~Little Grand Canyon Marathon

                      19~Top of Utah Marathon

*October 3~St. George

*December~Las Vegas (Rock & Roll bought it, yay!)

I'm trying to do most of my races close to home or where I have a free place to stay to cut down on costs...I am excited for the upcoming year! Thanks to my family and all my running/blogging friends for all the support and encouragement! Happy New Year!