Missoula Marathon Race Report

Wow...am I behind. It has been nearly two weeks since the Missoula marathon and I am just now getting to the race report.

I had a fabulous weekend in Missoula. My hosts, Barbara, Jason, Gabe and Elsie were just awesome! They made everything so nice and relaxing and I felt pampered. Thanks again you guys for a great weekend! Can't wait for next year!

The expo was held outside at Caras Park in downtown Missoula. It was small, but sufficient and they gave us a technical shirt and a reusable Missoula Marathon bag. I love when you get more than just a plastic grocery bag...I also liked that they had several water coolers set up around the expo. The Farmer's market was going on at the same time and there was a lot of excitement and tons of people all around. Missoula knows how to host a race!

The busses were organized and we didn't have to wait very long to get to the start line in Frenchtown. On the bus I sat by Talitha. This was her first marathon and she did awesome! You can check out her blog here. It was fun to talk to her and feel of her excitement. Sam Felsenfeld was also there, he paced the 3:50 group. If you haven't heard about his "Operation Jack" check out his website here.

Once we got off the bus, I headed to the port a potties and waited..the lines were long and there could have been a few more..But I got to the start line with about 8 minutes to spare. The gun went off and we were on our way. What a beautiful course! We ran along the Clark Fork River and they aren't kidding when they call Montana "Big Sky Country." It was a flat course as well, which for me, was perfect since I am still having issue with my knee.. no, not my ITB any more.. something else is going on..I will talk about that another time. There was one hill at mile 13.5 and I had to walk up and down, I was feeling some weird twinges. But other than that, there were no major issues.

I loved this race..EVERYONE was friendly. I made several new "friends.."

and the Missoulians..is that how you say it? were fantastic. Many of them had their sprinklers on the road so we could run through them, which was a godsend because it was hot. There were a lot of spectators at different points along the course. It was great to have people cheering... just for me..(: Thanks again you guys!

I really enjoyed everything about this marathon. It was their 4th year doing it. The Run Wild Missoula running group has about 1000 members..no wonder it was well organized and the little things were well thought out! Post race food was great. You know it is good when they have cold watermelon at the finish line! They had yummy pasta salad, watermelon/pineapple/strawberry frozen fruit popsicles, bread, and other things. And Barbara had a burrito supreme waiting for me!

I  finished with a smile on my face and I will definitely run this race again!

Thank you to Little Caesars for making it possible! You guys are awesome!

I will be running the Deseret News Marathon on Saturday. It is Pioneer Day in Utah. It's gonna be a hot one!

Keep Running!

Success

Thank you for all the nice comments! I love being part of the running/blogging community and having all your encouragement and support. I realized after I did my last post how whiney I sounded. I didn't mean to be Debby Downer, I was just venting. And no, I am not giving into the negativity! Running makes me feel good, strong and healthy! Why would I stop? My knees looked great..the X-rays showed no signs of arthritis, which apparently, according to the doc, is common in runners.

My 5 mile run this morning was a success. There were a few weird twinges in my IT band on the side of my knee, so I walked a few times and I walked down the major hill on my route. I also tried to keep my stride a bit shorter than normal. We will see how it feels later today..but so far, so good! :)

My most favorite thing after a hot and sweaty run is ice cold watermelon! There just isn't anything much better!

Keep running!

Feeling Old...

I have been absent from the blogging world. A lot has happened over the last couple of weeks. Let me update you. First off, I had a DNS for the Utah Valley marathon. My IT band decided it had had ENOUGH! and rebelled, so much so, that I thought I tore my meniscus. I couldn't put my weight on it, couldn't straighten my leg, and there were popping noises...ugh. So to the doctor I went...

The doc came in shook my hand introduced himself and the intern that was with him. The questions started...

How long have you had the pain? How many miles a week do you run? How often do you change your shoes? You know, the regular questions...He then asked if I was taking any anti-inflamatory meds. I said I was taking 800 mg at night. "You are doing it all wrong. You are just taking it symptomatically, you need to be taking 600 mg 3 times a day and supplement with Tylenol. That may sound like a lot, but you have got to get the inflamation down." OK, done! He then told me I was too old to be running...ok, not in those exact words, but that is exactly what he meant! He said, "running after the age of 35 is not wise..." and proceeded to tell me that I should stop running and take up cycling. I agree, cycling is an exellent form of exercise, but running is what I love, it's what I do! After the manual testing he diagnosed me with ITBS. He really didn't give me any advice on how to treat it other than the meds..so I have been reading and RunnerDude gave me some great advice, thanks again! I have had several ultrasound treatments, and have been stretching and rolling out my IT band with The Stick. It seems to be feeling a little better, not 100%, but I ran twice this week, with relatively no problems. So tomorrow I will try to go 5 maybe 6 miles and see how it goes.

I went to the bank yesterday to make a deposit for work...the teller asked me if I had a son, I thought it was a weird question, but I said yes, and she said, "he came in and made a deposit a few weeks ago..." The boy she was talking about is my boss's son who is 22!...22! Do I really look that old? Alright, so I am old enough to have a kid that age, but my oldest is only 9. I felt a little sad the rest of the night and kept looking in the mirror and noticing more wrinkles...oh well, it's bound to happen sometime I guess. This will be me next week, what with all the stretching and aging I have been doing...

Have a great weekend. Keep running!

39!

39! What does that mean? It means I am officially old..I have exactly 12 months, 52 weeks, 365 days to run 21 more marathons to reach my goal!

I thought since it is my birthday I would share with you 39 random things about me...

1. I share my birthday with National Running Day...how cool is that?
2.What I really want for my birthday is this...

3. I have the best husband! He is my number one fan and he supports me in everything I do.  I love you!
4. The only way I can remember how old I am is remembering how old my son is and adding 30
5. I love Disneyland
6. I love sushi ~ it is actually a great pre-race meal
7. I work my legs hard three days a week (MWF)
8. I don't like sunscreen. Bad, I know
9. I wear contacts
10. Right now, my favorite treat is chocolate covered raisins
11. I don't like shopping
12. I don't like to cook
13. I do like doing dishes... it is very therapeutic
14. I drink A LOT of water
15. I have lost 19 pounds and 8 inches since January 1st
16. I WILL qualify for Boston during the next year
17. I love it when it is raining and the sun is shining at the same time
18. I met Matt Damon last summer at Hanalei Bay. (Shook his hand and had a conversation with him. :)
19. I worked out with Gabby Reese... She is amazing.
20. I really miss Kauai!!!
21. I miss the Hawaiian trade winds blowing through my house
22. I love watching the sun set over the ocean
23. I am missing a toenail on one of my toes
24. I have the cutest/best kids in the world
25. I try not to eat bread
26. I love avocados
27. I have a serious sweet tooth
28. My son is a great swimmer..watch out Michael Phelps!
29. I am not very coordinated
30. I am 5'10"
31. I don't dye my hair..the sun gives me great highlights every summer :)
32. I like Volvos
33. I like Mexican food~ It is always my post race meal
34. I like getting pedicures, but don't do it nearly enough
35. I have never been to the East Coast
36. I would love to live in England again
37. I want to spend an entire summer traveling Europe
38. I am going to do the Goofy Challenge in 2012!
39. I might just want to do a triathlon....

Thanks for stopping by my blog! And Happy National Running Day!
Keep running!

20 Miles

I love, love, love how I feel after a long run...lean and strong! And yesterday's run was fabulous! I ran my usual, favorite, middle of the desert route. Have I told you how much I love running in the desert? It makes me happy!

As I started my run, I knew it was going to be a good one, I could just feel it. Perfect weather, lots of good sleep the night before... and I wasn't disappointed.

A couple of crazy things happened though, when I reached the first half mile, I crossed the street, not remembering the baby birds in the tree on the other side of the road. As I was running, minding my own business, listening to Madonna on my ipod, a mama/daddy bird started swooping down... once... twice... and the third time it made contact. I felt so violated...Ha! I was just glad it didn't poop on my head!

The rest of the run was pretty uneventful, just me and the open road. At mile 17.5 I looked down at my feet, and thought they looked weird, then I realized I was wearing two different shoes. My Kayano 15s and my 2150's. I have never done that before. Note to self, turn on the closet light while getting ready.

I have always loved the Kayanos, but since they've tweaked the design, I prefer the 2150s. They are more narrow and my foot doesn't slide around as much inside.

Hope you all have a fantastic holiday weekend!  Keep running!

Withdrawls

I am having serious racing withdrawls...I have been feeling:
~Anxious
~Irritable..just ask my family
~I have poor concentration
~And I have been taking naps, I never do that.

My next race is in a few weeks and I am jonesin'.  I keep looking on the Marathon Guide, hoping there is something new on the list...but there never is.  I need help!  :)

I am planning on running 18 miles tomorrow, hopefully that will cure my obsession for another week. The Honeysuckle is blooming and it smells so good when I run in the mornings...love it!  Have a great weekend!

Keep running.

Three Things Thursday

1. I have a black toenail. A new one. After the race on Sunday it was really tender and I wondered...but wonder no more, took the polish off and sure enough. Now I have a squirly toenail on both feet, lucky me!

2. It has been cold here the past couple of days. I've been wearing long sleeves, I even turned the furnace on for a few minutes on Tuesday.

3. Bethany and Ryan over at Our Love on the Run are hosting a giveaway for BeeCause Charms. Go over and check it out!

Keep running.