Run....NOW!

Huh- Are you sure we want to do this!? I love this pic- describes the humbling drive!

Hey dear friends! I really wanted to post before the race- so here I am sitting next to Kristin in the pre-marathon lecture- writing to you! We got to St. George yesterday. We are staying in our friends' Mitzie's condo. It is sweet! Laying in bed last night I really felt my first feelings of consuming excitment. I don't think Adam liked hearing about it at 3 am. His response "mauuumphm". This morning we woke up and did the all important pre-marathon ritual.... self tanning. Hey- I'm not wearing those little running shorts and a tank top in front of all those people looking like casper. K is in total agreement. You know she is wearing mascara. I found a teeny tiny lipstick and put it in my pouch so as I cross the finish line- (hopefully not by crawling,) I MIGHT look a little less scary. We had breakfast at the Bear paw. Awesome.

Then we drove the course- just to scare the crap out of us. "Mother Marathon" is watching. Every time one of us says something kind of confident, the other one of us yells- STOP! Mother Marathon is listening- and she will school us! Did you know that the race course is 26.2 miles---- no seriously- It's over 26 miles. That is crazy- who would run that far? Oh....Us? Tomorrow? Uh, ok. Vacation check. Reality check. We hear you now mother marathon. We are LISTENING!

This is us already warming at the starting line bonfires- all prepped for tomorrow! There are 50 bonfires!

I want you to know I counted Suzy- there are 149 porta-potties at the start line. Crazy!

Tonight we have the big celebratory family pasta dinner. We are all prepped tanned, and packed. I really am feeling so excited that I think my heart my wear-out BEFORE tomorrow!

You know, I had forgotten before this training what a good friend running has been to me. This training has been one of the best things I have done in my life. I may have done this before, but not with these girls, or these friends cheerleading, or my family so behind me. It has made all the difference. Wish us luck in the morning!!!!

This is IT! Don't get scared now.

Can anyone name that movie?

This run's theme was "tangerine." Notice Suzy's new T. O. U. shirt! Also note my cozy p.j. pants. Don't start a run without em! (Yes, amazing Suzy is still running with us. She is an inspiration. And She is totally not sore or crippled either!)

This is Kristin.

This Saturday is the ST. GEORGE MARATHON! The thing we have been obsessed with and working toward all these weeks. Your good karma and prayers are appreciated this week- we need it.

Or do we? We have no idea whether or not we'll finish in intense pain, or the sweet feeling we had when we ran 23 miles. This time we will be running a lot faster, cutting out a lot of walking and messing around at drinking fountains and photo-op spots. Danna's shins could cause her trouble. My calf could "charlie-horse" again. Her sports bra could continue to cut off her circulation until her arm actually falls off. My knee cap could finally shatter. OR! We could leap blissfully across the finish line- mascara still fresh (oh yes, I will be wearing mascara!), and legs still functioning well. Will we weep at the finish line? I have imagined that many times and it is very possible. I imagine running up to Matt, sobbing, but also gloriously raising my fist in the air. "I DID IT!" I'll say. Or maybe I'll say, "Why did you let me DO this?!?!" Or "Need...ice...bed...carry me...hate running..."

I am feeling 85% excitement, and 15% nervousness and fear. I think part of my nervousness is just making sure all things fall into place. What time are we leaving for St. George? What do I pack for lunch? Will I be able to fall asleep the night before? Are my clothes warm enough for the starting line? What should I put in my pouch? What am I forgetting?!?!? Aaah! I gotta stop writing about this, cuz I can feel my heartbeat racing.

Last Saturday we went and cheered Suzy (and her husband Rick) on in Logan. What an exhilarating experience!!! We sat on a blanket at about the 25.5 mile marker- after our own 12 mile run, and we cheered for the runners like no one has ever cheered before! These were our peeps! We gave each and every runner that passed us an individually-tailored cheer.

Example 1: Girl runs by looking tired and focused.
D&K: You go girl!! It's all about you! This is your day!! You're almost there! Just keep putting one foot in front of the other! You rock!
Girl: (begins to cry)
Yes. We made a lot of girls cry. But in a good, touching, you needed that kind of a way. And we really feel like we helped a lot of people in a really tough part of the race where there were no other cheerers much of the time.
Then of course we would begin to cry ourselves.

Example 2: Man runs by, limping a little, chest splashed with Gatorade stains.
D&K: Hey! You look great! You're made of steel! You've almost run A MARATHON!
Guy: (Tries to hide a smile and blush, and starts running a little straighter.)
It was interesting how many people started running again right before they got to us. They didn't want these loud cheering girls to cheer for them while they were walking. We were seriously so loud. Amazingly, my sister Mikelle fell asleep for an hour or 2! I didn't think it would be possible with our constant screaming. We also applauded each runner. Our hands and throats hurt for a long time. (Mikelle, a vocal performance major, refused to scream. It made me proud as an SLP. Way to avoid phono-traumatic abuse and resultant vocal fold edema, hemorrhage, or nodules! But I couldn't resist this time!)

Well, we saw some fascinating things while we sat on that blanket. It seriously gave me the biggest high sitting there cheering for them. I'm still high on it! It was like the funnest service project ever! I'm so going to the SLC Marathon every year from now on, and sitting in a remote spot where there are no other cheerers. Cheerers make an amazing difference for runners.

Okay, this may seem a bit cheesy or weird, but I have decided to dedicate each mile to someone in my life who has had a big influence on me or whose friendship has really meant a lot to me in my life. The names are not in any particular order. I mostly assigned people numbers that would help me remember them, such as their birthday number or an inside joke (ask me about yours if you're wondering).

1 Daddio
2 Mili Silva
3 Annie Winn
4 Vicky Yocom
5 Rhonda Better
6 The West Family (CT)
7 Kristina Barss
8 Ambleh Prince
9 Mommykins
10 Heather Taylor
11 Liz Madrid
12 Denise Frandsen
13 Mkl Memmott
14 Emily Stokes
15 Krissy Wyler
16 Karin Dance
17 Sarah Shaw
18 Danny Memmott
19 Holly Badurek
20 Emmaline Sorenson
21 Sarah Haslam
22 Francisco Herrera
23 Danna and Suzy
24 Mery Carcamo Suarez
25 Matt
26 Jesus
.2 Janelle Swinton

When I run a given mile, that person will be my motivation, and I'll think of them and the influence they've had on me. Suzy also gave D & I little strips of paper with motivational quotes on them for us to stick in our belts and read when the going gets tough. Look for a new post soon, wherein Suzy recounts to you her own marathon experience last week. (***teaser***)

They look way too good after 26 miles! PS: Good job guys!!!

Who took this? You're in big trouble.

Hitting the wall and holding hands. We completed a marathon!

If you had asked me 5 months ago if I could see myself finishing a marathon, my answer would have been a loud and firm, "NO!". Yet here I am, a marathon finisher!!! And so is my husband Rick!!!Here we are with our medals. I've never been one to get very excited over trophies or medals but this medal is different. To me, it stands as a symbol of the amazing journey that I took to achieve my goal. All through training, Danna had displayed her previous marathon medal in a prominent place in her home. She had it in a shadow box and also included other racing memorabilia with it. I found it really motivating to look at it at 6 in the morning before we would go out for a run. I had no idea how motivating it would be to me during the marathon itself. When I got to mile 18, I hit "the wall". My sweet husband held my hand and walked with me for over a mile and a half as I struggled through it. One of the thoughts that kept me going was, "I have worked too hard for the medal at the finish line to go home without it." I had even bought a shadow box of my own to display my medal in before the marathon and I was determined not to go home without it. My sister Cindy took this picture of us when I was at the wall. Don't be deceived by the smile on my face.

Some other thoughts about the marathon. The first 13 miles were great! It was beautiful to see the fall colors as we ran down Black Fork Canyon just outside of Logan, UT. It was exciting to watch a wave of runners stream down the road. Every port-o-potty had its own name and there was a large line of them and a lot of people waiting to use them right after busing up the canyon. At mile 14, we started to feel tired but were rejuventated when we saw my sweet sister Cindy there to cheer us on and that we didn't have to run up a really big hill. At mile 16 we stopped for a bathroom break because only one person was in line. Bad idea. Had to wait 7 minutes. Both of our bodies stiffened up and running was extremely painful from mile 16 to mile 18. At 18 1/2, I requested that Rick and I walk until I felt "better." Another bad idea. I stiffened up and felt every cell in my legs tingling with pain. I hunched over and stopped on occasion. I just wanted to lay on the ground and have the pain stop. No wonder it is called "the wall". It felt like I couldn't take another step. I told Rick I was going to sit down. He thought I might not get up but I did after about 25 seconds and felt a little better. I asked Rick if he had some ibuprofen (he did) and I took some as well as a chocolate gu. I started feeling better. We decided to run 1 minute and walk 3 minutes. We did it. We ran 1 1/2 minutes and walked 2 1/2 minutes. We could do that too. We were able to finish the last six miles of the race in this manner.

Our cheering squad consisted of Cindy who leap frogged along the course to cheer us on at different milages, critical to me being able to make it through the wall, Rick's dad who offered us some water at mile 20, our daughters and Rick's mom and sister just before mile 25. Seeing my daughters jumping up and down cheering for us brought tears to my eyes and was really motivating. They also leap frogged and met us again about a mile down the course. At almost mile 26, I heard someone yelling my name. I was confused because I had passed all my cheerleaders. It was sneaky Danna, Kristin, and Kristin's sister Mickelle. They were cheering so loud for us!!! That made me cry, too. We rounded the corner and saw the finish line. People were screaming and cheering. We started to sprint about 50 yards from the end (I was pretty sure I couldn't sprint for longer than that). The announcer called out our names, "Rick and Suzy!!!!!!" We crossed the finish line, arms raised holding hands! I teared up again. Some nice lady put a medal around my neck and yes I cried again and it was over. Wow! One of the best experiences of my life!

Blah, Blah, Blah

"Peak Week". It is the height of our training. Last week we did close to 50 miles. It was a grueling week with a Wednesday run of ten miles. (That is hard to do before going to work and being on your feet all day. Not to mention my job involves vomiting, tired, sick children. All day I was thinking "move over in the bed- I want to lay down, throw up, and cry too," not my best empathy day.) The weeks mileage culminated in a 23 mile run. K and I were nervous the whole week. We were hoping that her foot, my shin, and our friendship would hold up!

Fix me Lisa!!!!

That Suzy- she only had 8- what a complete slacker. So she hit peak week 2 weeks ago- Who doesn't always want to to do another 20 miler? Huh? Nobody? Oh- well- you're all slackers too. Seriously- we NEED Suzy. We need her funny I-have-kids stories, and her wholesome niceness when we wish to die.

That 18 miler we mentioned a few weeks ago- NOT pretty.

Here are the girls on a talk... oh I mean WALK break!

I depleted my glycogen stores EARLY. I hit the wall the first few miles in. Good little Suzy and Kristin just chirped away. Suzy told us every detail of the new school socks she just bought her girls. We especially liked the details of the "Terrific Tuesday" socks, and the ingenious "Rainbow Anyday" socks. I was just plain mean by mile 13 or so. I decided in order to not lose friends, best to keep the trap shut and let my running buddies pull me along. By mile 15 I was crying. I wanted to sit down on the trail. I barely finished. So, now when one of us is struggling, we have a code- "Talk to me about the Tuesday socks!" It means, I'll shut up- but you must think of things to distract me by talking non-stop. Who knew socks were so key in marathon training? Maybe it will be the next new chapter in Jeff's book- "Training and the Terrific Tuesday socks." Sounds like an after school program that would include "Blossom".

THE socks that saved the run!

The next week Suzy chose her husband to run with- Imagine! That Zany girl. We came up on the trail mid-run and saw Rick running in place- Where was Suzy--- The bathroom you silly rabbit- where else? K and I snuck up to the door and started yelling- "lady- come on, you've been in there 20 minutes!" "Get out!" "Hey whats the problem in there?" We rattled the handle and banged on the door. By that point we were laughing uncontrollably which gave us away. Suzy came bursting out the door seconds later yelling- "Good thing I was already in the bathroom!" We laughed like hyenas until it looked like other runners were scared.
And- while we are on that subject- THE ONLY people on the trail at Quarter to Vicky on a Saturday are: drug dealers, or runners. Both are looking for THE HIGH. One morn we saw a suspicious car that kept circling and going slowly, scoping out the neighborhood. No fear Murrayites- the vigilante team of D and K armed with squirt bottles of gatorade followed them. 2 minutes later they got out of the car in full running gear with their own gatorade firing bottles. Boring! We were sure by that time we where about to save the city. We'd already planned the headlines " Team 'She runs like a girl' keeps city safe while wearing ridiculously cute running outfits" So, that didn't turn out right.

S0- back to Peak week. I read up on a method of using energy bars in conjunction with our regular "gu" to keep from hitting the wall. It was pure genius! That Jeff- Someone should tell him to be a famous runner- he is GOOD! K and I ran and ran and ran. Here we are at the END of this portion of the parkway---- notice the signs for highway 201!?!

This was after running south 8 miles, turning around and running North- (had to drop off that lazy Suzy.) We kept saying- I can't believe how good I still feel! When we ran out of cheerleaders, we started telling random people on the trail- "hey- we've run 20 miles already!" They looked at us- saw the lunatic in our eyes, and then gave us what we wanted- totally solicited- "Wow"s and "Great job"s! Hey- when your mom isn't around and you need a cheerleader, even strangers understand that. We did 23! Let me say that again- you didn't react enough dear reader- WE DID 23!!! WAAAHOOO! I think we just may pull this off! What do you think of that Larry Payne! We did lose some brain cells though. After the run we had prepared to do an ICE BATH. It is supposed to help with recovery, swelling, muscle repair, blah, blah, blah. It's meant for suckers who will try whatever they read. The 23 was nothin' compared to making yourself get into a cold bathtub with floating ice chunks- 20 pounds of ice chunks! K and I stood looking at the bath tub in our swimming suits for A WHILE. Finally I decided to just get in--fast- but only if K promised she wouldn't then chicken out. I stepped in and thought I'd died. Then I sat down. Excruciating! Then I quickly buried myself to my neck. Pain! I couldn't even catch my breath it was so shocking. This is the point I began manically gesturing for Kristin to get in. She watched all this and said no, NO, no. I somehow indicated through my verbal non-skills, that all my close friends and family know I have, that her best choice currently, was to get in, so she did. She sat down and screamed at the top of her lungs for 5 seconds straight. It was so cold Kristin went blue around her mouth for almost the entire time. The idea of the TWO of us in the tub- WITH 20 POUNDS OF ICE,and feeling the post long run unreasonableness became dizzyingly hilarious. We laughed so hard I hoped the tub wouldn't fall through the floor. It was my first bath in my new bath tub- What a way to start! We stayed in for close to 15 minutes. Adam knew we had lost it- he went outside to putter around- away from the crazy. Now that the run and weirdness was completed, Suzy went back in our minds from lazy to nice. She cooked us a big celebration pancake breakfast. It was so GOOD. What a great way to celebrate peak week! K and I kept commenting how amazing we felt. We didn't even nap- ok, well, at least I thought I hadn't napped. I was innocently sitting on the porch watching Adam wash his motorcycle, his mistress. When he woke me up laughing.
Like all good husbands of marathoners- he snapped a picture of all things funny-
So much for dignity and presence! My poor neighbors. They lost the neighbor lottery when we moved in. I think they're beginning to SEE that.

I love cross-training in Utah (when it's outdoors!). We have the best recreation nation-wide, and year-round. It is a dream! My mom and my sister Carrie Lyn hike the trail to Timpanogas Cave almost every day it is open during the summer. It can be a grueling little hike, but it is spectacular. I try to go with them for cross-training on Mondays. My mom has done it over 55 times THIS SUMMER. My sister doesn't even keep track! They are die-hards. In the summer I hike with my mom. In the winter, we ski. Mondays are so, so fun with my mom- BUT it does not matter the sport, if you are going with her- be ready to get left in the dust. She is where my maniac came from, and it's only murky water compared to hers. She is faster hiking up, skiing down, or just plain running. Utah is beautiful. My Super-Dad and I before the hike. IF I have any athletic ability it is from him. He is amazing. Ask me sometime- I have stories.
My mom and I at "picture rock" We had our family pictures taken here a couple of years ago. See the end of this post!
Adam has come with me as I have needed to cross-train at the gym. I can not possibly explain how supportive and great he has been. All of our husbands are secretly WAITING for this crazy thing to be over. It is incredibly time consuming. If we aren't all running together, we are on the phone talking about the run. We no longer cook dinner, clean, or even bother being very nice. All of the husbands deserve an 'I put up with a marathoner' medal at the end. Adam has stashed food and water for us miles ahead- even at o-dark-thirty. He picks us up. He rotates ice-packs. He does laundry and dishes. He has tried countless energy gu's and bars with us. He rides his bike next to me for HOURS when I need to run alone in the dark. He helps make sure I get to bed early so I get enough sleep. He even puts on a great act when I am totally unreasonable and crying from fatigue- he makes me think all my feelings are valid and understandable. When I wake up more rational and say sorry or "that was crazy talk"! He shrugs and says something like "Marathons take a lot of work, I'm here to help you." I love him and I COULD NOT do this with out him.

He is such a babe!

It is 3:30 AM as I write this. I can't sleep. Today Suzy runs. I am so excited and nervous for her, that I can't get back to sleep. K and I leave in about an hour to go up and surprise her by cheering her on. We are so proud of her and her husband. Go Suzy! You can do it!

I doubt anyone will even read this far- this post is too long, but I have something actually important to say. This past week my family told me they are coming down to see me run. That is about 18 people that are able to come, my friends. They are paying for hotels, food, gas. All to see me run. My niece Afton wondered why I couldn't just run past her house- why drive to St George to watch me run by? Good question Afton. But I wanted to say that this is one of the kindest acts of service and support I have ever received. When they told me, I sobbed. I still cry, even as I write about it. Thank you. This means more to me than I could ever write here. I love you.

A party and an injury

It's me, Kristin, again! Don't worry, Danna is posting very very soon. I know you are all craving some Danna time. On another blog-related note, I have now posted "How to post a comment" over there on the right side of the blog. If you are visiting the blog, we get so excited, but there's no way for us to know unless you leave a comment. We loooove comments. Even if they just say you were here. So don't be afraid, dear readers!

This week was my birthday. Danna, Vicky, Matt and other sly collaborators made it such a special, unforgettable day! (So did my fam, but we celebrated early on Labor Day. It was awesome!) First of all, Danna and Vick called all my friends in the area and arranged for them all to be on the Parkway at 6:10 am to celebrate my birthday by holding a banner for me to run through, cheering me through the end of my morning run, and giving me a medal!! Then there were yummy cupcakes, load of Gatorade, cards, and a few other surprises (presents!).

The girls I run with! Danna, Marriane, and Suzy.

Party people!

It was super fun and I felt so loved to know people were actually willing to get up that early for me in the chilly fall air, walk down to the parkway, and wait around for me. The RS walkers were there; Suzy and Marianne were there too. Most people left after the party for their own daily Parkway workouts. Some of my Young Women buddies and girls were there! I love em! And of course Danna and Vick. It was so funny to have other runners and walkers passing our crazy early morning party wondering what in the world we were doing, and secretly wanting in on the cupcake/Gatorade action-- which we offered them. Very few takers.

Well, there were a few hilarious (and in some ways downright painful!) complications that morning. I seriously threw a wrench in their surprise plans and almost ruined the party! First of all I argued (lovingly) with Danna all evening the night before about what time we were going to run. She had to tell many white lies about her reasons for the 5:30 time slot. She thought I must be thinking she was the pushiest person in the world. Then she brought up her recent shin splint flair-up and acute pain and I tried to refuse to run with her- forcing her to cross train against her will. She really didn't think she'd be able to complete the run and had to call and beg Suzy and Marianne to do it with me instead- a couple hours earlier than they were wanting to run-- the ultimate sacrifice! Thanks girls!! The cherry on top of the cake was the 4:30 am text message I sent Danna telling her (truthfully) that I had been up all night for various reasons, including throbbing foot pain and that she'd have to run without me. I ended the text saying "Don't text me back. I'll be trying to sleep." She immediately called...4 times. She told me I had to run with her and that we would have to pretend if necessary because all my friends were going to be there. I groggily agreed to go over there. Poor Danna called Suzy in a panic telling her the run was off, and waking her up. Anyway, she did a lot of damage control work for the next little while, bless her heart.

The Vickster. At her favorite hour. Dawn.

Renee, Colleen, and Lisa. Big supporters of ours. Lisa's even holding her tape to tape Danna's toes/shin after the party!

Matt thinks it's too redundant to post this pic too, but even though it's darker, I like our smiles better. Sorry, Babe!

Me and Renee. Can you see the sunlight starting to grow? We runners become very accustomed to starting in the dark and watching the sunrise every morning. It's not all it's cracked up to be in books and movies people. Just a bright light.

Marilyn! She's so fun. Sun's getting brighter!

Mitzi, Marilyn, me, Judy (Larry Payne's wife!!) Sexy mamas. Un-sexy sunlight. Mitzi and Rosie (not pictured- where were you, Rosie?? See her in the group shot hiding in the back.) brought me some GU's and running socks in that cute green bag. They're the bomb.

In the end, the party was still a success and Danna and I apologized profusely to each other for the next 2 hours. Then we laughed about it in our loopy sleep-deprived state. I totally loved the party and feel so so blessed to have a friend who would do all that insanity for me in the wee hours of the morning! Not to mention all the things Vicky, Suzy and all my other friends did to make it happen. Vicky (and Danna) later decorated my porch, brought me treats and presents- what cool friends!! Then there were the awesome things my parents did, Matt's presents: AMAZING!! I'll include a few random present pictures. All in all my favorite Bday ever! Loved it. (I even got out of work earlier than usual and got a nap in!)

My fabulous friend!

Matt filled a book of CD's for me! All down-loaded music I have wanted!

The sweet ipod player and cd player combo I was hoping for!

Best soundtrack ever!!! Including THIS SONG! and this too!



Okay, so remember the foot throbbing in the night part? Ugh... I couldn't walk on it when I got out of bed- had to walk on my left toes for the next 2 days. I was totally freaked for many reasons. 1) It seemed very serious. 2) Saturday was to be our big "peak week" run- 20 miles!! (We had actually decided to make it 23.) 3)Three weeks away from the Marathon and I was worried about even being able to compete. 4) I missed Thursday's run. 5) I hate X training. I called good old Dr. Russ Toronto and left a desperate message on his voice mail. An amazing cascade of events ensued in which I can clearly see the hand of The Lord helping me to solve this problem.

First, I still hadn't received a call back from Dr. T Friday morning, and after my morning work meeting I felt inspired to check my messages. Dr. T's secretary said Dr. T would like to see me before the big run if possible- his only available slot being 10:30. The fact that I made that happen during a Friday at work was another miracle! It involved crying to my boss, leaving the meeting early, rearranging all my patients' schedules, and having to bum a ride off of my aide Draper, then getting Draper's duties covered. Phew!
Dr. Toronto said it was peroneal tendonitis. He gave me a Cortisone Rx, told me to get rid of my orthotic shoe inserts, and to do the run! Well, I got home and took the inserts out. I was on the phone with Danna at the time. I looked into the shoes and realized to my horror that the original shoe insert was still in there under the orthotic!!! So this problem was all my fault! And I screamed into the phone, probably scaring Danna 1/2 to death. This is not the last time I screamed to Danna as you will read in her upcoming post (***teaser!***) So, anyway, I do feel that I was blessed to notice that though. I was about to stick 2 inserts from my old shoes on top of that again! The inserts were hard to see- white like the shoe insides.

That night Matt gave me a blessing and blessed me to run pain free- which I did!!! And other awesome things- best blessing ever! So, anyway, I was mad at myself for a while, but now I just feel grateful that the problem is solved and I can get back to running and recovering. The moral of the story is: PAY ATTENTION! Especially when you're 3 weeks from your precious Marathon!

No, I'm not pregnant. I'm training for a marathon.

First, this entry is not written by Danna, so those of you who were starting to knit a blessing dress when you saw the word pregnant in the title, stop! Second, I didn't mean to post so soon after Kristin did so be sure to read her post, too. Third, Hi!, I'm Suzy. I'm Kristin's and Danna's third marathon training partner. Because I just finished my twenty mile run last Saturday, the 31st, while Kristin and Danna ran 18, I was given the honor of posting this week. I am running in the Top of Utah marathon, two weeks before the St. George marathon that Danna and Kristin are training for. I have been running with them, when I can, since June.

After finishing twenty miles, I felt like I could go another six. That was an exciting point for me! I was really proud of Danna and Kristin, too! Danna, especially, was inspiring as she pushed through a difficult run. She told us at the end of the run, "I didn't talk because I was thinking to myself, 'If you can't say anything nice, don't say anything at all.' " Kristin was extremely patient as she listened to me detail every pair of cute jeans that my children refuse to wear. Kristin, I think, was starting to hallucinate on part of the run and thinking the she saw, "Jeff." She yells out to a random runner, "Hi, Jeff. Oh wait, your not Jeff, are you?" Then we see him again and she says, "Hey Jeff" and waves. Then we see him one last time. By this time, Kristin has trained him as well as Pavlov's dog and he says, "Jeff is now done with his run." Danna and Kristin are a riot to run with.

I am the mother of 3 children and as I have progressed in my marathon training, I've noticed some striking similarities between being pregnant and training for a marathon. Kristin and Danna nicely pretend that this is fascinating so I thought I would write about what I've noticed. I heard when I was pregnant, that it was as draining on your body as training for a marathon but I didn't quite believe it. Now I know better. Here is a list of similarities that I have noticed.

• When I first started training for a marathon, I didn't think I could actually run 26 miles. When I was first pregnant, I didn't think I could actually handle it for 9 months.
  
• I need an afternoon nap everyday.
• If I drop something on the ground after a long run, it gets to stay on the ground because there is no way I can possibly bend over to pick it up. If you've never been pregnant and want to see what this feels like, try holding a basketball at your waist and bend over it to pick up something off the ground. Oh and make sure all your muscles are sore before you do this.
  
• I have to use the bathroom frequently and make sure that my plans for the day include easy access to one.
• I have to swing both of my legs out of the car in order to get out. Also, if I sit down on the floor, it is pure pain to stand up again.
• I use "the force" to get the things I need while I am laying down resting, i.e. "Danna, will you get me that ice pack that is across the room? I can't get up. Kristin, will you fill up my water bottle? I can't get up. Rick, will you change the baby's diaper? I can't get up."
• The closer I get to my due date, I mean marathon date, the more crabby and impatient I get. (Why can't the marathon/baby come today? What can I do to make it come sooner? Why am I doing this anyway? I am ready to have my life back, whine, whine, whine.)

You can probably guess that my husband is a patient man. He had no idea that he was really going to have a wife acting like she was pregnant when she was really training for a marathon. We don't even get a baby when I am finished. But we do get shiny medals which we plan on framing, we never have to change their diapers, and we can leave them home alone while we go out to train for another marathon.

Running and Blogging Tips

Okay, I know it's not my turn to blog again yet, but I just wanted to throw this in real quick. Sometimes you just get the blogging itch!
Some interesting facts:

• Danna and I have begun to get up earlier than Vicky! We refer to this as "quarter to Vicky."

• This weekend we got up at 3:30! 3 freaking 30!

• We both have new running outfits.

• We have discovered a new runner's foot powder that you put in your sock and shake. It keeps your feet dry and blister-free even in the rain. It's AMAZING!! Buy it at Wasatch Running Co. (Even better than Bodygliding your toes!)

• Many of our friends don't know how to make comments (so per request, I have instructions over there on the right side of the blog)

• Our bodies did not take kindly to 18 miles.

• We no longer complain in the mornings. We have turned into running robots.

• Underwear Man wears a strange green head band each day, possible made from crepe paper.

• Icing after a run provides miraculous healing!

• Husbands giving priesthood blessings provide miraculous stamina! :)

• If you want comments on your blog, you have to comment on other peoples' blogs.

• Here is an amazing new IT-band stretch I found!

• Not getting comments on your blog equates with a self-esteem crisis.

• We are always the first people on any given running trail every Saturday morning (for at least an hour).
  

• Danna gives you presents every Saturday if you run with her (this week she gave me little packets of sunscreen, Bodyglide-esque wipes, dry foot powder, a post-run power bar, Gatorade, and a "pot minder" from Sur La Table!!! I'm not making this up.) Last Saturday? Jeff Galloway's book "Running."

• Julie and Julia is a good movie.

My other running tips include: Getting your shoes at Salt Lake Running Company, running without leaning forward, walking an extra 1/2 mile-a mile after each run, stretching your legs well immediately after runs, applying Bodyglide EVERYWHERE! For more info on this email me privately. :)

And now, and ollld video I couldn't upload until now. It is obsolete as I no longer Cross Train! My doctor said I didn't have to!